Michelle Obama: First dog arriving in April

First lady Michelle Obama tells People magazine that the target date for the arrival of the family pet is after her daughters’ spring break trip in April, though 7-year-old Sasha is convinced the dog is coming April 1.

“So Sasha says ‘April 1st.’ I said, ‘April.’ She says, ‘April 1st.’ It’s like, April!” said Mrs. Obama.

The Obama girls — Sasha and 10-year-old Malia — attend the private Sidwell Friends school, which has spring break March 20-29 and a day off for students on April 13.

The family wants a rescue Portuguese Water Dog who is the appropriate age and match.

“Temperamentally they’re supposed to be pretty good,” Mrs. Obama said. “From the size perspective, they’re sort of middle of the road — it’s not small, but it’s not a huge dog. And the folks that we know who own them have raved about them. So that’s where we’re leaning.”

The first couple and their daughters have been going back and forth on possible names. Among the two Mrs. Obama mentioned — and nixed — were Frank and Moose.

“”Oh, the names are really bad. I don’t even want to mention it, because there are names floating around and they’re bad,” she said. “You listen and you go — like, I think, Frank was one of them. Frank! Moose was another one of them. Moose. I said, well, what if the dog isn’t a moose? Moose. I’m like, no, come on, let’s work with the names a little bit.”

To read more of this article click on associated press story

Portuguese Water Dog
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Portuguese Water Dogs (PWD) are a breed of water dog similar to poodles. Portuguese Water Dogs once existed all along Portugal’s coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen’s nets, to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and to act as couriers from ship to ship, or ship to shore. Portuguese Water Dogs rode in bobbing fishing trawlers as they worked their way from the warm Atlantic waters of Portugal to the frigid fishing waters off the coast of Iceland where the fleets caught codfish to bring home.

In Portugal, the breed is called Cão d’Água (pronounced “Kown-d’Ahgwa”; literally “water dog”). In its native land, the dog is also known as the Portuguese Fishing Dog (Cão Pescador Português). Cão de Água de Pêlo Ondulado is the name given the wavy-haired variety, and Cão de Água de Pêlo Encaracolado is the name for the curly-coated variety.

The Portuguese Water Dog is a fairly rare breed; only 15 entrants for Portuguese Water Dogs were made to England’s Crufts competition in 2002, although their personality and non-shedding qualities have made them more popular in recent years.”

Most of us have been on antibiotics at some point in our lives. Some of you may have even experienced a yeast infection, diarrhea or constipation during or after your course of the medication.

Dogs and cats also have similar side-effects from taking antibiotics. Some may experience diarrhea, constipation or more gas. Others may develop yeast infections which can manifest in the intestine, genitals or the ears.

After a course of antibiotics it often helps to take probiotics. Antibiotics kill harmful bacteria which cause infection. The down side is that they also kill the good bacteria in the intestine as well. Probioitcs help to put the friendly bacteria into the body.

Some of the important benefits of taking a probiotic supplement can include:

* Keeping constipation and diarrhea under control.
* Reduction of internal gas.
* Suppression of candida yeast.
* Suppression of a number of intestinal disorders.
* Reduction of bad breath
* Counteracting lactose intolerance by its association with lactase

One of my favorite probiotic products for both humans and pets is PB8.

PB 8® Pro-Biotic Acidophilus is a combination of 8 types of beneficial bacteria that favorably alter the intestinal balance, promote healthy digestion, inhibit growth of harmful bacteria and support immune system function.

PB 8 can be found at places which sell supplements such as Whole Foods, The Vitamin Shoppe and on-line.

Jeanie Marie Kraft, Lic.Ac. is keeping tails wagging on the North Shore of MA with veterianary acupuncture house-calls. FourPawsAcupuncture.com for more information.

This came via email and has been confirmed by Snopes.

Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog Calypso decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn’t acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk. Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly. Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company’s website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs and cats. Cocoa Mulch is
manufactured by Hershey’s, and they claim that ‘It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won’t eat it.’

This Snopes site gives the following information: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp
Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman’s Garden Supply and other
Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called ‘ Theobromine’. It is
lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs.
They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last
2-3 weeks. Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker’s chocolate
which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities
of th eobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and
theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from
cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis
of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence
of lethal amounts of theobromine.

Chase away those winter blues while watching Border Collie, Pepper, dancing with owner Sandra Davis to Achy Breaky Heart.

Click on the youtube link to watch! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e01RFf9Tr5w

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – People unwilling to quit smoking to improve their own health may consider giving up cigarettes to spare their pets the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Twenty-eight percent of pet owners who smoke said in a survey they would try to quit based on knowledge that second-hand smoke could harm their dogs, cats and other pets, the researchers wrote in the journal Tobacco Control.

Another 11 percent said they would think about quitting.

“It’s not necessarily that people love their pets more than they love themselves or their children, it’s just another motivational factor for people to consider quitting smoking,” Sharon Milberger of the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, who led the research, said in a telephone interview.

Milberger said asking smokers to quit for the sake of their pets may be an appealing new way to get them to throw away their cigarettes. Of the 71 million pet owners in the United States, about a fifth are smokers, Milberger estimated.
Read more of this article at www.reuters.com

We let our dancing Foo Dogs out! This is the last day of the Chinese New Year festivities. To celebrate we have launched the Foo Dog TCM Learning Centre.

In order to provide more information and classes about TCM for dogs, The Foo Dog TCM Learning Centre has been created. Very soon we will be offering CEU classes with various topics on veterinary acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine for dogs, for licensed acupuncturists and acupuncture students.

We will also be offering classes to the public on canine acupressure, nutrition and other dog health related subjects. This is a work in progress and we will be updating everyone very soon about the first class.

If you are interested please drop us an email at woof@fourpawsacupuncture.com.

It is always the year of the dog at Four Paws Acupuncture!
Gung Hay Fat Choy
Thank You

Here is a video of one of my patients, Belle a German Shepherd doing her performance of “cover your eyes”.

cover your eyes belle youtube

Just recently two of my patients have been diagnosed with canine DM. In order to provide more information on how alternative medicine, herbs and supplements can help I have created a Squidoo lens http://www.squidoo.com/canine-DM-acupuncture

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A dog with degenerative myelopathy often stands with its legs close together and may not correct an unusual foot position due to a lack of conscious proprioception

Canine degenerative myelopathy (also known as chronic degenerative radiculomyelopathy)

Degenerative myelopathy is a progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs. The disease has an insidious onset typically between 7 and 14 years of age. It begins with a loss of coordination (ataxia) in the hind limbs.

As of July 15, 2008 the mutated gene responsible for DM has been found present in 43 breeds including German Shepherds and both breeds of Welsh Corgis.[1] The disease is chronic and progressive, and can result in the animals inability to recognize its extremities, thereby rendering it paralyzed.

The myelin is an insulating sheath around neurons in the spinal cord. One proposed cause of degenerative myelopathy is that the immune system attacks this sheath, breaking it down. This results in a loss of communication between nerves in lower body of the animal and the brain. The disease usually manifests between the ages of seven and fourteen.”

Valentines Day is a sweet day for people, but can be very dangerous to your furry loved ones. Leaving out candy, ribbon, flowers and other gifts may end in an emergency visit to your local veterinary hospital.

Treat your dog this Valentine’s day with safe and healthy snacks such as carrots, apples or wheat-free dog cookies.

Here is a list of substances to keep out of reach from Fido. If your dog consumes any of these, please call your veterinarian immediately.

Chocolate
Macadamia nuts
Alcohol
Tylenol
Yeast dough
Coffee grounds, beans & tea
Raisins and grapes
Moldy/spoiled foods
Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips

Jeanie Marie Kraft, L.Ac. is keeping tails wagging on the North Shore of MA with canine veterinary acupuncture house-calls. FourPawsAcupuncture.com for more information.