Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Posted by Animals at 11:51 AM Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Colostrum or Mother's Milk - How Important is it? A New Scratchings and Sniffings Out Loud

Posted: 30 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PDT

In this session of Scratchings and Sniffings Out Loud, Dr. Larry and Dr. Grace educate us on colostrum - or "mother's milk" as many of us know it. I found this discussion interesting and informative, as usual, but the main thing that really makes it worthwhile for anyone is the announcement that there is a pet food with colostrum in it, now. An important ingredient that provides great health benefits to not only puppies and kittens, but dogs and cats with dietary issues.

Let's let Dr. Grace and Dr. Larry explain it - they do a better job than I do!


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Travel directory

Posted by Animals at 11:50 AM
When we need to make a trip is for business or holiday is necessary to take a look for local information so that we know how to stay hotels, best restaurants, places that we visit, and especially photos of these places, you actually know a travel directory , but the question is, where to find a directory that has all the information we need before a trip? If this is your doubt will meet the travel directory, the best and most complete directory with all the information and tips you need before make your trip.

The most diverse places with all the information you need to plan your trip with peace and security, increasingly young and old, people of all ages have traveled in search of know the history of other people who are no longer with us or simply to undertake a process of self-knowledge at the time you are scheduling your trip to mycitiesguide.com come first, you'll have all the information you need to reach your destination with all the information possible before your trip, you still have all the security possible for contact the companies, the better, do it all without leaving your home, want to know more? Come then know the best travel directory, mycitiesguide.com.
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Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Posted by Animals at 6:34 PM Monday, March 29, 2010

Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Bone Grafts for Fracture Repair

Posted: 29 Mar 2010 02:25 PM PDT

Miles-Dr.Larry-chatting-it-up As I well know, sometimes broken bones don't heal properly. I spent most of 2008 dealing with a broken wrist from my mountain biking habit. After and unsuccessful cast I had surgery where a plate was applied to the fracture. Along with the plate I had what is called a bone allograft. That means that I had bone supplied by a tissue bank from some other human donor. This bone was packed into the fracture site along with the plate to help bridge the gap created by the non union.

Using bone from a tissue bank is common practice in human orthopedic surgery. The other option is to harvest bone from the surgical patient at the same time you are doing the fracture repair. Called an autograft as opposed to an allograft, bone is usually taken from the patient's hip for use at the fracture site. 
This was the golden standard for years but it does have drawbacks. For one thing you have to take the time to do the harvest procedure in addition to any repair work, so the patient is under the knife and under anesthesia longer with the associated risks. For another, human patients report significant pain at the harvest sight up to two years post surgery. There are other problems, too. Sometimes it's not possible to get enough material from the donor site to do the repair job.
 
With allografts all that hassle and extra surgical risk goes away.Twiggy-broken-leg-in-dogpark
 
Well, now we have the advantages of allografts in veterinary medicine too. Thanks to a company called Veterinary Transplant Services (VTS) any Veterinarian can order banked bone tissue for fracture repairs on dogs, cats and horses. That's pretty cool.
 
VTS offers a number of products. One is called Osteoallograft Orthomix and is described as a natural, real bone allograft made especially for Veterinary Medicine. The cool thing about Orthomix is that it provides both osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties.
 
That means that it not only contains the osteoconductive bone chips that provide a scaffold for new bone, it also contains osteoinductive demineralized bone. This demineralized bone contains growth factors including bone morphogenic proteins (BMP's) that stimulate the bone forming cells to produce new bone. The result is faster healing time. In fact the use of this material is as good as the old method without the trauma of harvest.
 
VTS also provides pieces of bone in various shapes to aid in serious fracture repair. A comminuted fracture is one where the bone is broken into several smaller pieces. Dogs that get hit by cars often have comminuted fractures. Sometimes the fracture site is a mess of broken bone pieces and there is nothing big enough or stable enough to hold pins, screws or plates. In these cases it's helpful to have a chunk of bone graft to put the pieces back together.
 
It's a good thing to have allograft options for dogs and cats. They have the same surgical risks and pain perceptions as people. If Miles ever had a bad fracture I'd want only the best for him. 
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Lots About Dogs

Posted by Animals at 3:09 PM

Lots About Dogs

How to Train Your Dog Using Positive Reinforcement – Part 2

Posted: 29 Mar 2010 06:00 AM PDT


Some ways for you to facilitate the training process: - Use meaningful rewards. Dogs get bored pretty quickly with a routine pat on the head and a “good girl” (and, in fact, most dogs don’t even like being patted on the head – watch their expressions and notice how most will balk or shy away when [...]
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The Days of Johann - an agility dog!

Posted by Animals at 4:03 AM

The Days of Johann - an agility dog!

Link to The Days of Johann, an agility dog!

Congrats to the winners of the AKC Agility National Championship 2010!

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 06:04 PM PDT

Big congratulations to everyone who competed at the 2010 AKC National Agility Championships and congrats to the winners!

Initial reports are in...more final results to be posted later on the AKC website (see below).

Regular:

8" Regular - Johanna Ammentorp and Toy Fox Terrier Blink.

12" Regular - Marcy Mantell and Shetland Sheepdog Wave.

16" Regular - Angiie Benacquisto and Rat Terrier Dylan, time 30.24.

20" Regular - Rosanne Demascio & BC Drifter, time 29.39

24" Regular - Jackie Bludworth & BC Pete, time 32.18

26" Regular - Daisy Peel and BC Solar time to a new level at 29.43

Preferred:

4" Preferred - Nancy Lewis & Poodle Frazzle, time 44.29

12" Preferred - Megan Magnant and BC Roxy , time 38.29

16" Preferred - Naci Berkoz & Australian Shepherd Rusty

20" Preferred - Elizabeth Armstrong & BC Rig, time 34.14

Finals course link.

More courses and results from Sunday including Round 3 Hybrid Class and Round 4 Challengers.
And courses and results from Saturday including Round 1 & 2, Excellent and JWW, Regular and Preferred.
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The Days of Johann - an agility dog!

Posted by Animals at 4:03 AM Sunday, March 28, 2010

The Days of Johann - an agility dog!

Link to The Days of Johann, an agility dog!

2011 AKC National Agility Championship location tentatively announced!

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 05:38 AM PDT

This is unofficial and still yet to be finalized (until the contract is signed), but we hear the word going around at the 2010 AKC National Agility Championships today is that the 2011 AKC National Agility Championships will be held in Perry, GA.

Qualifying for the 2011 event will be from December 1, 2009 through and including November 30, 2010. Regular class must accumulate at least 6 Double Q's & 400 MACH points from the Regular Excellent B Standard & Jumpers With Weaves class during the qualifying period. And Preferred Class must accumulate at least 6 Double Q's from the Preferred Excellent B Standard & Jumpers With Weaves class during the qualifying period.

NOTE: In order for dogs to compete in the Preferred Class at the 2011 AKC National Agility Championship they must only compete in the Preferred classes during the qualifying period (December 1, 2009 through November 30, 2010) excluding any runs at the 2009 Agility Invitational and the 2010 National Agility Championship.
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Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Posted by Animals at 6:38 PM Saturday, March 27, 2010

Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Katie the Wonder Dog - A Celebration of Life

Posted: 25 Mar 2010 11:03 AM PDT

BarkingNews Sometimes there are stories that just need to be shouted from the rooftop. This is one.

Katie, a gorgeous Black Lab, is truly a wonder dog and she embodies the hope and happiness of many pets and pet parents. Katie, with the help of her pet insurance policy (provided by PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance), made it through a harrowing ordeal, to become one of Michigan State University's "Miracle Pets."

MSU's Veterinary Teaching Hospital honored 50 "Miracle Pets" this past weekend, in a Celebration of Life ceremony, an event that is in its 7th year. And, because of this outstanding focus on caring for our pets, PurinaCare has created a yearly award to be given to vet students.

"In recognition of the life saving treatment provided to Katie by the veterinarians and staff at Celebration-of-life Veterinary Teaching Hospital and to honor the next generation of veterinarians, PurinaCare established a $1000 award to be given away annuallyto aid an MSU veterinary student in fostering their future in medicine." This year's award winner is Bianca Buffa, a first year student at MSU.

But the real story is Katie's story. Katie went for routine spay surgery and did not recover as she should have. She continued to bleed and was having trouble walking. Soon, she was given a unit of blood, it was discovered that her blood was not clotting properly and she soon developed more clotting issues, needing more blood and plasma. (did you know dogs need blood transfusions???)

Miracle-lab-katie According to my contact at PurinaCare, "over the next week, emergency doctors, ultrasonographers, radiologists, and surgeons worked tirelessly over Katie" and discovered that she had an "infarction of her sleen."

Wow. I'm not sure what that is - we'll have to ask Dr. Larry - but, after receiving an amazing 26 units of plasma and 9 units of blood, along with the removal of her spleen, Katie rebounded and in 10 days, she went home all in one piece, to a normal active life.

Her medical bills totalled over $18,000, with more than $14,00 covered by pet health insurance.

A testament to pet parents' love (they did not hesitate to take Katie to MSU - they knew their pet health insurance would help cover the costs, and they could not risk losing her)... the dedication of veterinary services and a LOT of blood transfusions - contributed by 30 donor dogs!

Just look at this picture of Katie and tell me you aren't moved to cheer! Let's hear it for MSU, for pet health insurance, and for a dog that wouldn't give up!
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All the Creatures

Posted by Animals at 5:50 PM

All the Creatures

The milkshake cow

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 07:27 PM PDT


I ran across the photo above and wondered what the story behind it was. At first I thought it was photo shopped but it is genuine. It was part of an ad campaign that appeared in Europe for milk shakes back in 2006. Thank goodness that was in Europe otherwise they might be visiting with [...]

Penguin species

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 07:10 PM PDT


Those comical little birds at the southern end of our planet, here are a few bits of trivia about them. There are about 17 species of penguins Penguins are found as far north as the Galapagos Islands There is an island off the coast of Western Australia called Penguin Island, named for the penguins that frequent it. Unlike some [...]
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The Days of Johann - an agility dog!

Posted by Animals at 4:06 AM

The Days of Johann - an agility dog!

Link to The Days of Johann, an agility dog!

AKC Agility National Results!

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 05:25 PM PDT

Here are some results from the AKC National Agility Championship today that we gathered from the AKC:

ISC STD

4"
1st - Paula Glick & Frazzle (Poodle)
2nd - Mike McCoy & Rusty (Papillion)
3rd - Barbara Scanlan & Taylor (Papillion)
4th - John Willmore & Remy (Dachshund)

8"
1st - Angie Benaquisto & Duncan
2nd - Hedges & Allie
3rd - Rogers & Quill
4th - Sims & Reese

12"
1st - Denise Kilpatrick & Tyler (Shetland Sheepdog)
2nd - Alicia Bismore & Lilly (Poodle)
3rd - Carla McAlister & Moose (Parson Russell Terrier)
4th - Theresa Moyers & Dooley (shetland Sheepdog)

14"
1st - Daneen Fox & Masher (Papillion)
2nd - Dee Anna Gamel & Kelsi (Shetland Sheepdog)
3rd - Janice Taylor & Chip (Papillion)
4th Place - Dorothy Fujimura & Piper (Shetland Sheepdog)

16"
1st - Paulena Renee Hope & Smart As (Border Collie)
2nd - Lauren Duckworth & Adrenalyn (Border Collie)
3rd - Robin Kletke & Vixen (Border Collie)
4th - John Reid & S More (Border Collie)

18"
1st - Angie Benacquisto & Dylan
2nd - Swartzendruber & Rush
3rd - Anderson & Wilder
4th - Bicksler & Siesta

20"
1st - Linda Mecklenburg & Stellar
2nd - Spyr & Rage
3rd - Kirmeier & Robbie
4th - Brown & Bam

24"
1st - Jackie Bludworth & Pete (Border Collie)
2nd - Bonnie Henderson & Ghille (Whippet)
3rd - Joan Hagar/David Vesely & Rocky (Belgian Sheepdog)
4th - Tom Petroni (Handled by Kathy Petroni) & Friday (Flat Coated Retriever)

26"
1st - Daisy Peel & Solar (Border Collie)
2nd - Silvinia Bruera & Maja (Border Collie)
3rd - Greg Leale/Tammy Langer & Derby (Border Collie)
4th - Terry Smorch & Presto (Border Collie)

ISC JWW

4"
1st - Barbara Scanlon & Taylor (Papillion)
2nd - John Willmore & Remy (Dachshund)
3rd -Nancy Lewis & Frazzle (Poodle)

8"
1st - Sandra Rogers & Quill (Parson Russell Terrier)
2nd - Andrea Samuels & Sparkle (Papillon
3rd - Angie Benacquisto & Duncan (Toy Fox Terrier)
4th - Donna Brown & Morgan (Pembroke Welsh Corgi)

12"
1st - Melissa Henning & Savvy (Shetland Sheepdog)
2nd - Jim Payne & Shady (Shetland Sheepdog
3rd - Melissa Henning & Jayci (Shetland Sheepdog
4th - Suzanne Birdsall & Flip (Parson Russell Terrier)

14"
1st - Marcy Mantell & Wave (Shetland Sheepdog)
2nd - Melanie Del Villaggio & Dara (Shetland Sheepdog)
3rd - Daneen Fox & Masher (Papillon)
4th - Jean Lavalley & Spec (Sheltland Sheepdog)

16"
1st - Stella Stanzowski (handled by Denise Thomas) & Cressa (Border Collie
2nd - Rosanne Demascio & Kiba (Border Collie)
3rd - Terry Smorch & Remy (Border Collie)
4th - Kim Crenshaw (handled by Lauren Duckworth) & Adrenalyn (Border Collie)

18"
1st - Meghan McCarthy & Nike (Shetland Sheepdog)
2nd - Diane Goodspeed & Demon (Shetland Sheepdog)
3rd - Maureen Waldron & Mickle (Sheltand Sheepdog)
4th - Kory Kaye & Sir Dagonet (Shetland Sheepdog)

20"
1st - Amanda Shyne & Dilly (Border Collie)
2nd - Cynthia Hornor & Rowdy (Border Collie)
3rd - Janice DeMello & Slick (Border Collie)
4th - Lauren Mitchell & Toby (Border Collie)

24"
1st - Jackie Bludworth & Pete (Border Collie
2nd - Diane Poole & Rookie (Golden Retriever)
3rd - Marlene Jurkovich & Tia (Poodle)
4th - Kimberly Kohls & Jersey (Weimaraner)

26"
1st - Daisy Peel & Solar (Border Collie)
2nd - Jef Blake & Voucher (Border Collie)
3rd - Silvina Bruera & Maja (Border Collie)
4th - Linda Mecklenburg & Wonder (Border Collie)

Also here are the JWW Course and STD Course links.

More results to be posted tomorrow! Oh and don't forget AgilityVision.com has live stream of the event, so you can sit back in your nice outdoor furniture and watch all the action!

Cool stuff we've seen so far!

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 07:15 AM PDT

Over the past few days when we've been out on our walks, we seen some pretty cool wildlife. Not unusual wildlife, but cool nonetheless.

This morning we saw a Blue Jay. Very common bird in most of the US. We didn't get a photo, but found this free one on the Internet. The one we saw in real life was sooooo blue!!! Very handsome.

We didn't know this, but learned from Wikipedia this morning that the Blue Jay can learn to mimic human speech and also copy the cries of local hawks so well that it is sometimes difficult to tell what type of bird it is is if you are just ID'ing from sound. Cool! Maybe I should try and meow like a cat, and see where that gets me, BOL!!

We've also seen a lot of hawks around here. You may remember that we had a hawk that frequented our yard back in Indiana - Harry the Hawk. That's a photo of Harry with his mouse prey in our former backyard.

Ironically, the Blue Jay is frequent prey of the Hawk. Wonder if that's why we're suddenly seeing both this week? Interesting....sure hope that Blue Jay doesn't have to look into funeral costs, BOL!

There aren't many geese or ducks that we've seen down here, except that one that landed in the pond last Friday during our hike. Kinda nice not to have to worry about Mum stepping in duck poo, or me trying to eat it on our walks, like we did back in Indiana.

The weather the past few days has been cold and rainy. Very stormy a couple of nights. Last night we lost power (guess that's something we're going to have to get used to). Mum was all prepared with flashlights, candles and matches. During the outage, we learned that our new gas stove works on electricity to ignite the burners, when Mum was trying to warm up something on the stove. But she thought she remembered from her past that you can skip the ignition part and light the burners with a match. Worked fine and we all had a nice dinner in the dark.

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Flattered and honored!!!

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 07:13 AM PDT

Recently JohannTheDog.com, our blog and our other site RaiseAGreenDog.com received some pretty cool kudos and honors!

Yesterday, Zazzle (an online marketplace) named our Johann The Dog and Raise A Green Dog Zazzle shop, one of their featured stores! If you haven't visited there yet, pull up your contemporary coffee tables, sit back and have a look, BOL! We have a few fun agility shirts and some pawsome Green Dog themed shirts and other gear.

My favorites are the "Agility Rocks" sweatshirt, and the "Lift a leg, fertilize a tree" shirt. Mum and I designed them with our own little paws. Thanks Zazzle for the promotion!

Also, this week Tails Inc. Magazine named Raise A Green Dog one of their Green Business Champions! Our friend from the Southside Animal Shelter, Robin Kennedy, nominated us. Thank you Robin and thank you Tails Inc.!

Also, our Twitter friend Yoda The Dog, was kind enough to give us a very cool award - the Sunshine Award! We met Yoda on Twitter, along with other super cool dog buds. Thank you Yoda, we are honored!!!
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