Thinking outside the book for Reading Month
Ron Fowler is just finishing up the last verses of a song at the Petoskey District Library on Thursday to a small crowd of tikes and moms.
Read more on Petoskey News-Review
Bonnie was 4 years and 3 months old when we detected her chronic renal failure in Jan 18, then we started a battle against the disease. Hemodyalisis sessions, fluidotherapy, a lot of medicines and finally, when anything else wasn’t working, the last chance: kidney transplant. We travelled to Belo Horizonte from Sao Paulo to try to save her life. Her mother came from Rio de Janeiro to give her a kidney. The transplant was a success, the kidney was already working, but Bonnie had a respiratory arrest in Feb 10. – Rest in peace, my angel – Oct 28, 2002 – Feb 10, 2007 =========================== She’s happy! And she loves to retrieve the toys! At 00:30 she asked permission to get her toy inside the bag. So cute! 
) Recorded in Jan 25, 2005. (“Follow Me” by Toy Shop)
Farewell, Ellie
Ellie the yellow Labrador retriever, a beloved member of the Telluride Ski Patrol, was put down this week due to cancer in her lungs. She was 9 years old. More sad news. Ellie, aka Elvira Wunderlick, ski patrollers Gary and Kim Richard’s avalanche dog had to be put down yesterday. She belonged to Gary and Kim Richard, longtime patrollers. The ski patrol uses the dogs to search for avalanche …
Read more on Telluride Daily Planet
Labrador Retriever puppies sure are cute! This is my new puppy that I have had for less than 24 hours. He is only 9 weeks old. I am just checking out his desire to retrieve. Very good for a young dog. Many more videos on him to come! For information on becoming a Sit Means Sit Dog…
Just as people suffer from hay fever in the spring and fall, pets can get inhalant allergies, called atopy. Atopy is a common disease, affecting 10% to 15% of dogs. The age of onset varies form 6 months to 12 years, with 70% of affected dogs showing clinical signs between 1 and 3 years. Atopy signs are usually seasonal in the beginning, but 80% of dogs eventually experience year-round symptoms. Atopy is associated with irritation in certain body parts of dogs, including the flank, feet, base of the tail, and facial areas around the eyes, mouth, and ears. Female dogs are more likely to be affected than males.
Chronic ear infections are commonly caused by inhalant allergies. This is the most common cause of persistent ear infections in dogs. In certain breeds of dogs, the ears are covered by an ear flap which makes the inside of the ear canal moist and warm, somewhat like an incubator, which is the perfect environment for germs.
Dogs also have a lot of mast cells which can release histamine and other chemicals which are allergic. Thus, it is usual for dogs with allergies to have irritated and itchy ears. It is a long process where the ears are irritated by allergies and respond by producing more ear wax. Due to the inflamed ear canals and additional ear wax and the extra moistness and warmth of the ear canals of dogs, it is now obvious why dogs are so prone to ear infections.
It is important to control these ear infections early and consistently. If this is not done, the inflammation changes the structure of the ear canal and makes it harder to treat the infection. As a result, in many cases more difficult bacteria to kill eventually come to inhabit the ear. Take your dog to your veterinarian and find out if this is the problem and work with your veterinarian to develop a plan to control this problem consistently.
Atopy is sometimes controllable using a combination of essential fatty acid supplementation and an antihistamine like Atarax. This combination only works in about 10 to 15% of dogs but when it does work it is nice because there are far fewer side effects that with the use of corticosteroids.
Editor’s Note: We had the pleasure of watching Toni Drugmand and her group of happy, well-trained dogs at an Arizona RV show at the Civic Plaza. Seeing the happy, well behaved dogs, it occurred to us how much more pleasurable it is for boaters, RVers, and anglers to have well-mannered dogs as their “Good Company” on outings around the state. Consequently, we at Sit Means Sit decided to share a bit about our innovative training techniques with our readers.
A Part of the Family
As loyal companions and members of the family, dogs give so much to us and touch us deeply while bringing us comfort and joy. Our pets deserve to have the best we can give them in terms of happiness, freedom, safety and security. Our dogs show happiness when we come home, when we say nice things to them, and especially when we spend time with them. They seem to express sadness when we are gone or get upset, and they even seem to sense when we are not feeling well. It is hard to imagine that dogs really don’t know instinctively how to behave in our world. Despite all of the time we spend with our dogs and love we give them, we may not be able to effectively show them how we want them to behave in any given situation. A dog’s way of communicating, though it shares similar virtues, is very different from ours. We, as owners need to learn how to communicate with our dogs. The Sit Means Sit dog training method is fast, effective and produces a happy, healthy dog. When it comes to training your dog you want to select a method of training that makes sense for you and your family. We understand that the outdoor recreational lifestyle that hikers, campers, horseback riders, boaters, anglers, and RVers love is greatly enhanced when the family pet is able to be a part of the experience. Having a well-mannered pet ensures the pleasure and enjoyment that both dog and owner get to experience together.
Dogs Are Social Critters
Because dogs are naturally social beings, they want to be with us. Often referred to as pack animals, dogs have an instinctive need to be part of a pack or group of other dogs. To ensure survival, dogs in the wild have a very strong need to have order and boundaries established by the pack. If they don’t have these hierarchies and boundaries their ability to survive is weakened. This innate trait makes dogs easily trainable and also provides us with a strong case for why we train dogs- because having order and structure is something the dog naturally needs.
Dogs are amazing animals, but they do not arrive in our homes understanding the rules. No one has told him the mail carrier shouldn’t be chased down the block, or Granny should be treated with gentleness and not jumped upon with love, the lovely garden that mother just planted needs to stay earthed, and the sprinklers are not something to be killed. Your dog, with all his creative exploration of behavior options like the counter surfing, chasing cars, chewing your favorite leather shoes and so on, is really just that dog looking for a job, and if she doesn’t find one they are sure to create one. Your dog is looking for someone to show him about how things are, to keep him safe, to prepare his meals and most importantly, someone to spend time with them. All he really wants to know is what are the boundaries and rules. Dogs of all types, temperaments, and breeds will behave in this manner without a strong base of training and discipline from their owner.
Innovative Training Methods
Training a dog gives your canine friend a job and helps him understand what his boundaries are while providing him with a sense of safety and security, and it allows both of you to enjoy the freedom that comes from hard work and good training. Our training here at Sit Means Sit Training uses the No Limitations system of dog training developed by Fred Hassen. This dog obedience training approach utilizes an electronic dog training collar ( www.sitmeanssit.com). This collar allows us to train our dogs in a very effective, quick, and gentle manner because of the instant communication we are able to share with our dog. Our clients all receive a free training demonstration so they can see the initial response of their dogs first-hand. We demonstrate the training method in the face of all of the normal distractions that occur in the real world and allow you to see how your dog responds to our training with the collar.
Because many people are new to the electronic dog training collar, we ask our clients to feel the collar in operation. Many clients tell us that the pulse feels like a Tens Unit, or like other electronic pulse treatments used by physical therapists, chiropractors, and other medical professionals. In fact, in a conversation with a Tens Unit Sales representative, I was told that our remote dog training collars were not as strong as the feel of the portable Tens Unit he was selling. Innovation has always brought about controversy, and the idea of using a collar that promotes an electronic pulse can be an emotionally loaded and controversial subject for some. The controversy however, should pale, in comparison, to the results of our training method. Seeing your dog happy, confident, obedient and safe is a great result.
Making the Right Training Decision
One of the first questions a person new to dog training asks is, “Where do I start?” We know that with so many training methods available it can be overwhelming to find the best possible training method. Fred Hassen’s innovative method using the remote electronic dog collar combined with traditional techniques produces fast results. You will be able to communicate effectively with your dog, eliminating the frustration of a difficult and disobedient dog.
At Sit Means Sit, our hands-on approach means that we evaluate your dog as an individual. Remember the safety and security of knowing that your dog is trained and able to face any situation with confidence will go a long way to help ensure a memorable and relaxing time on your outdoor adventure. If you are interested in a free training demonstration by a Sit Means Sit professional dog trainer please visit our website to find a location near you!
Man’s best friend goes to work: Area hunting club puts 70 dogs and their owners through their paces
Deb West was smitten as a young girl. Her object of affection? The natural beauty and grace of a properly trained hunting dog.
Read more on Belleville News-Democrat
Some of the ingredients that end up in commercial pet foods are truly shocking. What’s more, many of these will not appear on the label and others are hidden under umbrella terms such as ‘meat meal’ and ‘meat by-products’. How can this happen? The pet food industry is highly unregulated. As Ann Martin, author of Foods Pets Die For, writes in her article The Pet Food Industry and its Questionable Practices, ‘Governments in the USA and Canada regulate the labeling of the food, the name and address of the company, the weight of the product, and whether it is made for a dog or cat – nothing more.’
The meats used in pet food can be extremely low grade and unfit for human consumption. Summarized as the ‘4 D’s’ (dead, diseased, disabled and dying), these can include roadkill, zoo animals and infected and cancerous meats.
At the rendering plants ingredients are highly heated and processed, destroying nutrients and enzymes, with strong preservatives added which do not appear on the labels. These include fat stabilizers such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene), both of which are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and Ethoxyquin, a suspected cancer-causing agent. Semi-moist dog foods may also contain propylene glycol, a relation to ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), which can destroy red blood cells.
Pets in your pet food
Though reportedly not the case today, it is well recorded that dogs and cats have ended up in dog and cat food. In his 1990 article How Dogs and Cats Get Recycled Into Pet Food, John Eckhouse, an investigative reporter, wrote: ‘Each year, millions of dead American dogs and cats are processed along with billions of pounds of other animal materials by companies known as renderers. The finished products — tallow and meat meals — serve as raw materials for thousands of items that include cosmetics and pet food.’
Doctor of weterianry medicine Wendell Belfield in Foods Not Fit For a Pet (Earth Island Journal, 1996), reports that ‘federal and state agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and medical groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association, confirm that pets, on a routine basis, are rendered after they die in animal shelters or are disposed of by health authorities, and the end product frequently finds its way into pet food.’
Toxic Grains
The very use of grains in pet food is questionable as grains are ill-suited to the digestive physiology of carnivores. This is especially so for cats who are obligatory carnivores and meet their glucose requirements through amino acids in their diet. Further, the grains used in dog and cat foods may contain mycotoxins, fungi that can cause chronic conditions and even death in both humans and animals. As the grains used in pet food are low grade, they are dealt with last in the handling process and because of this are often left in storage where insects, mites and mycotoxic molds can grow.
The consumption of dead mites can cause skin allergies. If your pet has skin allergies, change their diet first before turning to steroids which can be seriously detrimental to your pets health.
Alfatoxin poisoning, a common mycotoxin that grows on corn as well as other foods, has been reported for over 50 years. Vomotoxin is another mycotoxin found in wheat products. Where large doses of mycotoxins can cause cancer and even rapid death, small continuous amounts may suppress the immune system and damage organs over time, leading to long-term chronic health conditions.
Just recently at the end of 2005, over 100 dogs were killed in the United States because of alfatoxin found in pet food, with some 19 brands of Diamond dog food being recalled. It is likely there were many more deaths than those reported, and as alfatoxin attacks the liver it is likely surviving dogs may develop chronic liver disease or liver cancer in the future.
Toxic Chemicals
The toxin sodium pentobarbital, a chemical is used to euthanize animals and pets, has been found in commercial pet foods. The US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine performed two studies (1998 and 2000) to test for pentobarbital. Of the 74 samples analysed, over half were found to contain pentobarbital. What’s more, none of the 43 brands and product lines that tested positive warned of its presence on their labels.
The FDA researchers also tested the food for the presence of dogs or cats but reported none present. It was believed the pentobarbital residues were entering pet foods from euthanized, rendered cattle or even horses.
The FDA say the small amounts of the drug found in these foods were harmless, but not all veterinarians agree. Long-term continual doses, even at small levels may be increase the onset of chronic and degenerative diseases.
Aside from the toxins and base ingredients of commercial pet foods, these harshly processed and high-carbohydrate products in no way match the natural diets dogs and cats would have eaten in the wild. They are species-inappropriate and ill-suited to canine and feline physiology. I recommend healthy, homemade, raw diets or optimum natural, holistic alternatives for the health and well-being of your dog and cat. Before embarking on a raw food diet (otherwise known as BARF – ‘biologically adequate raw food’), thoroughly research the area first as nutritional balance is essential.
FFA Auctions Cakes, Raises Dough
In celebration of National FFA Week, the Oakdale High School FFA chapter held its annual dinner and cake auction fundraiser on Feb. 24, bringing out supporters who were there to open their wallets for the sweet stuff.
Read more on The Oakdale Leader
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
