Pet News and more!

               April 24, 2010 | By Gabrielle Jonas

As pet owners reeled from the melamine contamination of some commercial brands of pet foods in 2007, many switched to a raw diet for their dogs or cats. But did those pet owners jump out of the frying pan and into the fire?

Raw diets include the whole animal, including organs and ground bone. They can be served in carcass form or ground up and formed into patties.

"Modern dogs are not only capable of eating the food of their wild ancestors, but actually require it for maximum health," says Dr. Ian Billinghurst, a veterinarian and founder of BARF World, one of the first manufacturers of "Biologically Appropriate Raw Food." Dr. Billinghurst asserts, "Processed foods are not what the dog was programmed to eat during its long process of evolution."

But what's good for the wolf isn't necessarily good for the dog, says Bernard E. Rollin, professor of philosophy and animal sciences at Colorado State University. "Domestic dogs have been eating cooked food for over 300,000 years and thus cannot be compared with their wild ancestors. Cooked meat is in fact more easily digested by dogs."

Furthermore, raw diets carry the...

Cat Allergy Doesn't Have to Mean Giving Up Kitty
For many feline fans, there are ways to live together happily, experts say

By MaryAnn Mott
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- Brandy Pitman suffers from a lifelong allergy to cats, enduring regular bouts of congestion, sneezing, and watery eyes. Even so, it hasn't stopped her from working as an office manager for a feline veterinary hospital in Louisiana, or from inviting four strays into her home. "They showed up and never left so I took them in," Pitman said of her domestic shorthair clan Marbles, Miss Kitty, Teachy and Callie. "There wasn't really a choice." For many allergic cat lovers, like Pitman, living without a feline companion isn't an option. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), nearly 10 million people choose to live with pets even though they're allergic to them. "Most people who are real cat lovers elect to suffer some, or take medicines, rather than give up their pet," said Dr. Robert Wood, division chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore. For people with mild to moderate allergies, controlling flare-ups involves managing their home environment,...