Overweight pets face serious health issues

Pets that pack on the pounds may be cuddly and cute, but the extra weight can lead to debilitating illnesses that are costly to treat and can shorten their lives, veterinarians say. While genetics may play a role in about 5% of cases, most overweight pets can slim down when owners cut back on calories and increase exercise. 

Click the link below for the full article!

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/family/s_773635.html

Amazing Dog Trick

This courageous canine is able to perform amazing acrobatics. What is the most incredible trick your pet can do?

Two legged cat thriving in new home

CHOCTAW, OK -- When we first introduced you to Deuce back in August, he'd just been discovered in Choctaw with both back legs and part of his tail cut off.  The veterinarian who treated him said it appeared he'd been surviving on his own with the traumatic injuries for about six weeks.

When Stephani Coker saw Deuce's story, she knew she wanted him to join her family.
"It just tugged at my heart strings.  I felt so sorry for him.  First he has this accident, then he's left out there for a month or a month and a half without food or water," said Coker.  "I just wanted to give him a forever home.  I knew I could love him."

And after two and a half months in her home, Deuce is doing remarkably well.  "He's a happy, wonderful little kitty.  I mean he's just like any other cat," said Coker.  Deuce can't jump.  But he can climb.  And instead of holding his stumps in the air, he's now actually walking on them.
He's warming up to Stephani's three other cats, including Finn, who's missing a leg himself.  "I knew hey if I can do a three legged cat then I can take care of a two legged one."

And while he's still guarded around most people, Stephani says he warmed to her immediately.
"It even surprised the vet.  He went right into the carrier.  He wasn't skittish toward me.  I just think he already knew that I was his mom," said Coker.

Stephani still doesn't know how Deuce lost his limbs and says she probably prefers it that way.
"It would just totally break my heart for him to know what he went through."  And she says Deuce is now even teaching her a thing or two.  "After everything he's been through and he's just happy to have somebody love him.  That's it.  You know he has a nice little bed to lay on and sleep on and he has love and that's all he cares about.  You know and it's really made me look at things differently," said Coker.

Coker says the vet that treated Deuce says the injuries appear to be the result of an accident.  She says his legs and tail were cut off in the same spot which led the vet to believe he'd gotten in the way of a blade, possibly from some type of farm equipment.

Click here to view a video of Deuce!

FDA posts more dog food recalls related to aflatoxin

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted two dog food recall notices on its website Wednesday, including one dated Dec. 12 and an "updated" alert dated Dec. 14, more than two weeks ago.

Both recalls of dry dog food were the result of elevated levels of aflatoxin, caused by fungus on grains such as corn that in significant quantities can cause liver damage in pets. These recalls are apparently related to the Dec. 7 announcement by manufacturer Cargill Animal Nutrition that it was pulling dry dog food off the market because of excess amounts of aflatoxin.

Aflatoxin, which cannot exceed 20 parts per billion under FDA standards, has been found in levels above that in dog food produced at Cargill's plant in LeCompte, LA and in Iams puppy food manufactured by Proctor and Gamble in Henderson, N.C. Advanced Animal Nutrition recalled its Dog Power food, also for elevated aflatoxins.

All the companies have said that, to date, no illnesses or adverse affects have been reported in connection with the recalled dog food, but did not explain why dog food was on the market for more than a year before it was tested for aflatoxins.

O'Neal's Feeders Supply of DeRidder, LA, said it has recalled dry Arrow Brand dog food  manufactured over an entire year -- between Dec. 1, 2010, and Dec. 1, 2011 -- because it contains corn detected to have higher than acceptable levels of aflatoxin.

O'Neals said the recall applies only to dog food distributed in Louisiana and Texas with packaging date codes lot numbers 4K0341 through 4K0365 and 04K1001 through 4K1325.

It said retailers have already been instructed to remove the following affected brands and products from store shelves:

 --  ARROWBRAND 21% Dog Chunks SKU #807 40 lb. bag 

  -- ARROWBRAND Super Proeaux Dog Food SKU #812 40 lb. bag 

  -- ARROWBRAND Professional Formula Dog Food SKU #814 50 lb. bag 

Consumers may return the recalled dog food - in opened or unopened packages - to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information contact 800-256-2769 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

Petrus Feed and Seed Stores, in what was described as an updated alert,  said it has recalled its dry dog food - 21% Protein Dog Food in 40 lb Petrus Feed bags because the product was manufactured with corn that tested above acceptable levels for aflatoxin.

The company said the affected products were manufactured by Cargill in LeCompte, LA between Dec. 1, 2010 and Dec. 1, 2011.

The recall is only for 21% Dog Food, packaged in 40 lb. Petrus Feed bags, with the  packaging date codes (lot numbers) 4K1011 through 4K1307. Updated lot numbers are 4K1011 through 4K1335. The affected dry dog food was distributed in Petrus Feed and Seed in Alexandria, LA.

Consumers may return the recalled dog food  - whether in opened or unopened packages - to their place of purchase for a full refund. For more information contact 318-443-2259, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Both companies advised that pets that have consumed any of the recalled products and exhibit symptoms of illness including sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, vomiting, yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, or diarrhea should be seen by a veterinarian.

Vaccine Developed on Mice Holds Promise for Treating Crohn's Disease

Researchers say a synthetic vaccine developed on mice could successfully treat autoimmune diseases, including Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The synthetic vaccine, which tricks the immune system into producing antibodies that fight disease-causing enzymes, significantly reduced symptoms of Crohn's Disease in mice, the study found.

A synthetic vaccine based on nanotechnology holds out the promise of halting autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's and rheumatoid arthritis, it has been reported.

Early research has shown that the molecular principle behind the approach works, at least in mice.
Scientists are excited by the findings, which hold out the prospect of new treatments for a broad range of conditions. The research could also lead to new ways of tackling the spread of cancer.

However, much more work is needed before experts can be sure the therapy is safe for humans. The research is published in the journal Nature Medicine.

The vaccine tricks the immune system into producing antibodies that target an enzyme at the heart of autoimmune diseases. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) cut through structural materials such as collagen to assist cellular mobilisation and wound healing.

When some members of the enzyme family, especially the enzyme MMP9, get out of control they can promote autoimmune disease and cancer metastasis - the deadly spread of cancer around the body.
MMPs are normally held in check naturally by inhibitor molecules called TIMPs. But the biological mechanism involved is extremely precise and previous attempts to mimic it with artificial drugs have produced severe side effects.

The new research took a different tack by not targeting MMPs directly. Instead, tiny metallic vaccine molecules were created that fooled the immune system into manufacturing its own MMP-suppressing antibodies.

When the vaccine was tested on mice with a rodent version of Crohn's - a form of inflammatory bowel disease - it significantly reduced their symptoms. Untreated mice suffered severe damage to their colons while those injected with the vaccine experienced only "limited" inflammation.

Professor Irit Sagi, from the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel, said: "We are excited not only by the potential of this method to treat Crohn's, but by the potential of using this approach to explore novel treatments for many other diseases."



http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gwKjmjG8Jn-_tvTz1_Rq452qJ8pQ?docId=N0631811324695320764A

Cat Steals Dogs Bed

2011 Most Popular Pet Names

Most popular feline names for females
1. Bella
2. Chloe
3. Lucy
4. Sophie
5. Lily
6. Molly
7. Gracie
8. Princess
9. Sasha
10. Cleo
Most popular feline names for males
1. Max
2. Oliver
3.Tiger
4. Charlie
5. Simba
6. Buddy
7. Smokey
8. Tigger
9. Jack
10. Sammy
Most popular canine names for females
1. Bella
2. Lucy
3. Molly
4. Daisy
5. Maggie
6. Sophie
7. Chloe
8. Sadie
9. Lola
10. Bailey
Most Popular canine names for males
1. Max
2. Buddy
3. Charlie
4. Rocky
5. Bailey
6. Jake
7. Cooper
8. Jack
9. Toby
10. Cody
VPI's compete list of popular pet names for 2011 will be released in early January, 2012.

Today is National Pet Travel Safety Day

Today is National Pet Travel Safety Day! The mission of this day is to save lives by creating awareness of the vital need for pet safety in all areas of travel. Safe Travels!