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Photo by Flat6 Foter CC BY-SA |
Give thanks: 5 reasons why people with pets live happier, longer lives
Canadian’s will gather round the dinner table this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving with family- and in many homes in North America the family members include pets. According to a 2013 survey by Ipsos- a leading market research company in Canada- 57% of Canadian's own a pet. In the United States 67% of households have a pet to call their own. Pet parents giving thanks to their pets may not know the amazing gifts that their pets are giving them every day.
Countless studies have been conducted to determine a pets influence on its owner's overall health. Research has shown that pets can do all sorts of things to improve their owner’s health and even help people live longer. Some pets assist people with disabilities while others soothes people suffering from depression. Either way there is plenty to give thanks to when it comes to pet.
Check out these 5 reasons to give thanks for the family pets. Find out how just owning a pet can benefit the entire family and keep them happy and healthy for the holidays and all their other days.
Dealing with a doggy disability: X-rays show the progression of Hazel's broken femur
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Hazel at 9 weeks and 13 weeks
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Hazel, my Saint
Bernese puppy, is
four months old now and much has changed for this fluffy little spit-fire of a
mountain dog. When my partner Robert and I brought Hazel home on March 22 we
noticed that she walked with a limp. I brought her to the animal hospital where
I work the next day and received some bad news- Hazel had fractured her femur
bone in her left hind leg at some point early on in her life. It went un-diagnosed and untreated. The first radiograph showed that bone had completely callused over- making the left leg
shorter than the right.
As
I discussed in my letter from the editor Hazel will walk with a limp, is
guaranteed to have arthritis and hip dysplasia early on in life and may need major surgery. At that time I was still waiting for the surgeon’s assessment.
Later that week I received the news- the surgeon said I should leave the leg for
now but take x-rays monthly to monitor the growth and watch for signs of pain.
If we saw signs of soreness we were to put Hazel on a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to help with pain management.
Long Live Pets: Your rescue pet could be a star in a film for Nat Geo
Wild
Best
Friends Animal Society is on a mission to inspire people to change a
shelter pet’s life and to celebrate rescue pets that have already found their
forever home. An estimated 270,000 pets in shelters will be euthanized in March
alone all due to a lack of space- almost 9,000 a day. Because of this growing
epidemic CEO
and co-founder of Best Friends Animal Society Gregory
Castle and veterinarian and former Miss. America Dr. Debbye Turner Bell
have teamed up with Natures Variety Instinct
to create the Long Live Pets campaign. This
effort is to help reduce the number of animal deaths in shelters across the
country and to invite people to enter their rescue pets to be featured in a
film for Nat Geo Wild.
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Photo by Finger Food Foter CC BY-NC |
Delicious
or deadly: Purina responds to class action lawsuit against Beneful
The Purina pet food empire has been hit with
a class action lawsuit alleging that Beneful dog food is responsible for
killing thousands of dogs. Beneful has had poor reviews online for years- all
one has to do is Goggle search “Beneful
petitions” to see that several thousand people do in fact want the
brand discontinued from Purina’s catalogue.
Beneful is one of the more popular Purina dog foods- mainly
due to its very low retail price, accessibility and claims to be a “nutritious”
and “balanced” dog food. However according to the Feb. 5 class action lawsuit
filed in a California federal court by plaintiff Frank Lucido, Beneful causes
illness and sometimes death.
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Photo by Army Medicine Foter CC BY |
Gorilla the pug wins 1-800-PetMeds prize to help cover
medical expenses
America’s Largest Pet Pharmacy® 1-800-PetMeds®
has announced the three winners of its Change a Pet’s Life Contest on Jan. 23.
The contest was established to sponsor medical procedures and adoption fees of
rescue pets in the United States. 1-800-PetMeds®
organization was inspired by Change a Pet’s Life Day which is celebrated on
Jan. 24.
Adoptable pets from shelters and rescue organizations all
over the U.S. were entered in the contest that ran from Jan.9 to the 15. 1-800-PetMeds®
selected a winner and two runner-up pets to sponsor. Gorilla the adorable black
Pug is the lucky winner of the contest who will be receiving up to $2,000 to go
towards his medical treatments that are quoted at $1,800.
In denial: The unfortunate truth about fleas that you may
be ignoring
Alright pet parents- are you ready to hate me? Because I’m
about to tell you something that I have told many pet parents in the past and
to my surprise it almost always elicits a furious or begrudging reaction. I’m
about to talk about fleas right now so grab your pitch forks and torches.
It has happened to me so many times- good hearted, loving
pet parents with only the best intentions for their pets making statements like
“my cat has never had fleas in its life and my neighbor's cat has been around
the yard and NOW she has fleas!” or “my dog has NEVER had fleas and since I
went to the dog park with that new dog he has them!”