From Wolf to Woof: The Evolution of Dogs

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- European hunter-gatherers domesticated wolves more than 18,000 years ago, with evolution turning them into today's dogs as household pets, U.S. scientists say.

DNA studies by researchers at UCLA showed domestic dogs were genetically grouped with ancient wolves or dogs from Europe, not with wolves found anywhere else in the world or even with modern European wolves, the university reported Friday.

"We found that instead of recent wolves being closest to domestic dogs, ancient European wolves were directly related to them," evolutionary biologist Robert Wayne said. "This brings the genetic record into agreement with the archaeological record. Europe is where the oldest dogs are found."

The researchers studied 10 ancient "wolf-like" animals and eight "dog-like" animals, mostly from Europe. All more than 1,000 years old, most were thousands of years old, and two were more than 30,000 years old. Dogs, they concluded, evolved from ancient wolves that inhabited Europe and are now extinct.

The domestication of predatory wolves likely occurred among ancient hunter-gatherer groups rather than as part of humans' development of sedentary, agricultural-based communities, the researchers said.

"The wolf is the first domesticated species and the only large carnivore humans ever domesticated," Wayne said. "Other wild species were domesticated in association with the development of agriculture and then needed to exist in close proximity to humans. This would be a difficult position for a large, aggressive predator. 

"But if domestication occurred in association with hunter-gatherers, one can imagine wolves first taking advantage of the carcasses that humans left behind -- a natural role for any large carnivore -- and then over time moving more closely into the human niche through a co-evolutionary process."

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5 Surprising Cat Facts

My love of knowledge has been a guide in my life and has taken me far from the Idaho dairy farm on which I grew up. It’s one of the reasons why travel has always been so important to me — I’ve been to more than 80 countries, and my wife and I have taken our children to many as well.
Even when I’m not in motion, I like to keep learning. And it should come as no surprise that much of what interests me has to do with pets. While the human-animal bond has always been of special interest to me, the fact is that the quirkier bits of trivia appeal to the perpetual student in me — particularly when it comes to cats.

The Element of Surprise
I love to surprise others, and I hope I catch you saying “I didn’t know that!” with these five crazy cat facts.
A cat’s tongue is magic. Well, not really. But it sure seems that way if you watch a slow-motion movie of a cat drinking water. A cat’s tongue breaks the surface of the water and returns to the mouth too quickly for the human eye to follow well, dragging a column of water up with it. The cat’s mouth then captures the water before gravity pulls it down. We know this because an engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology used one of the University’s specialized cameras to record the motion at 120 frames per second, then analyzed the result. The result was published in the prestigious journal Science in November 2010. MIT professor Roman Stocker told Wired magazine that this discovery could have implications when it comes to the design of robots.

Cats have more bones in a key part of their spine than people do. Cats have a combined 20 thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, compared with 17 in people. The number of bones in the mid-spine region accounts in part for the power and flexibility cats have when it comes to fast acceleration and leaping ability. Cats are capable of attaining speeds of more than 30 mph for very short distances — just a few yards — which is a perfect skill if you’re a stalk-and-pounce predator. And cats can jump several times their height, flying over fences to the disgust of many a cat-chasing dog. Their other anatomical oddity is a free-floating collarbone, which can enable a cat to fit through an opening the size of its whisker span. That is, unless he’s fat, which too many cats are these days.

 Some calico cats are male. Yes, I still hear people saying that all calico cats are female, along with tortoiseshell and related “dilute” versions (gray instead of black fur, and shades of yellow instead of bright orangey-red). If you were to make a bet that a calico is female, you would probably win, but there’s no guarantee: Approximately one calico in 3,000 is male, thanks to a genetic oddity known as “Klinefelter syndrome,” in which an animal has X and Y chromosomes, making it a male, but also has an extra X chromosome (which allows for the expression of the calico coat pattern). By the way, betting that an orange tabby is male isn’t as good a bet, for reasons I have previously explained.

Cat sex isn’t fun. That’s because the feline penis is barbed, with about 100 painful points that scrape the inside of the vagina during the mating process. That’s why female cats yowl in pain when they’re bred and why male cats are often smacked by the claws of their angry mate — she’s lashing out. Biologists believe the scraping in part works to remove the sperm of other males, but mostly what the pain does is stimulate the female to release a hormone that starts to ripen the eggs in her ovaries. The procedure is the same for lions and domestic cats — and every feline in between. It certainly tells you how powerful the mating urge must be for cats to reproduce despite a procedure that doesn’t seem particularly satisfying.

Kittens are born with blue eyes. In this, cats are like people. That’s because melanin, the substance that determines eye color, isn’t in full play at birth. The more you have of it, the darker your eyes, but that’s only part of the story. When babies open their eyes, the melanin in the irises starts to express itself, thanks to exposure to ultraviolet light. (When an animal is an albino, there is no melanin in the irises, which appear pink because of the blood vessels in the eye.) Cats have an astonishing range of eye color, from China blue to brown, with amber, green and hazel in between. Some cats have eyes of two different colors, and a few even have irises of two different colors. But they all start out with baby blues.

By Dr. Marty Becker, Vetstreet.com

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook (and receive a special gift) and you can also follow us on Twitter. Did you hear us on Atomic Dog Radio? Click here to listen to the show and our interview. Let us know what you think. Did you see our commercials? Visit us on You Tube and Tell a friend!

Pet Businesses- please update or add your information. - To edit and/or update your information Click here: http://www.barleyslist.org/. It is a good idea to go to BarleysList.org frequently and update your profile. There are no fees or memberships to sign up for. This service is free to all users and is designed to connect pet owners to pet related businesses. If you are having any trouble with the site please email me or call me directly toll free at Liz@BarleysList.org or 877-78BARLEY. This site is for pet related businesses only.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of BarleysList.org.

Hilton Hotels Recently Launched Hilton: Pet Friendly

Hilton Hotels recently launched Hilton: Pet Friendly, a program designed to make traveling with pets easier. Beginning this summer, cats and dogs will be welcome at most Hilton Hotels & Resorts throughout the United States and Canada. Your best friend will not only be welcome, they’ll enjoy special amenities, too. It all starts at check-in where your furry friend receives a Creature Comfort welcome package. Plus, you can choose from a special menu of items available at the concierge desk to make your pet’s stay extra special – featuring walking trails, grooming services plus tips from Pet Shelters Across America.

Click here for a list of Hilton Creature Comforts.

To learn more about Hilton’s pet policy, guests can visit www.hilton.com/pets or contact the hotel at which they would like to stay for pet-specific information.

Article found at: http://www.petsacrossamerica.org/News_2.html

Caring for Horses During Hot Weather

Summer is here.  Temperatures reaching the middle to upper 90’s in July should convince anyone of that.  Here are several management factors that should be carefully considered when managing horses in hot, summer weather.
Plenty of water should be offered to the horse.  The average 1000 pound horse will drink around 10 gallons of water a day.  Working horses, particularly in the heat, can easily increase this to 20 or more gallons a day.  Water and electrolytes are both lost when a horse sweats, leading to potential problems with dehydration and other metabolic conditions if they’re not replaced.  Make sure the horse has access to clean, fresh water and salt at all times.  Be cautious adding flavorings to water.  While it may encourage some horses to drink, some of the products contain salt which may cause the horse to stop drinking if too much is added.
Exercise during the hot hours of the day should be limited.  Exercise generates body heat which must be released to prevent overheating.  This can be difficult during summer months.  The Heat Stress Index, or “Misery Index”, can help people to know when to be cautious about working with horses during hot weather.  If the combined temperature and humidity are over 150, care should be taken to ensure the horse does not become heat stressed.  If the humidity is over 75%, sweating as a cooling mechanism becomes compromised.  The sweat doesn’t evaporate off the horse; it runs off them, which is much less efficient.  Sweat losses in a working horse can increase from 20-300% in extreme conditions.  If the horse must be worked during the heat of the day (perhaps you’re at a show or competition), then care should be taken to ensure the horse has adequate shade and ventilation (fans or misters) to help them stay cool.  Between classes, stand them in front of a fan in the shade or sponge them off and scrape the excess water from them to help cool them down.  Again, water and salt should be offered frequently.
Overweight horses will have a harder time dealing with the heat.  The added body fat acts as insulation, trapping body heat and making it more difficult for the horse to cool off.  Working an overweight horse in the heat is an excellent way to end up with a sick animal.
Feeding management is also affected by the temperature.  Some horses will go off feed if they get too hot.  This can be a problem if the horse is too thin or is losing weight due to the heat – they can’t gain if they don’t eat.  Also, the digestion of feed results in the generation of body heat, and some feeds generate more heat than others.  Adding fat to the diet will increase the calories in the feed without increasing the volume of feed and fat burns cooler in the body than protein or carbohydrates.  Feed only as much protein as the horse needs in order to reduce the heat load.  Also, feeding grass forages will decrease the metabolic heat generated as compared to feeding legume forage.
Barns should be opened as much as possible to allow any breezes to keep the stable ventilated.  If necessary, add fans at strategic locations to pull air through the barn.
Cooler weather will return, never fear!  In the meantime, keep plenty of water and salt in front of the horses, don’t exercise them during the heat of the day, and feed them appropriately for their needs.

Rabbits as Easter Gifts

Thinking of bringing home a live bunny as an Easter gift this April?

 Did you know that…

…Pet rabbits can live from seven to ten or more years and require the same long-term care as dogs and cats?
…Young children and bunnies aren’t such a good match?
…Pet rabbits aren’t low-maintenance pets―they have specific dietary and veterinary needs, and must be handled with care?
…Pet rabbits must be live indoors, with their human families?
…Thousands of ex-Easter bunnies are abandoned to shelters or into the wild each year when their novelty wears off?
If your family's set on getting a rabbit, start by giving a chocolate bunny or a stuffed toy for Easter and, if your young children are really serious about it, a book on rabbit care. If they're still begging you for a bun after the holiday has passed, go to your local shelter or rescue group and find out how to adopt the rabbit (or even better, a bonded pair) of your dreams. For info on bunny care and rescue groups, head to the House Rabbit Society. 
You can also help spread the word that rabbits are not disposable pets by getting involved in the Make Mine Chocolate! campaign. Started in 2002 by the Columbus House Rabbit Society, the campaign aims to educate the public about the challenges of owning a rabbit and encourages parents to give chocolate or toy bunnies as Easter gifts instead of live rabbits. Check out the group's website, MakeMineChocolate.org, for more info.

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook (and receive a special gift) and you can also follow us on Twitter. Did you hear us on Atomic Dog Radio? Click here to listen to the show and our interview. Let us know what you think. Did you see our commercials? Visit us on You Tube and Tell a friend!

Pet Businesses- please update or add your information. - To edit and/or update your information Click here: http://www.barleyslist.org/. It is a good idea to go to BarleysList.org frequently and update your profile. There are no fees or memberships to sign up for. This service is free to all users and is designed to connect pet owners to pet related businesses. If you are having any trouble with the site please email me or call me directly toll free at Liz@BarleysList.org or 877-78BARLEY. This site is for pet related businesses only.

BarleysList.org is Where People Go for Pet Info

BarleysList- Your Pets Newsletter- Winter

 BarleysList is where people go for pet info

The season is definitely changing and I am sure our pets know it. The horses and dogs coats are thickening, the cats are staying closer to home and the chickens are going to bed earlier and sleeping in! Whether the holiday has come or gone, leaving your pet in the winter can be stressful. At BarleysList.org you can always find the best pet sitters. And share your experience with others too with our review and 1-5 star rating system. Google, Yahoo and AOL only offer businesses which have web sites. BarleysList.org offers businesses which could not be found otherwise. What makes BarleysList.org so unique is that pet lovers can offer their feedback regarding the services that they have used. Priceless!

Take your pet with you. Did you know there are hotels which offer horse boarding? I have heard from many people who prefer to take their pet- large or small. Almost every Best Western offers pet friendly accommodations. Prefer to stay at a Bed and Breakfast or a vacation rental? We list those too!

Whether your pet is large or small, they need extra protection during the colder months. You can easily find tack and feed stores or pet boutiques either locally or while traveling with your pet. I remember traveling in Mammoth Lakes, CA and lost our dogs thyroid medicine. I wished I had BarleysList.org created then because it was so difficult to find a veterinarian on a Saturday.

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook (and receive a special gift) and you can also follow us on Twitter. Did you hear us on Atomic Dog Radio? Click here to listen to the show and our interview. Let us know what you think. Did you see our commercials? Visit us on You Tube and Tell a friend!

Pet Businesses- please update or add your information. - To edit and/or update your information Click here: http://www.barleyslist.org/. It is a good idea to go to BarleysList.org frequently and update your profile. There are no fees or memberships to sign up for. This service is free to all users and is designed to connect pet owners to pet related businesses. If you are having any trouble with the site please email me or call me directly toll free at Liz@BarleysList.org or 877-78BARLEY. This site is for pet related businesses only.

BarleysList.org is Where People Go for Pet Info

Top 5 Holiday Dangers to Pets

Preventive Measures Can Save Pets

The holidays are a festive time for us and our pets. However, due to ongoing activities and constant distractions, we can easily overlook potential dangers to our four-legged family members.
Take preventive measures to protect your pets this holiday season. Being aware of these top five dangers could save you a trip to the veterinary emergency room.

1. Holiday Tinsel and Ornaments

Tinsel, while not toxic, is very attractive to pets, particularly cats. The shiny, dangling decoration reflects light and can move in the slightest draft — appearing to come alive to watchful critters.

The problem with tinsel is that once it’s consumed, it can cause serious injury to your pet. If not caught in time, this foreign body ingestion could actually be fatal as it twists and bunches inside your pet’s intestines. Immediate veterinary care is required.
In addition, bright and colorful tree ornaments can attract your pet’s curiosity. Place glass, aluminum and paper ornaments higher up on the tree. Pets can chew and swallow these fragile objects and not only can broken pieces form sharp edges that may lacerate your pet’s mouth, throat and intestines, they could also create a choking hazard.

2. Holiday Lighting and Candles

Twinkling, shiny and dangling holiday lights — such as the icicle, netting, garland, curtain, rope and candle varietal — may be another source of danger to your curious pets.
Got a pet that likes to chew? Electrical shock may occur when a pet chomps down on an electrical cord, causing tongue lacerations and possible death. Check your holiday lights for signs of fraying or chewing and use a grounded three-prong extension cord as a safety precaution.
If you have candles on display, place them in a hard-to-reach spot so that your pets can not access them. Not only can pets seriously burn themselves, but knocking over candles creates a fire hazard and may leave a trail of hot wax that will easily burn the pads of paws and more.

3. Gift Wrap Ribbon

You may be tempted to fashion your pet with a decorative ribbon “collar” but beware that this could become a choking hazard.
Also, it’s best to quickly discard ribbons and bows wrapped around holiday gifts so that your curious companions won’t be enticed to chew or swallow them. Ingested ribbon can cause a choking hazard and ultimately twist throughout the intestines, leading to emergency surgery and even death.

4. Food Hazards

Festive events often mean edible treats — and lots of them. Unfortunately, some of the most popular holiday goodies, such as chocolate, bones and nuts, can be extremely toxic or fatal to pets.

• Different types of chocolate contain various levels of fat, caffeine and the substances methylxanthines. In general, the darker and richer the chocolate (i.e., baker’s chocolate), the higher the risk of toxicity. Depending on the type and amount of chocolate ingested, dogs might experience vomiting, diarrhea, urination, hyperactivity, heart arrhythmias, tremors and seizures.
• Fat trimmings and bones are dangerous for dogs. Fat trimmed from meat, both cooked and uncooked, may cause pancreatitis. And, although it seems natural to give a dog a bone, a dog can choke on it. Bones can also splinter and cause an obstruction or lacerations of your dog's digestive system.
• Abundant in many cookies and candies, certain nuts should not be given to pets. Almonds, non-moldy walnuts and pistachios can cause an upset stomach or an obstruction of your dog's throat and/or intestinal tract. Macadamia nuts and moldy walnuts can be toxic, causing seizures or neurological signs. Lethargy, vomiting and loss of muscle control are among the effects of nut ingestion.

Keep your pet on her regular diet and caution visitors against giving your pet special treats or table scraps.

5. Toxic Holiday Plants

They may be pretty, but some holiday plants are poisonous—even deadly. As little as a single leaf from any lily variety is lethal to cats. Others to avoid:

• Christmas tree pine needles can produce oral irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, trembling and posterior weakness.
• Holly, commonly found during the Christmas season, can cause intense vomiting, diarrhea and depression.
• Mistletoe, another Christmas plant, can cause significant vomiting and diarrhea, difficulty breathing, collapse, erratic behavior, hallucinations and death when ingested.
• Poinsettias can cause irritation to the mouth and stomach and sometimes vomiting.

Taking precautions with pets during these festive times can help ensure that you and your family will enjoy a happy — and healthy — holiday season!

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook (and receive a special gift) and you can also follow us on Twitter. Did you hear us on Atomic Dog Radio? Click here to listen to the show and our interview. Let us know what you think. Did you see our commercials? Visit us on You Tube and Tell a friend!

Pet Businesses- please update or add your information. - To edit and/or update your information Click here: http://www.barleyslist.org/. It is a good idea to go to BarleysList.org frequently and update your profile. There are no fees or memberships to sign up for. This service is free to all users and is designed to connect pet owners to pet related businesses. If you are having any trouble with the site please email me or call me directly toll free at Liz@BarleysList.org or 877-78BARLEY. This site is for pet related businesses only.

BarleysList.org is Where People Go for Pet Info