Can't seem to keep those reindeer antlers on Fluffy and Fido long enough to snap a photo for your holiday card? Now, thanks to the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital, you can create a free holiday e-card featuring your pet's photo. Just upload, add your choice of holiday accessories and you're ready to e-mail, tweet or post to Facebook.

Help keep your animal companions safe and healthy this holiday season by checking out their Pet Columns for tips on winter safety and avoiding hazardous substances. Or become a fan of the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital on Facebook or follow them on Twitter to get regular animal health & wellness updates. The University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital provides specialty, general, and 24/7 emergency care for all species. Their mission is to provide the best care for your animal while educating the veterinarians of tomorrow and developing treatment approaches and advancing science to promote animal health. They also publish web pet columns providing information to you the petowner and have a podcast Illini Pet Pod

As one of the world's leading public universities, their work depends on the support of the people they serve through education, innovation, and research. Help them now by giving
so they can continue the important work they do for you and your new pets.

Dr Andrew T. Jones DVM

Dr Andrew Jones has just re-released an upgraded version of his best selling home study course Veterinary Secrets Revealed. Dr Jones is a Nelson, B.C. based veterinarian with an interest in holistic and alternative treatments for your pets. He operates a clinic and is a regular small town veterinary practioner.

Dr Jones also has various other publications and DVD's for pet owners covering food and first aid.
[

Pets Get the Back-To-School Blues

This view should help the countless dogs that have been abandoned or lost and have come to be in a shelter.

According to a 1997 study of 1000 animal shelters across America,conducted by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, approximately one million dogs and 584,000 cats were taken in as strays. Unfortunately for the both the owners and animals only 16% of those dogs and 2% of the cats were returned to the owners. It is alarming that thousand of pets are euthanized because their owners cannot be found. For President elect Obama to indicate this preference it gives a voice to these dogs that may not be adopted. It also also signifies that more and more of the society is seeing adoption as one of the best ways to find that new family pet.

Hopefully a Microchipped shelter pet, with non allergenic qualities, will be the one to end up in the White House versus the dog house.

They heard All of the details of his NEW supplement, and NOW it's ready to be shipped to your door.

You can grab your Fr**ee Trial here:

Dr Jones Ultimate Canine Formula

————————————
Did you say Fr**ee?
———————————–

YES

For the Next 7 days you can get a Fr**ee Trial – all you'll have to do is pay for shipping.

————————–
Do I get anything else?
————————–

He's giving you a PILE of Bonuses, BUT for ONLY the next 7 days.

From Dr. Jones:

BONUS 1
"Dog Health Remedies: Common Dog Health Problems and
Remedies (digital book, instant download): $29.00 Value
In it I am covering the MOST common dog health
problems, and the Natural Remedies you can use to
STOP them now."

BONUS 2
"Dog First Aid: Common Dog Emergencies (digital book,
instant download): $27.00 Value
The EMERGENCIES that I regularly see are in this
ebook- I am showing you how to diagnose them,
and EXACTLY what to do if they happen to your
dog."

BONUS 3
"Dog Food: The Best Foods For Your Dog (digital book,
instant download): $33.00 Value.
In this REPORT I am giving you a COMPLETE list
of the SAFE and QUALITY Dog Foods – If you
are feeding your dog commercial kibble, you
NEED to know that it is SAFE."

BONUS 4
"The Pet Food Recall Report (Video Seminar,
instant download): $47.00 Value
This is a detailed video report of the Pet Food
Recall, including EXACTLY what you can do to
PREVENT this from EVER affecting your dog again."

BONUS 5
"Dog Food Home Recipes: Home Diets For Your Dog (digital book,
instant download): $27.00 Value
A comprehensive LIST of Tasty, Safe and Balanced At
Home Diets for Your Dog. KNOW the SPECIFIC
ingredients to add to ensure that the food
is Balanced."

—————————
ALL yours for Fr***ee!
—————————

Just for giving his New Supplement a fair try.

GO here now to CLAIM your Fr**ee Bottle of Dr Jones' Ultimate Canine Health Formula, and get your 5 BONUSES:

Dr Jones Ultimate Canine Formula

Extend Your Dog

It’s widely accepted among the vast majority of dog training experts that the most effective and humane way to train your dog is through a process called positive reinforcement training.

This is a fancy phrase for what’s essentially a very simple theory: using positive reinforcement entails rewarding the behavior that you wish to see repeated, and ignoring the behavior that you don’t.

This method is in direct contrast to some of the now-outdated but once-popular techniques for dog training, some of which were frankly abhorrent: physical pain and intimidation (such as hanging an aggressive dog up by her collar), or inhumane methods of aversion therapy (such as shock collars for barking).

Positive reinforcement works with your dog. Her natural instinct is to please you – the theory of positive reinforcement recognizes that lessons are more meaningful for dogs, and tend to "stick" more, when a dog is able to figure out what you're asking under her own steam (as opposed to, say, learning "down" by being forced repeatedly into a prone position, while the word "down" is repeated at intervals). When you use positive reinforcement training, you're allowing her the time and the opportunity to use her own brain.

Some ways for you to facilitate the training process:
- Use meaningful rewards. Dogs get bored pretty quickly with a routine pat on the head and a “good girl” (and, in fact, most dogs don’t even like being patted on the head – watch their expressions and notice how most will balk or shy away when a hand descends towards their head). To keep the quality of your dog’s learning at a high standard, use tempting incentives for good behavior. Food treats and physical affection are what dog trainers refer to as “primary incentives” – in other words, they’re both significant rewards that most dogs respond powerfully and reliably to.
- Use the right timing. When your dog obeys a command, you must mark the behavior that you're going to reward so that, when she gets that treat in her mouth, she understands exactly what behavior it was that earned her the reward. Some people use a clicker for this: a small metal sound-making device, which emits a distinct “click” when pressed. The clicker is clicked at the exact moment that a dog performs the desired behavior (so, if asking a dog to sit, you’d click the clicker just as the dog’s bottom hits the ground). You can also use your voice to mark desired behavior: just saying “Yes!” in a happy, excited tone of voice will work perfectly. Make sure that you give her the treat after the marker – and remember to use the marker consistently. If you only say “Yes!” or use the clicker sometimes, it won’t have any significance to your dog when you do do it; she needs the opportunity to learn what that marker means (i.e., that she’s done something right whenever she hears the marker, and a treat will be forthcoming very shortly). So be consistent with your marker.
- Be consistent with your training commands, too. When you’re teaching a dog a command, you must decide ahead of time on the verbal cue you’re going to be giving her, and then stick to it. So, when training your dog to not jump up on you, you wouldn’t ask her to “get off”, “get down”, and “stop jumping”, because that would just confuse her; you’d pick one phrase, such as “No jump”, and stick with it. Even the smartest dogs don’t understand English – they need to learn, through consistent repetition, the actions associated with a particular phrase. Her rate of obedience will be much better if you choose one particular phrase and use it every time you wish her to enact a certain behavior for you.

How to reward your dog meaningfully
All dogs have their favorite treats and preferred demonstrations of physical affection. Some dogs will do backflips for a dried liver snippet; other dogs just aren’t ‘chow hounds’ (big eaters) and prefer to be rewarded through a game with a cherished toy, or through some physical affection from you.

You’ll probably already have a fair idea of how much she enjoys being touched and played with – each dog has a distinct level of energy and demonstrativeness, just like humans do.

The best ways to stroke your dog: most dogs really like having the base of the tail (the lowest part of their back, just before the tail starts) scratched gently; having their chests rubbed or scratched (right between the forelegs) is usually a winner, too. You can also target the ears: gently rub the ear flap between your thumb and finger, or scratch gently at the base.

As far as food is concerned, it’s not hard to figure out what your dog likes: just experiment with different food treats until you find one that she really goes nuts for. When it comes to food, trainers have noted an interesting thing: dogs actually respond most reliably to training commands when they receive treats sporadically, instead of predictably. Intermittent treating seems to keep dogs on their toes, and more interested in what might be on offer – it prevents them from growing tired of the food rewards, and from making a conscious decision to forego a treat.

How to correct your dog meaningfully
The great thing about positive reinforcement training is that it doesn't require you to do anything that might go against the grain. You won't be called upon to put any complex, weighty correctional theories into practice, or be required to undertake any harsh punitive measures.

When it comes to positive reinforcement training, all you have to do is ignore the behavior that you don't wish to see repeated. Not getting any attention (because you're deliberately ignoring her) is enough to make just about any dog pretty miserable, and thus is a powerful correctional tool.

Contemporary belief in dog training states that we should simply ignore incorrect responses to a training command – that, with no reinforcement from us (yes, even negative attention – like verbal corrections – counts as reinforcement: to some dogs, negative attention is better than no attention at all), the dog will stop the behavior of her own accord.

The bigger the fuss you make over her when she does get it right, the clearer the connection will be between a particular behavior(s) eliciting no response at all, but other behaviors (the right response) eliciting massive amounts of positive attention from you.

Recommended Reading
Hopefully this newsletter's given you a good basic insight into the more helpful attitudes and techniques to use when training your dog. However, the subject remains pretty complex, and it's a good idea to learn as much about effective training techniques as possible.

One excellent resource for dog training is SitStayFetch: the ultimate training and knowledge database for dog owners. With a focus on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors, as well as obedience work and 'tricks', SitStayFetch covers a vast variety of topics in minute detail – all round, an invaluable manual for dog owners everywhere.

You can check out SitStayFetch by clicking on the link below:

Sit ,Stay, Fetch

When our pet is sick  the vet will dispense the prescription and never offer us to write a prescription so we can get it filled at the place of our choosing. When your pet is treated you may not want the choice, but when your pet is on a long term medication it pays to shop around . A November 2007  TV show (Marketplace) done by the CBC in Canada showed examples of the wide variety of prices for the same medication, which incidentally was   Tapazole – a drug used to treat overactive thyroid in humans, and it is also prescribed (in appropriate doses) for pets. Pets are usually on this medication for long periods. Here is an example variation in Canada on a prescription for Tapazole.

Marketplace called 100 random veterinary clinics across the country to find out the price for 100 pills of Tapazole 5mg.

Both the lowest price ($26.25) and the highest ($110) were in Toronto. Some of this can be explained by the higher or lower costs of business in certain cities such as Whitehorse, downtown Toronto, or southern Manitoba. Still, the range is significant.

A distribution pricelist for vets quotes the drug price at $25.91. Though some clinics were only charging a small markup, the highest markup in the test was more than 300%.

For the video and survey go to  CBC Marketplace -Cat Got Your Wallet

Generally there are  no price controls on medication in the US. or Canada. British veterinarians have had to lists costs for common medication and advise clients if the medication is available at the pharmacy.

The veterinary profession has generally dispensed for the convenience of the owner and do carry a burden in the stocking of the medications.  A number of Pet pharmacies have appeared in the marketplace notably 1-800-Pet-Meds and large chains such as Wal-Mart and Costco are carrying pet medications in their pharmacies.

For short term  or acute needs the veterinary clinic may be cost-effective but for ongoing medications         always comparison shop. Caveat Emptor- Let the Buyer Be Aware ! Save up to 25% at 1800PetMeds – America's Largest Pet Pharmacy

Whether or not cats are better companions than men comes down to a matter of opinion. Some women probably think they are. And some men probably think so too! Let's take a closer look at the decades-old, question, Are cats better companions than men? Then you decide the answer.

Like men, cats are instinctively hunters. But unlike men who prefer buying groceries or dining in restaurants, cats are different. The cat will bring home dead birds, mice and other critters to share. And it will not care whether its recent kill is deboned and properly packaged!

A cat might be a better listener than a man. So in this case, cats probably are better companions than men. Start talking to your cat and watch its ears perk right up. Keep talking and you will soon see the cat coming closer, as if it truly is interested in hearing what you have to say. Either way it is going to be a one-sided conversation so you decide which makes the better companion, cats or men.

Cats pay more attention to their hygiene than some men. No cat would ever start the day without going through its cleaning routine first. But that is not the case with all men. When it comes to daily cat care vs. man care, and which smells better, the cat might have the advantage.

When it comes to affection, cats are full of it. They enjoy getting affection and giving it. Call a cat and watch how quickly it nestles up on your neck or chest or wherever you allow it to roam. But chances are a cat will not keep you quite as warm at night as a man can.

So there you have it. Now you decide. Are cats better companions than men? Iím curious to know what you think!