Dog Age Calculator

I tend to compute dog age into human age by multiplying the dog's age by seven. But according to Dr Leslie Brooks, an advisor at Betterpet, different breeds require different calculations.

Betterpet has developed a free online tool that is a dog age calculator that allows users to enter a dog's age and see it converted to human years. Even more, the tool provides insights like average life expectancy, weight, and height for over 100 dog breeds. 

Unfortunately, many pet owners don't always know how old their dog actually is and how they should be caring for their furry friend. If pet parents know their dog's exact stage of life, they can make better decisions about their diet, nutrition, exercise, and health. That’s why my team decided to make a resource like this free and accessible to the public. 

Key takeaways about a dog's age

• The 7:1 ratio is flawed —As it turns out, figuring your dog’s age is more complex than multiplying by seven. That old rule of thumb that one dog year equals seven human years is based on the notion that dogs live about 10 years and humans live to about 70.
• There isn’t a perfect formula — A dog age calculator is a great way to get a better idea of your dog’s age in human years, but parents of rescue dogs may not know their pet’s birth date. There are other ways to estimate if you don’t know your dog’s age.
• Small dogs typically live longer than big dogs — Dogs under 40 pounds aren’t as prone to conditions such as hip dysplasia that can limit their mobility and increase their risk for obesity and other health conditions.

So enjoy every moment with your fur baby and celebrate!

Inside The Beagle Rescue

Many of us are aware of a massive rescue of 4,000 beagles who were bred for scientific experiments - a crime in itself but the treatment of these poor animals is especially criminal. The Washington Post researched the entire rescue operation. I cried while reading throughout this article. Here is an excerpt -

Profit, pain and puppies: Inside the rescue of nearly 4,000 beagles

How dogs being bred for research at Envigo became the target of the largest animal welfare seizure in the Humane Society’s history

 

CUMBERLAND, Va. — The first beagle out that day had brown eyes and a chunk missing from his left ear. His tail was a nub. It went from tan to white, then disappeared, maybe bitten off in a fight or caught in a cage door.

The 1-year-old had never been given a name — just an identification code, ‘CMG CKA,’ tattooed in blue-green on the flap of his left ear. Like the thousands of other beagles bred for research at Envigo, a sprawling complex tucked deep in rural Virginia, he’d spent his entire life in a cage surrounded by the relentless barking of other dogs.

Now, on a Thursday in late July, that was about to change.

Uno, as he was immediately dubbed by his rescuers, and 3,775 other beagles were being sprung from their misery in an unprecedented animal welfare seizure.

After years of alarm from animal rights advocates and state legislators, after U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors found maggot-infested kibble, 300 dead puppies and injured beagles being euthanized, after an undercover investigation by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and after a lawsuit filed against Envigo by the Justice Department, the Indianapolis-based company had reached a settlement with the federal government. It agreed to shut down the Virginia breeding operation — admitting no wrongdoing and receiving no punishment or fines — rather than make what the CEO of its parent company called “the required investments to improve the facility.”

In July, U.S. District Court Judge Norman K. Moon approved the surrender of Envigo’s beagles to the Humane Society of the United States, giving the nonprofit group just weeks to organize the biggest rescue in its 67-year history. “There’s been nothing, ever, like this. Just the sheer volume of dogs, or really, any animal,” said Kitty Block, the Humane Society’s president and chief executive.

What followed was two months of beagle mania, as people across the country showered the Humane Society with $2.2 million in donations and clamored to adopt the dogs. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took in a beagle. So did the governor of New Jersey and the chief meteorologist at a Virginia news station. But the beagle emancipation was cloaked in secrecy. Almost no one was allowed to see the dogs leave Envigo.

Here is a link to the full story.

The Shark Whisperer

You will be moved by this wonderful video on sharks:

VETBROS - Making the USA Pet Industry More Environmentally Responsible

 

 

 

 

 

VetBros Pet Education Charitable Fund, a 501c3 nonprofit institution, is changing the industry, one pet at a time. The VetBros PECF created by Dr. Mondrian Contreras is teaming up with Central Bark doggie daycare and Carol Stream Animal Hospital to implement sustainability, renewable/green energy and conservation into their facilities in efforts of influencing the USA Pet Industry to be more environmentally responsible. Climate change is one of the greatest public health threats of the twenty-first century.

The pet industry has had a strong desire to promote environmental sustainability within our industry, but lacks the resources available to make an impact.

The VetBros PECF is teaming up with Green2Gold’s TRANSITION PROJECT with this focus to support the pet industry in learning about and taking action to decrease its environmental footprint. The Transition Project, in partnership of a master national initiative by the insurance industry's Resilience Innovation Hub, is the environmental initiative that is helping the pet industry upgrade their facilities (veterinary hospitals, doggie daycare, pet stores, animal shelters, etc.) in order to reduce their general waste and energy consumption. The pet industry has always highlighted their own concerns about the impact that climate change has on the pets we care for and care about. It is time for our industry to lead by example, and the Transition Project provides the tools and guidance needed to make our industry be a leader in environmental sustainability and resilience. 

Services provided by Green 2 Gold’s Transition Project  includes 52 years of  expert consulting, research, identification of needs, applications and implementation of loss prevention opportunities, liability & insurance reduction, federal, state, local tax benefits, rebates, grants, private and philanthropic sector incentives and partnerships, permits, licenses, recognition (certification, awards, etc.) for energy efficiency, water & waste conservation, renewable energy usage, yielding reductions in overhead, maintenance, and operational costs, with enhancement of profitability of the business. Benefits of transitioning to “greener” facilities include providing a non-toxic and healthy indoor environment for the pets, human staff and clients as well as contributions to the local community's economic development. Additional benefits are seen in state, national, and global environmental quality, as well as climate change mitigation and adaptiveness.

Time4Pets, a Green2Gold enterprise and VetBros will also be launching a semi-annual “Eureka!! 4Pets” contest for new pet products in which these contest winners will be offered the opportunity to have their green products licensed for further development. T4P expects to market an extensive line of pet products from this contest. Our T4P team sincerely hopes that investors around the world will join our efforts in creating sustainable products while also helping VetBros save the lives of thousands of pets every year. Time4Pets has multiple opportunities for investors who are interested in being an active part of T4P.

Website Link: 

www.vetbrospeteducation.org 

National Transition Initiative

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s9GQe8exeafhPDINtQruEmOhOlNm81sB/view?usp=sharing

Speech: See Dr. Contreras’s speech on the pet industry roll in sustainability  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15iX4WuTIFkVvdmNZ7WXhFyltWOSZqi6v/view?usp=sharing

Newsletter 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WQaEyZHfPzR2ZZNHmj7RlDDBQYpNj-GV/view?usp=sharing

Wild Bird Fund Flocktail Party

If you are interested in supporting a worthy cause to help save birds and other creatures from injury and death, this is an organization for you - The Wild Bird Fund. And every year they host a benefit fundraiser call a Flocktail Party in New York City's Central Park Boathouse. It is a wonderful setting for a worthy cause. This year it will be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 from 6:30-9:30.

Urgent Call From American Bird Conservancy

Media Advertiser

 

ACT NOW: Strengthen Protections Against Bird-Killing Pesticides Dear Friend, A recent opinion published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could signal upcoming approvals for bird-killing neonicotinoid pesticides (“neonics"), possibly for the next 15 years. Your voice is urgently needed to reduce the threat of these pesticides. Will you take action now? The agency is in the process of renewing the registration for a number of dangerous pesticides and is off to a concerning start. Last week, the EPA released a document stating that the harmful effects of malathion, one of the pesticides being evaluated, would be negated with minor measures. But malathion poses a threat to 97 percent of species listed under the Endangered Species Act, including Kirtland's Warbler and Black-capped Vireo. This approach could foreshadow the decision for three neonicotinoids in fall 2022. Once made, these decisions will shape how the pesticides are used for the next 15 years. Please ask Congress to strengthen protections for wildlife against toxic pesticides. The Saving America’s Pollinators Act would cancel the registration of all neonicotinoids and establish a Pollinator Protection Board. Study after study has shown alarming declines of insect pollinators, like bumblebees and butterflies. Pesticide use is a strong contributor to these declines. One study published last year found that exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides caused declines in hummingbirds’ metabolism, a serious concern for these energy-intensive birds. Other birds are at risk as well: Studies have also shown that a single seed treated with neonicotinoids can kill songbirds. Please ask your U.S. Representative to cosponsor the Saving America's Pollinators Act and protect birds and insect pollinators, along with their habitats. For years, we’ve worked with thousands of bird advocates to achieve the cancellation of more than a dozen harmful pesticides and demand accountability from their producers. Please join us. Your voice is critical to ensure that this bill crosses the finish line. Ask Congress to support the Saving America’s Pollinators Act and protect birds and pollinators from dangerous chemicals! Thank you, Steve Holmer Vice President of Policy American Bird Conservancy Take Action

A Guide to Dog Body Language - Part 1

This fascinating guide, which we post in two parts, can help us better understand how dogs can communicate with us and with each other. It is written by Will Hank  and Medically reviewed by Dr. Erica Irish

Dogs sometimes bark, growl, or whine to send messages, but nonverbal communication is more common in canines . Since dogs depend so much on their pet parents, it’s essential for owners to understand their methods of communication. Even common dog body language, like a wagging tail, can mean different things in different circumstances. Pet parents can keep their pups calm, safe, and happy by learning how to read and decipher a dog’s body language.

PART 1

How dogs use body language to communicate

Dogs use a variety of movements with different parts of their bodies and faces to convey messages. Even a dog’s body position itself helps to display a certain attitude or emotional state. Keep an eye out for these common communication methods when trying to understand your dog:

Body position and posture. Dogs stand differently when relaxed versus excited, aroused, or scared. Even weight distribution on all four paws often indicates a relaxed or happy dog. Stiff front legs with the weight shifted forward and hackles raise, hair standing up on your dog’s neck, can show arousal or excitement. Conversely, dogs cowering or hunched over are often displaying signs of fear and/or submission.

Body movement. Like body posture, dog body movements can communicate a lot. Pacing can often signal a stressed or nervous dog. On the other hand, a jumping or bouncy dog is usually happy and excited. One common example of dogs greeting each other is the “play bow,” with the front legs down and their butt in the air. As the name implies, this signal is used between dogs as an invitation to play.

Tail. There’s one common misconception about a dog’s tail: the idea that a wagging tail automatically equals a happy dog. Yes, dogs often wag their tails loosely when relaxed or happy. But, a raised or stiffly wagging tail may suggest arousal, excitement, confidence, or even aggression. On the flip side, a lowered tail, especially one tucked between the legs, is often a sign of fear, stress, or submission.

Ears. Dogs communicate with their ears in a variety of ways. Upright, forward-facing ears “at attention” often show interest or arousal, while pinned back ears may mean a dog is afraid. As with other body language, ear movements can have conflicting meanings. So, it’s important to consider the situation and the dog’s other movements when deciphering ear position. In general, dogs with erect ears, like German shepherds, display a wider variety of ear movements than a floppy-eared breed, like Labrador retrievers.

Eyes. Eye contact is an important sign for dogs and the intensity of a dog’s eyes matters. A soft or squinty stare often suggests happiness or relaxation. A hard, direct stare, can often mean an aggressive dog. A dog averting their eyes or looking away can be a common sign of stress or fear. They’ll often display the whites of their eyes, a gesture known as “whale eye”, in response to stress or anxiety.

Mouth. Dogs display facial expressions and mouth movements to communicate in several ways. Many of us recognize relaxed dogs by their slightly open mouths and panting tongues. But, several mouth movements can often suggest signs of stress or even nausea. Yawning and/or licking the lips are often displacement behaviors. This means the dog is anxious and suppressing the urge to do something else, such as bark or bite. A more concerning sign is when dogs display their teeth in a snarl or “smile.” While it may look funny to us, this often signifies aggressive behavior.

Climate Change is Transforming the Bodies of Amazon Birds

Alex Fox of Smithsonian writes about the evolution of Amazon birds in response to climate change:

A 40-year study found 77 species of rainforest birds weigh less on average, and many have longer wings, than they used to. Here is a short excerpt:

When the first ever World Climate Conference concluded in February 1979, the scientists in attendance issued a statement calling on world leaders "to foresee and prevent potential man-made changes in climate that might be adverse to the well-being of humanity." On October 17 of that same year, scientists deep in the Brazilian Amazon unfurled a set of 16 mist nets at 6 a.m. to begin a study of the birds living in the understory beneath the rainforest’s green roof.

In the 40 years that followed, climate change went from a far-off-seeming idea to a grave reality that grips every square inch of the planet, and hundreds of dedicated researchers kept opening the mist nets at dawn to capture and study the feathered inhabitants of an intact patch of Brazilian rainforest about 40 miles north of Manaus.

Now, a new paper leveraging this long-running study, originally aimed at testing the impacts of forest fragmentation, shows that as human activities have altered Earth’s climate, the bodies of birds living in the understory of this remote, undamaged patch of rainforest have been changing in response. The authors of the paper report today in the journal Science Advances that all 77 species of birds surveyed by the study weigh less on average than they did 40 years ago and nearly 80 percent of those species also have developed greater average wing-lengths.

Researchers aren’t yet sure what the consequences of these physiological changes might be or the precise mechanisms that gave rise to them, but the team’s analyses suggest the rising temperatures and changes in rainfall seen at the study site offer the most powerful statistical explanation for the birds’ transformation.

“This is the middle of the Amazon rainforest, far away from deforestation,” says Vitek Jirinec, an ecologist at Louisiana State University and the paper’s lead author. “But even here, in this place that is teeming with life and looks totally undamaged, you can’t escape the consequences of climate change.”

Jirinec and his co-authors embarked on this study in earnest in 2020 after finding that 21 species of birds at this site north of Manaus, known to researchers as the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP), were in decline. Even within this protected area, buffered from logging and pollution, some species had declined by as much as 40 percent, especially insect-eaters. Those results, published in 2020, led Jirinec and his colleagues to try to tease out what might be going on, and, in particular, to probe the role of climate change.

To do that, the researchers compiled the weights of 14,842 individual birds and the wing lengths of 11,582 birds recorded by BDFFP scientists between 1979 and 2019 and paired those data with the last 50 years of changes in temperature and precipitation in the region. 

In terms of climate change, the team found that compared to 1966 this region’s wet seasons have become 13 percent wetter and its dry seasons are now 15 percent drier. The average temperature for both seasons has also increased over that time span, with temperatures rising by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit in the wet season and 2.97 degrees in the dry season.

Among the birds, all 77 species in the study showed average decreases in body weight over the last four decades, with some species losing nearly 2 percent of their mass every decade, and 61 species showed increases in average wing-length. Statistical analysis linked those changes to climatic shifts.

The results fall short of demonstrating cause and effect, but show a strong association. “The relationship between body size and climate change is correlational, naturally,” writes Mario Cohn-Haft, an ornithologist with Brazil’s National Institute of Amazonian Research who wasn’t involved in the paper, in an email. “But both several-decade long trends and year to year trends are demonstrated here with a monstrous amount of data to support them.”

The study found that birds tended to be lighter following hotter and drier conditions than usual, especially if those conditions fell during the dry season, which is the most stressful time of year for birds because food is harder to find.

 

2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been unearthing hilarious and heartwarming photos of creatures basically being their best selves since 2015.

And this year is no exception. The recently announced winners and finalists of the 2021 competition include a visibly uncomfortable monkey, a trio of gossipy raccoons, a joyful bird reunion, gravity-defying fish and an all-powerful prairie dog.

A panel of judges sorts through thousands of submissions from expert and novice photographers alike, and determines one winner for each of the several categories — except for the peoples' choice award, which is left up to members of the public. The overall winner gets a handmade trophy from a workshop in Tanzania and a weeklong Kenyan safari.

Read the full article on NPR 

New Zealand's Bird of the Year Is a Bat

The winged mammal is critically endangered and won the award to raise awareness about their existence and importance to the island ecosystem

Elizabeth Gamillo

Daily Correspondent, Smithsonian

The long-tailed bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus), also known as the pekapeka-tou-roa in Māori, soared past the competition in New Zealand's Bird of the Year 2021 contest. Locals were shocked when it surpassed all other bird species by 3,000 votes in the popular competition, reports Eva Corlett for the Guardian. The competition also had the highest number of votes in its 17-year history, with 58,000 votes flooding in from all around the globe.

The Bird of the Year competition is hosted by Forest and Bird, an environmental organization in New Zealand dedicated to protecting and conserving the country's unique flora and fauna. Every year, the competition exists to bring awareness to native wildlife and the ecological plights they face. Voting took place between Monday, October 19, and ended on October 31. In total, 76 species were highlighted in the contest, including the long-tailed bat as the first mammal ever added to the contestant list, reports Gizmodo's Issac Schultz. The island country only has two native bat species: the long-tailed bat and the lesser short-tailed bat. 

Read the full article here.