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🐾🗞Hero🐶 Saves Penguins and becomes Famous!
Trending Lick Mats, Exotic Paws🐹Quiz, Checking the Chub and Amazing Tigers🐯!
April Chappell
August 18, 2024
What you can find in this edition:
Exotic Pet Paws Quiz
How to Tell if Your Pet is Overweight
Lickin’ Mats and Feelin’ Good!
Wild Tiger Paws
The Story of the Little Blue Penguin and the Oddball Maremma Dog
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Quiz of the Week:
EXOTIC PET PAWS QUIZ!
Test Your Knowledge About Fun Exotic Pet Trivia!
Health Hints:
What Can 48 Labrador Retrievers Tell Us About Living Longer and Better?
They tell us that dietary restriction, leading to a lean body condition, can increase lifespan and delay the onset of many degenerative conditions that cause poor quality of life and chronic pain.
In a simple but elegant study, Nestle Purina followed 48 Labs from 8 weeks of age until the last one died 14 years later. Half of them were a lean or ideal body condition, and ate 25% less than the others.
The lean dogs lived on average 15% longer, which amounted to almost two years longer for these labs. They also developed degenerative conditions, like arthritis, later in life compared to the non-restricted dogs.
This was the first dietary restriction lifespan study on a large mammal. The implications for our pets is huge, but there is also a broader message we can take from this.
To compare, if we could extrapolate to humans, adding 15% of lifespan could add 12 years of life to people with an expected lifespan of 80 years.
So, how can we use this information to keep our pets with us longer?
Step 1. Check Your Pet’s Body Condition Score
Body condition scoring is a simple assessment of whether a pet is thin, ideal, or overweight.
The goal is to add objective criteria to a pet's physical evaluation, keeping vets and owners on the same page.
Each point above 5 (ideal) on the 9-point Body Condition Score (BCS) scale in cats and dogs represents an approximate 10-15% increase in body fat.
How to check BCS:
Feel the Ribs: You should feel the ribs of a pet with ideal BCS easily, but not see every rib from across the room. It should feel like your pet is wearing a T-shirt, not a sweater!
Tummy Check: look at your pet from above and from the side. The tummy should tuck in (indentation) from above and the side, before the hips.
Have a look at the BCS charts and see if you can determine your pet’s body condition score. Compare notes with your veterinarian!
Step 2. Determine if Any Changes Are Needed
Okay, we have a score, so now what?
Well, that depends.
Low BCS:
A consultation with a vet to determine why your pet is thinner than ideal is a great first step. There are medical conditions that can lead to weight loss, or failure to achieve an ideal BCS.
Some healthy dogs are very active and seem to have difficulty keeping any weight on. Working dogs, athletes and sporting dogs have different food requirements. So do breeding and lactating females. The vast majority of young German Shepherds that I saw in practice were thin, yet healthy.
Ideal BCS:
Keep up the good work!
Keep going with appropriate diet and exercise. Monitor BCS often. Catch changes early and make the necessary corrections early to prevent big problems. Remember, changes in lifestyle, health, reproductive and metabolic state and medications can affect a pet’s weight.
High BCS:
You’ve got some work to do!
But the work is worth it, because success means your pet has the potential for a longer (and better quality) life!
Nice.
Let’s dive into weight loss strategies over the next few newsletters.
Let’s also explore the weight loss drugs that are the talk of the town in human medicine.
Ozempic or Wegovy for pets? Is it a possibility?
Trends:
Lick Mats- Lickin’ Mats and Feelin’ Good!
The Lickers High?
Dogs and cats may get a feel-good “high” from licking food off of a mat like the endorphin release runners get, ie. the runner's high.
Pet owners are increasingly looking for solutions to soothe anxious and bored pets. Google searches for lick mats have increased 700% over the last 5 years, with about 1600 searches per month, as owners look for enrichment options.
What Is a Lick Mat?
A lick mat is a flat mat made of rubber or silicone with a textured surface designed to spread out your pet’s favorite treat, such as peanut butter, wet food, or yogurt. The idea is simple: the textured grooves and patterns make it challenging for your dog or cat to lick up all the food. It’s like a puzzle for their tongue.
The Purpose Behind the Lick Mat:
mental stimulation
alleviate boredom
reduce anxiety
help slow down eating
distraction during grooming, physiotherapy or veterinary procedures
Some companies propose that this licking releases calming and happy hormones like dopamine and endorphins.
Does the science support this?
Well, yes and no.
Studies do show that self-soothing behaviors, like repetitive licking and grooming lead to release of endorphins and dopamine. These hormones are the feel-good compounds that reduce anxiety.
But…there is no specific research that isolates licking mats specifically as a behavior leading to dopamine or endorphin release in dogs.
How can we use them?
Distraction During Grooming: Keeps pets calm and occupied during nail trims, baths, or brushing.
Reducing Anxiety: Helps soothe pets during stressful events like car rides, thunderstorms or fireworks.
Slow Feeding: Prevents gulping by making pets eat more slowly. Only practical for small dogs.
Vets Little Helper: great for nail trims, water therapy after injury, wiggly puppy exams
Any problems?
Potential for gastrointestinal obstruction:
Any rubber or silicone material covered in food has the potential to be chewed and swallowed. When that happens, the foreign material may get stuck in the stomach or small intestines, and it may obstruct the flow of food and liquid.
Pictured below are two case report photos from Walkerville Vet in the U.S.. The small blue piece on the left was removed surgically from a cat’s intestine. The photo on the right shows the stomach contents of a patient after the vet induced vomiting. The owner had realized right away that her dog had chewed and swallowed the mat, and the vet was able to induce vomiting and remove the remains of the mat before it could cause an obstruction.
Some pets can even chew and destroy the “Tough” version of the LikiMat brand, made with more durable rubber. Pets should be supervised with this enrichment tool, it should not be given to pets left alone.
Hygiene concerns:
These mats can be difficult to clean, given all the grooves! Be sure to wash carefully and not use raw food as the treat.
Over-Feeding Concerns:
Keep in mind that everything given as a treat needs to be taken into account when considering daily calories and feeding amounts. A good rule of thumb is to try to keep treats to less than 10% of the total intake for the day.
To make the most of a lick mat, choose one made from durable, pet-safe materials, supervise your pet during use, and ensure it’s properly cleaned after each session.
Wild Paws
by Nicholas Chappell-Hiltz
Top 6 Bengal Tiger Tidbits:
1. Bengal Tigers are endangered due to massive poaching, fueling the illegal trade of many tiger parts.
Tiger Bones and Pelts from Illegal Poaching
hide is used for wall hangings, rugs, and fashion items
bones and organs are used in traditional medicine in Asia
claws, teeth and whiskers are used for jewelry, and amulet
There are 2500 to 3000 Bengal Tigers in the world with the vast majority in India, and less than 500 tigers spread out in Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Southeast China.
The Deadliest Tiger:
Bengal tigers are responsible for the most fatal attacks on humans of any tiger species.
In the 1920s, a pair of Bengal tigers in India gained notoriety for their attacks on humans. These tigers, led by a particularly aggressive male, killed over 400 people. Legendary hunter Jim Corbett tracked and killed the tigers in 1926 and 1929, then wrote about his famous experiences in his book "Man-Eaters of Kumaon".
Bengal tigers are the second largest tiger subspecies, after the Siberian tiger and can perform some amazing physical feats.
lift and drag prey twice their weight
crush bones with jaws
leap forward up to 30 feet and vertically 12 feet
run 35-40 miles per hour
swim across rivers and lakes over 4 miles wide
see in the dark 6X better than humans
stalk silently
Each Bengal tiger has a unique stripe pattern, like a fingerprint.
The most common color is orange with black stripes, but there are also rare color variants like black (pseudo-melanism), white and golden colors, due to gene mutations.
Golden, black and white color variations
There are not very many tigers in the world.
Bengal tigers are one of 9 tiger subspecies. Three subspecies are already extinct, with the Javan tiger being the latest to go extinct, in the 1980’s. .
Of the living 6 tiger subspecies, half are endangered and half are critically endangered. There is estimated to be only 3000- 4000 tigers in the world.
Bengal Tigers: Approximately 2,500 to 3,000
Indochinese Tigers: Around 200 to 300
Malayan Tigers: About 100 to 150
Siberian (Amur) Tigers: Around 500
South China Tigers: Approximately 20 to 30 (possibly extinct in the wild)
Sumatran Tigers: About 400 to 500
It is estimated that several hundred tigers are killed per year due to poaching and interactions with people and livestock.
A Great Drama:
This is the screenplay for the dramatic story of how a centuries old breed of livestock protection dog from Italy saved a breeding colony of penguins from a bloodthirsty predator.
The Set:
The story begins on Middle Island, just off the coast of Australia, around the year 2000. Separated from the coast by only 500 feet (150 meters), it is accessible to animals at low tide.
The Characters:
The Damsel in Distress: The smallest penguin in the world, the Little Blue Penguin, nests on the ground on Middle Island. There were 800 breeding pairs on the island prior to the year 2000.
Little Blue Penguin
The Bad Guy: the European Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). Introduced to Australia in the 19th century, and wreaking havoc on the native wildlife ever since, especially ground nesting birds.
You can just tell, by his beady little eyes…
The Hero: Oddball the Maremma dog, and her chicken farmer owner Swampy Marsh. Maremmas are a centuries old livestock protection breed from Italy.
Oddball and Swampy Marsh on the chicken farm
Act 1: The Threat Emerges
Introduction of the Antagonist
The European Red Fox was introduced to Australia in the 19th century, primarily for the purpose of recreational hunting. The first documented release occurred in 1855 in Victoria.
This cunning predator posed a significant threat to ground-nesting birds, small mammals, and reptiles, many of which had no defense against this new predator.
Rising Conflict:
It became a desperate situation as penguin numbers dwindle from 800 breeding pairs to less than 10. Foxes could cross the thin area between the mainland to the island, and were responsible for killing hundreds of birds at a time.
Act 2: The Hero's Introduction
Enter Oddball, the first Maremma protector, trained to protect chickens by a local chicken farmer named Swampy Marsh.
Maremma dogs have been protecting livestock for centuries. It is their job, and they are tireless and faithful.
Training Montage: In this classic hero’s journey, Oddball is trained to regard the penguins as her own flock, steadfast in her duty to protect them from harm.
Training Oddball
Act 3: The Turning Point
First Mission: After Oddball's first night guarding the penguins in 2006, there were no more fox attacks for a very long time.
Act 4: The Resolution
Rebounding Penguin Population:
now over 100 breeding pairs on the island
numbers rising from near-extinction on the island to a sustainable level
Oddball retired and was replaced by Tula and Eudy, a new pair of Maremmas
A Story So Good They Made a Movie:
Oddball the movie was released in 2015 by Roadshow Films, telling the story of the penguins, Swampy, Oddball and of course our villain, the fox.
Epilogue: Reflection
Legacy of the Maremmas: The success of this conservation program is a model for other programs, where livestock dogs protect endangered wild species.
Great Pyrenees and Whooping Cranes: Great Pyrenees dogs have been employed to protect the critically endangered Whooping Cranes in Texas. These dogs help keep predators like coyotes at bay, allowing the cranes to nest and rear their young in safety.
Maremma Dogs and African Penguins: Maremma Sheepdogs have also been used to protect African Penguins on Bird Island in Algoa Bay, South Africa. These penguins face threats from land-based predators like caracals, and the dogs help to keep these predators away.
These amazing dogs have been helping humans keep livestock safe for centuries. Now they are helping us save vulnerable wildlife!
“Our favorite companions never have fewer than four feet.”
—Collette
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