April 3, 2013

Hey there, just wanted to let you all know that we haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but we have moved the blog over to WordPress. You can find us at http://animalpalooza.wordpress.com/. I hope that you'll start following us over there. Thanks for your support!

March 30, 2013

Giant Panda Artificially Inseminated At National Zoo





Mei Xiang, a giant panda at the National Zoo in Washington, was artificially inseminated today, after natural attempts at breeding failed. A team of scientists and veterinarians performed the insemination using a mixture of fresh and frozen semen provided by Tian Tian, the male panda at the zoo.

“We are hopeful that our breeding efforts will be successful this year, and we’re encouraged by all the behaviors and hormonal data we’ve seen so far,” Dave Wildt, head of the Center for Species Survival at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute said. “We have an extremely small window of opportunity to perform the procedures, which is why we monitor behavior and hormones so closely.”

A second insemination will most likely take place later on today. You can read more about the giant Pandas and watch the live Panda cam on the National Zoo website. (Note: the panda cams may be offline today due to the insemination procedures but should be back online on Sunday)

Natura Pet Expands Recall Of Dry Pet Foods Due To Possible Health Risk

For Immediate Release – March 29, 2013 - Natura Pet Products is voluntarily expanding its recall of dry pet food because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. No Salmonella-related illnesses have been confirmed to date

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products. Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms.

Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

Sampling conducted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of Salmonella in additional dry cat food and a cat pet treat. In an abundance of caution, Natura is also recalling product made in the surrounding timeframe. This affects dry foods only; no canned wet food Is affected by this announcement.

The affected products are sold through veterinary clinics and select pet specialty retailers nationwide and in Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Costa Rica, as well as online.
The dry cat food expiration dates for this expanded recall range from 1/1/2014to 3/24/2014. The dry cat treats have expiration dates from 7/1/13 to 9/27/13. Consumers who have purchased thesepet foods should discard them.

For additional information, and a complete list of recalled products, consumers may visit http://www.naturapet.com/recall.

For further information or a product replacement or refund call Natura toll-free at 800-224-6123.(Monday –Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM CST).

March 29, 2013

Oil Change Leads To Kitty Rescue

A routine oil change turned into a kitty rescue operation for one Nebraska driver and one lucky cat


March 28, 2013

This young sea lion, malnourished and dehydrated, somehow made it way up to the patio of a 5-star hotel and made himself at home. Shortly afterwards, he was picked up and transported to Sea World where they hope to rehabilitate him.