It's #InternationalCatDay! Are You In The Doghouse With Your Cat?

                     It's what? Every day is my day around here!

In honor of International (or World) Cat Day, we thought we'd share these feline-friendly strategies that could very well improve your relationship with the cat in your life. By the way, International Cat Day was started in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare to celebrate the world's most popular pet. Uh, as a dog, I find it shocking, shocking I tell you, that cats are more popular as pets that us faithful canines. Humans are fickle, aren't they?

O.K., back to cats. Did you know that your kitty might be more receptive to your hugs if you pick her up the right way? Or that you must keep her litter box scrupulously clean or she might get agitated and do her business elsewhere? Her food must also magically appear at just the right times or she might get, well, agitated again. Is there a high maintenance pattern here?

All snarkiness aside, if you're owned by a cat like my Parental Unit is, the aforementioned tips by Dr. Karen Becker, one of our favorite holistic veterinarians, are sure to help both you and your cat live a more harmonious life.

While you all are celebrating this day, you might want to watch this interview with Dr. Becker and  Jackson Galaxy of Animal Planet fame. You're sure to learn something new about your kitty!

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Blind Pug Strikes Happy Work-Life Balance

If this isn't a story to hail the benefits of pet adoption, well, we don't know what is. What a beautiful tale with a win-win...and win ending!



Question: Do most pugs just naturally like to "sing"? Parental Unit had a sweet pug named Ollie, who, when asked to "sing", ran up the stairs, threw his head back and howled a beautiful tune. He sure did entertain a lot of guests!

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Sunday's Living With Your Pet Tips: Caring For Your Senior Dog

Hard to believe I'm officially considered a senior...I don't remember getting an AARP card. Hmmm.

Parental Unit claims I haven't slowed down a bit, but according to most charts we've seen, I am indeed at least heading into my senior years. In a month or two I'll be about 51 in human years.

Check out this nifty chart from WEbMD to find where your pooch falls on the age scale.

The idea is that you pet parents should be on the lookout for age-related issues in your dog, since he or she typically won't be able to tell you if they're stiff from arthritis, for example, and need several shorter, daily walks to stretch out (Unless of course, you're a dog with a blog like I am, and can post about your aches and pains.) One of our favorite holistic veterinarians, Dr. Karen Becker advises that there are at least six special considerations for older pets that you should be aware of and might need to work into your daily routine.

Very much like humans, dogs need to maintain a healthy weight and engage in daily exercise to keep in top shape. both mentally and physically, as they age. And like humans, they may need to alter their daily schedule to accommodate their changing bodies and slowed pace. The good news is that seniors make terrific pets, particularly if you rescue an aging pet from a shelter. Although it's hard to believe, many dogs are abandoned by their owners when they're "of a certain age", because they don't want to put in the bit of extra effort or alter their routines to meet the needs of an elderly pet. But we believe these dogs "know" that the people who step up to the plate and adopt them, despite their advanced years, are special folks, indeed, and deserve the loyalty and devotion a senior dog will show them.

Let us know about any special tips you have for caring for an aging pet—we'd love to hear your ideas!

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Golden Retriever Love

Although we wish this joyous video had been shot in widescreen, you still get the idea: Sweet Golden Retriever is beside himself when his soldier "Dad" finally returns home. Think this dog is happy? Enjoy!

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Animals Love The Snow (And Ice, Too)!

Although many parts of the country (like central Ohio) don't get their major snowfalls until the first three months of the year, some of you may have already witnessed the shenanigans of both your pets and wildlife enjoying the fluffy white stuff. Take a few minutes and watch these animals of all kinds have fun in the snow...and renew your own enthusiasm for winter!

P.S. The opening soundtrack from Ohio's own Dean Martin will help warm you up!

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Don't Leave Your Dog Behind!

I'm ready for a road trip whenever you are, my faithful Parental Unit!

One of the main, pet friendly ideas we try to promote here at Bocci's Beefs is that families should integrate their pets into their lives—making them more like true family members. A great way you pet owners could accomplish this is to simply take your pets with you more often when you, well, leave the house. Think about the mournful look on our faces when you shut the door...and don't return for hours, or even the entire day. What's up with that?

We realize that it can be a bit more complicated when you bring Fido along, and you do have to plan ahead, but once you start taking us with you regularly, say on your daily errands, it becomes a lot easier—for both you humans and us. If you're worried about us misbehaving, for example, the more we get out there and mingle (I think you humans call it "networking"), the better behaved we will be—as long as you set our boundaries and provide gentle correction and discipline. Speaking only for me, I'm a fast learner!

Here's one example: Parental Unit always takes me with her when she goes to her local bank, just a few blocks away. And when I realize that's where we're headed, I start getting real excited because I always get a great reception there, including a biscuit or two. But when I get excited, I start sneezing, so the second I walk into the bank, well, I start sneezing like crazy, much to the delight of the bank employees and customers. Parental Unit wishes she'd be that welcomed at a lending institution...but we'll leave that for another post.

We ran across these great strategies for traveling with your pet from our friends at Mercola Healthy Pets—from daily errands to weekend getaways to longer road trips, you'll learn how to keep both you and your pet safe and happy. This article also provides additional resources, like The AAA Pet Book and National Geographic's The Dog Lover's Guide to Travel (both hard copy) plus tons of online resources to help you and your pet get in the travelin' groove. But the best part is that you'll be together!


Let us know your tips and tricks for taking your dog along for the ride. We'll all benefit from your strategies!

P.S. Speaking of travelling with your dog, we'll be bringing you the quintessential dog+ guy+ major road trip book for an upcoming review and giveaway: Travels With Casey, My Journey Through Our Dog Crazy Country by Benoit Denziet-Lewis. Don't miss it!

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Boo! Keeping Your Pets Safe And Happy On Halloween!

Yes, our pets sure do look cute in costumes...but we should defer to their wishes-if they seem to not like dressing up, don't push it by projecting how we feel onto them. Do you remember how I felt about "wearing clothes" way back when?

But there's lots of other tips to keep both your dog and cat from Halloween hazards during this week long celebration-particularly on whatever evening your community holds its official "Trick or Treat". Remember that just like on July 4th, many pets try to escape their homes to get away from all the hubbub. That's why we particularly liked these Halloween safety tips form one of our favorite holistic veterinarians, Dr. Karen Becker. They run the gamut from food to crowd and costume safety, and help us to include our furry family members in our celebrations in the most protective way possible.

Let us know what you do to keep your pets safe and still include them in the festivities-we'd love to hear all about it!

Meanwhile, I'm still guarding the ranch in my Security costume, courtesy of those fun folks at PetSmart. I'm really getting into this guard dog thing...

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Easy Like Sunday..."Living with Your Pet" Tips

When we saw this excellent (and very detailed) article by Dr. Karen Becker, one of our favorite holistic veterinarians, on how to treat doggy diarrhea-complete with seven minute video-we thought: "Why, how perfect for a leisurely Sunday morning read, when you're sipping coffee and maybe eating brunch..." 

But the fact is, every dog and dog owner faces this nasty problem-and rather frequently, too. And as Dr. Becker so delicately says, it's not always easy for you parental units to remember how to properly treat this affliction: Do you withhold food and water, or one or the other- but which one and for how long? What causes it? When is it time to see the vet or even the doggy emergency room? And perhaps even more importantly, how can you prevent it-or at least minimize Fido's discomfort and the times you're awakened from a deep sleep so Fido can answer his urgent call in the grass and not on the rug?

Well, worry no more because Dr. Becker explains it all-and in terms that even my Parental Unit can understand. Hey, did you all know that the most common cause of doggy diarrhea is what the good doctor calls "dietary indiscretion"-which is a real nice way of saying we four-leggeds' have eaten something we shouldn't or that's out of our normal dietary routine? Let's just say that I've had more than one bout with this thing called "indiscretion", and it hasn't been pleasant for either me or Parental Unit. The first time it happened, I hadn't been in my new home more than a few days when I stole and promptly ate the entire bag of dog biscuits my vet gave me as a present after my first visit. Can you say, "professional carpet cleaning team?"

We think this information is worthy of posting on your fridge or bookmarking for future reference-enjoy!

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How Pets Help With Psychotherapy... And How We Can Help Pets In Winter

These topics may at first seem unrelated, but what connects them is Dr. Karen Becker, a proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian whom we've profiled before, and who tackles both subjects in her usual logical and detailed manner that helps us lay dogs and humans understand otherwise complicated medical subjects.

Dr. Karen Becker, ready for work.                                          

Let's start with how pets help with psychotherapy: it goes much deeper than just the bit of comfort that petting a dog or cat provides to therapy patients when they're talking about their problems, it actually "translates into breakthroughs in the therapeutic process" according to Dr Becker's article that was published just a few days ago in the Huffington Post. In fact, controlled studies have shown remarkable shifts in depression, increased socialization, decreased aggressive behavior and improved attention in autism patients, and decreased anxiety and increased social skill when they have companion animals. Whew, that's a lot of increasing and decreasing, but all to the betterment of the humans involved.  And we think it's downright miraculous.

Dr. Becker, who's a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, also published an article  in October, complete with slide show, that provides thoughtful tips to keep your pet healthy and happy during the upcoming cold months. She suggests keeping your cat indoors if at all possible and always keeping your dog on a leash-did you know that more dogs go missing in winter than any other time of the year? It turns out that snow and ice accumulation blocks their ability to track by scent.. And don't forget to keep your short haired and/or elderly pooch warm both indoors and out with a bed free of drafts and a cozy sweater or coat (or a FURDRY Wearable Dog Towel!).

We hope you find this information interesting and helpful. If you'd like to learn more about Dr. Becker, check out her website here: naturalpetfamily.com

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