Spooked horse swims two miles offshore

Beach goers and boaters along the coast of Central California are accustomed to seeing fascinating sea creatures large and small off its shore—but an Arabian horse?
 
Some at first thought the gleaming white animal bobbing up and down on the waves near Santa Barbara was a seagull, but were surprised to learn it was a equine model known as William, reports the Santa Barbara News-Press.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/spooked-horse-swims-two-miles-offshore-135855078.html

Dog Masters Bicycle Riding (video)

Let's face it, we've all seen amusing pet videos online and after a while they all start to look the same.
 
Not this time.
 
Meet Norman, a two-and-a-half year old Briard dog that has learned how to ride a bike.

You know how some kids are slow to master the art of two wheels?

The Daily Mail reports it took the pooch just 10 weeks to master the art of riding his personalized bicycle.
 
I'm not kidding. Man's best friend can now ride a special designed bike around his South Carolina neighborhood.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/animal-house/201205/dog-masters-bicycle-riding

Leading insurer pays $109M for dog bite claims

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dog bites man does not get a lot of attention in the news, but it costs insurance companies hundreds of millions in claims every year.
 
State Farm Insurance, one of the nation's largest home insurers, paid more than $109 million on about 3,800 dog bite claims nationwide last year, spokesman Eddie Martinez said Wednesday. In 2010, there were about 3,500 claims and $90 million in payouts.
 
The Insurance Information Institute estimated that nearly $479 million in dog bite claims were paid by all insurance companies in 2011, spokeswoman Loretta Worters said. In 2010, it was $413 million.

http://news.yahoo.com/leading-insurer-pays-109m-dog-bite-claims-214445007.html

In a multi-cat household, it's often inevitable for skirmishes to erupt between your cats. Often, these are playful battles, not to be concerned over. However, even friendly challenges sometimes become aggressive - it's important to know how to handle these fights if they do arise.
 
Never step in between two cats that are engaged in a fight. During a fight, stress is at a high level, you are placing yourself in danger of being scratched or bitten. Even after they have separated, it's best to give them their distance - never pick up a cat that has just been fighting.
 
To separate the cats, use a broom to guide one cat into another room, shutting the door behind her. Enter later, leaving the cat food, water, and a litter pan, but ignoring the cat. After the fight and while the cats are still stressed, do not initiate the interaction with them. Let them come to you. Use this opportunity to check both cats for injuries.

Here are some additional tips to help stop fighting cats:
 •A short, loud shout and clapping your hands may stop the fight.
 •Place a kitchen chair gently between the two cats. This may startle the cats and they will back away.
 •Turn on the vacuum cleaner - this will often distract the cats and redirect their attention.
 •Spray water on them.
 •Remain calm - although it may be hard to resist yelling at your cats engaged in a fight, yelling only increases their stress levels and aggressive behavior.
 
It's important to realize that while your cats may seem fully engaged, most battles between cats are friendly. You can tell the difference between playful and real conflicts by examining the body language of the cats. Watch for the tail, ears, eyes, and where the body is in relation to the ground. Understanding your cat's body language can be helpful when determining the seriousness of a fight.

*DOG TIP*

If your dog bolts his/her food too fast, put a rounded rock about the size of a baseball (cleaned) or a kong toy or coffee cup in the bowl. Make sure its large enough that the dog won't eat it, but small enough that they can eat around it. Working to eat the food around the rock will keep them from gulping the food.

*CAT TIP*

Bored With Food - If your cat seems bored with its food, offer a wet food with a different texture and flavor. Experiment by placing a few different types side by side to see which one your cat likes best. 

Meow, allegedly the country's heaviest feline, passed away over the weekend after developing respiratory complications.

The nation met the rotund kitty last month after his 87-year-old owner dropped him off at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter, claiming she could no longer care for him – no surprise, given that Meow tipped the scales at 39 pounds. The average cat Meow's "height" weighs 8-12 pounds; an equivalent-sized human would weigh around 600 pounds.

http://shine.yahoo.com/pets/meow--country-s-heaviest-cat--dies.html

Slautered for consumptiom

****

Your cats might be scratching all over because of fleas. To help your cats deal with this issue, you should follow these steps:
 
Fleas need to be killed at every stage in their life so it’s important to be persistent.
 
Vacuum twice each day using a canister vacuum cleaner. Immediately empty the canister and take the bag out to the trash.
 
Clean your cats’ environment. Wash the bedding with hot water and bleach every three days. Wash down the typical areas where your cats sleep, especially hard surfaces like counter tops, your desk, and bookshelves.
 
Spray your furniture and carpets with an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) spray that kills fleas in all stages of their life cycle. While powders are effective, they remain in your house for days.
 
Special kitten note: Be sure to use a flea control product that is safe for kittens. Check with your veterinarian to be sure.

The best treatment for fleas is prevention. Monthly flea and tick treatments should be used. Consult with your veterinarian to find the best solution for your cats.

*DOG TIP*

The dog's gums tell you a lot. They should be nice and pink. Pale gums can be signs of shock, blood loss, anemia etc. Yellow gums point to liver problems. Red irritated gums can be a sign of gingivitis, and brick red gums might indicate poisoning or heat-stroke, etc. Press the gums with a tip of a finger. When you remove the finger, there should be a pale spot that quickly refills with blood over 1-2 seconds - this is the capillary refill time (CRT). If the blood doesn't flow quickly back into the spot, it can be a sign of shock, bleeding, poor circulation or similar.

*CAT TIP*

Citrus odor in lemon furniture polish is usually offensive to cats. This polish, applied to wood on furniture, frequently discourages the cat from climbing or sleeping on the furniture that is "off limits."

 A prison in Washington State has begun testing out a new program, "Cuddly Catz," matching inmates with cats who have been rescued from shelters.
 
The Associated Press reports that inmate Joey Contreras, 28, was transferred from a 40 man dorm into a two-person cell in March. But it's the cell's third occupant, "Princess Natalie," who has made the biggest difference in his daily routine.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/prison-cuddly-catz-program-pairs-felons-felines-004723194.html

 Game-winning goal screenshot
 
Imagine being Washington Capitals' defenseman Karl Alzner Wednesday night. Imagine, say, that you played 37:14, over 11 minutes more than your previous career-high, in a 2-1 triple-overtime loss to the New York Rangers -- that you were one of the players in a game that beat pretty much everyone to a bloody pulp and took 114:41 to decide, nearly twice as long as it was supposed to.
 
Worse, imagine that, just after you pressured Dan Girardi along the far boards, he swung the puck behind the goal to Brad Richards, who centered to Marian Gaborik for the game-winner at 14:41, and all you could do was slam your stick against the glass and head to the room as they celebrated.
 
Then imagine that, six hours after puck drop, you arrived at home, sore as all hell, thinking about all the things that could have gone your way but didn't. And then you opened your door to this nonsense:

>>>Read more http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/capitals-defenceman-karl-alzner-dogs-had-way-more-214529458.html

 A Fat Dog:
Difficult to feel ribs with excess fat covering.
Viewed from the side, belly has minimal or no tuck.
Viewed from above, no waist in front of the hips.

Ideal Weight Dog
Easy to feel ribs without excess fat covering.
Viewed from the side, belly is tucked up.
Viewed from above, a noticeable waist in front of the hips

*DOG TIP*

Properly hydrated dogs have elastic skin. On a sick dog, pull up a handful of skin on the back of the neck and let go - if it doesn't quickly return to normal, the dog may be dehydrated.

*CAT TIP*

 Cat-proof your home with common sense: any way that a toddler could get into trouble goes double for "Tiger"! Small objects that could be swallowed, toxic substances (medications, cleaning supplies, etc.), or breakables should be safely stored in cabinets with cat-proof doors. And remember that cats go barefoot and lick their feet clean; rinse thoroughly any surface you've cleaned with chemicals.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A mutt who sat on doggy death row for more than a year before given a reprieve is now officially free from government captivity and headed toward TV stardom.
 
Prada, the 4-year-old pit bull mix that was ruled vicious and ordered put down, was released Thursday from Nashville's Animal Control facility, where the dog had been held since January 2011.
 
Prada was ordered put down after attacking several other dogs. A judge spared the dog's life after the Villalobos Rescue Center in New Orleans agreed to take the animal.

http://news.yahoo.com/dog-spared-death-penalty-released-230245022.html

- By Anand Srinivasan

 
Its scary when you first know your cat has diabetis but once you start understanding the disease and get more used to the monitoring it becomes easier for you and your kitty.

 
Informing yourself of the disease is crucial, its not the same as human diabetis and its a complex disease that you need to inform yourself about.Don't feel overwhelemed by the amount of information. Get all the info printed and make it a point to read them every night until you basically have learned the info by heart.

 
First of all, Feline diabetes is extremely difficult to regulate. Feline metabolism is simply not designed to be diabetes friendly. By "regulate," we mean finding the correct insulin dosage for steady, healthy blood sugar levels.Feline metabolism is built specifically for short, fast bursts of power and speed, not long chases, unlike dogs. It can take a very long time to find the right dose of insulin, and the "right" dose can change on you with little or no notice. Stress, even things that don't appear to us
 to be stressful, can set off sugar spikes in cats.

 
Thus, you MUST monitor your cat at all times. At any sign of trouble,at least call your vet. You'll get better over time at recognizing what needs immediate attention.

 
Signs of trouble (over-insulin) include:

 
Balance loss, unsteady walking (they'll act drunk ...)

 
Head shaking

 
Sudden craziness - this is different from the regular feline nightly run around and be active craziness. Sometimes, the cat might let out a horrible witchy yowl at top voice, spin madly around chasing its own tail 4-5 times, jump in the air, fall on the sides, pant and ultimately even lose consciousness.

 
So, in such instances have a light corn syrup handy. If you over-insulin (which is all too
 easily done) you will need to get come easy sugar into your cat FAST.

 
The insulin is given subcutaneaously, that is, directly under the top layer of skin, and NOT into the blood. What you'll do is lift your cat's skin somewhere around the scruff or near that area, just as you would do to check hydration (something you'll want to do daily, by the way ...) You'll then have a little tent of skin lifted off from the body. You'll insert the the needle along the long line of the tent (think of a long pole supporting the tent like a roof line) rather than from side to side of the tent.
 Inject and you're done. You'll get to where you can do it easily.

 
Never give another shot if you think you missed the shot (sometimes you can make a mistake and give the shot to the fur.. which isn't helpful at all!) but its always best for your kitty to skip a dose than have a double shot.

 
Eating is crucial - and it is equally crucial that your cat eats something immediately before or after the insulin shot (just like human diabetics). This can be difficult, as cats often don't eat when they don't feel well, so start finding all the creative treats you can find that will entice your cat.You can probably try home-made (no salt or spices) chicken broth, which gels when cold; baby food (all meat, NO spices, particularly onion powder, which is poisonous to cats); wet food (from the vet, particularly made for kidney problems); TUNA (the special favorite.) Experiment, but don't go overboard, and remember that however 'underboard' is more dangerous.

 
As the diabetes progresses, be on the watch for other complications; Joint problems , need for heat, blindness. You'll
 need to make environmental changes to accommodate such things as they develop. Some cats can come down with renal failure as a secondary condition to the diabetes. These are all treatable, but it will add to the adjustments you and your cat will need to make.

 
Find out where your nearest emergency animal hospital/clinic is NOW before you need that information. Because you will need it.Unless you are extremely blessed, there will be at least once or twice that you will need to rush your cat for immediate care, because he goes into diabetic coma (the warnings I mentioned above.) Keep the number someplace where you can find it at a moment's notice.

 
Towels are your friend. They can be used to wrap a cat who struggles when given shots; they can be used to put under a cat who is retching to catch the vomit (towels, unlike rugs and floors, are easily thrown into a washing machine!);they can make emergency beds as the cat's ability to navigate the environment changes. They can be used with plastic to catch extraneous urine around the litterbox (again - washable!).

 
Periodically, talk to your vet about cat's diet. He may already be on lower-protein food. If not, it may be time to introduce it. Kidney problems necessitate lower protein foods than normal

 
This can be a harsh statement, but to be realistic, Diabetes in cats is fatal -- you may have weeks or years, depending on how well your cat's blood levels regulate. Now is the time for the two of you to come to an agreement about what constitutes a quality-of-life threshold. Only you and your cat can decide when that is for the two of you. But it is a conversation you should start, now,while you can still enjoy yourselves together as you have it.

 
Anand Srinivasan is the author of http://XooXonline.info a website of varied themes and topics for the internet surfer who wants to surf but does not know what to!

 
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anand_Srinivasan\

*DOG TIP*

 If your dog runs away from you and you finally catch up to it, no matter how angry you are at the dog, do not yell or smack it or your dog will never come to you when called for fear of being punished.

*CAT TIP*

To train your cat to scratch acceptable objects, sprinkle catnip and a few food treats on a sisal-wrapped scratching post, a corrugated cardboard scratcher or even a non-treated fireplace log. Place it next to the object you wish to protect.

For one group of Southern California Huskies and their human companions, there's a new exercise craze that has them burning off some extra energy while embracing their natural instincts. It's called urban mushing, and it's like dog-sledding....without the snow.

http://shine.yahoo.com/animal-nation/urban-mushing-sled-dogs-without-snow-000500226.html

Burger King becomes first US national chain to pledge cage-free pork, eggs

The movement by U.S. food corporations toward more humane treatment of animals experienced a whopper of a shift Wednesday when Burger King announced that all of its eggs and pork will come from cage-free chickens and pigs by 2017.

The decision by the U.S.'s second-largest fast-food restaurant raises the bar for other companies seeking to appeal to the rising consumer demand for more humanely produced fare.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/burger-king-becomes-first-us-national-chain-pledge-130714888.html

*DOG TIP*

Whatever you're doing, stay calm. Dogs worry if you worry. Calm other people if they're worrying around your sick dog. Give panicked people a task to do.

*CAT TIP*

Cats can't "work out" problems, because they're territorial animals. Stop fights between house cats by blowing a whistle, squirting a bit of water or by tossing a soft object, like a pillow, near them.

Scale tipping cat turned over to Santa Fe animal shelter.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/oddnews-22772304/fat-cat-in-new-mexico-up-for-adoption-29056305.html#crsl=%252Fvideo%252Foddnews-22772304%252Ffat-cat-in-new-mexico-up-for-adoption-29056305.html

SUNDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- Tick season has started earlier than normal due to the mild winter, which means hikers, gardeners and others who love the outdoors should take precautions to prevent becoming a meal for ticks, an expert says.

People also should keep alert for symptoms of tick-borne diseases.

In Minnesota, patients already are testing positive for tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis -- a month or two earlier than normal for the state, said Dr. Bobbi Pritt, a microbiologist and director of the Clinical Parasitology and Virology Laboratories at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Read more>>> http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/hsn/tick-season-starting-early-this-year

Cat Got the Runs? Try a Spoonful of Yogurt

by JaneA Kelley, Paws and Effect

If your cat needs to take antibiotics, be aware that the medicine tends to kill good bacteria too — including the bacteria that make his intestines work properly. The result can be an unpleasant case of diarrhea.

A teaspoon of nonfat, unsweetened yogurt once a day can help to restore those important intestinal flora and get your kitty’s plumbing working properly again. Because most of the lactose in milk is converted to lactic acid in the fermentation process, cats can generally eat it without problems.

*DOG TIP*

 Fleas, ticks and other parasites are harmful to your pet, so take steps to avoid and treat infestations. Several new remedies are available; ask your veterinarian.

*CAT TIP*

Although milk is not toxic to cats, it can cause digestive upset in many felines. Look instead for special cat milk, which has been treated with an enzyme that prevents stomach problems.