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Showing posts from April, 2015

The Shame Game: Why It Doesn’t Work In Dogs

It’s a statement I’ve heard to many times before. An owner will come home to find a chewed up shoe or a big puddle on the floor and utter something similar to this: “Then I took him right over to the puddle and said ‘bad dog, what did you do’. He knew he did wrong because  he looked so guilt y.” And here is the honest, scientific truth: He or she has absolutely no idea what he/she did was wrong. The poor pup is just reacting to the owner’s tone and possibly anger. It is a faulty way of disciplining because the dog is not learning a thing. An  Associated Press  article explains: Behaviorists insist  dogs lack shame . The guilty look — head cowered, ears back, eyes droopy — is a reaction to the tantrum you are throwing not over the damage they did hours earlier. Dr. Bonnie Beaver, a professor at Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and executive director of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, had this straightforward advice: “Just get

Human Medications Top the List of ASPCA Animal Poison Concerns

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center releases new app providing pet owners with quick info on 275+ potential toxins NEW YORK —The  ASPCA ® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) and its  Animal Poison Control Center  (APCC) today revealed that human medications again top of the list of toxins most commonly ingested by pets, according to cases handled by the APCC. The ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center, headquartered in Urbana, Ill., handled more than 167,000 cases in 2014 involving pets exposed to possibly poisonous substances. Nearly 16 percent of those calls (26,407 cases) were from owners whose pets got into medicines intended for human use, putting this category at the top of the toxin list for the seventh straight year.  “Just like children, our pets explore the world with their mouths. Unfortunately, our pets are much stronger and agile, with the ability to chew right through pill containers or jump to typically out-of-reach hiding places,” sai

Human of the Week! Greg Mahle: Dog Rescuer

Animal people are good people, there's no doubt about that. Sometimes, there is a person that stands out because they give so freely to help improve the lives of animals.  Greg Mahle is one such person. There is an abundance of shelter dogs in the deep south, which is why Mahle founded a transport service, Rescue Road Trips , to relieve these unwanted dogs from their death sentence and ship them north to the arms of loving and eager canine owners.  The trip starts on Tuesdays in Ohio, goes south of the Mason Dixon Line to retrieve the dogs and then circles back up north for joyful reunions on Saturdays. It's not a very profitable business and some days "ends don't meet", but Mahle loves what he does.

10 Simple Ways To Protect Your Dog Against The Canine Flu Epidemic

By Averi Clements A   recent outbreak of canine influenza has Chicago dog owners terrified. The disease is highly contagious and spreads when dogs touch noses or come in contact with each other’s saliva. While the flu usually isn’t deadly, it comes with  plenty of symptoms , such as dehydration, appetite loss, fever, and moderate to severe coughing. Unlike the bird flu — which created a global scare due to its rapid infection rate in Asia  — the dog flu doesn’t affect humans. But since people can still carry the flu on their clothes for up to twenty-four hours, it’s important to stay away from dogs you suspect might be affected with the illness. But be careful: while many diseases have clear symptoms,   such as head-pressing , carriers of canine influenza might not display any symptoms at all. There have now been  over 1,000 reported cases of canine influenza , with five dogs tragically succumbing to the illness. Luckily, there are ways to prevent your pup from being affected

8 Things to Consider Before Leaving Your Dog at a Kennel

There will come a point where you’ll most probably have to leave your dog behind, for the sake of traveling. Although it won’t be easy to leave your pet behind, you can ensure a safe and comfortable place for your pup to stay while you are away. The most obvious and simple option is to consider a kennel or boarding house for your pet, but before deciding on one, ask your friends and vet for their recommendation. Then call them based on your research. Naturally, you will have a number of questions to ask but might not be sure where to start. Here are some helpful tips:

Hayley's Home!

In a true miracle, Hayley was discharged from the hospital just a few few hours before Easter Sunday. Her recovery astounds me. When we left her there on Wednesday morning, she was limp, listless and couldn't even pick up her head. She was not the Hayley we know in any way. Dehydrated and unable to stand up, her prognosis was not good. So when multiple vets warned us that this could go south really fast, we knew that the pancreatitis (which was scored as moderate to severe) just might be the thing that took Hayley from us. 

#InspiredByCrafted Hill’s® Ideal Balance Equals Small Batches of Healthy Dog Food

Nutrition plays a huge role in Hayley's well being and recovery. This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Ideal Balance™ Crafted™, but Some Puppy To Love only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article. "You are what you eat." It's a saying that most of us have grown up hearing and perhaps not really considering the ramifications of that simple phrase. Not until many of grow up and reality sets in that the food we consume makes a huge difference in our well-being, stamina, thinking, sleeping, happiness, and overall health. Raising a child with chronic medical conditions has forced me to consider every single piece of food that she consumes, and when our chihuahua, Hayley was recently diagnosed with chronic conditions, her diet also became an integral part of her recovery. Being a dog and cat owner my entire life,

Canine Pancreatitis ... Poor Hayley

Our poor girl, after finally getting her diabetes and Cushing's disease controlled after months and months of targeted treatment, has developed a bad case of pancreatitis. She had to be immediately hospitalized and we are pulling for her.  The doctors have warned us that her case is moderate to severe and can quickly go either way. She is in a lot of pain but receiving regular pain meds, and this morning will have a pain patch administered.  She is receiving IV fluids, and being closely monitored to get her blood sugar controlled throughout this illness.