pet connection

A VERY busy week here at the Pet Connection news desk, so let’s get to it:

Defining low calorie is in the eye of the label beholder: Go to any store that sells pet food, and look for products marked low calorie, lite, light or less calorie.  Do you know what you’ll find?  A dizzying disparity in numbers, whether you’re looking at dog food or cat food, wet food or dry.  Very likely you’ll have trouble making sense of which product is best, comparing product to product, head to head. The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University has illustrated your understandable confusion with a study out this month in the  Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.  Even reading labels won’t necessarily help you.

There is so much information—and misinformation—about pet foods, it’s understandable that people are confused about what to feed their dogs and cats, said co-author Dr. Lisa Freeman, professor of nutrition at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. To counteract these myths, people are accustomed to turning to the labels on food—but, as this study shows, packaging might not always be a reliable source of information.

The evolution of dog identity politics: Far and away the best piece of writing I’ve read all week was forwarded to me by Pet Connection colleague Kim Thornton.  New York Magazine’s John Homans, whose gorgeous dog Stella is pictured here, has written a nuanced, interesting and thoroughly worthwhile essay on the path to where we stand today in the world of dogs.  Mr. Homans covers a broad swath of the landscape, and addresses many of the issues we talk about here on a regular basis.   It’s a long article, but it’s a must read.

The remarkable life of Moscow’s stray dogs: I’ve seen five or six variations of this story, plus two referred separately by loyal readers Linda and Anne.  The Financial Times has the original, comprehensive tale, but my favorite summary is from our friends over at Dogster, and includes a sobering opening line:

Moscow is home to 35,000 stray dogs. That’s 84 dogs per square mile. It’s a hard life, especially in sub-zero winter months.

Read on.  You’ll see that in Moscow, the strays ride the subway, and have jobs.

Run with your dog, or just walk: I take Cami and Harry for frequent walks, but many dog owners like to run with their dogs.   Linda sent me this New York Times story saying, in essence, running with your dog might not be a good idea.

It’s a lesson that Michelle Powe, an English teacher in Midlothian, Tex., learned last summer when trying to run with Mookie, her 90-pound Catahoula.

“He kept trying to herd me,” she recalled. For the entire three-mile run, Mookie displayed the kind of herding behavior that is typical for the breed, throwing his weight against Ms. Powe and nipping at her legs.

Cold nose, warm toes: It started with our Dr. Marty Becker visiting Orange County Animal Care Services in Orlando, and seeing two Italian greyhounds sharing a tiny bed with a pit bull mix because that was the only place they could escape the cold, hard floor.    Dr. Becker’s idea was simple: these dogs need beds so they don’t have to sleep on the floor.  Everyone chip in a little, and we can help a lot.   Almost immediately, the idea caught fire.   We’re now over 30 beds donated, in less than a week.  Yesterday, Good Morning America’s Facebook page picked up the cause (Dr. Becker, as you know, is GMA’s resident veterinarian).  You can help, too.  Here’s the link for donations to Kuranda beds.  From all the pets who will benefit, thank you.

Cat vs. Bear — The Showdown: A bear comes to the back door, with a nose for the trash bag left on the porch.   The cat decides it’s time to protect the property.   The Huffington Post has the video.  Enjoy.  I’m betting that bear isn’t coming back for another visit, and is most likely wondering “What is that thing?”

Got a tip?  Got a story?  Don’t keep it to yourself.  Send it to me, or give me a shout in the comments.

Photo credits:  Stella: Jill Greenberg.  Crowded Dogs: Dr. Marty Becker.