(via fyeahenglishbulldogs)

Today I drove for two hours and filed my taxes, filled out my 2012 FAFSA application, received and redeemed a rebate for some of my school supplies, did four loads of laundry, studied extensively for my Anthro class, visited the Musuem of Man for an extra credit assignment, made some damn good fried rice, apartment hunted, and cleaned the room. I feel very thoroughly accomplished. My goal this weekend is to make a post about how spays and neuters are invasive surgeries, and no, your pet won’t be ready to be picked up a half hour after we finish, and yes, they do have to wear the cone for 14 days until the sutures are removed. I’m on ~FIRE~.

(via the-star-stuff)

First vet-related cat bite. Owchies. Sorry for the poor quality.

We were bathing a very fat cat’s bottom. He’d gotten too big to properly clean himself. We’d actually finished when he decided he was going to FREAK OUT. I got a glancing bite. It doesn’t hurt much at all, actually. I washed it out with soap and water, then doused in in rubbing alcohol and covered it with neosporin and a bandage. Good times.

kgthunder:

‘Two Earthlings’
Artist: John Brosio

(via volefleshe)

insanity-dogs:

myasphyxiatedmind:

lettucebevegan:

hopefulveterinarian:

itsdetachable:

myasphyxiatedmind:

theshoutsofmany:

fartsack:

this makes it so your dog can look down on people too

Oh yay, more unhealthy pet food!

Guys. Guys. You guys.

I have a great idea.

Let’s feed our carnivorous pets something with no animal protein in it whatsoever.

Flawless.

Vegan pet foods for carnivorous pets.

Because fuck physiology I need to push my morals onto everything and creatures that can’t argue with me or fight back are perfect outlets for this necessity of mine.

Animals eating other animals or their products? What are you, stupid or something? 

Crazy talk I says, absolutely crazy… 

Dogs are omnivores, not carnivores…just had to clear that up. ;)

Plants provide enough protein to sustain both people and dogs. Cats are a different story…they are strictly carnivores and require taurine that comes from meat. If a person chooses to feed their dog a vegan diet, the dog can get enough required nutrients from plant protein as long as they are fed a BALANCED diet. 

Personally, I would rather have a dog that eats a food with high nutritional value than some filler food off the grocery store shelf like Pedigree or Old Roy. 

When the time is taken to create a balanced and complete diet, vegan diets can work. Obviously, as with any diet, regular visits and check-ups with a veterinarian are necessary to ensure the dog is healthy and receiving all the nutrients it needs. 

People are going to argue that a vegan diet for a dog is not “natural.” But with that way of thinking…is any commercially sold dog food natural? Does any grocery store sell live animals that dogs can hunt, kill, and consume? (Wild dogs, such as hyenas, eat the stomach and intestines first because of the nutrients they receive from the partially digested vegetation content within.)

The fact is, we have domesticated this animal and the diet that is necessary for the survival of a canine in the wild is not necessary for the normal house dog. It mirrors the same thinking in regard to humans, we are no longer forced to hunt and scavenge for our food, therefore we can choose where our proteins and nutrients are derived from. 

One last point…plant-based diets for animals, much like people, have been proven to lower a dog’s cholesterol, and reduce the chance of strokes, cancer and heart disease. Many dogs have allergies to meat and their by-products and are forced to rely on a plant-based diet because of this. 

Actually, no, they are carnivores. They aren’t obligate carnivores, but they most certainly are carnivores. I like to refer to them as opportunistic carnivores, myself, as they can indeed derive nutrients from and temporarily survive on plant matter in times of need. It’s a survival adaptation. It doesn’t take away from the fact that they thrive on an all meat diet. Their dental structure and digestive system are still more or less identical to that of a wolfs.

Some people do feed their dogs a completely natural diet modeled after what wolves eat. It’s called a raw-prey model.

Why choose between crappy, low quality kibble like Ol’roy or veg*n? Why does it even have to be a ‘which is the lesser of two evils’ scenario? How about we just feed our dogs healthy food?

“(Wild dogs, such as hyenas, eat the stomach and intestines first because of the nutrients they receive from the partially digested vegetation content within.)”

This is untrue, at least in the case of wolves.

The following quotations are taken from L. David Mech’s 2003 book Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. Mech (and the others who contributed to this book) is considered the world’s leading wolf biologist, and this book is a compilation of 350 collective years of research, experiments, and careful field observations. These quotes are taken from chapter 4, The Wolf as a Carnivore.

“Wolves usually tear into the body cavity of large prey and…consume the larger internal organs, such as lungs, heart, and liver. The large rumen [, which is one of the main stomach chambers in large ruminant herbivores,]…is usually punctured during removal and its contents spilled. The vegetation in the intestinal tract is of no interest to the wolves, but the stomach lining and intestinal wall are consumed, and their contents further strewn about the kill site.” (pg.123, emphasis added)

“To grow and maintain their own bodies, wolves need to ingest all the major parts of their herbivorous prey, except the plants in the digestive system.” (pg.124, emphasis added).

Excerpt from: Myth: WOLVES INGEST THE STOMACH CONTENTS OF THEIR PREY.

 Dogs also have allergens to plant protein more so than animal protein. I have never found a dog that was allergic to every animal protein out there.

This is the ingredients is this lovely pet food. I’ll highlight the known allergens, okay?

 Full fat soya, corn gluten, corn, rice, flaxmeal, yeast, brewer’s yeast, sunflower and soy oil (cold pressed organic), vital amino acids, vitamins and minerals, natural enzymes, spirillina, kelp, yucca extract, Omega 3 and Omega 6, Taurine, LCarnitine, Amylase, vegetarian chicken flavour (Doesn’t say what is in here), Prebiotic, Aa, DHA and EPA

Uh houston I think we have a problem. Considering they make up the most of this pet “food”.

(via fuckyeahanimalwelfare)

dreamsofvetschool:

No, no they are not.

Which is exactly why I stopped concerning myself with the issues of money and started pursuing what I wanted to do.

pleatedjeans:

First World Dog Problems

(via allunderskin)

I’ve been dealing with several issues with my cat in the recent weeks. To recap, the main issue has been inappropriate urination. She is persistent in peeing on beds. We’ve taken to never letting her into any bedrooms. In addition, she’s been more affectionate and attention-seeking, more vocal, and much more agitated and spastic. 

With the first inappropriate urination, I took her in to the doctor I work for. We discovered struvite crystals, bacteria and white blood cells in her urine, and she was diagnosed with FLUTD. I put her on a water-rich diet of high-quality wet food, and she had a run of antibiotics to get rid of any infection.

The past week she peed on a bed three times, which was a new precedent. In the past they have been single, isolated incidents. She has also been agressively affectionate, loud, and agitated by the neighborhood strays she sees through the windows. After the first improper urination I took her in again, and before the urinalysis came back she had managed to pee on beds twice more. Surprisingly, her urine came back without any crystals or bacteria in it and I despaired, believing that her behavior was no longer health-based, but behavioral or stress-based. I have the time to care for a normal cat, but not the right environment or schedule to care for a problem child. I was worried about moving to a more controlled environment or rehoming her, because I couldn’t put my roommates through her peeing on their beds forever.

Today, as luck would have it, we had a relief vet in, and in talking to her, she gave me another possibility which I’ve now researched more online. During a spay, if there is any ovary remnant, a cat can still enter heat cycles and get the hormonal stimulus to mate. This can cause, among other things, all of the symptoms she’s been exhibiting (inappropriate urination, excessive affection, drive to get outside, loud vocalizations, agitation, etc).

As relieved as I am to know there may really be a medical explanation for her behaviors, it’s still a big concern. The surgery to fix an incomplete spay is fairly extensive, because they need to find the ovary remnant, so there must be a larger incision than on a normal spay. Beside the fact that it can be costly. 

I’m going to talk with my boss-doctor on Monday and see if she agrees that this could be the cause of Rorshaq’s behaviors. If it’s an option, I’m going to work hard to get the money to fix her issue. She’s my baby, and she shouldn’t have to go through the mental confusion of all this unwarranted hormonal craziness. Not to mention, doing all this laundry is really starting to cost me. 

aplacetolovedogs:

izismile

Cheer up everyone, it’s going to be a good day :)

Original Article

aplacetolovedogs:

izismile

I love you little doggie to the moon and back!!

Original Article

(via my-life-as-a-small-town-loserr)

themolly1782:

courteousaviarist:

A quick, easy guide to Canine CPR. Have a look…knowing how to do these things could save your dog’s life!

by Happy Healthy Pup

(via veterinaryrambles)

FUCK show breeding. I consider breeding for show or looks animal abuse.

(via fuckyeahanimalwelfare)