Algae blooms close ponds in Harwich, Brewster | CapeCodOnline.com

Blue-green algae is very toxic to animals and humans. This as an important issue for dogs who swim in ponds.

Algae blooms close ponds in Harwich, Brewster | CapeCodOnline.com

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What, on Earth, is a Thundershirt???

My human partner saw a Facebook Page advertisement for something called a Thundershirt, that is supposed to ease a thunderstorm-phobic dog's anxiety during a thunderstorm or fireworks. As you know, my human partner is a veterinarian, so she naturally wondered whether was any scientific basis for their claims. Unfortunately, unless she became a "fan" of the Thundershirt Facebook page, she could not ask questions there. So she looked up Thundershirt in Google, and discovered their web site: http://www.thundershirt.com/ http://www.thundershirt.com/IBS/SimpleCat/InfoPage/asp/Comp_ID/25315.html

Their web site states that it "works" for the following reasons:

"Thundershirt (patent pending) does the following for most dogs suffering from noise anxiety:

The physical sensation of wearing Thundershirt distracts the dog from focusing on her fears, and

Being wrapped in a Thundershirt gives the dog a feeling of safety and comfort.
Soon after putting on her Thundershirt, your dog will likely settle down and relax. Many dogs will lie down and weather the storms with little to no further symptoms of noise anxiety.
From a more scientific perspective, according to neurobiologists, many types of traumas can cause nerve damage, leading to dogs having exaggerated responses to stimuli such as loud noises. Applying constantly maintained pressure with Thundershirt provides an unchanging, quieting stimulus that allows the dog to relax (in other words, #1 above!)."

My human partner is, understandably, VERY skeptical about the science behind this device, and DISAGREES with physical trauma to nerves being a cause of noise phobias. Because there is no scientific basis for their claims that trauma, leading to nerve damage, leading to exaggerated responses to noise stimuli; my partner also finds it hard to believe any other claims they have made about their product. It might work or it might not work, but if it does, it is probably not because of the reasons they have stated. She will keep an open mind, however---If there start to be UNBIASED reports about its effectiveness AND safety, perhaps she will give it a different review.

My "Pet Project" Has an Important Announcement

Since I am the official mascot for the Veterinary Emergency Funding Mission, I had to share an exciting new idea, because they need feedback and ideas. Please go to their blog to join the discussion: http://vefm.blogspot.com/

This is a copy of what was posted on the blog:

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I think we have solved several of the biggest challenges for VEFM with one great idea.....

- VOUCHERS FOR EMERGENCY CARE -

For years, shelters and SPCA's have used spay/neuter vouchers to encourage low-income pet owners to get their dogs and cats spayed or neutered. Recently, Bayer Animal Health has started a $20 voucher program to encourage owners to go to their vets for preventative care (http://www.gettothevet.com/). It would seem to me that, in this era of gift cards and gift certificates, that we can easily establish a voucher program for emergency vet care that can go NATIONWIDE immediately, not just starting in the local area where VEFM is based.
PLEASE give ideas and feedback about this plan. Below are some sites where there is information on similar programs, where we can educate ourselves about the possibilities. We would like to have the new program fully operational well before the October date for the Seaside Festival booth.

http://www.customgiftcard.com/index.htmlhttp://www.justgive.org/give-now/gift-cards/index.jsp?gclid=CNLmu4WInpsCFVpM5Qod1DTVpAhttp://www.signaturecard.net/?referer=google&gclid=CJrXwZyInpsCFcxM5QodOGIdpQ

Vet-related vouchers:

Well-pet vouchers:

http://www.gettothevet.com/

Spay-neuter vouchers:

http://tlconline.org/pgm/0010app.html

http://www.schuylerhumane.org/vouchers.html

http://www.nfvsonline.org/nys_spayneuter.html http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=9698

http://www.animalrescue.net/vet_corner#9

Bayer might be willing to sponsor emergencies, too.... http://www.veterinarians.com/library/alerts/109/Bayer-$20-Vet-Voucher.html

Defense department????: "Automated Voucher Examining and Disbursing System" http://www.dodig.mil/audit/reports/fy03/03003sum.htm

Emergency food programs:
http://www.wfp.org/content/protracted-relief-and-recovery-operation-syria-107780-emergency-food-assistance-victims-drought

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A Letter from a New Friend

Dear Ginny,

So you have a June birthday too!
I turned 5 on June 10. see my pic here.
I am the one on the left with my friend Abby on the right.
Maybe we could go out on a date sometime, Ginny?
--Boaz (aka CH Canal-Side's Kinsman Redeemer CGC)

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Does Anyone Know Any NON-Biased Reviews of the Shoo-Tag Insect Repellent System?

I heard about an interesting product, today. It is called Shoo-Tag, and is supposed to repel certain insects, like mosquitoes, fleas, and chiggers, from animals and humans. It was developed by some scientists and its technology is based on electromagnetic fields. On an internet search today, I was able to find only two unbiased personal opinions about how well it worked. One person thought it was useless and the other one thought it was great. Has anyone else used it? If so, my human and I would like to hear your opinion.
[Note: Comments are now closed for this post. 9/19/12]

I Had a Birthday, Yesterday!

I turned 3 years old yesterday. I was having quite a nice day, actually---that is, until my humans decided to make an annual tradition of last year's Birthday Hat Event.

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This photo is of me, still a little sleepy from a nap, but much happier than I was a few minutes later, when the Party Hat was tied onto my head.

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I do try to be a good sport about things, and I did my best to be a good sport about the hat, but it is very difficult to be a dignified German shepherd with silly hat sitting on my head, tied with yellow ribbon. There was a space for my ears to stick up, but I had no desire whatsoever to lift them. I was feeling quite sorry for myself.

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Here is a close-up of that silly hat!