Pool Therapy For Dogs

Dog Pool Therapy

Hydrotherapy (pool therapy) is gaining wide respect among the veterinary profession as a way of treating dogs for a variety of ailments.

No matter what bread of dog you have hydrotherapy pools are a great way of giving your dog some exercise. NMIT veterinary nursing course-coordinator Annette McFadden says a minuter for a dog in the pool can be the equivalent to it walking or running a kilometre.

Pool therapy is a great choice for exercising your dog because it is low impact and there is no pressure on bones or muscles. This is particularly good for dogs recovering from surgery. Dogs in all stages of recovery will be catered to during a session in the pool.

It is also the exercise of choice for dogs with arthritis and other conditions that limit normal activities. Even blind dogs are able to make the most of exercising in the hydrotherapy pool.

Relieve the boredom in your dog's life and search out a pool near you today.

Huge Payout For Pet Owners

Finally Compensation Is On The Way.

But It Won't Bring Back The Lost Pets.

One of the biggest scandals in the pet industry has finally been settled. A whopping $24 million dollars has been allocated to pet owners across the United States and Canada pending a judges approval. The final hearing is set for May 30th 2008.

The money is to compensate for expenses directly incurred by the owners of pets that suffered illness or death linked to toxic pet food. The biggest ever pet food recall in 2007 was sparked by contaminated wheat gluten imported from China finding its way into the processing plants of no less than five pet food manufacturing companies.

In total more than 5,000 products from more than 150 different brands were affected by the recall. Millions of chickens, 56,000 swine and an undetermined number of fish may have eaten tainted feed.

Michigan State University conducted a survey of veterinarians which recorded 236 cats and 112 dogs that died or were treated for symptoms linked to the toxic food. Dogs and cats experienced vomiting and suffered kidney failure. The total number of affected pet owners could have numbered in the thousands.

In this age of mass production the only way you can be sure of what you are feeding your loved family pet is serve them natural foods prepared by yourself. There are many great resources available today to assist you to provide for your pet in this manner.

Source [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2008/05/pet-food-compan.html]

Pet Dumping Epidemic

A sad indictment on our society is that when things get a bit tight financially our first reaction is to dump our pets. The RSPCA said the number of animals dumped by their owners in 2007 was 23 per cent higher than the year before (a total of 7,346). Already, 2008 has seen 2,621 animals picked up in the first four months.

Soaring fuel, food, energy and tax bills have left pet owners in a position where they can't afford to feed their pets. The rates of dumping dramatically increase in holiday seasons when pet owners can not afford the cost of insuring an animal, paying for vet bills and placing a pet in kennels while travelling.

Almost half of all animals dumped are cats. Living in the country we often find stray cats, chickens, rabbits, and other animals that have all been dumped. It is a sad and cruel fate that most of these animals face, as they are usually ill equipped for survival in this environment. Many fall prey to predators, traffic, and irate farmers who find them poaching "easy meals."

Taking your pet for a drive into the country and dumping them may seem like an easy option, and you may justify it by pretending to "release them into paradise." But the reality is, that you are condemning them to a life on the run. Hunger, disease, and early death is the more likely fate a dumped animal will face.

What is the solution this problem?

How can desperate families who are forced to return to full time work, or are travelling further to get a better paid job, or just cutting back to be able to feed their kids, deal with their pets?

Not all of these families are heartless monsters. Sometimes it simply a choice between the children and the pets. It may be a distressing and highly emotional decision that they have been forced to make.

The first thing to realise is that it is NEVER the right thing to do to dump your pet anywhere!

Perhaps these people should be publicly shamed. I am sure the majority of pet dumpers would not expect to get caught, and would like even less it to be known they abandoned their animals.

The next place to start is with education. Many people do not realise the cost nor the time involved in pet ownership. Pets do not just disappear when vacation season rolls around and you want to go away.

Pets, just like humans, have medical conditions that require treatment. One of the most common elements in animals received by the RSPCA is long-term medical conditions such as cancerous growths. The cost of treating such conditions can easily stretch in to the hundreds of dollars and is often out of the budget for many families.

With the traditional pet dumping season being the months leading up to Christmas, we can expect almost epidemic levels of abandoned pets this year. Take a proactive stand and start trying to combat it today. Many RSPCA facilities are already running at or near capacity.

We can't allow this shameful crime to continue!

Source.

RSPA Dog Candidate For Guinness Record

This interesting article was published in the Telegraph.co.uk.

A couple are trying to prove that their pet Labrador cross is the oldest dog in the world.

Bella the Labrador, they claim, is at least 29 years old, which would be about 200 years old in "dog years."

Unfortunately for owner David Richardson, although he got the mixed breed dog from an animal home about 26 years ago, the RSPCA said it does not have any records for Bella and the Guinness World Records said without the appropriate paperwork it could not be proved.

“I’m convinced she is the oldest dog in the world” said Mr Richardson, from Chesterfield.

For his claim to be substantiated Gareth Deaves, records manager from Guinness World Records, said “unless we can a doggy birth certificate or some really clear evidence from the RSPCA then we won’t be able to prove Bella’s age and we can’t list her as the oldest dog.”

The most recent record for the oldest dog was held by Butch, a 28-year-old from America who died in 2003, according to Mr Deaves.

With the prize for the oldest ever recorded dog going to Bluey, a sheepdog from Australia, who lived to 29 a startling 200 in canine years.

Do you have a doggie tale of great longevity?

Let Me Know Your Views

Given that Dogs are living to 200 canine years old, I am wondering if that makes a mockery of our assessment of dog years. Do you think we should adjust the numbers so that dogs only live to 100 "dog" years?

Are the dogs mention really the oldest dogs in the world, or just the oldest ones that people have registered with Guinness Book of Records?

If Dogs living this long becomes a trend is this going to put undue pressure on our dog health care systems? Will we see doggie retirement homes becoming neccessary as dogs out live their owners?

Rainbow Bridge

Pet Loss Poem

There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors. Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge there is a land of meadows, hills and valleys with lush green grass.

When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place. There is always food and water and warm spring weather. All the animals who have been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. Her bright eyes are intent; her eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly she begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, her legs carrying her faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be separated.'

Author Unknown

A POEM FOR THE GRIEVING

A POEM FOR THE GRIEVING...

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die...

-Anonymous

The cardinal rule for talking to children about the death of a pet is ...

Kim Marie Labak
Information Specialist
University of Illinois
College of Veterinary Medicine


"A pet can be a child's best friend," says Cheryl Weber, a client counselor specialist at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana. The death of a pet can be a sad and confusing time for children as well as a difficult time for parents. Often parents are dealing with their own grief and aren't sure how to talk to their children about the death of the pet, whether it's a hamster, turtle, cat, dog, or horse.

Weber says, "The cardinal rule for talking to children about the death of a pet is: be honest." She says it's important to let children say goodbye and to express their grief.

When a pet dies, some parents have the impulse to lie to protect their children from grief. They may tell the child that the pet was given away, lost, or went to a farm to live happily ever after. "Adults may lie because they want to protect their child from sadness and hurt," explains Weber, a licensed social worker. "It breaks your heart to see a child sob, but it's normal and healthy for children to grieve. When they love a pet and it dies, they need to know it's okay to cry."

Weber suggests sticking to the basic, simple truth, using language the child can understand. If you can foresee a death or euthanasia, you can prepare by talking to the children beforehand, explaining, "Fluffy is very sick and can't get better." "When she dies, her heart will stop and she cannot walk or play or eat or purr any more."

Avoid the euphemism "put to sleep" because it can cause a child to be afraid of going to sleep at night. It's better to say "Because Fluffy can't get better, we're going to help her die."

Statements like these will probably lead to a barrage of challenging questions such as "Why?" and "Where is she going?" Weber suggests that adults try to answer these questions and help children learn that death is a natural part of life. Many pets have short life spans. They get ill, body parts wear out, they get into accidents, and sometimes they can't be saved. Plus, parents have the opportunity to discuss their spiritual beliefs with their children.


Other suggestions from Weber include:

ﾷ Let children say goodbye to the pet before euthanasia or burial. A teenager away at college may want to know what's going on.

ﾷ Let older children or teens be present for the euthanasia, if they want to be, and if they are carefully prepared for what will happen.

ﾷ Some clinics make the family a "clay paw" keepsake (see www.claypaws.com). A horse owner may want to keep a clipping of hair from the mane or tail.

ﾷ Let children express their feelings. Encourage a child to draw a picture or write a story about the pet. Making a scrapbook or memory book may help an older child.

ﾷ Let children help in planning a memorial, whether you have ashes, a burial, or a simple eulogy in the living room.

ﾷ Read books together, such as The Tenth Good Thing About Barney, where a mother encourages her son to think of 10 good things about his cat after the cat dies.

ﾷ Parents can learn more about pet loss from resources such as Children and Pet Loss: A Guide for Helping, by Marty Tousley.

ﾷ Don't rush into getting a new pet.




For more information on talking to children about pet loss, contact your local veterinarian or visit the Companion Animal Related Emotions (CARE) Helpline Web site at www.cvm.uiuc.edu/CARE/.