Bella’s had lenticular sclerosis–sometimes called nuclear sclerosis–for a while. It’s simply a normal aging process of the lens, causing it to develop a bluish haze. We all get lenticular sclerosis as we get older. It doesn’t affect vision and doesn’t require any treatment. The same is true of iris atrophy. The iris is a muscle that surrounds the pupil, opening and closing as needed to control the amount of light that enters the eye. Like any other muscle, the iris can weaken with age, so it doesn’t work as effectively. That’s a normal age-related change, and nothing can be done about it. Cataracts, too–the senile kind, anyway–are another of the joys of getting older. Cataract surgery is available for dogs, but it’s not always necessary unless the dog is having trouble getting around. Most dogs usually adapt well to some loss of vision, simply relying more heavily on scent.

Other age-related problems are more serious, though, and require early, aggressive and sometimes sustained treatment. Dry eye is one of them. Tear production tends to decrease with age, and with some dogs, like Bella, the result can be irritation and, sometimes, development of a corneal ulcer.

“Dry eye can predispose a dog to corneal ulcers, but not all dogs with dry eye will get corneal ulcers, and not all corneal ulcers are related to dry eye,” Dr. Mar says. That said, there’s a high incidence of corneal ulcers in dogs with dry eye. Bella was one of those dogs.

Tears, which are produced by the lacrimal glands, lubricate, protect and cleanse the eye. When tear production decreases, the cornea–the “window” at the front of the eye that transmits and focuses light into the eye–gets dry and irritated. As the tears dry up, the eye produces more mucus instead, which is why dogs with dry eye have a goopy discharge. The condition isn’t necessarily uncomfortable, but it can cause the eye to be itchy, meaning the dog is more likely to paw at it or try to rub it on the carpet.

To diagnose Bella’s dry eye, Dr. Mar performed a Schirmer tear test. I’ve written about them frequently over the years but had never actually seen one. A little paper strip is placed at the inner corner of the eye, where the tears pool, and held there for a minute to see how much of the strip becomes wetted with tears. Not very much, in Bella’s case.

To counteract the problem, Dr. Mar prescribed tacrolimus, an immunosuppressant drug that in dogs serves as a tear stimulant.

“We are trying to increase her tear production to keep her comfortable and keep her cornea healthier so she won’t get another ulcer,” Dr. Mar says. Tacrolimus isn’t just an ordinary eye drop, of course. We have it compounded at a special pharmacy–the same place where we get the infamous V drug made up in a chicken-flavored formulation.

Both eyes were also ulcerated, but the left eye was in worse shape. Bella was tearing and squinting, two of the classic signs of eye pain. You could see the ulcerated spots on the eyes, but a bright green fluorescent stain brought them out even more.

Ulcerated eyes can be really difficult to treat in older dogs, just because their immune system is no longer at its peak. We applied antibiotic eye drops multiple times daily, for months. The eye would start to heal and then relapse. After six months, though, we are finally at the stage where Bella only needs rechecks every three months–assuming we don’t see any new problems develop, of course.

That brings me to the most serious eye problem in older dogs. Dr. Mar says that often people attribute canine eye problems to advancing age and assume that nothing can be done, so they don’t even take the dog to the veterinarian.

“People make excuses for the dog, saying, ‘Oh, she’s just old,’ or ‘That’s why the eye is red,’ or ‘That’s why she’s not seeing well,’ The eyes should be checked. Sometimes it is old age, for example, the iris atrophy, the lenticular sclerosis, but sometimes it’s not,” Dr. Mar says. “Sometimes they have dry eye that should be treated and sometimes they have corneal ulcers or cataracts. We have an older dog here and she has glaucoma. Any time people notice the dog’s not seeing well, has redness or cloudiness, goopiness, they should least check it to make sure it’s something they don’t need to worry about. Sometimes by the time they get in here, it’s too late; we could have done something at an earlier stage.”

Thanks to Maria Goodavage at Dogster for the tip.

Halo and freekibble.com link up for a great cause: Two years ago, 11-year-old Mimi Ausland created freekibble.com, which is dedicated to providing good, nutritious and healthy food to cats and dogs in shelters, free of charge.  Go to their site and answer trivia questions, and food gets donated.  More than 3.8 million meals have been donated so far. Cool, huh?  Now, Halo For Pets, a pet food manufacturer co-owned by Ellen Degeneres, has agreed to be the exclusive kibble donor for freekibble. But wait, there’s more.  If you follow Halo Pets or freekibble on Twitter, even more kibble will find its way to shelters! Worthy cause, help for shelters, well fed dogs and cats. It’s all good.

What to do with a pet who can’t figure it out? Our BFF Dr. Patty Khuly’s Fully Vetted post titled “Oops, I did it again” made me laugh and wince at the same time, not because I like Britney Spears (I don’t), but because I can relate. Harry, the otherwise very sharp, quick-on-the-uptake dachshund, has been sprayed by skunks not once, not twice, but three times. Maybe, he thinks, this time he’ll get the white stripe before the white stripe gets him. Meanwhile, his sister always seems to know enough to run away and live to stink another day. Dr. Khuly’s post is for everyone who wonders if our beloved furry critters will ever get the hint.

It’s his third thong of the week (there’s no accounting for taste); her fourth toad venom intoxication (she must relish the buzz); his fifth serious quilling (he’s clearly convinced all those evil porcupines must be punished); and her sixth tampon (nasty!). What’s a frustrated owner to do???

(Hint, Dr. Khuly doesn’t have any magic solutions, but I love her observations)

Medical updates, hip dysplasia: Two pieces of potentially important data on veterinary research and treatment.  The first one concerns big dogs who are prone to hip dysplasia, and it’s not good news. The susceptibility of hip dysplasia in larger dogs might be underreported — by as much as 80 percent. From Science Daily:

The two hip screening methods — the standard Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, or OFA model, and (University of Pennsylvania) Penn Vet’s PennHIP model — were applied to a sample of 439 dogs older than 2 years. The four most common breeds included in the study were German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and Rottweilers, all breeds commonly susceptible to hip dysplasia.

According to Penn researchers, even if breeders were to selectively breed only those dogs having OFA-rated “excellent” hips — the highest ranking but in some breeds, a very small gene pool –  the study suggests that 52-100 percent of the progeny, depending on breed, would be susceptible to hip dysplasia based on the Penn Vet scoring method.

“We believe the lower rates of hip laxity detection using the OFA methods are not the fault of the expert radiologist reading the radiograph but rather a deficiency of the radiographic view,” said veterinary surgeon Gail Smith, professor of orthopaedic surgery, lead author and director of the PennHIP Program. “We believe many veterinarians are not using the best test to control a disease. In many ways this is an animal-welfare issue.”

True though the study may be, veterinarians agree on one variable in the equation that dog owners can do something about: controlling a large dog’s weight will decrease the stress on his hips. While a fit dog isn’t immune from hip dysplasia, an overweight dog will always be fighting a losing battle.

Medical updates, lymphoma: Now some good news. We may be close to a breakthrough on treatment for lymphoma.

Researchers have identified a new target for the treatment of lymphoma and are testing a potential new drug in pet dogs afflicted with the disease. At low doses, the compound, called S-PAC-1, arrested the growth of tumors in three of six dogs tested and induced partial remission in a fourth.

Read more at Science Daily here.

I’m so glad I like my neighbors: For those who haven’t spent hours of time perusing passiveaggressivenotes.com, enjoy.

Finally, your picture of the day. Fixing typos made by Department of Public Works crews can be surprisingly easy, as long as you have the right volunteer….who’s willing to stay there awhile.

Thanks to TwistedSifter.com for this one. The caption is FTFY (Fixed that for you)!

I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories.  Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.

Photo credit: FTFY, Reddit, via twistedsifter.com.

In message board discussions, veterinarians have revealed cases of hypercalcemia secondary to vitamin D toxicosis occurring in dogs that eat a single brand of dry pet food: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Diet, chicken flavor. In each of the cases, veterinarians report that dogs’ conditions have improved after switching brands.

So far, nothing concrete has identified a causal relationship between the food and illnesses in dogs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while reportedly alerted to adverse events tied to the food, has not prompted a recall, though the VIN News Service has been unable to reach officials with the regulatory agency directly.

Officials with Wilton, Conn.-based Blue Buffalo report that “tens of thousands of dollars” and hundreds of hours have been spent analyzing various batches of dog food, including samples from bags directly linked to specific cases of dogs testing positive for hypercalcemia and vitamin D toxicity.

Richard MacLean, vice president of business affairs, says one thing is certain: Test results thus far have shown nothing unusual about the product’s formulation; amounts of calcium and vitamin D, in particular, are within the company’s specifications and well below levels that might be considered toxic. The company’s focus has been on Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe, manufactured in April 2010 with a best-used-by date of July 2011. Vitamin D toxicity, or hypervitaminosis D, induces bone loss and abnormally high serum calcium levels, which could result in kidney stones and the calcification of organs like the heart and kidneys if left untreated.

As detective stories go, this is a pretty intriguing one. Veterinarians have been putting the pieces together — one vet’s own dog was among those affected.

Blue Buffalo is paying for diagnostic tests on the sick dogs as well as agressively testing the food, for which they’re to be commended. Still, I’d like to see a pre-emptive recall even before the tests are done.

You can read the whole story here. And if you’re not already following the VIN News Service, you should make it a habit. I missed this story because it broke on the day I moved, but they do some of the best investigative work in the entire veterinary field.

In message board discussions, veterinarians have revealed cases of hypercalcemia secondary to vitamin D toxicosis occurring in dogs that eat a single brand of dry pet food: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Diet, chicken flavor. In each of the cases, veterinarians report that dogs’ conditions have improved after switching brands.

So far, nothing concrete has identified a causal relationship between the food and illnesses in dogs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while reportedly alerted to adverse events tied to the food, has not prompted a recall, though the VIN News Service has been unable to reach officials with the regulatory agency directly.

Officials with Wilton, Conn.-based Blue Buffalo report that “tens of thousands of dollars” and hundreds of hours have been spent analyzing various batches of dog food, including samples from bags directly linked to specific cases of dogs testing positive for hypercalcemia and vitamin D toxicity.

Richard MacLean, vice president of business affairs, says one thing is certain: Test results thus far have shown nothing unusual about the product’s formulation; amounts of calcium and vitamin D, in particular, are within the company’s specifications and well below levels that might be considered toxic. The company’s focus has been on Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe, manufactured in April 2010 with a best-used-by date of July 2011. Vitamin D toxicity, or hypervitaminosis D, induces bone loss and abnormally high serum calcium levels, which could result in kidney stones and the calcification of organs like the heart and kidneys if left untreated.

As detective stories go, this is a pretty intriguing one. Veterinarians have been putting the pieces together — one vet’s own dog was among those affected.

Blue Buffalo is paying for diagnostic tests on the sick dogs as well as agressively testing the food, for which they’re to be commended. Still, I’d like to see a pre-emptive recall even before the tests are done.

You can read the whole story here. And if you’re not already following the VIN News Service, you should make it a habit. I missed this story because it broke on the day I moved, but they do some of the best investigative work in the entire veterinary field.

Dimension of cage
It is a essential requirement as a result of canaries are active and agile birds and your cage must be large enough to permit the canary to fly. Width of the cage is especially vital as canaries tend to flit backward and forward and never transfer up and down unlike a budgerigar. A rectangular cage with the minimal dimensions for a canary could be a width 24 inches (60 cm); height and depth of 18 inches (45 cm) and be fitted with 2 perches towards each end of the cage to allow your canary to train properly. The perfect cross part shape for a wood perch is oval which helps hold the canary’s ft healthy and downside free.

Form of cage
An oblong-shaped cage is better than the perhaps more enticing domed-spherical cage as it would not ‘frustrate’ the canary. Housed in a spherical cage, gate energetic dogs,a canary can circle the cage ‘pondering’ it’s getting someplace as a result of there are few if any reference points. A rectangular cage has 4 corners as reference factors that orientate the hen and stops any tendency for stressful circling which improves the hen’s quality of life.

Development materials
Metallic with a coat of non-toxic paint is a straightforward to scrub and durable material for a canary cage. Ensure that the cage bars are on the appropriate spacing to maintain you canary from injuring itself: the bar spacing must be one-half inch (12 mm). You can also buy a cage with bars manufactured from stainless-steel which can final a few years however is extra expensive. The underside of the tray can be steel or plastic and could also be coated by a steel grill however this isn’t essential. If the cage you select has a steel grill, be certain that it is detachable because it is going to must be cleaned regularly.

Positioning the cage
Keep in mind that a cage with steel bars is open all spherical and that is has a bearing on the place it’s best to place your cage. Your canary may really feel more secure if its cage is placed in a nook or near a wall however keep it away from a draufty door, the top of an open window or an air conditioner. A metal barred cage offers no shade and your canary will develop into distressed if the cage is hung in a window on a sizzling sunny day as both the fowl and the cage can get overheated.

People that are searching the Internet for more info about the sphere of house train dog, then make sure to check out the site that was quoted in this paragraph.

As World Animal Day 2010 draws ever closer, the world’s animal animal lovers are invited to celebrate the care and respect of our animal friends.

World Animal Day isn’t a recent addition to the time table, it was started in 1931 at a convention of ecologists in Florence as a mode of highlighting the plight of endangered species. Since then it has grown to encompass all sorts of animal life and is widely celebrated in countries all through the world. October 4 was chosen as it’s the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. It is intended as a day of festivity for everyone in the world who cares about animals and is not reduced to any one nationality, creed, religion, political belief or ideology.

To acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives – from being our companions, assisting and assisting us, to bringing a sensation of wonder into our lives

World Animal Day is a wonderful opportunity for animal lovers all around the globe to come together in solidarity through one notably important cause. To save and safeguard the animals on our planet and the delicate background they live in. Without animals in the world it would be a highly sad place. We must learn to safe-guard and nurture them and remember that the world will constantly be a place where they can roam free and never become extinct.

It is intended as a day of festivity for a person in the world who cares about animals. It is not limited to any one nationality, creed, religion, political belief or ideology.

World Animal Day is celebrated around the globe on October 4. It is a singular day when animal lovers assemble together and share the happiness and fun that animals bring into our lives. World Animal Day is time to call to mind all the animals that are undergoing and that still require our help. The focus of this year’s celebrations will be to raise awareness about the cruelty behind puppy farms and to encourage people to adopt animals rather than purchase them.

Launched in the UK on 4 October 2003, organisations, groups, animal shelters, places of worship, schools, clubs and individuals participated in what was to become an annual event and, quite easily, aided make history!

Since the official World Animal Day website was launched in 2003, the amount of World Animal Day happenings taking place in the course of the world has increased year upon year and with your help we can ensure the trend goes on.

And that is the ambition of this website, to encourage everybody to use this singular day to commemorate their love and respect for animals by doing something singular to highlight the importance of animals in the world.

We are sure you will agree that, building the World Animal Day initiative is a wonderful alternative to unite the animal welfare movement and something that everyone can join in with whether they are part of an organisation, group, or as an individual.

On this website we are sure you will find everything you require to make World Animal Day a reality in your ground but do please permit us know if you consider something is missing. There’s no better time than now to start off making plans – please get involucred and show the animals you care.

World Animal Day is not linked to any one individual, organisation or campaign, but belongs to everyone.

Doing a BloggersUnite event for Animals was inspired by TheBloggess and the loss of her beautiful pug Barnaby Jones Pickles. This event is commited to Barnaby Jones, and the love, laughter and joy that animal’s bring to us in our every-day lives.

Read important recommendations about the topic of compare car insurance online – study the publication. The time has come when concise information is truly only one click away, use this possibility.

Deserted dogs spend most of the time in the day searching for meals and have to overcome numerous conditions to remain alive. They could constantly come throughout threats in their each day life; hence you will always find them to be in violent mood. They are going to keep on barking in the event that they find anything suspicious or dangerous. Dogs that are discovered to be in groups may be more harmful than a single one.

Youngsters are those who play fall prey to these canines simply because of the noise they make and also due to their quick movements. So, kids have to be made to grasp what they must to once they encounter such dogs. Whether or not the canine is a pet canine or a stray dog, a child must know that he/she shouldn’t go close to it.

There are numerous canine repellent products available out there that will maintain the canine away from attacking you. Among the properly-known canine repellent products are Ultrasonic dog repellent and dog muzzle spray.

Ultrasonic canine repellent is a fabulous tool that emits high frequency waves of 20,000 MHz to 25,000 MHz at a hundred thirty five decibel. If you find a canine continually barking at you, you may use this gadget to thrust back the canine safely. All it is advisable do is level the system in direction of the dog and press the power button so that it starts emitting the sound. The sound emitted from this system is not going to be of any hurt to the humans. However, it is going to be slightly deafening for the dogs. This may cause discomfort to the dog and eventually one can find them transferring away from you. You may as well chase away the canines by making use of the effectively illuminated flash gentle of this device by flashing it instantly at the dog.

Since years, pepper sprays have been used by women to eliminate perverts. The identical technique can be used to push back the dogs. Muzzle spray could be directly sprayed on the dogs face. The sprays normally contain irritants like pepper. Whenever you spray it on the dogs, they are going to expertise terrible irritation in their eyes and might also feel difficult to breathe for a brief duration. This way you can chase the violent canine easily.

Now can simply Turn Off the Barks with Bark Off, it is rather simple to use, learn Bark Off Review, One other benefit to bark off is that it is small and moveable, which means you’ll be able to take it absolutely any where.So Buy Bark Off now

There is a movement that aims to take that tool off the table, that says that killing pets simply because they have no homes is wrong and that we can do better. It’s called, logically enough, the No-Kill Movement.

Some people think taking killing off the table is a nice idea but that it can never happen. It’s a fantasy, or a dream, but can never be a reality. And so they continue to ignore or even support the epidemic of Fatal-Plus that’s taking the lives of America’s homeless pets.

But they’re wrong. I know they’re wrong because communities across the United States, including Reno, Nev., Tompkins County, NY, and Charlottesville, Virg., have already ended the use of killing as a tool of animal population control. They’ve managed to save more than 90 percent of the dogs and cats coming into their shelter systems over a period of years.

Those communities, and many others like them, no longer kill dogs and cats who either have no medical or behavior problems or whose problems can be treated. Instead, they find them homes.

Every single one of those communities has done this the exact same way, using the same 11-step program developed by Nathan Winograd of the No-Kill Advocacy Center. This simple video lays them out in black, white, and a few other colors:

For the video-impaired or reluctant:

1. Feral cat trap-neuter-release programs
2. High-volume, low-cost spay/neuter
3. Working with rescue groups
4. Foster care programs
5. Comprehensive adoption programs
6. Helping people keep their pets with pet retention programs
7. Medical and behavior programs
8. Good public relations and community involvement
9. Working with volunteers
10. Pro-active redemptions
11. A compassionate director

Yes, those things can be hard. But it’s a straightforward road map and it works. Stop letting people say it’s impossible.

Note: I do some freelance writing for Maddie’s Fund, an organization dedicated to making America a No-Kill Nation.

This past Saturday we had a photo shoot at the Kindred Spirits Dog Training yard for my latest book project.

This is how I do it: Before every photo shoot, I create a list of photos needed to illustrate the book.  Some can’t be done at the training yard; perhaps they need to be inside or need something special, so those go on a separate list. I try to organize the list so it will flow easily as we take the photos.

Then I invite the dogs and owners I need or those willing and able to come. There’s kind of a joke that bounces around Kindred Spirits, “If you hang around long enough you end up in one of Liz’s books.” It’s true.

We had a great turnout and I thank everyone who took the time out of their busy holiday weekend to come. The Kindred Spirits trainers and assistant trainers were there, as well as Love on a Leash therapy dog members, and a few Kindred Spirits students. It was awesome.

Although Australian Shepherds outnumbered other breeds  (heck, I brought three!) the books is not a breed-specific book about Aussies, so I needed other breeds. Thankfully, we had several mixes, a Rottie, a Belgian Sheepdog, a Standard Poodle, two Jack Russell Terriers, a Rat Terrier, a chocolate Lab, a German Shepherd Dog, and several other breeds.

Once everyone arrived Saturday, Connie had my list on a clip board and she kept people and dogs arranged so that the photographer, Becca, could keep shooting. That way I was able to explain to the dog and owner, and to Becca, what I wanted illustrated in the photo.

We took photos of everything, from dogs sitting in front and not jumping on people to Walter the Wonder dog dropping a plastic bottle in the recycling trash can.

Behind the scenes, waiting their turns, people and dogs relaxed in the shade.

Overall, the entire shoot took about three hours. It was hot but we had shade, water and ice, and I think everyone had a good time. Plus we got all the photos taken we needed. Whew! That’s always a big relief for me.

My thanks, especially to Becca who the vast majority of the photos; Vicki, who took videos; Connie, for keeping things rolling along; and all of the dog owners and their dogs for helping me. Thanks, everyone!

Photos:
Top: Our photographer, Becca, with her mixed breed, Kody.
Middle: Bashir and Riker enjoy a block of ice.
Bottom: Walter the Wonder Dog drops a bottle in the trash can.

Being overlooked at the shelter is bad news for the cats, of course, but it’s also unfortunate for many people who don’t realize that an adult cat, in many cases, may be a better choice than a kitten. Sure, kittens are cute, but they also can be a bit of a trial as they grow up. They need extra time, extra training and extra tolerance for all those crazy things that kittens do.

An adult cat can slide quickly into your life. You know pretty well what you’re getting with a grown cat — activity level, sociability, health, etc. Given time in a loving environment, a grown cat forms just as tight a bond with his new people as any kitten can.

With an adult cat, knowing a little of the animal’s background is important, especially if your family has other pets or children. (A cat who has never experienced them may have a more difficult time adjusting to a new family that includes either or both.) You can ask questions directly about the cat’s background if you’re adopting from the original owner. And most shelters or rescue groups also try to provide some basic background information, which they ask of the people giving up their pets.

Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker suggest thinking twice before letting your bulldog or other short-nosed dog fly in cargo:

If you’re considering checking your short-nosed dog into cargo for your next trip by air, you might want to reconsider. The nation’s airlines report that in the last five years, 122 dogs died in cargo, and half of those deaths were dogs of breeds called “brachycephalic” by veterinarians and “pug-nosed” by the rest of us. Bulldogs were the short-nosed breed that died most often in transit, followed by pugs and French bulldogs. These breeds have been bred for the round heads and flat faces people find cute, but the shape of their skulls makes it harder to breathe and harder to keep cool, both of which can have serious implications when flying.

Read this week’s entire Pet Connection here!