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All humans who are owned by a cat know that they can be finicky eaters. What seemed good yesterday is left to molder in the bowl today. The human, of course, worries and frets about a missed meal and will many times supplement feedings with tasty snacks. It’s important to both read the nutrition labels of the snacks given and to avoid using them as a meal replacement. Treats always contain higher amounts of calories per serving and should be reserved for rewards and training.

Nutritional Needs of Cats

Much like their wild counterparts, domesticated cats need protein, some fat, and an even lesser amount of carbohydrates. Most of their energy is derived from the breakdown of the proteins and fats. Excess amounts of carbohydrates, such as grains, end up being stored away as fat cells. Over time this leads to digestive problems and obesity. An overweight cat is prone to health conditions that can become life-threatening.

Check labels carefully to ensure there is a rough forty percent each of protein and fat and twenty percent carbohydrates. (Editor’s note: Consult your veterinarian to determine the proper ratio of protein, fats and carbohydrates in your cat’s diet. Many factors go into choosing the correct nutritional balance, including your cat’s life stage, health factors and body condition.) Products such as beef flavored cat treats that contain the right percentages will be more than palatable to even the pickiest of cats.

Treats and the Obese Cat

Cats can still be given treats when they are obese, as long as the condition is taken into consideration. The first step is to visit with your veterinarian and get some suggestions on dietary changes. They will most likely recommend a lower calorie food that will help bring down the weight over time. There is a wide variety of cat treats available that are dietary in nature. They generally contain lesser amounts of carbohydrates and fats, yet maintain the levels of protein that your cat needs. The selections of healthy cat treats vary from chicken, tuna, salmon and beef flavor cat treats. There are exotic blends that are sure to please the most picky of eaters.

Careful Shopping Yields Positive Results

Keeping your cat happy and healthy is as easy as a little comparative shopping. If a product doesn’t give you the nutrition information you need to make a healthy choice, then don’t buy it. It’s really that simple and defined.

Your feline friend is completely dependent on you to ensure the caloric content and nutrition provided is exactly what is needed. Don’t settle for poor quality when it comes to the health and longevity of your cat.

Consideration was provided for the editing, review, and publishing of this guest post.

Continue reading »]]> Over the past month, we’ve been introducing you to the fierce, formidable competitors getting ready to take the 2012 ASPCA Rachael Ray $ 100K Challenge. From August 1 through October 31, these agencies will be pulling out all the stops to save more dogs and cats than they did during the same time last year. You’ve met the contestants from the West, South Central, Southeast and North Central Divisions—this week, give it up for the agencies representing the fifth and final Northeast Division.

Animal Friends, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA

This pic, along with a simple (i.e. SMART) question — "What is your pet doing right now?" — got a whopping 109 comments on Facebook.

What makes them a tough contender: “Since our founding in 1943, Animal Friends has been revolutionizing animal-focused programming throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.”

Animal Rescue League Shelter and Wildlife Center, Pittsburgh, PA

"Many thanks to the vet-tech volunteers from Sanford-Brown for helping out our medical department today!" wrote ARLSWC.

What makes them a tough contender: “We help all domestic and wild animals in need regardless of species or breed.”

Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Baltimore, MD

"We have an extremely dedicated group of staff members and volunteers that will do whatever is necessary to win the competition!" says BARC.

What BARC wants to tell their community: “Please help save lives; spay and neuter your pets!”

Bangor Humane Society, Bangor, ME

Great Facebook cover photo broadcasting that BHS is in it to win it!

What they’d do with $ 100K: “If we win the challenge, we will reinvest the money into developing and strengthening our community outreach programs to expand offsite adoption opportunities, grow our foster care family and increase our collaborative partnerships with community organizations to encourage pet adoption.”

Eleventh Hour Rescue, Randolph, NJ

CLEVER! EHS posted this photo on Facebook seeking a foster home for Leroy, pictured here.

“Our slogan is that we cannot stop, and we will not stop until all of the cages are empty. This defines our mentality down to the core.”

Humane League of Lancaster County, Lancaster, PA

These guys know how to throw a party, like the recent 2nd annual birthday bash/benefit for Leo, a six-year-old poodle who was rescued from a puppy mill and now gallantly represents the Humane League at community events.

How they’d use the $ 100K: “We would use the grant funds to implement the most effective programs we learn about during this Challenge to save even more lives.”

Last Chance Ranch, Inc., Quakertown, PA

What makes them a tough contender in the $ 100K Challenge: “We rescue not only the more easily adopted pets, but also older and hard-to-place dogs and cats.”

Montgomery County Humane Society, Rockville, MD

MCHS' secret weapon during the Qualifying Heat

How they describe themselves in 3 words: “Progressive open admission”

Talbot Humane, Easton, MDWhat makes them a tough contender: “Talbot Humane has been helping animals in Talbot County, Maryland, since 1932. For 80 years our goals have been to rescue companion animals from cruelty and neglect, place them into loving homes, reunite lost pets with their owners and reduce pet overpopulation through aggressive spay/neuter programs.”

Pennsylvania SPCA, Philadelphia, PA

We love PSPCA's Vintage Pet Month promotion (happening now!), during which they're singing the praises of senior pets and offering reduced-fee adoptions.

How they describe themselves in 3 words: “Strong, Dedicated, Progressive.”

Related Links
The 50 Challenge Contestants
“Up for the Challenge, Part 1: Meet the 2012 Contestants”
“Up for the Challenge, Part 2: Meet the 2012 Contestants”
“Up for the Challenge, Part 3: Meet the Contestants”
“Up for the Challenge, Part 4: Meet the Contestants”

Continue reading »]]> When you wake up from a coma in a hospital and you're not entirely sure how you got there, the first thing you want to see is the familiar face of a loved one.

  Bike wheel by Shutterstock.com

That's what happened to John Allen of Tunica, MS. The loved one he wanted to see was his dog. Allen and his mixed-breed mutt, Lady Marie, were tooling along Highway 61 one day, Allen on his bicycle with Lady Marie in an attached two-wheeled cart, to which Allen had affixed signs saying "Louisiana to Michigan" and "Broke - Hungry - Lost Everything in a House Fire."

"They didn’t seem to have a care in the world. Just a man and his dog, enjoying life and the company of each other," the Tunica Times reports.

Suddenly, a car struck Allen's bicycle. Thrown into the road, he was critically injured. "The impact was so profound, it caused Lady [Marie] to bolt in fear from the one person she loved more than anything. She ran into the nearby woods," reports the Times.

As emergency workers strove to save Allen's life and prepare him to be airlifted to the nearest medical center, Allen cried out for his dog.

Lady Marie. Photograph courtesy of MyFox-Memphis.

It was around then that Tunica Animal Shelter director Sandy Williams got a call from a Mississippi state trooper. "He was concerned there was this man about to be airlifted to the Med and he was calling out for his dog," Williams told MyFox-Memphis.

Arriving at the scene of the accident after Allen had been airlifted away, Williams located Lady Marie, who, besides an injured paw, was in good condition.

"She came running back to the only thing that she knew, and that was the wreckage of the trailer and the bike," Williams said.

The first thing Allen asked for upon emerging from his coma was his dog. Williams assured him that Lady Marie was safe at the shelter -- and showed him pictures to prove it.

Three months after the accident, Allen and Lady Marie -- "who had nothing in this world but each other," as MyFox-Memphis puts it -- were finally reunited last Wednesday.

Continue reading »]]> Living with diabetes can be difficult -- monitoring blood sugar levels with prick after prick and making sure to keep some candy on you, just in case. The consequences of missing an insulin injection or a meal can be fatal. Now imagine being a kid and trying to live with a condition you might be too young to understand!

Olivia-Mae isn't old enough to check her blood sugar levels herself.

That's why three-year-old Olivia-Mae is lucky to have Bonnie, a 15-week-old Cocker Spaniel puppy trained to detect low blood sugar levels in the toddler and warn an adult. Even though Olivia-Mae's mother, Jodie, stabilizes her daughter's blood sugar with insulin, there's always a chance that the little girl's levels could fluctuate, putting her into a diabetic coma that could leave her brain-damaged. That's when Bonnie steps in, pawing and barking until Olivia-Mae is seen to.

Bonnie has successfully detected low blood sugar levels eight different times.

Dogs like Bonnie are not unusual, but when Jodie originally looked into obtaining a trained medical aid dog, she discovered they came with a hefty price tag. So she took matters into her own hands, and with the help of trainers, began teaching Bonnie how to sniff out life-saving signs with samples of Olivia-Mae's sweat and blood.

Bonnie accompanies Olivia-Mae everywhere she goes. She's more than just a pet, but a precious guardian of the little girl's very life.

Story via The Sun, photos via ITV News 

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There are many reasons a dog might be constantly thirsty and drinking excessive amounts of water. Photo credit: bigbirdz/Flickr.com

Having access to clean fresh water is important for all dogs. But what does it mean if your dog seems thirsty all the time and is drinking excessively large amounts of water?

Drinking excessive amounts of water is known to veterinarians as polydipsia. Polydipsia is simply a technical term that means your pet is thirsty all the time. It may or may not be accompanied by polyuria, an increase in urine volume. In other words, your dog may urinate more than normal also if he is drinking large quantities of water.

What Can Make a Dog Drink Excessive Amounts of Water?

Anything that causes your dog to become dehydrated may cause an increase in water consumption. This is your dog’s body’s way of trying to replace lost fluids. It is the reason why you should always take water with you when you are expecting to engage your dog in heavy exercise in warm temperatures. Your dog can become dehydrated and may need extra water to replace the moisture he has lost. Search and rescue dogs, for example, that are working or training in warm temperatures often fall prey to excessive moisture loss and require extra water to replace the loss. This is a normal physiological process and does not indicate illness. It can lead to severe consequences if not addressed properly though.

There are, however, a number of diseases that can cause your dog to drink too much water. These diseases include:

• kidney disease and/or kidney failure
• liver disease and/or liver failure
• infection, such as pyometra (infection of the reproductive tract)
• diabetes mellitus
• Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocortisism – an overactive adrenal gland)
• hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland – rare in dogs)
• medications, such as prednisone/other corticosteroids, furosemide/other diuretics and phenobarbital
• fever
• diarrhea
• cancer
• leptospirosis

Dogs eating dry foods will naturally drink more water than dogs eating wet diets because of the difference of moisture content within the diet. This is normal.

What Should You Do If Your Dog Seems Thirsty All the Time?

If your dog seems thirsty all the time, you should not limit his access to water unless your veterinarian tells you it is okay to do so. With some diseases, your dog can actually become dehydrated if he does not have access to adequate quantities of water. This may further complicate your dog’s illness.

Schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to find out why your dog is so thirsty. Expect that your veterinarian will want to test your dog’s blood and urine. Additional testing may be necessary depending on the results of initial blood and urine testing.

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New changes in the pet food manufacturing industry will, hopefully, improve the safety of your dog and cat's foods. Photo credit: jurvetson/Flickr.com

According to this article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), new preventive measures that have been proposed in the pet food manufacturing industry are aimed at improving the safety of pet foods.

In early April of 2012, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), the Pet Food Institute (PFI), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all came together in Schaumburg, IL for the Petfood Forum during which they discussed their
work to improve pet food safety. According to the JAVMA article,

“The American Feed Industry Association recently rolled out voluntary programs to certify that facilities that manufacture pet food or pet food ingredients meet certain safety standards. The Pet Food Institute is expanding model manufacturing principles that it developed after the melamine contamination. The FDA has begun to implement provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act that will impact pet food manufacturers.”

Leah Wilkinson, AFIA director of ingredients and state legislative affairs, third party certification programs, the Pet Food Manufacturing Facility Certification Program and the Pet Food Ingredient Facility Certification Program, are based on the principles of risk management. Offering audits for US- and Canadian-based manufacturers, these certification programs cover a variety of important areas, including hazard analysis, preventive controls, corrective actions, record retention, supplier standards, and safety specifications for ingredients and final products.

The Model Commercial Pet Food Manufacturing Principles was compiled by the members of the Pet Food Institute after the melamine scare. They are now working an expansion of those principles.

The Food Safety Modernization Act proposed by the FDA offers new preventive controls for manufacturers of pet foods as well as other animal feed manufacturers and human food manufacturers. The act also provides for the verification of foreign suppliers. According to Michael R. Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods,

“The rule on foreign suppliers will call for importers of food not to rely on FDA inspectors to detect problems at the port of entry but to verify that foreign suppliers produce the food in accordance with U.S. standards. The FDA will propose another rule by which the agency will recognize accrediting bodies for third-party certification programs in the international arena.”

While I think it is important to remember that this latest pet food recall resulting from Salmonella contamination is nothing like the melamine scare of 2007, it is still good to see that additional safety protocols and procedures are being put into place for the well-being of our pets as well as their human caretakers.