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The Importance of Microchipping Your Dog – A Real Life Story   Microchipping is a great tool to help reunite lost pets with their owners. We highly recommend that all dogs and cats get microchipped, as there is no telling when they could become separated from their families. Most every veterinary hospital, shelter, and police department have a scanner, so when they are presented with a lost pet they can read the microchip, contact the microchip company which has the owner’s information on file, so they can be called and the pet returned. However, the system only works if the…

From the AVMA Pet Health SmartBrief- Research Finds That Neutered or Spayed Dogs Live Longer Lives After examining 40,139 dog death records spanning a 20-year period, University of Georgia researchers have concluded that spayed or neutered dogs tend to live longer than intact dogs. The study revealed that sterilized dogs had an average lifespan of 9.4 years, while intact dogs lived 7.9 years on average, according to ScienceDaily. In addition to highlighting the differing mortality rates between intact and sterilized dogs, the study also showed that these groups of dogs often die from different causes. Sterilized dogs were more likely to…

With the onset of warmer weather (finally), the kids will be outside more and there is an increased likelihood they will come across some dogs. But some of this information pertains to your own dogs in the household! This article from the AVMA provides some great advice so you can prevent dog bites in children. Teaching Children How to Prevent Dog Bites When you’re teaching children about dog bite prevention and how to be safe around dogs, keep it simple. Discuss animals, how we relate to them, and the role of animals in your family, not just how to avoid…

Puppies at Penn to sniff out ovarian cancer   Puppies at Penn to battle ovarian cancer. Ohlin (top left), McBain (top right), Thunder (bottom right), Working Dogs Center Director Cindy Otto (lower left) with puppy Sirius (not in the cancer study).   Story Highlights Researchers received an $80,000 grant to develop new ways of sniffing out gynecological malignancies. Studies in the last decade employed trained canines to detect lung and breast cancer. The dogs will be trained to alert researchers when they discover samples of cancer patients.   Sam Wood, PHILLY.COM Posted: Monday, May 6, 2013, 6:05 AM   Release…

Make sure your pets are protected…and be careful yourselves!   Tick Populations to Explode in 2013   Experts predict tick populations will increase dramatically in many areas of the United States.   By Marie Rosenthal, MS For Veterinary Practice News     For a number of reasons, tick populations in many areas of the country will likely explode this year, according to several parasitologists, so veterinarians should be vigilant about discussing preventives with clients. “There has been an increase in tick populations over decades, but in the last 10 years, they have really exploded,” explained Susan E. Little, DVM, PhD,…

We appreciate the honor bestowed upon us by the Niles Chamber of Commerce. From the Niles Patch…. 12 Niles Award Winners Named By Chamber of Commerce   From the Niles Chamber of Commerce: With an overwhelming response from the community for nominations, the Niles Chamber of Commerce & Industry has selected the “2013 Niles Night of Roses – A Tribute to Home Grown Success” award recipients. This event celebrates the achievements of 12 who go above and beyond. Congratulate these 12 folks who have been chosen as going “above and beyond” in their service to the community, in various ways….

Liz Wilson and I became friends over the years through our interactions in the avicultural community, quite often both speaking at various bird seminars across the country. She had a quick wit, was funny, possessed a sarcastic side,  had a no BS personna, was direct and forthright, opinionated about many things, and was supremely knowledgeable when it came to pet birds and their behavior. I learned so much about avian behavior through my interactions with her and was always excited when we would be speaking at the same seminars so I could learn more from her. The avicultural community lost…

Many animal-related expenses are tax deductible By Elizabeth Devitt Many people consider pets to be members of the family. But at tax time, our four-legged dependents aren’t deductible. There are, however, some animal-related expenses the Internal Revenue Service does allow. After a landmark 2011 U.S. Tax Court case, pet care volunteers can now deduct the cost of fostering animals. In Jan Van Dusen v. Commissioner, an Oakland-based cat lady successfully argued that the expense of caring for dozens of stray felines for a local rescue group should be deductible as a charitable contribution. Any unreimbursed expenses, such as food or…

Beyond GPS: New Pet Devices with NFC (Near Field Comunication)   Laura Black Chances are you probably know a “dog person” or a “cat person.” For these people, their pets are the center of their universe. Well, I am excited to say NFC (near field communication)—that’s right I said NFC—can help the pet people in your life become a little more eccentric. Let’s face it the market for connected pet products is saturated with solutions that use GPS to locate lost animals. Even within the past month new connected merchandise including a dog fence and GPS collars, among others, have…

From the Pet Health Network… When to Take Your Cat to the ER Dr. Justine Lee, DVM, DAVCECC, DABT   Dr. Justine Lee gives you the rundown of things you should look for when deciding whether to take your cat to the ER. Ah, cats. We love ‘em, but less so at two a.m. when they’re dry-heaving all over our carpet. What if your cat still continues to vomit multiple times all night? When do you decide to bring your cat into the ER? Can you wait to take Felix to your veterinarian in the morning? My simple rule? If…