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The Pet Lovers Favorite Online Blog |
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I got a chuckle from the recent media reports about a survey from the American Kennel Council about
dogs in American culture (read our blog post here). One of the things
that made me laugh was that the most popular dogs in art award went to
"Dogs Playing Poker" (an old favourite of mine - who would not want
this in the pool room")!
When I googled it to find a picture to post on the blog, I laughed out loud at what I found!
Lots of people like "lists" (I know I do). Lists of top 10 holiday
spots, top 10 fastest cars, top 10 best songs, top 10 baby names - many
of us just can't help ourselves from stopping and taking a look at a
good list.
Sure, we all know that often the lists are subjective, and
don't really mean a great deal, but we humans like order in our lives,
and lists help us keep things in order.
Recently, the American Kennel Club ( the AKC) released the "Top 10 Most Popular Breeds in the USA 2009". According to the AKC's records, these are the top 10 most popular dog breeds last year:
1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd Dog
3. Yorkshire Terrier
4. Golden Retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Bulldog
8. Dachshund
9. Poodle
10. Shih Tzu
Would you like to win a year's supply of pet vitamins from the great Vetalogica range?Well, according to a survey conducted by the American Kennel Club (AKC), it's good ol' Snoopy!
The survey, conducted in celebration of the AKC's 125th anniversary this year, brings together dogs from diverse backgrounds for a look at how dogs have been woven into every aspect of American culture from film and literature to sports and art.
Here are some of the survey results:
According
to news reports, Bronson, a champion obedience dog returned home from a
run on the family property on Jan 4, with a deadly Copperhead locked
firmly in his jaws and coiled around his snout.
According to one survey (American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) 2008) the average yearly cost of owning a dog is $ 1425 and the yearly cost of owing a cat is $990. Other surveys but the cost even higher!Check out these new videos by Dr Barry Nielsen on Vetalogica Joint Support and Omegaderm for cats and dogs.
You can now view the whole range of Vetalogica pet multivitamins at VetShopOnline.
One of the wonderful things about living in the western world is the abundance of "things" that we have the good fortune of having. While we all like getting presents in the holiday time, it's probably safe to say that most of us have more "stuff" than we really need. 
We chose the "Smiles" program operated by World Vision (worldvision.com.au), as it is focused on helping the poorest of the poor, with items that are sustainable, and help break the brutal cycle of poverty. As animal lovers, we choose gifts of farm animals, which help the communities by providing not just food, but also wool, milk & eggs to sell and donkeys and cattle to help till the earth and cart goods. 
Although the economic conditions have been tough this year, we are proud to say that we have been able to maintain our tradition of giving "just a little bit more" each year. This year, our selected gift was a Stable full of animals (click here to view). This gift will go to a community in Australia's close neighbor, East Timor and comprises of two donkeys, two cows, two goats, four ducks, and six chickens with chicken feed. 
Pet food company Purina set out recently to determine exactly what cats do all day when their owners are not home. They fitted tiny cameras to the collars of fifty indoor cats. The digital cameras snapped off a still photo every 15 minutes. By examining the thousands of photos, animal behavior scientist Dr. Jill Villarreal was able to determine just what our kitty friends get up to during the day.It's our 10th birthday. 10 years since VetShopOnline.com was created, and to celebrate we are giving our customers a little something back to show our appreciation for their support over the years.
"Spend over $100 in the month of December and get $10 off your next order!"
10 Tips for Ensuring a Happy Thanksgiving for your Pets
Thanksgiving is a time when we all get together and share in a feast with our loved ones. Many people also like to include their pets in their celebrations as they are a part of the family as well. However, holidays can be a stressful and even dangerous time for pets, which is why it is important to follow these 10 easy steps to ensure a happy and safe Thanksgiving for both your and your furry friends.
1. Maintain their regular diet
The best thing to keep your pets happy and healthy during the holiday periods is to maintain their regular diet. If you want to give them a thanksgiving treat then it is best to give them treats made for pets.
2. Resist the temptation of sharing your food
It can be very tempting to give them some of our delicious food, especially as it is a day for sharing, but something as harmless as turkey and gravy can have very negative effects. Feeding pets fatty and rich foods can also cause pancreatitis or gastroenteritis.
I did learn the other day, that there is in fact a whole culture or sub
group which has grown up around cute cat photos on the internet. Its
even got a name. Its called "lolcat" (LOLL-kat), which according to Wikipedia is an image combining a photograph, most frequently of a cat, with a humorous and idiosyncratic caption.
November
15 is Steve Irwin Day, an international and annual event to celebrate
the extraordinary life of the one and only Crocodile Hunter, Steve
Irwin. The day will represent the many things Steve was passionate
about: FAMILY, WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, FUN and KHAKI.
Recently some of the staff from VetShopOnline had a horseriding experience on one of our local beaches. Sheri, Julie (a friend of Sheri's), Michele and myself went for an early morning ride on one of our beautiful beaches and Barb, another staff member opted for a beach walk. Sheri, an experienced rider rode Jaibaru, Julie another experienced rider rode Solly, Michele, a novice rider rode Larry who was an absolute angel for her. I rode Austin who was a cheeky five year old. It was a perfect morning with the sun shining and the ocean as blue as the sky above. There is something about riding a horse on the beach to get you back in touch with nature. Australia is known worldwide for its beautiful beaches with long stretches of white sand and gorgeous blue oceans. We are based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and have many beautiful beaches. Some of our beaches are horse and dog friendly. I regularly take my golden retriever, Ellie to my local dog friendly beach on a Sunday afternoon for a swim. What a wonderful way to finish off a weekend. Above is a photo of our horseriding experience.
I recently had two weeks vacation at Airlie Beach, Queensland which is one of the stopovers for visiting our beautiful Great Barrier Reef. Though I didn't actually go to any of our islands this trip, (years ago I spent a great deal of time exploring the Great Barrier Reef islands while cruising on a 40 ft yacht with my husband and two young children), I did visit the Mackay region hinterland which boasts beautiful waterfalls and great walking tracks. Eungella National Park has a lovely river called Broken River that meanders through it. Whilst visiting Eungella National Park, I was fortunate to see one of the resident platypii up early one morning searching for his breakfast. I thought I would like to share this with you as platypii are very shy animals and not many Australians have had the opportunity to see them in the wild. It was very exciting seeing him fossicking around. I managed to get a good shot of him swimming and check out the photo above of him surfacing with a lazy ole turtle sunning himself on the log.
Platypus Information
Bill like a duck, tail like a beaver, it has fur and lays eggs. The Platypus is certainly one of the most extraordinary animals found in Australia. It lives in burrows dug into the banks of lakes and streams in Eastern Australia and Tasmania. Although its bill resembles that of a duck, it is quite different - it is pliable, like soft, moist rubber and very sensitive. The Platypus feeds mainly on tadpoles, small fish, larvae and water snails which it sucks up like a vacuum cleaner. When at the surface, the Platypus opens its nostrils and eyes, both of which are closed under water. This shy creature has very sharp eyesight. It is rarely seen in the wild and some have suggested that is because it doesn't like to be laughed at - but the truth is it prefers a quiet life.
We are delighted to say that VetShopAustralia.com.au, the Aussie sister of VetShopOnline.com has just been named Australian Online Retailer of the Year by peak industry body, the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association.
pet care products from Vetalogica.
A cat has become such a well-known user of a Devon (England) bus service, that its drivers know where to let him off. 
In the study, participants were shown pictures of dog owners and asked to guess whether that person owned a labrador, poodle or staffordshire bull terrier. The participants got the answer right almost twice as often as would be expected by chance.
New research from Brigham Young University shows that children as young as 6 months old do understand dogs. The research shows that 6 month olds can match the sounds of an angry snarl and a friendly yap to photos of dogs displaying threatening and welcoming body language, even if they have little or no previous exposure to dogs!
Happy Independence Day, Pet Lovers. We wish you a wonderful 4th of July. We can only imagine it is hot "up there". It is cold in Australia, it has been reported to be colder than usual in most major cities.... bbbbrrr!. So bring out the barbie and celebrate 4th of July in full spirit!.
Farming men in particular, can find it hard to reach out for help in tough times, and so Beyond Blue has a number of initiatives targeting men in rural communities.
Does your cat has any talent? Can your cat top this David Copperfield act? Riding a bike perhaps? or do Beyonce's dance moves in Single Ladies? If you have any video, send them over so we can match Susan Boyle!. I am gobsmacked to watch what this feline can do. Check it out.
One of the best examples of this is the recently announced 2009 Honda Element with optional Pet Friendly Features. The US built Honda Element will soon be available with canine specific enhancements to make it one of the most dog friendly vehicles available, according to a recent announcement by Honda Motor Co at the New York International Auto Show.Owner Jan
Griffith said her family were devastated when their cattle dog, Sophie
Tucker, fell off the side of their boat in choppy waters off the Mackay
coast in north Queensland in late November. A fortnight ago she was reunited with Griffith family thus completing a touching and wonderful tale about strong bond between man and his best friend.
The dog swam five nautical miles to St Bees Island, where she survived until last week by hunting baby goats.
Although we are focusing a lot on dogs and cats in our products and services, reptiles remain one of our top priorities. In 2007 alone, Reptiles were estimated around 13% of household pets ownership.
Ask A Vet consistently receiving a good number of reptile health relating questions. It is another indication that the demand for good products, reliable service and education material is beckoning
To demonstrate how much we do not know about reptiles. Take a look at this video. I love it!.
So be on the look out for expansion on Reptile range in the near future.
popular breeds. And the winner is.... the Labrador Retriever! Again!
many times before, we continue to be impressed by the helpfulness of the people and the beautiful country side. Watching the dolphins and seals off Venice Beach in LA was as real highlight, as was Hoover Dam and the deserts of Nevada and Arizona, although much to my disappointment we didn't see a road runner (clearly I spent to much time in front of the TV watching cartoons as a kid!).
VetShopOnline is constantly on the look out for VetShoppers who are out there making a difference in society and the community. I am pleased to announce that we have spotted one. Recently we interviewed Deborah Albert, long time VetShopOnline customer, as our first VetShopper.
Deborah is a surgeon from Florida with a passion for animals. She is an outgoing,
adventurous person, who loves her pets. At home, Deborah has nine adopted animals plus an elaborate salt water fish aquarium. In her spare time, she volunteers at the Big Cat Animal Sanctuary. She has been shopping with VetShopOnline for a number of years.
A couple of years ago, Dr Mark and I were looking for a charity to support each holiday season. Recently we held a small staff Christmas party at the office. Actually, it is the second VetShopOnline Christmas party that we had in a week! The first one, we invited all family members of the staff and retreated into the country side for the day.
Jennifer Love Hewitt and Adam Sandler may think their pooches Mona and Matzoball are "hot dogs" being on the sets of their latest movies they are filming but we think that our pets are the real stars.
It's no joke! While most of us could only ever imagine having that much money, that was the headline back in 2007 when Leona Helmsley's left her beloved white Maltese, Trouble, a $12 million trust fund.
Ok, so most of us will not be leaving millions to our pets, but it is necessary to think about what will happen to our pets if something happens to us.
It is important to take the time to ask yourself questions like:
Steve Irwin Day is commemorated on the 15th of November and Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin and the team at Australia Zoo are using the celebrations to promote Steve's work and the nature conservation work made possible by the Wildlife Warriors organization.
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