Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Nutri Vet: Healthy Coat
Treats for sharing with...
1st May 2010, Saturday:
2nd May 2010, Sunday:
Photo credit for Doris goes to Shan, and Chewbacca goes to Sheena :D
Nutri Vet Healthy Coat... well, promotes healthy coat with Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Have to do some research on whether this brand is good, Ash likes the one for Hip & Joints but its only 133mg of Glucosamine per wafer.
For his weight, he probably needs 3 X 500g Glucosamine. Considering getting him the Glucosamine for his hind legs!
Nutri Vet Healthy Coat... well, promotes healthy coat with Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Have to do some research on whether this brand is good, Ash likes the one for Hip & Joints but its only 133mg of Glucosamine per wafer.
For his weight, he probably needs 3 X 500g Glucosamine. Considering getting him the Glucosamine for his hind legs!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Durian Sunday
I got nipped by Ash today!
We were having Durian (Ash's a big fan of that, his eyes will sparkle when he sees/smell durian ), and I peeled a piece of flesh for Ash to lick... and got myself nipped on my index finger.
Haha! Could see internal blood welling inside. I totally don't want to be a squirrel being chased (and caught) by ANY dogs next lifetime. Just look at his incisors man!
After that nip, I changed my feeding method. I put them on my palm and let him lick it off. hahaha! Now as I'm blogging, that nip became a pimple-ish looking thing.
Gonna send Ash for grooming very soon! Deshed all his undercoat + hopefully groomer can remedy the horrible cut. AND...hopefully Ash will behave himself! *fingers crossed*
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Friends at Wizard of Paw
Chester
Super attention seeking French Bulldog, and he will always walk over to your side and sit down. Damn manja. In the past, I've found that I shun bulldogs because of their short snout appearance. But ever since I've met Chester, he just won my heart over.
Soooo affectionate, though if you ever visit Wizard of Paw, don't feel intimidated by his barks. He just want to get your attention. haha!
Poor boy got bitten by ants recently and didn't even scratch himself, only found out when Adam saw the red dots on his butt and body. ): MUST SAYANG when you visit!
PR manager: Chewbacca
He's a 7-8 year old Maltese that Adam adopted. If I'm not wrong, he had some heart condition which caused him to be abandoned. Tsk.
Anyway, he's super small sized but has the guts of a great dane. Greets anyone who comes through the door. But please be careful not to let him out accidentally when you're there!
One thing I know, he loves belly rubs. And will look like the above picture when you attempt to rub his belly! hehehehe!
Lastly, Jamie's pride and joy.
[It's actually a HE cat. My mistake :x]
[It's actually a HE cat. My mistake :x]
Misconception on Artic Breeds in Singapore
This article serves as an education for the general public about the common misconceptions about arctic breeds(i.e Husky, Malamute, St. Bernard, Samoyeds) kept in SG. A lot of ppl will tell u that its cruel to keep the arctic breeds in our hot n humid weather but in fact its totally untrue. Take some time to read thru this arcticle to find out why.......
[be prepared for a lot of blah, if you don't like reading, just scroll down to the red highlighted paragraph for a summary.]
This article is taken from the March, 1971 issue of "Northern Dog News"- although it first appeared in the January, 1971 issue of the Newsletter of the Samoyed Club of Colorado.
Submitted to me by Jim Baker Temperature -Adaptation in Northern Dogs Ted Greenlee.
Since we left the Pacific Northwest and moved to Florida with our Samoyeds, I have frequently been asked how they tolerated the heat in this climate. The question usually produced my "five minute lecture" on Northern Dogs in the South. When I repeated this just of this lecture to Doris and Harold McLaughlin recently, they requested that I write a short paper discussing how Northern dogs adapt to varying temperatures.
This discussion actually revolves around at least two scientific works on the ability of arctic animals - seals, whales and Northern dogs among others - to stand exceedingly low temperatures, and on the methods of heat exchange in dogs. I was specifically asked to write this discussion in lay terms "as I spoke them". Since most of my writing activities are related to writing for scientific literature, I find this a very difficult task, but I shall make an attempt. In general, in attempting to discuss work of a scientific nature in lay terms one either talks over the heads of some readers or beneath the knowledge of others and never quite finds the individual who has exactly the right amount of information as you write the article.
To begin with, I would like to review a little basic information in relation to temperature control that I am sure most people have been exposed to at some time. The main consideration is that the dog, similar to man, will not tolerate significant variation of his body temperature. Also, most of the reactions taking place in the body, energy producing reactions much like the reactions in an automobile engine, produce heat. In temperate climates, where the outside
temperature is fairly close to body temperature, the primary concern for the animal is to get rid of the excess heat produced. In the case of the automobile, one circulates water through the engine and then passes it through a radiator that has a relatively high degree of efficiency at transferring the heat from the water to, in this case, the air. In general, this is not a terribly efficient method, though it is adequate in the case of the automobile. In the case of man, the radiator, for all practical purposes, is his exposed skin.
In order to enhance the loss of heat, man uses the simple principle of evaporation. In general, the amount of heat loss by the evaporation of a certain volume of water from the skin is some five-hundred and forty times greater than the raising of the same amount of water one degree in temperature. This principle of evaporation is very important in many cooling systems and particularly in the cooling of the body.
If, however, the major problem ceases to be that of getting rid of excess heat, but rather maintaining what heat is produced in the chemical reactions in the body, one has to look to different techniques.
In general, this only becomes necessary if an animal is forced to live in a climate where the temperature is much, much lower than body temperature. This, of course, is the case of the Northern dog. The best way to conserve heat is the well-known method of insulation. The arctics dog's coat is so constructed that it is a very efficient insulator. Therefore, little of the heat produced by the body is lost by means of contact with the outside air through the skin. This, of course, is very good in the winter; but fortunately, Arctic areas in summer can reach very high temperatures, somewhere in the 70's and 80's or even higher for short periods of time. So, therefore, the animal must also be able to adapt to this increase in temperature. It so happens that the insulation principle is still of use to the animal. If one lives in warmer climates, it is much easier to air-condition a well insulated home than it is to air-condition one that is not insulated. In the case of the animal, the only requirement is that there be some relatively efficient mechanism that the animal can turn on to dissipate his own heat.
With a well-insulated body, he will be very little effected by the outside temperature once this mechanism is established. The animal then can maintain his body temperature with changes in outside temperature.
Animals that have not adapted this type of mechanism, that is an insulated mechanism, not only will be susceptible to cold, but will also be very susceptible to an abnormal increase in the outside temperature as compared with what he is used to. Therefore, the Northern dog in southern climates will do as well or better in excessive heat that the short-haired dog who is very susceptible to heat stroke.
I would now like to discuss two mechanisms of heat control, one which is utilized specifically in the case of Northern animals, and one which is utilized by dogs in general.
I would first like to discuss the problems of severe cold and how the animal protects his body temperature in addition to his insulation.
It is not possible to totally insulate the dog and in general, the areas not adequately insulated are the areas that are in contact with his snowy world. Those areas are, of course, his feet and legs. Problems of the feet and legs, or in the case of man, the hands and feet, are frequently noted in cold exposure. Man, who is not well insulated, to protect his body temperature and vital organs, will literally shut off blood supply to the feet and hands.
When one goes out in the cold and is not properly dressed, one's feet and hands become extremely cold and frostbite or freezing of the fingers and toes is a common occurrence. If this process was followed in the case of a dog in his 60 to 70 degree below zero weather, he would of course be in very bad straits. Therefore, instead of stopping the blood supply to the extremeties so the blood does not become chilled, what occurs is that the warm, oxygen carrying arterial blood going into the limb runs right next to the cold, unoxygenated blood leaving the limb. Since they are right next to each other, the warm blood gives up its heat to the cold blood, preventing the loss of this heat as it gets down to the exposed part of the dog's foot. The oxygenated blood can get to the vital parts of the foot to maintain their nutrition, but at the same time does not allow a loss of body heat to the cold air.
The ability of the animal's foot and lower leg to live at very low temperatures requires addition adaptation of the tissue, some of which is not well understood. There is one example though that is well understood and noted, and that is the difference in the melting (or freezing, Ed.) temperature of the fat associated with the foot and leg as compared to the melting temperature of body fat. The best example of this noted in the case of neatsfoot oil which is the fat from the foot of a cow as compared to the tallow which is the fat from the body of the cow. As you remember, neatsfoot oil is a liquid at normal room
temperature, whereas tallow is solid. Therefore, the fat is adapted in the foot of the animal to keep it from becoming solid at these low temperatures and becoming brittle and breaking. I am sure there are other changes in the cells in the tissues of these parts which allow them to tolerate this lower temperature and still function for the animal, but the heat exchange mechanism between the arterial and venous blood in the limbs of cold adapted animals is absolutely essential to their survival.
It is possible that a reverse heat exchange takes place in hotter weather. In this instance, blood going to the feet would pick up excess heat in the blood leaving the feet and carry it away from the body, thus preventing a dangerous increase in the animal's body temperature.
I doubt, however, if this reverse mechanism plays as important a part in the loss of body heat during hot weather as the heat exchange mechanism does in the protection of the animal in the cold.
Now, since the total animal is covered with an insulated coating, perspiring for the loss of heat through the large area of the skin of the body as in man is not practical. Therefore, the animal must have another means of heat loss. Anyone who has dealt with dogs knows that the dog pants when he is hot.
It is his panting mechanism that allows the dog to lose heat he does not need when the weather is hot. The mechanism functions on the principle of evaporation.
As I have said before, evaporation is extremely effective because you can lose almost five-hundred and forty times as much heat without changing the temperature of the air at all. This evaporation takes place in the dog's nose and is enhanced by the fact that there are many folds of tissue in the nose which increase the surface area that the air is in contact with. In addition, this tissue actually perspires and has a large blood supply, thereby acting muchlike the radiator in the car.
This makes a good mechanism of heat loss, but one needs some way in which to shut it off when one does not want to lose heat. Since the animal must breathe and must take in a pretty constant volume of air at all times, because varying this volume of air would interfere with other bodily functions, people have often been concerned as to how this is controlled.
A recent study, just published, has looked into this problem and has come to this conclusion. The air is brought in through the dog's nose and in the case of panting is exhaled through the mouth. In doing this, the air picks up much moisture and heat from the nose, this cooling the nose and drying it.
When it is exhaled, it is exhaled through the mouth and since there is much less blood supply to the area around the mouth and the surface area is much less, almost all of the moisture is absorbed and the heat will leave the dog's mouth and be lost. When the dog does not wish to lose body heat, he simply exhales the air that he has brought in through the nose back out the nose, in which case a great proportion of the moisture and heat will be returned to the large surface area and the membranes in the nose thus minimizing the loss of heat. Therefore, when an animal is hot, the hotter the animal is the more of the air he brings in through his nose will be exhaled through the mouth, thus the wide open, tongue out position.
If he does not wish to lose heat when it is cold out, he will breathe in and out through his nose and keep his mouth closed. The provides a quite sensitive means of temperature control, particularly in the case of the animal who has other means of protecting himself from the cold and from the outside temperature as do the long-haired Northern breeds. The animal, therefore, in general has developed enough capacity of heat loss through his panting mechanism to compensate for the very wide swings in temperature.
In the case of man, the removal of clothing during hot weather increases the ability to lose heat by evaporation of moisture. The dog does not have this ability and therefore his insulation is a protection to him during hot weather. If the animal loses his insulation during very hot weather, by having his coat clipped for instance, he runs the risk of not being able to maintain his body temperature. His skin temperature loss probably is not only inefficient but, since he does not prespire, he will probably increase the temperature of his skin and his body temperature as well.
Anything that would interfere with a dog's ability to pant efficiently can also be a great danger to him in hot weather. It is not uncommon to hear of animals who have died of heat stroke after having been given an anesthetic for some minor surgical procedure and then left in a hot car.
If the animal is not wide awake or has had an anesthetic, he is not able to compensate for the increased temperature by increased panting.
The animal locked in a hot car does not have the ability to open the window as do people and is, of course, very susceptible to heat stroke and death. The dogs in our experience that are most susceptible to hot weather and to sickness from heat are those that have a poor panting mechanism, i.e., the short-nosed dogs such as bulldogs, Pugs, etc.
They are extremely susceptible to high temperature and tolerate Southern climates such as ours very poorly unless they are kept in an air-conditioned house.
[be prepared for a lot of blah, if you don't like reading, just scroll down to the red highlighted paragraph for a summary.]
This article is taken from the March, 1971 issue of "Northern Dog News"- although it first appeared in the January, 1971 issue of the Newsletter of the Samoyed Club of Colorado.
Submitted to me by Jim Baker Temperature -Adaptation in Northern Dogs Ted Greenlee.
Since we left the Pacific Northwest and moved to Florida with our Samoyeds, I have frequently been asked how they tolerated the heat in this climate. The question usually produced my "five minute lecture" on Northern Dogs in the South. When I repeated this just of this lecture to Doris and Harold McLaughlin recently, they requested that I write a short paper discussing how Northern dogs adapt to varying temperatures.
This discussion actually revolves around at least two scientific works on the ability of arctic animals - seals, whales and Northern dogs among others - to stand exceedingly low temperatures, and on the methods of heat exchange in dogs. I was specifically asked to write this discussion in lay terms "as I spoke them". Since most of my writing activities are related to writing for scientific literature, I find this a very difficult task, but I shall make an attempt. In general, in attempting to discuss work of a scientific nature in lay terms one either talks over the heads of some readers or beneath the knowledge of others and never quite finds the individual who has exactly the right amount of information as you write the article.
To begin with, I would like to review a little basic information in relation to temperature control that I am sure most people have been exposed to at some time. The main consideration is that the dog, similar to man, will not tolerate significant variation of his body temperature. Also, most of the reactions taking place in the body, energy producing reactions much like the reactions in an automobile engine, produce heat. In temperate climates, where the outside
temperature is fairly close to body temperature, the primary concern for the animal is to get rid of the excess heat produced. In the case of the automobile, one circulates water through the engine and then passes it through a radiator that has a relatively high degree of efficiency at transferring the heat from the water to, in this case, the air. In general, this is not a terribly efficient method, though it is adequate in the case of the automobile. In the case of man, the radiator, for all practical purposes, is his exposed skin.
In order to enhance the loss of heat, man uses the simple principle of evaporation. In general, the amount of heat loss by the evaporation of a certain volume of water from the skin is some five-hundred and forty times greater than the raising of the same amount of water one degree in temperature. This principle of evaporation is very important in many cooling systems and particularly in the cooling of the body.
If, however, the major problem ceases to be that of getting rid of excess heat, but rather maintaining what heat is produced in the chemical reactions in the body, one has to look to different techniques.
In general, this only becomes necessary if an animal is forced to live in a climate where the temperature is much, much lower than body temperature. This, of course, is the case of the Northern dog. The best way to conserve heat is the well-known method of insulation. The arctics dog's coat is so constructed that it is a very efficient insulator. Therefore, little of the heat produced by the body is lost by means of contact with the outside air through the skin. This, of course, is very good in the winter; but fortunately, Arctic areas in summer can reach very high temperatures, somewhere in the 70's and 80's or even higher for short periods of time. So, therefore, the animal must also be able to adapt to this increase in temperature. It so happens that the insulation principle is still of use to the animal. If one lives in warmer climates, it is much easier to air-condition a well insulated home than it is to air-condition one that is not insulated. In the case of the animal, the only requirement is that there be some relatively efficient mechanism that the animal can turn on to dissipate his own heat.
With a well-insulated body, he will be very little effected by the outside temperature once this mechanism is established. The animal then can maintain his body temperature with changes in outside temperature.
Animals that have not adapted this type of mechanism, that is an insulated mechanism, not only will be susceptible to cold, but will also be very susceptible to an abnormal increase in the outside temperature as compared with what he is used to. Therefore, the Northern dog in southern climates will do as well or better in excessive heat that the short-haired dog who is very susceptible to heat stroke.
I would now like to discuss two mechanisms of heat control, one which is utilized specifically in the case of Northern animals, and one which is utilized by dogs in general.
I would first like to discuss the problems of severe cold and how the animal protects his body temperature in addition to his insulation.
It is not possible to totally insulate the dog and in general, the areas not adequately insulated are the areas that are in contact with his snowy world. Those areas are, of course, his feet and legs. Problems of the feet and legs, or in the case of man, the hands and feet, are frequently noted in cold exposure. Man, who is not well insulated, to protect his body temperature and vital organs, will literally shut off blood supply to the feet and hands.
When one goes out in the cold and is not properly dressed, one's feet and hands become extremely cold and frostbite or freezing of the fingers and toes is a common occurrence. If this process was followed in the case of a dog in his 60 to 70 degree below zero weather, he would of course be in very bad straits. Therefore, instead of stopping the blood supply to the extremeties so the blood does not become chilled, what occurs is that the warm, oxygen carrying arterial blood going into the limb runs right next to the cold, unoxygenated blood leaving the limb. Since they are right next to each other, the warm blood gives up its heat to the cold blood, preventing the loss of this heat as it gets down to the exposed part of the dog's foot. The oxygenated blood can get to the vital parts of the foot to maintain their nutrition, but at the same time does not allow a loss of body heat to the cold air.
The ability of the animal's foot and lower leg to live at very low temperatures requires addition adaptation of the tissue, some of which is not well understood. There is one example though that is well understood and noted, and that is the difference in the melting (or freezing, Ed.) temperature of the fat associated with the foot and leg as compared to the melting temperature of body fat. The best example of this noted in the case of neatsfoot oil which is the fat from the foot of a cow as compared to the tallow which is the fat from the body of the cow. As you remember, neatsfoot oil is a liquid at normal room
temperature, whereas tallow is solid. Therefore, the fat is adapted in the foot of the animal to keep it from becoming solid at these low temperatures and becoming brittle and breaking. I am sure there are other changes in the cells in the tissues of these parts which allow them to tolerate this lower temperature and still function for the animal, but the heat exchange mechanism between the arterial and venous blood in the limbs of cold adapted animals is absolutely essential to their survival.
It is possible that a reverse heat exchange takes place in hotter weather. In this instance, blood going to the feet would pick up excess heat in the blood leaving the feet and carry it away from the body, thus preventing a dangerous increase in the animal's body temperature.
I doubt, however, if this reverse mechanism plays as important a part in the loss of body heat during hot weather as the heat exchange mechanism does in the protection of the animal in the cold.
Now, since the total animal is covered with an insulated coating, perspiring for the loss of heat through the large area of the skin of the body as in man is not practical. Therefore, the animal must have another means of heat loss. Anyone who has dealt with dogs knows that the dog pants when he is hot.
It is his panting mechanism that allows the dog to lose heat he does not need when the weather is hot. The mechanism functions on the principle of evaporation.
As I have said before, evaporation is extremely effective because you can lose almost five-hundred and forty times as much heat without changing the temperature of the air at all. This evaporation takes place in the dog's nose and is enhanced by the fact that there are many folds of tissue in the nose which increase the surface area that the air is in contact with. In addition, this tissue actually perspires and has a large blood supply, thereby acting muchlike the radiator in the car.
This makes a good mechanism of heat loss, but one needs some way in which to shut it off when one does not want to lose heat. Since the animal must breathe and must take in a pretty constant volume of air at all times, because varying this volume of air would interfere with other bodily functions, people have often been concerned as to how this is controlled.
A recent study, just published, has looked into this problem and has come to this conclusion. The air is brought in through the dog's nose and in the case of panting is exhaled through the mouth. In doing this, the air picks up much moisture and heat from the nose, this cooling the nose and drying it.
When it is exhaled, it is exhaled through the mouth and since there is much less blood supply to the area around the mouth and the surface area is much less, almost all of the moisture is absorbed and the heat will leave the dog's mouth and be lost. When the dog does not wish to lose body heat, he simply exhales the air that he has brought in through the nose back out the nose, in which case a great proportion of the moisture and heat will be returned to the large surface area and the membranes in the nose thus minimizing the loss of heat. Therefore, when an animal is hot, the hotter the animal is the more of the air he brings in through his nose will be exhaled through the mouth, thus the wide open, tongue out position.
If he does not wish to lose heat when it is cold out, he will breathe in and out through his nose and keep his mouth closed. The provides a quite sensitive means of temperature control, particularly in the case of the animal who has other means of protecting himself from the cold and from the outside temperature as do the long-haired Northern breeds. The animal, therefore, in general has developed enough capacity of heat loss through his panting mechanism to compensate for the very wide swings in temperature.
In the case of man, the removal of clothing during hot weather increases the ability to lose heat by evaporation of moisture. The dog does not have this ability and therefore his insulation is a protection to him during hot weather. If the animal loses his insulation during very hot weather, by having his coat clipped for instance, he runs the risk of not being able to maintain his body temperature. His skin temperature loss probably is not only inefficient but, since he does not prespire, he will probably increase the temperature of his skin and his body temperature as well.
Anything that would interfere with a dog's ability to pant efficiently can also be a great danger to him in hot weather. It is not uncommon to hear of animals who have died of heat stroke after having been given an anesthetic for some minor surgical procedure and then left in a hot car.
If the animal is not wide awake or has had an anesthetic, he is not able to compensate for the increased temperature by increased panting.
The animal locked in a hot car does not have the ability to open the window as do people and is, of course, very susceptible to heat stroke and death. The dogs in our experience that are most susceptible to hot weather and to sickness from heat are those that have a poor panting mechanism, i.e., the short-nosed dogs such as bulldogs, Pugs, etc.
They are extremely susceptible to high temperature and tolerate Southern climates such as ours very poorly unless they are kept in an air-conditioned house.
I think the important point to remember in relation to Arctic breed, is that these breeds were able to survive in the Arctic not only because they could tolerate cold but because more precisely, they could tolerate extremely wide swings of temperature in relation to their body temperature. Therefore, they are also, it appears, better adapted for severely high temperatures. The animal that was selected by living in a temperate climate, that is, one in which the temperature stayed very close to the animal's body temperature throughout the year, is not only going to be very susceptible to cold weather, but also is going to be more susceptible to severely hot weather which is well over the dog's body temperature.
The final point I'd like to make to in my "Five Minute Lecture" on Northern Dogs in the South is that the Arctic breeds are probably the best heat adaptable dogs one could find, so therefore, I would not be fearful of their presence in a hot climate. However, I might add, there are other problems associated with hot climates such as increase parasites and skin problems that do cause the long-haired Northern dogs to have greater problems than do some of the short-haired breeds.
The final point I'd like to make to in my "Five Minute Lecture" on Northern Dogs in the South is that the Arctic breeds are probably the best heat adaptable dogs one could find, so therefore, I would not be fearful of their presence in a hot climate. However, I might add, there are other problems associated with hot climates such as increase parasites and skin problems that do cause the long-haired Northern dogs to have greater problems than do some of the short-haired breeds.
SAY NO to Puppy Mills.
It's not the first time I've heard of puppy mills. But I'm sure being human, when we're at the pet store, we would tell ourselves, " Cannot be la, cannot be from puppy mills one, they look so cute." But the truth is, how do you know?
An AKC cert doesn't prove anything. They will say, and it's true, that their puppies are AKC certified, he has papers. But the thing is, 'SO?' It doesn't mean anything! It doesn't guarantee that the puppy in your hands are not from puppy mills! It just mean that the suspected puppy mills paid AKC top dollars for that cert.
I get very agitated at ignorant people who insist on BUYING puppies after I explained to them about puppy mills and suggested that they adopt. And their reason is, " I want to watch the cute puppy grow up. "
For people who are not sure about Puppy Mills, it's normally a huge warehouse where they 'produce' puppies like commercial products. The dogs are never socialised, no veterinarian care, limited space and food, and their sole purpose in life is to give birth to puppies. When it comes to the time where they can no longer do so, they will be killed, and who knows if it's even a humane method like animal euthanasia or ....
Those people don't care about the diseases, as long as the bitch can still produce puppies for them to earn profits.
Puppies inherit much of their parent's genetic condition, health problems, temperament problems.
Lucky ones are in heaven at birth, some go shortly after, and the unlucky ones live with all the health problems for the rest of their lives. Some genetic problems can be solved with money and kind owners, some are fatal.
For more reading on Puppy Mills:
http://yovia.com/blogs/stoppuppymills/
http://milwaukeepetstoreprotest.webs.com/information.htm
http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/puppy_mill_like_204219.html (for suspected SG puppy mill thread)
More often than not, you will be able to find the breed that you want up for rehoming in forums, shelters. I've seen breeds like huskies, golden retrievers, and german shepards frequently in the shelters. And even if they are not purebreeds, it's fine. I've seen many adorable and affectionate mongrels in shelters who are more than happy to share their life with you.
If you need more info just drop me a comment, I'm always willing to share what information I have.
An AKC cert doesn't prove anything. They will say, and it's true, that their puppies are AKC certified, he has papers. But the thing is, 'SO?' It doesn't mean anything! It doesn't guarantee that the puppy in your hands are not from puppy mills! It just mean that the suspected puppy mills paid AKC top dollars for that cert.
I get very agitated at ignorant people who insist on BUYING puppies after I explained to them about puppy mills and suggested that they adopt. And their reason is, " I want to watch the cute puppy grow up. "
Think your puppy is cute? Did his/her mum look like this?
[http://yovia.com/blogs/stoppuppymills/]
They are never cared for, even if they are down with diseases.
[http://yovia.com/blogs/stoppuppymills/]
Those people don't care about the diseases, as long as the bitch can still produce puppies for them to earn profits.
Puppies inherit much of their parent's genetic condition, health problems, temperament problems.
Lucky ones are in heaven at birth, some go shortly after, and the unlucky ones live with all the health problems for the rest of their lives. Some genetic problems can be solved with money and kind owners, some are fatal.
For more reading on Puppy Mills:
http://yovia.com/blogs/stoppuppymills/
http://milwaukeepetstoreprotest.webs.com/information.htm
http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/puppy_mill_like_204219.html (for suspected SG puppy mill thread)
Lastly, THE TRUTH:
People, please adopt.
More often than not, you will be able to find the breed that you want up for rehoming in forums, shelters. I've seen breeds like huskies, golden retrievers, and german shepards frequently in the shelters. And even if they are not purebreeds, it's fine. I've seen many adorable and affectionate mongrels in shelters who are more than happy to share their life with you.
If you need more info just drop me a comment, I'm always willing to share what information I have.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The adorable lamb
Awwwwwww! Ashy is just too cute at times! Don't you agree!?!?!
Today Ash let me massage his two front paws.
In the past, the scenario was:
Me/Cal: *grabs paw*
Ash: *flick paw back and hides it underneath body*
-repeat for the other paw-
He actually allowed me hold on to both his front paw and massage them! :3
Weeehehehehehheeh!
And his hind leg is recovering faster this week after giving him glucosamine supplement treats (NutriVet). But he still limps after the exercise though he's better after 2 days, in comparison to the last time which was 3 -4 days before he got his energy back. :D
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Beach Weekend!
Went home after a few hours cus it looked like its gonna rain.
Well, that's it for today folks. Ash is off sleeping and resting his tired body, likewise for Calvin. Hahah!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
I may have to change Ash's blog title to Ash-the-Malamute (again).
Hahahaha! Adam from Wizard of Paws delivered Ash's food over and got to meet Ash for the first time! No pics of the first meeting cus I wasn't around, but it's alright...
Because I'm planning to send Ash for grooming there next month. So there'll be 2nd meetings, and cus they are such awesome people (as providing service and as a friend), I'm sure there'll be 3rd, 4th, and many times la! hahaha!
(and hopefully their groomer can help me determine he's a malamute / husky )
Canned food for Beach trip tomorrow!
New Zealand Brushtail. Squirrels. hmm... I shouldn't think so much.
Hahahaha! Adam from Wizard of Paws delivered Ash's food over and got to meet Ash for the first time! No pics of the first meeting cus I wasn't around, but it's alright...
Because I'm planning to send Ash for grooming there next month. So there'll be 2nd meetings, and cus they are such awesome people (as providing service and as a friend), I'm sure there'll be 3rd, 4th, and many times la! hahaha!
(and hopefully their groomer can help me determine he's a malamute / husky )
Canned food for Beach trip tomorrow!
New Zealand Brushtail. Squirrels. hmm... I shouldn't think so much.
Monday, April 12, 2010
To the Beach!
We bought canned food in preparation for our beach trip with Ash today!
Ash looks kind of -_- in this pic, I think he's giving me the eye cos I keep taking pictures of him. hahaha!
After an extremely long walk to the beach...
We are there! (FINALLY!)
Didn't let Ash into the water as the coastline is quite unstable during high tide.
Hahah! But he enjoyed himself with the cooling wind... food... and company!
That's Ash looking all high and mighty here after his filling dinner.
Ahhhhh~ super long walk through nature. (:
And I'm so happy to see Ash's satisfied and smiley face.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Vet Day
Ash eyes have been looking really red ):
And we have not brought him for a vet visit since Cal adopted him. So, I scheduled an appointment on Friday (no work on good friday! yay!) at Companion Animal Surgery.
And we have not brought him for a vet visit since Cal adopted him. So, I scheduled an appointment on Friday (no work on good friday! yay!) at Companion Animal Surgery.
On the way there...
Ash refuse to leave Calvin's face.
Ash refuse to leave Calvin's face.
Gave me a kiss when I asked for it tho.
Ash sitting straight on the back seat! Taller than me!
Vet said that Ash has skin sensitivity, and his left hing leg is less muscular, which after physical check-up, he inferred that, that particular limb has some problem. The ligaments which holds the joints together is torn, that's why its a lot less muscular than the other hind leg (from what I understood).
The only way to cure this once and for all is surgery because it's not a new injury and has been that way for quite awhile for the other hind leg to be so much more muscular. But of course there's risk to every surgery due to anesthesia, therefore Cal and I decided not to go for it unless absolute necessary.
We also did a heartworm check for him, negative. So we had him under 2 vaccines. Heartworm and another one.
The heartworm prevention has 2 types, the pills which has to be administered monthly, or the jab, which is yearly by the vet. We opted for the jab, and the needle was bigger! Was worried Ash might struggle, but surprisingly he's good with jabs.
Vet explained why Ash eyes were red. It was due to dandruff, from the top of his head which dropped into his eyes and caused irritation; also because of his skin sensitivity (which is common for many dogs in Singapore weather). So Ash has vitamins to eat, which taste like meat and has Omega 3 / 6 which is good for him! (:
Bill came up to 300+ plus drugs and vitamins for Ash. Haha! Cal shared half with me.
Meanwhile, Ash has to be at home ): No walks for 2 weeks due to vaccine / weakened immune system.
And I shall end of with a short video of Ash in the car enjoying the wind. (:
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