Puppy Bowl, Puppy Bowl, Puppy Bowl

Yesterday, Tom and I met with Jason Merrihew from the AAHA. How many of you know what the AAHA is? Not many, I think. I didn't really know what they were, or who they were, until our visit to the NAVC, last month. We stopped by their booth and learned that they're the American Animal Hospital Association. They exist to accredit animal hospitals for veterinary excellence. Jason told us that there are 900 standards each accredited hospital has to pass to earn AAHA accreditation.

This year, interestingly, AAHA has partnered with Animal Planet on sponsoring the Puppy Bowl. How kewl is that? Really now...when it comes to "bowls" on TV, this one has to take the highest marks. Puppies in a contest...running around chasing each other...just being...puppies!

I know where my TV is going to be turned, tomorrow: to Animal Planet at 3pm e/p. (there's a Game Day Pet Photo Contest, too! W00t!)

Mandatory Spay Neuter Law in Vegas

Las Vegas is a great example of the consequences of unbridled development. When the economy turns south, years of speculation take a toll and the toll falls on people and their pets. Reports indicate that the number of dogs given up at the main public shelter in Las Vegas is up 10% annually in each of the last three years. The LIED in animal shelter in Las Vegas takes in 50,000 animals a year and 50% end up being euthanized.

The City Council reacted last fall with an ordinance mandating that pet owners spay or neuter their pets by four months of age. There are exceptions for medical reasons and breeders pay a fee to continue their operations. Fine are substantial and the proceeds are supposed to be used to help defray surgical costs for low income pet owners.

The Grumpy Old Lady Speaks Out

We've taken to calling our Wabby, the 17 year old resident kitty, The Grumpy Old Lady - just look at her picture and tell me she doesn't look like she not only got up on the wrong side of the bed, but that she doesn't even know where the right side of the bed is!

Anyway, she's become extremely vocal, of late. I don't know if it's because of the move, or just that she's a bit senile. In human years we figure she's well into her 90s, and I've heard that dogs and cats have their own form of senility, as they age. So, every morning around 5 a.m. the Wabby drags herself off of the bed (where she positions herself just so - just so Tom and I can't move our feet anywhere without kicking her), and makes her way downstairs.

Pet Dental Health Month

It's that time of year again. Mid winter, terrible weather, cold and flu season and of course; Pet Dental Health Month. Yea February. Seriously, about the only good thing you can say about February, unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere, is that my son Drew was born in February. He'll be thirty this year. Yikes.

On the dental health month front, this is the time of year when many veterinarians get involved in client education efforts on the benefits of routine dental health care for dogs and cats. I think most people understand the logic behind this. Most of us brush our own teeth two times a day and we understand the benefits of flossing and all that.

 

The problem is that our pets can't brush their own teeth. Imagine what your mouth would be like if you went a year without brushing or flossing? Gross is a word that comes to mind.

The Indoor Cat Initiative

In my last post over at Scratchings and Sniffings, we discussed the "Sensitive Cat Syndrome".

I attended a lecture given by Dr. Tony Buffington on this subject last week at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando. Florida. Needless to say this lecture had a big impact on me and got me thinking about cats in a different way. I guess you could say I've been thinking like a cat lately and for a dog person at heart I have an entirely new perspective. now.

I've always been an advocate of keeping cats indoors. I never thought though, how much of an impact a cat's environment can have on their health. I'm now a convert to the notion of Feline Enrichment. Before I went to the lecture of the same title last week I'm not sure I could have told you exactly what feline enrichment is all about.

PurinaCare® Offers Pet Insurance as Group Benefit

It doesn't get better than this. PurinaCare® Pet Health Insurance has just created a "Groups Benefits Department" that will offer employers and associations group discounts for providing their employees and members with pet health insurance.

A bold, forward move that needs to be applauded, don't you think? I do. According to the press release I found via Google alerts, "Pet insurance is a coverage program designed to pick up the tab on the high cost of vet bills." Got it? The "high cost of vet bills"...which is another way of saying, a great way to take care of your dog or cat when he or she is ill with an on-going medical problem or in an accident that requires extensive surgery and/or medical care.

Does My Indoor Cat Need Health Insurance?

This is a very common question for many cat owners that are thinking about pet health insurance. They reason that keeping a cat indoors makes them less susceptible to infectious disease and less likely to be involved in a serious accident. For the most part, I agree with this logic and I'm an advocate of an indoor lifestyle for cats.

On the other hand I attended an interesting presentation last week at The North American Veterinary Conference that opened my eyes to the Health Risks of indoor living for cats. 

A number chronic, non infectious diseases are being diagnosed more and more often, especially in indoor cats. A number of studies have shown that behavioral problems, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, obesity, separation anxiety disorder and various forms of lower urinary tract disease are more common in indoor cats.

Causes of Hyperthyroidism in Cats

More feline health information from the NAVC. I attended an interesting talk on feline hyperthyroidism. This is a fairly common disease in geriatric cats. In fact, it's the most common endocrine disorder in domestic cats. Endocrine disorders are glandular problems and this one obviously affects the thyroid gland.

One interesting tidbit I learned at the session is that this disease seems to be getting more and more common in older cats. Researchers don't know why, but hyperthyroidism is increasing faster than two other common older cat problems; chronic renal failure and diabetes.

It's a Dog, Dog World

This weekend our local paper had a really great article on the pet friendly atmosphere here in the Denver/Boulder area. It wasn't news to me, I've been coming to visit for many years (before finally moving here) and I've experienced the way folks here accept pets, especially dogs, just about everywhere.

The author of the article, John Davidson, wrote, "The Denver area is a heavenly place to be a beast." Is that not a great opening? He also says, "In fact, [Denver] is among the top five to 10 places in the country for pets, according to John Snyder, vice president for companion animals at the Humane Society of the United States." Denver is cited as a good place for rescues and lower euthanasia rates.

Exercise for Fat Cats

Exercising a cat seems like the classic example of the oxymoron. We don't typically walk our cats like we do our dogs and cat behavior is different when it comes to exercise. In fact, most of us are more accustomed to watching our cats sleep than seeing them exercise. 

In the wild, cats stay thin because they chase down their food. If they want to eat they have to work for it. Modern cats, especially indoor cats, don't have to do much to get a meal. So what can we do to get cats to burn off a few calories? It's a good question because it really helps with weight loss and exercise and play serves to enrich the day to day life of our cats.