Is your cat or dog constantly scratching at its ears or shaking its head? Do the ears contain a dark brown to black crusty discharge that resembles coffee grounds, yet has a waxy consistency? Does your pet have a hot spot below one of its ears? Then your cat or dog could be suffering from an infestation secondary to an infectious mite called Otodectes cynotis, more commonly referred to as ear mites.

Christmas holly, or English Holly is a commonly prized holiday ornamental that may prove to be irresistible to your pets. Although there are two genera of holly, the Ilex genus, with its 29 species, are all toxic. The technical name for the Christmas holly is Ilex aquifolium.

The Chesapeake Bay retriever is a native of Maryland in the United States. This water dog evolved with the breeding of Newfoundlands and English Otter Hounds with local retrievers, including curly-coated and flat-coated retrievers, back in the early 1800’s.

The breed was developed for its keen intelligence and a willingness to retrieve no matter how harsh the weather or how icy the water. This breed is considered to be the toughest of the water retrievers. They are named for the Chesapeake Bay area from which they hail.

Tall, lean, and built for speed, the greyhound is the fastest breed of dog.  With a sharp eye it is classified as a sight hound.  Originally bred as a racing dog they are now accepted as sweet and personable companions.  As part of the hound family they can have some stubborn personality traits.  They are not hyper and will spend much of their day resting in preparation, conserving their energy, until required to utilize their great bursts of speed. 
 

10. Provides the family Labrador retriever a place to cool off.

9. Less water usage. Lawns and landscaping require watering. Often rainwater is sufficient to top off a pond once it has been filled, dependent on the area of the country.

8. The pond provides a wonderful local wildlife habitat.

7. Sludge collected by a pond filter may be used as a nutrient-rich fertilizer.

6. Just add fish and you have wonderful, easy to care for and entertaining pets.

5. A pond encourages young people to help preserve the planet and brings them in close contact with nature.

In the United States, the most popular breeds have all remained the same for 2008 according to the AKC. For the 18th consecutive year the Labrador retriever has maintained the coveted number one most popular breed ranking, although rumor has it that the mixed breed actually edges them out for the number one spot. In fact the Labrador retriever has twice the number of registrants in ‘08 than does its nearest competition: the Yorkshire terrier.

The 2008 ranking resembles that of 2007 with the exception of the English bulldog, who has managed to move up an additional two slots.

Has your dog recently been diagnosed with a mast cell tumor?  Has your veterinarian given you a rather gloomy prognosis?  Take heart:  Pfizer Animal Health™ has a new chemotherapy drug coming out specifically for the treatment of mast cell tumors in the dog.  

Is your pet suddenly lame when you have seen no indication of trauma?  Have you recently removed ticks from your pet or are you late on your tick treatment this month?  Has your dog had any abnormal bleeding or are his joints swollen or painful?  Then you may want to consider the possibility that your dog could be suffering from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF).

Have you suddenly noticed a red mass in the corner of your young dog’s eye? Are you concerned that there is a tumor in the corner of the eye when just a day ago everything looked normal? You could be dealing with a common problem in young dogs and puppies, especially in the cocker spaniel, commonly known as hyperplasia of the nictitans gland, “cherry eye”, or prolapse of the glands of the third eyelid.