Pets in the paper – elephants look for love
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman since Saturday -
- Police chief defends using Taser on dog. (Hobart)
- Raising guide dogs brings reward. (column)
- City’s elephant pair endure long courtship. (Oklahoma City, Tulsa)
- New clinich elps leash pet count, surgery cost. (Oklahoma City)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
FDA approves dog cancer drug
Today the Food and Drug Administration approved a medicine to treat cancer in dogs.
The medicine, Palladia, was developed by Pfizer. It’s designed to treat skin tumors, which can be common among pooches.
Until now, dogs with cancer have been treated with medicine for humans, ranging from oral treatments to chemotherapy. Like humans, dogs can develop a variety of cancers. And like humans, early detection is key. And like humans, unfortunately, there are a lots of bogus supplements and treatments out there.
The best option: talk to your vet.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets in the paper – Vick dog in Oklahoma update
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Former Vick dog finds new life here. Fighting still a problem in some areas, experts say. (statewide, photos below)
- Training pups to help people is no easy task. (Oklahoma City)
- Kids can ride in style. (Yukon, page 1d)
- Zookeeper camp offers hands-on fun. (Norman)
- Pet Tales: Mischievous dog a real Diamond. (El Reno)
- Know when pet needs prompt vet care. (nationwide)
- Big catch reels in funds for the MDA. (Lake Thunderbird, page 3d)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Monkeys play “Deal or No Deal”
I’ve never been a big fan of “Deal or No Deal,” the game show where contestants pick from a series of suitcases with different dollar amounts in them, hoping the smaller numbers are revealed so they end up with a big payout.
My gripe is that it takes very little or no skill. I like games where if I perform well, I have a chance to improve my odds. This game is all about random chance — pick a number and hope it’s the right one.
Now science has confirmed that a trained monkey can play Deal or No Deal, and the primates actually feal regret when they find out they’ve picked wrong.
Researchers at Duke University gave a group of rhesus macaques a choice of eight white squares to choose from. Underneath each square was a different color corresponding to a reward, the best being sugary fruit juice. After choosing, the monkeys were also shown the rewards they missed out on. When shown they missed out on the juice, the monkeys tried harder.
Brain scans revealed that when playing the game, the monkeys used a center of the brain which analyzes the consequences of actions. That same area also became active when the monkeys were shown what they passed up, suggesting they were thinking about what they might have won.
As interesting as these findings are, I find myself feeling sorry for the monkeys who missed out on the juice, knowing they that understood they missed their chance at a sweet reward.
Now if I could just get a group of scientists to analyze my theory that a trained monkey could replace Howie Mandel as the host of Deal or No Deal.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
Pets in the paper – gift horses’ mouths
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Senate votes take teeth out of law on horse dentists. (state capitol)
- “Lion King” deserves roar of applause. (Oklahoma City)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets in the paper – inspections for livestock
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Bill updates: Livestock. (state capitol)
- Little River Zoo planning campout. (Norman)
- Technician behind “The Lion King” masks runs a class menagerie. (Oklahoma City)
- Show’s popularity benefits zoo. (Oklahoma City)
- Dogs with arthritis may benefit from acupuncture treatments. (nationwide)
- Pet products draw warning. (nationwide)
- Pet Tales: Second chance, sweet success. (Oklahoma City)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Fox cub survives two weeks in trap
A three month old fox cub, being called Willy by the animal advocates who saved him, survived an estimated two weeks after being caught in a snare trap near a neighborhood in England.
Willy’s rescuers believe his mother brought food to him while he was stuck in the trap because he showed no signs of being starved when he was finally discovered. Neighbors called animal welfare after they heard the cub screaming in agony. The wire snare cut through his torso all the way to the bone. Experts believe he spent at least two weeks in the trap because his wounds had started to heal around the wire snare.
Farmers often use snare traps to catch predators like foxes that might kill chickens or other livestock. The practice is generally accepted if the animals are humanely destroyed, but authorities said they will investigate and seek animal cruelty prosecution if they discover who set the trap and left the cub there to suffer.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
Willy the fox cub
Groups warn of secondhand smoke dangers
While the dangers of secondhand smoke are well known, pet advocates are encouraging smokers to consider the health of their animals as well as their family and friends.
“Nearly 30 percent of pets live with at least one smoker,” said a spokeswoman for the American Legacy Foundation. ”This secondhand smoke can cause lung and nasal cancer in dogs and lymphoma in cats, along with allergy and respiratory problems.”
The American Legacy Foundation, an anti-smoking organization, is encouraging pet owners to consider stopping smoking this week, which happens to be National Pet Week. The ASPCA has joined the foundation’s push.
“Nicotine from secondhand smoke can have effects to the nervous systems of cats and dogs,” said Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, medical director of the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center. 
“Environmental tobacco smoke has been shown to contain numerous cancer-causing compounds, making it hazardous for animals as well as humans. Studies have shown increases in certain types of respiratory cancers in dogs that live in homes with smokers. In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke has been shown to cause many of the same harmful inflammatory changes in the airways and lungs of dogs as their human counterparts. For these reasons, owners should not expose their pets to secondhand smoke in order to minimize the risk of their pets developing lung disease or cancer.”
For more information about how to quit smoking, contact the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline at (800) QUIT NOW.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Ardmore clinic offers cheap shots
The Ardmore Animal Shelter and several local veterinarians are hosting a low-cost vaccine clinic to help pet owners immunize their animals and to help raise money for the shelter.
The clinic will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 9.
Rabies shots are $6, and distemper and parvo shots are $10. Feline distemper shots are also $10. For more information, call (580) 223-7070.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets and pig flu? No need to worry.
The drama over swine flu - or as some folks perfer to call it, the N1H1 virus - contiues, and some pet owners are worried it could affect their furry friends. Experts say there’s no need to worry, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
“Currently there’s no data demonstrating any risk of dogs and cats contracting this strain of the virus,” says Dr. Louise Murray, director of medicine at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Hospital in New York City. “However, owners of pet pigs, as well as farmers, should monitor their animals’ health more closely and take steps to limit transmission from humans to pigs and vice versa.”
The American Veterinary Medical Association also reminded the public they can still hang out with pigs all they want. But it’s probably a good idea to get your porker the flu shot anyway. It’s part of their normal care, according to the ASPCA.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
