Pets in the paper – an ocelot it was not

Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll


That’s one giant prosthetic

Motala the elephant lost her left front foot and most of her leg after stepping on a land mine in 1999 near the border of Thailand and Burma.motala

Now she is walking again thanks to a specially made prosthesis that is noticeably larger than your average artificial leg.

Apparently she’s still getting used the the prosthesis but is doing fine after it was permanently fitted to her during a procedure that required enough anesthetic to knock out 70 people. The 48-year-old Indian elephant is walking around but hasn’t put all her weight on the prosthesis yet.

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean


Horse Sense – brought to you by the Extension Service

smart-horseThose folks over at the Oklahoma County Extension Service are always doing fun things. Here’s one of their latest classes you can take.

Learning to care for a horse is no easy undertaking.

A whole lot goes into the care and maintenance of these animals,” stated Ray Ridlen, Agriculture Educator for the Oklahoma County OSU Cooperative Extension Service. “Anyone who undertakes the task of caring for one needs to know the challenges that must be faced.”

To help Oklahoma City area residents become more knowledgeable about the care and training of horses, the Oklahoma County OSU Cooperative Extension Service will offer a seven-week “Horse Short Course” this September and October.

Classes will begin on Thursday, September 10, at the Oklahoma County OSU Cooperative Extension Service in Oklahoma City from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will continue on each Thursday evening until October 22.

“We’ve set the program up so that the average horse owner or someone who is thinking about getting a horse can learn quite a bit about the management and care of their charges,” commented Ridlen, who will serve as one of the instructors for the course. “Some of the state’s foremost experts in equine topics will be speaking during this course.”

Dr. David Freeman, an OSU Extension Equine Specialist, will begin the course by talking about the basics of horse ownership and care. This includes an overview about the current horse industry, an assessment of production and use goals, and identification of operating expenses.

Other specialists teaching the course include Dr. Gene Parker, Area Animal Quality and Health Specialist, Dr. Justin Talley, OSU Extension Entomology Specialist, and Sherman Grubb, Creek County Extension Educator.

“We’ve set the course up so that each week the horse enthusiasts can learn quite a bit on a different subject,” Ridlen stated. “This program has been done in other places throughout the state and has proven to be a great help to horse owners.”

Nutrition, feeding management, pasture, fencing, forage production, pest control, breeding specifics, and even behavior principals for training are also courses that will be addressed in the seminar.

In addition to the in-class course work, participants will also visit a successful horse training operation in Yukon, OK, as they learn more about training principals from local breeder John Lethem.

“There shouldn’t be a dull moment in these seminar courses,” Ridlen stressed. “This should be the single-most informative class horse lovers could take to find out what they need to know about the care and management of horse stock.”

Horse ownership is not required for the course, since it has also been designed to help people to plan for a horse they plan to own in the future.

The seminar will be limited to the first 30 people and a pre-registration fee of $30 is required. For more information about the seminar, contact the Oklahoma County OSU Cooperative Extension Center at 713-1125.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll


OSU student wins AKC award

The American Kennel Club sent out this press release. Kudos to our Oklahoma gal who won!

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) announced today it has awarded scholarships to 25 students from 19 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited schools of veterinary medicine. Alicia Davis McLaughlin of Stillwater, Oklahoma was among the recipients.

Sponsors are broken down as follows:

Royal Canin – Chairman’s Award, President’s Award, and the Dr. Asa Mays Award – $10,000 each
AKC Companion Animal Recovery – Twenty (20) $5,000 scholarships
American Veterinary Medical Foundation – AVMF Award – $6,000
AKC Canine Health Foundation – Robert L. Kelly Memorial Scholarship – $5,000

“We are thrilled to be able to present these scholarships for the upcoming school year, and thank our partners for their generous support,” said Debra Bonnefond, Director of Veterinary Outreach. “We wish these students the best of luck as they continue on the path to becoming some of the best veterinarians in the nation.”

The AKC Scholarship Program for Veterinary Medicine has existed for 18 years, and the awards are given annually. Each AVMA accredited U.S. veterinary school is asked to nominate four scholarship candidates. From these students, the recipients are selected on the basis of academic achievement, activities with purebred dogs or related research, and need.

“Royal Canin is dedicated to the health and well-being of dogs, so we are proud to join the American Kennel Club’s Veterinary Outreach program in honoring the people who will be charged with the care of our pets in the near future,” said Dr. Denise Elliott, Director of Scientific Affairs for Royal Canin. “We throw our whole-hearted support behind students who are dedicating their lives to veterinary medicine and wish them the best of luck.”

“As the largest national veterinarian-directed animal charity, the American Veterinary Medical Foundation is designed to benefit veterinary medicine and promote animal health and welfare. We are pleased to offer the AVMF Award for the first time this year, to a student dedicated to advancing canine medicine,” said Mike Cathey, Executive Director of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. “We believe that an important part of our mission is to foster the next generation of veterinary professionals, and help them make valuable contributions to animal health and medicine.”

“Named after our longtime director and founder, we are proud to award the third annual Robert L. Kelly Memorial Scholarship to an exceptional veterinary student,” said Erika Werne, Director of Education, Communications & Club Relations. “This scholarship is unique in that it supports students pursuing dual degrees in veterinary medicine and research, something we are proud to encourage because of the direct effect it has on our own organization.”

“AKC Companion Animal Recovery works closely with veterinarians across the country to identify pets with microchips to ensure that lost pets will be reunited with their owners,” said Tom Sharp, Vice President and CEO of AKC CAR. “We are happy to give back to the community by awarding scholarships to the next generation of vets that will play an integral part in responsible pet ownership.”

The 2009 Veterinary Scholarship Recipients are:

Dr. Asa Mays Award ($10,000.00) – Sponsored by Royal Canin:
Cynthia Willson 2011 – North Carolina State University

Chairman’s Award ($10,000.00) – Sponsored by Royal Canin:
Kimberly Hitt 2012 – Mississippi State University

President’s Award ($10,000.00) – Sponsored by Royal Canin:
Joseph Esch 2012 – The Ohio State University

AVMF AWARD ($6,000.00) – Sponsored by AKC and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation:

Amanda Taylor 2010 – Texas A & M University

Robert L. Kelly Memorial Scholarship ($5,000.00) – Sponsored by AKC Canine Health Foundation:

Jill Schappa 2011 – University of Minnesota

AKC/CAR Award ($5,000.00) – Sponsored by AKC Companion Animal Recovery

Sarah Vitosh 2012 – Iowa State University
Christopher Potanas 2010 – Kansas State University
Jenna Giangarra 2012 – Kansas State University
Chad Malinak 2012 – Louisiana State University
Heather Grodi 2012 – Michigan State University
Karen Potter 2010 – Michigan State University
Adam King 2011 – North Carolina State
Alicia Davis McLaughlin 2011 – Oklahoma State University
Kari Gorman 2010 – Oregon State University
Kevin Simmons 2010 – Tuskegee University
Theresa Keating 2011 – University of California, Davis
Jenny Glei 2010 – University of Florida
Carole Amos 2010 – University of Georgia
Amelia DiMiceli 2010 – University of Minnesota
Dana Mosher 2012 – University of Pennsylvania
Julia Shih 2010 – University of Pennsylvania
Doris Ranivand 2013 – VA/MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
Amanda Oedekoven 2010 – Washington State University
Christina Ramierez 2010 – Washington State University
Michael Gerber 2010 – Western University

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll


Pets in the paper – squirrels are sneaky

Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll


Pets in the paper – alpaca your bags for OSU!

Wow! We have lots to catch up since I left for a mini-vacation. Here are the animal stories in The Oklahoman since Friday -

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll


Pets in the paper – grouse stick it to wind farms

Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll


Pets in the paper – a dog that tucks children in bed

Holy moly! I was out of town, so there’s lots of catching up to do. Here are the animal stories in The Oklahoma today, yesterday, Saturday and Friday -

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll


Pets in the paper – a smack on the snout

Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll


Bi-County farm food recalled

U.S. marshals raided Bi-County Farm Bureau Cooperative Association in Kentucky because of filthy storage conditions. Yes, officials used the word filth. Yikes. Here’s a list of the products that are part of the recall. The Food and Drug Administration recommends people throw away any of these products and then thoroughly wash their hands.

15% Hog Grower & Finisher Feed
Agriflex Betonite
AIM Magnesium Oxide 56%
Barley Flakes
Beef, Land O’Lakes Steak Maker Grower
Bi-County 17% Layer Mash
Bi-County Coop Farm Ration
Bi-County Coop Ground Shell Corn
Bi-County Feed Oats
Bi-County Shell Corn
Bi-County Super 12 Plus
Bio-Cube Alfalfa Cubes
Calf Manna, Manna Pro
Cattle Mineral Triple Trust
Champions Choice Mix-N-Fine Salt
Champions Choice Trace Mineral Salt
Coastal Brand Poultry Shell
Country Acres Horse Feed
Crimped Oats
Diamond Crystal Pellets, water softener
Diamond Yeast Culture
Equine Merit Horse Balancer
Farmer’s Friend Vitamin A, D & E
Feed Grade Sodium Bicarbonate
Gran-I-Grit, Mt. Airy insoluble
Herd Maker Supreme
High Calcium Hydrated Lime
HomeGrown Game Bird & Poultry
Horsemans’s Edge Pelleted
Kemin Calcium Proprionate
Land O’ Lakes Calf Primer
Layena
Legends Grow & Perform
Legends Racing Textured
Legends Show & Pleasure
Limestone Calcium Carbonate
Merry Mixer Dehydrated Alfala
Pork Supreme LG Premix 100/75
Purina Chow Turkey Starter
Purina Omalene 100
Purina Pig Startena
Purina Start & Grow Sunfresh
Rabbit Pellets 25 lbs.
Reliance Pleasure 11T
Reliance Pleasure HP
S.S. Dairy 18% Supreme Dairy
Scratch Feed
Solvent Extracted Soybean Meal
Tizwhiz Train N Maintain
Triple Crown Complete
Triple Crown Growth
Triple Crown Senior Formula
Triple Trust 20-15 Red Calf Manna Milk Replacer
Triple Trust Dried Molasses
Triple Trust Feed Dicalium Phosphate
Triple Trust Horse Feed
Triple Trust Rabbit Pellets
Triple Trust Textured Goat Feed
Ultralyx Dried Distillers Grains

Staff Write Carrie Coppernoll