Category Archives: Health

Dog News, Health

Iditarod Video: Dog to Snout CPR

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Scott Janssen on the revival of Marshal from Kyle [email protected] on Vimeo.



Every year during the Iditarod, animal rights groups berate the race organizers and participants for putting these “poor” dogs in harm’s way by asking them to compete.  There’s no doubt the race is grueling, but have you looked at any pictures of the dogs?  They look out of their minds in happiness that they are finally doing what they were bred and trained to do.

And the mushers know the dogs are (a) very expensive and (b) vital to their success in racing.  So most of them are meticulous in the way they care for their dogs.  Check out the lengths to which a musher will go to maintain a good dog.

As Scott Janssen (who calls himself The Mushing Mortician) was running his team down a steep section of the Dalzell Gorge, 9-year old Husky Marshall collapsed.  Janssen picked up the dog and gave him CPR.  Once the dog was revived, he got to ride on the sled into the next checkpoint, where he was treated by a vet, then airlifted home.

Here’s the full story from The Sled Blog in the Anchorage Daily News.

Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!

Health

Online Pharmacies for Pet Medications – Yay or Nay?

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Chihuahua and bottle of pills pet prescriptionI read an interesting article weighing in on the possible issues with buying your dog’s medication online rather than through your vet. It is certainly cheaper online, but it seems there are a whole slew of potential issues you could be exposing your pet to if you do purchase medications online. I certainly wasn’t aware of all of the issues. I haven’t purchased pet medicine online but I have considered it. Money is tight for many of us so it’s tempting to save where we can.

But it’s possible some online pharmacies repackage expired medicine with new expiry dates, and some prescriptions could be outright counterfeits. At the worst, it could put your dog at serious risk, and at a minimum the medication could simply be ineffective. You don’t know that the medication was stored properly, and it’s difficult to be certain that what you receive is the correct dose for your dog’s weight.

It seems like the risks outweigh any cost savings. Have you ever purchased any prescriptions for your dog online? Would you consider it? If you have, what was your experience like? Are some online sources of pet prescriptions more reliable than others?

Behavior and Psychology, Health

Saturday Survey: Would You Euthanize a Sick Dog?

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Several members of my family were debating this lately. My sister’s dog was very ill, to the point where her husband was having to carry Yogi up and down the steps, outside to do his business, and to the food dish at meal times. Without seeing the dog personally, it was hard to know whether or not he was in significant pain, or had any quality of life. Several of my family felt it was time to put him down, several others thought maybe not. Continue reading Saturday Survey: Would You Euthanize a Sick Dog? →