Diabetes in Pets. Clicks. M.L. King. Prohibition. Persian Gulf War.

For "Mammal Monday":

 

The 'Human' Disease that's Soaring in Pets

"Banfield Pet Hospital has released the results of a survey of over 2 million dogs and 450,000 cats that shows increases in certain health problems among U.S. pets, including:  Diabetes, Dental disease, and Flea infestations.

The rates of diabetes in pets are rising faster than for humans. From 2006 to 2010, diabetes rates in U.S. dogs increased by over 30 percent, and by 16 percent in cats. In humans, the rate rose 10 percent over the same four year period.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, DVM and chief medical officer for Banfield:  "We have increasing obesity in dogs and cats, just like in humans. It's no mystery how that occurs: overfeeding and lack of exercise."     Sources:  PetfoodIndustry.com April 21, 2011 .  dvm360 April 21, 2011

Dr. Becker's Comments:

"The conditions listed above are entirely preventable in the vast majority of dogs and cats.  It’s heartbreaking to know so many animals are suffering needlessly with these easily avoidable health problems, all of which can dramatically impact your pet’s quality of life.

Diabetes: Preventable!

According to the Banfield survey, obesity ranked in the top five health problems of young adult, mature adult and senior dogs in 2010. It was in the top three for cats of the same age. As almost everyone knows, obesity is the biggest risk factor for diabetes.

Other risk factors include:

Over-vaccination. Re-immunizing your pet for diseases he’s already protected against thanks to puppy or kitten shots, can over-stimulate his immune system. This can result in an immune-mediated disorder. There appears to be an autoimmune component in the development of diabetes mellitus, particularly in dogs. The number of pets with autoimmune disease has been on the increase for several years. Over-vaccinating is likely one of the primary causes of this unfortunate trend.

Lack of exercise. Your pet needs physical exertion, every day if possible, to keep her frame strong, her muscles toned, and to ward off obesity. If your dog isn’t getting from 20 to 40 minutes of aerobic activity on a regular basis, she’s just not getting enough exercise. If your companion is a kitty, work with her natural instincts and get her involved in games that encourage her instincts as a hunter.

Biologically inappropriate diet. Most U.S. pets are fed a high calorie, high carb diet. That’s despite the fact grains are a biologically inappropriate food for dogs and cats. Carbohydrates, which can add up to as much as 80 percent of the contents of many commercial pet formulas, break down into sugar. Excess sugar can result in diabetes. Your carnivorous pet should eat like a carnivore to maintain an optimum state of health.

Don’t let your precious dog or cat become another statistic of the diabetes epidemic spreading through the U.S. pet population. Avoid unnecessary vaccinations, make sure your furry pal gets plenty of exercise to maintain a fit body condition, and feed a moisture rich, species-appropriate diet containing few if any carbohydrates and no grains."

More at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/26/these-3-common-pet-diseases-are-absolutely-preventable.aspx

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Diets for Diabetic Cats

"One of the questions that diabetic cat owners ask most frequently is “what should I feed my cat?” It is an excellent question, because diet is the cornerstone of health for all cats, but especially the diabetic cat.

1) First and foremost, always choose a canned, pouched, or raw meat diet for your cat. No type, brand or variety of dry food is acceptable for any cat, but especially not for any diabetic cat!! This includes every single food that is labeled as “for diabetics” (such as Hills m/d dry, Purina DM dry and Innova Evo dry). I CANNOT emphasize this point enough. I have had several clients whose diabetic cats have been released from their dependence on insulin who subsequently relapsed because their people believed what they read on a bag of dry cat food. There is simply NO dry cat food, and there likely never will be any dry cat food that will be an appropriate food for diabetic cats!

2) Look for a food that contains little or NO cereals, vegetables or fruits of any kind. Some of the most expensive of the “wet” cat foods available today contain hideous amounts of completely unnecessary plant-derived ingredients like corn, corn flour, corn grits, corn gluten, rice, rice flour, wheat, wheat gluten, soy protein, potato, sweet potato, carrots, apples, cranberries, blueberries and similar.

These ingredients might be part of a well-balanced human diet, but they have no place in the diet of even a healthy cat, much less a cat already debilitated by the ill effects of a high-carbohydrate diet. Pet food companies put these ingredients in their canned foods because they are cheap and plentiful, and because they appeal to the pet food buyer’s mistaken ideas about what is “good food” for cats. These ingredients have no scientifically-demonstrated value for the cat; in fact these ingredients contribute unacceptable amount of carbohydrate, sugar, and fiber (gastrointestinal residue) that the cat is not equipped to handle. The use of these ingredients is solely the result of corporate profitability and marketing considerations! "

Complete Article at: http://yourdiabeticcat.com/diet.html

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Dogs... Love.... Food.

T-SHIRTS: http://talkinganimalmerch.com (all profits go to SPCA)

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What's The Right Price For Pet Food?

"Your pets are like family, but are you seriously overspending when it comes to their food? Here are some tips to consider when picking your pet’s nutrition.

Avoid Filler Foods

Early this year Petco created a new “Certified Nutrition” program that divides pet foods into three categories — essential foods, natural foods, and advanced foods. Each of these groups fulfills a different requirement: essential foods include basic fillers like wheat or corn, while natural foods contain many familiar ingredients like meat, fruits and vegetables. Advanced foods, finally, are formulated for pets with special medical needs.

According to Petco dog trainer Somers Pierre, natural food brands like Wellness, Halo or Natural Balance are the best choice because they promote health and longevity for your pet. On the other hand, they cost a little more than the basic kibble with fillers. For example, a 30-pound bag of a filler-based essential brand like Beneful costs between $26 and $35, while a natural brand like Wellness costs between $46 and $54.

Pet expert Arden Moore emphasizes nutrition: “It is vital these days that the very first ingredient is a real protein — not meat byproducts and definitely not wheat or corn,” she says. “If you get high-quality, nutritional food, you’re going to have fewer pet bills, and your pet is going to live a longer healthier life.”

You can save on natural food by purchasing a less-known brand like AvoDerm. On average, that will save you about $10 a bag."    Read the full article here: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/10/04/savings-experiment-whats-the-right-price-for-pet-food/

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What’s Better… Canned or Dry Dog Food?

"Ever wondered what’s better? A canned dog food… or a kibble? For me, it took a trip away from home and a call from the kennel attendant that finally helped me solve that riddle.

“Bailey hasn’t eaten a bite in two whole days,” she advised. ”What would you like us to do?

We had gone away for the holidays and had no choice but to leave our little guy with the vet.

And now we were worried." Read More: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/canned-or-dry-dog-food/

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Gypsy Commented on Saturday:

"I'm sorry, but I have never believed that clicking on a link will do anything but give whoever has that link the ability to get your computer information or place a cookie on your computer. Why would anyone, especially in difficult economic times, donate a cup of food or a make a donation to anything just because I click on their link. I wish their was such altruism in the world, but just don't think it's so."

My reply was:   From The Rescue Site: "How does the site work?     When you click on the purple "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button, your click is counted by our servers and you move to the Thank You page, where you will see small ads for our site sponsors. There is no charge to you; bowls of food are fully paid for by these sponsors.

100% of sponsor advertising fees goes to our charitable partners.

Every click on the purple button results in funding raised for the charitable partners who care for rescued animals. The more people who click, the more bowls of food we can fund.

Who pays for the bowls of food and care?
Site sponsors purchase small ads on the Thank You page for a certain amount of time. The Animal Rescue Site then tabulates the number of people who click during that time frame and bill the sponsor for the appropriate amount. The Animal Rescue Site divides the monies between The Fund for Animals, Petfinder Foundation, Rescue Bank, North Shore Animal League America, and GreaterGood.org. 

How do you calculate the amount of food given by visitors' clicks?
We count the number of clicks each day. The amount paid for those clicks is based on the type and structure of advertising agreement the site sponsors have with The Animal Rescue Site.

The two keys to the success of The Animal Rescue Site are site sponsors and visitors like you. The more sponsors the site has, the more funding toward food and care for rescued animals is given with each click. The more visitors who click each day, the more advertising fees we can collect and the more food and care we can fund together!   That is how your free click works."    

I have been clicking for years, and it has never caused me to have spam, and IF it does put place a cookie in your computer, it should be deleted when you do your Disk Clean, or Clear My Footprints, each day.

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On This Day:

Martin Luther King Day in United States

"Martin Luther King Day marks the anniversary of the date of birth of the influential American civil right leader of the same name. List of dates for other years

Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January. It celebrates the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., an influential American civil rights leader. He is most well-known for his campaigns to end racial segregation on public transport and for racial equality in the United States."

"The Stone Of Hope" memorial by master sculptor Lei Yixin was opened to the public in West Potomac Park, Washington DC, on August 22, 2011. ©iStockphoto.com/Camrocker

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"Martin Luther King had a "dream". Where does the realization of that dream really begin?"

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Prohibition takes effect, Jan 16, 1919:

The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes," is ratified on this day in 1919 and becomes the law of the land.

The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for total national abstinence. In December 1917, the 18th Amendment, also known as the Prohibition Amendment, was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification.

Prohibition took effect in January 1919. Nine months later, Congress passed the Volstead Act, or National Prohibition Act, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto. The Volstead Act provided for the enforcement of prohibition, including the creation of a special unit of the Treasury Department. Despite a vigorous effort by law-enforcement agencies, the Volstead Act failed to prevent the large-scale distribution of alcoholic beverages, and organized crime flourished in America. In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed and ratified, repealing prohibition."

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The Persian Gulf War begins, Jan 16, 1991:

"At midnight in Iraq, the United Nations deadline for the Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait expires, and the Pentagon prepares to commence offensive operations to forcibly eject Iraq from its five-month occupation of its oil-rich neighbor. At 4:30 p.m. EST, the first fighter aircraft were launched from Saudi Arabia and off U.S. and British aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf on bombing missions over Iraq. All evening, aircraft from the U.S.-led military coalition pounded targets in and around Baghdad as the world watched the events transpire in television footage transmitted live via satellite from Baghdad and elsewhere. At 7:00 p.m., Operation Desert Storm, the code-name for the massive U.S.-led offensive against Iraq, was formally announced at the White House.

The operation was conducted by an international coalition under the command of U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf and featured forces from 32 nations, including Britain, Egypt, France, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. During the next six weeks, the allied force engaged in a massive air war against Iraq's military and civil infrastructure, and encountered little effective resistance from the Iraqi air force or air defenses. Iraqi ground forces were helpless during this stage of the war, and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's only significant retaliatory measure was the launching of SCUD missile attacks against Israel and Saudi Arabia. Saddam hoped that the missile attacks would provoke Israel to enter the conflict, thus dissolving Arab support of the war. At the request of the United States, however, Israel remained out of the war.

On February 24, a massive coalition ground offensive began, and Iraq's outdated and poorly supplied armed forces were rapidly overwhelmed. Kuwait was liberated in less than four days, and a majority of Iraq's armed forces surrendered, retreated into Iraq, or were destroyed. On February 28, President George H.W. Bush declared a cease-fire, and Iraq pledged to honor future coalition and U.N. peace terms. One hundred and twenty-five American soldiers were killed in the Persian Gulf War, with another 21 regarded as missing in action.

On March 20, 2003, a second war between Iraq and a U.S.-led coalition began, this time with the stated U.S. objective of removing Saddam Hussein from power and, ostensibly, finding and destroying the country's weapons of mass destruction. Hussein was captured by a U.S. military unit on December 13, 2003. No weapons of mass destruction were found. Although U.S. President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq on May 1, 2003, an insurgency has continued an intense guerrilla war in the nation that has resulted in thousands of coalition military, insurgent and civilian deaths."

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Yesterday:

Misty and I went down to get Jay in our winter coats.  It warmed up later in the day so the cats, Prime and Bobcat, were able to bask in the sun on the screen porch.

Jay shampooed two rooms of carpet, plus some other rugs, as I moved the small furniture out of the way.  This time we moved the dining table and chairs to clean that carpet, though my dining area hardly never gets used.

I was tired of sitting lopsided to use the big long keyboard and reaching a mile to my mouse, and coffee!  Also I couldn't use my "pedal cycle" under the desk, so I went back to the cheap Chinese "Tenkeyless", that's what they are called. This is the one with with the narrow letters.  I hope I find a mechanical one soon.  Oh, I did, but they wanted $125 for it, plus the shipping from some far away land. They are have such a better feel than this mushy membrane one: http://www.pcworld.com/article/240939/mechanical_keyboards_should_you_switch.html   So I will be going back and deleting the extra letters this narrow-keyed one writes for many a day.