Posts Tagged ‘Pets’

Since 1999 the Iams Home 4 the Holidays campaign has helped
5.8 million orphaned animals in 21 countries.

The goal this year has been to help 1.5 million homeless animals find homes from October 11, 2011, through January 3, 2012.

If you've been thinking of adding a four-legged member to your family, check out Facebook.com/Iams to search for adoptable animals near you. (In Canada, there are as many as 250,000 orphaned animals.)

Even if you already have a litter – or are unable to adopt a pet – you can still help our furry friends out by donating a bowl of food to an animal shelter; find out how here.

Iams is how happy to offer a gift basket (value: $100) to one pet-loving reader. In it, you'll find:

• Full-value Iams pet food coupons
• Pet bed
• Pet picture frame
• Pet treat holder
• Disposable poop bags and holder
• Food dish
• Cat litter scoop
• Pet stocking

For your chance to win this pet gift basket, please leave a comment on this post by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, telling me how your pet became a part of your family. One comment per person, please; this contest is open to residents of Canada only. Not open to any TC Media employees or the people they live with. I'll randonly select and announce the winner on Wednesday, January 4, 2012.

Now this is one happy puppy!

If his vertical matched his excitement level of seeing Baby, he could propel himself right through the ceiling. Instead, what we get is an irresistible game of peekaboo between canine and kid.

Does your pet get this excited around your kids?

Now this is taking improvising to the (life-saving) extreme.

When Kim Carlson returned to her home in Wausau, Wis., earlier this month she was met with the sight smoke and the sound of fire trucks. The distress of seeing her home on fire was made worse by the realization that her 7-year-old yellow Labrador, Koda, was still inside.

Carlson told NBC’s “Today Show”:

“My first reaction was to go upstairs and check upstairs, but it was just entirely too smoky. It was so black you couldn’t see anything in front of you.…I wanted to cover myself in water and cover my face and mouth and go up and get him myself, knowing that’s not the right thing to do.”

Instead, firefighters searched the home, finding the pooch huddled under a rocking chair in a second-floor bedroom. They carried him to safety on the front lawn.

Koda, having inhaled a considerable amount of smoke, was struggling to breathe, but responsive. That’s when firefighter Jamie Giese stepped up.

He told the “Today Show”:

“I have never been trained in [mouth-to mouth resuscitation on an animal]. I’ve seen it on TV and pictures in the newspapers and things like that. We could tell [the dog] was trying to breathe, and our training for humans in airway, breathing and circulation. We had no tools handy, so it was mouth-to-snout.”

After receiving CPR, Koda was given an oxygen mask, then taken to a veterinary hospital.

He's now back at home and doing fine. Carlson told ABC News:

“He’s perfect, he’s absolutely wonderful. He’s got a little bit of cough, and we’re assuming it’s phlegm from the smoke, but he did real good.”

A few days later Giese and the Wausau fire department were awarded the Compassionate Fire Department Award from animal rights group PETA. As well as receiving a letter of appreciation and certificate, the department was also given a supply of oxygen masks specifically designed for animals.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much does that firefighter rock? Do you think firefighters should be trained in animal CPR?

As I previously confessed, I’m easily distracted by pet videos, usually of the warm and fuzzy – and sometimes slightly absurd – variety. But when I came across this one on my Facebook feed a couple of days ago, it left me shaking my head in amazed awe.

We’re used to hearing about pets coming to the aid of humans, and there’s even a Hall of Fame to honour these heroes. But how often do you hear about an animal rescuing another animal?

I hope you’re as inspired by this heroic dog as I am.

Have your heard other stories of an animal coming to the aid of another?

Did you know that birds make great pets?

Most are as social as dogs (without the shedding) and can be as mischievous as cats (without as much attitude), and they pretty much groom themselves; all you really have to do is provide a birdbath for their cage and trim their nails occasionally.

And birds make great first pets for kids, not the least because they set a good example come dinnertime: they LOVE to eat their veggies.

Here are three birds that would love to make your home their home.

BUDGIES
More formerly known as budgerigars, they are also called parakeets. They are flock birds, and therefore incredibly social creatures that do best when they live with a friend.

Budgies love their hanging toys (image via Wikipedia).

Lifespan: 7 to 20 years
Cost: $10 to $20 for one budgie
His accommodations: A long rectangular cage (from $60) is ideal, complete with various perches (from $2). Caution: Steer clear of wooden cages, as a budgie is likely to chew his way through it.
His meal plan: He'll dine on a mix of budgie seed mix (available at grocery stores and pet food stores; from $3), as well as whole grains, greens, fruit and legumes.
His entertainment: His cage should be tricked out with hanging toys and mirrors (from $2 each) and spinning bells (from $6), which will stimulate his senses. A budgies is a social butterfly and will need time out of his cage to mingle with people.
Yes, but can he talk? With some repetition and patience, you can teach your budgie some words and phrases.

COCKATIELS
Don't let their quiet nature fool you: cockatiels love human attention. They will also let you rest in peace: they need at least 10 hours of sleep a night.

A cockatiel enjoys a variety of food (image by Mark Goodall via Flickr).

Lifespan: 15 to 20 years
Cost: $20 to $100 for one cockatiel
His accommodations: His cage (from $40) should be at least twice his wingspan so he has plenty of room to fly around and get his daily workout in. Set his home in a high-traffic area so there's a constant buzz of human companionship for him to engage with.
His meal plan: He'll enjoy a feast of seeds and pellets (from $4) for starters, cuttlebone to supplement his calcium intake (from $3), as well as fresh fruit and veggies. Unsweetened cereal and unsalted nuts make good treats for him as well.
His entertainment: Like budgies, cockatiels love their toys. Hanging toys and mirrors (from $2 each) will amuse them, as will simple household items such as toilet paper rolls and clothespins.
Yes, but can he talk? Talk, no, but he can be trained to mimic whistles, voices and noises.

FINCHES
Finches are a more timid bird and may actually prefer the company of another finch to a human.

A finch is a bit more timid than other pet birds (image via Wikipedia).

Lifespan: 5 to 9 years
Cost: $10 to $40 for a pair of finches
His accommodations: His cage (from $50) should be long and wide so he has ample room to fly around. Like for all birds, there should be plenty of perches (from $2) in the cage for him to fly on to (and maybe even give him a change of scenery).
His meal plan: A finch has an incredibly active metabolism and will consume 30 per cent of his body weight each day. Seeds (from $7) are a good start, but for a complete diet he'll also need fruit and veggies, as well as a protein source such as boiled eggs and crushed eggshells (you can also buy egg granules for about $8 at a pet food store).
His entertainment: Unlike budgies and cockatiels, finches aren't so easily amused by toys. You can try hanging one or two, but making sure he has plenty of places to perch in his cage is just as likely to make him happy.
Yes, but can he talk? Better – he can sing!

Do you have a pet bird? If not, would you like to have one?

Yep, I'm a cat person.

I must stop and play with every cat I meet on the street. I will happily listen to any and all stories about your pet kitten's latest escapades. And I recently became a cat guardian through the Humane Society of Canada.

I think it's safe to say most of us know if we prefer cats or dogs, but this nifty infographic is still a fun read. Nowhere on there, though, is there a comparison of who's more likely to waste away an hour or two watching animal videos. (As animal lovers one and all, I say call it a draw.)

Here are three videos that never fail to brighten my mood, starting with one from animator Simon Tofield. I dare you not to laugh as Simon's Cat declares war on a smug tweety bird.

The bird in this next one is like a pesky little brother. Really, by the 1:10 mark, he had it coming.

I was once told that if you wanted to get a cat off of your property (say, to shoo it away from your garden) the best thing to do was to toss or spray some water in his direction. I'm thinking some of the cats in this video would just interpret that as an invitation to stay longer.

Is there a cat video (or any pet video really) that can always make you laugh? And are you a cat person or a dog person? (Or, maybe a hamster person?)

Would you let your dog or cat go under the knife? It seems more and more of our friends across the pond are answering yes to that question.

According to a recent report from Petplan, a British pet insurance company, last year in the U.K., there were about $2.3 million worth of claims related to pet plastic surgery.

As absurd as that number sounds, a good majority of these surgeries are for beneficial health reasons.

For example, some flat-nosed dogs – think pugs, bulldogs and Boston terriers – have smaller breathing passages. An owner may elect for his dog to have rhinoplasty to help open up the passages and allow Fido to breath easier.

Would a nose job help this Boston terrier breathe easier? (Image via Wikipedia)

Or an owner may pay for a face-lift for her shar-pei to tighten up the skin folds, which are prone to infections from the moisture that can build up in them.

But then there's the other side of the coin, the more "cosmetic" surgeries. At the top of the list: Neuticals, bean-shaped silicone replacement testicles. Basically, they give the appearance that your pet hasn't been neutered when, in fact, he has.

I don't know about you, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the words "plastic surgery" and "pets" in the same sentence. Having once been a "parent" of a cat, I know I would've done pretty much anything to ensure her good health while she was here.

But I also know I wouldn't have subjected her to surgery for something for appearance's sake. As much as I believe pets have real emotions, I can't help but feel – rightly or wrongly – that something like a silicone implant is more about making the owner feel better than the pet.

What about you -- would you consider getting plastic surgery for you pet?

It's official: letting your pet sleep in your bed is a bad idea. Don't believe me? Well, I've got the science to back me up . Turns out sleeping with your furry friend can expose you to all kinds of medical bother including meningitis and toxocariasis, which sounds downright nasty.

But I don't think obscure health concerns are the main issue, here. Call me a cynic, but beds are for people; I remember buying mine, and there weren't any dogs in the store testing twin mattresses, checking pillow softness or debating headboard designs. The dogs were outside, sleeping very happily on the sidewalk. As they should be.

And it's not like I make my dog, Bubs, sleep out on the sidewalk, of course. He actually has a bed, a comfy little number my sister gave my girlfriend and I when we got him. (See the picture, and please note how extremely cosy it all looks, with the blanket and pillow.) Having grown up with dogs that slept outside or in crates on another floor of the house from the bedrooms, I'm of the opinion that Bubs should be happy with his little set-up beside the bed. But he's not. He's an attention hog, and hates being left out – Bubs is a dog that cannot brook closed doors in his house – so he roams around the bed looking for an invitation up.

It's our fault, Agnes and I: we've taken to letting him on the bed in mornings, as a kind of compromise. It's gone to his head, and now he's not happy sleeping anywhere else. (more...)

My pup, being part lab, loves to eat anything. I'm talking dog food, treats, sticks, socks, USB keys ... I've even caught her a number of times with glass in her mouth. Because she loves to eat she has been great to train, as she does anything for food. As I like to know exactly what goes into her mouth (sometimes this is easier said than done), I decided it was time I made my own treats for her.

I tried my hand at these Dog Breath Biscuits. They're super easy to make and my doggy just loved them. By making your own dog cookies, you'll reduce the amount of packaging you bring into your house, you'll be sure there are only wholesome ingredients in her food and you'll save money.

Now, if I could only keep her from darting at squirrels ...

Do you make your own dog or cat treats?

Last weekend, my boyfriend, Kipp, and I went out and adopted ourselves the cutest dog in the whole world (see photo below)! Things have been running quite smoothly with our four-month-old labrador/collie mix. She's housebroken, she can stay alone in the house for up to two hours at a time (without causing too much trouble - the odd chewed plant and a chewed up favourite slipper aside) and she's already our new best friend, madly wagging her tail whenever she sees one of us.

But, I do have one little complaint. Dear little Scout is getting in the way of our attempts (more...)