If there is one thing that irritates dog owners more than anything else, it's probably shedding. Finding clumps of dog hair in the corners with the dust bunnies or stuck all over the couch, car, carpet or bed is a constant source of complaint. Even short-haired dogs seem to shed enormous amounts of hair. Comet, my sister-in-law Kari's Pug, sheds like a champ.

My wife, Chris, and I are on our way north to rendezvous with some Montana friends in Glacier National Park. We spent a nigh on the Navajo reservation in Chinle Arizona outside of Canyon De Chelly National Monument. It's a weird place, part ancient history of the Southwest, part dismal life on a contemporary reservation.

  Here in Rochester, NY our local Humane Society is called "Lollypop Farm." I have to investigate to find out the history behind that name, but for now, I wanted to mention that this month (June) at Lollypop Farm  - for local readers - the organization is celebrating its annual Adopt-a-Cat event. And, to be really friendly about it, they're offering lots of goodies to go along with the adoptions.

For instance - until June 30th, if you adopt a cat at the Lollypop Farm facility, or at The Mall at GreeceRidge, or at PetSmart in Henrietta, here's what you get with your new kitty:

• Spaying or neutering
• Feline leukemia testing
• Vaccinations and deworming
• Certificate for a free health exam
• Microchipping

...and that's not all...

From the Pet Health Library Reference Desk -

I may be hooked on the Breeds section! As with the cat breeds, you can separately view the list of dog breeds with photos.

This week I want to introduce you to the Basenji, a truly ancient breed of dogs said to have originated 6,000 years ago!

The Basenji personality description includes,

"Loves to play and will entice you to join by rubbing a paw over its ear and down its face like a cat."

If that's not unusual enough, these dogs can't bark, but they do make noises ... find out more in the Pet Health Library article!

Continue Reading "Friday's Feature: Basenji, the Barkless Dog" »

We just saw the movie "UP" by Disney/ Pixar, in 3D. Great movie for families! In the movie, an "adventurer" goes off in pursuit of a giant bird, and is followed by an old man with a dream. To make the movie really fun, a young boy, a wilderness explorer (think Boy Scout) hitches a ride with the old man. I'm sure you've seen the trailor where the old man sets his house afloat into the ozone with hundreds of helium filled balloons.

Well, when the old man and the boy get to the mysterious land the old adventurer talked about years before, they encounter not only the mysterious big bird (don't think Sesame Street), they also encounter a talking dog. That's right...a talking dog.

In this episode, Dr. Bill and Dr. Larry talk some more about the value of pet health insurance when your pet suffers from a chronic condition that requires life-long monitoring and treatment. The example here is from a claim for a 13 year old cat diagnosed with kidney disease.

Dr. Bill gives another example from his personal experience with his own cat that lived with chronic kidney disease from age 15 to 20 years! 

I don't usually write about the PurinaCare® pet health insurance, itself, because that's really Dr. Larry's expertise. But, I wanted to kind of talk about health insurance in general, and why I think pet health insurance is so valuable.

Here's my story: a year ago I was in CO (where I'm writing this post now, though I will be back home in Rochester, NY by the time you read it) and I was having a rip-roaring time with my granddaughter when... the unthinkable happened. I slipped, fell, and dislocated my left shoulder.

The pain was excruciating! I can tell you that I never want to go through that again! My quick-thinking daughter, and my hubby, Tom, got my arm into a sling (well-prepared, that daughter of mine) and into the car where we were off to the clinic in no time. All was put back together...although, the x-rays showed a hairline fracture, also...meaning a much longer recovery time, without a cast, just a sling.

You'd be surprised to know how often a dog or a cat goes to the veterinarian with a problem serious enough to warrant treatment and we never actually figure out what caused the problem in the first place. We may run a battery of tests, take radiographs, order an MRI, an EKG and still end up stumped.

That does not mean that the dog or cat doesn't get treated and doesn't recover. It means we never know exactly what caused the illness in the first place.

From the Pet Health Library Reference Desk -

While I was at the Breeds section last week, I noticed there are three different breeds listed as "American Curl" cats. I also noticed you can view the entire list of cat breeds with their photos, as well as the text listing.

But back to the American Curl Cats, their story is fascinating (to me) and I'll give you a taste of why here. The Longhair and Shorthair breeds are fairly new and remarkable in that both trace their origin to the same mother, "an adopted stray named Shulamith." 

They began with a spontaneous mutation in 1981 — only reaching acceptance by the Cat Fanciers' Association for championship status in 1993.

And the shorthair breed arose in Shulamith's third litter.

An earlier spontaneous mutation across the country in 1966 produced the "uniquely American" Wirehair breed, which was accepted for championship in 1978.

When I tell my friends about PurinaCare® one of the most common questions I get is what type of insurance would I buy? I think that is kind of a euphemism for what would be the best deal. Hey, if I had a friend in the health, auto, or home insurance business, it's exactly the same question I would ask them. 

From my perspective most insurance seems pretty confusing. When I had to buy health insurance for myself, it seemed there were a myriad of policies that all seemed the same, except the monthly premiums were different. The natural reaction one has is that they must not be telling me something and I won't figure it out until I need medical care and I get a bill from one of the providers. I still open bills from physicians and hospitals with a sense of trepidation.