Beagle of the week: Luna of Beagles and Bargains

 
Time for our Beagle of the Week! This week, we're talking to Jessica Shipman from Beagles and Bargains about her beagle Luna!

1) How old is Luna? 

She is a rescue dog, so we can only guess. We think she is around 2 years old. We picked her birthday to be March 21, 2011, so she can have a day to celebrate! Any day Luna gets her own pupcake is a perfect day. Those days can only be topped by the days she gets two pupcakes.

2) Where did you get Luna? 

Luna was adopted from the Homeless Animals Rescue Team (HART), which is a local no-kill animal rescue organization. Her rescue story was published on I Love Dogs not too long ago.

3) How long have you had her? 

Her Gotcha Day is October 13, 2012, so we are just two months short of a year. That doesn't sound like a long time, but Luna is such a huge part of our family that time doesn't matter. October 13 is also my anniversary with my boyfriend, so it is a day full of celebrations!

4) What's her favorite food? 

This dog will eat anything except lettuce. She loves cheese, peanut butter, pumpkin, and anything with meat. Unfortunately she also thinks a balanced diet includes cardboard, a lot of fluff, a Kindle, and recently an entire tissue box.

5) What's her favorite thing to do? 

As a Beagle, her nose is always working, but sniffing is only her second favorite activity. When I see her in true bliss, she is rolling in the grass on a beautiful summer day. Wiggling away, that is her favorite thing to do.

6) What's her favorite toys? 

She loves anything she can chew, so Nylabones can keep her busy for a while. Squeak toys do not have a very long life span with her. As a result, we have lost many.

7) Does she take part in any special activities (i.e. therapy dog, service dog, spokes dog, etc.) ? 

Not formally. She is my personal therapy dog. Nothing makes you feel better than cuddling with your wiggly Beagle. She is also the spokes Beagle for Beagles and Bargains.

8) What's the best part about owning a beagle? 

You don't need to buy a shredder and you always know when a firetruck is coming. I love her Beagle howl!

She is also the most expressive dog I have ever met. I'm not sure if it is a Beagle thing or just a Luna thing, but I always seem to know when she is frustrated, tired or relaxed. I never knew a little dog could say so much with just a few sighs.

9) What's the worst? 

Your house always seems to be covered in fluff. Always. It is a never ending cycle. Beagles also shed. A lot. Way more than I thought a short haired dog could.

I have also had to learn some crafty ways to hide food and defend my dinner. A hungry Beagle will find food if left unattended and Beagles are always hungry.

10) Anything you'd like to add?

Follow Luna and I at www.beaglesandbargains.com for pet deals, product reviews, and pet parenting tips. You can also find us on Facebook (www.fb.com/beaglesandbargains), Twitter (@beaglesbargains), and Instagram (@beaglesbargains)! 

Also, every Beagle deserves a forever home, so please share the Beagles who are still looking for loving homes!

And speaking of which -- here's this week's beagles who need rescue!

We're checking out beagles from Hillsborough County Animal Services in Tampa.

They have two beagles -- Adria and Smokey Dog.

Adria -- A156-4220

Smokey Dog -- A1564204

 Adria is a girl, and Smokey Dog is male. There's no more info other than the fact that they are adult dogs, and they are fixed.

Please help by sharing this post. Hopefully we will find homes for these beagles.

If you want to check them out, please contact:

Hillsborough County Animal Services, Tampa, FL

• 813-744-5660
• See more pets from Hillsborough County Animal Services
• For more information, visit Hillsborough County Animal Services's Web site.

Cold tail, limp tail, beagle tail: What is it? What should you do about it?

Lulu has not been well.

It also started at Barkworld (which was lots of fun and I'll have a recap up soon!). On Friday afternoon, her tail came down, and it hasn't been up right since.

We tried to take some fun Star Wars pics Friday, but she wasn't in the mood.

What's wrong? Well we heard all kinds of ideas from other attendees, especially from veterinarians. The general consensus -- a tail issue. Either she hurt herself at the tail base, or pulled something. That's what my vet thinks as well. She saw the vet Tuesday, and she prescribed anti-inflammatory meds.

Some beagle owners, however, suggested something even my vet didn't know about -- cold tail.

WHAT IS COLD TAIL?

Not a lot of people know about it. It's not even mentioned on PetMD. And we're not even sure how it happens.

Basically, the condition occurs in dogs who are hunting dogs -- that includes beagles. The tail goes numb or limp at the base. It normally happens after a strenuous day of work, or after swimming or bathing in cold water.

The condition is known by many names, such as cold tail, limp tail, broken tail, even beagle tail.

Janet Steiss and JC Wright at the Sports Medicine Program at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University studied the condition, and I found this article about it AKC Labrador Retriever website. They found many of the dogs who were examined early on had higher levels of serum creatine phosphokinase, which is a muscle enzyme. It's why the muscles around the tail base will seem sore.

But if you don't know to look for that, or catch it early on, there's no way to know that's the cause.

So what can be done? The best medicine is time. But anti-inflammatory meds, according to beagle experts, can also shorten the duration.

Right now, I'm happy to report Lulu's tail has come up every once in a while. She is just not holding it up. But other than this, she is totally fine.

On Saturday at Barkworld, we tried to take a group picture of my #petchat peeps. Mom's dog Cappy accidentally stepped on Lulu's back. Lulu yelped and then snapped at Cappy.

But today I can pick up Lulu's tail without a yelp. So she will be fine. This is not a permanent, dangerous condition. Just give your dog some rest. And get some anti-inflammatories from your vet.

How did it happen to Lulu? We're not sure. The vet thought that maybe her tail was stepped on or something. I'm wondering if she wagged it a little too much during Friday's training session with Petco. She could have gotten waglash! 

I can make jokes now, but I can tell you I was near tears over the weekend.

Snoopy a beagle? 5 ways to tell

I love Snoopy.

I've loved Snoopy ever since I was a kid, and I have a small collection of Snoopy memorabilia, including dolls, action figures, ornaments, books and even an uncut sheet of trading cards.

But I admit, I'd never really seen how Snoopy is a beagle. He certainly doesn't look like one.

Courtesy Peanuts Worldwide LLC.

But I made the same mistake many people make -- I went by looks alone.

To begin with, lets look at the background:

We first got an inkling about Snoopy's breed in 1960. In one strip, Charlie Brown makes a comment which leads Snoopy to retort "I ain't no stupid beagle."

But since then Snoopy has embraced his beaglehood. There are a number of beagle comics on the Snoopy Facebook page. Like this one:

Courtesy Peanuts Worldwide LLC.

 So, I had a good long think, and after perusing the web for some comics, I've come up with 5 ways to tell Snoopy is a beagle! All of the following are courtesy of Peanuts Worldwide LLC.

1) He can tell when there's food on the way just by listening.

Lulu can hear me open the fridge to get something out from across the apartment.

2) He is imaginative in play.

Lulu comes up with her own games when I'm not there.

3) His vocalizations are loud and proud!

Yeah this is self-explanatory for anyone who knows beagles.

4) He's a philosophical dog. Beagles are very soulful.

Anyone who has ever looked into a beagle's eyes knows they are deep and sad and beautiful. There is so much in a beagle's eyes.

5) And.. while they are very active, beagles also love to be lazy. And so does Snoopy.

As for how Snoopy looks... believe it or not white beagles are possible. And besides, the colors are so basic in the comic strip. Can you originally imagine Snoopy looking like anything else? What do you think? How else can you tell that Snoopy is a beagle?

Heading to Atlanta! Georgia beagles up for adoption

I'm heading to Atlanta for Barkworld this week!

We'll be talking about pets, and blogs and companies, and learning more information to bring to you guys!

So, in honor of this, I'm featuring some Georgia beagles who need homes! Please share these beagles with friends, family and other rescue groups, and lets get them adopted!

This is Bella! She's a four years old and pretty thin for a beagle. Her owner turned her in August 15. She's good with kids, and they say she is potty trained. Don't know why the owner turned her in.

Can you help Bella? She's at:

Cobb County Animal Shelter, Marietta, GA • 770-499-4136 • quietzsch@aol.com

If you want to check her out, her Pet ID is 558742 and she is in run 312.

Cobb County Animal Shelter also has April:

April is seven years old, and she came in as a stray. The shelter seems to think she once belonged to someone, but no one has come looking for her. She loves squeaky toys and sits vet well. She did test positive for heartworms.

Her ID is 558137 and she is in cage 13. 

Again, Cobb County Animal Shelter, Marietta, GA • 770-499-4136 • quietzsch@aol.com

Then, Fulton County Animal Services in Atlanta has Candice:

We don't have much info about Candice, according to PetFinder. She's a girl, and she's spayed, and she's an adult beagle. Her ID number is A457537.

You can find Candice at Fulton County Animal Services, Atlanta, GA. The phone number is 404-613-0358.

 Meanwhile, there's a new Facebook campaign to raise money to pay veterinarian bills for sick homeless pets.

Adopt-a-Pet.com is hosting a campaign on its Facebook campaign. For every new "like" they get on their page, a $1 will be added to their veterinary fund -- up to $10,000. All you have to do is go to Adopt-a-Pet.com's Facebook page and click like. That's it.

Helping this campaign will help give sick pets a new lease on life. The campaign goes through August.

Caturday: Natural Balance Fat Cat or Fat Dog food GIVEAWAY

Hello all, Galadriel here!

I know this post is a bit late. Stupid servant belly-aching about her belly. Oh well, every day should be Caturday anyway.

When Natural Balance began selling Fat Cat and Fat Dog food, the company offered the servant the chance to try the food and giveaway a coupon for a loyal reader.

The beast, the servant says, is in good shape.

I, on the other hand...

I perhaps could lose a bit of weight.

So the servant picked up a bag of this Fat Cat food.

Fat Cat and Fat Dog, I'm told, are designed to help pets specifically to lose weight or maintain it. It has less calories than the reduced calorie food.

I like it because it tastes like chicken and salmon, which I like. Plus, I don't need to eat much to feel food. The servant gives me about 3/4 of a cup, and I graze on it throughout the day. Of course, I am not losing as much weight as I should, because I still demand my Natural Balance Platefuls pouches every once in a while. I just eat less dry food.

I am looking a lot better. Of course, I'm still fighting the servant on using the yellow thing she got from Natural Balance.

But she did put me on the scale today, and I am down to 15 lbs. Not bad. Everyone else notices I'm not so much of a fat cat as I was either.

Still, I have a ways to go. I might need to have the servant reduce my food.

Now from the servant:

PROS:

• Galadriel took to the food very well. She likes it a lot. 
• I have seen noticeable loss in her size. 
• You can adjust food according to what else your pet needs in their diet.

CONS:

• There is only kibble. So if your pet doesn't eat kibble, this will not work for you.
• You need to keep a good notes to make sure you see proper weight loss, that way you can make adjustments.
• The diet works best when you increase exercise. This has been crazy tough with Galadriel.

DISCLAIMER: Natural Balance provided me with the free coupon to give away. Every thought in the review, however, is my own.


 

Beagle of the week: Maggie from Wag the Dog UK

Sorry it took so long to post this tonight! I haven't been well all day, so I haven't done much on the computer.
 

This week's Beagle of the week is a favorite all over the world!

This is Maggie, the beagle star of Wag the Dog UK.

We talked with Maggie's mom about this little gal.

1) How old is she? 
 Maggie is 6 years old.

2) Where did you get her? 
  Maggie comes from Missouri, but I received her in New York City. [Editor's Note: Maggie and her mom have been all over the world!]

3) How long have you had her? 
Since she was a pup. (10 weeks)

4) What's her favorite food? 
She’s a beagle, so thus most anything! However she loves meaty treats and chicken.

5) What's her favorite thing to do? 
I would say it’s meeting people. She loves to meet anyone with a big smile, a wag, and a kiss.

6) What's her favorite toys? 
Her torn to death bunny.

7) Does she take part in any special activities (i.e. therapy dog, service dog, spokes dog, etc.) ?
She works with NO to Dog Meat at the moment. We are trying to stop people eating dogs and cats. We lived in Hong Kong and found out that there is a massive market of this horrible trade. Besides that, she is just one spoiled beagle.

8) What's the best part about owning a beagle?
Their personality. I know they are known as a hard dog to train. But that is the beauty of them. They’re friendly, but willful personality always puts a smile on my face. She is such a “love dog” and there is nothing sweeter than watching her enjoy her world, beagle style.

9) What's the worst? 
How at times they will not listen to you and do their own thing.

10) Anything you'd like to add?
If you want a dog with personality, a beagle is a must. They are all dog, but in a cute little package. Good for homes with children, and to care for.

You can follow along with Maggie at Wag the Dog UK, and on Facebook.

 Now for this week's featured rescue beagle. Time to find a beagle a home!

This poor beagle has no name, just a number: 20292137. She's at Pasco County Animal Services in Land O'Lakes. She's an adult and spayed, but there's no other info. She's pretty, huh?

Pasco is a particularly tough shelter... they are frequently beyond capacity. They need all they can get to get those dogs to forever homes. 

If you would like to help her, contact Pasco County Animal Services at:

813-929-1212
Pasco County Animal Services
19640 Dogpatch Lane
Land O' Lakes, FL 34638
www.pascocountyfl.net

• Sunday/Monday/Holidays: Closed
• Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday: 12 pm - 4:30 pm
• Thursday: 12 pm - 6:30 pm

 I have another beagle to mention:

This is Chico, he's a beagle-jack-russell mix, and he is at Orange County Animal Services. Number A272439. Someone has put an application on him, but if that falls through there's a chance he will be euthanized on Sunday. 

If you are interested, please consider helping him.

Orange County Animal Services - Pet Rescue & Adoption Center
2769 Conroy Road
Orlando, FL. 32839-2162

Email: AnimalServices@ocfl.net
Main Number: (407) 254-9140

RECALL ALERT: Eukanuba, Iams dog food

Certain Iams and Eukanuba dry dog food bags are being recalled because of possible salmonella contamination.

From the Proctor & Gamble news release:

"The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) has voluntarily recalled specific lots of dry pet food because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. These lots were distributed in the United States and represent roughly one-tenth of one percent (0.1%) of annual production. No Salmonella-related illnesses have been reported to date in association with these product lots.

"P&G is retrieving these products as a precautionary measure. Consumers who purchased a product listed below should stop using the product and discard it and contact P&G toll-free at 800-208-0172 (Monday – Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM ET), or via website at www.iams.com or www.eukanuba.com. "

Also:

"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.

"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."

Proctor & Gamble also owns the Natura brands -- Innova, California Natural, EVO. Those brands have also been dealing with Salmonella recalls over the last few months.

Here are the lots that are affected. Iams dry cat food is also under a recall. None of the treats or wet food are under a recall.

EUKANUBA DRY DOG FOODS
Description					Size			Lot Code			UPC Code			Best-by Date
Eukanuba Dog Food Base Large Breed Mature Adult					15 LB			31874177			19014270156			6Nov14
					30 LB			31874177			19014270309			6Nov14
Eukanuba Dog Food Base Maintenance Mature Adult					30 LB			31954177			19014149308			14Nov14
Eukanuba Dog Food Base Maintenance Puppy					16.5 LB			31884177			19014042234			7Nov14
					33 LB			31884177			19014609468			7Nov14
					5 LB			31884177			19014039852			7Nov14
Eukanuba Dog Food Base Small Breed Adult					16 LB			31904177			19014010516			9Nov14
					4 LB			31904177			19014039722			9Nov14
Eukanuba Dog Food Base Small Breed Puppy					16 LB			31944177			19014010509			13Nov14
					4 LB			31874177			19014039678			6Nov14
					40 LB			31874177			19014011070			6Nov14
								31944177			19014011070			13Nov14
Eukanuba Dog Food Breed Specific Boxer Adult					36 LB			31944177			19014019588			13Nov14
								31954177			19014019588			14Nov14
Eukanuba Dog Food Breed Specific Chihuahua Adult					4 LB			31884177			19014607037			7Nov14
Eukanuba Dog Food Breed Specific Labrador Retriever Adult					36 LB			31954177			19014019564			14Nov14
Eukanuba Dog Food Premium Performance 30/20 Adult					33 LB			31884177			19014609475			7Nov14
Eukanuba Dog Food Professional Feeding Bag Small Breed Puppy					44 LB			31874177			19014113194			6Nov14
Eukanuba Dog Food Weight Control Large Breed Adult					30 LB			31894177			19014269303			8Nov14
								31924177			19014269303			11Nov14
IAMS DRY DOG FOODS
Description					Size			Lot Code			UPC Code			Best-by Date
Iams Dog Food Healthy Naturals Chicken Adult					13.3 LB			31884177			19014612017			7Nov14
								31904177			19014612017			9Nov14
								31924177			19014612017			11Nov14
								31934177			19014612017			12Nov14
								31944177			19014612017			13Nov14
					2.9 LB			31944177			19014700165			13Nov14
					25.7 LB			31884177			19014700646			7Nov14
								31894177			19014700646			8Nov14
								31904177			19014700646			9Nov14
								31914177			19014700646			10Nov14
								31934177			19014700646			12Nov14
					5 LB			31904177			19014612635			9Nov14
								31914177			19014612635			10Nov14
Iams Dog Food Healthy Naturals Weight Control Adult					13.3 LB			31894177			19014612024			8Nov14
Iams Dog Food Premium Protection Chicken Adult					12.1 LB			31894177			19014611362			8Nov14
Iams Dog Food ProActive Health Large Breed Mature Adult					30 LB			31884177			19014611331			7Nov14
Iams Dog Food ProActive Health Large Breed Senior Plus					13.3 LB			31934177			19014612000			12Nov14
					26.2 LB			31934177			19014700615			12Nov14
Iams Dog Food ProActive Health Large Chunks Adult					15 LB			31944177			19014610815			13Nov14
Iams Dog Food ProActive Health Small Breed Adult					13.3 LB			31874177			19014610990			6Nov14
								31894177			19014610990			8Nov14
								31924177			19014610990			11Nov14
					3.1 LB			31874177			19014700110			6Nov14
								31894177			19014700110			8Nov14
					5 LB			31874177			19014612055			6Nov14
								31894177			19014612055			8Nov14
								31924177			19014612055			11Nov14
Iams Dog Food ProActive Health Small Breed Puppy					5 LB			31904177			19014700943			9Nov14
IAMS DRY CAT FOODS
Description					Size			Lot Code			UPC Code			Best-by Date
Iams Cat Food Healthy Naturals Chicken Adult					16 LB			31874177			19014611881			6Nov14
								31944177			19014611881			13Nov14
					5 LB			31874177			19014612697			6Nov14
								31944177			19014612697			13Nov14
Iams Cat Food Healthy Naturals Weight Control Adult					5 LB			31894177			19014612703			8Nov14
Iams Cat Food ProActive Health Chicken Adult					10.8 LB			31864177			19014612086			5Nov14
								31904177			19014612086			9Nov14
								31914177			19014612086			10Nov14
								31924177			19014612086			11Nov14
								31944177			19014612086			13Nov14
					17.4 LB			31864177			19014611836			5Nov14
								31864177			19014611836			5Nov14
								31914177			19014611836			10Nov14
								31924177			19014611836			11Nov14
								31944177			19014611836			13Nov14
					3.2 LB			31904177			19014612659			9Nov14
								31924177			19014612659			11Nov14
								31934177			19014612659			12Nov14
								31944177			19014612659			13Nov14
					5.7 LB			31864177			19014612499			5Nov14
								31914177			19014612499			10Nov14
								31924177			19014612499			11Nov14
								31944177			19014612499			13Nov14
					6.3 LB			31944177			19014611621			13Nov14
Iams Cat Food ProActive Health Chicken Kitten					17.4 LB			31904177			19014611867			9Nov14
					3.2 LB			31904177			19014612628			9Nov14
								31954177			19014612628			14Nov14
					5.7 LB			31904177			19014612505			9Nov14
								31904177			19014612505			9Nov14
								31954177			19014612505			14Nov14
Iams Cat Food ProActive Health Digestive Care Adult					16 LB			31904177			19014611904			9Nov14
								31954177			19014611904			14Nov14
					3 LB			31904177			19014700202			9Nov14
								31954177			19014700202			14Nov14
					5 LB			31904177			19014612451			9Nov14
								31954177			19014612451			14Nov14
Iams Cat Food ProActive Health Hairball Adult					16 LB			31874177			19014611911			6Nov14
								31954177			19014611911			14Nov14
					3.1 LB			31884177			19014700219			7Nov14
								31914177			19014700219			10Nov14
								31954177			19014700219			14Nov14
					5 LB			31874177			19014612420			6Nov14
								31884177			19014612420			7Nov14
								31914177			19014612420			10Nov14
								31934177			19014612420			12Nov14
								31954177			19014612420			14Nov14
					9.8 LB			31894177			19014612161			8Nov14
								31914177			19014612161			10Nov14
Iams Cat Food ProActive Health Hairball Mature Adult					5 LB			31954177			19014612604			14Nov14
Iams Cat Food ProActive Health Weight Control & Hairball Adult					16 LB			31884177			19014612147			7Nov14
								31914177			19014612147			10Nov14
								31924177			19014612147			11Nov14
								31934177			19014612147			12Nov14
								31944177			19014612147			13Nov14
					2.9 LB			31914177			19014700240			10Nov14
								31924177			19014700240			11Nov14
								31934177			19014700240			12Nov14
								31944177			19014700240			13Nov14
								31954177			19014700257			14Nov14
					5 LB			31884177			19014612789			7Nov14
								31914177			19014612789			10Nov14
								31924177			19014612789			11Nov14
								31934177			19014612789			12Nov14
								31954177			19014612789			14Nov14
					5.5 LB			31924177			19014611652			11Nov14
					9.8 LB			31884177			19014612130			7Nov14
								31914177			19014612130			10Nov14
								31924177			19014612130			11Nov14
								31934177			19014612130			12Nov14
								31944177			19014612130			13Nov14
Iams Cat Food ProActive Health Weight Control Adult					16 LB			31874177			19014612178			6Nov14
								31934177			19014612178			12Nov14
					5 LB			31874177			19014612680			6Nov14
								31934177			19014612680			12Nov14
					9.8 LB			31874177			19014612123			6Nov14
Iams Cat Food Professional Feeding Bag Chicken Adult					33 LB			31914177			19014105458			10Nov14
								31944177			19014105458			13Nov14