Jeanne Sager

40-Pound Bunny May Be World's Largest

by Jeanne Sager (Subscribe to Jeanne Sager's posts): Feb 26th 2010 @ 1:00PM Filed Under: Pets News, Small Pets

Mike Walker, M&Y News Agency

Weighing in at over forty pounds, this English rabbit might just be the biggest bunny the world has ever seen.

Ralph, a Continental Giant rabbit, eats about $15 worth of food a day, says his owner Pauline Grant. The bunny consumes Weetabix cereal, crackers, apples, carrots, cabbages, toast, sweetcorn and huge bowls of rabbit food. Grant told the U.K's Sky News that she's still awaiting official confirmation of his stats, but she's hoping he will make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

If his size is confirmed at 42 pounds and 4 feet in length, he'll knock his own mother out of the record books. According to the folks at Guinness, Ralph's dam, Amy, was listed in 2008 as the world's longest rabbit" at 2 feet, 8 inches.

Known for being a larger breed than most, Continental Giants typically weigh between 12 and 16 pounds. The minimum length of a show rabbit is 25.5 inches.

As long as Ralph continues with his voracious appetite, Grant says she'll keep feeding him. How long do you think this record will last?

SeaWorld Tragedy Claims Orca Trainer

by Jeanne Sager (Subscribe to Jeanne Sager's posts): Feb 25th 2010 @ 6:00PM Filed Under: Pets News

Gerard Julien, AFP / Getty Images

A tragedy that claimed the life of one of SeaWorld Orlando's animal trainers Wednesday has shut down the popular "Believe" shows and "Dine with Shamu" experiences at all SeaWorld locations indefinitely.

According to details released by SeaWorld to CNN, Dawn Brancheau, 40, had just completed a session with killer whale Tilikum in front of a crowd at the Orlando theme park. Although she was standing outside the pool, Brancheau's long blonde ponytail was in reach of the whale, who grabbed it in his mouth and pulled her underwater.

Cited as one of the park's "most experienced animal trainers" in a letter posted by SeaWorld CEO Jim Atchison on the company Web site, Brancheau had always dreamed of working at SeaWorld, In an interview with Brancheau's mother, the New York Daily News reports that the trainer had fallen in love with killer whales 29 years before on a family vacation at SeaWorld and said "I wanna be a Shamu trainer." She'd worked at SeaWorld since 1994, with the orcas since 1996, putting on frequent shows for the public.

Tragedies like these make it clear that although theme parks are an amazing way for us to interact with and better appreciate these fascinating animals, there are serious dangers and concerns about keeping wild animals in captivity.

Brancheau's death is still under investigation, although park officials have confirmed she was held under water for an "extended period of time," and witnesses told CNN affiliates they saw Tilikum violently shaking the trainer's body, forcing her shoe to fly off.

Animal Blood Banks: Pets Saving Other Pets

by Jeanne Sager (Subscribe to Jeanne Sager's posts): Feb 25th 2010 @ 3:45PM Filed Under: Pet Health

Zevotron, Flickr

You never want to imagine your dog or cat needing a blood transfusion – but there is one group of people working to make sure your pet is covered. They're the folks at animal blood banks scattered throughout the country, a group that likens itself to the Red Cross -- but for pets.

"We do everything the same way," explains W. Jean Dodds, D.V.M., president of Hemopet, the only national non-profit animal blood bank. Blood is taken, typed and stored for shipment to veterinarians across the country. At local clinics this blood supply is put into animals who've lost blood from injuries or is pumped into dogs during surgery. It is also used to treat a host of diseases from anemia to Von Willebrand's (a hemophilia relatively common in canines).

Blood is also ordered by some breeders to be used for puppies whose mothers have died or who are in dire straits, but most blood banks deal strictly with vets.

The goal, according to Debbie Sweany, manager of the Veterinarian's Blood Bank in Southern Indiana, is to ensure the veterinarians have enough blood to serve all their needs. Large 24-hour veterinary clinics in major cities are their number-one clients, but small country vets make orders too -- and they're responsive to the needs of their patients. If a cat is going through cancer treatments, for example, it may need frequent transfusions, and vets will order enough to keep up with that demand.

New Chastity Belt For Dogs

by Jeanne Sager (Subscribe to Jeanne Sager's posts): Feb 25th 2010 @ 1:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pets News

PABS For Pets

Preventing pregnancy in an unspayed dog is a huge challenge -- that is, unless your dog is wearing her chastity belt.

Yes, a chastity belt. It sounds medieval – and there is some metal mesh in the construction of the Pet Anti-Breeding System (PABS) -- but dog trainer and inventor Dexter Blanch tells Paw Nation he's just keeping up with the needs of dog owners' today. Made to buckle on the rear end of a female dog in heat, the PABS allows her to get rid of waste but blocks an interested male dog from making too close a connection.

We talked to Blanch from his home in Shreveport, La. to find out more about his "holistic" approach to preventing pooch pregnancies:

When we heard about this, we laughed, but it sounds like it could work.
That's everybody's reaction, and actually I can understand it, really.

How did you come up with the PABS idea?
I've been a dog trainer for 41 years and I knew it was a needed product. But it really hit me one day when I was hunting with one of my registered female dogs and we came across a bunch of male dogs. She was a young dog and was learning so I needed to keep her in the field but her heat cycle came at the wrong time, and I was like, wow, suppose something were to happen.

Keeping Your Cat's Teeth Clean and Healthy

by Jeanne Sager (Subscribe to Jeanne Sager's posts): Feb 25th 2010 @ 10:00AM Filed Under: Cats, Pet Health

Werwin15, Flickr

They need them to eat, to protect themselves, yet for seven out of ten cats, teeth troubles begin by the time they are three.

The key to healthy feline teeth is regular at home and professional cleaning but many well-meaning pet owners don't know how important this is. And it's not completely their fault. "Most veterinarians don't address dental health in cats," says Dr. Michel Selmer, veterinarian at Advanced Animal Care Center in Huntington Station, N.Y. A vocal advocate for the importance of dental health in pets, Selmer devotes 20 percent of his practice to oral issues.

In honor of Pet Dental Health Month -- and for the sake of 70 percent of American kitties -- Paw Nation asked Selmer for tips on how to keep your cat's mouth in good shape.

The process starts when they're kittens, with pet owners using a finger cot or gauze and toothpaste made specifically for them. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recommends dipping your finger in tuna water before rubbing it on your kitty's gums to make the experience more pleasant. If you're uncomfortable, or you have just adopted an older cat who won't stomach your finger in his mouth, a once-yearly cleaning at the vet's office is recommended by the AVMA, beginning after a cat turns two.

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