Fritz, the Furry Fitness Guru, is a fully licensed dog, but
not a licensed veterinarian. His helpful fitness and health advice,
though thoroughly (black) Lab tested, is based purely on common
canine sense. Humans and other readers planning to apply the Guru's
advice to their species or life situations should keep in mind,
he is just a dog and takes no personal responsibility for other
people's foolishness.
Bark back with comments or questions to Fritz at lilbun@verizon.net
Toward the end of filming "Air Bud" Kevin DiCicco, Buddy's trainer and companion, noticed that Buddy was limping slightly. It didn't seem unusual for a basket-shooting Golden retriever to have a strained leg muscle or tow. But the "injury" didn't get better.
A trip to the vet showed the reason - Buddy had developed a cancer and to save his life his right rear leg had to be amputated.
Cancer and the loss of a limb are a lot to cope with. But Buddy recovered and went on with his life. He quickly learned to adapt to a three-legged mode of locomotion. And when Kevin brought out his favorite ball to cheer him up, Buddy wasted no time in getting back to shooting baskets.
We animals can get depressed and discouraged over pain and disease just like people, of course, but most of us don't like to waste too much time and energy in moping - life is too short for that, especially when you're counting in dog years.
But we dogs don't have a monopoly on bravery. Ginny, the cat-rescuing dog whose story is told in The Dog Who Rescues Cats and The Blessing of the Animals, can testify to the courage and tenacity of the feline who hang onto their nine lives for all their worth. Her adopted family includes Betty Boop, born with no rear feet, and Topsy, a brain-damaged cat who can't walk at all but manages to roll from place to place and get along quite happily.
And take this amazing story from Animals as Teachers & Healers about a raccoon named Chloe. Jackie Geyer put food out for neighborhood raccoons regularly for some 20 years. One night a small raccoon with a missing rear leg came to the feeding station but was attacked by the others. Jackie began to put extra food out after the others had finished to make sure the injured raccoon got her share. One night she came much later than usual - she was dragging herself with her two front legs. When she finished eating she lifted up her rear end and walked back into the woods standing on her front legs.
Chloe survived the whole winter and her injured rear leg healed, but in the spring she stopped coming to her station.for two weeks. Then, when Jackie had almost lost hope, Chloe returned . . . with three babies in tow! Eight years later, with several generations of kits, Chloe was still around, bringing each new litter to her favorite feeding station.
Admit it! You probably don't make a home cooked meal for your furry companions every day. OK, maybe you don't make your human family a home cooked meal every day, either. Sure you can find plenty of nutritious, well-balanced pet food at your local pet supply store - so what's the big deal?
Well, food is always a big deal! You'd know that if you were a dog. Haven't you ever heard the expression, "The way to your pet's heart is through his stomach"? It's absolutely true! We love to eat, and we love the people who feed us right.
But, as every animal knows, sometimes the best part of a meal is enjoying the tantalizing aromas that fill the kitchen when food is being prepared. So you can imagine how disappointing it is when all those enticing smells are from meals we pets never get to share (except what we sneak
under the table, and YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!).
We like to feel like a part of the family, you know. So naturally, we'd enjoy specially prepared treats even more just because we know you made them just for us. It makes me slobber just to think about it.
Don't get me wrong. We appreciate the other gifts our people give us. But you can only have so many soft beds to curl up in and so many toys to destroy . . . er, I mean play with. But you can never have too many delicious home-made treats. Well, OK, maybe you can, but that's a whole other topic (check out Hip Hop's column, for example).
Three very interesting recipe books for dogs and cats just happened to come across my desk recently, so I'd like to pass on a couple simple recipes I found especially intriguing.
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KEBABS 1 lb ground beef 2 tbs mixed herbs 2 tsb lemon juice 11/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground ginger a little oil Mix ingredients except oil. Form mixture into small sausage shapes and put on skewers. Brush the kebabs with oil and grill, turning frequently until brown. [from No Catnapping in the Kitchen] |
BANANA MUTT COOKIES 3 cups bananas, mashed 1 tsp vanilla 6 cups oats 1 cup peanuts, chopped 1/3 cup applesauce, unsweetened Preheat overn to 350° Mix ingredients thoroughly. Use teaspoon to drop on baking sheet sprayed with nonstkc cooking spray and press flat. Bake for approx. 15 minutes or until slightly brown. Cool on rack and store in airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen cookies. [from Three Dog Bakery] |
You know I'm as big a fan of humans as any hound - I've always
thought of them as dog's best friend. But they don't always have
as firm a grasp on reality as one might like. Well, to put it
bluntly, sometimes they've got the tail wagging the dog, and we
know that's just not how it works.
Let's take an issue that's been in the spotlight (and yes, the
pun is intended) lately - you might call it the dalmatian dilemma.
They're a little flashy for my taste, but still irresistibly cute.
They are dogs, after all. Lots of people are seing 101 Dalmations,
and naturally they're falling in love with the pups. Well, what's
the problem?
To hear it from some people you might think the problem is the
dogs - they're just no good. Ornery and high-strung, genetically
defective, and in the habit of changing from cuddly pups into
grown up dogs! And the humans who are telling you this are the
same people who live with dalmatians themselves - and love the
spotty rascals!! What's going on here?
First, I'm not blaming these kindhearted humans for badmouthing
their faithful canine companions. We dogs know who our friends
are, even when they say bad things about us. They're just practicing
a little of what we canines refer to as "reverse psychology."
They know these dogs are great, but lots of foolish people out
there who see the Disney movie might just run out and buy a puppy
without thinking about their responsibilities as our companions.
Yes, it's true, many humans do stupid things.
But, of course, the dogs aren't the problem, and stupid human
tricks like thoughtless adoptions are only one small part of the
real problem. Let's not pussyfoot around the issue - we're talking
about puppy mills. Those words make my canine blood run cold,
but they have to be said. Some very bad people think pups are
products to be mass produced (and you wouldn't believe the horrible
conditions these unfortunate pups are raised in), then more bad
people sell them like merchandise to anyone who walks through
the door!Now, I ask you, is this any way for people to adopt a
life-long companion? Of course not!
So what's our remedy for those humans who may be suffering from
dalmatian fever?
I've barely had time to catch my breath from guarding the house
against hordes of ghosts and goblins (they attack every year around
this time, demanding candy and goodies), and already the holiday
season is coming around the corner. It seems like only 7 years
ago (in dog time) that we went through this business, but you
humans seem to all this pointless activity - running around malls,
wrapping up packages so you can exchange them and unwrap them
again, bringing trees and evergreen branches into the house and
hanging all kinds of breakable objects on them. Then there's the
food - all kinds of fattening things to stuff yourselves with
so you can complain in January about how much weight you've put
on.
I'll admit, I just don't get it, but I think, with a few commonsense
rules we can work together on this thing to make it fun for your
furry friends, too. ·First, don't ignore us! We want to
be part of everything you do. Not that we'd like marching through
the malls with you - thanks, but NO THANKS!! Just don't go off
and leave us alone while you shop all day and party all night.
We don't like that one bit!
Now, these are fairly simple guidelines for you to follow - just tape them up somewhere and try to keep them in mind as you begin your holiday rituals, and I'm sure you and your animal friends will have a great season.
Listen, I'm a pretty easy going lab, but if there's one thing
that gets me barking mad, it's fleas. Yeah, that's right, those
ugly little pest really bug me.
Okay, okay, I hear you growling and hissing over my little pun,
but I'm sure my fur-bearing colleagues share my low opinion these
varmints. We don't like them, we don't enjoy their uninvited visits,
and most of all, we don't care for their nasty blood-sucking dining
habits - not one bit!
Well, there's no use lying around growling about it. Since our
primitive days in the wild the tiny parasites have had the upper
hand - six of them, in fact - and we've just had to scratch and
bear it. But now we've got a powerful ally in our fight against
their evil empire. Humans. That's right, even though they aren't
blessed with a luxurious coat of fur, our human friends don't
like fleas any more than we do! You're already familiar with some
of their tried and true weapons - the trusty flea collar and flea
sprays and shampoos. Sure, they can be a nuisance, and they don't
always solve our problems. But there's good news! Some very clever
human scientists have been working hard on new ideas that may
just put those nasty bugs in their place once and for all. Here's
a few new products I've tracked down for you:
And here's a few products about to hit the market:
So send your humans out to fetch some of these flea-fighters.
Many of them are available at your vet's office, or will be soon.
Well hold those ornery critters at bay for another summer. And
maybe in a few years, those clever veterinary scientists will
have the ultimate weapon ready - a flea vaccine now being developed
by some very serious flea-fighters.
Hey, it's summer again! Our humans are emerging from their
winter hibernation to spend more time outdoors with their trusty
canine companions. Well, it's about time! We've had our frisbees
dusted off and ready to toss for months (that's like YEARS in
dog time). It's time to PARTY!!
Okay, settle down now. Before you go dashing out like mad dogs
in the noonday sun, we need to deal with a few practical matters.
Some of you pups - and you know who you are - may have gotten
a little out of shape over the long, cold winter. Maybe your humans
hid your leash to avoid taking you out on those really snowy days
we dogs enjoy so much. And admit it, you probably overdid the
food thing just a bit - added on a few unsightly pounds.
Well, resist the temptation to make up for all your lost playtime
at once. That hot summer sun can make you sick as a dog just when
you're starting to have fun. You overweight or older dogs suddenly
romping on a hot day after months of lying around the house are
practically a heatstroke waiting to happen. So take it easy, fellas.
Don't make me come out there and nip you! We furry types can't
cool ourselves off by sweating like our human pals, and we're
liable to overheat when we start having too much fun. So Sit!
and listen up to these helpful tips on staying cool this summer:
Now many of these tips apply to other species, too. Smaller animals
- like cats and rabbits (yes, they're important, too) - are especially
prone to heatstroke. Every year, way too many defenseless critters
fall victim to the "hot car syndrome." Lots of poorly
trained humans still don't know that the inside of their cars
can get hotter than an oven in just a few minutes, even when it's
not very hot outside. If your people start to leave you alone
in the car, correct them IMMEDIATELY, with a firm NO! We don't
want to be cooped up in a hot car when there are walks to be walked
and games to be played.
So, enough hot-weather warnings! Now get out there and catch those
frisbees!!
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