http://www.petconnection.com/blog The Web blog of the Pet Connection, a pet-care feature syndicated internationally by Universal Press. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:50:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I became a fan of Karen Pryor when I read her first two books "Don't Shoot the Dog" and "Lads Before the Wind" many years ago. "Reaching the Animal Mind" Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals" is her newest book,  and in it she revisits the paths ... http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/11/07/why-karen-pryor-was-a-game-changer-for-dog-trainers-and-for-me/ . When I was living in rural northern Florida almost a decade ago, there was nothing to see except the night sky. Electronic media was pretty iffy, and although that took some getting used to, I eventually stopped noticing when the cable was up or down and just left the TV ... http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/11/06/have-you-looked-at-the-moon-this-week/ After hearing about a recent PetSmart recall of beef hoove chews contaminated with salmonella from the indefatigable Therese Kopiwoda at PetSitUSA, I found myself launching into one of my regularly scheduled rants about "voluntary" recalls. Every freaking press release, from industry or from FDA, uses that same meaningless phrase: a "voluntary ... http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/11/06/salmonella-in-pet-treats-one-recall-and-an-fda-warning/ Spammers waste no time, I'll tell you what. We are already getting comments posted (thanks, spam filter!) and e-mails in our in box trying to sell snake oil to "prevent" or "cure" H1N1 in pets. The FDA has been on these scammers since last summer. Seems now the crooks are just tossing ... http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/11/05/h1n1-dont-be-fooled-and-dont-be-scammed/ With the news yesterday about a cat in Iowa who contracted the H1N1 virus from other family members, it's certain there's no more timely topic than the one our Dr. Marty Becker already had lined up for today's "The Dr. Oz Show." (Check for local times and listings.) Although the H1N1/feline story ... http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/11/05/h1n1-cats-and-keeping-the-entire-family-safe/ A dog rescued many years ago, found as an emaciated stray with baling wire wrapped around her snout, repaid my friend last week by saving her life. Thanks to a liver transplant a couple of years ago, Linda Mawhinney is getting back to a fairly normal state of health after years of creeping towards ... http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/11/05/rescued-abused-dog-saves-owner%e2%80%99s-life/ As a writer on canine topics myself, I'm always on the lookout for a good book about dogs. I have favorite authors I look for and others I tend to avoid, but often I reach for a book because something draws me to it. With "The Wolf in the Parlor: The Eternal ... http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/11/05/the-wolf-in-the-parlor-is-a-fascinating-read/ A cat in Iowa contracted the H1N1 influenza virus -- the so-called "swine flu" -- from his stricken family members. This is the first confirmed feline case of the disease, previously thought to affect only humans, birds and pigs. There has also been a confirmed case in at least one ferret. ... http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/11/04/h1n1-confirmed-in-cat/ We promised you details about Thursday's edition of "The Dr. Oz Show," and here they are. Check your local listings for channel and time. Our Dr. Marty Becker is a member of Core Team Oz, and on Thursday America’s Veterinarian  and Dr. Oz are sharing information about the diseases your pet has that you can ... http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/11/04/our-dr-becker-returns-to-the-doctor-oz-show-to-share-pet-people-safety-tips/ I guess an American bison isn't really a pet --  although some individuals may be --  and so doesn't qualify for this blog; not really. But the Sunday edition of our local newspaper, the North County Times, had a front page article I wanted to share. The article by Jeff Rowe, "Home ... http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/11/04/things-that-catch-my-attention-bison-which-are-pretty-hard-to/