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Saturday, March 24, 2012 – Daily News 9A healthPets & Watch that bird feeder like a hawk By Marc Morrone Newsday (MCT) In the late winter, I get many letters from readers who have wild bird feeders set up in their backyards who are dis- tressed that hawks visiting the feeders grab birds eating there. These hawks are usually Cooper's hawks or sharp- shinned hawks that are wintering over. They have learned by now that the birds that are their natural prey frequent these feeders much like the predators in Africa learn that their prey needs to go to certain watering holes every day. The hawks need to eat as much as the other birds that you are feeding, and this really is nature happening right in your own backyard. (If it were on Animal Planet, people would pay to watch it.) I can understand this upsets some people. If your bird feeder is being frequented by a hawk every day and ruining the bird-feeding experience for both you and the little birds, the best thing to do is to take the feeder down for a week or so. When the hawk realizes the "watering hole" has dried up, it will move on to another area. As soon as you put the feeders back up, the smaller birds will return to the yard right away. Q: My 5-year-old indoor cat has discovered that flushing the toilet is a lot of fun. We thought it cute at first, but now he does it all day long. We have three bathrooms and do our best to see that the doors are closed, but in our busy home this is hard. The cat's little trick has added to my water bill. Is there any way to teach him not to do this? A: This is what we call a self-rewarding behavior, and it sounds like your cat is getting lots of rewards here for a sim- ple trick like pulling the flushing handle. Unless you were on top of him 24/7, you will never be able to teach him you do not appreciate his antics. He could never understand how such a great game as flushing the toilet and listening to the noise and the swirl of water could be bad. Invite a plumber to see if there is a way to install a lever that is harder for the cat to use. I had a similar situation in my home. One of my dogs learned how to open the spigot attached to the outside of our house to turn on the water. After she was done playing in the water, she never bothered to turn it off, and our yard would flood. I solved the problem by having the plumber replace the regular spigot with one that could be opened only by turning a key. Q: I want to put together a first aid kit so that if any of my dogs or cats get sick or injured I will have things ready. What items would you put in it? A: When my pets are sick or hurt, I go into just as much of a panic as all of you do. I have seen lists of first aid sup- plies on various websites that say you should have on hand things like ipecac to induce vomiting and activated charcoal to feed your dog to absorb toxins, but quite frankly I would just rush my dog to the vet as soon as I saw an issue. If I did something wrong, I would feel terrible. These sites say that for ingestion of some poisons you should induce vomiting. For others, you should not. It can be very confusing for a layperson. Of course, we have in our house items like peroxide and gauze for bleeding wounds and baking soda for insect bites and dry cornstarch powder to soothe skin rashes. About the only other thing I would advise you to have handy for either a dog or a cat would be a muzzle that fits the animal perfectly so that if your pet does get hurt, you can pick it up and carry it without its biting you in the heat of the moment. Otherwise, the most important thing to have is the num- ber of a 24-hour emergency vet hospital near your house. Q: We have a 20-gallon tank with several community fish. One of the fish -- a blue gourami -- is bullying my angelfish and has chewed up all her fins. The angelfish spends most of her time hiding behind a rock, rushing out only to eat. Is there a way for them to get along again? I do not want to get rid of the gourami, but I feel sorry for the angelfish. A: You can get an isolation tank that is basically a small plastic box full of holes that you hang in a tank to keep a fish isolated from the rest of the community. The holes in the unit allow free passage of water. Set up the unit in your tank and put the angelfish in it. Allow her to stay in it for as long as is needed for her fins to heal. When her fins have totally grown back, put her back into the tank but take out the bul- lying gourami. Keep him in the isolation tank for a few weeks to allow the angelfish to get used to the situation and to build up her confidence in the bully-free environment. Then you can put the gourami back. (MCT) — It's one thing to work with little Spanky in the yard and through the judicious use of treats teach him to sit up or roll over. But bigger challenges — digging, aggression, mindless barking and the like — require more than a Milk-Bone. Some- times you need a professional. First, though, talk to a veterinarian to be sure there are no physical issues causing the behavior. The next step is hiring a train- er or behaviorist. "Take into account the problem you're having or what you want," says Kristen Collins, director of anti-cruelty behavior services with the ASPCA's Anti-Cruelty Behavior Team. "Say you have an untrained dog or a dog that's rowdy when it greets people ... (if you want) to treat behaviors, a trainer is your best bet. But (for) fear, anxiety or aggression, your best bet is to go with certified behaviorists." The choices: There are four main cate- gories of pet professionals: trainers (or pet psychologist, pet therapist or some varia- tion); certified professional dog trainers; applied animal behaviorists (certified and associate certified); and veterinary behav- iorists (vets who go beyond vet school training and are certified by the American By Leslie Barker Garcia The Dallas Morning News (MCT) Wanted: A perfect exercise partner. One who improves physical capa- bilities and mental out- look, lowers blood pres- sure and raises morale, has no qualms going out at any hour of any day, is always happy to be with you, and who will never call to cancel your work- out. Plus (added bonus) licks your face when you're finished. "They always want to go," says Leslie Blake, 57, of her dogs, Jake and Charley (Cha Cha). "It doesn't matter what time it is or what the weather is like, and that gets me out when normally I might skip my run." Studies abound touting the benefits of dog walking. People who walk their dogs are more likely to engage in additional forms of exercise, according to Michigan State University research. A University of Western Australia study found that seven of 10 adult dog own- ers get 150 minutes of exer- cise weekly, compared with four out of 10 nonowners. A study published in Preventative Medicine reported that dog-walking dog owners are 25 percent less likely to be obese than people who don't own dogs. "I have many clients who come in and say, 'My dog and I are going on an exercise program together. We're going to walk every day,'" says veterinarian Lynda Van Antwerp, owner of Carrollton West Pet Hos- pital. When Van Antwerp talks about the benefits of exercise — healthy joints, active digestive systems, weight control — the line's blurred as to whether she's When Fido needs more help than you can provide College of Veterinary Behaviorists). Certi- fication is a big deal, Collins says, and should be from an unbiased group. The search: There are three certification councils you can consult: for trainers, the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (ccpdt.org); for applied behavior- ists, the Animal Behavior Society (certi- fiedanimalbehaviorist.com); for a board- certified veterinary behaviorist, the Ameri- can College of Veterinary Behaviorists (dacvb.org). "Find someone in your area," Collins says, "then go to your vet and ask if they have any experience working with them." Also consider education, experience, recommendations and references. Collins recommends at least two or three thorough interviews over the phone. "Ask about specific experience solving problems like yours, their general educa- tion," she says. "See if the trainer will give you information on former clients so you can talk to them. And, she adds, seek "trainers who emphasize reward-based training (and) positive reinforcement. Make sure they use humane training equipment. Ask specifi- cally about the methods the trainer will use to make sure you're OK with them." www.redbluffroundup.com Visit us on facebook (530) 527-1000 1-800-545-3500 Visit us at: talking about the pets or the owners. Both, usually. "Diet and exercise is a huge portion of all our (pets') health problems like it is with people," she says. When people call the pet hospital and are put on hold, they hear, not elevator music, but information about health benefits of owning a pet. Alexandria Williams is co-founder with Whitney Patterson of Sporty Afros (sportyafros.com), an orga- nization that encourages exercise, especially in black women. At community events, she touts the bene- fits of exercising with dogs. "I say, 'You have a pet? Walk.'" says Williams, 28. "Fifteen, 30 minutes a day, four to five days a week. You could lose a pound every other week doing that without changing anything else. Plus, psychologically your pet enjoys it, and you're getting out of the house, letting your mind flow." Blake walks her two yel- low labs every day and runs with them three or four times a week. She was bit- ten by a dog when she was a little girl, she says, and has always had a fear of dogs. When she moved to Heartland, a residential community near Forney, Texas, she decided a dog would help her feel safe while running. Plus, she wanted the companionship. "I actually talk to them when I'm running," she says. "It's very good com- pany. I don't like running by myself." The three tend to go the same speed, though some- times her dogs are faster. "They're much better runners than I am," she says. "They don't seem to get injured either." They usually go about four miles, she says, less SATURDAY ROUND- UP PERFORMANCE 2:30 PM 1921 ~ 2012 APRIL 20, 21, 22, 2012 NEW START TIME FOR during the summer: "When it's too hot for me, it's too hot for them." Angela Turnage and Michael Friedhoff adopted their dogs, Shasta and Nevada, from the SPCA within a few weeks of each other three summers ago. The couple first walked the dogs, teaching them not to pull ahead, then began run- ning with them. Turnage tends to run with Nevada, who weighs 45 pounds, and Friedhoff with 75-pound Shasta. "Nevada and I run really well together," says Tur- nage, 51, a former DISD teacher who took a buyout last year. "She's skittish, though. She tends to sidle up to me when a big truck goes by. I have fallen down. She got underfoot and was- n't looking where she was going." That's one reason Tur- nage doesn't take the dogs to group runs or to races, a courtesy that Lewis George, owner of Mellew Productions, appreciates. His company produces such events as the Hottest Half and doesn't allow dogs at any races. When people ask why, he tells them, "You're involving a dog with a string attached to where people aren't looking. That's why I have liability insurance." In addition to the danger issue for people, he also knows that many dogs aren't ready or cut out for a race. The second or third year of Dadfest, one of his 5Ks, a dog collapsed at the finish line. "It was an overweight dog with a big thick coat," George says. "There were people ready to beat the woman who was running with him. People just don't take responsibility. I don't blame the dogs. I blame the people with the dogs. "You want to exercise with your dog? Do it on your time, not on mine." Ron Billmyre, 29, of Dallas runs with his Weimaraner. He says if a dog cannot hold a pace faster than yours, you shouldn't be running with it. "Unfortunately, most people assume since it's a dog, it can run, when in fact most are not bred for dis- tance." Ready to go? Heed this advice before grabbing the leash: Get the medical nod. After you get the OK from your doctor about starting an exercise pro- gram, take your pet in for a vet checkup, says James Bias, president of the SPCA of Texas. "It's not rocket science," he says. "Like people, you need to build up. If you're going to participate in a 5K with your dog, build up your dog's capacity prior to the event." Build up. Would you wake up one morning and decide to run five miles? Probably not. Nor should you submit your dog to that. "If people are mak- ing poor decisions about themselves," Bias says, "it stands to reason they're making poor decisions about their pets." Limit races to those designated for dogs. The SPCA has several, includ- ing Strut Your Mutt on April 28 (spca.org). Think outside the run- walk box. Alexandria Williams of Sporty Afros suggests playing fetch with your dog. "Throw the ball hard," she says. While waiting for Fido to retrieve it, do squats or lunges. 91ST activities Exercise with dog can be great — but be careful FRIDAY FAMILY 4 PACK $30