Cat Fun Fact

Free Kibble (www.freekibblekat.com and www.freekibble.com) is a pet trivia website. Every day they have a different dog trivia question and a different cat trivia question. For simply attempting to answer the question of the day (whether or not you get the answer right is not important), the site’s owner will donate 10 pieces of kibble to a local shelter. I visit the site daily both because the site provides a fun and easy way to help a pet shelter, and because I really like the trivia piece.

Today’s question was “One of the main functions of a cat’s rough, sandpaper-like tongue is to..” and the correct answer was “The abrasiveness of a cat’s sandpaper-like rough tongue is important to help them groom and untangle their fur.” This definitely helps explain why most cats have coats that are smooth and clean, even if they are not brushed daily. It does make me wonder though why dogs are built the same way. Anyone know the answer? анаглиф эро девушка

When Your Dog Is Diagnosed As Fat

This past Monday, I called my veterinarian to make an appointment to bring in my dog Jade. Jade, for those of you who are new readers to this blog, is my 7 year old (birthday was last month) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel; I have had Jade since he was 10 weeks old. I had made the appointment because a) Jade was due for his annual wellness check and b) I was convinced that Jade had heart and lung problems, diabetes, adrenal gland issues, I’m pretty sure heart-worm figured in there somewhere, oh and Lyme disease, and did I mention hip dysplasia?

With the exception of the diabetes, I was convinced that every other problem explained Jade’s reluctance to go on walks like a normal dog (never mind the fact that he wasn’t showing a single symptom of any of these problems). I decided he had diabetes because he drinks a lot more than my mom’s dog Shana - who also happens to be about 8lbs. lighter (which is sort of like saying I think Jade is dehydrated because he drinks less than my co-worker’s Golden Retriever).

The veterinarian, Dr. Anderson, is one of the nicest veterinarians alive and he owns two King Charles Spaniels. He listened sympathetically to all of my concerns, did a thorough physical, and announced that Jade was overweight and had an infection in both ears. Like humans, dogs that are overweight are more lethargic (Jade set the gold standard for lethargy when he was 6 months old - and that was before he got too fat), get overheated more easily (okay that I will definitely agree with, Jade gets much hotter much more quickly than any other dog I know), and have added strain on their joints and muscles (which could explain why he hates walking - it puts pressure on his hips and knees).

The solution for weight loss is switching Jade to a lite diet (no problem since Petlane makes one), decreasing his treat intake (a little harder since this involves convincing my father, co-workers, and husband that they need to back off on the treat giving), and increasing his exercise (I’m at a total loss here). I’ve got the first two relatively under control - now soliciting ideas for the third!