Thanks to Dogster Lena Malik for barking in about this great cause and Angel Mica’s Crusade to Beat this terrrible disease.

Dear Joy

I am hoping you could read my friend Angel Mica’s latest diary entry in regards to IMHA (immune-mediated hemolytic anemia)

I have lost close dogster pals to this disease and have other good pup pals who currently battle this infliction.

Mica’s family honors her memory with their dedication and hope to raise awareness in others and someday find a cure.

Thank you! sincerely, Lena Malik

Here’s Angel Mica’s post:

hi mates.
many of you have heard i advocate for and am seeking a cure & prevention of a disease that took me, and way, way too many even since i earned my wings by IMHA (immune-mediated hemolytic anemia).

a very kind GSD tried to help us last fall- we raced for pals & corrals. he lost a k9 officer pal to IMHA and believes in our quest for a cure. this ONE dog is doing the kind-hearted thing that the rest of you can help with, simply with a click.

Read the rest of this entry »

This news makes me soooo want to visit Brisbane! Any place that has a mayor like this one must be filled with great people and pups!

If anyone knows how we can send well wishes to the Lord Mayor and the City Council please bark it in!

Thanks to ABC Brisbane for this good news.

Labor councillor slams university experiments on pound dogs

The Brisbane City Council is awaiting a report into the use of live dogs in veterinary research.

Read the rest of this entry »

Isn’t it time that Melbourne University join the rest of the civilized world and STOP using dogs for surgery practice?

Please be warned that this is a very upsetting article.

Thanks to LIVENEWS.com.au for this article.

Healthy dogs used for surgery training
Richard Maxton
13/04/2008

Veterinary students at Melbourne University are operating on healthy and sometimes pregnant dogs, then killing the animals.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you want the most up-to-date information on all aspects of being a dog parent? Then check out Dogster’s brand new Dog Owners Manual!

Here’s more about the Dog Owner’s Manual:

A Basic Guide to Dogs
If you’ve been looking for essential dog information online, you’ve come to the right place. Using step-by-step instructions and fun diagrams and illustrations, The Dog Owner’s Manual covers hundreds of frequently asked questions

.

Do you live in an area of North America with those pesky and dangerous plant pods known as Foxtails? If so, check out Dogster’s Vet Blog for info on Foxtail season.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, doesn’t this just blow the top off that old lie from greyhound racers that they care about their dogs!

So let’s talk about greyhound racing. Isn’t it time civilized countries (like Britain and the US) get over it? Yes, greyhounds are gorgeous when they run but as any greyhound rescuer can tell you, the dogs have much more fun racing off track in weekend events where the track is a field and no money rides on their backs.

What’s the difference between puppy mills and these greyhound breeders that sell their dogs for any purpose whatsoever? Nothing?

Notice that this race miller used to be a pig breeder? With his level of concern for dogs I wouldn’t be surprized if he sold dogs for food to Asian countries that still allow that horrendous culinary practice.

Thanks to the Times Online for this article.

Greyhound breeder offers slow dogs to be killed for research
Daniel Foggo

The largest breeder of greyhounds in Britain is offering to sell healthy young dogs to be killed and dissected for research, an investigation has found.

Read the rest of this entry »

How cool is this! Not only do dogs teach children how to be better people; they actually reduce allergies too!

Thanks to The Register for this article.

Dogs reduce allergies in kids
The benefit of mutts as pets
By Lester Haines
Published Tuesday 29th April 2008

German researchers have apparently confirmed that keeping a dog as a family pet will reduce the chance that kids will develop allergies - a finding which backs a theory that having a mutt about the house “trains the immune system to be less sensitive to potential triggers for allergies like asthma, eczema and hay fever”.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to all of you who barked in this article from ConsumerAffairs.com. Are we on the verge of another recall?

String of Illnesses Afflicts NUTRO-Fed Pets
Company insists its food is ‘100% safe’

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com
April 18, 2008

A worrisome health trend among dogs and cats across the country has surfaced in the past few months. Scores of pets from California to South Carolina have experienced sudden and recurring bouts of diarrhea, vomiting, and other digestive problems.

Through an examination of reports submitted by readers, ConsumerAffairs.com has uncovered a common link among these pets: They all ate the same brand of food: NUTRO pet food.

In all of the cases we’ve examined, the animals’ conditions improved once their owners switched them to another brand of food.

Read the rest of this entry »

I am so glad to be able to share this list with you. I have been looking for a list of Chinese-made drugs. While this list is ostensibly published for humans, many of the drugs on this list are also prescribed for our furbabies.

Knowledge is power and knowing which drugs are Chinese-made gives us the power to look for other options and, at the least, be aware that we MUST pay closer attention to our dogs, cats and ourselves in case of dangerous side-effects caused by tainted products.

Even if your furbabies are not taking any drugs at this time, please take a close look at this list for drugs you or your human family members may be taking. For example, penicillin is on this list. How many of us get penicillin without ever being aware that it comes from a country KNOWN for poisoning their own people and other people around the world with tainted products?

Then there are other drugs like tamoxifen which is given to women fighting breast cancer. These women already have lowered immune systems. How many of these women have suffered and even died from tainted tamoxifen? Hopefully none but since its coming out of China and NO ONE seems to be testing it, how do we know for sure?

Please be aware that I am NOT saying don’t take a needed drug. What I am saying is that we MUST limit the import of potentially deadly drugs until we can effectively oversee their safety and efficacy.

And why are these drugs made in China? It’s NOT because the Chinese are known for their superior technologies or safety records. It’s because some pharmaceutical executives have placed their bonuses and corporate well-being above that of the humans and other species who trust them and depend on them for life-enhancing or life-saving drugs!

Please share this post with your friends and relatives. The more who know about these drugs, the better.

Thanks to KMOV.com for putting together and sharing this list of Chinese-made drugs.

Read the rest of this entry »

But remember, its not just pollutants that can damage our furbabies; things like lawn products can hurt them too. Who spends the most time rolling around on those artificially green lawns with all those weed and bug killers? Dogs and cats, of course. So while pollutants are terrible things please keep in mind that we can protect our furbabies from some things.

Meanwhile, join Eddie at his blog and the Pets for the Environment to work together against the pollution killing us all.

Thanks to the Environmental Working Group for letting me know about their recent report on taxic contamination in pets. How sad!

On the other hand, Dogster Eddie is leading the way for all dogs, cats and other pets to take a stand (or sit) for the environment. I look forward to hearing more from Pets for the Environment!

Hi Joy,

I just wanted to give you a heads-up about a report EWG is releasing today on pet body burden. We tested 60 dogs and cats for 70 different toxic chemicals and found that in many cases, pets are even more contaminated than people.

Considering rising rates of cancer in dogs and rampant hyperthyroidism in cats, we think there’s cause for concern. You can see the report at the Environmental Working group site.

We’re launching a campaign to go along with the report: Pets for the Environment — the idea is to rally pet lovers to advocate for toxic chemical reform while providing tips to help us all keep our pets healthy. We’ve got a supercute spokesdog named Eddie (who’s on dogster, of course!), and supporters can even upload their own pet photos to Eddie’s Wall of Cute.

Here’s the article:

High Levels of Toxic Industrial Chemicals Contaminate Cats And Dogs
Summary and Findings

They are trying their best to warn us.

In the first study of its kind, Environmental Working Group found that American pets are polluted with even higher levels of many of the same synthetic industrial chemicals that researchers have recently found in people, including newborns.

The results show that America’s pets are serving as involuntary sentinels of the widespread chemical contamination that scientists increasingly link to a growing array of health problems across a wide range of animals—wild, domesticated and human.

Read the rest of this entry »