I have a 120lb. dog that has some hip problems. Sometimes he gets so bad that he can't walk very well for a few days. We were told by the vet that we could give him Baby Bayer but that upsets his stomach and then he won't eat.
Does anyone know of any other remedies that may help ease his pain? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

BOISE — Annually the Idaho Horse Board awards grants to projects which benefit the Idaho hose industry in areas of education, research and promotion. Grant requests are now being accepted and must be received by Dec. 1.
Some of the grants have gone to improve public horse facilities, educational programs, to promote the Horse Expo, college research and teaching projects and assisting in funding public television horse productions.
All grant requested must be typed or computer generated. Call (208) 788-7111 for an application or mail your request to the Idaho Horse Board, 803 Canyon Road, Hailey ID 83333 or hymas@cox.net. The application can also be accessed at the Web site: www.idahohorseboard.com

I have a dog about a year old and she loves to swallow things whole yep she does not even chew them... :)
My vet told me to start giving her frozen veggies to chew on to distract her but she eats those in 5 seconds we call her the vacuum at home she can eat anything in less than a min.
Any ideas?

Pyometra is defined as a bacterial infection of the uterus. Unfortunately, most cases of pyometra are much more difficult to manage than a routine infection. Pyometra is most often diagnosed within 1-12 weeks after the end of estrus (“heat”). Pyometra is most often seen in middle-aged bitches that have undergone numerous estrous cycles during their lifetime. There is no known breed predisposition for canine pyometra.
Clinical signs depend on whether or not the cervix is open. If it is open, pus will drain from the uterus through the vagina to the outside. It may be noted on the skin or hair under the tail or on bedding and furniture where the dog has been. Fever, lethargy, anorexia and depression may or may not be present.
If the cervix is closed, pus that forms is not able to drain to the outside. It collects in the uterus causing distention of the abdomen. The bacteria release toxins that are absorbed into circulation. These dogs often become severely ill very rapidly. They are anorectic, very listless and very...

The Bulldog is small in stature, but wide and compact, with a thick, massive head. Its head should be broad (the broader the more prized) with cheeks that extend to the sides of the eyes. The skin on the skull and forehead should fall in dense folds. Its muzzle is short and pug, its nose, broad and black with large nostrils. Its upper lip is pendent and its lower jaw should be very undershot. Eyes are very round, far apart and very dark. The ears should be small and thin, folded back in the form of a rose. The tail is short and carries low. The coat comes in red, fawn, brindle, pale yellow or washed-out red, or white, and can combine any of these colors. Black is not acceptable. The Muzzle is sometimes dark. With its stocky legs set squarely at each corner of its compact, muscular body, the Bulldog's deliberate gain has become a waddle.

STURGIS, S.D. (AP) _ Sturgis officials have given preliminary approval to an ordinance that would regulate the owners of pit bulls.
Several people lined up to testify in favor and against the measure.

If enacted by city officials, the ordinance will force pit bull owners to carry liability insurance. They also will have to register their dogs and keep them restrained at all times.

Sturgis Animal Control Officer Curt Nulle says there has been an increase in local pit bull attacks and complaints about them.

Melissa Foxworth of the Humane Society of the Black Hills says other dogs also can be aggressive, adding that owners should be held responsible — no matter what the breed.

Our mini-Australian Shepherd is hyper, to say the least. When we leave him outside, he digs at the edges of our lawn all day long. He's actually doing quite a bit of damage despite only weighing 8 lbs.! I don't want to put him in a kennel all day and scolding him when we get home doesn't seem to help. I really don't want to make him afraid of me. Any suggestions?

My landlord recently stopped by to kill weeds using round-up all over the house? I know that stuff can be poisen to animals. I've kept my cat in for 3 days and I think he's going krazy......When he goes outside he eats grass so Ive been kinda worried. Do you know how long I should keep him in the house? Any ideas???

Before mom passed away, we discussed how her death would affect her little girl(her maltese poodle). She would never leave mom's side and was either on her lap, cuddled in bed with her, or at her feet as she moved about the house. As feared, she is not the same. I've taken her to my home to spend the night with my dog (her best bud), but she constantly roams the house whimpering and finally gives up and sits by our front door. It absolutely breaks my heart to see how sad she is. Does anyone have suggestions as to what I can do to help with mom's grieving dog.

Described by their name, pocket pets are small fluffy companions that could fit right into your pocket! Guinea pigs, sugar gliders, hedgehogs and hamsters are all a part of the pocket pet family. Pocket pets are an excellent addition to a home that is looking for a first pet, or has very small children who might be afraid of dogs or larger traditional pets. Pocket pets have a shorter lifespan than dogs and cats, require less space, and are usually quiet and friendly. “Pocket pets are more fragile than traditional pets and are very good at hiding any signs of illness,” said Dr. Christy Rettenmund, intern with the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science. “Any changes in behavior, appetite, or appearance warrant a visit to your veterinarian”. Owning a pocket pet is a little different than owning a dog or a cat. It is a good idea to do some research before purchasing one of these pets because they have specific diet and husbandry needs. “Each type of pocket pet has specific nutritional requirements,...

With the fall season in sight, many of us will venture to the great outdoors and go camping. All kinds of fascinating creatures can be found in the great outdoors, but when your puppy is roaming around, beware the skunks! Puppies especially can become curious when they come across these foreign creatures, but skunks are startled easily and have no mercy. The skunk odor, which is actually a poison, can sometimes take years to remove from a dog’s fur. Skunks have an incredible talent for spraying with accuracy. They also have the ability to spray multiple times in a row, reaching up to ten feet away. The spray that a skunk emits is a type of oil, ayed by a skunk. She also warned pet owners to be sure pets do not get loose on the way to the bath tub, because the odor-causing oil will stick to anything it touches. There are no toxins in skunk spray, so it will not harm your pet. However, it could become uncomfortable for them. “If your pet was sprayed in the face, make sure to clean it properly,” said Dr. Blue-...

Dogs are social animals whose evolutionary history makes them willing and able to live in groups. Group living enabled wolves to work together to obtain food, raise their young and defend their territory. It would be counter-productive for members of a group to fight with each other and risk injury. That would prevent them from working with the group.
Although domestic dogs are not wolves, they do have a social structure in which each dog is either dominant (leader) or subordinate in its relationship with each pack member. This is a “dominance hierarchy.” The leader or “alpha” dog is the one that has first access to all the “critical” resources. These resources include food, resting places, mates, territory and favored possessions. Assertion of dominance by the alpha is generally communicated through facial expressions, body postures and actions. Fighting is rare, since as soon as the subordinate submits or defers to the alpha animal and the alpha gets its way, he or she gives up the challenge.
Fights between...

By AMANDA RICKER
Bozeman Daily Chronicle


BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Bozeman-based West Paw Design’s mission is to appeal to the human desire to reduce their carbon footprint by helping them cut their furry friends’ carbon pawprint as well.

West Paw produces eco-friendly pet beds, toys and apparel. The "green" material employed by the company ranges from old cardboard Dole banana boxes used to store and transfer materials during manufacturing, to soy-based ink and corn-based plastic on the merchandise tags.

And the eco-strategy is working. Today, West Paw Design employs 40 people, double the number it did 10 years ago, said owner and president Spencer Williams. The company ships 10 percent of its products overseas; sales in Montana represent just 1 percent.

"It’s something, I think, a lot of us have in common, this belief that we need to take care of this place," Williams said.

While many manufacturers, from cars to textiles, are struggling in the current economic slowdown, Williams said West Paw plans a 15,000-square-feet...

NAMPA — Anyone seeking a new or a lost pet should call the Pet Haven Shelter at 466-1298 for information, or visit the shelter at 333 Orchard Ave.
Pet Haven’s shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday noon to 4 p.m. and closed Sunday and most holidays.
It costs $50 to adopt a cat. These charges include spaying or neutering the pet, deworming it, vaccination and a leukemia test.
Remember the low-cost spay and neuter clinic at the shelter. Call for times and dates.
All cats ready for adoption are spayed or neutered.
Find out more online at www.pethavenonline.org.
The Thrift Store at 619 Main St., Caldwell, helps fund the operating expenses of Pet Haven. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10-4:30 Saturday. For more information call 455-1303.

CALDWELL — The Canyon County Animal Shelter is at 5801 Graye Lane, behind the Larry Miller Auto Mall. For information about lost pets or adopting a companion animal, call 455-5920.
All dogs cost $65 for males or females, for neuter or spay, first...

By MARTHA RAFFAELE
Associated Press Writer
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Sammy, a Shetland sheepdog, wouldn't touch his food, retreating to a corner of the yard and devouring mouthfuls of dirt — behavioral oddities his owner later learned came from a lifetime of abuse as a "stud" in a large puppy mill.

The 10 years of caged confinement Sammy endured would have been illegal under a bill signed late Thursday by Gov. Ed Rendell. The governor, who owns two rescued golden retrievers, and other dog advocates hope the new law will help Pennsylvania shed its reputation as the puppy mill capital of the East.

The Humane Society of the United States has counted Pennsylvania among a handful of states where lucrative, largely unregulated puppy mills are concentrated.

The issue caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey after a suburban Philadelphia rescue organization put up a billboard in Chicago begging her to do a show on dog breeder abuse. The movement took on new momentum when, in August, operators of two eastern Pennsylvania kennels shot...

NAMPA — Anyone seeking a new or a lost pet should call the Pet Haven Shelter at 466-1298 for information, or visit the shelter at 333 Orchard Ave.
Pet Haven’s shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday noon to 4 p.m. and closed Sunday and most holidays.
It costs $50 to adopt a cat. These charges include spaying or neutering the pet, deworming it, vaccination and a leukemia test.
Remember the low-cost spay and neuter clinic at the shelter. Call for times and dates.
All cats ready for adoption are spayed or neutered.
Find out more online at www.pethavenonline.org.
The Thrift Store at 619 Main St., Caldwell, helps fund the operating expenses of Pet Haven. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10-4:30 Saturday. However, the store is closed Friday through Monday this week. Next week is the bagged book sale and clothing sale. Also, volunteers are needed through the busy holiday season. Check out the Web site, pethaventhriftstore.net For more information call 455-1303.

CALDWELL — The Canyon...

By MATTHEW D. LaPLANTE
The Salt Lake Tribune

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — She was born 27 years ago in the wilds of Africa.

By the time she was a year old, she had been ripped from her family.

Penned, chained and shipped to a noisy new world, her California keepers allowed her to roam only a few paces this way and a few paces that.

She was bullied and dominated. She lost a baby. She was poked, prodded, cut and left in pain.

Misha the elephant died Sept. 9 on the concrete floor of a cinderblock building in a lot behind her most recent home at Utah's Hogle Zoo, some 10,000 miles from where she was born.

No one is certain yet what caused her death, at what could be described as middle age for an elephant. But one of Misha's former trainers has a strong suspicion: "She lost her will."

Out of Africa. It was the early 1980s in South Africa. Apartheid was law. Nelson Mandela was in prison. And the nation's population of elephants, which had fallen to less than 200 earlier in the century, had steadily climbed to more than 8,000, pushing...

COLLEGE STATION, Sept. 18, 2008 – It’s probably happened to you: You’re walking down the sidewalk, you hear a faint chirping sound, and you look down to see a plump baby bird staring up at you and you think that a cute new pet has fallen right into your lap.
But wildlife experts have three words of advice: leave it alone.
“Take pictures, enjoy them, admire them, but don’t mess with them,” says Teresa Shisk-Saling, a veterinary technician at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University. “The absolute worst thing you can do is pick it up, take it home and try to make it a pet.”
Touching a bird is a bad idea for several reasons. Parasites, salmonella and other bacterial diseases can all be picked up from wildlife, and although birds are not typically known for biting, they can do some damage with their beaks.
In addition, a well-intentioned animal lover may only do more harm than good by moving the bird. The most common reason a young bird ventures out of the nest is because it is...

Help support Nampa's future Dog Park and bring your dog to the Pooch Pool Party at Nampa's Lakeview Water Park on 8/23. Join us for this unique opportunity that allows you to bring your dog swimming at Lakeview Water Park. The event is an off leash open water swim for all dogs.
Rules: dogs must enter and exit on a leash, the event prohibits dogs under 4 months old, aggressive dogs, and female dogs in heat. Vaccinations that include rabies and bordetella (kennel cough) are required. Please leave collar on dog while swimming. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Handler is limited to 2 dogs. People will not be allowed in the water (dogs only).
Event is 8/23 - 10am - 4pm.
Call the Nampa Parks and Rec Desk at 468-5858 for more information.

Wow! I cannot believe the stuff they have for pets now. I was recently at the Boise Farmers Market and saw a little Yorkie with sunglasses! How adorable... come to find out they are pretty popular and called Doggles. There are 2 really great specialty stores in the Treasure Valley where you can spoil your furry little friends. One is on 8th in Downtown Boise called World of Charleys. They carry clothing, collars, leads and more from designer lines such as Kate Spade and Juicy Couture! Northwest Pets in Eagle also has an array of accessories for your babys but they also carry a great selection of food & treats, not to mention the gourmet stuff!
For all of you animal lovers and haven't visited these stores, I suggest you take a little trip and spoil your pets!

http://www.worldofcharley.com
http://www.northwestpets.com

An athlete’s body is trained to handle an amazing amount of work and stress. From runners to swimmers, all athletes train to handle the specific stress their sport requires. Unfortunately, it is still not uncommon for these athletes to injure themselves performing the very actions they trained for. This is also true of a horse’s body. Many horses are trained athletes that are bred and conditioned for a specific sport such as racing, jumping, western performance or dressage. While these sports are relatively safe, just like a human athlete, there is always a possibility of injury and in most cases with horses the injury tends to be lameness. Lameness is an abnormality of gait that is caused by pain or restriction of movement. “Most of the injuries we see are muscular/skeletal lamenesses,” states Dr. Kent Carter, professor of equine lameness and chief o f medicine at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Large Animal Hospital. “The lameness can be a result of things...

We all want our pets to live long, happy and healthy lives. In order to achieve this, we take them for their annual veterinary appointments, make sure they get plenty of exercise and feed them the best pet food we can afford. Some of us even go so far as to give our pets vitamins or supplements to add an extra degree of protection. But are these supplements necessary? “Healthy animals with complete and balanced diets should not need supplements, and therefore they are not necessarily recommended,” said Dr. John Bauer, Professor of Small Animal Medicine & Faculty of Nutrition at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. Just as a healthy diet should provide people with their essential vitamins and nutrients, the same is true for our pets. “Pet food companies use a vitamin pre-mix for the particular species to which it is marketed,” Bauer said. “For this reason, a good quality food should already meet the nutritional needs of your pet.” If you formulate your own pet food...

Have you ever taken a brand new puppy on its first walk, or to a dog park with other dogs? This can sometimes be a difficult undertaking, seeing as puppies have yet to be exposed to many humans and animals in their young lives. But dogs and cats need to develop social skills just as much as people do! It is important for an animal’s health and well-being to become a socially acceptable pet. “The most important time for puppy socialization is before the age of 12 weeks,” Dr. M.A. Crist, Clinical Assistant Professor at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, said. “Puppies should be handled from birth and exposed to as many new animals, people, surroundings, and stimuli without causing fear, overstimulation, or avoidance behavior. Puppies should be encouraged to survey and investigate their environments, and these exposures should continue into adulthood to help maintain an outgoing and sociable dog.” Many cats are easily frightened and spend a lot of time hiding and trying to avoid the things they are afraid...

Maybe you’ve seen the comical home video on YouTube titled “sleepwalking fail”? It is a short clip of a sleeping dog that starts to “run” horizontally in his sleep, then suddenly jumps up and slams into a wall! Although the video is seriously funny, there is nothing funny about what might be wrong with this animal. This dog could be dreaming, although it is not known for certain if animals dream, according to Dr. M.A. Crist, Clinical Assistant Professor at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. Most likely this animal is displaying signs of a sleep disorder. Sleeping disorders are not healthy, and as with humans, we see disturbed sleep patterns as a sign of old age, disease or life-altering illness. The two sleeping disorders that are most dangerous to an animal’s health are narcolepsy and cataplexy. If your pet has one of these disorders and is left alone or unattended near water, it could possibly drown. “Narcolepsy is the occurrence of uncontrollable Rapid Eye Movement sleep phase, characterized by...

By Scott Craven The Arizona Republic PHOENIX (AP) — This is what Tonya Bunce remembers from the funeral, the details still clear though months have passed: a peaceful Roxy - front legs wrapped around a Teddy bear with ears frayed from chewing - surrounded by loved ones, friends and much of the staff from the veterinarian's office. After the chaplain's comforting words, others shared their favorite memories of Roxy as they said goodbye to the little Yorkie cut down in her prime. For Bunce, who had no idea just weeks earlier that such a service was possible, it was a fitting tribute to a dog who had so touched her life in the 3 1/2 years Roxy had lived before being hit by a car. On that Sunday afternoon in a quiet, candlelit room at Fairwinds Pet Memorial Services, Bunce felt closure for the first time. "It was a blessing," Bunce said. "It was everything I needed." A growing number of people are finding solace in services, ceremonies and memorials dedicated to recently deceased pets. Veterinarians once were...