(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
Help Your Dog Slim Down
“For the last 2 decades, veterinarians have expressed concern that the canine pet population is becoming increasingly obese.
...obese dogs are at a greater risk of premature death & a range of diseases, such as diabetes, osteoarthritis, & cancer
...veterinarians strongly advise a combination of diet & exercise changes for dogs that need to lose weight...
However, owners who have been stared at wantonly by a hungry dog can appreciate how limiting a dog’s food intake is easier said than done...
...a study of more than 300 pet dogs...reported that, regardless of how motivated owners were to help their dogs lose weight, some dogs were simply greedier & more likely to be obese than others.
...the researchers found a significant breed effect in this greedy versus fussy trait. Gun dogs, which include Labrador retrievers, were the group most highly motivated by food, Coming a close second, third, & fourth were hounds, crossbreeds, & toy breeds. Conversely, the breeds noted to be the fussiest eaters, & subsequently the least likely to be obese, included terriers, pastoral dogs (eg. shepherds & herding dogs), working dogs (eg. boxers & huskies), & utility dogs (eg. Dalmatian, poodles, & spitz breeds).
...The researchers also found that owners of greedy dogs needed to be extra diligent to prevent stealing food & snacking between meals in order to prevent their dogs from becoming obese.
Fraser Davidson, a veterinarian at Vancouver’s Acadia Veterinary Clinic, recommends additional strategies to help dogs reach their weight-loss goals...
‘Diets that are high in fibre are great because they help the dog to feel full without the extra calories...
...home-cooked & raw diets can also be made lower calorie by supplementing them with extra fibre from sources such as canned pumpkin & Metamucil.
High-carb, high-fat treats are a common culprit for causing excessive weight gain in dogs...
‘Try to avoid giving dogs bread & crackers or anything with hidden calories in the form of white flour & refined sugars. Instead, you can buy low-calorie training treats... or if your pet likes it, go veggie, try offering your pet small pieces of carrot or apple as a training reward instead.’
...'If the dog is getting a good amount of exercise & the right amount of food & still not losing weight, then the dog should probably have its thyroid hormones checked. A dog that is hypothyroid will find it difficult to lose weight until its hormone levels are balanced.’ said Davidson.”
Dr. Rebecca Ledger
VANCOUVER SUN
in The Montreal Gazette
Nov. 14/2015
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Memorial
Casper (April 4/2009)
(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
Selfie monkey can’t own copyrights of his famous snaps
“SAN FRANCISCO- A macaque monkey who took now-famous selfie photographs cannot be declared the copyright owner of the photos, a federal judge said...
U.S. District Judge William Orrick said... that “while Congress & the president can extend the protection of law to animals as well as humans, there is no indication that they did so in the Copyright Act.”
The lawsuit...sought a court order allowing PETA to represent the monkey & let it to administer all proceeds from the photos for the benefit of the monkey, which it identified as 6-year-old Naruto, & other crested macaques living in a reserve on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
The photos were taken during a 2011 trip to Sulawesi with an unattended camera owned by British nature photographer David Slater, who asked the court to dismiss the case...
PETA sued Slater & his... self-publishing company Blurb, which published a book called “Wildlife Personalities” that includes the “monkey selfie” photos.
The photos have been widely distributed elsewhere by outlets, including Wikipedia, which contend that no one owns the copyright to the images because they were taken by an animal, not a person.
Slater described himself as a nature photographer who is deeply concerned about animal welfare...”
Associated Press
nypost.com
January 7, 2016
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
DNA Reveals Dogs Have Been Human Companions For Over 30,000 Years
“‘The domestic dog represents one of the most beautiful genetic sculptures shaped by nature & man.’
...This sentence comes from a fascinating study published... in the journal Cell Research, in which scientists from China, Canada, Finland, Singapore, Sweden, & the U.S. set out to trace the origin & evolution of the domestic dog.
Scientists have believed for a while in a 2-stage process; in the first stage, primitive dogs emerged from their wild ancestors, grey wolves. The idea was that the wolves began to hang around humans, perhaps because they found food nearby. Then, as they stayed with people, they became tamer, & started performing tasks like hunting & guarding. It was over a very long time... that the wolves became the first dogs. In the second stage, these primitive dogs were further selected into many different dog breeds...
This group of scientists...set out to unearth more specific details about how the domesticated dog evolved. To do this, they used the whole genome sequences, or complete sets of DNA, from 58 canids: 12 grey wolves, 27 primitive dogs from Asia & Africa, & a collection of 19 diverse breeds from across the world.
They found that dogs from south-east Asia have a much higher genetic diversity than all other populations of dogs, & relate most directly to grey wolves, & from this they deduced that domestic dogs originated in south-east Asia around 33,000 years ago, beginning with the grey wolf...
‘After evolving for several thousand years in east Asia, a subgroup of dogs radiated out of southern East Asia about 15,000 years ago to the Middle East, Africa as well as Europe. One of these out-of-Asia lineages then migrated back to northern China & made a series of admixtures with endemic east Asian lineages.’
...here’s the family tree of your pooch: about 33,000 years ago, his distant ancestor, the grey wolf, first made friends with a human. Jumping forward, about 15,000 years ago, a small group of domesticated dogs, descended from grey wolves, left home & headed for the Middle East & Africa. They made it to Europe about 10,000 years ago. And when humans first came to the Americas, they are thought to have brought dogs with them.
With the added twist that it’s possible some of the dogs trotted all the way back to China, & began interbreeding there...”
Judy M.
Dec. 21/2015
care2.com
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
Approved panda-hug photos only please: Trudeau’s furry photo-op had a weirdly restrictive press policy
“A nation- or at least its social media- was consumed by a prime minister cuddling some pandas Monday morning...
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped in at the Toronto Zoo to unveil the names of 2 panda cubs born there last October. The twins have been dubbed Jia Panpan, meaning Canadian Hope, & Jia Yueyue, meaning Canadian Joy. Trudeau got some hands-on time with the adorable black-&-white balls of fur as the zoo marked the occasion.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne & Toronto Mayor John Tory both got their hands on the rare baby beasts...
Trudeau, Wynne, & Tory all tweeted beaming pics holding cuddly balls of furry joy...
A zoo official said the panda petting part of the day was intended to be private.
Press photographers & videographers were... given a chance to shoot all 3 politicians ogling the cuddly cubs from a distance. Some used long lens to capture close-ups...”
Ashley Csanady
nationalpost.com
March 7/2016
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Arthur
He started off as a stray but soon captured our hearts & became my Tam's best outdoor buddy & then a part of the family.
(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
And the Paws Goes to...
"LOS ANGELES- The nearly 60-yr.-old classic OLD YELLER has been name all-time favorite family movies by the American Humane Association, which is celebrating animal actors with its annual Pawscar awards...
The AHA, which monitors & protects more than 10,000 animals working in 1,000 productions each year, traditionally adds 3 all-time favorites to its list of animal- inclusive films during the Pawscars. Besides OLD YELLER, those included this year were 1989's TURNER & HOOCH as favorite animal buddy movie & 2003's SEABISCUIT, favorite animal drama...
OLD YELLER was one of the first movies tio ever focus on the human-animal bond, AHA officials said. Competing against Disney's OLD YELLER in national online voting were DOLPHIN TALE, BABE, BEETHOVEEN, & HOMEWARD BOUND.
OTHER WINNERS
Most Moving Performance- THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Best Family Dog- LOVE THE COOPERS
Best Hitcockian Hound- THE GIFT
Best Rodeo Romance- THE LONGEST RIDE
Best Repurring Cat Performance- HE HUNGER GAMES
Best Hero Dog- MAX
PAWPRINTS IN CEMENT
3 dogs have left their mark on Hollywood with stars on the Walk of Fame-
Strongheart (a silent movie star), Rin Tin Tin, & Lassie...
The show can be seen online at americanhumane.org."
Sue Manning
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
in The Montreal Gazette
Feb. 27/2016
Rags the dog from LOVE THE COOPERS
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