Father and Son Time

Even if you’re lucky enough to live with your son full time, it’s always a challenge to find enough time to devote to him. The father-son activities I’ve put together fit a number of criteria: They are reasonably simple and inexpensive, and they provide mutual benefit and enjoyment. Above all, each works well as a platform for instilling your values and teaching lessons to your son. Sometimes, the message is subtle, but that’s often how a lasting impression is made.

Number 10
Gaming
You might usually try to get your son away from the Xbox as much as possible, but if he enjoys it and plays games appropriate for his age and maturity level, moderate gaming gives you an opportunity to share in on an activity he already loves. Anyway, video games are like breasts: They’re meant for kids, but grownups like them too. Plus, playing with your son is a good way to monitor the games he plays and control the amount of time he spends on them. When you’re in the game with him, you can keep your hand-eye coordination sharp while teaching him how to play fair.

Number 9
Camping
Getting back to nature is an age-old pastime that still has meaning today. Your son will learn self-reliance and appreciation of nature. And hey, your SUV will actually travel off paved roads for once. Your definition of camping might be setting up a tent, staying in a camper or even renting a cottage if you really can’t stand roughing it. Regardless, camping is especially meaningful if you live in an urban area; the calm and quiet of the woods can be downright therapeutic, if a little overwhelming at first. Your son might not get the idea right away and want to revert to his Game Boy, but be patient. Given a little time to adjust, he’ll probably have more fun at the lake and on the trails than he ever thought possible.

Number 8
Sporting events
It may be one of the most popular father-son activities, but it’s also where a lot of guys sap the quality out of the experience. How many times have you gone to a sporting event only to have it tainted by a rude, drunk guy? It’s embarrassing to even be in his section. But here’s your chance to be a bigger man than the obnoxious drunk guy. Remember: You have to set the example of enthusiasm and team spirit without poor sportsmanship. It also helps to be in a kid-friendly atmosphere, so check out a college or amateur game. If they don’t offer free admission, it’s usually low-dough. You’ll probably be closer to the action, too.

Number 7
Bicycling
You don’t have to be Lance Armstrong to get into this groove. Whether it’s on a road bike, mountain bike or hybrid, bicycling is great exercise for both of you. It’s relaxing to hit a bike trail away from traffic and you can bond with your son as you take in the scenery. It can be habit-forming, too. If your son takes a real interest in it, he just might continue biking into adulthood, and that’s a healthy habit you can be proud to have influenced.

Number 6
Cooking
Your son should know there’s more to life than microwave burritos. If prefab food is the extent of your own culinary skills, it’s never too late to right the course. You can experiment and learn together. Cooking a meal -- a real meal -- is something that’s actually fun if you’re patient and willing to practice a little. Your son will soon realize that great-tasting meals are possible with healthy ingredients. This is another habit he can develop further as he matures; everyone knows women dig guys who can cook.


Number 5
Working around the house
I’m not suggesting you dole out chores to your son while you crash on the couch. Instead, you have to work together. Show him how things work around the house, as well as how they’re maintained and repaired. You’ll obviously do most of the work, but let him watch while you explain the process. He’ll respect you for being able to solve problems, and you’ll lay the foundation for him to do the same. By the time he’s old enough to take on light tasks by himself, he’ll have learned the responsibility and value of maintaining his home.

Number 4
Automotive maintenance
Here’s a lost art that deserves a big revival. You’ve seen features on AskMen.com about reclaiming your manhood, right? Here’s a perfect example: There’s nothing manly about another guy changing your oil. It’s downright emasculating, in fact. Remember when you were a kid and you helped your dad with the family car, most likely holding the flashlight and handing him tools?

Okay, forget how funny it was to hear him smack his knuckles and utter half a curse before censoring himself and whipping the tool aside. Teaching your son the basics of automotive care is valuable on many levels. First, he probably digs cars anyway, so it’ll be an easy way to bond. Second, when he gets his own wheels, he’ll already know the basics of car care and the consequences if he doesn’t perform maintenance.

Number 3
Fishing or hunting
Fishing and hunting don’t appeal to everyone, so it’s really a question of preference. Are they a good fit for you and your son? Here’s a quick litmus test: If Moby is on your iPod, maybe hunting and fishing aren’t really up your alley. If Ted Nugent is in your CD player, however, it’s time to gear up. These activities can be fun and relaxing, but they also demand discipline and responsibility. If you do hunt, we recommend you avoid the “canned hunting” of game farms, where you’re often guaranteed a kill. It’s not the authentic experience, and it could give your son the idea that you can always buy a winning outcome.

Number 2
Playing with radio-controlled vehicles
Here’s an underrated activity that has an almost cult-like following. If you haven’t considered a radio-controlled car, plane or boat, give one a go. You’ll probably find it easy to pick up and tough to stop -- it can be really addictive. Meanwhile, your son’s hand-eye coordination will be tested and improved while he practices teamwork and good sportsmanship around you and other RC hobbyists. Some of the most basic RC toys are really inexpensive and will give your son a fun introduction to the pastime. As he grows, the vehicles can grow with him, getting more challenging along the way.

Number 1
Playing sports
You could bore your son to death with pointless, embellished ramblings about your glory days or you could shake off the rust and show him by doing it yourself. The lessons he’ll learn include sportsmanship, coordination, discipline, and teamwork. It’ll all be lost on him, however, if you don’t set the standard yourself. It’s not about winning or losing for either of you; it’s about teaching the aforementioned skills while getting some exercise. Let your son have a say in which sport you choose to play. Forcing one on him will result in diminished returns; he won’t enjoy it as much and he’ll get less out of the whole experience.

If you’re like most dads, you struggle to find time to spend with your son. Simple activities like these are inexpensive and mutually rewarding, and they allow you to bond with your son as he grows. More importantly, they can help you instill your values and teach your son life lessons.

How To Clear Your Memory Without Restarting

If you run a windows computer you’ll know like many others than after a while your system will in doubt start running slow. Most people will restart their computer to remove and idle processes. But if there’s a simpler way, why restart every time windows decides it doesn’t like you today?

1. Right click on an empty spot on your desktop and select New - Shortcut.

2. Type [ %windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks ] in the box.

3. Click Next.

4. Give your shortcut a nice name like “Clear Memory”.

5. Click Finish and you’re done.

Now whenever your computer starts running slow click this shortcut to clear out your memory and get your computer running at a normal pace again.

Male Dog Names With an African or Arabic Influence

Abdul - Arabic - A servant of Allah. This male dog is a great example of God's creatures.

Addax - An African antelope.

Aden - Located in southern Arabia, it's now a part of Yemen.

Ahaggar - A large mountain range in Africa.

Ahmed or Ahmad - Arabic - The most praised. This boy dog is the pick of the litter.

Aleppo - The 2nd largest city in Syria.

Ali - Arabic - Lion of Allah.

Ammon - Egyptian - Something that is hidden. An appropriate name for the boy dog that won't always respond when called.

Anubis - An ancient Egyptian god with the head of a jackal. His responsibility was to judge a man's deeds after death.

Anwar - Anwar Sadat was the president of Egypt during the 1970's.

Atlas - A large mountain range in Africa.

Botswana - An African country.

Cairo - The capital of Egypt. An unusual name for your unusual dog.

Caliph - This used to be the title of some Muslim rulers. A great name for the boy
dog that thinks he's the king of the house.

Cameroon - An African country.

Chad - An African country.

Congo - A large river in Africa.

Coptic - The orthodox Christian church of Egypt.

Cyrus - The founder of the Persian Empire. A fantastic name for your first dog.

Dagan - The Babylonian god of the earth. This boy dog loves the outdoors.

Dakar - The capital of Senegal, in Africa. It lies on the Atlantic Ocean.

Darius - An ancient Persian king. Another fantastic name for the boy dog that's the
ruler of the house.

Emir - A title used in certain Moslem countries for noblemen and rulers.

Fakir - A Moslem or Hindu holy man who lives by begging. Some are capable of amazing
feats of mind-over-body.

Fellah - Arabic - A farm-hand. A good pet name for the boy dog that's raised on a
farm.

Fez - A city in Morocco. Also the name of a red felt hat with a long black tassel.

Gabon - A country on the west coast of Africa. It's small and full of forests.

Gazelle - A great name for the boy dog that's very fast and graceful.

Ghana - A country in western Africa, along the Gold Coast.

Hamal - Arabic - A lamb. As gentle as any boy dog ever gets.

Hammurabi - Ancient king of Babylon. He developed one of the 1st codes of law in
history.

Hannibal - The famous Carthaginian general and statesman. This boy dog is a natural
leader.

Ibadan - A large city in Nigeria.

Ibn Saud - He formed the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ibrahim - Arabic - Father of many nations.

Jamal - Arabic - The very handsome one. A wonderful name for any pure-bred boy dog.

Jidda - A seaport in Saudi Arabia located on the Red Sea.

Jordan - A country located just east of Israel.

Kabul - The capital of Afghanistan.

Kalahari - One of the great deserts of Africa.

Kalil - Arabic - A valued and trusted friend. This boy dog will never let you down.

Kareem - Arabic - One who is very noble and distinguished.

Kariba - One of the great lakes of Africa.

Karnak - An Egyptian village on the Nile. Site of ancient stone temples dedicated to
the gods.

Kedar - Arabic - A mighty and powerful person. A great name for any large, strong
breed of dog.

Kenya - A country in eastern Africa. It lies on the Indian Ocean.

Khufu - An ancient king of Egypt. He built and is entombed in the Great Pyramid at
Giza. A fantastic name for the boy dog that comes from champion blood lines.

Kobo - A Nigerian monetary unit.

Latakia - The chief seaport of Syria.

Likuta - A monetary unit of Zaire.

Mecca - The birthplace of Mohammed. You hold this boy dog as sacred.

Medina - A city in Saudi Arabia. It's the site of Mohammed's tomb.

Mohammed - The Arabian prophet who founded the Moslem religion.

Namib - One of the great deserts of Africa.

Nasser - A former prime minister and president of Egypt.

Nechos - A pharaoh of ancient Egypt.

Niger - A river and country in Africa.

Nile - The longest river on Earth. It helped form the Egyptian civilization.

Nomad - "They call me the wanderer, yeah the wanderer."

Nyasa - One of the great lakes of Africa.

Oman - A country located on the Arabian Sea.

Omar - Arabic - The most high follower of the Prophet.

Pharaoh - An ancient title for the kings of Egypt. This boy dog commands respect.

Ramses - A name for many ancient Egyptian kings. This dog reigns supreme.

Rudolf - One of the great lakes of Africa.

Sahara - The name of the world's largest desert. It is located in northern Africa. A
wonderful name for your sandy-colored boy dog.

Salaam - Islam - Peace. This pet dog will tolerate no discord in his household.

Saleem - Arabic - A term for peace. You'll never catch this boy dog anywhere near a
fight.

Saracen - A name used for the invading Moslems in the middle-ages.

Sargon - An ancient Assyrian king.

Sharif - Arabic - An honest and noble person. This boy dog doesn't know how to tell
a lie.

Sheik - Islam - A very respected man.

Sphinx - An ancient Egyptian statue that has the head of a man and a lion's body.

Stanley - One of the largest waterfalls in Africa.

Sultan - "The ruler of his domain."
Tibesti - A large mountain range in Africa.


Togo - A country in Africa.

Tugela - One of the largest waterfalls in Africa.

Voodoo - "I'm your favorite good-luck charm."

Xerxes - A king of Persia, nicknamed the great.

Zambezi - The 4th largest river in Africa.

Xavier - Arabic - Bright.

Zoroaster - The ancient Persian prophet who founded the religion - Zoroastrianism.

Zoser - A king of ancient Egypt.

7 Ways to Boost Your Mood

There are times when no matter how hard we try to avoid it, we sink into a funk or a less than productive mood. We drag our feet, feel unmotivated and lose perspective. When that happens we can either roll with it hoping it will wear off, or we can apply strategies to counteract it.

To help you get moving and back on track again, here are some helpful suggestions to boost your mood.

1. Get some exercise. Exercise is one of the quickest ways to pick yourself up because it stimulates circulation and releases the happy hormones, otherwise known as endorphins. Before you know it you will be ready to take on the world, or at least you’ll feel that way!

2. Have a catnap. If you’re worn out and too tired to exercise, perhaps a nap is in order. It’s surprising how a little fifteen or twenty-minute rest can be refreshing. Not only that, when we nap new ideas, insights and solutions come to the surface from our sub-conscious. Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy were all known to take catnaps to rejuvenate themselves.

3. Listen to uplifting music. Music is the ultimate mood changer! It can take you from the depths of listlessness to the heights of exhilaration. As Plato observed “Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul”.

4. Take a break and have a cup of tea or coffee. There is a reason coffee breaks are mandatory at most work places. Of course you need not drink tea or coffee but stepping away from what you were doing gives you a fresh new outlook and when you get back to it, you’re ready to roll.

5. Focus on the positive. At times when we get involved in a project and things aren’t going well or when we’re having a bad day, we have a tendency to become negative and distort the situation. We forget what has gone well and what is working. When that happens, it’s a good idea to re-focus, look at what is going right, what you have accomplished and how far you’ve come. It will give you the boost you need to keep going.

6.Talk to someone. Expressing your feelings to a friend or colleague can be both therapeutic and a way to get you out of your mood. When someone empathizes or commiserates with us, we feel that the burden is not all ours to bear and that someone understands what we’re going through. Knowing that others care or have had similar feelings gives us a pickup and helps motivate us to move on.

7. Switch direction completely. Sometimes getting in a rut or down mood can be the result of spending too much time on one particular task. In those cases you need a different type of break. The best thing to do is walk away from what you’re doing and engage in something completely different. If you’ve been working at a computer all day, take a break and go shopping, visit a friend or clean out your closet (a popular choice I’m sure). When you get back to the task at hand, you will have a new, fresh mindset.

As you can see, we are not at the mercy of our moods. When we get stuck (and we all do at times), we have the ability to lift ourselves up, rise above what’s momentarily dragging you down and forge ahead.

NuVet Plus

Imagine... a dog vitamin and supplement in one that offers a complete supplement to your dogs diet that not only offers ingredients that will combat the onslaught of free radicals, improve our dogs health, replace nutrients your dog may be lacking in his diet and help increase your dogs longevity and quality of life!

After extensive testing with many different combinations of ingredients, our scientists formulated NuVet Plus™, daily dog vitamin supplement. NuVet offers the right amount of vitamins and works to supplement your dogs diet for great health.

NuVet Plus is a long-term natural nutritional vitamin supplement that should be given to the companion dog daily to supplement your dogs diet and provide vitamins needed for health growth and healthy nutrition. Our dog vitamin supplements are perfect for any breed of dog and any age dog. Many dog breeders give our supplement to lactating females and begin their puppies on NuVet when they are weaned from their mother.

Our NuJoint Plus is specially formulated to act as an natural anti-inflammatory hip and joint therapy formulated with the finest human grad ingredients. This is an effective dog arthritis treatment.

NuJoint Plus has been formulated by leading Veterinarians and Scientist to contain precise percentages of Glucosamine, Clucosmine, Chondroitin, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), and Vitamin C which will help to quickly reverse and heal the devastating effects of osteoarthritis and other hip and join problems in dogs.

Introduce NuVet Plus to your dog and watch the different in their skin and coat, energy level, and overall health! NuVet supplements are great additions to your dogs daily diet. NuVet dog supplements will not only offer great nutrition for your dog, but will also assist with the prevention of many illnesses.

Get your dog started on the right health path with our daily dog vitamin supplement! Our supplement given once daily provides your dog with exactly what he or she needs to have a healthily life!

Do I need to give my puppy a natural vitamin supplement? Many NuVet users begin their puppies on NuVet at 6 weeks of age. To ensure your puppy is always in great condition, feed him a well balanced diet with quality dog food and give the NuVet daily supplement once daily. By giving your dog our vitamin daily, he will find a much higher quality of life!


Should I give my older dog a supplement? Aging dogs have special diets needs and can be given NuVet daily. Because many older dogs suffer from arthritis, our NuJoint is the perfect supplement for your aging dog!
Treat your dog to a healthy life with our daily dog vitamin! He will thank you for it! All natural human grade dog vitamin supplement for good health!

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The 101 Page Lawsuit

Nationwide Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Pet FoodCompanies and Retailers For Misleading Consumers Regarding the Contents of Pet Food says MF Legal, the firm in Miami taking on the case.

Blogger has an entire blog dedicated to it here. It was quite the scare that made people uneasy about feeding their pets just in the event there was another recall. The pet food companies have cut corners to make profits and put innocent pets lives in danger and to think we were being lied to the whole time. Every time you read the label it is the most misleading jibberish I've ever seen, this is what MF Legal has to say,

“Premium” Pet Food Marketed and Sold as “Complete and Balanced” Has Historically Contained Such Items as Euthanized Dogs and Cats, Restaurant Grease, Hair, Hooves, and Diseased Animals, and Other Inedible Garbage."

Will this lawsuit do anything at all? Will they fix the ingredients or what? Either way, I will not buy those foods for my pets, I wouldn't have to begin with.

Premium dry dog food Innova EVO is recognized by experts and pet owners as a very high-grade dry dog food. It contains no grains at all, relying instead on potatoes for carbohydrates. Experts note that potatoes are also a good source of B vitamins and minerals. Meat, in the form of turkey, chicken, turkey meal and chicken meal are the top four ingredients, and other meats, namely herring meal, can be found further down the ingredient list. In addition, all other ingredients are very high quality and include whole fruits such as apples, vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes, whole eggs, cottage cheese and more. The only negative we've seen is that some dogs have a little trouble tolerating the high protein levels, at least at first, and that for the same reason, Innova EVO is not a good choice for puppies.

Dry dog food Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul dry dog food is less expensive than premium brands, but it has top-quality ingredients: Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, turkey meal, whole-grain brown rice and whole-grain white rice are its primary ingredients, and there are no chemical preservatives. It's more expensive than store brands like Purina, but the main ingredient in Purina Dog Chow dry food is ground yellow corn -- a grain that most pet-nutrition experts say your dog doesn't need at all.

Premium canned dog food. A dog's diet should include both wet and dry food, and generally, canned food is of better quality, with fewer fillers, grains and preservatives. Canidae uses human-grade ingredients; its chicken and rice formula lists chicken, chicken broth, lamb, chicken liver, brown rice, barley and egg at the top. Meats are free of hormones and chemical preservatives. If you want the very best canned dog food, I recommend Canidae.

Without a doubt, the best diet for your dog to stay healthy and live long it the BARF diet. Bones and Raw Food for the newbies.

Canine Allergies

Dog allergies are very similar to human allergies and also produce the same symptoms as human allergies. There are 5 types of dog allergies: food allergy, flea allergy, bacteria allergy, contact allergy and atopy. Here are some basic facts about each of these allergies.

Food Allergies
The most common symptom of food allergies is scratching, due to skin irritation. Dog foods contain a host of ingredients which can cause an allergic reaction to your dog. Some of these ingredients are:

-Meats: Beef, Chicken, Pork, Lamb, Fish, Eggs
-Dairy products (Milk)
-Grains (Wheat, Whey)
-Corn

Most dog owners often scold their dog for scratching too much. Any obsessive behavior your dog demonstrates, such as constant scratching, chewing, licking, requires immediate attention. Never assume that this is just a new habit your dog picked up. Dog allergies can make your dog very uncomfortable. Aside from scratching, some of the other symptoms dogs can experience are:

-sneezing
-coughing
-eye and nose discharge

Itching around the anus, hair loss, loss of appetite, pawing at their ears or head shaking, vomiting, diarrhea, breathing problems.

Isolating the allergen which causes the allergy is not easy because the dog is usually allergic to one specific ingredient in the food. Therefore, it is a matter of isolating that ingredient. You can try doing this with an elimination diet, which most people don't have the time or energy for. The elimination diet requires preparing specially-cooked meals consisting of a more exotic meat, like rabbit or venison, mixed with rice or potato, which wouldn't normally be found in dog food.

An easier and more modern approach to test for the presence of a food allergy is to try a dog food which contains hydrolyzed proteins, such as Purinas HA or Hills z/d. Hydrolyzed proteins are broken down into molecules so small, they can't affect the immune system, which is what causes the allergy. If the allergy goes away while your dog is on this diet (which would take about 8 weeks), then he most likely is suffering from a food allergy. At this point, you would start to re-introduce the possible allergens one by one (individual meats, wheat, corn, milk, etc.) for a period of two weeks each. If the symptoms return, it is most likely due to the ingredient being introduced at that time. You should look out for that ingredient on dog food labels in future purchases.

Atopy (inhalant allergy)
Atopy is the most common of all dog allergies, which is caused by environmental factors, such as dust mites, molds, house dust, human dander, feathers or pollen.

Signs of atopy include excessive chewing, licking and scratching at the face, paws, abdomen, armpits and genital area. Evidence of this behavior can be found in examining your dog's paws, armpits and genital area. Reddish-brown stains develop in these areas due to excessive licking. This may not be evident in dogs with dark coats.

Atopy is not easy to diagnose due to other dog allergies having the same symptoms. Once these other dog allergies (food, flea and contact) have been ruled out, your vet can proceed with testing for the root cause of the atopy. The most accurate method of testing for atopy is Intradermal Skin Testing.

There are many different treatment options for atopy. The best treatment would be avoiding the allergen altogether. If this is not feasible, other treatments include cool water baths with medicated shampoo, antihistamines, allergy shots, corticosteriods or a diet rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.

Flea Allergies
Dog allergies to fleas are not caused by the flea itself, but rather the flea's saliva. A common symptom of flea allergies is scratching at the tail area which causes hair loss, scabs and sores. Your vet can easily diagnose a flea allergy by checking for the presence of fleas in the coat. Fleas can be seen by the naked eye. Intradermal Skin Testing can also be used to test for this type of allergy.

The most effective products for eliminating fleas are:
-Advantage - Flea control for your Dog & Cat
-FrontLine - Flea & TickMedication for your Dog & Cat
-Capstar- Flea infestation on Dog and Cat
-K9 Advantix Flea and Tick Medication (based on dog's weight)

Bacterial Allergies
A dog's skin normally harbors Staph bacteria. Usually, this bacteria does not have any affect on your dog but some dogs develop a sensitivity to it causing an allergic reaction. Your dog may develop crusts on the skin and patches of hair loss due to scratching, similar to ring worm. If these patches become infected, your dog will need to be treated with antibiotics.

Contact Allergies
Contact allergies are the least common of all dog allergies. This type of allergy produces swelling, redness, itching and hair loss. Common contact allergens include flea collars, plastic food bowls, pet sweaters, plants, grass or wool bedding. The best way to diagnose this allergy is if the symptoms continue after ruling out all other allergies. If this is the case, then you must pinpoint the allergen and remove it from your dog's environment.


What can you do?
Get your dog on a good dog food, I recommend Innova or Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul. And be sure to get him on the best suppliment for dogs, so good I take it myself, Nuvet Plus. www.nuvet.com/54232

RVBS - Recurring Vet Bill Syndrome

It seems like the doctors and big drug companies can "discover" new ailments and slap a name on them with a drug or ten to go with it. So, here's a new one for ya, RVBS - Recurring Vet Bill Syndrome.

If you've been to the vet lately, you may have walked out wanting a distemper shot for yourself. Since 1997, veterinarians have been hiking prices at more than twice the rate of overall inflation. At the same time, great leaps in veterinary medicine are making expensive treatment options a reality. Dogs with potentially fatal cardiac problems routinely get a $3,000 pacemaker. Cats suffering renal failure can have an $8,000 kidney transplant. Veterinary drugs treat everything from separation anxiety and arthritis pain to epilepsy and cancer for $0.66 to $16 a day--often for the life of the pet. Even if your pet is perfectly healthy, vets are now ready with a battery of tests, shots, and even X-rays for the annual wellness checkup, costing up to $140 for kittens and puppies and as much as $340 for geriatric cats and dogs. Together, those trends--increasing prices and advances in treatment--pose new dilemmas for owners of the nation's 143 million cats and canines (not to mention 43 million birds, reptiles, and other pets): How do you afford the high cost of 21st-century veterinary care? And when do you say no to heroic treatments? Spending on veterinary services jumped to $18.2 billion in 2001, nearly triple the 1991 level. Plenty of consumers are happy to open their pocketbooks. "I'll do whatever it takes to save my pet; especially today, with terrorism and war, pets are more important than ever," says Blake Brossman, chief operating officer of PetCareRx, an online pet drugstore. Brossman spent $1,400 for two grueling regimens of chemotherapy after his rottweiler, Lou, was diagnosed with cancer in 2001. Lou died four months later, after Brossman carried him five New York City blocks in a last race to the vet. But many other pet owners resent the sticker shock. "I told my vet I thought I was being taken advantage of," says Darlene Klein, a dog breeder from Ithaca, N.Y., who in December 2002 spent $1,674 to repair the broken leg of her 3-month-old greyhound, Patty. In February 2003, Jean Coy, a homemaker from Renton, Wash., spent $614 on her orange tabby, Tiger, after he was hit by a car. That included X-rays, stitches, anesthesia, monitoring, drugs, a shunt, and a fruitless attempt to reset Tiger's dislocated leg. "I was robbed," says Coy, who finally got another vet to surgically repair Tiger's leg properly. But what can you do these days? A lot actually...


What Can You Do?
In my unending efforts to understand why the white coat is so empowering, I can tell you in few cases there isn't much you can do besides shop around for a quality vet. The best way to find a good vet is by word of mouth. Shockingly only 10% of pet owners have chosen their vet due to a referal, while the remaining 90% either found him to be convieniently around the corner or in possession of a flashy ad in the yellow pages.I cannot stress enough the importance of simply being educated on what is going on in that ever so small office.- Ask your vet to give specific reasons regarding his diagnoses and recomendation a.k.a. a prescription.- Before having surgery performed, make sure it is necessary. Go to another vet and ask if surgery is necessary.- Don't be a fool. If the doctor is recommending something you wouldn't go to your doctor for, find a specialist.- Vet's are not dentists, optomotrists, nutritionalists, behavioral counselors any more than they are breeders, groomers, or trainers.The walking vet bill is the name I give to those innocent four legged friends. There is pet insurance these days but little do they tell you, your deductible is still sky high and your coverage tops out at a couple grand. Pet insurance may not be a bad idea if you live in a big city and don't know how to keep your dog in the back yard and chemicals away from his snout but really now, if you know how to take care of your loved one, there is no need to get pet insurance.I always recommend preventing issues and vet bills before they become a burden to begin with. While for some reason this concept of prevent instead of fix when broken is so hard to understand, I am going to try to explain how you can keep your dog out of the vet office other than your routine shots ofcoarse...Put your pet on the path to perfect health today with NuVet Labswww.nuvet.com/54232