Red Dog Colar studded

Pets on Parade salutes dogs of war

That’s how U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. John Dolezal simply summed up the value of war dogs on Sunday when the four-legged veterans were honored for their service at the 15th annual Pets on Parade Awards Luncheon at the Doral Desert Princess Resort. On average, war dogs each save an estimated 500 lives per year, Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit said in presenting the “Saving American Lives” trophy to Marine Corps Maj. Kim Keefer, commanding officer of the Twentynine Palms Provost Marshal’s Office. “We work our dogs very hard. We demand a lot of them,” said Dolezal, a four-year veteran who has served three of those years stationed at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms where he is partnered with “CChaz.” “The things we can train a dog to do is just amazing,” he said. The dogs — generally German and Czech heritage shepherds and Belgian Malinois — begin training at about a year old for a variety of uses, including sniffing out bombs. Their sense of smell far exceeds a human’s, making dogs ideal for finding explosives or narcotics, and search and rescue. Dogs are reported to have 10 to 20 times the number of receptors in their nose than humans do, and the olfactory part of their brain — devoted to smell — is much larger, giving them the ability to detect faint odors and to discriminate between very slight differences in chemical composition, according to the U.S. War Dogs Association website. Specialized search dogs, used for sniffing out explosives, are trained to work off leash by voice and hand commands, said Cpl. Jared Sellers, who has been working with the military canines for four years. The dogs carry radios on their harnesses and on average work 100 meters away from their handler, but can go as far as 300 meters — or 328 yards, Sellers said. Without the dogs, there would be more human casualties, he said. “It’s nice to see (the dogs) be appreciated and get recognition. They deserve it,” Dolezal said.

keeping your pets safe

The day after the Fourth of July is one of the busiest times of year for pet shelters.
Nationally, research shows that shelters see an increase in occupancy by about 30 percent.
This causes a major problem for many shelters that are already near capacity.
Shelters like the Humane Association for Warren County are already housing dozens of pets, which makes such a drastic and quick influx problematic.
In addition to Independence Day, pet shelters say you should keep a closer eye on your pet around New Year’s Eve and during thunderstorms.
Pet experts have advice to keep your dog or cat from going into a frenzy because of the loud noises fireworks cause.
Mari Lee Schwarzwalder says you should microchip your pet. This will help you locate them after they've run away.
“It's important if people would microchip their pets,” said Schwarzwalder, executive director of the Humane Association of Warren County. “That way, if the dog runs off for any reason, or a cat, and ends up in an animal shelter or a veterinarian's office, we can scan it and we can find out who the owner is. That's much better than putting identification on a collar because they can lose their collars.”
Pet owners can also take proactive measures to ensure their pets safety, Schwarzwalder says. One way is make sure your pet exercises, which will help your them relax and feel more comfortable when the loud noises start.
She also says you should find a safe place for them to stay inside while they fireworks are going off.
This advice can also work in situations where your pet may be exposed to other loud noises such as thunderstorms.

Read more: http://www.kypost.com/dpps/news/local_news/water_cooler/pet-tips-keep-your-pets-safe-secure-during-fireworks-displays_8634770#ixzz2YQRUMFXs

pets slimming comp

Dogs, cats and rabbits collectively carrying around 30 stone in weight are set to take part in an annual pet slimming competition.

The line-up of 13 dogs, five cats and three rabbits will all be hoping to shed the pounds in the six-month diet and exercise programme as part of the Pet Fit Club by veterinary charity the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) .

The gargantuan group includes hefty hound Mizzy, the Bullmastiff, and flabby feline, Ulric - the two biggest-ever finalists in the competition which has been running for almost 10 years.

The combined weight of Mizzy and Ulric is 13 stone 4lbs (about 84kg).

Tom cat Ulric, from Dorset, weighs in at two stone (12.65kg) - 111% over his ideal weight, and Mizzy, from Derby, tips the scales at 11 stone 4lbs (72kg), making her around 60% overweight.

Other pets battling the bulge include sweet-and-sour-chicken-loving Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Beetlejuice, (seven stone/44kg and 48% overweight) from London, Labrador Tia, from Birmingham, who weighs over nine stone (58.2kg - 94% overweight), and ice-cream-loving tom cat Prince, who is 44% overweight (7.2kg/1st 2lbs).

The fat fighters are all competing for the title of PDSA Pet Fit Club slimmer of the year, and they all fall into the category of obese or morbidly obese.

Elaine Pendlebury, PDSA senior veterinary surgeon, said: "Obesity is one of the biggest welfare issues affecting pets in the UK today - and it is entirely preventable.

"Sadly, it also means daily misery for millions of pets who are feeling the strain from carrying too much weight. "The owners of the pets in this year's competition are taking the vital first step towards a healthy new future for their animals.

"This helps reduce the likelihood of an early grave due to obesity and its related health issues. The good news is that it's never too late to make a positive change to improve a pet's quality of life."

Travelling abroad with your pet

More and more pets are travelling abroad with their owners under The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS). The scheme enables dogs, cats and ferrets to return to the UK after travelling to a number of qualifying countries both within the EU and beyond without the need for quarantine.
From 1 January 2012 all pet dogs (including guide and hearing dogs) can enter or re-enter the UK from any country in the world without quarantine provided they meet the rules of the scheme, which will be different depending on the country or territory the pet is coming from. The changes will mean that the rules on rabies vaccination for entry into the UK will be in line with the rest of Europe.
Animals which do not meet all the rules must be licensed into quarantine. They might then be able to obtain early release if they can be shown to comply with the necessary pet travel requirements.
Dogs travelling to the UK, on or after 1 January 2012, can undergo the necessary pre-entry treatment (e.g microchipping, vaccination and blood testing as required) either before they travel in the country of origin, or if they enter quarantine in the UK, whilst they are in quarantine.
Before you can bring your dog into the UK from the EU and listed non-EU countries, you need to:

• Step 1 – Have your dog microchipped – First your dog must be fitted with a microchip so it can be properly identified.
  
  
• Step 2 – Have your dog vaccinated– Your dog must be vaccinated against rabies. Rabies boosters must be kept up to date. You will need to wait 21 days after the first vaccination date before you can enter the UK. A waiting period is not required for subsequent entries into the UK, provided rabies boosters are kept up to date. If the vaccination is in two parts, the 21 day wait will be from the date of the second vaccination.
  
  
• Step 3 – Get pet travel documentation – For animals arriving in the UK from an EU country, get an EU pet passport. From a non-EU listed country or territory you will need to obtain an official third country veterinary certificate (NB Croatia, Gibraltar, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland are also issuing passports).(see http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/pet-owners/documentation/ for more details)
  
  
• Step 4 – Tapeworm treatment – The European Commission and European Parliament have agreed that the UK can continue to require dogs to be treated against tapeworms. This is because of the potential risk of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis being introduced into the UK which would represent a public health concern. The new regulation will ensure that a dog must be treated by a veterinary surgeon 24 to 120 hours (1-5 days) before entering one of the countries listed as EM-free (UK, Ireland, Finland and Malta).

There is no longer a mandatory requirement for tick treatment. (see http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/pet-owners/parasites/ for more details), although the British Veterinary Association recommends very strongly that owners continue to treat their animals both before and during travel to prevent infection with tick-borne diseases such as   and Ehrlichiosis, which can often be life threatening to pets.

• Step 5 – Arrange for your animal to travel with an approved transport company on an authorised route – Your dog must enter the UK from a listed country or territory travelling with an approved transport company on an authorised route.

Preparing your dog for entry into the UK from unlisted non-EU countries:

• Step 1 – Have your dog microchipped – First your dog must be fitted with a microchip so it can be properly identified.
  
  
• Step 2 – Have your dog vaccinated –Your dog must be vaccinated against rabies. There is no exemption to this requirement, even if your dog has a current rabies vaccination. Rabies boosters must be kept up to date.
  
  
• Step 3 – Arrange a blood test – After your dog has been vaccinated, it must be blood tested to make sure the vaccine has given it a satisfactory level of protection against rabies. The blood sample must be taken at least 30 days after vaccination. The length of the waiting period before entry to the UK is three calendar months from the date your vet took the blood sample which led to a satisfactory test result. The three month waiting period will not apply if your dog was vaccinated and blood tested in the EU and issued with an EU pet passport before it went to an unlisted country
  
  
• Step 4 – Get pet travel documentation –You will need to obtain an official third country veterinary certificate.(see http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/pet-owners/documentation/ for more details)
  
  
• Step 5 – Tapeworm treatment – The European Commission and European Parliament have agreed that the UK can continue to require dogs to be treated against tapeworms. This is because of the potential risk of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis being introduced into the UK which would represent a public health concern. The new regulation will ensure that a dog must be treated by a veterinary surgeon 24 to 120 hours (1-5 days) before entering one of the countries listed as EM-free (UK, Ireland, Finland and Malta).

There is no longer a mandatory requirement for tick treatment. (see http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/pet-owners/parasites/ for more details), although the British Veterinary Association recommends very strongly that owners continue to treat their animals both before and during travel to prevent infection with tick-borne diseases such as Babesiosis and Ehrlichiosis, which can often be life threatening to pets.

• Step 6 – Arrange for your animal to travel with an approved transport company on an authorised route – Your dog must enter the UK with an approved transport company on an authorised route.

In addition to adhering to these requirements, the UK veterinary profession recommends that owners talk to a vet as early as possible to make sure your dog is protected from all diseases and parasites encountered abroad.

Always consider your dog’s welfare and think about planning your trip to ensure that they have sufficient stops to stretch their legs and relax along the way.  Think carefully about the temperatures that they are exposed to and make sure you have plans in place to keep them well hydrated and cool.  Finally, remember to pack a ‘travel bag’ for your pet including his bedding, food, a water supply and things like his favourite toys.  Your dog should also have plenty of room to turn around and lie down while you’re on route.

For further information on travelling abroad with your dog, contact your vet.