The Daily Dish from WebVet

Frankie's Friends Helps Those Who Can't Help Themselves

Just when you think that people don't open up their hearts enough to help pets and their owners, you meet someone like Dr. Neil Shaw and his brother Darryl.  These two amazing individuals -- and founders of BluePearl Veterinary Partners --  started a non-profit organization, The Veterinary Cancer Foundation, whose mission is to save pets with cancer.  In actuality, their mission was much broader -- to raise money and help pets who would otherwise suffer without proper care or be euthanized due to their families' lack of financial resources. 

In 2008, the foundation changed its name to "Frankie's Friends" to honor Frankie, a beautiful Greyhound and the beloved pet of the Edward DeBartolo family of Tampa.  The big-hearted DeBartolo clan rescued Frankie from the horrific world of dog racing and spent the next 10 years showering her with all the love and care she deserved.  

Frankie died in 2006.  She had been treated by Dr. Shaw and his team of vet specialists since 2000 for both heart disease and cancer.  To demonstrate their appreciation to the team at Florida Veterinary Specialists -- and to honor their beloved Frankie -- the DeBartolo family has been among the foundation's most generous supporters.  So while the loss of Frankie was indeed sad, and quite poignant, her passing served as the impetus for many good things to come for other animals in need. 

How you can support Frankie's Fund

There are many facets of Frankie's Fund each offering a variety of ways you can help.  These include:

Cure Canine Lymphoma Project:  Launched in 2009, this project's goal is to treat dogs with lymphoma and find a cure for the most common cancer in dogs.  The objectives of this effort are to:

• raise public awareness of the successful early treatment of the disease;
• provide free care for dogs enrolled in clinical programs of promising new treatments; and
• assist with heavily discounted care for dogs whose families cannot afford treatment

HOPE Fund:  The HOPE fund provides grants for families who have few alternatives if they simply cannot afford to pay for a pet's unexpected illness.  If families can demonstrate financial need and their pet has a good prognosis for recovery to a normal quality of life, they will be considered for the program. 

The folks at Frankie's Friends are doing so many wonderful things to help assist those in need -- both pets and owners -- and for this we thank them.  To learn more about how you can help Frankie's Friends, go to http://www.frankiesfriends.com/

The Goods on Yorkshire Terriers

So you’re considering adding a Yorkshire Terrier to your family?   Here is a snapshot to help you determine if it’s the right breed for your lifestyle. 

 

·      The Yorkshire Terrier is a clever and energetic breed of dog.  

·      With early socialization and obedience training they quickly become a positive family member.

·      The breed temperament is adventurous and affectionate; they can be highly vocal and wary of strangers.  Owners must be aware that this cute toy breed possesses a terrier-like attitude and may not get along with other animals.

·      Originally bred to hunt vermin, this energized breed requires daily exercise.  Ideally they should have a fenced yard and be taken for regular leashed walks to release their energy. 

·      “Yorkies” easily adjust to apartment living with their family but will still need regular daily exercise. 

·      They are a light shedder but require daily grooming of their long soft coat. Some owners choose to trim the coat to avoid daily grooming. Usually has a topknot (long fall of hair collected into a ribbon or bow to keep hair out of the dog's eyes).  Their teeth need to be cleaned regularly.

·      This breed’s average life span is 12 to 15 years of age.  Responsible breeders screen their dogs for orthopedic and genetic diseases before breeding them.  Genetic defects found in some dogs of this breed include: patellar luxation, hypothyroidism and legg-calve-perthes disease.

Click here for more information about Yorkshire Terriers.

Animal Sex: The Scent of a Woman

  

Across the animal world, creatures from insects to mammals release and receive sexual pheromones -- scent hormones -- signaling to the opposite sex that they're "in the mood". Males will travel miles, following the scent trail of a female. A female who wouldn't have given the time of day to some guy will suddenly find him very attractive. In fact, all she can think about is having his babies-and it all began with a whiff and a little chemistry.

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing

But what about humans? Are we unconsciously at the mercy of sexual pheromones like the rest of the animal kingdom? Are we busy sending and receiving "I'm interested and available" signals to Mr. or Ms. Right across a crowded room, even if we don't know it?

According to an article in the New Scientist, there is no clear understanding of how human pheromones -- if they exist -- might affect our brains, since, unlike other animals, we have no actively functioning vomeronasal organ -- VNO -- the organ animals use to detect pheromones. Although we have something resembling a VNO, it doesn't appear to be connected to the brain; so: no brain, no reaction, no resulting behavior. It may just be that we left this method of communication behind in our ancestral past, in favor of our more highly evolved visual and verbal skills. It seems we do as good a job, if not better, attracting our perspective mates, by what we say, how we look, and how we behave.

Animals make their own "perfume"

In the scent-loving animal world, pheromones are "manufactured" by animals as the aphrodisiacs of their courtship. And they are not only airborne; they can also be secreted in saliva, sweat and urine. As Adrian Forsyth points out in A Natural History of Sex, white-tailed deer and elk bucks will give off their own perfume by urinating and ejaculating on the ground and then wallowing in it. This drives the females wild. The male porcupine showers his beloved in his urine, soaking her in his scent, to get her aroused. Rabbits and hares leap into the air and from that vantage point, spray their desired one in urine.

And now, human ingenuity has turned animal pheromones to practical, commercial use. A product called "Boar Mate" has been created, which farmers spray on boars to get them interested in mating with sows. The only ingredient in Boar Mate is the hormone androsterone, which is found in pig saliva, and is a powerful, sexually seductive chemical that is irresistible to male and female swine. (Interestingly, androsterone has also been found in human male urine and in the sweat emitted from male armpits.)

Eau de people

Just when you were ready to believe humans don't send and receive sex pheromones, new research shows that some animal species detect pheromones using their olfactory system. So, it may turn out that animals and humans are not so different in this respect than we seem to think!

New brain-imaging studies suggest that humans may indeed respond to sex pheromones. In one such study, women who were asked to smell sweat-drenched pads that had been worn in male armpits showed a reaction in the primitive part of their brains, where sexual feelings originate.

More studies will need to be done to prove the relationship between our secreted hormones and sexual arousal. But if these pheromones get identified, duplicated and manufactured -- like Boar Mate -- then perfume that actually is effective could be a dangerous thing. Imagine walking along the street and suddenly you get a whiff of male cologne; your knees buckle, your thoughts become clouded, and all you can think about is a little afternoon delight. You turn your head to find the source of that compelling scent and you find a street full of women, all turning in the same direction. Men!

By Sally Schloss for WebVet