Pass the puppy, please!

We have a little game we play with puppies. It usually starts after Dr. Burns gets finished examining one and starts chatting with the pup’s people. While the family is distracted, the puppy mysteriously disappears—sometimes until the visit is over and Dr. B walks the family back up to reception, where the missing puppy is [...]

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8 Reasons it’s Better to be a Pet Now than 25 Years Ago

Dogs have it pretty good these days, as Karen B. London, PhD recently pointed out in THE BARK. In 8 Reasons it’s Better to be a Dog Now than 25 Years Ago, London points out some of the ways dogs have it better now than they did in the 80′s. Written from her perspective as [...]

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Packing a Pet First Aid Kit

Pets add something special to travel and outdoor recreation. From time to time, however, they get sick away from home, leaving pet lovers to ask “what do I do now?” Fortunately, travel-related stomach upset and small scrapes and scratches are easily treated no matter where you are, but what happens if your pet becomes seriously [...]

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Bow WOW! Archeologists age world’s oldest dog.

While the finding is subject to debate, German scientists announced that they have used carbon dating to determine the age of a canine jaw found in a cave just across the Swiss border. The bone was unearthed in the late 1800′s, but aging of the 14,000 year-old fragment has renewed a debate about when and where [...]

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Creator of the Labradoodle wishes he hadn’t

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The former manager of Australia’s Royal Institute of the Blind’s puppy program credited with coining the name “Labradoodle” after breeding the first litter of the popular pooch now wishes he hadn’t, according to a recent interview with The Australian.  Wally Conran paired a purebred Labrador from the puppy program with his boss’ standard poodle back in 1988, hoping to [...]

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FDA Says: “No bones about it!

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The US Food and Drug Administration has just released a consumer health advisory stating that bones are unsafe for dogs. Dr. Carmela Stamper of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine explains that, no matter how big or small the dog or the bone, they are generally considered unsafe for dogs.  Most pet owners are aware that [...]

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Canine behavior expert to be featured on NPR

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A Conversation With Patricia McConnell | The Diane Rehm Show from WAMU and NPR Patricia McConnell, PhD, an expert on canine behavior, will spend an hour with Diane Rehm on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show tomorrow morning (the show airs at 9 am on KJZZ 91.5 fm here in Phoenix). You can also catch recordings of [...]

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Howls of approval for the City of Chandler

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The city of Chandler has returned four ultrasonic anti-bark devices it had planned to install at Shawnee Bark Park (just NW of Alma School and Warner) after several neighborhood residents complained about—imagine that—barking dogs at the canine playground. The Dog Silencer Pro devices were criticized by opponents of the plan because they punish all dogs [...]

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Nature’s Variety Recalls Chicken-Based Diets

On Wednesday, Nature’s Variety announced a voluntary recall of their Chicken Formula and Organic Chicken Formula products with a “Best If Used By” date on or before 02/5/11 after receiving test results from an outside facility that indicate that Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet with the “Best If Used By” date of 10/29/10 and Chicken [...]

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Top 10 Dog Breeds Affected By Periodontal Disease

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A recent study by national veterinary practice Banfield sheds some light on breed predispositions for periodontal disease among dogs. The results of the study, reported widely in the veterinary and pet communities, come as little surprise to those of us who recommend dental care to pets. Nine of the 10 breeds to make the list have [...]

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