The Purrfect Nanny & Purrfect Pet Health Blog

In recent weeks, the popular micro-blogging site Twitter has received extensive coverage in the media. If you haven’t signed up for an account or have yet to check out the site, it’s helpful to think of Twitter like an enormous pool of instant text messages.  Once you join, however, the number of tweets (that’s what the individual messages are called) are restricted to only those you “follow”, or those who you sign up to watch.

While non-users may presume that Twitter simply enables narcissists to become more self-involved, Twitterers praise the benefits of participating in unique communities, without any of the borders of traditional communication.  The site has demonstrated particular utility in helping people foster relationships with others who share similar interests. 

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In the summer of one of the most turbulent economic periods in a lifetime, Americans are rediscovering simplicity and frugality.  These days, it’s not uncommon to see a small group playing an impromptu game of Frisbee, or a couple enjoying a nature hike through a local park, or an extended family spending an afternoon in the backyard barbecuing.

The summer months provide ample opportunities for outdoor fun, whether your idea of open-air enjoyment is a power-walk with your dog or watching an afternoon storm roll in from the safety of a back porch with your cat.  These activities help us brush away the winter cobwebs, shedding new light on our daily life.  But sometimes, we make discoveries that are not altogether pleasant.  Too often, the thinner, summer coats of our pets can reveal what winter coats have hidden from plain view – reddened skin irritations, possibly the sign of a seasonal or chronic allergy.

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Another working dog story! Once again a dog goes far beyond being just a family pet. These creatures are so amazing, such perfect companions to humans. As they parent of a child with a food allergy I can sympathize with the extraordinary measures we must take to keep our children safe. I can only imagine if my child had such a severe allergy- these animals are truly angels in disguise!

From the CBS “The Early Show”-

All dogs have powerful noses, but some canines are saving lives with their heightened sense of smell.

Remy, is trained to sniff for any trace of peanuts to help his 9-year-old severely allergic owner, Billy Gensel, live a normal life.

Billy is one of the nearly two million Americans who have an allergy to peanuts but Billy’s allergy was acute, keeping him from many activities.

“I couldn’t go to the carnivals. I couldn’t go to the hotel rooms. I couldn’t do some restaurants,” he said. “It was really, really harsh.”

But that all changed when Remy, a black Labrador retriever joined the family. Remy is trained to detect even the smallest trace of peanuts in food and the environment.

“Without Remy, I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” Billy said. “…She saves my life every day.”

When Billy came into contact with anything with the tiniest amount of peanuts on it, he would have an allergic reaction, and could have been sent into a potentially fatal anaphylactic shock.

Billy’s mother Karen said, “My job was to follow him around at a distance where I knew I could get to him with an EpiPen, if he touched something and all of a sudden he was touching his throat or couldn’t breathe.”

But now, Remy can smell anything in a room that may have peanuts on it and warns his owner. Bell reported Remy sniffs everything and everyone Billy may touch.

Dogs like Remy, Bell reported can be trained to sniff for peanuts in about six months. Each dog costs about $10,000.

But the price was worth it for the Gensels.

“I feel like Remy and the people who trained her are heroes,” Billy said.

“This dog has changed our life,” Karen said. “This dog is a brand new life. A totally different life. Of normal. It’s a life of normal, and for us that’s a really big deal.”

Two centers are training these dogs to sniff for peanuts the Florida Canine Academy and the Southern Star Ranch.

Bell added dogs have a real health and therapy application now, with the ability to sniff out certain life-threatening illnesses, such as epilepsy and cancer.

I just read the story about Chanel, the world oldest dog! Happy Birthday Chanel! What a life style this dog lady has - who says healthy human food is not good for dogs.  Read more about her in the following article:

Chanel — named the oldest dog by Guinness World Records last year — is taking a rare trip from her Port Jefferson Station home to mingle with canine buddies invited to her Manhattan birthday party.

The old girl’s red hair faded to white a long time ago. Her cataracts force her to wear special doggie glasses and her bones feel the cold.

Her home is kept at a constant 72 degrees. She eats boiled chicken with whole-wheat pasta, and a specially selected soft treat designed for her ancient teeth.

And she spends her days relaxing at home, only taking walks in the summer.

“She used to run three miles with me every day,” said Shaughnessy, a high-school principal’s secretary who adopted Chanel from a Virginia shelter as a 6-week-old pup.

“She still enjoys a walk, but now she’s carried for a lot of it.”

Chanel took the title as the oldest dog last spring when a 28-year-old beagle from Virginia died.

Let’s find out who is Atlanta’s oldest dog - please submit your dogs name and age and we will write an article about you and your pooch in our next BLOG

Rupert Isaacson believes in the healing power of horses.

Rupert Isaacson says that his autistic son Rowan found healing power in the horses he rode during a family trip to Mongolia two years ago. (Courtesy Kristin Neff)

It was a horse named Betsy, after all, that Isaacson credits with helping to heal his son Rowan, who was diagnosed with autism just after his second birthday in 2004. The toddler’s uncommunicative, tantrum-ridden state devastated his concerned parents.

“Rowan would have as many as 12 tantrums a day,” Isaacson, 42, told ABCNews.com. “Everyone knows what a regular toddler tantrum is, but add a deep distress where the child is just inconsolable and unable to communicate the pain that they’re in.”

Read the full storry at ABC News

I truly believe in the Healing Power of Horses. How about you?

Just announced!

Mark your calendars! This spring’s Atlanta Romp Around The World will be held at Sweat Mountain Park on April 18th at 10 am and will go until the doggies drop!

Every spring IDOG holds Romps Around The World to raise awareness about Rescue and Rehome Resources.
To find a group near you check out Doodle Communities.

If you’ve ever wondered about Goldendoodle’s or Labradoodle’s here is your chance to meet them up close and personal! If you own a Doodle, you know how uniquely they play imagine the fun of watching a whole group of them!
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Sweat Mountain Park
4346 Steinhauer Road
Marietta GA 30066

See you there!

We love to spoil our pets. But have you ever thought about making your pet a birthday cake? I wanted to make one for Barley last year but could find the Purrfect recipe. This one might work this year!

Pupcake

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey (optional)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup whole wheat or white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Grease a 9 inch cake pan.
- Combine the egg, peanut butter, oil, vanilla, and honey, if desired, in a large bowl; blend well.
- Stir in the carrots and mix thoroughly.
- Sift together the flour and baking soda and
- Fold into the carrot mixture.
- Spoon cake batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes; then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For frosting try a bit of honey mixed with peanut butter
Yum Yum- Might be good enough for the whole family!

I just found this awesome site!
It’s kind of like Web MD for kitties!
It lists symptoms you may be seeing in your pet.
Through the symptom links you can find out what might be the cause and what steps you should take. It lists suggested home care and tests your vet might run to determine what is going on.
Take a look and make it one of your favorites too!

Georgia Voters for Animal Welfare is pleased to announce that Grace’s Law has become an official bill. Sponsored By Rep. Tom Knox, R-HD 24, Georgia House Bill 606 can be viewed here. A similar bill is being sponsored in the Georgia Senate by Sen. Steve Henson, D- SD 41.

Georgia voters who want gas chambers banned statewide and with no exceptions should immediately contact their state legislators.

To locate your Georgia Assembly Representatives enter your zip code here.

You will need to add your home address to locate your local Georgia Senate and House Representatives. You can find their contact information by clicking on their names.

Then let them know how you feel about the bill. Ask for their support and tell them know how you expect them to vote. Call their offices or send them an email, they keep track of this stuff. It is their responsibility to represent us. It is our responsibility to let them know what we want.

Join the Humane Society Georgia State Director, Cheryl McAuliffe, and other local animal protection advocates, March 3rd at 7pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta as they meet to discuss current animal protection legislation that is before the Georgia State legislature. The goal of this meeting is to arm concerned citizens with lobbying techniques and ways to take action. The Grass Roots movement is growing and is a great place for each of us to start to promote change and help protect those who can not protect themselves. Please RSVP to this event by 5 PM March 2nd.