The ASPCA offers these tips on emergency preparedness:

Disaster Alert: Protect Yourself & Your Pets

The ASPCA offers these tips on emergency preparedness:

• If you receive storm warnings, bring your pets inside and make sure they have plenty of food and water;
  
• Arrange a safe haven for your pets in the event of evacuation—do NOT leave your pets behind. Many disaster shelters cannot accept pets because of health and safety regulations, so it is vital to determine where your pets can stay ahead of time;
  
• Keep emergency pet supplies, an ASPCA “Pet Grab ’N Go Bag” (one for each pet), and travel kits handy and make sure everyone in the family knows where they are kept;
  
• Get a “Rescue Alert” sticker, which is visible to rescue workers and includes vital information about your pets and veterinarian;
  
• Choose a designated caregiver who can take care of your pet in the event you are unable.

For a detailed list of emergency and evacuation preparedness suggestions, please visit www.aspca.org/pets_emergency.

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Iowa rescuers save animals from flooded homes

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Luck runs out for pigs caught in flood

Luck ran out for about a dozen pigs that escaped their flooded farm, swam through raging floodwaters and scrambled atop a sandbag levee in southeastern Iowa. Des Moines County sheriff's officials shot the pigs, saying they were worried the pigs would weaken the levee.
"Basically you cannot have something with a hoof walk on plastic and not poke a hole in the plastic and let water into it," said LeRoy Lippert, chairman of the county emergency management commission. "Hogs, they have a tendency to root and that would not have been good either."

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Tips on Selecting a Travel ContainerTips on Selecting a Travel Container

Tips on Selecting a Travel Container for your pet:

• Look for one that is put together securely, i.e, locking bolts
• Look for metal doors instead of plastic (pets can either chew through or bend/buckle plastic doors
• The strongest doors have 4 metal rods that fasten the door to the container
• Ensure lock mechanism is strong and effective
• No wheels -- most if not all airlines will not accept a container with wheels
• Air lines do not certify containers. The statement "air line accepted" is misleading.
• Look for the strength of the container overall. Does it appear flimsy? Does it look like the bolts holding the container together can become loose easily? Does the door appear strong enough to hold you pet?

Acclimate:

Be sure to "acclimate" your pet to the kennel it will be traveling in. Let it spend varying lengths of time in the kennel several days before travel so that it is familar with it. Some pets are stressed severely by being placed in a strange cage. Also, you may wish to put some article of clothing that you have worn into the kennel during transportation. This may help calm the pet. An old T-shirt that you have slept in for one or more nights will work well.

Sedation:

Sedation of your pet is not generally recommended for air travel. The pets safety is at risk. Please refer to a statement from the American Veterinary Medial Association (AVMA)

Travel Abroad:

Always check with the country your pet is going to. Each country has their own set of rules, some simple, some complex. Please Go to this page: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ncie/iregs/animals/

Don't Forget:

Many Animal Welfare Organizations have information on pet travel on their websites. It is easy to find these organizations through a web search on such words as "pet travel" etc.

USDA

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DogAge Helps You Make Informed Dog Health Care Choices

Just as RealAge motivates people to make healthy lifestyle choices for themselves, DogAge motivates dog owners to make healthy choices for their dogs. DogAge is the biological age of your dog, measured in people years. Based on breed, weight, lifestyle, and behavior, the DogAge Test (originally named the Dog Age™ test) measures whether your dog is younger or older than the average dog of the same breed.


How young is your dog? Take the free DogAge Test!

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Oatmeal - Wheat Germ Dog Cookies

3 c Whole wheat or rye flour
3 c Uncooked oatmeal
1/2 c Plain wheat germ
6 tb Margarine
1/4 c Molasses
1 c Evaporated milk
1 c Water

Mix together the first 3 ingredients. Add in the last 4 ingredients stirring constantly. When dough becomes stiff chill for a half hour. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Flatten, place on greased cookie sheet, and bake for 1 hour at 300F.

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Stuff to Blog About: In the News June 15th 2008

Stuff to Blog About: In the News June 15th 2008: A street-sweeping truck roaring down a Bronx street sucked up a dog and killed her as her owner held the leash.

Ginger, center, a Boston terrier, was killed by a street-sweeping truck in the Bronx .

The owner said he had just finished walking his two Boston terriers and was about to put them into his car when the truck appeared . The retired transit worker said he was suddenly whipped around and saw one of the dogs, Ginger, being swallowed by the sweeper's round bristles.

"I went berserk at that moment because I couldn't believe what had occurred,"

He yelled at the driver to stop, but the truck kept going. He and friends chased the truck for 2 ½ blocks before catching up with it. Ginger's slight body was later pulled from the sweeper.

The city Department of Sanitation called the death "a rare and unfortunate accident."

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