Susan Mikels takes extra care to ensure her 12-year-old pooch is in prime dog health.

“He’s a big dog, and he’s also my best friend,” Mikels told the Pocono Record of her dog who suffers from severe joint problems and painful arthritis.

“Every once in awhile he’ll have a little burst of energy lasting only for a minute or so, reminding me of his younger puppy days,” she told the news provider.

The Pocono Record reported that Mikels’ pooch has other dog health issues too, including vision problems and trouble walking.

“I see him struggling to get out of his bed, but then again, so do I,” she told the news source.

According to the news provider there are numerous things pet owners can do to keep their pets in optimum dog or cat health, such as maintaining a healthy diet and exercise regime and ensuring elderly pets sustain their body weight.

“Studies show that being overweight puts more stress on the heart and increases organ inflammation,” Dr. Jeremy Wentz of Barton Heights Veterinary Hospital told the news source.

Dr. Martha Franklin of Mountain View Animal Hospital in Scotrun told the news provider that owners ought to feed their older pets healthy pet food and try to limit the amount of table scraps.

“Each species has specific dietary needs that are provided within pet food,” she told the news source.

Franklin told the Poconoo Record that pet health insurance may also be a good idea and help with finances when a pet eventually needs medical attention.

“When shopping for (pet) insurance, ask a lot of questions,” Franklin told the news provider. “Insurance can also help with the expense of having important diagnostics done that might be skipped if paid out of pocket.

Wentz told the news provider that he agrees that pet care insurance is a good idea.

“Vet care is more expensive now because we are catching up to human medicine with diagnostic tools that we use,” he told the news source.

Franklin told the news provider aside from a healthy diet and getting insurance for pets, it is also important to exercise your pet.

“Swimming and frequent walks are ideal to maintain weight and healthy muscle tone,” Franklin told Poconorecord.com.

For more information on health insurance for dogs and cats, visit www.petsbest.com.

Steve Dale doesn’t know if dogs are smarter than cats—or vice versa.

“There is no answer to that question,” the pet columnist told SouthCoastToday.com.

Dale told the news provider that a public poll conducted a few years ago revealed that 40 percent of people believe cats and dogs possess equal intelligence… although there’s still no sure-fire way to measure it.

“How do you measure intelligence,” Dale asked the news source, adding that it’s difficult to weigh the intelligence of dogs and cats, mostly because it’s almost impossible to find a test that can be given to both species since their brains work differently.

Pet Owner Colleen Brown believes that while dogs may be easier to train, cats are likely the smarter of the two.

“Dogs are easier to train because they have been bred and developed to respond to humans,” Brown told the news source.

“Generally, I think cats are better problem solvers because they have had to work to get their food and continue to exist,” she told the news provider. “They were not fed readily by their humans, as dogs are, so they have to think about where their next meal will come from…”

Christopher Dion, a sergeant who trains military dogs for the Air Force said he believes dogs have more brain power than a typical housecat.

“As long as dogs have been domesticated, they have served man in every possible way,” Dion told the news provider. “Their intelligence is often their best asset, but it often takes the most patient and consistent handler to bring out the best in them.”

Dion told the news source that a dog’s ability is often in the hands of its trainer.

“In the end, the capability of the dog is only limited by the skill and patience of the trainer and the personality and hidden talents of the dog,” he told the news provider.

“Just as not every thoroughbred horse is a Secretariat, not every dog is a Lassie or a Rin Tin Tin.”

The American Veterinary Medical Association reported Friday that impending bills in various states will aid in both the health and treatment of animals.

According to the AVMA’s State Legislative Update for the week of May 14, Arizona, Oklahoma and Massachusetts are among the many states that are working to revamp their pet laws.

The association reported that a bill in Arizona would make alterations to the law by which veterinarians abide.

Arizona’s House Bill 2612 would “make several changes to the veterinary practice act, including a requirement that a veterinarian report suspected animal abuse, cruelty, neglect or fighting within 48 hours after treatment or examination.”

In Oklahoma, the AVMA reported a Senate bill on the table which would regulate dog and cat breeders—which proponents believe will help to phase out the widespread problem of puppy mills.

According to Okhumane.org, commercial breeders often relocate to Oklahoma to operate puppy mills because they can avoid laws there that would shut down operation in 25 other states.

“The number of commercial breeders moving to Oklahoma from other states continues to grow because there is no state agency responsible for insuring standards of care and compliance or even handle complaints like most other states,” the site reported.

In Massachusetts, House bill 344 has created controversy.

According to this bill, pet owners would be subject to penalty for surgically debarking dogs or cats without a written veterinarian explanation of medical necessity.

“Only a veterinarian using anesthesia, may surgically debark or silence and dog or cat,” the association reported.

Associatedcontent.com reported that breeders and pet owners often barbarically devocalize dogs (and even cats) for no reason.

“Through this process, the voice box of a canine is altered to muffle the sound. As a result it comes across as a whisper or a hoarse cough,” the site reported.

The source goes on to explain that HB 344 is a necessary bill.

“Don’t let the proponents against HB 344 fool you… HB 344 is just an effort to protect innocent parties (on four legs) from unnecessary harm.”

The American Veterinary Medical Association kicked off National Dog Bite Prevention Week Sunday to remind Americans that dog bites are a widespread problem.

According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dog bites send nearly 400,000 children to the hospital each year.

The United States Postal Service’s website states that aside from children, dog bites occur most frequently in the elderly as well as the USPS mail carriers, and that dog bites exceed the number of reported measles, whooping cough and mumps combined.

According to ZooToo.com there are a number of ways both children and adults can protect themselves from a dog bite or attack.

The news provider reported that dogs often become aggressive when they feel like their space is invaded. The source offered the following suggestions to deflect a potential problem:

1. Always ask a pet owner whether it is okay to pet their dog. Allow the dog to sniff your hand before you touch it.
2. If you encounter an unfriendly dog, do not run. Instead back away slowly. Try to avoid eye contact
3. Do not scream if a dog approaches you. Try to remain calm and speak in a quiet voice.
4. Should you come upon a group of dogs, throw a small object, like a rock, away from you to distract the animals. Then slowly inch away.
5. If you are a parent, ensure your child is never alone with a dog. Do not allow your child to play roughly with the animal or discipline it.

If the problem occurs within the household, GWDtoday.com suggests taking the animal to a veterinarian if it displays behavior problems such as biting. Oftentimes, the news provider reported, the fix can be as simple as spaying or neutering, which can diminish dog aggressiveness.

Josiah Allen tried to rescue a homeless dog on a trip to Mexico but according to Allen, Delta Air Lines lost it in transit, CNN reported.

Allen told the news provider that he and his girlfriend found the Dachshund/Jack Russell Terrier mix on a Mexico beach and decided to take him home with them.

Their new pet, they named “Paco” was reportedly in very bad shape and needed dog health care.

The couple told CNN they took their new dog to the veterinarian, purchased a dog travel kennel, and took all the necessary steps to adopt the pup before heading to their home in Seaforth, Canada.

Susan Elliot, a representative for Delta told CNN that the dog escaped from its carrier at the airport in Mexico City and they were unable to locate it.

“Our staff have conducted exhaustive searches to locate the dog,” Delta told the news source. Delta has since offered sincere apologies to Allen and compensated him for his loss of the dog.

But Allen told CNN that’s not what he wanted.

“I am hopeful that Delta will be able . . . to locate and retrieve Paco and that he can come to my home and be loved and cared for,” Allen told the news provider.

According to CNN, a Delta representative in Mexico City told Allen that the dog carrier was too small and that he would have to sign a waiver acknowledging Delta would not be held accountable if Paco was injured.

Allen told the news provider there had been no issues with the crate and that Paco had been at ease in the kennel.

“He could both turn around and stand comfortably,” he told CNN.

Elliot told the news source she had never heard of another account where a passenger’s dog had been misplaced by her company.

“This is extremely rare,” she told CNN.

Richard Smith was aghast when he and his team found a plethora of puppies locked in cages and covered in their own waste in a Chester County puppy mill.

According to WBTV, the Sheriff and his department uncovered 87 puppies from a property where dog health conditions were abominable.

The department was tipped off after a concerned citizen, who had initially gone to the mill to purchase a puppy, saw the multitude of pups in filthy cages covered in feces, the news provider reported.

Smith said he was thankful that the citizen stepped forward, because people often won’t, or don’t know what to do.

“Somebody knows something, but a lot of times law enforcement isn’t tipped off,” Smith told WBTV.

The news provider reported that owner of the property, Melissa Lyles was arrested and charged with ill-treatment of animals.

Doctor Parish Wood of Carolina Place Animal Hospital in Richburg who helped provide the rescued dogs health care said that dog breeders often don’t mean for the conditions to become so bad.

“They might start out with good intentions to make some puppies but when you have so many dogs that aren’t fixed they just keep breeding on their own,” Wood told the news source.

WBTV reported that Lyles was selling the puppies for between $500 to $900 each.

Smith told the news provider he was glad to have saved the puppies but that there ought to be stricter regulations for breeders. He told the news source he thinks officers should be able to check-in on them, much like they can in daycares.

“If we had that type of authority it would have prevented all of this,” Smith told the news provider.

Some of the puppies are still available. For more information on how you can adopt the rescued animals contact Chester County Animal Control.

Officials in New York are making life better for pets, Syracuse.com reported.

State lawmakers approved a bill this month that eliminates a former law that placed a 21-year limit on pet trusts— or money left over for the care of a pet after its owner passes away.

Before passing this bill, pets were only eligible for the trusts for a set amount of time, although oftentimes pets will live much longer after the passing of their owners. According to supporters of the bill, the previously-set 21-year restriction was just not long enough.

“Parrots can live 50 to 75 years,” Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, one of the bill’s sponsors, told Syracuse.com.

Glick wanted to ensure that pets which live longer will be taken care of for the duration of their lives.

Glick said she realizes there may be more important matters at hand, but that this bill was of particular importance to her.

“I can certainly understand where people would say this is not the most pressing issue, and I would agree with that,” Glick told the news provider. “But since it’s not that controversial, it’s the type of thing that can happen without much time or effort.”

Glick added that lawmakers can help to make pet’s lives better, while also focusing on other bills simultaneously, Syracuse.com reported.

“While we continue to grapple with a very serious financial problem for the state and localities, that doesn’t mean that all work comes to a screeching halt. We continue to do other work as we always do,” she told the news source.

According to Legalzoom.com, pet trusts have been around for a long time.

One of the most well-known cases of a pet being taken care of after the passing of its owner, was American Heiress Doris Duke’s dog Minnie, who was left a $100 million trust.

Legalzoom.com also reports that Betty White and Oprah Winfrey may have trusts set-up for their beloved pets.

Susan Babbitt is doing everything she can to help homeless animals—but she can’t do it alone.

Babbitt, who founded the nonprofit organization Friends of the Collinsville Animal Shelter has seen a steady decline in donations since the economy has taken a downward spiral.

“People who’ve been able to give me several thousand (dollars) can give me $500 now,” she told Tulsa World.

Babbitt told the news provider that when people lose their homes and jobs, their pets often suffer repercussions.

“They can’t afford to take care of their dogs and cats,” she told the news source. “They are bringing them to us as a surrender. At a certain point, you only have a certain amount of money and you can only do so much.”

Babbitt told Tulsa World that even people who have had their animals for years have brought their pets to her.

“In some places, the dogs they are leaving are just beautiful, registered, pedigreed dogs that they cannot afford to take care of anymore, or they are having to go to an apartment where they aren’t allowed to have a dog,” she told the news provider.

Babbitt told the news source that her organization has saved more than 400 pets.

“It’s just unbelievably intense with pets right now. I’m just pedaling as fast as I can to bring in different money.”

Jamie Suarez, the president and founder of Oklahoma Alliance for Animals told the news provider that shelters and rescue groups are “inundated with animals right now because of the economic climate.”

“It’s everybody and they are starting to feel it,” Suarez told Tulsa World of the economy. “Probably a lot of groups are starting to get discouraged. I hope they don’t.”

According to Business Week, Americans spent around $41 billion a year on their pets in 2007. Now, most families who are feeling the effects of the economy are sometimes unable to even feed them.

“It’s real difficult for them right now,” Suarez told the news provider. “It’s the times. I hear it from everybody I talk to.”

Shelli Neubauer doesn’t throw pet fur away anymore after she’s done grooming an animal.

Instead, the owner of A Spa For Paws told NBC 26 that she’s decided to help tidy the environment with the remnants of fuzz and fluff.

Neubauer told the news provider that the pet hair is helping mop-up the two million gallons of oil that spilled in the Gulf Coast area the end of April after The Deepwater Horizon exploded.

“I’ve been just throwing it into the garbage and it was going into the landfill,” Neubauer told the news provider. “I thought this is crazy and there has got to be a different way to do this,” she told NBC 26.

But Neubauer isn’t the only pet groomer who’s decided to donate fur to clean-up the ocean.

Fellow Groomer Marta Lazansky told the news source she’s on board too.

“It’s amazing to know such a small community can take part in such a large clean-up effort,” she told NBC 26.

According to the news provider, the hair is extremely effective at helping collect the oil, as one pound of fur can soak up a quart of oil per minute.

NBC 26 reported that a group called Matter of Trust is recycling the dog and cat hair into giant mats that clean-up crews are then using to absorb the oil.

“You wouldn’t think dog hair could soak up oil, but it’s amazing what it can do and how effective it is,” Lazansky told the news source.

According to KATU.com, more than 100 business in Oregon alone are contributing pet fur to help with the oil spill.

A pet owner grooming her dog at Pawsitively Clean in Portland told KATU.com that she thinks her pet’s contribution is great.

“If we can sweep it off, and send it to help, I think that’s amazing,” Whitney Luther told the news provider.

Neubauer told NBC 26 she’s also happy she and the pets she grooms can help.

“It feels great, every little bit helps and it’s awesome,” she said.

Perhaps you’ve noticed Fido tends to favor one paw over the other, or maybe Pumpkin seems more apt to bat at her catnip mouse with her left paw instead of her right. Are you just imagining it? Or could your kitty be a bona fide south paw?

According to Times Online, scientists have discovered that animals, including cats, dogs, parrots and fish are technically right or left “handed” just like humans. Until recently, these animals were thought to be ambidextrous, but according to these studies, paw, eye or foot proficiency has evolved to help the animals fend, hunt for food, and find a mate.

Professor of Psychology at University College London Chris McManus told the news provider that this recent discovery is something that always had scientists’ curiosity piqued.

“We now know that it pays to specialize, whether for the footballer, the whale or the worm,” McManus told the news source.

Times Online reported that female cats tend to favor their right paws, while males favor their left—the same is respectively true in dogs.

Additionally, the source reported that fish tend to have a dominant eye that helps detect predators and that right-eyed fish often circle clockwise while left-eyed fish swim counter-clockwise.

“It enables mammals and animals to act quicker and more instinctively, to know exactly what they’re going to do,” McManus told the news provider. “The whole thing is a competition, there’s a tremendous tactical battle going on the whole time.”

McManus told Times Online that the preference of right over left is nothing short of a strategic, inherent means of self preservation.

“Everybody is trying to exploit the weaknesses in the other,” he told the provider. “Anything that gives you a tactical advantage, such as preponderance to one side, helps.”

Times Online reported that it’s relatively simple to test whether a pet is right or left “handed.” For cats, owners can dangle a string in front of the feline and note which paw it uses to swipe at it. Owners can also put a treat in a jar and observe which paw an animal uses to attempt the retrieve the treat.