Public Domain Dog Art Page 3

This is my third and last page (for awhile) of dog art in the public domain. Louis Agassiz Fuertes was an incredible artist, and will always by admired for his dog art. If you would like to see the other two pages, scroll to the bottom of this post for links to page one and page two.
Chow Chow by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927).

St. Bernard by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927).

Dobermann Pinscher and Manchester Terrier by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927).

Collie, Smooth Collie, and English Sheep Dog by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927).

Pyrenean Sheep Dog by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927).
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Public Domain Dog Art Page 2

Here is some more public domain dog art. Public domain means the copyright has expired, so you are free to republish this dog artwork.
The Mastiff by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927).

North Greenland Eskimo Dog by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927).

The Spitz by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927).

The Samoyed by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927).

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Public Domain Dog Art

This dog art is now in the public domain, which means you are free to admire it here or use the photos yourself. Enjoy!
The Pointer by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927)

The English and American Foxhound by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927)

French Bulldog and Boston Terrier by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927)

Scottish Deerhound by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927)

Greyhounds by artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927)

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What Is A By-Product Or Meat Meal In Dog Food?

By-Product: When you see ingredient listed as a by-product, such as poultry by-product, chicken by-product, meat by-product, etc. that means that it is by-products of of slaughtered animals that would never be considered good enough for human consumption. This would include things like feathers, blood, feet, intestines, hair, feces, beaks, cancerous tissue, ear tags, noses, foam packaging, spoiled meat, and heads. This can also include wood shavings or sawdust, but the pet food industry is not allowed more than 35% sawdust in their by-products. There is very little meat, it is what is left over after they take the meat off the slaughtered animal.

Meat Meal, chicken meal, poultry meal, etc. is basically just another term for by-product. It is by-products and meat that would never be considered for human consumption. This could include zoo animals, downed 4-H animals, and diseased animals. The meat unfit for human consumption is boiled down, pulverized, and renamed meat meal for dog food. In fact, meat meal could also contain euthanized dogs and cats!

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that euthanized dogs and cats were found in pet food listed as by-products. At first, pet food company executives and the National Renderers Association absolutely denied the report, then admitted only after the American Veterinary Medical Association and the FDA confirmed the story is indeed true! The FDA became involved because it was reported that dogs and cats seemed to be developing some type of resistance from pentobarbital. It was discovered that this was caused because they were constantly exposed to pentobarbital in their dog and cat food.

According to the FDA, "Because in addition to producing anesthesia, pentobarbital is routinely used to euthanize animals, the most likely way it could get into dog food would be in rendered animal products. Rendered products come from a process that converts animal tissues to feed ingredients. Pentobarbital seems to be able to survive the rendering process. If animals are euthanized with pentobarbital and subsequently rendered, pentobarbital could be present in the rendered feed ingredients.

In order to determine if pentobarbital residues were present in animal feeds, CVM developed a sophisticated process to detect and quantify minute levels – down to 2 parts per billion of pentobarbital in dry dog food. To confirm that the methods they developed worked properly, CVM scientists used the methods to analyze dry commercial dog foods purchased from retail outlets near to their Laurel, MD, laboratories. The scientists purchased dog food as part of two surveys, one in 1998 and the second in 2000. They found some samples contained pentobarbital."
Full Article

If you continue feeding commercial dog food, I would recommend to avoid products with by-product or meal anywhere in the ingredient list label.

Purina Beneful Dry Dog Food

Purina Beneful dry dog food is a typical brand of dog food being sold in the grocery store. The advertisement on Purina Beneful says, "Help keep your dog happy and healthy with a perfect balance of real wholesome ingredients, quality nutrition and great taste. Find it all in Beneful food for dogs." Did you know that unqualified claims, either directly or indirectly by pet food manufacturers are legally acceptable with existing regulations? What this means to you, is that whatever Purina Beneful claims, or any other pet food manufacturer claims, needs to be scrutinized carefully. If you are going to continue feeding commercial dog food, one way to help protect your dog, is to read the label. One thing I want to point out, is that I'm not specifically against Purina Beneful, but commercial dog food in general. I'm just using Purina Beneful as an example, so here are the ingredients of Beneful, which are common ingredients in most grocery store dry dog foods...

Purina Beneful Ingredients:
Ground yellow corn, chicken-by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, Minerals (tricalcium phosphate, salt, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), sugar, sorbitol, water, animal digest, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried peas, dried carrots, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, Vitamins [Vitamin E, Vitamin A, niacin, Vitamin B-12, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, biotin, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin D-3], added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, glyceryl monostearate, garlic oil.

Do you think a diet of mainly corn, will make your dog happy and healthy? Are these ingredients what you would refer to as wholesome ingredients, quality nutrition and great taste? Be careful, and read the labels!

Complaints About Nutro Pet Food

I've been hearing many complaints about Nutro pet food lately, so I Googled "nutro, complaints." Some of the complaints are dated back to 2007, when they had the melamine scare. There are many recent complaints, so many in fact that I can only conclude there must be some basis for all these Nutro complaints. Apparently, Nutro's is maintaining that there is nothing wrong with their pet food. Nutro Products go so far as to say, "We have received recent isolated reports of inaccurate information posted online regarding the quality and safety of Nutro pet foods products. Many blogs and internet sites can be a repository for misinformation and hearsay regarding many topics." Nutro Products may view this as misinformation and hearsay, I would view it as the experiences customers are having with their pet food.

Read all the complaints at Consumer Affairs, if I were a Nutro customer, I would be very concerned. Some consistencies that seem to be in these reports: Almost all of these people are reporting problems with diarrhea, vomiting, and gastrointestinal irritations. Many of the dogs that lived had to be hospitilized, yet they do not have a definitive diagnosis. Many of the symptoms these dogs were suffering from were solved by taking them off Nutro. Some additional sites I found Nutro complaints with personal experiences on were Complaints Board, Itch Mo Forums and Dog Food Chat.

Dogs Up For Adoption On Petfinder

This is Rusty, he is currently up for adoption by the Arizona Animal Welfare League and SPCA on Petfinder. There are hundreds more just like him, that would love to find a good home. Even if you are looking for a specific breed, you can find your new best friend from a local dog rescue at Petfinder. Animal rescue groups and shelters list there dogs up for adoption on Petfinder, so you will be saving a dog.

HSUS Fights Philippine Dog Meat Trade

I received this letter today from the HSUS, and I just wanted to pass it on because it means so much to me. In certain parts of the world, dogs are considered to be food, and the HSUS is fighting the dog meat trade. Will you please take a moment to ask the Mayor of Baguio City in the Philippines to stop the illegal dog meat trade for good—by cracking down on restaurants and vendors in his city who sell illegal dog meat? During a seizure.© Chad Sisneros/HSI

"One year ago, I wrote to tell you about the horrific dog meat trade in the Philippines. Our investigators had just seized a shipment of 100 dogs packed tightly into the back of a truck, bound for slaughter. These were just a few of the thousands of victims claimed by this cruel industry every year.

In the months that have passed, we've made progress in our campaign to stop the dog meat trade. But our work is far from done. Some officials continue to look the other way. That's why I'm writing you today, to urge you to tell local officials in dog-eating districts to enforce the ban on dog meat and close down vendors and restaurants still selling this illegal, cruel product.

The large majority of Filipinos do not condone the consumption of dog meat. While some bill it as a "cultural practice," the commercial trade is anything but. Although the trade was banned by law in 1998, it was still active in certain regions of the country due to lenient fines and light penalties.

Just last year, local organizations successfully lobbied to strengthen laws against it, and now we are working with them to ensure these tough new penalties are enforced. We are continuing the fight to end the dog meat trade. But we need your help again.

Baguio City is renowned as a tourist haven, but it also serves as a center for the trade and many restaurants and street vendors continue to sell dog meat. Please send an email to the Mayor of Baguio City and urge him to enforce the laws of the land and shut down these illegal dog meat peddlers.

The dogs used in the trade are rounded up in the streets, stolen, or even bought from their unknowing owners for a paltry sum. These animals depend on humans to care for them, but dog meat traders betray their trust -- all for a few more dollars.

Together we can take a stand for dogs and fight cruelty in all its forms. Please take action today.

Thank you for all that you do to help animals.

Sincerely,

Andrew Rowan
Chief Executive Officer
Humane Society International"

Please help, every letter counts!

Dog Chiropractors

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) approved the use of complementary and alternative veterinary medicine (CAVM) in 2007. Alternative veterinary medicine may include dog chiropractors, holistic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy and more. They do not teach many of these things in traditional veterinary schools, but you can find veterinarians that have additional training in these fields. On handicapped pets, you can find a listing of dog chiropractors in your area.

Dog chiropractors may be controversial, but are proven to be beneficial in treating hip dysplasia. Dog chiropractors have also successfully treated arthritis and even general aches and pains. With chiropractors, people tend to have strong opinions. Whether you love them or hate them, some miraculous results have been reported:

Well I said, let's just try it. It can't hurt," said Janet Johnson who brought her dog to Gerard. "Our other option was surgery. And then it did start working and he's been like a new dog." full article

As an owner of multiple dogs, Rox Ann Kight knows all too well the benefits of a chiropractic visit for her dog. Two years ago, her thirteen-year-old Labrador-Golden Retriever mix Odie was having trouble walking and the vet’s solution was an expensive $750 surgery or devastating euthanasia. Kight was referred to Dr. Edward Lanway in her hometown of Coos Bay, Oregon. After two treatments, Kight says, “Odie could walk and run. Full article

They react very fast to adjustments, she says. They’ll give a big shake and there is a noticable difference right away. They will start prancing around, they’re happy... We’re psychological beings. We always get in the way of our own healing. [Humans are] the more difficult breed. The results have been dramatic, from a sled-pulling dog with a hitch in his stride to a fawn that was born without use of its back legs. Full article

About 2 years ago, my 13 year old lab mix dog Jesse was having trouble getting up. She would turn around in a circle and lay back down in pain. We already knew she had an arthritic mass on her lower spine and was on doggy arthritis medications. Out of desperation, I called my chiropractor and asked if he could adjust Jesse, since he has helped me so much over the years. He said he could not, but gave me the name of Dr. Andi Harper an animal chiropractor. What she did to Jesse looked a bit like hocus pocus, but by the next morning Jesse was up and about again. Occasional adjustments are just what Jesse (now 15) and Sierra (14) need when they tweak their backs or fall. Full article

Free Dog Treats Recipe Cookbook

Free dog treat recipes and cookbook in PDF file. This includes well over 100 great recipes for your dog, completely free. I purchased resell/giveaway rights to this ebook as well, so that I can share it with the visitors on CoCo the Blogging Dog. The dog treat recipe cookbook includes:

Ace's Favorite Cheesy Dog Biscuits
Alfalfa Hearts
Alfie And Archie's Dog Biscuits
Apple Cinnamon Doggie Biscuits
Apple Crunch Pupcakes
Aunt Bianca's Dog Biscuits
Baby Food Doggie Cookies
Bacon Bites
Bacon Bits for Dogs
Baker's Bagels
BARF Breakfast (med size dog)
BARF Dinner (med size dog)
Barking Barley Brownies
Basenji Stew
Beef and Rice Moochies
Beef Twists
Birthday Cake for Pups
Biscuits For Dogs
BJ'S Peanutty Pupcicles
Bone A Fidos
Bone Bonanza
Boo's Biscuits
Bow Wow Biscuits
Bow Wow Burritos
Bread Machine Dog Biscuits
Breath Busters Biscuits
Buddy Boys Dog Biscuits
Bulldog Banana Bites
Bulldog Brownies
Canine Carrot Cookies
Canine Cookies #1
Canine Cookies #2
Canine Cookies #3
Canine Meat and Grain Menu
Carob Cornered Crunchies
Champion Cheese & Veggies Chews
Cheese and Bacon Dog Biscuits
Cheese And Garlic Dog Cookies
Cheese N Garlic Bites
Cheesey Dog Cookies
Cheesy Carrot Muffins
Chewy Cheesy Chihuahua Pizza
Chicken Flavored Dog Biscuits
Chicken Garlic Birthday Cake
Chow Chow Chicken
Chow Chow Stew
Classic Canine Cookies
Corgi Crumpets
Darlene's Favorite Dog Cookie
Divine Doggy Dinner
Dixie's Delights
Dog and Cat Mini Cakes
Dog Biscuits #1
Dog Biscuits #2
Dog Biscuits #3
Dog Biscuits #4
Dog Biscuits #5
Dog Biscuits For Your Favorite Dog
Dog Bones
Dog Cookies
Dog Cookies With Chicken Broth
Dog Oil Supplement
Dog Pooch Munchies
Dog Powder Mix
Doggie Biscuits
Doggie Bone Treats
Doggie Quiche
Doggy Biscuits
Doggy Dip
Ellie's Dog Biscuits
Ellie's Dog Loaf
Fido's Cheese Nuggets
Fido's Favorite Treats
Frozen Peanut Butter Yogurt Treats
Fruity Yogurt Treats
Gingham Dog and Cat Biscuits
Glazed Beagle Biscuits
Good for You Gobblers
Goulash
Greyhound Green Bean Grub
Healthy Snacks
Home Made Dog Biscuits
Homemade Liver Treats
Hors D'ogs
Icy Paws
Jake's Dog Biscuits
Lab Liver-Chip Cookie
Labrador Loaf
Lhasa Apso Lamb
Liver Brownies
Liver Treats
Liver Treats For Dogs
Lucy's Liver Slivers
Massive Mastiff Munchy Muffins
Meat and Grain Menu
Meatball Mania
Munchie Crunchy Meat Treats
MuttLoaf
Mutt's favorite rice n' hamburger
Muttzoh Balls
Peanut Butter and Honey Dog Biscuits
Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
Peanut Butter & Oats Glazed Goodies
Pet Party Mix
Pooch Peanut Butter Swirls
Poochie Pint-Sized Carrot Treats
Poodle Pasta
Potatoes Au Canine Or Feline
Pumpkin-Patch Dog Biscuits
Puppy Formulas
Puppy Pretzels
Ravioli Woofer Stuffing
Rice Flour Dog Cookie
Rover's Reward
Salmon Treats
Scrumptious Carob Bake
Sheltie Scones
Shih Tzu Sushi
Snickerpoodles Dog Treats
Surprise Snacks
Tempting Training Treats
Tess' Tantalizing Treats
Trail Dog Grub
Traildog Biscuits
Turkey Treats
Vegetarian Dog Biscuits
Veggie Bones
Veggie Vittles
Vizsla Stew
Wacky Wheat Treats
Weimaraner Walleye
Western Ranch Biscuits
Wheatless Tuna Biscuits
Wolf-Dog Biscuits
Yogurt Pups

dogtreats.pdf

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski is a book about a boy and his dog. This is the first time I have recommended a book on CoCo the Blogging Dog, but this sounds like a good read. Oprah Winfrey came out yesterday, and claimed it as her latest book club pick. Oprah says The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski is right up there with the greatest American novels ever written, which is a pretty strong statement.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle takes place on a northern Wisconsin farm in the 1970s. It's described as tale of a mute boy named Edgar and the special bond he shares with his dog Almondine.

It is getting rave reviews, including Stephen King's review:

"I flat-out loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Dog-lovers in particular will be riveted by this story, because the canine world has never been explored with such imagination or emotional resonance. Yet in the end, this isn't a novel about dogs or heartland America — although it is a deeply American work of literature. It's a novel about the human heart, and the mysteries that live there, understood but impossible to articulate. Yet in the person of Edgar Sawtelle, a mute boy who takes three of his dogs on a brave and dangerous odyssey, Wroblewski does articulate them, and splendidly. I closed the book with that regret readers feel only after experiencing the best stories: It's over, you think, and I won't read another one this good for a long, long time.

In truth, there has never been a book quite like The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I thought of Hamlet when I was reading it (of course... and in this version, Ophelia turns out to be a dog named Almondine), and Watership Down, and The Night of the Hunter, and The Life of Pi — but halfway through, I put all comparisons aside and let it just be itself.

I'm pretty sure this book is going to be a bestseller, but unlike some, it deserves to be. It's also going to be the subject of a great many reading groups, and when the members take up Edgar, I think they will be apt to stick to the book and forget the neighborhood gossip.

Wonderful, mysterious, long and satisfying: readers who pick up this novel are going to enter a richer world. I envy them the trip. I don't reread many books, because life is too short. I will be rereading this one."

I don't write about books on my blog, but this one seemed kind of special, and I'm looking forward to reading it. So if you enjoy reading a good book, try The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.

Study Shows Dog Empathy

Contagious yawning as a basic form of empathy, so far has only been known to be between humans and primates. This was thought to reflect our ability to relate and empathize with others. Contagious yawning is when you feel compelled to yawn, at the sight of someone else yawning. A new study by researcher Ramiro Joly-Mascheroni, at the University of London suggests we can add dogs to this list. In fact, dogs are much more likely to exhibit contagious yawning than either primates or humans.

The study says 72% of dogs will yawn in response to seeing us yawn. Whereas, primates will exhibit contagious yawning about 33% of the time, and humans around 55%of the time. If contagious yawning is a reflection of empathy, dogs show the highest ability to have empathy, over humans and primates. It is not surprising, as dogs seem to have an uncanny sense about picking up on human emotions and feelings.

Undercover Investigation of Hormel

Lately, I haven't been a big fan of PETA. But I really have to thank them for the undercover work they did at Hormel. The big wigs at Hormel are acting as if they had no idea the pigs were being tortured, I don't know if I believe them. I understand not everyone either can or wants to be a vegetarian. At the same time, no living creature deserves to be put through the sheer misery that these animals are put through. The workers at Hormel would beat the pigs for fun, stick rods in their anus for "entertainment", and allow injured animals to suffer for days.

Here is an email I received from PETA, "Watch the footage that shows workers’ and management’s abuse of animals, some of which are destined to be slaughtered for Hormel.

I just watched the shocking hidden-camera footage obtained by PETA's undercover investigators while they worked at a factory farm in Iowa that supplies Hormel and other meat companies. The cruelty documented by our investigator is beyond comprehension. Please watch the video and do all that you can to make sure that anyone who still eats ham, Spam, sausage, or bacon sees it.

In three months at the pig factory farm, our investigators documented that workers used metal gate rods and hard canes to beat sows. Pigs were poked in the eyes with clothespins and fingers for no reason at all, and workers and supervisors beat pregnant pigs. One supervisor even told our investigator, "You gotta beat on the bitch. Make her cry."

Baby piglets who were deemed too small to be profitable were slammed head first onto the concrete floor in an attempt to kill them, although some lingered alive for more than 12 minutes after the impact. More than 100 heavily pregnant pigs were denied water for five days, and injured and downed pigs were left for days and even weeks without veterinary care or an end to their suffering.

But the findings at this Iowa pig farm were not limited to cruelty to animals. PETA also documented an apparent violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Employees applied a spray containing "gentian violet"—a human carcinogen—to animals allegedly killed for human consumption, thereby making their flesh "adulterated," according to federal law.

The pigs at this facility need you to write to Hormel and demand they that follow PETA's eight-point policy to govern future pig farming operations. The plan includes calling for the immediate termination and criminal prosecution of anyone who is caught abusing or neglecting animals. It also includes improvements to the company's animal welfare guidelines.

Please watch the footage, write to Hormel, and vow to never again eat another hot dog, piece of ham, sausage link, or slice of bacon, because eating these "foods" supports the suffering that we documented on this farm.

Thank you for helping animals.

Sincerely,

Daphna Nachminovitch
Vice President, Cruelty Investigations
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
info@PETA.org

If you cannot watch the footage, I completely understand, as it is very disturbing. Although I do request that you please email Hormel and tell them how you feel.

Dog Nail Trimming

Here is a strange piece of trivia for you, did you know that dogs walk on their toes? They do not walk on the soles of their feet, like humans do. Therefore, long nails can cause your dog to tip back on his paws, and cause all kinds of problems. Overly long nails in dogs can cause the development of arthritis, along with sore feet, hips and legs. If you are hearing that clickity click click as your dog walks across the room, it's time to take action!

It is extremely common for dogs to feel uneasy at the prospect of getting their toe nails trimmed. If your dog doesn't want to cooperate, do not get frustrated. Do you realize how many dogs suffer from clipper phobia? If someone else was clipping YOUR nails, you may feel uncomfortable as well. But every positive experience they have with a nail trimming, will reinforce your dogs sense of security, and make them that much more cooperative the next time.

You can choose between a Dremel type tool that grinds the nail, guillotine clippers, or dog nail scissors. Try them all, and see what works best for you and your dog. It is very important to avoid cutting the quick or the vein of the nail, just clip of the very tip once or twice a month. In case you do end up cutting the quick, it is always a good idea to have styptic powder on hand.

An interesting nail trimmer that I have seen advertised, is the Pedi Paw nail trimmer. I cannot honestly recommend it, because I haven't tried it yet. The Pedi Paw nail trimmer is like a Dremel tool, but designed specifically to safely cut your dogs nails. On the advertisement it says it has a protective cap that allows only the perfect amount of nail to be removed. In addition, the Pedi Paw will not cause your dogs nails to crack, splinter, or break. It seems pretty easy to use, and IMO at $19.99, it is worth a try.

Make sure your dog gets his nails trimmed. If you don't feel comfortable doing it at home, take him to the veterinarian or groomer.

German Shepherd Dog Calls 911

Joe Stalnaker is a veteran that suffers from potentially fatal seizures, caused by a military accident that injured part of his brain. For assistance, he has a German Shepherd dog named Buddy, that has been trained to call 911 in case of a seizure. Last wednesday, 18 month old Buddy remembered his training, and saved his owners life.

Buddy called 911 and in response to the 911 operator, began whimpering and barking for help. Police were sent to the Stalnaker residence where Buddy anxiously awaited them. His owner had to spend two days recovering at the hospital, and Buddy was able to go with him in the ambulance. It is incredible, but this is actually the third time this has happened. The 911 operator stated that it is on file with them that the Stalnaker residence has a dog that will call 911 if his owner has a seizure.

Joe Stalnaker got Buddy with the help of PawsWithACause.org when he was only 8 weeks old. Their vision is, "To encourage independence for people with disabilities by sustaining and strengthening our position as the nation’s leading provider of quality Assistance Dogs." Buddy is a hero for saving his owners life, providing great companionship, and enabling his owner to live the most independent life possible.

How To Express Your Dog's Anal Glands

After having my anal gland abscess and rupture, I've been trying to learn about how I can prevent this from happening again. At the emergency animal hospital the veterinarian was rather vague stating she is not sure why it happened, that they should express naturally, and that I may or may not need to have the anal glands expressed regularly. I decided to do some research on my own, and discovered some contributing factors, signs and symptoms, and how you can express the anal glands at home.

Some dogs may require the anal glands to be expressed once every month or two, some dogs may never need it at all. The anal glands will naturally express when your dog is having a harder than normal bowel movement. If your dog's bowel movements tend to be on the softer side, they may not be adequately expressing the anal glands. Many sources suggest a high fiber diet is helpful, although studies have not proven this conclusively. Plenty of exercise, and staying physically fit can also reduce the risk of impacted anal glands.

If the anal glands do not express naturally, your dog may start scooting his bottom along the ground in an effort to express his own anal glands. If this is not successful, you'll notice your dog paying a lot of attention to his backside with licking and biting. Some other signs may be reluctance in defecating and sensitivity when that area is touched. If left untreated, the anal sac could develop an infection, and you might notice one side of the rectum becoming red and swollen. This will form an abscess, and can even cause a rupture in the skin next to the anus, in which blood and pus will drain out.

What I would suggest, is to feel the size of the anal glands after they have been expressed or before your dog shows any signs of having a problem. The normal size of the anal glands will vary depending on the size of you dog. The normal size may be the size of a pea or kidney bean. They are located in the four to eight O'clock position or the five to seven o'clock position around the dog's anus. You will know it is time to express the anal glands if your dog starts scooting, or paying unusual attention to his back end. In addition, you can also note if they seem larger than normal.

Feel for the glands with your thumb and forefinger just beneath the skin under the anal gland openings. Press in and squeeze with your finger and thumb in an upward motion. You want to get the anal gland under your fingers on each side, and force the contents to the surface and out the opening of the anus. You should use firm pressure, but do not press hard enough that it hurts your dog. When you express the anal gland, a brown-green discharge should be released.

If you watch out for the signs and symptoms of impacted anal glands, you can avoid unnecessary trips to the veterinarian, and save your dog from much discomfort.

Have you ever seen such a face?

This sad little guy is waiting outside of a restaurant for his owner.




source

Chunky Chews Contest For Big Dogs

Ultra-Premium Rawhide Chunky Chews is requesting big dogs send a photo and short essay of why they like this product. They are specifically requesting big dogs due to the image of Chunky Chews satisfying aggressive chewers. The winning photo will be featured in the 2009 Chunky Chews advertising campaign, so they prefer to get one in which your dog is chewing a Chunky Chew.

According to PetAg, the maker of Chunky Chews, "Chunky Chews are made from the hides of 100% natural grass-fed beef cattle and processed without added chemicals, bleaches or preservatives. They come in all-natural or with an added marinade of glucosamine which addresses joint issues that can afflict larger breeds. The product has layers of solid rawhide that is compressed and tied into the patented Round Safety-Knot design that designed for aggressive chewers." PetAg is the same company that makes Vive the nutrition bar for dogs and Esbilac for orphan puppies.

The winner of the Chunky Chews photo contest will get a $250 dog gift pack, the runner up will get a $100 dog gift pack, and the first 100 entries will get free samples. Dog photos with short essays will be due by December 31, 2008, and winner will be announced by February 1, 2009. You can get more information, and enter the contest at PetAg.

Robotic Nurse Dog From Japan

A few posts ago, I shared Big Dog with you, a robotic dog designed to assist the US army. Big Dog isn't alone, robotic dogs are gaining in popularity as tools to serve the community. Japanese scientists have developed a robotic nurse dog as well, designed to assist physically disabled people at home, in nursing homes or in the hospital.
This robotic dog nurse can carry 11 lbs. and is a big hit with nursing home residents, and those incapable of taking care of a real dog. It is proven that dogs alleviate loneliness, and can even make you live longer. According to studies, having a real dog is best for your health, but a robotic nurse dog is better than no dog at all. The Japanese robotic nurse dog is named "Wan", in Japanese this means bow wow, but also stands for watch, assist, and nurse. This dog can run, shake it's head, and even has a built in security camera that can be enabled. Check out this video of the robotic nurse dog. Robotic dogs can never take the place of a real dog, but robots designed to look like dogs, are certainly more appealing than many of the alternatives.

Anal Sac Abscess Update

CoCo the Blogging Dog would like to express his sincerest appreciation at the overwhelming support he has received. The other day he wrote this post about his anal sac abscess which resulted in a trip to the animal emergency hospital. Since that time we have been overwhelmed by hundreds of emails, and dozens of gift packages as well. We appreciate all of your support, and thought we would publish a few of the emails.

Ruff Ruff CoCo,
Bow wow! Barkedy bark bark, ruff. Anal sac abscess yipe yipe, CoCo.
Rufus

Dear CoCo,
I'm so sorry to hear about the issue your having with your anal sacs. I am a veterinarian with a surgery practice in Mexico, and I would like to introduce to you our donor program. For the low low cost of only $10,000, we will be able to provide an anal sac transplant. We have donors ready now, please contact immediately for further information.
Dr. Sketchy

CoCo the Blogging Dog,
I am a dog groomer, and personally I am shocked that you did not realize that you need to express the anal glands. A 6 months old puppy would know that! Nonetheless, I do wish you a fast recovery and sending a care package of Beggin Strips your way. Take care, CoCo.
Missy May

Anal sac abscess update: CoCo has almost made a complete recovery, and much of the inflammation has subsided. Thank you for all your emails, and CoCo will be back posting on his regular schedule tomorrow.

Big Dog The Army Robot

The US Defense Department wanted to design the biggest and baddest high tech assistant for our military, and decided to copy a dog. Big Dog is the size of a Great Dane, can run about 4 mph, and can carry heavy equipment. I'm glad they have dog robots now, I didn't really want to go to Iraq anyway.

Big Dog can walk, run, and climb with it's tough aluminum legs on all kinds of rocky terrain. They say this is just the beginning, and plan on building more advanced models with optical sensors and a higher level of artificial intelligence.

Anal Sac Abscess in Dogs

Did you know that the anal sacs in a dog can abscess and even rupture? I didn't know that until yesterday. A trip to the emergency animal hospital, has now turned me into an anal sac disease expert. Well, kind of. It started yesterday morning, with a little swelling and inflammation on one side of the rectum. I know this is a gross subject to talk about, but dog owners need to know this, and this could happen to any dog.

By the evening this swelling was looking extremely ugly, and I realized this can't wait. I jumped in the car, and started driving to the emergency animal hospital. On the way there, the anal sac abscess ruptured the skin causing a 4 mm wound next to the rectum. Blood, pus, and whatever other contents were in the abscess started spewing out. At the time, it was pretty scary because I had no idea what was wrong with me.

I arrived at the emergency animal hospital, raced inside, and lifted up my tail to show the receptionist. The receptionist announced my presence over the intercom with that emergency code that calls just the right person to come out and take your vitals. While I was filling out the paperwork, the emergency receptionist gave me her all knowing look, and handed me a pamplet that explains anal sac disease. I asked her if that was what I had, and she said the veterinarian will need to decide. Of course, she was right. Receptionist in emergency animal hospitals know everything, probably because they see so much.

The veterinarian cleaned and shaved the entire area, and gave me a pain killer/anesthetic called butorphanol and acepromazine to help me rest. While I was all sleepy, they flushed out the entire area and checked my anal glands. Then they put an elizabethan collar on me and send me home with animax ointment and cephalexin antibiotics. The elizabethan collar I ditched in the car on my way home, I know, I am a very bad patient. But that collar was going to drive me insane! I am faithfully using hot packs, taking antibiotics, and putting the ointment on though.

I will never forget that crazy experience I had last night. With the effects of the butorphanol and acepromazine, I couldn't even walk on my own until 5 am this morning. Tonight I am doing much better. In retrospect, there were tell tale signs of an anal sac problem. Every once in awhile my anal glands would bug me and I would rub my bottom on the floor, but I never realized all this could happen. Watch for these signs, and get them checked by a veterinarian, so you don't end up like me.

AAHA Grant Veterinarian Care

If your dog needs emergency non-elective veterinarian treatment, and you are unable to pay, the AAHA may be able to help. The AAHA stands for American Animal Hospital Association, and they have a fund set up to help customers who frequent AAHA accredited veterinary clinics. They will consider providing monetary assistance in three different situations. These include when pet owners are on government assistance for low-income individuals, when pet owners are experiencing a temporary financial hardship, and when veterinary practices act as Good Samaritans and no pet owner exists.

Veterinarians are allowed to apply for this funding, at AAHA accredited veterinary hospitals. Each practice is limited to receiving a total of $700 a year from the AAHA Helping Pets Fund Gift Program, so your case will need to be compelling. Your veterinarian can get $500 per calendar year for financial hardship cases and $200 per calendar year for Good Samaritan cases. If you are having a hard time affording emergency or non-elective medical care, ask your veterinarian to partner with you in finding possible sources of assistance in your area.

Cloned Dog Has Puppies

Snuppy is the first cloned dog known to have offspring, and have proven that cloned dogs do indeed have reproductive ability. With the help of artificial insemination, Snuppy was successful at impregnating not only one, but two female Afghan hound's. The two female dogs were also clones, and they now have a total of nine puppies, all produced by dog clones. In the past few months, I have been expressing my thoughts on dog cloning...
Cruelty in Dog Cloning
Golden Clone Giveaway ~ We Have a Winner!
Battle Between The Dog Cloning Profiteers
Dogs Cloned By BioArts International
Update on BioArts International Cloning
The puppies from cloned parents were born on May 14 and May 18, 2008. Snuppy is the world's first cloned dog and got his name from "Seoul National University puppy."

MLM Pet Products

The majority of holistic websites for pets are now promoting Transfer Factor Plus for dogs, and Life's Abundance dog food. Both of these products are owned by the big boys of MLM, 4life.com (healthypetnet.com) and Trilogy International. I realized this the other day, while reading a well known holistic website for dogs. The sales copy was so good, and so sincere, it had me convinced that there was no way I could possibly live without transfer factor plus any longer. As I clicked the link to purchase all the transfer factor plus I could possibly get my paws on, I came to a very MLMish looking site (4life.com).

These sites just have that MLMish "look", hard to explain. On the top of the page, there was an "opportunity" button. I clicked to learn more, and found out that if I wanted to be a distributor, I would make up to 64% commission! The transfer factor plus wasn't looking as good at that point. If the distributor could get 64%, you know 4life.com is getting their cut, people have to get paid that actually make it, and what about the cost of packaging? What is transfer factor plus really worth? I am also familiar with how MLM works, the first rule is to be unbelievably thrilled and excited about the product. It makes people want to buy, buy, buy. I was surprised to learn Life's Abundance dog food is MLM as well.

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, it is all the buzz on the internet. If you Google Life's Abundance dog food, you will come up with 54,200 results all to websites that pretty much say the same thing, and most lead back to Trilogy International. I'm not trying to say Life's Abundance dog food isn't good, I don't really know, but MLM dog food? I'm worried about the long term effects of this on your dog. What if your dog starts calling long distance for phone conferences and giving out pamphlets to complete strangers?

Neem Oil For Dogs

Neem oil is a therapeutic non-toxic oil produced from the neem tree. This oil is extremely popular in India and is used for skin care, skin disorders, arthritis, pesticide, antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial, eczema, scabies, head lice, and even in face cream to get rid of wrinkles. It has been researched, and found to be safe and healthy for non-pregnant animals and people. In research studies, rats were given neem oil orally. It is not recommended for pregnant animals, due to the results of this study. The pregnant rats given neem oil, reabsorbed the embryo in the uterus, thereby ending the pregnancy. Neem oil is being used in India now as a contraceptive as well. Outside of this single effect, the reviews for neem oil have been extremely positive, so I decided to check it out.

Fleas have been a huge problem this summer, and I have developed a hot spot from all the itching. Mainly, I've tried Advantix (It is poison, but I've been desperate) and regular baths (with apple cider vinegar rinse). These things were helpful, but didn't solve the problem completely. Diet is important for fleas and allergies (today I started the "Missing Link" supplement, but this may take awhile to see the effects). Anyway, so I bought a 1 oz. bottle of pure neem oil for $9.99 at Whole Foods, the day before yesterday. I decided not to post about it, until I had tested how it worked. On sunday, I applied it to my hot spot and it is has almost healed up completely. Neem oil was applied to every spot on my body that started itching, and it is very soothing to my skin. This stuff smells kind of stinky, but amazingly the fleas seemed to have lost interest in jumping on me altogether!

I'm trying not to get to excited, but I think I may have found something that really works and is non-toxic at the same time. The plan is to apply neem oil at least once a week, and I will keep you posted as to how well this works in keeping the fleas and ticks away long term. In the meantime, my mommy is putting this stuff in her hair as a moisturizer, and on her face as a cream. I think we have gone neem oil crazy!

Animal Welfare Groups Hurricane Gustav

Hurricane Gustav preparations have taken animals into greater consideration than we had in Katrina. Back in 2005 when hurricane Katrina hit, up to 1900 people lost their life. Most likey the animal fatality rate was many times that. There was a huge loss of life, both human and animal. At that time, officials helping people to evacuate, refused to allow people to bring their pets. This policy was responsible for the unnecessary death of many animals. It is estimated that 44% of the people that refused to evacuate, stated that they were refusing because they would not abandon their pets. Therefore, this policy indirectly caused many people to die as well.

Animal welfare groups have been instrumental in evacuating animals, setting up shelters, and providing care for pets while we wait for hurricane Gustav. The difference in hurricane Gustav vs. Katrina, may in a small part be due to the Pets Evacuation Transportation Standards Acts President Bush signed in 2006. It is basically recognizing, and ensuring that State and local emergency preparedness operational plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. I would like to express my gratitude to all the animal welfare groups who have steeped forward to look out for people and their animals.

If you are able to donate, many of these organizations could use donations in any amount.
Animal Rescue Foundation of Louisiana: In Lafayette, Louisiana is looking for foster homes and donations.

Animal Rescue New Orleans: Organizing shelters are arranging pet evacuation.

Best Friends: Best Friends Animal Society is sendinding 3,000 pet carriers so that people evacuating with pets will be allowed on the evacuation bus.

Humane Society of North Texas: Needs donations and foster homes.

Humane Society of the United States: The HSUS is doing a fantastic job evacuating and caring for the animals from Louisiana shelters.

Noah's Wish: Organizing volunteers from the US and Canada that are assisting in Louisiana. Staffing three animal shelters to care for animals that have been evacuated from areas threatened by Hurricane Gustav.

Pasado Rescue Disaster Response: Opened largest triage center for Gustav. Hundreds of shelter animals in their care; 600 Acre farm generously provided for rescue.

Thank you!