Gertrude Hawk Smidgens Under the Tree–Briefly
Her owner boasts about Gabby, a 14-year-old Golden Retriever that stole a box of Christmas Gertrude Hawk Smidgens from under the tree. “She knows expensive candy when she smells it,” he smiles. He doesn’t understand that the real accomplishment was consuming the whole box without any gastrointestinal upset! Another Christmas miracle–a research nutritionist reports that camel’s milk will stop a dog from barking! Peace on earth?
None of this comes from a bonafide nutritionist or even clever marketing. Dog food takes up more space in a grocery store than does baby food. Most popular are light foods and foods targeted to a specific age. If you happen to have a thin dog recovering from an illness or disability, you are out of luck. As most dog owners know, Cornell University has graduated some of the most prolific animal nutritionists in the country–from Ben Sheffy through David Dzanis. The college is even well known for its human nutritionists. A recent book credits a team of Cornell nutritionists with maintaining Franklin Roosevelt’s weight so he could live comfortably in his wheelchair–it also mentions that his wife Eleanor was known to be a terrible cook (she took cooking lessons at Cornell!). But, no one worried about Fala’s weight! Apparently there were no doggy treats then or perhaps it never occurred to the President to sneak his Scotty any of Eleanor’s bad cooking.
SENATE BILL 1454. Introduced by Senator Greenleaf, this bill would exempt dogs and cats from mandatory rabies vaccination if they have existing medical conditions. Mandatory rabies vaccination was enacted in order to set up a protective barrier between wildlife and people. It has worked for the past 40 years in the Commonwealth. It has worked for millions of pets. Why should there be exceptions for the few? And, if the bill passes how will that affect the rabies law? In today’s economy, is the cost of a new law to benefit a few necessary to pass and implement?
VETERINARY PRICE SHOPPING. Many dog and cat owners in the present economy wonder why fees vary from hospital to hospital. Dr. Nancy Kay, in a recent blog that attempts to discourage fee comparisons, cites the following precaution–watch for hidden fees. “Some clinics may offer an extremely reasonable quote for a surgical procedure but then charge additional fees for the office visit or for removing stitches.” Also, it pays to investigate the clinic. I know a girl who adopted a dog from a shelter and had the shelter’s vet neuter the dog. When she went to pick it up both back legs had casts. She was told that neutering caused a dog to be pigeon-toed, which in turn necessitated the casts. Sometimes it pays to pay more and avoid expensive complications from substandard care. Trust between veterinarian and client is the most important consideration in deciding cost.
And, speaking of spaying, Kay says the word usually refers to removing the uterus and both ovaries. However, it is perfectly feasible to just have just the ovaries removed. The result, Kay writes, is that the dog cannot conceive and any chance of developing ovarian cancer is eliminated. Pyometra does not occur and the chance of uterine cancer is extremely low. Less time is spent in surgery and trauma is a lower-risk possibility. Before you spay or neuter discuss the procedure with your veterinarian and visit http://www.speakingforspot.com/blog/?p=1905 “A different way to spay”.
Jan 18, 2011 | | Uncategorized