WellPet Foundation Gives Back To The Pets In Need

WellPet Spreads Cheer to Pets Awaiting Adoption

Natural Pet Food Donated to Pets in Need for the Holiday Season

In the spirit of the season, WellPet, LLC, makers of premium natural pet food and treats brands Wellness®, Holistic Select® and Old Mother Hubbard®, spread some holiday cheer to pets across the country who are awaiting adoption. Through its charitable arm, the WellPet Foundation, the company provided more than 110,000 pounds of food and treats to shelters and rescue organizations during the month of December – roughly enough food to feed 30,000 pets in need. The Foundation is committed to giving back to the world we share with our pets by supporting organizations and activities dedicated to the well-being of dogs and cats. Donation recipients included:


Beagle Freedom Project -- Beagle Freedom Project is a project of ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education), a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to rescuing animals in need. The group recently rescued 41 beagles from a Spanish laboratory and brought them back to the United States for adoption, where they received Old Mother Hubbard treats to help with their training.


National Greyhound Adoption Program -- National Greyhound Adoption Program was founded in Philadelphia, PA in 1989 to help find loving, adoptive homes for former racing greyhounds. The group also aims to provide superior knowledge and support for greyhound adopters and other adoption groups, educate the public and spread awareness about the plight of the greyhound, and provide specialized medical care specifically geared towards the greyhound. The program received over 30,000 pounds of food to help care for greyhounds awaiting adoption.


Bideawee -- Bideawee, which means "stay awhile," in Scottish, is one of the country's oldest and most respected animal welfare and pet adoption organizations. Founded in 1903 by Mrs. Flora Kibbe, Bideawee has been providing shelter, care and compassion to homeless animals in helping them to find their forever homes for over 100 years. Bideawee is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) humane animal organization and 100 percent of Bideawee's funding comes from private sources. The group provided Wellness treats to pups who had their photos taken with Santa, as well as new adoptive families. In addition, treats were provided to Bideawee's pet therapy volunteers.


Pet Rescue Bank -- The Rescue Bank(SM) Pet Food Distribution Program supports the pet rescue community with a network of regional affiliates – pet food distribution centers. These centers receive truckload donations scheduled by Rescue Bank(SM) and distribute pallet quantities to qualified groups. Their Pet Food Distribution Program allows rescue organizations to transfer part of their food budget to much needed services such as spay/neuter or other medical bills. "You have no idea how much the donation of Wellness Pet Food helps us. Through our national network, we're able to get healthy, high-quality food to small rescues who otherwise wouldn't have the resources to attract major donors," said Elizabeth Asher, Executive Director of Rescue Bank. "With this donation, they're able to dedicate more resources toward spaying, neutering, and rescuing needy pets."


Adopt a Boxer Rescue -- Adopt A Boxer Rescue is an all-volunteer charitable organization formed to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home unwanted and abandoned boxer dogs within the northeast United States. Working within Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, the group's efforts include hands-on rescue and education. Its volunteers strive to inform others about the realities of pet ownership, promote neutering, and encourage responsible care. More than 30,000 pounds of food were donated to help care for boxers throughout the rescue's northeast network.


Our Lil' Bit of Heaven Animal Rescue and Sanctuary – Our Lil' Bit of Heaven is an Indiana-based no-kill, non-profit, animal rescue and sanctuary. "This donation of Holistic Select pet food will help us get through the tough winter months," said Joyce Deckard, director of the rescue. "We are very strict on what the fur kids here eat and it is wonderful to have a donation received of such high quality food for them."


Church Community Services – Church Community Services of Elkhart, IN is a faith-based interdenominational non-profit agency that assists people in crisis and empowers them to move out of poverty. Recently, the organization has seen an increase in individuals in need of pet food in addition to human food pantry donations.


Companion Golden Retriever Rescue -- Companion Golden Retriever Rescue located in West Jordan, Utah, is a 501(c)(3) Non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of homeless Golden Retrievers that works to place loving Golden Retrievers into permanent homes. The rescue received Old Mother Hubbard treats to help feed and reward the Golden Retrievers currently in its care.


Best Friends Animal Society -- Best Friends Animal Society is a nonprofit organization building no-kill programs and partnerships that will bring about a day when there are No More Homeless Pets®. The society's leading initiatives in animal care and community programs are coordinated from its Kanab, Utah, headquarters, the country's largest no-kill sanctuary. The sanctuary received nearly 18,000 pounds of food and treats from WellPet, including Wellness Small Breed Just for Puppy food to help feed its littlest residents and Old Mother Hubbard treats.

"WellPet has an unwavering commitment to providing the very best for the pets who depend on us," said Chanda Leary-Coutu, Senior Manager, Marketing Communications. "We are proud to donate to these worthy organizations to help sustain the dogs and cats in their care while they wait to meet their new families."

Throughout the course of 2011, the WellPet Foundation provided monetary, food and in-kind donations to nearly two dozen pet welfare organizations nationwide. To learn more, please visit www.wellpet.com/wellpet-foundation.aspx.

About WellPet, LLC: WellPet is home to the family of premium pet food brands including Wellness®, Old Mother Hubbard®, Eagle Pack® and Holistic Select®. For more than 100 years, WellPet has delivered on the promise of doing whatever it takes to make the healthiest natural products for the pets that depends on us. Today, our team of animal lovers, nutritionists and vets at WellPet are committed to carrying forth our strong heritage, continuing to find new ways to bring innovation, nutritional excellence and product quality to our family of natural brands, always putting pet health first.

About The WellPet Foundation®: Responsibility, Passion, Commitment

At WellPet, we are committed to giving back to the world we share with our pets. Through the WellPet Foundation, we support organizations and activities that promote the power of natural nutrition and the benefits of healthy, active lifestyles. Learn more at www.wellpet.com/wellpet-foundation.aspx.


SOURCE WellPet, LLC

A New Canine Lyme Test By Abaxis

Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratories Now Offering Quantitative Lyme Test

Abaxis, Inc. (NasdaqGS: ABAX), a medical products company manufacturing point of care instrumentation and consumables to the medical, research and veterinary markets, announced today its Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratories (AVRL) Division, based in Olathe, Kansas, is now offering a quantitative antibody test for canine Lyme disease. The new canine Lyme test invented and developed by Abaxis, Inc., measures a combination of antibodies to peptides which mimic certain antigens of the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete. These antibodies are not found in vaccinated or non-infected patients.

Dr. Kenneth Aron, Chief Technology Officer at Abaxis, commented, "We have utilized advances in peptide chemistry and immunology to design a robust laboratory-based test that can distinguish an active Lyme infection from immunity based on vaccination. These advances allow a definitive diagnosis which is required for reference laboratory performed confirmation test."

The new quantitative Lyme test can be used as a standalone diagnostic test to determine infection status or efficacy of treatment. It can also be used as a quantitative confirmation test for the soon to be released VetScan Lyme Rapid Test which is currently under development.

Mark Patterson, President of AVRL added, "The Lyme quantitative antibody test is an exciting addition to the more than 500 tests that are already offered at our new, state of the art facility. It is also a great example of how the Abaxis point-of-care products are complemented by the full service laboratory that we have developed. The Lyme quantitative antibody test is the first of what we expect to be many new and unique assays for the veterinary community."

About Abaxis

Abaxis develops, manufactures, markets and sells portable blood analysis systems for use in any veterinary or human patient-care setting to provide clinicians with rapid blood constituent measurements. The system consists of a compact, 5.1 kilogram (11.2 pounds), portable analyzer and a series of single-use plastic discs, called reagent discs that contain all the chemicals required to perform a panel of up to 13 tests on veterinary patients and 14 tests on human patients. The system can be operated with minimal training and performs multiple routine tests on whole blood, serum or plasma samples. The system provides test results in less than 12 minutes with the precision and accuracy equivalent to a clinical laboratory analyzer. The veterinary business also provides to the animal health and research market a line of hematology instruments for point-of-care complete blood counts (CBC), a specialty instrument to screen for and detect clotting disorders and to measure equine fibrinogen levels, a handheld instrument for the rapid assessment of certain critical care tests and rapid point-of-care tests for Heartworm infections in dogs, Parvovirus and Giardia. Abaxis, through its AVRL Division, provides routine laboratory testing as well as specialty testing for veterinarians nationwide. This state-of-the-art commercial laboratory will be the hub of the Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratories (AVRL).

SOURCE Abaxis, Inc

There’s A Parvovirus Outbreak In Rugby,UK

There has been an outbreak of the Parvovirus in Rugby in the last few weeks leaving two dogs dead already.

Simon Daniel the director of Rainsbrook Vets said: This is the highest number of cases we've seen at once for a long time. I can't remember seeing this many at any time over the last five years or so. It is a serious and potentially fatal stomach infection but can easily prevented with vaccinations.

Read the article by Dan Santy here.

A Couple Of Old Christmas Dog Video's For Your Enjoyment

A Merry Christmas to all my readers....Woof..Woof..

These Are Suppose To Be Happy Times For Are Pets

First you have the Windmill Animal Rescue in New Market, Minn. that is looking for a miracle to be able to stay open.

The owner of the no-kill animal shelter Toni Maat said: It's unconditional. Don't get that anywhere else. There's no price you can put on that. ( As she describes her animal shelter.)

Read the article by Jody Ambroz here.


Then you have the Sayreville Pet Adoption Center which is another no-kill animal shelter which might be closing their doors too if they don't get any donations.

The director Barbara Keegan said: In today's economy, many folks are coming forward to surrender their pets due to foreclosures, evictions, lack of employment, etc. With owners in such dire straits, we are not able to charge our normal surrender fees of $100 to $150, which barely cover the cost of housing, food and medical needs for these animals. Some folks cannot make any type of surrender donation and yet we still help them. These are desperate times for many people, and yet we cannot turn our back on these animals who end up here through no fault of their own.

Read the article here.


To top it off you have an animal abuser named Shellie L. Hubbard from Portland, WA who was high on drugs and allegedly threw her boyfriend's dog into traffic which was struck by a car and died.

Read the article by Laura McVicker here.


At least one good thing happened when the Pennsylvania SPCA rescued twenty six dogs from an illegal breeders named James Hines and Denekei Lawson.

The director of Humane Law Enforcement George Bengal said: We've had the owners of this property under investigation for the past five months. Due to the amount of complaints we've received about these suspects selling sick dogs, we were glad that we were able to rescue them from the conditions they were living in.

Read the article by David Chang here.

Have The Firestone Police Finally Caught The Meatball Dog Killer

Do you remember the two dogs that were poisoned by strychnine laced meatballs in Firestone, CO, well now the Firestone Police have arrested Travis and Tesla Dougherty (dogs owners) neighbor Joseph Donald Losinski.

So now Joseph Donald Losinski has been arrested and charged with suspicion of two counts of felony aggravated animal cruelty for killing the two dogs.

So what would make someone do something like this to a dog.

Read the article by Pierrette J Shields here.

What's The Most Unusual Adoptable Pet Names of 2011

Petfinder.com Announces Most Popular and Most Unusual Adoptable Pet Names of 2011

Move over Fido, Buddy is officially the new "top-dog" name. Today, Petfinder.com, the largest online database of adoptable pets, announced its 2011 ranking of the most popular and most unusual names, with an extra category for TV and celebrity "name-a-likes." For the fifth year in a row, "Buddy" barks at the top as the most trending name for adoptable dogs in 2011, while "Lucy" once again proves to be the purrfect No. 1 choice for adoptable cats.

The top five most popular names for dogs have all remained the same this year, while cats are a different story: "Smokey" and "Charlie" sniffed their way up to No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, while "Midnight" jumped down to No. 10 after coming in No. 2 for adoptable felines last year. As people everywhere swarmed the theaters and the Twilight saga continued to unfold in 2011, the popularity of the name "Bella" for both adoptable dogs and cats has remained strong since 2010.

2011 Top 10 Most Popular Dog Names	2011 Top 10 Most Popular Cat Names
1.   Buddy (15,184)	1.   Lucy (4,195)
2.   Max (13,810)	2.   Smokey (4,105)
3.   Daisy (12,948)	3.   Bella (3,978)
4.   Bella (11,773)	4.   Charlie (3,752)
5.   Lucy (11,418)	5.   Tiger (3,735)
6.   Molly (11,049)	6.   Oreo (3,574)
7.   Charlie (10,607)	7.   Daisy (3,371)
8.   Jack (9,949)	8.   Molly (3,355)
9.   Sadie (9,232)	9.   Max (3,346)
10. Rocky (8,475)	10. Midnight (3,273)

Because they are just too cute to ignore, Petfinder.com also handpicked the most unusual, wacky and celebrity-themed names of adoptable pets for 2011 from nearly 300 submissions by shelters and rescue groups across North America. This year's top creativity honors go to "Dodgy Wodgy Schnookum Doodle" and "Barry Meow-nilow."

2011 Most Unusual Adoptable Pet Names	2011 Best Celebrity Name-A-Likes
1.   Dodgy Wodgy Schnookum Doodle	1.   Barry Meow-nilow
2.   Polly Picklepuss	2.   Katy Purry
3.   Sukimayapoo	3.   Ally McBeagle
4.   Iben Hooked	4.   Brad the Pit
5.   Blue Sparkles McGillicutty	5.   Rascal Catts
6.   Killer the Dog Dominating Declawed Cat	6.   Ringo Starr
7.   Purr-etzle	7.   Cindy Clawford
8.   Fluff Dog Millionaire	8.   Cindy Dogford
9.   Jimmy Chews	9.   Vera Fang
10. Ishkabibble	10. Lady Gaga

"Everybody loves to have a Buddy, but many shelters and rescue groups give their adoptable pets creative names to help them stand out from the crowd," says Betsy Banks Saul, co-founder of Petfinder. "Their names can give a peek into their personalities. For instance, 'Killer the Dog Dominating Declawed Cat' speaks for itself. But if your new cat doesn't respond to his shelter-given name or you can't imagine yourself hollering for 'Polly Picklepuss' at the dog park, never fear. Animal behaviorists tell us it's okay to change their names. Here's how: Add their new name to their old name for a few weeks, then gradually phase out the old one."

About Petfinder.com

Petfinder.com is the largest online, searchable database of animals that need permanent homes. With more than 360,000 adoptable pets from over 13,600 animal shelters and rescue groups throughout the USA, Canada and Mexico, Petfinder.com has facilitated more than 17 million adoptions since it was launched in 1996. In addition to being an adoption database, Petfinder.com is an all-inclusive resource guide for how to select the right family pet and build a successful, life-long relationship. Thanks to its sponsors, the site is free to both visitors and to its animal placement organization members. Exclusive sponsors are BISSELL Homecare, Inc., a manufacturer of home cleaning and floor care products, PETCO, a national pet supply retailer that sponsors in-store adoptions and provides coupon books for new adopters, The Animal Rescue Site, PetFirst Healthcare, the exclusive pet insurance provider for Petfinder.com, and Merial, maker of the number one veterinary-recommended flea and tick preventative FRONTLINE(r), and heartworm preventative HEARTGARD(r).

SOURCE Petfinder.com