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It is estimated that currently more than 1 million dogs in the United States are infected with heartworms. This potentially fatal disease has been found in dogs native to all 50 states. Even as diagnostic methods advance, preventive therapies improve and disease awareness increases among veterinary professionals and pet owners, heartworm continues to present a serious threat to dogs’ health.

The American Heartworm Society (AHS) has released new canine heartworm guidelines for 2010. These guidelines are considered the official veterinary industry perspective for epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of the disease and include some notable differences from previous versions.

Continue reading New Canine Heartworm Guidelines Released . . .

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Heartworm disease affects many animals, even some humans. The worm itself is known as Dirofilario Immitus and can grow up to 14 inches in length. Because heartworms can’t spread from animal to animal, mosquitoes play the role of transmitter. It only takes one mosquito bite for your cat to contract heartworms.

Continue reading Questions Answered About Feline Heartworm Disease . . .

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Meet Jazzmine, the adorable brown tabby cat I rescued from a local shelter. She’s just shy of ten months old and, like most kittens, she loves to claw at things.

Before I adopted her, I did a lot of research on the clawing vs. declawing debate, and ultimately decided against declawing her. Now I certainly don’t condemn folks who have their cats declawed, but my decision was simply a matter of personal conviction based on my research. So I’d definitely recommend you make an informed decision for you and your cat by learning more about onychectomy and discussing it with your vet.

I knew the trade off of not having her declawed was routine trips to either the vet or pet groomer to have her claws trimmed. I also knew, based on my friend’s experience with her own cats’ hatred of getting them trimmed, that this would be no walk in the park. One of the first times I took Jazzmine to the vet for her kitten vaccinations, I had my vet trim her claws. It took four – FOUR! – of us holding down a six-pound cat, and she had to be muzzled because she bit one of the vet’s assistants. And the screams . . . oh, the screams . . .

After this particularly harrowing and traumatic experience, I decided to look for other alternatives. I tried double-sided tape on her favorite places to scratch on my couch. She liked the double-sided tape, so that really didn’t fix the problem. I tried dousing her with water when I caught her in the act. She likes water, too. This was not going to be an easy task.

Continue reading Soft Claws: Scratching the Surface . . .

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• Henry needs a home! http://bit.ly/avaIHe #TwitterACritter & save a pet with a single tweet http://TwitterACritter.com #

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Bringing home a new pet is a really big step. It can be both scary and exciting all at the same time. As a pet owner, you now have the responsibility of another little life.

Your new pet depends entirely on you to provide everything they’ll need. Here are five easy steps to help ensure that your new family member lives a long and happy and healthy life.

Continue reading 5 Easy Steps to Keeping Your Pet Healthy . . .

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• RT: @DogTipper Today's National Love Your Pet Day (aren't they all!) What's your fave way to show your dog how much… http://bit.ly/cszvUw #
• Learning interesting tidbits about – 5 Great Presidential Pets – via a Guideposts article written by @peggyfrezon – http://tr.im/PjzQ #
• http://www.cesarsway.com/news/daddy-memoriam — In Memoriam: Daddy the Pit Bull #

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Got a minute or two to talk about your pets? Amy Wallace is hoping you do. They’re doing a survey and hoping to get a lot of responses.

Continue reading LA Mag Is Looking for Pet Owners . . .

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Guest post from the folks at MuddyPaws

There are a plethora of different kinds of dog bed available in the shops, which vary according to size, design, comfort, material and cost. Your dog may have a favourite bed for nap time, lounge time and bed time, so selecting the perfect dog bed is therefore just as important as selecting a bed for yourself.

It is important…

Continue reading Benefits of a Waterproof Dog Bed . . .

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Remember the good ol’ days, when Bob Barker would remind us at the end of The Price is Right to get our pets spayed or neutered? Well, consider this your opportunity to do so while also showing off your pets!

February 23rd is the date for this year’s annual Spay Day. In honor of this occasion, the Humane Society is pairing with Humane Society International to host an…

Continue reading Humane Society's Spay Day Contest-It's Not Too Late! . . .

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In January, the American Kennel Club announced the most popular dog breeds of 2009. The Labrador Retriever is still making the top of the list as America’s most popular dog, but the German Shepherd isn’t far behind. Read the AKC’s official press release, see the Today Show’s slide show, and learn more about the HSUS petition to help stop puppy mills.

Continue reading Top 10 Dog Breeds of 2009 . . .

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• Social networking is going to the dogs with Mattels "Puppy Tweets" coming this fall – http://tr.im/NVlR #
• RT @haute_or_not Amy Winehouse Ditches Pet Cats … http://bit.ly/cXYzQE Amy we love your voice, but this is NOT Haute !!! #
• awesome RT @halopets Starting today, for every NEW FACEBOOK FAN we get we are donating 5 meals to

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This holiday season, many people adopted new canine family members. In order to prevent problems down the road, it’s important that you establish leadership with your new dog or puppy right from the start.

1. Create a schedule that includes a daily walk in the morning. This is critical for your dog’s health, both physical and mental. If you have a puppy, talk to your veterinarian about the risk

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