Somebody call Ace Ventura Pet Detective!  There’s been a dog napping and the owners are offering up a major reward.  Any amateur pet detectives may also want to check into the missing dog incident for a chance at the rather large reward of $50,000.

An eastern Idaho couple is willing to pay that much money for the return of their beloved toy poodle named Spanky.  Spanky is nine months old and disappeared while outside for his nightly bathroom break. 

Sparky’s owners, Dan and Donna Loucks also own Trouble, another toy poodle who was on the same bathroom break with Sparky when he disappeared.  Trouble however didn’t disappear and still remains at home.

Trouble is not safe though.  Apparently he misses his littermate so much that he’s become depressed and refuses to eat.  The owners have to force feed Trouble through an intravenous tube.  In fact, it’s this development that has the Loucks offering a reward for their missing poodle. 

They lost their last pet, a dachshund, last year when it was severely mauled by a neighbor’s pet hound.  The dachshund was a big part of their lives and left quite the void.  The void which was only filled again with the aid and addition of Trouble and Spanky, gifts from their daughter who felt that they needed some lifting up.

Louckes saying of his reward for the return of Spanky, “I'll pay more than that if I have to.  I have to know if he's alive or if he's gone. We just have to know."    

This isn’t the first time that large rewards have been offered for the return of a pet.  In 1998 an AIDS victim in New York City offered $10,000 for the return of his missing German Short Haired Pointer.  Sites like Craig’s list also have rewards like this popping up from time to time. 

Source: http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/465228.html

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What won’t con artists take advantage of these days?!  I was shocked to read that a man attempted to swindle $15,000 in cash from the Animal Ark shelter in St. Paul, Minnesota.  I say ‘attempted’ because the man, obviously got caught and is charged with theft by swindle which is a felony.  However, it’s never certain in these cases if the victim, the animal shelter, will even get their money back.  Many times it’s just gone with the wind, as it were, since the con artists spend the money as soon as they get access to it.

Fifteen grand can do a lot of good too.  Especially at the Animal Ark which is a no-kill animal shelter.   Every single animal they take in is safe from being euthanized due to overcrowding or just not being adopted.  That much money means a lot to the shelter, which has an annual budget of about $1.3 million dollars to cover everything from food, to electric, to medical to salaries.  A single animal can go all the way from rescue to adoption on $400, so imagine how many pets $15,000 would have placed.  I did the calculations for you.  It would have saved 37 animals, with about $200 leftover for pet food to feed all those animals.

The con artist, William C. Strobel, had been hired by the animal shelter as a temporary bookkeeper.  During the course of his short two months working with the shelter, he managed to steal all of this money by taking cash from the shelter’s thrift store, pocketing it and replacing the receipts with cash donations made to the store by charitable people.  Lucky for the animal shelter, they have theft insurance and the insurance company will be repaying the losses and has decided to waive the deductible for the non-profit shelter.

Source: http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/19417154.html?location_refer=Home%20+%20Garden

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On my street there is a house that’s recently been moved into.  Living in this house is a nice family with a couple of kids that run around and go to school and live fairly normal lives.  Living with this family is a dog, it looks like a purebred but I’m not familiar with the type so we’ve been debating whether it’s called an Akita or a Bichon something.  I’ll probably look through the doggy encyclopedia on here in order to figure it out. 

Anyway, this lovely looking dog has bright orange-yellow hair one of those tails that stays permanently up and curled and big foxy looking ears.  It also seems to have a rather calm disposition. 

Yet, I can’t figure out why this new loving family has opted to let their purebred dog run around in the streets all day long.  I mean all day too, from sun up to sun down.  Frankly that dog isn’t looking so good anymore.  Once energetic, curious and bright eyed, she’s now molting, slow and holds a general air of neglect about her.  Plus, the dog has no collar.  This poor dog’s condition can only get worse and it’s not only the new neighbors fault.  It’s partly my own and the faults of other people living in our neighborhood for not reporting the dog that’s left to run the streets all day. 

I have a relative who also owned a dog and let it run loose during the day.  He stated it was because he felt guilty for keeping the dog cooped up all day while he was at work.  Folks, I can understand why you’d be feeling guilty about not being able to play with or walk your dog during the work day.  It’s not a good enough reason to turn the dog loose in the streets before work, collar or no collar. 

There are many dangerous things in the world.  Dogs don’t know how to use crosswalks.  They don’t know not to follow people around or chase other people’s pets.  And they won’t be able to tell you if they’ve been attacked, hurt or gotten lost while on their daily journey. 

Keep your pets inside and make it out to them at the end of the day by taking them out for a nice long walkies.  The both of you will be better for it. 

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One of the scariest and most intense books I’ve ever read is, Cujo, the tale of a kindly, loving St. Bernard turned vicious killer by a rabies infection.  This novel by Stephen King may involve a slight exaggeration of reality and events to trap characters Donna Trenton and her 4 year old son in their useless car at the mercy of a rabid dog, but it certainly holds scary elements of truth to it.

I’ve always felt that the writing for Cujo’s point of view in the book must be how the poor creatures infected with rabies must feel, think and act.  No one knows for certain how rabies affects a person’s or animal’s mind as they really deteriorate, but for me, those descriptions of Cujo’s reactions really hit the mark as far as the horror of slowly dying from rabies. 

This infection is entirely preventable too, but not so easy to stop once it gets started.  A simple vaccination every three years or so protects your pet from catching rabies.  While a hefty series of rabies shots are the prescription for someone whose been bitten by a rabid animal.  These shots have to be given very early too, in order to have a good chance of preventing human or animal from becoming rabid. 

Keep yourself and your pet’s safe by keeping up with their regular rabies shots.  Also, stay on the look out for wild animals or pets behaving strangely.  The most common animal carriers of rabies are raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats.  Just to be on the safe side you’ll want to avoid these wild animals, especially if they seem unafraid or aggressive towards you or your pets.  Don’t go out of your way to follow or aggravate wild animals, as they will bite in self defense.

A little common sense and preventative vaccination and you won’t have to worry about your pets ever having to experience Cujo’s fate.

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Another case of humans infringing on nature in Peterborough, Ontario in Canada.  Or shall we say nature infringing on humans?  These cases grow more and more common has we grow in population and begin competing more directly for land and food with many of nature’s other creatures.

Why, just the other day I actually saw a full grown doe, for those of you who don’t know, it’s a female deer, running through the streets of an urban neighborhood not far from my home.  I supposed she just wanted to enjoy a day out on the town. 

Anywho,  they’re having a similar problem with carnivores, rather thank herbivores in the form of coyotes.  The Peterborough Humane Society has received numerous calls lately about coyotes running through the neighborhoods.  Homeowners along the north end of town claim that for the past three weeks coyotes have been running awfully close to their property.  Close enough to make them a lot nervous and the humane society a little cautious. 

Apparently coyotes don’t mind snacking on slow moving cats and dogs.  The humane society is urging homeowners to keep their pets inside after dark.  So, you’d better get that walkies out of the way before the sun sets folks!

Coyotes are particularly active at night and can sprint as much as 40 miles an hour, so your pets definitely won’t be able to outrun them should they decide a tasty snack is in order. 

Coyotes look a lot like dogs, but they have grayish or white fur and usually a very bushy, bottle brush type tail.  They weigh about 30 pounds and are about the size of a collie.  They may not seem very threatening when you happen to glimpse one, but coyotes are very wild animals and can attack in self-defense.  Stay clear of them wherever you are, Ontario or not.

Source: http://www.mykawartha.com/news/article/29595

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It’s time for the Cannes Film Festival again! Boy, they seem to hold that thing every year.  Anyway, you know what the Cannes means.  Yep, another great canine actor received the Palm Dog.   This award is given to doggy actors for best performance by a dog in a Cannes Film. 

Naturally this year’s winner was a complete suck up.  You know how retrievers are, always playing the part of man’s best friend.  Fetch me this, Fido.  Play dead, Fido.  Go act, Fido. 

Plus, I heard the only reason this year’s winner got the part she won the Palm Dog award for is because she lives with the director.  Scandalous!  If I lived with a director you can bet I wouldn’t use that leverage to get a movie part. Woof!

The lucky dog who happened to win this year is Lucy, the retriever mix who co-starred in ‘Wendy and Lucy.’  Lucy is the live in pet of the movie’s director, Kelly Riechardt.  After revealing this naughty bit of information Riechardt claimed, "She was no trouble at all to direct. She always did what she was told and got to the set on time."  Of course she would say that about her pet!

Lucy, the lucky dog, co-starred in the movie with Michelle Williams who played the part of ‘Wendy’.  The film follows the adventures of Wendy whose car breaks down on her way to look for summer work in Alaska.

Lucy will received a diamante dog collar that is given to the winners of the Palm Dog award every year.  However she was not present to receive the award at Cannes and Riechardt picked it up for her.  The doggy star became something of a scaredy cat, perhaps?

The first winner of the Palm Dog was Otis in 2001 who appeared in ‘The Anniversary Party’ co-directed by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming.

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I’m continually amazed at the animal hoarding stories that come up in the news these days.  It seems people just can’t keep from collecting animals to keep in their homes. 

A home in Fort Wayne, Indiana was found to contain over a dozen cats, a couple of dogs and some birds recently.  They arrived on site and entered the home after receiving permission from a man living in the house.  The most noticeable characteristic about the property was the strong ammonia smell from the built up layers of animal feces.  A police report said, "animal vomit and feces covering the floors, the basement and nearly every room of the house."

A neighbor stated to the Associated Press that she has noticed the smell of cat urine coming from the property for a while and that she had seen several dogs around the home and knew there were cats but was surprised by the number of animals found by animal control officers.

In all, 14 cats and one dog were removed from the home and had to be euthanized because of their poor health.  They all suffered from upper respiratory infections and various skin conditions, according to animal control spokeswoman Peggy Bender.  Animal control allowed another resident of the property to keep one dog and two birds, mainly because they were the only animals healthy enough to keep.

It seems that Animal Control is considering charges in this particular case of animal hoarding.  Normally, they don’t file charges in these kinds of cases, but the officers had previously dealt with one of the home’s residents in a similar case.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-in-aminalseuthanized,0,6014657.story

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I once read a collection of woe filled pet medicating tales by Cleveland Amory in his book, The Complete Cat, a compilation of his trilogy of books about Cleveland’s beloved cat, Polar Bear.  Amory had a terrible time getting Polar Bear to ‘take’ his medicine when he got ill.  In fact, the author and animal rights activist looked high and low for tips and advice on making a cat swallow his pills, but never could get Polar Bear to take the bait, remain subdued, and do as he was told or even sit still for a forced feeding. 

Anyone who has had a dog will know that it’s a lot easier to sneak them their medicine by hiding it in their food, as I have done on many an occasion myself with my former dog.  Cats however are a little more discerning and will even go as far as eating around the pill in the food which you’ve hidden it or miraculously spitting it back out when you’ve tried the old, throat massage trick to force a pill down.

I suggest asking your veterinarian if you can literally grind up the pill and mix the powder into your cat’s wet food to make sure he or she can’t avoid the medication in their food.  Sometimes vets are really picky about that tactic though and will insist a pill has to be swallowed whole to work properly.

You can also ask the vet if there is a liquid form of the medication available, making it easier to at least get the medication into your cat’s mouth increases the likelihood of it being swallowed.  If your cat is a persistent self cleaner, you can also try squirting the liquid medication into their fur and they’ll end up medicating themselves when they lick their fur.

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The home is filled with lots of chemicals to which most of us don’t really give a second thought.  We’ve got dish detergent on the kitchen counter, bleach and ammonia under the sink and even cleansers in the bathrooms.  Of course, we’re usually aware enough to keep those obvious chemicals out of the reach of our favorite cats.  But, what about the chemicals and products we don’t normally consider harmful?

Things like talcum powder and mothballs can be equally dangerous to pets.  Yep, talcum powder is not only used on baby’s bum, it’s also dangerous to your pet cat!

Cats are extremely susceptible to lung problems and can develop pneumonia and other related conditions with surprising ease.  They are also smaller than people, lower to the ground (most of the time) and don’t know to stay out of the talc.  When a cat knocks over a bottle of talcum powder it not only gets everywhere, it also gets into their nostrils and it is inhaled into their lungs.  As you can imagine this is an irritant and can compromise the cat’s health.  Your cat may also be tempted to eat the talcum powder, causing digestive upset and possible damage.  Keep that talc out of reach!

Another worry for cat owners are mothballs!  Your cat loves batting things around, especially round perfectly paw-sized items that make great toys!  Well, those mothballs easily fit the description of a perfect cat toy, at least to your cat. 

Cats also tend to chew on their toys and when your cat takes that mothball into his or her mouth, it is also taking in the chemicals it’s soaked in.  Mothballs contain one chemical in particular called, naphthalene, which is toxic to cats.  Even the fumes from this chemical can harm your kitty causing serious health problems.  Ingestion of naphthalene by your cat can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, swelling of the brain tissue, seizures, damage to the liver, kidneys and blood cells, coma and even death.

Keep those mothballs out of your cat’s reach.  Seal them up inside secure boxes, strong garment bags and make sure you keep extras in a safe storage space that kitty can’t access.

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Most of you may remember the major win Bob Barker former game show host of the Price is Right television gameshow helped garner for spaying and neutering pets in the Los Angeles area.  It’s now a law that all pet dogs must be spayed or neutered, in an attempt to help curb the explosive pet population in the city. 

Those of you who are hesitant o get you your pet’s spayed or neutered for various reasons should try to understand that this is one of the best things you can do for your pet and your own sanity. 

A randy cat or dog can not only tear up your house or leave a mess, but they can also get pregnant.  So, you’ll end up with more than one little problem to take care of in the household.  In fact you could have as many as twelve little problems to feed, care for, find homes for or if need be, place in an animal shelter.  Placing the puppies and kittens of your own pet in a shelter, will only take homes and possibly the lives from twelve other older pets.  If you want one good reason for getting your dog or cat spayed or neutered, that’s the one. 

However, if you should have other fears or reasons that need addressing, try heading over to The Humane Society of the United States’ website.  Their myths and facts about spaying and neutering page should help you make your decision. 

Here are a few myths debunked below:

MYTH: My pet will get fat and lazy.

FACT: The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners feed them too much and don't give them enough exercise.

MYTH: It's better to have one litter first.

FACT: Medical evidence indicates just the opposite. In fact, the evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age. Check with your veterinarian about the appropriate time for these procedures.

MYTH: My children should experience the miracle of birth.

FACT: Even if children are able to see a pet give birth—which is unlikely, since it usually occurs at night and in seclusion—the lesson they will really learn is that animals can be created and discarded as it suits adults. Instead, it should be explained to children that the real miracle is life and that preventing the birth of some pets can save the lives of others.

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Having written about curbing your cat’s bad behavior yesterday, I figured I’d go ahead and post a few tips for cat proofing your home too.  Especially if your cat doesn’t respond to the positive reinforcement you’ve provided.  At least you’ll be able to keep kitty from hurting himself too much as he gets into trouble around the house.

The following are several cat proofing your home tips from TopPetTips.com 

• Placing breakables out of reach is important, kittens love pawing items and sniffing everything with their littles noses. Anything left within their reach could potentially be broken, the smarter the kitten the better chance he/she has of causing trouble.
• Keeping plants out of the reach of kittens is important, plants generally aren't safe around cats, often plants aren't safe for kitty either. Chewing on some plants such as the English ivy can be toxic to cats. Hanging your plants or placing them on higher shelves will help keep the two apart. Also be sure to choose non toxic plants such as the prayer plant, or begonia will help ensure kittens safety as well.
• Kittens do not tend to chew as much as puppies, but they do play-attack and bite nearly everything. Electric cords can be particularly tempting, and bitten cords can result in severe burns or even death. Get rid of as many electrical cords as possible, and check remaining wires regularly for signs of chewing. Tape cords to the floor to keep them from moving.
• Keep garbage away from your kitten. Although cats are generally more fastidious than their canine counterparts, the smell of scraps may tempt them to scrounge. Your kitten might be poisoned by eating chocolate or he might end up with an upset stomach that results in a predictable mess.

Check out more tips on cat proofing your home at: http://toppettips.com/general_tips_for_all_pets/tips_for_you_and_your_cat/kitten-proofing_your_home.html

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Many people think of cats as calm and detached pets compared to dogs.  In reality cats can get into just as much trouble as little kids, scratching up the furniture, playing with your papers, knocking things off of shelves and so on.  This kind of behavior is more associated with younger cats, particularly those under the age of two years. 

If you’ve got these kinds of problems with your cats, it may just be that they are still young kittens or adolescents.  Play type behavior and rough housing is natural in younger cats that are still exploring the world and learning how to defend themselves. 

Most cats learn proper behavior from their mothers and littermates, but if you have a cat that has been removed from its parent early for some reason or just haven’t spent a lot of time indoors it may not know not to knock over that priceless vase or avoid biting you.  It is possible to correct bad behavior in cats with a few diversions and some attention. 

1.  Try getting some cat toys and playing with them with your cats.  This can be as simple as a ball of string or a flash light pointed against the wall. 

2.  Avoid rough play with your cats using your hands.  This encourages the idea that clawing people and playing rough with your hands or arms is okay.

3.  Set up three consistent times during the day for playtime with your young cats.  As they get older they won’t be as interested in playtime, but younger cats in particular have a lot of energy to release.

4.  You can fill up the old spray bottle with water to discourage the cat too.  This doesn’t seem very nice, but it’s quite the cold splash of water in the face.  You can quickly squirt a cat if they start biting, playing with your toilet paper, spraying the walls themselves or just about any behavior.  Be careful with this tactic as you can quickly end up with a neurotic cat if used too frequently or for random behavior.

Check out more helpful tips at: http://www.sspca.org/Cats/KitRoughPlay.html

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The beaches in Sennen, West Cornwall are one lifeguard short today.  Bilbo the lifeguard dog who normally patrols the beaches has been officially banned after the RNLI took over control and maintenance of the beach. 

According to Bilbo’s owner 53 year old Steve Jamieson, the banning is a real scandal.  Bilbo is a Newfoundland who has been a part of the lifeguard team at Sennen for the past three years.  He’s well trained, normally wears a special yellow jacket and pulls a rescue float when going into the water for stricken swimmers to grab onto.

Dogs are banned on the beaches for safety reasons, but Bilbo was able to get around these rules by riding along with his human co-workers on an all terrain bike (ATB), when not in the water.  Technically, he’s not actually walking on the beach when riding the vehicle. 

However, now that RNLI has taken over the life guarding duties of the beach, they’ve decided that this isn’t a safe practice.  Bilbo is banned from riding the ATBs meaning he cannot go on patrol or be on the beach at all for his life guarding duties.

Rebecca Kirk, chief environmental officer at the council, told BBC News: "If he is on the beach it is against the law…It puts us in a really difficult position, but we have to be consistent.”

Bilbo’s owner states, “I was dumbstruck when I was told…He is the biggest asset for beach safety and for the RNLI to disown him is a scandal.”  Jamieson now faces a 75 British Pound fine if he continues to bring Bilbo to work. 

Bilbo is not classified as a service dog, therefore he must abide by all public and private rules.  His special skills in lifesaving are entirely instinctive and reinforced by positive training and approval from Jamieson and the other lifeguards.  Newfoundland’s are specially adapted for swimming with their double fur coats, containing an outer layer that repels water and their webbed paws.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7408021.stm

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Another tale of animals mauling humans today.  The family dog of England’s rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio savagely attacked and mauled his son, Enzo. 

The son, Enzo, had serious facial injuries and spent two days in the hospital recovering from them.  It’s believed that Enzo will make a full recovery.  The family dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Como, was put down.  Dallaglio attempted to get the dog taken in by local animal welfare groups, but was unable to find a place for the dog.  He was told that it would be nearly impossible to find someone willing to take the dog, after it had displayed such violent behavior. 

Como attacked Enzo last Wednesday night, in Richmond, Surrey while Dallaglio and his wife, Alice were getting ready to head out for the last Wasps dinner Dallaglio was able to attend at a player.  It appears Enzo attempted to pet the dog, when he snapped. 

After the attack the two rushed Enzo to St. George’s Hospital in Tooting.  His wounds were stitched up and Enzo was placed on an antibiotic drip to help prevent infection.

Dallaglio stated, "I loved Como, but not like I love my son.  Como may have had a tumour and when touched on that part of the head, the pain made him react as he did.”  This is partly what he and his veterinarian believe may have occurred and that the pain on being touched was so unbearable the dog reacted violently.  He also stated, “Enzo didn’t antagonise the dog,” said Dallaglio. “He just patted him on the head. Later an adult touched the same part of the head and the reaction was the same.”

The dog never before displayed any signs of aggression or violence and was a much loved member of the family. 

Source: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/44936/Dallaglio-s-guilt-over-son-mauled-by-pet-dog

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There is new research that indicates animal testing isn’t necessary and is even misleading on occasion.  For decades animal testing has been used as the step just before entering into human testing and for just as long people have been protesting it as cruel and pointless. 

In fact less than half of animal experiments are even for medical research.  That fact surprised me.  In addition most animal research has never been assessed to modern standards as to its real contribution and value towards developing medicines and live saving techniques. 

The recent research that may help in animal right’s activists causes against testing is the result of scientists following six treatments for human illnesses from the development of the treatment to its uses on humans.  After looking at whether 221 tests on 7100 animals had correctly predicted the outcome of the treatments in humans, the scientists found that results agreed only 50% of the time. 

The US Drug Regulatory Agency has even admitted that 92% of all medicines that showed promise in animal testing end up failing in humans. 

Of course, the agency is now looking for a better approach to testing treatments before applying them to humans. 

One such alternative is the test tube technique.  I’ve written about this testing alternative that doesn’t harm animals.  Scientists test their treatments on human cells that have been infected with or contain a certain condition.  These test tubes are cheaper, quicker and show how a treatment directly affects human cells rather than taking chances on animal based results. 

Besides the US Drug Regulatory Agency, many laboratories and companies have replaced animal testing with non-animal based research like human test tubes in the past 30 years.  These alternatives are yielding reliable answers, perhaps even more reliable than animal testing, with less pain, time and money. 

Source: http://news.scotsman.com/opinion/Animal-experiments-no-longer-pass.4094751.jp

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Since writing about aggressive behavior in dogs last week, I’ve decided to return to the topic.  There are quite a few different causes of aggressive behavior in dogs.  Knowing just what makes your dog feel the need to defend themselves can go a long way towards correcting the behavior and keeping anyone from being nipped or worse.

The article, Signs of an Aggressive Dog by Lynn Roberts, DVM provided by Petsit.com (http://www.petsit.com/content91.html) describes several types of aggressive behavior and how to recognize them so your dog doesn’t feel the need to elevate to biting.

There are three types of aggressive behavior, fear aggression, dominance aggression and territorial aggression.  As Lynn Roberts describes it, fear aggression can be the result of unfamiliar situations;

Fear Aggression. Fear aggressive dogs may bite if they encounter an unfamiliar person or a person who engages in behaviors that induce fear, such as abrupt approaches. Fearful dogs engage in typical behaviors, such as lowered body posture and tail position, ears pointing backwards and commissures of the mouth pulled back (fearful grin).

While dominance aggression is the kind of behavior that a person should really watch out for and really be careful of the dog displaying it.

Dominance Aggression. This type of aggression occurs typically if the dog is challenged over a resource that it values enough to engage in a fight. The motivation to show aggression can vary between individuals as well as from situation to situation. Dominant aggressive dogs engage in typical behaviors such as staring, head up, tail up, stiff gait, growling and baring the teeth.

Territorial aggression according to Roberts is more related to fear and can be avoided if the person understands that the dog is trying to protect certain areas that they consider their territory.

Territorial Aggression. Territorial aggression is fundamentally protective and may therefore be partly fear-based. The fear response is triggered by the perceived threat to a highly valued resource-the dog's "home turf". Territorial aggression usually occurs in a specific area that the dog guards.

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Speaking of small caged animals, you’ll be surprised to find out just how many different rabbit facts can be found online.  In fact, I was surprised to learn just how unique these furry little creatures are and they aren’t just for people who like the Easter Bunny!

Special Random Rabbit Facts from Petsit.com (http://www.petsit.com/content316309.html)

Rabbits need protection from not only extreme cold, but heat as well.

Ideal bedding materials for rabbits include straw, hay or newspapers. Wood shavings can cause medical problems if ingested.

Rabbits are very clean creatures and can be litter trained.

A rabbit can be literally scared to death. Always provide a hiding place for him to retreat should he feel threatened.

Bunnies are mischievous. Commons mishaps involve electrical cords, toilets, other pets, and toxic plants or household solutions.

Rabbits need daily exercise and interaction with humans.

You might witness your bunny eating his softer, more irregularly shaped stools. These droppings, called “cecotrophes,” are packed with vitamins and fiber and are necessary to the rabbit’s well-being.

Rabbits can easily break their backs if handled improperly. Use one hand to support his chest and the other to support your rabbit’s hind end. Bring him close to your body and allow him to bury his nose in the crook of your arm so he feels secure from falling.

Pet owners stated there were fewer drawbacks to owning rabbits than any of the other small animals. (APPMA)

Bunnies were cited as being the least noisy of the caged pets and they were ranked as the best stress relievers. (APPMA)

Rabbits are members of the order Lagomorpha and are often confused with another group of lagomorphs, the hares. Rabbits are born completely helpless, naked and blind, but hares come into the world covered with fur, are able to see, and can live independently only one hour after birth!

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It can be hard to tell if your small pet is male or female when you first bring it home.  Small caged animals tend to be difficult to tell the differences in gender.  I know I had a hard time figuring out if my pet rat was a guy or a gal, in the end we never did reach a conclusion and just settled on a gender neutral name. 

For those pet owners who really want to know, the article, “And Baby Makes Six!” on PetSit.com (http://www.petsit.com/owners/pet_tips.php) has a few excellent tips for figuring out if you’ve got a male or a female on your hands and they’ve got tips for figuring this out with a range of different species.  The article also provides instructions for figuring out if your small pet is pregnant.

I would’ve found the instructions for finding the gender of a pet rat highly useful too.

RATS: Rats are similar to mice in that the location of the male genitals is farther up the abdomen than that of the female. Females also have nipples, and the male’s testicles will have descended by five weeks of age. Photos can be viewed at: http://www.ratz.co.uk

Pregnant? Again, similar to mice, a pregnant rat may show at 14 days. She will display a bulging midsection, may take to building a nest and be reluctant to be held. Her gestation period is a bit longer, perhaps 21 to 23 days, and she will give birth to a litter between 6 and 12. Young rats will be weaned at two weeks.

Lucky for me, our rat never got pregnant.  Otherwise we would’ve had a real problem on our hands!  In the form of half a dozen or so extra mouths to feed at any rate. 

You should definitely check out the gender of your small caged animal, especially if you plan on adding another pet to that cage.  You don’t want someone to get pregnant.  Plus, you can never really rely on the pet store’s say so that a certain small creature is male or female. 

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There has been a movement in recent years to feed cats and dogs a raw diet instead of the pet food that we normally pick up at the store.  It’s easy to see how this movement has grown in popularity due to the recent problems with pet food being contaminated.  Some people just feel it’s a better way to control what their pets eat by creating that perfectly balanced nutritional diet at home.  However, as Karen Peak states in Raw Meat Diets for Cats and Dogs there’s more to a raw meat diet than running to the store.

“Feeding a raw diet is far more than hitting your local grocery store and tossing hamburger or chicken your pet’s way! Proper nutrition involves knowing what your pet needs to be healthiest in regards to protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, various vitamins and minerals, etc. Deficiencies in any of these can lead to serious problems down the road. For example, if a cat lacks taurine, he can end up with vision problems. Some breeds of dog are prone to bladder stones and some stones may have a protein-related basis. Too much protein can be bad for these dogs. If you wish to properly feed a raw diet, you need to take the time to understand the intricacies of animal nutrition based on species. A good, high quality kibble takes care of the mystery of how much a dog or cat needs of what element.”

If you really must insist on giving your beloved pet a raw meat diet, then you’ll have to supplement that diet with other foods containing vitamins and nutrients.  According to Dr. Ian Billinghurst in, Give Your Dog a Bone, the raw diet naturally suiting a dog is mainly raw meaty bones. 

Approximately 60% of their diet should consist of this tasty treat.  When looking for the right bones, think leftover ham shank from Easter Dinner.  The other 40% of a dog’s diet should consist of green veggies, eggs, milk and organ meats like liver, heart and kidneys.  Only be careful how much liver you give as it can actually lead to an overdose of Vitamin A. 

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Many of us remember the pet food recalls of the summer of 2007 and many of us were affected directly by it through the pain and suffering of our pets.  The FDA reported that this incident led to the largest number of food recalls in their history, over 150 different brands of dog food recalled going as far back as November 8th, 2006.  Plus, over 18,000 phone calls came in concerning the contaminated pet food.  In total it’s estimated that 1,000 pets died from this contaminated pet food and multiple lawsuits have been filed against pet food suppliers.

The two culprits that led to all this trouble have been identified; melamine and cyanuric acid.  Though researchers are still trying to figure out the history of this massive pet food contamination.  It appears that Chinese pet food manufacturers added melamine to the dog food to make it appear that it had more protein than it actually did. 

Melamine is used to make plastics, fertilizer, and other products.  It’s not approved as an ingredient in food in the United States.  It emits a very high level of nitrogen when it‘s analyzed.  Human and pet food industries routinely test for nitrogen as a way of confirming that the food contains the right amount of protein. 

Researchers believe that the Cyanuric acid was just an impurity in the melamine that was added to the dog food.  That doesn’t make it any less dangerous though.  Cyanuric acid is used to stabilize chlorine in swimming pools.

Another series of pet food recalls posted by Menu Foods from December 3, 2006 to March 6, 2007 came as a result of rat poison.  Menu foods discerned that the addition of wheat gluten from ChemNutra in Las Vegas was the cause of all their recent pet food problems.  Tests on the gluten by researchers at the New York State Laboratory revealed that they had identified the rat poison administering as a toxin in the food.  This wheat gluten had been obtained by ChemNutra from Chinese manufacturers as well.

Source: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/86/8619sci3.html

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It’s Mother’s Day once again.  Hopefully all of you had a good day with your friends and family.  Whether you were doted on or did the doting on your mom, this is a day to remind your loved ones how much you love them.  In honor of this day I’ve tracked down another animal tale for mom’s everywhere.  It’s sweet and illustrates why there is no place like home.  This story is from Apples for the Teacher.com.

The Lark and It's Young Ones
P. V. Ramuswami Raju, Indian Fables

A child went up to a lark and said: "Good lark, have you any young ones?"

"Yes, child, I have," said the mother lark, "and they are very pretty ones, indeed." Then she pointed to the little birds and said, "This is Fair Wing, that is Tiny Bill, and that other is Bright Eyes."

"At home, we are three," said the child, "myself and two sisters. Mother says that we are pretty children, and she loves us."

To this the little larks replied, "Oh, yes, OUR mother is fond of us, too."

"Good mother lark," said the child, "will you let Tiny Bill go home with me and play?"

Before the mother lark could reply, Bright Eyes said, "Yes, if you will send your little sister to play with us in our nest."

"Oh, she will be so sorry to leave home," said the child, "she could not come away from our mother."

"Tiny Bill will be so sorry to leave our nest," answered Bright Eyes, "and he will not go away from OUR mother."

Then the child ran away to her mother, saying, "Ah, every one is fond of home!"

There are several other animal stories related to Mother’s Day.  Head over to http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/mothers-day/short-stories/index.html for more bedtime reading.

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Many of us know and love the cute little lizard known as the chameleon. This small animal has been a popular aquarium past four decades especially amongst children. However recent scientific research indicates you may not want to purchase the chameleon as a patch for your small child. That is of course, unless you want to explain the cycle of life and death to your kids as well.

It seems, scientists have finally reached the conclusion that a chameleons lifespan is actually less than one full year. They’re born, they eat, they mate and they die, all before the earth completes one full rotation around the sun. A small pet for your child that makes not.

This research came to light after Oklahoma state university researcher Khris Karsten realized frustratedly that all of the chameleons he been studying in a research project died suddenly. Confused that all of his subjects were dying Karston researched further and with colleagues observed the lifespan of 400 chameleons. All of which died in about a year.

Karsten explains that this short lifespan may have been the impetus for their desire to meet frequently and reproduce quickly. "There's not a lot of room for error…If you're a male chameleon of this species and you can't find a female to convince to mate, you've got no offspring in the next generation."