Should Pomeranians Be Fed Fruits & Veggies In Addition To Their Diet?

Many Pomeranian owners enjoy feeding their pets human foods like raw vegetables, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, apples, and any other type of fruits or vegetables. The question however, is are these types of foods good or bad for dogs?

Fruits and vegetables for dogs are unnecessary if you are feeding a complete and balanced diet, which most are nowadays. In fact, anything you add to a balanced diet is really just throwing it out of balance and thus lowering your dog’s plane of nutrition. While dogs need the vitamins and nutrients in those healthy foods, they have a different system of digestion.

Think back to the wild. The free-roaming dog eats game - the whole beast: muscle, hair, intestines, organs, brains, and toenails. Inside those intestines is the food consumed by that other critter: vegetation. This vital source of nutrition is partially digested already, which is exactly the way the canine digestive system needs it to be. High-quality, complete, and balanced dog foods supply these nutrients in a digestible form. The bottom line is that you can give fruits and veggies to your Pomeranian, but they’ll do her little if any good.

Rescue Me 

Approaching the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s facility at 10 Chandler Street, I brace myself for what I’ve come to expect in my volunteer work: an array of confused, sad, scared, caged animals awaiting uncertain fates. Read More…

Settle Down Little Pomeranian Puppy!

A Pomeranian is not like a television or a video game - you can’t just pull the plug or temporarily remove the batteries from a rambunctious puppy. Instead, you must teach him to settle down and shush. Right from the outset, make frequent quiet moments part of the puppy’s daily routine. Following a proper confinement schedule will help your puppy train himself to settle down. Additionally, encourage your puppy to settle down beside you for longer and longer periods. For example, when you’re watching television have your pup lie down on-leash or in his crate, but release him for short play-training breaks during the commercials.

When playing with your Pomeranian puppy, have him settle down for frequent short interludes every fifteen seconds. Initially have the pup lie still for a few seconds before letting him play again. After fifteen seconds, interrupt the play session once more with a three-second settle-down. Then try for four seconds, then five, eight, ten, and so on. Although it’s difficult at first, being sent back and forth between Settle Down and Let’s Play, the puppy soon learns to settle down quickly and happily. Your puppy will learn that being asked to settle down is not the end of the world, nor is it necessarily the end of the play session, but instead that Settle Down signals a short time out and reward break before he is allowed to resume playing.

If you teach your Pomeranian to be calm and controlled when told, you will have years of fun and excitement ahead. Once your puppy has learned to settle down and shush on cue, there is so much more your dog can enjoy with you. Your well-trained dog is likely to be invited for many walks, trips in the car, picnics, visits to the pub, or to Grandma’s, and even on incredible journeys to stay in ritzy dog-friendly hotels. On the other hand, if you let your dog play indiscriminately as a puppy, he will no doubt “want to play indiscriminately as an adult. Your dog will be hyperactive and uncontrollable because you have unintentionally taught him to act that way. If your pup has not been taught to settle down by the time he reaches adolescence, he will be unfit to be taken places. Your pup will begin a lifetime of confinement and isolation at home while the rest of the family go out to have a good time. That folks, is not fair!

Until you have trained your puppy to enjoy spending much of his day at home alone, you might recruit a Pomeranian puppy sitter. Just a few houses down the street, there may live an elderly person, for example, who would just love to live with a dog. He or she might be willing to come over during the daytime and sit and enjoy your TV or the contents of your fridge, maintain your puppy’s confinement schedule, regularly reward him for using his doggy toilet periodically play with the pup, and teach him household rules.

LITH parks budget reflects growing interest in programs 

LAKE IN THE HILLS In 1998, 1,200 people signed up for programs at the Lake in the Hills Park and Recreation Department. On the cusp of 2007, the number likely will be close to 8,000, Parks and Recreation Director Trudy Wakeman said.
Source: www.nwherald.com

dogs dumped in seasonal clear out 
There is a 50% rise in the number of people dumping dogs to get new ones for Christmas, an animal charity says.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk

SPCA column 
Bring your pet to talk with Santa and have a photo taken to remember the occasion. You also have the option to add additional pets or people.
Source: www.nj.com

Man Carjacked, Tossed Into Dumpster 

RALEIGH, N.C. — Thomas Churchill thought he’d never see the outside of the trash bin after a man bound his hands and feet, tossed him into the bin behind a strip mall and stole his car. Read More…

Co-founders of the once-dominant Cali Cartel pleaded guilty Thursday to drug-related money-laundering charges in federal court in Miami. Read More…

If you suddenly got very sick or had a child born with a serious illness, you probably think your insurance would cover the medical bills. Well, think again. Your policy may have a lifetime cap. If your medical bills reach or exceed that cap, you could lose everything. Read More…

Herniated Discs In Pomeranians

Cushioning the bony vertebrae protecting the spinal cord are discs. When a dog herniates or slips a disc, she has pierced the cartilage surrounding it, allowing the gelatinous
fluid within this cartilage to seep out and put pressure on the spinal cord. The result is an inflammation of the spinal cord that is painful to the dog and hinders her normal movement.

A slipped disc can occur over time or suddenly due to trauma, athletic activity, or everyday exercise. dogs who have an extended back and short legs, such as the Corgi and the Dachshund, are especially vulnerable to slipped discs due to their elongated spinal column.

Symptoms vary because the rupture can vary in size and location from dog to dog. If the herniated disc is in the back, your Pomeranian will arch her back, walk with a clumsy gait that will appear especially exaggerated in the hind legs, and whimper. In certain cases, paralysis of the hind legs may occur. If the herniated disc is in the neck, your dog’s neck will stiffen and she will avoid moving it. She will whimper, especially if you pat her on the neck or head.

German Literary Giant Looks Homeward

Deutsche Welle - A series of his tales recall the memories of people long dead, an ode to a Gdansk and the Pomeranian and Kashubian areas that no longer exist. Stefan Chwin, born in 1949, is another Gdansk author who has done his part to uncover the unknown history
Source: www.dw-world.de

STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES
Pioneer Press - When Lallier squirted a window with that bright blue cleaning fluid, Leo, a seemingly mild and peaceful Pomeranian, barked madly and repeatedly slammed his little body into the glass. The stupid human tricks ranged from the ridiculous to the, ah, well
Source: www.twincities.com

Workers Struggles: Europe and Africa
World Socialist Web Site - Postmen in the Pomeranian province in northern Poland took strike action on November 16 in a dispute over working conditions and pay. Hundreds of workers joined the strike, which had a widespread impact. Hundreds of companies did not receive mail
Source: www.wsws.org

The Monsters out There
NPR News - I managed to drive myself to Florida with my beloved Pomeranian dog, Sparky, who sat right next to me for hours and hours on end during my fight so that I could spend every day purposefully trying to rebuild my trashed body. I lost so much weight
Source: www.npr.org

Helping Your Blind Pomeranian Around The House

Pomeranians can adjust to blindness and poor eyesight with very little difficulty. Their senses of hearing and smell begin to function as directional indicators, even though they may occasionally bump into table and chair legs or stumble over objects.

The following steps may help a blind pet find his way about the house and yard more easily.

1. Mark upright obstacles, such as chair legs and door jambs, with a light-scented cologne, spray or other scented substance. This helps the dog identify perpendicular objects.

2. Use a different scent on the floor about 6 inches from steps or similar obstacles. Use a light scent to avoid the buildup of odors around the house, which has been the only owner complaint about this method.

3. Wear a small bell or a bracelet that jingles. Visitors can also be equipped with such jewelry. This allows the Pomeranian to follow his owner’s movements more easily.

Sightless Poms adjust well to the problem, with little trouble to the owners. The suggestions above have been helpful in cases where the owner feels the need to do something to make the adjustment a little less difficult for the dog.

Older blind Pomeranians may be handicapped, but they should be treated, as far as possible, as if they were normal. This means using the earned-petting routine regularly and performing obedience routines learned before the onset of blindness.