The Commuting dogs in Moscow

STRAY dogs are commuting to and from a city centre on underground trains in search of food scraps.

The clever canines board the Tube each morning.

After a hard day scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.

Experts studying the dogs say they even work together to make sure they get off at the right stop – after learning to judge the length of time they need to spend on the train.

The mutts choose the quietest carriages at the front and back of the train.

They have also developed tactics to hustle humans into giving them more food on the streets of Moscow ..

Scientists believe the phenomenon began after the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, and Russia’s new capitalists moved industrial complexes from the city centre to the suburbs.

Dr Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute, said: "These complexes were used by homeless dogs as shelters, so the dogs had to move together with their houses. Because the best scavenging for food is in the city centre, the dogs had to learn how to travel on the subway – to get to the centre in the morning, then back home in the evening, just like people."

Dr Poiarkov told how the dogs like to play during their daily commute. He said: "They jump on the train seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed. They do it for fun. And sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop."

The dogs have learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said Dr Poiarkov. And they use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of shawarma, a kebab-like snack popular in Moscow .

They sneak up behind people eating shawarmas – then bark loudly to shock them into dropping their food.

With children the dogs "play cute" by putting their heads on youngsters’ knees and staring pleadingly into their eyes to win sympathy – and scraps.

Dr Poiarkov added: "Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists."

The Moscow mutts are not the first animals to use public transport. In 2006 a Jack Russell in Dunnington, North Yorks , began taking the bus to his local pub in search of sausages.

And two years ago passengers in Wolverhampton were stunned when a cat called Macavity started catching the 331 bus to a fish and chip shop.

Posted: Just One More Pet

Even those of us who dearly love them underestimate their abilities. 

It just makes me said to think how terrible people treat their pets, including keeping them in crates while they are gone all day or over night to make their own lives easier, etc etc.; let alone the ones who are abused or used for scientific studies. There was a study completed recently (see below) where they determined pets had the intelligence of about a 2.5 year old, but I’d say this shows they are even smarter and more aware than that!

‘Dogs Have The Intelligence of a Human Toddler’

Is microchipping your pet a good idea? Dr. Karen Becker discusses the benefits and risks.

A microchip is a glass bead about the size of a grain of rice which is implanted between an animal’s shoulder blades. It contains a radio transmitter, an antenna, and a computer chip with a 10-digit code. The information contained in a microchip has to be read by a scanner — it is not a GPS system that will allow you to track and locate your pet.

Most humane societies and rescue organizations require that adopted pets be microchipped, so if your pet came from a shelter there’s a good chance he or she already has one.

For those of you who are still considering a microchip for your pet, there are a few important items you should first consider.

With or Without Anesthetic?

Most veterinarians will likely tell you that microchipping your pet is painless. But at my practice we would never even consider microchipping without some local anesthetic.

And I highly recommend that if your pet gets a microchip, you insist on anesthetic. No matter what you have been told, the procedure hurts — the chip is inserted with a really big 12-gauge needle!

Potential Microchipping Problems

Pet microchips are inserted underneath your pet’s skin right between his shoulder blades.

This poses some problems because on occasion the microchip can migrate under the shoulder blade or up to the back of the neck — or even all the way down to the belly.

So if your pet has been microchipped, make sure you have a vet scan to identify exactly where it is. Once you know where it is, check it once a week to make sure there are no changes, at that it doesn’t feel any different.

If you can feel your pet’s microchip, it will feel like a grain of rice under your pet’s skin.

Are Microchips Necessary and Safe?

These are the two major questions that most everyone asks about microchips. One, are they necessary and, two, are they safe.

As with any medical procedure, you have to weigh the risks versus the benefits, and in this case it’s often a very individual decision.

If your pet has a high chance of being separated from you, for instance he bolts out your door every chance he gets and doesn’t come back when called, a microchip may be a good idea.

Millions of animals do escape or get lost from their owners every year, and less than 10 percent are ever reunited. Even if your pet has a microchip, however, its ability to help you find your pet depends on whether or not it can be scanned.

There are four types of microchips used in the United States, and unfortunately most facilities do not have a universal scanner that can read all the different chips. Then, the person must be sure to scan your entire pet, not just between the shoulder blades, in case the chip has migrated.

Further, if your pet is microchipped make sure the microchip is registered and that your registered contact information is up-to-date. Otherwise, even if a facility finds your pet and reads the microchip, they will not be able to contact you.

So if you cannot commit to updating your contact information with the appropriate registration facility, getting a microchip for your pet is not a good idea, as you’re getting none of the benefit and only the risk.

What is the risk?

The Major Risk of Microchips

The major concern any time you implant a foreign body into your pet, whether that’s a microchip, a metal plate for a fracture or any other material, there’s the potential for your pet’s body to reject the substance.

There have been two documented cases in veterinary medicine where sarcoma or fibrosarcoma, two types of soft tissue tumors, occurred at the site of the injection.

While two cases are not very many, I believe there are likely many more cases that have not been documented. Research shows that between 1996 and 2006, up to 10 percent of laboratory animals had some type of reaction to being microchipped, ranging from a localized inflammatory response to tumor formation at the site of the injection.

Needless to say, it’s important to realize that implanting any foreign material into your pet’s body is a risk.

So if you believe that your pet is safe in your home, such as an indoor housecat or a dog that’s appropriately trained (which in my opinion would eliminate the need for chips!) or pets that are always kept on a leash outdoors — and most importantly, is a dog that knows his name and comes when he’s called — there’s a very good chance that you do not need a microchip. And in these cases the risks do outweigh the benefit.

However, if your dog doesn’t know to “come” or you let her outdoors off-leash and just hope she comes back, these are high-risk situations. Ideally, you should rearrange your lifestyle to keep a closer reign on your dog or get some obedience training.

If this isn’t a possibility, then microchipping your pet may be an option. But do remember that microchips carry the risk of an autoimmune reaction or a degenerative reaction where your pet’s immune system becomes aggravated or chronically inflamed, which can in turn lead to tissue degeneration and abnormal cell growth, or cancer at the site of implantation.

Are There Other Options?

The decision of whether or not to microchip is highly dependent on your individual circumstances and pet. However, if you’d like an alternative one way to mark your pet without implantation under the skin is tattooing.

For example, your phone number can be tattooed onto your pet’s thigh while he is already under anesthesia for spaying or neutering. Be aware, if you do this, that phone numbers can change! You’ll have to commit to the same number for the life of your pet.

This continues to be a highly debated topic in veterinary medicine, and it’s really important that you weigh risk versus benefit when deciding on microchipping. This will help you make the best decision for the pets in your care.

Posted:  Just One More Pet

For all the people with puppy loving hearts, I would like to share this great video I’ve found in Youtube. It’s a full length masterpiece of puppies and kittens playing together, really a heart-warming gift to everyone. I can picture a great bonding time with my family while watching this on tv. Please see for yourself, and find a delightful moment right away.. here’s the link:

Posted: Posted:  Just One More Pet

When Kathy spotted an emaciated Rottweiler along the side of a highway in Tennessee, she realized that there was something different about "Ella." Ella was friendly and eager for attention — behavior that is unusual for either a stray or an abused animal. She had clearly been loved by someone.

In the wooded area just off the highway, Kathy discovered a "nest" where Ella had been sleeping (pictured here). It was strewn with someone’s personal items, including a toothbrush, razor, comb and candle.

Please donate to American Humane’s Foreclosure Pets Grants >>
Then Kathy remembered something crucial. A few weeks earlier, a terrible car wreck had taken place on the highway… very close to where Ella had made her makeshift home. Kathy contacted the state’s highway patrol and learned that a family had been in the car, and that they all survived.

Rescuers had never seen Ella, who had likely been thrown from the car. The dog foraged on her own for a few weeks, drinking from a drainage ditch and patiently waiting for beloved family members who thought their special pet was dead!
Help pets that have been separated from suffering families: donate to American Humane today >>

American Humane stepped in when they learned that the family’s medical bills had caused tremendous financial strain. The money they had set aside for a new home had to be used for medical bills instead. While the family struggled with this financial hardship, American Humane provided a critical grant to Kathy’s animal shelter to help fund Ella’s care.

Though unable to bring Ella back into their new home at this time, the family was thrilled to see her and hopes to be reunited for good in the future. Meanwhile, Ella is living safely and comfortably in a loving foster home.

During this month of giving thanks, please consider a donation to help fund American Humane’s Foreclosure Pets Grants. A single act of generosity — no matter how small — will make a tremendous difference for pets like Ella, whose families are undergoing extreme financial hardship. Get started >>

Shelters and animal rescues across the country are seeing a surge in the number of animals surrendered due to foreclosure situations. People, with nowhere else to turn, are looking to shelters for assistance in caring for their pets, either temporarily or permanently. To help, American Humane offers Foreclosure Pets Grants, which go directly to shelters so they can help these families and provide housing and medical care for displaced animals, so they never have to turn one away. Please help us reach out to animal shelters during this challenging financial crisis. Thank you!

For donations made by mail, please send to:
American Humane Association
63 Inverness Drive East
Englewood, CO  80112

Will your employer match your contribution?

Posted:  Just One More Pet

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• Is Your Pet a Voiceless Victim of the Tanking Economy?
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This past July, the ASPCA assisted in collecting forensic evidence and conducting behavior evaluations of rescued dogs in a federal and multi-state investigation that led to one of the toughest crackdowns on dog fighting in U.S. history. Raids were conducted on various dog fighting operations in eight states and resulted in the rescue of more than 500 dogs.

Now, after months of rehabilitation, many of the rescued dogs are seeing a miraculous change in lifestyle.

Evaluated over the summer by a team of animal behaviorists, including four ASPCA staffers, most of the dogs are absolute gems with people, and quite a number are also good with other dogs.

Vice President of the ASPCA Animal Behavior Center, Dr. Pamela Reid, who was a member of the behavior evaluations team, says, “We found the dogs to be true to Pit Bull reputation─they were extremely friendly with people. Most greeted us with wagging tails and smiling eyes, and while some were aggressive with other dogs, as would be expected from their history, about two-thirds of the adults and most of the puppies did not test as aggressive. With socialization and training, many of these dogs may well turn out to be excellent pets and companions."

Check out the following pooches, who after surviving painful lives of dog fighting are not only ready to become loving companions, but will use their stories to inspire others.

JOMP urges everyone to speak up if you know about, hear about, witness or even suspect any type of neglect or abuse to animals or or humans.  It is all related!!

This is the kind of story you need when it seems like the world is spiraling out of control..

Not many people get a picture of this proud bird
snuggled up next to them

Freedom and Jeff

Freedom
and I have been together 10 years this summer.
She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken
wings. Her left wing doesn’t open all the way
even after surgery, it was broken in 4
places. She’s my baby.

When
Freedom came in she could not stand
and both wings were broken. She was
emaciated and covered in lice. We made the
decision to give her a chance at life, so I took
her to the vets office. From then
on, I was always around her. We had her in a
huge dog carrier with the top off, and it
was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to
lay in. I used to sit and talk to her,
urging her to live, to fight; and she would lay
there looking at me with those big brown eyes.
We also had to tube feed her for
weeks.

This
went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still
couldn’t stand. It got to the point where the
decision was made to euthanize her if she
couldn’t stand in a week. You know you don’t
want to cross that line between torture and
rehab, and it looked like death was
winning. She was going to be put
down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in
on that Thursday afternoon. I didn’t want to go
to the center that Thursday, because I couldn’t
bear the thought of her being euthanized;
but I went anyway, and when I walked in everyone
was grinning from ear to ear. I went
immediately back to her cage; and there she was,
standing on her own, a big beautiful
eagle. She was ready to live. I was
just about in tears by then. That
was a very good day.

We
knew she could never fly, so the director
asked me to glove train her. I got her used to
the glove, and then to jesses, and we
started doing education programs for schools in
western Washington
. We wound up in the newspapers,
radio (believe it or not) and some
TV. Miracle Pets even did a show
about us.

In
the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I had stage 3,
which is not good (one major organ plus
everywhere), so I wound up doing 8 months of
chemo. Lost the hair – the whole
bit. I missed a lot of work. When I
felt good enough, I would go to Sarvey
and take Freedom out for walks. Freedom would
also come to me in my dreams and help me fight
the cancer. This happened time and time
again.

Fast
forward to November 2000, the day after
Thanksgiving. I went in for my last
checkup. I was told that if the cancer was not
all gone after 8 rounds of chemo, then my last
option was a stem cell transplant. Anyway, they
did the tests; and I had to come back Monday for
the results. I went in Monday, and I was
told that all the cancer was
gone.

So
the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and
take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty
and cold. I went to her flight and jessed her
up, and we went out front to the top of the
hill. I hadn’t said a word to
Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me
and wrapped both her wings around me to where I
could feel them pressing in on my back
(I was engulfed in eagle wings), and she
touched my nose with her beak and stared into my
eyes, and we just stood there like
that for I don’t know how long. That was a
magic moment.. We have been soul mates ever
since she came in. This is a very special
bird.

On
a side note: I have had people who
were sick come up to us when we are out, and
Freedom has some kind of hold on
them. I once had a guy who was
terminal come up to us and I let him hold
her. His knees just about buckled and he
swore he could feel her power coarse through his
body. I have so many stories like
that.

I  never forget the honor I have of being so close
to such a magnificent spirit as Freedom.

Hope you enjoy this.
Jeff

Is there any wonder that this magnificent creature is the symbol for our Country?? The Eagle… a magnificent spirit of Freedom that reminds us of what America is all about!!

Lee Greenwood – God Bless the USA

Nubs the Dog:  ‘The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, & a Miracle’

Source:  Kate from As A Mom… Sisterhood of the Mommy Patriots

Posted:  Just One More Pet

Informati – 19 days ago – news-journalonline.com

A witness told police the puppy is Ulsch’s fourth dog in two months and that two of the dogs mysteriously disappeared while a third ran away because Ulsch beat the dogs, the report states.

An Ormond Beach man bought a puppy over the Internet and then beat and slammed it against a wall because the animal soiled his living room floor, police said.

It’s not the first dog Nicholas Ulsch has abused, Ormond Beach police said.
Ulsch, 41, of Oak Brook Drive was arrested Saturday and charged with intentional animal cruelty for abusing the mixed brown Labrador puppy he bought on the Web site Craigslist, a police report states.
According to the report, Ulsch said he spanked the dog hard on Friday because the dog angered him by defecating in the living room. Ulsch picked up the dog by the collar and repeatedly slammed it against the wall, police said. The dog suffered eye and leg injuries.
A witness told police the puppy is Ulsch’s fourth dog in two months and that two of the dogs mysteriously disappeared while a third ran away because Ulsch beat the dogs, the report states.
The puppy was taken to Halifax Humane Society for medical attention by an animal control officer, police said.

Ulsch said he did not mean to hurt the dog that bit him and scratched his carpet and couch.

“I feel guilty for what I did,” Ulsch said.
Ulsch was released from the Volusia County Branch Jail on Saturday after posting $1,000 bail.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/newEAST01102009.htm
October 20, 2009
Ormond man charged in puppy’s abuse
By PATRICIO G. BALONA – Staff writer

Comments:

1. This idiot need to b beaten like he did to those poor puppies!!! there should b some type of list that should prevent them from ever adopting or buy an animal ever again!!!!!

2. The list is called do to them what they do to these poor defenseless animals and then treat the crimes like they were against a person and sentence accordingly. There is a direct correlation between animal and domestic violence. It is also one of signs of sociopaths… who are not curable. We, as a country, need to stop being bleeding hearts for all the crazies: pedophiles, rapists, animal abusers, child abusers, wife beaters, murderers… they all come from the same pathetic pot and we need to close the lid on them!

3. I can’t beleive they just let him go. His picture should be plastered all over the area he lives. By the way he is from ORMOND BEACH FLORIDA JUST NORTH OF DAYTONA BEACH NICE TO KNOW SUCH A NUTJOB IS OUT THERE …WHATS NEXT ON HIS LIST, LITTLE OLD LADIES,SMALL CHILDREN. WHAT WILL THE AUTHORITIES DO NEXT IF THE NEXT VICTIM IS A YOUNG CHILD. WE ARE LIVING IN A CRAZY,INSANE WORLD AND THE VALUE OF LIFE SEEMS TO BE DISSAPEARING. ….this is a very dangerous person ,keep your eyes open. BY THE WAY I NOTICE HE IS WEARING WHAT THE KIDS CALL A WIFE BEATER T-SHIRT.

Posted:  Just One More Pet

Mon at 10:58am

Do Not Post on Craig’s list

This is not a good week to be an abandoned dog in the Chattooga County Animal Control Shelter. This is a very small, rural and isolated shelter. The staff do the best they can to keep animals as long as possible but when they get too many animals unfortunately they have no choice but to euthanize. They are extremely full now and this week some of the dogs that have been there the longest will have to be put to sleep unless a rescue group or adopter steps in to help.

This is Frady – She was turned into the shelter by her owner who “just didn’t want her anymore” but commented that she was a nice dog. The owner who turned her in brought her in with a bag of biscuits and asked the staff to give one to her each day. Poor Frady is a great dog that had a BAD owner. Please show her all humans aren’t bad.

This is Markie -he was a stray boy running around town just trying to find a kind face and a place to put his ad. Markie is a beautiful boy that gets along with everyone!

This super girl is Daisy and she is a Happy Lab girl! She is true to her breed and loves everyone and wants everyone to be her friend.

If you can help save these great dogs, please contact Kimberly Murphy at kamurphy39@..hotmail.com

FortheSake Ofanimals

URGENT DOGS

Source: spaldingdogs.com

THE FAX MACHINE AND ANSWERING MACHINE WILL BE CHECKED PRIOR TO EUTHPLEASE FAX YOUR PAPERWORK 24 HOURS A DAYFAX: 770 – 467- 4771

PLEASE SAVE THESE DOGS!!!!

TEMP FOSTER NEEDED IN GA IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!

Video of mom & puppies, someone PLEASE open your home to the mom & 5 babies. Not much time left! FFLI will pull them if we have a foster home for all SIX together!

ShelterRescue – I-5family.flv

Contact:  FortheSake Ofanimals

Posted: Just One More Pet

Major Brian Dennis and Nubs the Dog today.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

When Major Brian Dennis of the United States Marine Corps met a wild stray dog with shorn ears while serving in Iraq, he had no idea of the bond they would form, leading to seismic changes in both their lives. “The general theme of the story of Nubs is that if you’re kind to someone, they’ll never forget you — whether it be person or animal,” Dennis tells Paw Nation.

In October 2007, Dennis and his team of 11 men were in Iraq patrolling the Syrian border. One day, as his team arrived at a border fort, they encountered a pack of stray dogs — not uncommon in the barren, rocky desert that was home to wolves and wild dogs.

“We all got out of the Humvee and I started working when this dog came running up,” recalls Dennis. “I said, ‘Hey buddy’ and bent down to pet him.” Dennis noticed the dog’s ears had been cut. “I said, ‘You got little nubs for ears.’” The name stuck. The dog whose ears had been shorn off as a puppy by an Iraqi soldier (to make the dog “look tougher,” Dennis says) became known as Nubs.

Dennis fed Nubs scraps from his field rations, including bits of ham and frosted strawberry Pop Tarts. “I didn’t think he’d eat the Pop Tart, but he did,” says Dennis.

At night, Nubs accompanied the men on night patrols. “I’d get up in the middle of the night to walk the perimeter with my weapon and Nubs would get up and walk next to me like he was doing guard duty,” says Dennis.

The next day, Dennis said goodbye to Nubs, but he didn’t forget about the dog. He began mentioning Nubs in emails he wrote to friends and family back home. “I found a dog in the desert,” Dennis wrote in an email in October 2007. “I call him Nubs. We clicked right away. He flips on his back and makes me rub his stomach.”

“Every couple of weeks, we’d go back to the border fort and I’d see Nubs every time,” says Dennis. “Each time, he followed us around a little more.” And every time the men rumbled away in their Humvees, Nubs would run after them. “We’re going forty miles an hour and he’d be right next to the Humvee,” says Dennis. “He’s a crazy fast dog. Eventually, he’d wear out, fall behind and disappear in the dust.”

On one trip to the border fort in December 2007, Dennis found Nubs was badly wounded in his left side where he’d been stabbed with a screwdriver. “The wound was infected and full of pus,” Dennis recalls. “We pulled out our battle kits and poured antiseptic on his wound and force fed him some antibiotics wrapped in peanut butter.” That night, Nubs was in so much pain that he refused food and water and slept standing up because he couldn’t lay down. The next morning, Nubs seemed better. Dennis and his team left again, but he thought about Nubs the entire time, hoping the dog was still alive.

Excerpt, “Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle,”
Little, Brown for Young Readers

Two weeks later, when Dennis and his team returned, he found Nubs alive and well. “I had patched him up and that seemed to be a turning point in how he viewed me,” says Dennis. This time, when Dennis and his team left the fort, Nubs followed. Though the dog lost sight of the Humvees, he never gave up. For two days, Nubs endured freezing temperatures and packs of wild dogs and wolves, eventually finding his way to Dennis at a camp an incredible 70 miles south near the Jordanian border.

“There he was, all beaten and chewed up,” says Dennis. “I knew immediately that Nubs had crossed through several dog territories and fought and ran, and fought and ran,” says Dennis. The dog jumped on Dennis, licking his face.

Most of the 80 men at the camp welcomed Nubs, even building him a doghouse. But a couple of soldiers complained, leading Dennis’ superiors to order him to get rid of the dog. With his hand forced, Dennis decided that the only thing to do was bring Nubs to America. He began coordinating Nubs’ rescue effort. Friends and family in the States helped, raising the $5,000 it would cost to transport Nubs overseas.

Finally, it was all arranged. Nubs was handed over to volunteers in Jordan, who looked after the dog and sent him onto to Chicago, then San Diego, where Dennis’ friends waited to pick him up. Nubs lived with Dennis’ friends and began getting trained by local dog trainer Graham Bloem of the Snug Pet Resort. “I focused on basic obedience and socializing him with dogs, people and the environment,” says Bloem.

A month later, Dennis finished his deployment in Iraq and returned home to San Diego, where he immediately boarded a bus to Camp Pendleton to be reunited with Nubs. “I was worried he wouldn’t remember me,” says Dennis. But he needn’t have worried. “Nubs went crazy,” recalls Dennis. “He was jumping up on me, licking my head.”

Dennis’ experience with Nubs led to a children’s picture book, called “Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle,” published by Little, Brown for Young Readers. They have appeared on the Today Show and will be appearing on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien on Monday.

Was it destiny that Dennis met Nubs and brought him to America? “I don’t know about that,” says Dennis. “It’s been a strange phenomenon. It’s been a blessing. I get drawings mailed to me that children have drawn of Nubs with his ears cut off. It makes me laugh.”

by Helena Sung – PawNation Nov 3rd 2009 @ 6:00PM

Nubbs:  The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle

Great Gift for Any Child, Veteran and Animal Lover!!

Order Today: Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle

Related:

‘Dogs Have The Intelligence of a Human Toddler’

“Tails of Love”

Military Punishment for Dog Killer, Abuser a Joke! No Justice! VIDEO

Glenn Beck – Teen punks murder American Hero’s Dog

Humane Society of the U.S. finally changes its policy on fighting dogs

Tails of Love – Book

Checkout:  Dogwise, All Things Dog! – 2000+ Books and Doggie Goodies

Posted:  Just One More Pet

Animals Like People Benefit From Live Foods

Veterinarian, Dr. Karen Becker, dispels the long-held myth that “table food” is bad for your pets.

Human, edible foods can be very healthy for your pets. Throw away the concept of “cat” food and “dog” food, and just think “food” — food that grows in the ground or comes from animal products.

A whole generation of pet owners is afraid to feed anything but over processed rendered food to their pets. But there’s no way you can create abundant health in an animal by providing only the minimum nutrients it needs for survival. Dogs and cats have a living food requirement, just like you do.

The food you feed your pet should be biologically suited to meet your dog’s or cat’s needs. Dog and cat chow may be nutritionally “complete,” but it is akin to your drinking a meal replacement shake three times a day for the rest of your life … or giving them to your kids in lieu of fresh foods.

Yet, many veterinarians will often recommend you feed your pets kibble or canned food for the rest of their lives. Some will go so far as to say that feeding your pet anything that doesn’t come from a bag or can will be harming your pet!

This is a paradigm problem, and one that can be very confusing for pet owners.

In reality, there’s no way you can give your pet the food it needs to thrive if you do not feed it a biologically appropriate diet that includes a variety of fresh foods.

In fact, a growing number of holistic-minded veterinarians state that processed pet food (kibbled and canned food) is the number one cause of illness and premature death in modern dogs and cats.

So how did conventional veterinary nutrition positions get so skewed?

Well, major dog and cat food manufacturers provide much of the veterinary nutrition information to veterinary students. It becomes engrained in many new vets’ minds that it’s wrong to feed pets “living” fresh foods.

This is a myth!

Your Pets Need Living Foods

Veterinarians tell you to never offer living foods to your pet. But your pets need living foods on a consistent basis to achieve optimal health.

So, yes, you can and should offer your pets some of the very same foods that you enjoy. And since those foods are at a much higher grade nutritionally than typical dog or cat foods, they may be the healthiest foods your pets have ever consumed.

As you know, I recommend you feed your dogs and cats an all raw, nutritionally balanced living food diet. In my opinion, the only viable excuse to not to feed your pets a species appropriate diet is cost. Feeding raw food cost more than dry food .However, raw fed animals have fewer health problems, which mean lower vet bills over a lifetime. If you cannot afford to feed your pet an all raw diet, don’t deny your pet’s access to living foods throughout the day, in the form of treats. Remember, treats (even really healthy treats) should not constitute more than 15 percent of your pet’s daily food intake.

Berries are one of the best treats you can offer. Bite size and packed with antioxidants. Many cats enjoy zucchini and cantaloupe. . My favorite training treats for dogs include peas, raw nuts (remember, the only nuts you should never feed your pets are macadamia nuts).

A salad without dressing, but with plenty of dark green leafy vegetables, is also good for your cats — your pets are chewing on your houseplants for a reason, after all.

Avoid giving your carnivorous companions biologically inappropriate foods, including grains, such as oats, soy, millet, , wheat, or rice. Dogs and cats do not have a carbohydrate requirement and feeding your pets these pro-inflammatory foods creates unnecessary metabolic roadblocks to health.

Furthermore, there are certainly some foods that are toxic to feed to dogs and cats such as grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts and onions. Never feed your pets these foods.

The Optimal Choice to Feed Your Pets

I highly recommend you give your dog or cat an opportunity to experience living raw foods like fruits and veggies as treats, and feed them a biologically appropriate, balanced raw diet the rest of the time.

Remember, your pet is resilient and can eat a variety of suboptimal, metabolically stressful foods on occasion and be fine, but because it’s my goal to provide a diet that most closely fits your companion’s biological requirements, I don’t recommend a lifetime of kibble or other “dead” over-processed food.

The goal is to provide a diet that mimics your pet’s biological nutritional requirements as closely as possible … in this case it means rethinking the “lifetime of dry food” or “canned food” theory.

If you are unable or unwilling to feed your pet a species-appropriate, nutritionally balanced, raw food diet, then I strongly recommend you compromise with the next best choice: USDA-approved canned foods (and supplement with raw)

My last choice would be a dry food (kibble), made from human-grade ingredients with little to no grains, and LOTS OF WATER.

But no matter which option you choose, remember that you can treat your dog and cat to berries, leafy greens, raw nuts and many other fresh fruits, veggies and meats on a regular basis.

I hope this insight will help you feel more confident offering foods and treats to your pets that are unadulterated and fresh. They deserve the same benefit of living foods that you get, and there’s no better way to start than by sharing some of these raw healthy foods with your dog or cat today.

We have always cooked for our pets, so always find it amazing, if not horrifying, that there really are pets who never get live food and who are doomed to eat the same dry food every day and that there really are pet owners who think that would be okay!!  This myth created by the pet food industry and perpetuated by pet stores who just want to sell animals, regardless of whether the potential purchasers should be pet parents and then accepted by the “ME” generation, is another one of those practices like keeping your pets in a crate all day or all night, or shock collars, electric fences and collars with spikes etc that defy all common sense and really fall into a category of pet abuse or neglect, perhaps pet abuse light… but unacceptable pet parenting to be sure!!

Would you want to eat the same packaged food everyday?  Would you want to be locked in a cage all day or all night?  Would you want to have to wait to go to the bathroom all night or most of the day, until some lets you out and says it is okay?  Would you want to receive an electric shock when you tried to talk or walk across a boundary area… or have spikes dig into you?  Would you do these things to your kids?

When making decisions for your fur-babies, you should ask yourself, “Would I want to be treated this way?  And would I make these choices for my human children?”, and then act accordingly!!  As Dr. Laura would say… Use common sense and compassion and “then go do the right thing!”.

Posted:  Just One More Pet

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