Official Dogs of the United States

Earlier this week, I did a post about calico cats and discovered that they were actually the official state cat of Maryland. I also learned that there are a lot of other state animals including horses, bears, and even whales. Today, I bring you the official dogs of the United States! Some states have named certain breeds as the official state dog. Only 11 states to be exact.

Alaska 

This one is kind of a no-brainer. Alaska's state dog is the beautiful Alaskan Malamute! Alaska named this breed as the official state dog fairly recently in 2010. Blog friends Misaki and Rumpy Dog are both Alaskan Malamutes! 

Photo via Jazzi*Bee

Wordless Wednesday: Humans and Their Cameras...

I was able to dig up some old pictures of pets. Here's a couple of snapshots of Kitty Kitty Meow Meow. I imagine she was thinking something along these lines... 

"Excuse me human, but that flash is too bright. I'm not in the mood for pictures right now."

"*Sigh* You aren't listening... Humans and their cameras..."

Pet Food - The Best Way to Start a Heated Debate

Photo via JnL

Pet food. This seemingly harmless topic has got some pet parents going bonkers. OK, so truth is pet nutrition is a pretty complex subject. One of the more difficult classes I took in college I will admit and I am definitely no expert in this field. I do enjoy learning new things about pet nutrition, however. Being a member of the pet blogosphere, I find that I learn something new about pet food and nutrition almost everyday.

In this modern day and age, a pet parent's food options for their loved ones are increasing exponentially it would seem. You can choose between kibble, cooking your pet's own meals, or raw diets. I haven't even mentioned all the treats and brands that are available on the market. Some people might find all this baffling and have a hard time choosing what they feed their pet. Others are quite adamant about their beliefs on pet food... almost to the point that it's like a religion.

Calico Cat Trivia

Photo via Ashley Bayles

The definition of a calico cat is a feline that has a predominately white coat with patches of two other colors - usually orange tabby and black. Calico isn't a breed of cat, but instead a type of color variation for a cat's coat. Calico cats are very interesting and you'll never find two exactly alike. 

Black & White Sunday: Shadows

I like this picture because of the shadows. They are from my daughter's swing-set in the yard. Shiner is just having a nice sniff. 

Social Pet Saturday - Pets in Social Media

I'm thinking about adding a new segment to Pawsitively Pets called "Social Pet Saturday". Basically, it's a collection of blog posts/articles, Pinterest pins, tweets, Facebook findings and more from friends on social media. You know, just things I see that I like and want to share with everyone. I would love your feedback on this idea so I've created a poll at the end of the post.

Facebook Finds - Big Dog Sitting in Little Girl's Lap 

I love it when friends share their pictures with me on Facebook. This week, Stone Art USA shared a photo of a little girl and a very large dog sharing a seat in the car. The dog was comfortably positioned on top of the girl's lap with his head rested on top of hers - he looked pretty comfy to say the least. Click here to see the picture if you haven't yet. 

Adopt a Rescued Rabbit This February

February is "Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month" which is perfect timing for the upcoming bunny-themed holiday of Easter. Many parents purchase pet rabbits for their children during the spring and for Easter. Rabbits do make wonderful pets, but don't believe that they are an "easy" pet to care for. They are no easier to care for than a cat or dog.

Here are some pet rabbit facts that many people aren't aware of - even after they have already taken on a rabbit as a pet.

Dogs Are Awesome!

                                 Source: ihasahotdog.files.wordpress.com via Woof Woof Mama on Pinterest

I just love browsing Pinterest and this is one of my favorite pins that I came across recently shared by Woof Woof Mama. If you're on Pinterest, I'd like to invite you to come and follow Pawsitively Pets' boards. You can click here to follow me there! Or you can click the Pinterest button on the top right corner of this page. 

Wordless Wednesday: Avalanche!

Shiner and I had some fun on Cheezburger the other night. 

Know Your Dog's Nose

A dog uses it's nose to smell, interpret, identify, analyze and more. It's a sensory organ that can smell much better than a human's nose. So it's no surprise when people believe that a change in their dog's nose temperature or moistness is an indicator of illness. Here's a little myth-busting for you.

Photo via ptc24

Just because a dog has a hot or dry nose does not mean that they are sick. This is an old wive's tale that is false. A dog's nose can change from day to day or even several times a day. It could be hot, cold, moist, or dry but none of these things are directly related to a dog's health.

Cats in the White House

Today is President's Day - a holiday originally created to celebrate the birthdays of US presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. It seems like the White House has gone to the dogs in recent years, but several cats have taken up residence there as well. Here's a list of all the presidential kitties in American history.

Did you know that the first cat that lived in the White House was owned by Abraham Lincoln? "Tabby" was the first cat to prevail in the White House. Later on, Lincoln found three freezing kittens on a trip to General Grant's headquarters. He took all of them back to the White House with him.

Rutherford B. Hayes, our 19th president, had a cat named "Siam". Siam was apparently the first Siamese cat to ever live in the United States. He was a gift to President Hayes' wife from the American consul in Bangkok, Thailand. Hayes also had a cat named "Miss Pussy" and "Piccolomini".

The next cats to take over the White House were Tom Quartz and Slippers who belonged to the 26th president - Theodore Roosevelt. Tom Quartz was named after the cat in Roughing It by Mark Twain. Slippers was famous for her poly-dactyl toes and lounging in inconvenient places.

Roosevelt's son Quentin with "Slippers".

Backdoor Friends Purebred Cat Rescue

Thursday, I announced the results of the Share the Love Fundraiser that I have been running for the past few weeks. All of the proceeds,$100, are going to a wonderful cause - the Backdoor Friends Purebred Cat Rescue in Farmington Hills, MI. This charity was selected by Stephanie Newman from The Musings of a Crazy Cat Lady. I didn't really get to talk much about the Backdoor Friends in the announcement post and would like to share a little bit more about them today.


Backdoor Friends Purebred Cat Rescue is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that is "no-kill". They have been around helping kitties since 1998. While their name states that they are a purebred cat rescue, they help other non-purebred cats as well. The rescue has several foster parents where the cats can stay until they are ready for adoption and find new forever homes. All cats are vaccinated and fully vetted before going to their new homes. Kittens who are adopted under 6 months of age are offered a rebate upon their spay/neuter procedure.

A Little Bird Watching in February

Did you know that February is National Wild Bird Feeding Month? My daughter, Lily, is especially fond of wild birds and loves to put seed out for them. We have all kinds of wild birds that visit our yard as well as the nursery. My family has owned a plant nursery called "Snooper's" for well over 25 years and our house is on the same property as the nursery. All the plants and fruit trees seem to attract a lot of birds.

We have mockingbirds, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, cardinals, doves, grackles, and all kinds of other birds that I don't know the name of. Our favorite has to be the cardinals. One year, we watched a family of 3 baby cardinals grow up. I've even learned how to tell the difference between young cardinals, daddy cardinals, and mommy cardinals. 

Daddy Cardinal in the yard. 

Share the Love Fundraiser Results

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who donated to the Share the Love Fundraiser that I recently hosted. This was my first ever attempt at a fundraiser and the results were far better than I had expected. For a dollar, those who donated received a Valentine graphic featuring their pet(s). I set the ChipIn goal fairly low, as I had no idea how successful the fundraiser was going to be.

Well, let me tell you that it was a huge success! Thanks to everyone's generous donations, we raised exactly $100! The lucky charity that this money will be going to is the Backdoor Friends Purebred Cat Rescue Program. Stephanie Newman from The Musings of a Crazy Cat Lady was chosen randomly as the winner of the fundraiser.

Wordless Wednesday: Love is in the Air

Yesterday, guests began arriving at Mollie & Ranger's Valentine's Day Ball. Everyone looked great! Even Nibblet and Shiner showed up with their two handsome dates - Garth and Speedy. 

Garth & Shiner

Speedy & Nibblet 

Be sure to visit Mollie & Ranger and see what everyone else is wearing to the ball and who they're going with! You can also vote for your favorite couples in different categories. 

An Inside Look at Teeth Cleanings for Pets

Look at those pearly whites! Photo via AJU_Photography

Word has probably gotten around that February is National Pet Dental Health Month. In honor of our beloved pet's pearly whites, I wanted to share exactly what happens when you take your pet to the veterinarian to have their teeth cleaned. I know it's something that so many people are scared to do because pets need to be anesthetized during the procedure. Yes, there are risks with anesthesia - but in most cases, the benefits outweigh the risks when it comes to having your pet's teeth cleaned.

Did you know that pets with periodontal disease are more prone to kidney and heart disease? All of the bacteria from tartar build-up in their mouths is basically flushed throughout their body. Poor dental health in pets can also cause oral discomfort and pain which may in turn make them lose their appetite.

Crazy for Catnip

Ever wondered if big cats like lions and tigers enjoy catnip like many domesticated house cats do? I think you'll find the answer to that question in this video! They seem to relish (VBP) the catnip toys given to them. Watch for yourself.

Here are some interesting facts about catnip:

2013 is the Year of the Snake

Photo via ukhomeoffice

This weekend is the mark of the Chinese New Year. 2013 celebrates the year of the snake. According to the ancient Chinese, having a snake in the house is a good thing and means that your family will not starve. If you are a snake in the Chinese zodiac, then you are characterized by being intelligent, private, vain, vicious, and putting value on material possessions. If you were born during one of the following years, you are considered to be a snake by the Chinese zodiac.

Hoo-Rag Winners Announced!

Thanks again to everyone who joined the Hoo-Rag giveaway that I hosted last week. Still out of the loop on what a Hoo-Rag is? You can read our review of them here to learn more. This giveaway had two lucky winners!

Congratulations to Lisa from Kritters That Twitter Lisa B. and Oz from Oz the Terrier! I will be contacting you soon via email for some information. Hope you enjoy your prizes!

If you didn't win, but would like to purchase a Hoo-Rag there are plenty available online here. Stay tuned for more fun giveaways in the future!

These results were updated on February 17th. A new winner had to be selected due to lack of response from one of the first winners.

Saturday Photohunt: Shiner's Promise

"I promise to love you forever."

Today's photohunt word is "promise".

Happy First Birthday from Nibblet!

Today is a very special day! It is my daughter - Violet's - very first birthday! 

Isn't she so cute?! She absolutely adores Nibblet and whenever Violet sees her scampering out in the kitchen she starts laughing hysterically! I don't really let her mess with Nibblet too much as she has made her squeak before, but she does surprise me with the rat sometimes. If I let Violet pet her, she is usually very gentle with her. This is always extremely supervised of course. Nibblet will always run up to Violet, ready for pets which has always stumped me. Nibblet must be very forgiving of the time that her tail got pulled on a little when she left it hanging outside of the cage. 

The Honest Kitchen - Human Grade Food Made for Dogs

I have heard a lot of good things about The Honest Kitchen. The Honest Kitchen makes dog and cat food that are human grade, meaning you could eat them if you wanted. They make their food from dehydrated whole food ingredients that you just add water to. The ingredients are all very fresh and of the highest quality. All of their foods are made to meet AAFCO nutrition standards.

All of those things sounded very appealing to me. The Honest Kitchen sent me and Shiner a few sample boxes over their products to test out. We received their "Zeal" and "Love" dog foods. They also sent me a box of "Grace" for cats, which I regretfully can't review since I don't own a cat at the moment.

Wordless Wednesday: Dogs Are Good Pillows

Violet asleep on top of Shiner. In 2 days, she will turn one year old!  

PS - There is still time to donate to the Share the Love Fundraiser and get a custom valentine featuring your pet(s) if you haven't already. Click the heart to find out more!

The Difference Between Hypothyroid & Hyperthyroid Conditions in Pets

Photo: West Zest

Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are both common conditions in dogs and cats. Well, not for both that is. Fresh out of college, another vet tech taught me a great way to tell the difference between the two conditions and it's stuck with me ever since.

Cats are hyper, therefore they become hyperthyroid while dogs most commonly become hypothyroid. I know it's kind of a silly way to remember, but it helped me out as a new technician. So, what is a thyroid anyways?

Thyroid is an endocrine gland found in your pet's body. People have them too, of course. The thyroid gland has some very important jobs like controlling how quickly the body uses energy, makes proteins, and controls the body's sensitivity to hormones.

Who Wants a Hoo-Rag?

Not long ago, I shared a pretty cool product here on Pawsitively Pets. It was the Hoo-Rag which is a versatile bandana that both people and dogs can wear. For dogs, the Hoo-Rag serves as an easy to wear bandana or neck scarf. People can wear the Hoo-Rag as a headband, bandana, pony-tail holder, and more!

Shiner gave the Hoo-Rag a good review. If you want to know more about the Hoo-Rag, you can read the details here.

Saturday Photohunt: Daub

When I saw the word for today's photohunt, I knew it was perfect for the VBP Blog Hop. Today's photohunt word is daub (VBP). In today's photo, Shiner has daubed (VBP) herself with a little mud. Some of you may have read the story of her run-in with Mr. Skunk. This picture was taken after her first de-skunking bath. After a bitter diatribe (VBP) from me, we headed to the bathroom again for yet another bath... I think she's giving me the stink-eye because she's aware of the impending (VBP) second bath.

Hissing Hedgehog

Photo: Sarah McManiman

Hedgehogs are gaining popularity as pets in recent years. During my time as a veterinary technician, I handled them on a regular basis. This wasn't always the simplest task and proved to be a bit challenging. We used a lot of different tactics when handling hedgehogs. They are spiky, but their quills don't really hurt that badly. Hedgehogs are also relatively friendly and never really tried to bite us during examination.

The hard part about examining a hedgehog was that they liked to roll up into a little ball and make a "hissing" noise. It's almost impossible to get them to uncurl, so an exam under anesthesia was usually recommended to the owners. Something people should probably consider if they are thinking of having a hedgehog as a pet.