Kangaroos Hitching a Ride

This photograph was sent to me from friends during the recent evacuation of Theodore, a small country town in Queensland, Australia, which felt the full brunt of the recent floods. It touched my heart, and I’m sure animals (even wild animals), know when we are trying to help them.

Animal losses were high during the recent Queensland floods with farmers losing livestock, many domestic pets perished in the floods and wild animals were no exception – many got washed away and drowned because they couldn't escape to higher, safer ground – but these guys got lucky.

Kangaroos are known to be strong swimmers - they swim by moving their legs independently of each other - something that they can't do on land!
However, it's not known how long these guys had been in the flood waters when their knight in shining armour arrived to save them! They would have probably been quite tired by the time he came on the scene.

Under normal circumstances a kangaroo would take a swipe at a human and could easily tear him to pieces with his long, strong claws. The feet and tail are even more powerful and dangerous.

So you can imagine how hard it would be to get wild kangaroos into, and then sit, in a boat under normal circumstances . . . this is not a sight you will see often . . . but then, these were not normal circumstances.
These 'roos willingly accepted human help and were quite happy to hitch a ride to dry land.  They were no doubt exhausted by their plight and too tired to struggle when being rescued.
Better than the alternative. 

I think even wild animals recognize when a human is trying to help them.

When Pets Become Heroes

The stories of Digger, the hound mix; Peaches, the boxer/shepherd mix; and Inky the cat are truly amazing.

These three pets, all rescued from shelters, returned the favor by saving the lives of their owners, or in Digger's case, a neighbor.
Stories about the heroic acts of adopted pets are far from unique. All you have to do is Google the phrase 'dog saves owner' or 'cat saves owner' to see just how many pets have come to the rescue of human family members.
According to USAToday.com:

When USA TODAY Pet Talk columnist Sharon L. Peters asked Pet Smart Charities to contact the hundreds of rescue groups on its e-mail list and send her examples of animals that, once adopted, turned into family or neighborhood heroes, more than 200 responded.

Sources:

• USA Today December 13, 2010

 

Dr. Becker's Comments:

There are few things that touch the heart of an animal lover as deeply as learning about an adopted pet that took deliberate action to save the life of a human in harm's way.
These stories are especially moving because many dogs and cats rescued from animal shelters have been abused or neglected by people they depended on.
What makes these animals so special?
The question of how family pets sense and react to danger is an interesting one.

Your Pet is an Exquisitely Sensitive Creature

Scientists don't have definitive answers for the precise mechanism that causes some pets to sense impending danger and warn humans through their behavior.
It is assumed the highly refined sense of hearing and smell pets possess plays a significant role, as does their ability to detect subtle vibrations in the earth, and changes in the air or in electromagnetic fields.
Animals respond to a wide variety of stimuli, and not all of them are known.
According to ABCNews.com:

“It's not too much of a stretch of the imagination to believe that dogs, with their extraordinary sensory abilities, might be able to sense various impending events more quickly and more accurately than humans who are, by comparison, relatively insensitive.”

Dogs are designed by nature to have a sense of smell that is literally beyond human comprehension. They are gifted with hearing in the ultrasound range, as well. Your canine buddy is also keenly aware of your body language.
Dogs can be trained to detect a diabetic owner's drop in blood sugar or an impending seizure in a person with epilepsy.

Oscar the Hospice Cat

Oscar, a rescued cat living at a nursing and rehab center in Providence, R.I. has received wide acclaim for his ability to know when patients in the advanced dementia unit are near death.
Oscar jumps onto the beds of dying patients, curls up near them and purrs.
Dr. David Dosa, who works with patients at the facility, tells how Oscar arrived at the room of a dying woman and sat close to her, purring, as her family arrived and she was given last rites by a priest. Minutes after she took her last breath, Oscar quietly jumped from the bed and left the room.
No one knows for certain how Oscar senses the impending death of patients or why he stays with them until they pass on. But some part of the behavior seems driven by compassion. One of the first times Oscar demonstrated his remarkable sensitivity, it involved a patient whose leg was ice cold from a blood clot. Oscar wrapped himself around her leg, and stayed until the woman died.

Does My Pet Feel the Same Emotions I Do?

Most pet owners and caretakers would answer unequivocally yes: our companion animals demonstrate a wide range of emotions, from joy to fear to sadness.
There is also scientific data to prove the point.
According to Howstuffworks.com, a Discovery company:

Not only do some animals have highly refined senses, but many experience sophisticated emotions as well. Frans B.M. de Waal, a noted primatologist at Emory University, says that a variety of animals -- not just cats or dogs, but even rats -- feel empathy and other emotions.
In one study, scientists injected mice with a chemical that gave them slight stomach aches. The natural behavioral response is stretching, and injected mice stretched more when placed next to injected mice than they did when placed next to non-injected mice. Male mice also showed less of a response around males that they didn't know.
In other words, not only do mice show a response to the pain of others, but it matters who the other mouse is. University of Chicago neurobiologist Peggy Mason called this "a significant step toward human-like social feeling."

Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a world-renowned expert in animal behavior is convinced many animals, and dogs in particular, experience a wide range of emotions.
According to Bekoff, there are many emotional and ethical behaviors dogs perform that are easily recognizable:

• Dogs have a sense of fair play. They dislike cheaters. They experience joy in play. They delight in friends. The big guys handicap themselves in games with little guys.
• Dogs get jealous when a rival gets more or better treats or treatment. They are resentful, unnerved or saddened by unfair behavior. They are made anxious by suspense. They get afraid.
• They are embarrassed when they mess up or trip up. They feel remorse or regret when they do something wrong. They seek justice. They remember the bad things done to them, but sometimes choose to forgive.
• Dogs have affection and compassion for their animal and human friends and family. They defend loved ones. They grieve their loss.

Become a Hero to a Homeless Pet

If you're planning a furry addition to your family in the new year, I hope you'll visit your local shelter or rescue organization to find a deserving pet looking for a second chance.
You can also go to Petfinder.com to see pictures of local adoptable animals waiting patiently for forever homes.
Who knows? You could end up the proud guardian of the next Digger, Peaches, or Inky!

Related Links:

• Adopting Your Pet from a Shelter – Risky or Rewarding?
• Why You May Be Healthier if You Own a Pet…
• Top 10 Pet-Owner Mistakes

Something That Can Save Your Dog's Life

As you know, the thermometer is a device that measures temperature.
The weather has such an impact on our daily lives and the thermometer has played a very important role in helping us to better assess the weather conditions to plan our activities and our wardrobes. Should we wear a heavy coat today or a light jacket? Will I need a sweater this morning? Will there be a frost that could kill our outdoor plants?
Weather conditions have a huge impact on our lives - and on our pets. Extreme conditions in winter and summer months are especially important. As a pet owner, we must always be aware of the temperature to ensure that it is not too hot or too cold to take our pets outside. Summer heat stroke and winter frostbite are just a few of the dangers; and unfortunately, exposure to extreme weather conditions can often lead to death.
Nowhere is the temperature more important than inside a parked car. That's because the temperature INSIDE A PARKED CAR is MUCH higher than the temperature outside. On an 80 degree (F) day, the inside of a parked car can reach 120 degrees in just 10 minutes! And that's why so many pets suffer from heat stroke and die when left unattended in a hot car - even when the window is cracked.

Luckily for our pets, a new type of thermometer was invented to solve this problem. It tells you the temperature inside a parked car and it is a great way to help keep our pets safe. It is called Too Hot For Spot and it is one of the coolest inventions to come along in quite some time.

This thermometer is a static cling decal that goes on your car window to show how hot it is inside your car - and it will tell you when it is unsafe to take your dog along in the car.

I know it is winter now, but this is a great time to purchase one of these thermometers for yourself and for all your friends with dogs. I think it makes a wonderful holiday gift.
 
Until next time.
 
Contributed by Bill Coughlin.
Please visit the contributor's Website - http://www.dog-first-aid-101.com/
Subscribe to It's A Dog's Life - YOUR Dog's!, our monthly newsletter with in depth information to help you keep your dog safe and healthy.

How to Cope with the Loss of a Pet

     Losing a pet is just like losing a child; they are a part of the family, involved in every single day of our  busy lives and their passing leaves a feeling of emptiness in our heart and in our home.  

     There is no doubt that people just love their pets to pieces – we share everything with them, include them in family holidays, and have a very special relationship. When we lose a pet through old age or sickness, we are devastated.  Countless tears are shed, and sometimes a feeling of frustration that we could perhaps have done more for them or that we could have even saved them somehow.  We are heart-broken. So how do we get through this painful and heart-breaking time?  How do we cope?

     One way that might help is to start a scrapbook of your pet's life - the aim being to make the book a happy remembrance, not a sad one.  In other words, a celebration of your pet's life, remembering not with sadness, but with joy - for all the happy times you had together, and the memories you now have to fall back on.  Those memories will be a lifeline for you.

    The main thing you are going to need for a Scrapbook of course is photographs of your pet from when he/she first came into your life.  Sorting though the photographs will be very hard at first, as memories will come flooding back of your years together.

Tears will be shed yet again and the pain might be too much for you to bear.  You may feel like you just can’t do it, but try to persevere - it will get easier as the days go by, and eventually you will be able to look at a photo of your pet with a smile instead of a tear. 
Then you discover that you can actually start to talk about your pet without falling to pieces in a heap of tears as you first did.
It will be good therapy, and it will be well worth it in the end. 

Follow these 8 steps to create your Scrapbook.

1. Sort the photographs of your pet into date order; this will help you to chronicle your pet's          life from the first day you brought him/her home, right on through your years together.

2. Add little stories or comments to the photographs, explaining what the photo is about.

3. Pets make us laugh with their funny little antics, so pick out some humorous pictures of your pet and add a comment - this makes it more personal and meaningful.

4. Tell funny stories about your friends' pets.

5. Add photos of your pet's own little animal 'friends', with comments about them.

6. Add poems you have found about pets, some funny, some sad.

7. Include pictures of some of your own special friends with your pet and theirs; this will make it very personal indeed, and make it more interesting for anyone looking at your Scrapbook.

8. Make a Friends Comments section at the end of the book (perhaps two or three pages), so that your friends can leave their own personal comments and thoughts about your pet.

They will feel involved, and it will be good therapy for you to read their comments later.  It’s going to be a nice feeling for you to see what other people have to say about your pet.  Be prepared to be surprised by some of the comments your friends make about your pet!

     Creating a scrapbook will be the best therapy you could have for your grief; not only will it keep you busy and positive, but it will help you to keep your goal in mind . . .  a special and completely unique book of your beloved pet's life – one filled with wonderful memories of your years together, to treasure forever - and a book that will give you a chance to share special moments of your pet's life with family and friends.

And so, the healing process begins  . . .

6 Plants that are Toxic to Pets

Some plants are toxic to pets, causing mild to severe reactions if the plant is ingested by your pet. 

This is particularly more hazardous for our pets at Christmas time as we bring some of these plants into our homes to decorate the house. They are pretty for us to look at and enjoy, but could make your pet quite sick if consumed by them.

Here is a list of just 6 of the more common plants we should be aware of.

Mistletoe - Can cause gastrointestinal disorders, vomiting, diarrhea, cardio-vascular collapse, shortness of breath, slow heartbeat, and erratic behavior.

Holly berries – The leaves and berries have low toxicity, but can still cause vomiting and
diarrhea.

Narcissus/Daffodil - The bulb is the most poisonous part if eaten, and can cause vomiting, salvation, and diarrhea; if a large amount is ingested, it can cause convulsions, low blood pressure, tremors and cardiac arrhythmias. 

Amaryllis - Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hyper-salivation, and tremors.

Poinsettias - The sap of Poinsettias is considered to be mildly toxic, causing irritation in the mouth, and will probably cause nausea or vomiting, but not death.

Christmas Tree – Real, live Christmas trees are considered to be mildly toxic. The fir tree oils can be irritating to the mouth and stomach, causing excessive drooling or vomiting.

By being aware of some of the very real dangers facing pets at this time of year, you will be able to keep your own pet safe and sound over the Christmas period, and thus avoid unnecessary accidents or expensive trips to the vet! 
Enjoy a safe and happy Christmas – both human and animal!

5 Dangers Facing Your Pet at Christmas Time

This is just a timely reminder to be aware of the dangers lurking around the house for our pets at this time of the year. I’m not talking about a new pet in the house, but your long-established four legged member of the family!
Being a caring pet owner, please be guard your pet from what might seem to be harmless items to you, but could be a danger for your pet. 

Here are some of the dangers to be aware of with an accompanying solution for each one:-

1.       Wrapping Paper, Ribbons, Bows, Empty Boxes
Christmas as a great time for kids; as they unwrap their presents one by one, all the wrapping paper, ribbons and bows, empty boxes, etc., get strewn all over the floor.  Cats and dogs are inquisitive by nature – and there is the danger, because they could start to chew at some of that stuff. Puppies and kittens are particularly are at risk because they are curious and inquisitive, especially if this is their first Christmas.  Your pet could very easily choke, and may even require emergency medical attention from a vet, and besides being traumatic for your pet, it could be very costly for you - vets don’t come cheap.
Solution: Take the precaution of keeping your pets out of the way (perhaps in another room whilst all the unwrapping is being done).  He can come out and join in all the family fun once all the paper and bits and pieces have been removed.

2.       Christmas Tree

You may have a large dog or one who is a bit boisterous, so there is the danger of him knocking over the tree in his excitement, and this could have serious consequences, especially if there are electric lights on the tree.  If your cat decided to run up the tree, his weight could pull it down, breaking some of the glass baubles in the process.
Solution:  Placing the tree in the corner of a room and securing it so it cannot be knocked over is a good idea.

3.       Christmas Tree Lights and Baubles

The fairy lights and fancy glass baubles we hang on the tree look very pretty, but if broken, it would be disastrous if your pet started chewing on them.  He could cut his mouth or worse still, if a broken piece was swallowed, it could mean another trip to the vet. 
Solution: Place something in front of the decorated tree so your pet can’t get near it.

4.       Electric Cords

Electric cords pose a particular danger to pets, especially if they are chewed. 
Solution: Keep them out of the way or cover them with a rug so no-one trips over them.

5.       ChocolateChocolate contains theobromine, which is toxic to animals, even just a small piece. You are not doing your pet any favours by giving them what you consider to be a “treat”.  Dogs love chocolate, but it could make him very sick.  Other sweets may not be toxic, but still shouldn’t be given to him.

Solution: Keep chocolate out of reach of your pets and keep them on their regular diet to avoid any digestive upsets. 

If you are aware of these possible dangers facing your pet at Christmastime, and you take the necessary precautions to avoid them by following the solutions given, then everyone in the family (including your pet), will have a safe and happy Christmas!

5 Reasons NOT to Buy a Pet For Christmas

Are you thinking of getting a pet as a Christmas gift for your children this year?  A sweet little puppy, a cute kitten or a fluffy rabbit can melt our heart in an instant, and it’s hard to resist that little bundle of fun! 

But - have you thought it through?
Put your emotions to one side and think logically, because in some cases, this may not be the best time to bring a new pet into your home. 

Here are some of the reasons not to buy a pet at this time of the year. 

1.       A New Pet Will Feel Insecure in a Noisy/Busy Environment

Christmas is a very busy time for most families whether they have children or not.  Everyone is busy and the house is noisy with all the excitement (especially when the children unwrap their presents on Christmas morning).  You know what kids are like when they are excited - their ear-piercing squeals of delight, running around with new toys, (and accidentally running into the new pet with a new bike because it got in the way), well-wishers ringing the door bell, visitors coming and going – well – you get the picture! 
A new pet needs to be in a calm environment until he gets used to his new home and his new family, otherwise he is going to feel very insecure, confused and even frightened.  A puppy or kitten will be terrified by the excessive noise of the household.

2.       Constant Visitors Confuse Your New Pet
Your new pet will be confused when visitors come and go, as he will be unsure about who lives in the house and just who his “pack” is, who he belongs to.  A puppy or kitten needs to be secure in his environment before introducing him to guests.  Because of his insecurity, this could lead to him urinating in the house - then we are not happy . . . more mess to clean up (as if there isn’t enough already)!

3.       What Do You Do With Your New Pet If You Go Away?Quite often we visit friends and family at Christmas time and this poses a problem about what to do with your new pet.  Leaving him in an unfamiliar house on his own (even just for a few hours), seems unkind, and possibly dangerous for the pet as he hasn’t had time to get to know his surroundings yet.
If you are going away for a few days you could put him in a boarding kennel – but that doesn’t make any sense, because you just got him.  Can you imagine how confused he would be?

4.       Training your New Pet Delayed Because You Are Too Busy

Training a new puppy or kitten needs to begin from the first day he goes home with you. However, because you are so busy at this time of the year, the training is going to have to take a back seat.  Leaving his training till things are calmer in the household is not good for him - he needs guidelines right from the start, and the longer you leave it, the harder it will be for both you and your pet.

5.       Am I Prepared to Care For My Pet Long Term?

Puppies and kittens are cute and cuddly – but they grow up; will he still be loved and given the proper care then? The last thing anyone wants is for a pet to be sent to an animal shelter – all because we haven’t thought it through.  Having a pet can bring us great joy, but it is a 10-15 year commitment for the life of the pet, and we need to go into it with our eyes open.  Sadly, there are too many unwanted pets surrendered to animal shelters after Christmas; please don’t be a statistic. 

So, there is a lot to consider about giving a pet as a Christmas gift. First and foremost, you need to think about the animal’s welfare and what is best for him – not about our own emotional needs. 

 SUGGESTIONA better time to think about getting a new puppy or kitten would be after all the excitement of Christmas has died down, and family life is back to normal again.  You will have more time to spend with him and concentrate on training him; this in turn, will enable your pet to start bonding with you, which is crucial, and you will have a happy and obedient pet!

 Animals are living creatures with feelings just like you and me. Buying one at Christmas time needs to be thought through with great care, so please think before your make your final decision.  It is a serious and long term commitment for which you and your whole family need to be ready and prepared for.