Healthy Heart, Healthy Start: How to Keep Your Dog's Ticker Ticking
Preston at the animal hospital with Rachel Phelps @Prestonspeaks
Rachel Phelps will never forget the urgent call she got from her veterinarian shortly after she dropped off her beloved Westie, named Preston, for minor surgery to remove a lump.
“The vet was like, ‘Something happened. We put him under anesthesia, and suddenly his heartbeat plummeted,’” Rachel says. “I was in total shock. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.”
To read the rest of Watchdog Mary’s article in Dogster Magazine click here.
COVID-19 and Cats: What You Need to Know
Photo by Marko Blazevic from Pexels
Even though millions of Americans are vaccinated for COVID-19, the virus, breakthrough cases, and outbreaks continue to dominate news headlines. Each day scientists and medical experts learn more about the coronavirus, including how it can affect your cat. Watchdog Mary did some digging for Catster Magazine, here’s the latest information you need to know.
Sniffing Below the Surface
Credit: United Utilities
A team of specially trained dogs in the United Kingdom is helping the environment while helping utility companies save water.
To read Watchdog Mary’s article in Dogster Magazine click here.
Does Your Dog Need Liability Insurance?
If you’re a dog owner, you don’t want to get a call or letter from Paul Cannon. It means your pooch is in trouble. He’s an attorney who represents people who have been bitten or injured by dogs.
But Dogster did talk to Paul, and his insider info could save you from a devastating insurance shocker.
To read the rest of Watchdog Mary’s article in Dogster Magazine click here.
Woman Brings Entire Sanctuary Inside House to Survive Winter Storm
When a history-making winter storm immobilized nearly the entire state of Texas last month, Carly Henry, the founder of Carly's Critter Camp outside Austin, had to launch a mission to rescue the animals in her own sanctuary.
To read the rest of Watchdog Mary’s article in The Dodo, click here.
Does Your Cat Need a Lawyer?
Catster Magazine/Getty Images
Winner 2022 Special Category Award
From Cat Writers’ Association of America
Eric A. says after his cat suffered severe complications during routine surgery, he and his husband called a lawyer. “We want justice,” Eric says.
Ann S. says after her kitten got injured at a neighbor’s house, she called a lawyer. “It felt good calling, so somebody could handle this for me,” she says.
Paula K. says after her cat jumped out an animal hospital’s window, she called a lawyer. “I didn’t know how to have my voice heard,” she says.
Steven W. says after his ex demanded custody of the cats, he called a lawyer. “My colleague said, ‘I really think you’re going to need a pet lawyer,’” Steven says.
A pet lawyer? Yup. We found the number of attorneys specializing in helping four-legged family members are growing, and so is animal law.
To read the rest of Watchdog Mary’s article in Catster Magazine click here.
Stray dog joins charity run and 15 miles later ends up with a new home
WINNER 2020 DOG WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
Special Category Award
Sometimes you need to take the initiative to change your circumstances in life. It worked for Max.
The pit bull mix was hanging out along a road near Dunn, North Carolina, in December when he spotted a group participating in a holiday charity run and decided to join them.
To read the rest of Watchdog Mary’s article in The Dodo, click here.
Rescue Dog Makeovers Before and After Photos You Won't Believe
Hershey, suspected of being a bait dog, before and after photos
Their transformations are stunning. When these hairless, emaciated, and injured dogs ended up in need, rescuers didn't look away; instead, they saw potential.
Watchdog Mary and Celebrity Page want to share some of the most incredible rescue dog makeovers. Some dogs were on death's door, but with love and care, these pooches blossomed into the gems they were meant to be.
Dog Totally Can't Believe It When He Sees Snow For The First Time
Even a dusting of snow is a big deal in Texas. But when the flakes started falling from the sky and piling up on the ground last weekend in Austin, it was a really big deal to Jonesy.
Grumpy Shelter Kitten Transforms with the Help of a Giant Dog
Credit: Kendal Benken
The kitten certainly wasn’t the most adoptable one at Jelly’s Place shelter in San Pablo, California. When people walked by or approached the kitten’s cage, she'd retract her entire body into a corner and hiss.
To read more about the kitten’s incredible transformation, click here to read Watchdog Mary’s article in The Dodo.
Does Your Dog Need an Attorney?
When Stephanie G. got hit with a dog-custody lawsuit, she called a lawyer. “We contacted an attorney to defend her. She didn’t have a voice legally of her own. We had to speak for her,” Stephanie says.
To read Watchdog Mary’s article in Dogster Magazine, click here.
2020 The Year in Dogs: Celebs to the Rescue
Jennifer Aniston, Instagram
When the pandemic hit, the number of people who fostered or adopted dogs skyrocketed! Some of our favorite celebs took part in the canine craze.
Is the world’s shark population at risk in the hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine?
As the worldwide race to find a COVID-19 vaccine continues, one conservation group worries 500,000 sharks could die as a result of the process.
Shark Allies says squalene, a compound harvested from shark liver oil, is used in many vaccines as an adjuvant to boost their effectiveness. And while all people, animals, and plants produce the substance, the group says, “Squalene made from shark liver oil is used most commonly because it is cheap to obtain and easy to come by, not because it is more effective than other sources.”
Cattle Assoc.: Ranchers Want Mexican Wolves Killed, Despite Being Paid for Livestock Losses
EnviroNews
Parts of eastern Arizona are a conflict zone, as a 100-year war between ranchers, conservation groups, government agencies, and the endangered Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) rages on. The rarest subspecies of gray wolf, also known as “el lobo,” is doing what wolves have always done in their native territories: they hunt and eat animals weakened by misfortune, time and nature itself. But ranchers who sell their cows, sometimes for $1200-$1500 per animal, aren’t happy when someone’s future hamburger becomes a wolf’s dinner.
FedEx Driver Spots Abandoned Dog and Springs Into Action
Jayme Harley woke up to the sound of text notifications from her phone early one morning two weeks ago. She opened the messages and saw her boyfriend had sent a photo of a sad-looking dog at a gas station and written, “Go get him!”
Click here to read the rest of Watchdog Mary’s story in The Dodo.
USDA announces new tool to search Animal Welfare Act records
Today the USDA announced it’s going to launch an updated online tool to help people access Animal Welfare Act compliance records, including a searchable database of inspection and annual reports.
The federal agency is required to inspect thousands of places that house animals, from puppy breeders to zoos and research labs. But in early 2017, officials removed those inspection reports from its website. That move outraged many animal welfare groups.
No word yet if this new system that launches September 21, 2020, will include those records.
Nowhere to Go: The Need for Pet-Friendly Domestic Violence Shelters
Photo credit: Nataliya Vaitkevich
Patricia says she and her mother were trapped.
They were stuck living with the abusive man Patricia's mother married. Each time they'd plot ways to escape, they would end up staying because of their cat.
“We couldn't find a place to go where we could also bring my cat,” Patricia says. “Shelters typically don't take in pets, and we loved him too much to leave him behind.”
Click here to read the rest of Watchdog Mary’s article in Waggle.org.
Scratching below the surface: cat DNA testing
Photo by Tomas Ryant from Pexels
What you see may not be what you get. Think you’ve got a Maine Coon? Don’t judge your cat by his cover — the lineage and health issues feline DNA tests might uncover.
Click here to read the rest of Watchdog Mary’s article in Catster Magazine.
Danger Warning: foxtails can injure, even kill your pet
Noah, Credit: Sarah Lou McIntyre
You know dogs, they love being outside, following their noses as they weave out of fields and grasses. But that eagerness could cause trouble if they rub a foxtail the wrong way.
What is a foxtail?
Foxtails grow as bunches of grass with little spiky seeds. According to the US Forest Service, foxtail grows almost everywhere across the country and in Canada.
The barbs on the weeds are what dog owners should be aware of; they can literally impale your dog. “The foxtail awn has a sharp, pointy end that allows it to easily penetrate the skin and other tissues, and microscopic barbs prevent it from backing its way out,” veterinarian Jennifer Coates said.
To read the rest of Watchdog Mary’s article in Just Labs Magazine click here.
