Meet Maisey.  Several weeks ago she was found abandoned, struggling to feed her babies but she had been hit by a car and was also suffering from two broken legs. She couldn’t walk, she couldn’t even stand, all she could do was drag herself around to find food for herself so that she could [...]

Meet Maisey.  Several weeks ago she was found abandoned, struggling to feed her babies but she had been hit by a car and was also suffering from two broken legs. She couldn’t walk, she couldn’t even stand, all she could do was drag herself around to find food for herself so that she could [...]

We’ve all seem the “adoption spots” on TV, on new segments. Someone will bring out a couple of sweet, cute dogs and show them off, talk about them, it’s usually always an “aww” moment. I know every time I see one I want to dash to my local shelter and save every baby [...]

We’ve all seem the “adoption spots” on TV, on new segments. Someone will bring out a couple of sweet, cute dogs and show them off, talk about them, it’s usually always an “aww” moment. I know every time I see one I want to dash to my local shelter and save every baby [...]

In November when police raided a Coatsville, PA house looking for drug they arrested two guys, Laquanta Chapman, 29-yrs-old and 19-year-old Bryan Byrd.  They found guns, a bullet proof vest, and the remains of a dog that had been beaten and dismembered with a chainsaw.  In their confession to the police, Chapman stated it was [...]

In November when police raided a Coatsville, PA house looking for drug they arrested two guys, Laquanta Chapman, 29-yrs-old and 19-year-old Bryan Byrd.  They found guns, a bullet proof vest, and the remains of a dog that had been beaten and dismembered with a chainsaw.  In their confession to the police, Chapman stated it was [...]

Carrie Cagata, director of My Best Friend, Inc., who was charged with 120 counts of animal cruelty and abandonment, 60 of them felony charges, has somehow managed to plea bargain herself a “slap on the wrist” and has been convicted of only 2 measly misdemeanor charges of animal abuse! Now what I want to know [...]

In this week’s Pet Connection syndicated newspaper feature, Dr. Marty Becker shares one of veterinary medicine’s most closely kept secrets:

I live on a horse ranch in Northern Idaho, in a part of the country where losing an arm in a logging accident is considered the cityfolk equivalent of a scratch. My poker buddies are men who eat nails for breakfast.

The men up here like to project a Rambo-like image to the outside world, but inside there’s sometimes a secret love that they won’t freely admit, even to their own wives and especially to their veterinarians.

You see, real men don’t own cats. That’s their story, and they’re sticking to it.

Now, let me explain.

One of the things I’ve always gotten a kick out of as a veterinarian is watching somebody bring a cat in, holding the animal lovingly, and then hurriedly passing it off to the receptionist like a furry hot potato, mumbling: “This is ma’s cat. I’m just dropping it off for her.”

Or, “This is my girlfriend’s cat, and she asked me to bring it in for her.”

As veterinarians, we’re more than happy to oblige any request for care, but we know a dirty little secret that’s not very well hidden. That little pussycat is their beloved pet, too. It’s just that they can’t admit it. Or worse yet, show their affection.

Because real men don’t own cats.

Get the rest of the truth from Dr. Becker right here.

Rolan Tripp, DVM, and Susan Trip, MS, discuss what to do when two dogs in a household keep fighting with each other, and in “The Buzz,” Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon uncover yet another way in which dogs can smell just about anything:

A Belgian Malinois named Alba has been catching rule breakers in Maryland’s North Branch Correctional Institution, where inmates have been smuggling in cell phones. The phones often are hidden in pieces and in difficult-to-detect places such as shoe heels, book bindings and toilet pipes. But Alba and other specially trained dogs are able to detect the specific scent that cell phones carry. The state’s five cell phone-sniffing dogs in Maryland’s prison system found 59 phones last year, according to Wired magazine.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or view it here in the PDF version we sent to our client newspapers.

In this week’s Pet Connection syndicated newspaper feature, Dr. Marty Becker shares one of veterinary medicine’s most closely kept secrets:

I live on a horse ranch in Northern Idaho, in a part of the country where losing an arm in a logging accident is considered the cityfolk equivalent of a scratch. My poker buddies are men who eat nails for breakfast.

The men up here like to project a Rambo-like image to the outside world, but inside there’s sometimes a secret love that they won’t freely admit, even to their own wives and especially to their veterinarians.

You see, real men don’t own cats. That’s their story, and they’re sticking to it.

Now, let me explain.

One of the things I’ve always gotten a kick out of as a veterinarian is watching somebody bring a cat in, holding the animal lovingly, and then hurriedly passing it off to the receptionist like a furry hot potato, mumbling: “This is ma’s cat. I’m just dropping it off for her.”

Or, “This is my girlfriend’s cat, and she asked me to bring it in for her.”

As veterinarians, we’re more than happy to oblige any request for care, but we know a dirty little secret that’s not very well hidden. That little pussycat is their beloved pet, too. It’s just that they can’t admit it. Or worse yet, show their affection.

Because real men don’t own cats.

Get the rest of the truth from Dr. Becker right here.

Rolan Tripp, DVM, and Susan Trip, MS, discuss what to do when two dogs in a household keep fighting with each other, and in “The Buzz,” Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon uncover yet another way in which dogs can smell just about anything:

A Belgian Malinois named Alba has been catching rule breakers in Maryland’s North Branch Correctional Institution, where inmates have been smuggling in cell phones. The phones often are hidden in pieces and in difficult-to-detect places such as shoe heels, book bindings and toilet pipes. But Alba and other specially trained dogs are able to detect the specific scent that cell phones carry. The state’s five cell phone-sniffing dogs in Maryland’s prison system found 59 phones last year, according to Wired magazine.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or view it here in the PDF version we sent to our client newspapers.

Most people who go into veterinary medicine do it because they love animals. They don’t just love them in the abstract; they love holding them, staring into their eyes, and, apparently, pulling back their lips and gazing deep into their mouths.

But consider this: Who helps more animals, and who helps animals more, the hands-on veterinarian in private practice, or the researcher who rarely sees a patient? Given the incredible advances in veterinary science in recent years, including new diagnostic tests, surgeries, and other therapies, there’s no question that it’s the second.

For those veterinarians who want to combine the stethoscope and the microscope, a new program may be just what’s needed to address a critical shortage of animal health scientists:

A new program—the Pfizer Animal Health–Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) Veterinary Fellowship for Advanced Study—gives current practitioners necessary financial support while they pursue a veterinary research career. The program commits a minimum of nearly $1.7 million over four years toward a solution to the growing need for trained veterinary scientists.

“Many practicing veterinarians may wish to become veterinary scientists but can’t continue their educational journey due to financial constraints, such as high student debt,” said David Haworth, DVM, PhD, director, global alliances for Pfizer Animal Health. “The Pfizer Animal Health–MAF fellowships help these professionals pursue a new career path and provide a unique solution to the critical need for more veterinary scientists.”

Check out the release here, and kudos to Morris Animal Foundation for getting this up on their site before sending it to the media. You wouldn’t believe how many organizations don’t do that!

Speaking of good reading, Dr. Patty Khuly’s on fire over at Dolittler, raging against the machine that is the AVMA and its ethically and scientifically bankrupt position on antibiotic use in confinement-based industrial agriculture and why, yes, that was some loaded language I just used. As if you no one here knows how I feel on the subject.

Dr. Patty also quotes two of my favorite people, Gina and veterinarian Susan Wynn. You go, Patty! Now you all, go read!

And if that’s not enough, in other news:

PetPAC founder Bill Hemby is in some hot water with the state attorney general’s office over some questionable fundraising practices at a law enforcement non-profit organization, his hometown newspaper reports.

From PeoplePets.com, news that Chanel, the Wirehaired Dachshund who held the Guinness record as oldest dog, has died at the age of 21:

Earlier this year, the dog’s owners, Karl and Denice Shaughnessy of Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., said that the canine, who wore sunglasses for cataracts but was otherwise in good health, still had plenty of pep.

“We were saddened to learn of Chanel’s passing on Friday evening,” Marco Giannini, founder and chief executive officer of Dogswell told PEOPLE Pets in a statement. “Our team at Dogswell had built a great bond with Chanel, as well as her owners, who show great love and care for their pets. We were thankful to have had some part in making Chanel’s life a little more comfortable and enjoyable. As the World’s Oldest Dog, Chanel touched many lives and inspired pet owners around the globe. She will be missed.”

Condolences to her owners on their loss.

And Nathan Winograd interviews UCLA law professor Taimie L. Bryant about the fate of animals now that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has suspended some provisions of the Hayden Act, which extended the period of time the state’s shelters had to hold stray animals; that time period has now been dropped to just 72 hours as a cost-cutting measure. Bryant was one of the chief drafters of the law.

And here’s some news worth sharing: The longest-term resident at the Portland Humane Society is a black and white kitty named Sporty Spot. The organization has launched an all-out social media blitz trying to get him a new home. He’s FIV+ but in good health… and if you want two, a second FIV+ cat comes with him at no cost. Even if you can’t give him a home, share his story with anyone you know who might!