The Artist has just won big at the BAFTAs which is a good indication that the film may do equally as well at this year’s Oscars.
According to The Telegraph, Uggie the dog star of the film is being retired.
Uggie, a Jack Russell, also starred in Water for Elephants. He’s 10 years old and his younger brother Dash will be carrying on the acting tradition.
You can catch a bit of Uggie’s work in this trailer for The Artist, courtesy of YouTube:
Posted in special dogs and awards
Tagged baftas, dog star, Jack Russell, oscars, The Artist, trailer, Uggie, Water for Elephants, YouTube
The Wire-haired Fox Terrier is the big winner in The Adventures of Tintin film. New Zealand’s Weta Workshop has worked its magic in creating a digital version of Snowy, Tintin’s loyal dog.
Tintin is a young reporter with a nose for news. He was created by Georges Remi under the pen name of Hergé in 1929, appearing in a series of children’s stories/comic books that particularly appealed to young boys. Investigating crime and finding the culprits were everyday activities for Tintin and Snowy.
It is great to see another dog take center-stage in the film world this year. This official movie trailer, courtesy of YouTube, gives you an introduction to Snowy (and Tintin) and the wonderful work of Weta Workshop.
Posted in dog breeds, Dogs
Tagged georges remi, movie, movie trailer, snowy, Tintin, weta workshop, wire-haired fox terrier, YouTube
The knee joint can be vulnerable to injury in dogs just as it is in people because the bones are attached through soft tissues known as ligaments. I received a call a couple of weeks ago from a friend saying, “Kathleen, I was at the dog park with Lea and she cried out and pulled up lame. She won’t bear weight on it. What do you think is wrong?”
Since I’m not a vet, I’m not qualified to diagnose injuries but this particular one sounded to me like a ‘classic’ cruciate ligament tear or rupture. My friend didn’t want to pay after-hours vet prices on the weekend if he didn’t have to but equally didn’t want to wait to see a vet if her condition was serious or life-threatening.
I suggested that he rest Lea, keep her warm, dry and comfortable and go to the vet if there was an immediate change in her condition. Otherwise, if she still wasn’t weight-bearing on Monday, then a visit to their regular vet was warranted.
As it turned out, Lea’s condition didn’t change over the weekend and a visit to the vet confirmed a cruciate ligament tear. She’s now resting in the hope that the tear will heal itself.
In many cases, cruciate ligament injuries are partial tears and surgery isn’t required. In others, full rupture of the ligament may mean that surgical repair is required. Some dogs still need ongoing support for their legs regardless of whether the ligament was repaired surgically or not. Leg braces that are made from a cast of the dog’s leg work well in many cases.
I work on dogs with these injuries in my canine massage practice. Laser therapy helps to relieve the pain of the injury and support healing. Passive range of motion exercises assist in keeping the leg joints mobile, but without pressure on the knee joint. And hydrotherapy works wonders when the dog is ready for this type of more strenuous (but non-weight bearing) exercise!
Here’s a great video, courtesy of the folks at Vetstoria and YouTube about the symptoms and diagnosis of cruciate ligament ruptures.
Posted in dog care
Tagged ACL, anterior cruciate ligament, caudal cruciate ligament, CCL, cruciate ligament, diagnosis, surgery, treatment, vetstoria, YouTube
Research shows that dogs can have a paw preference and it is fairly easy for you to test your own dog.
In 2006, a researcher, Dr Nick Branson, found that the way a dog uses its paws was an indicator of how it reacted to noise. Dogs without a clear paw preference were more likely to be reactive to noises such as thunderstorms and fireworks. He presented his findings at the annual conference of the Australian Veterinary Association in 2007.
Dr Branson was quoted as saying,:
“It seems possible that dogs that do not favour one side or the other may be prone to experience intense emotional responses to a broad range of stimuli. Animals with lateralised functions may be able to transfer attention from disturbing stimulus more successfully.” (Source: News Nine)
Now, if you want to know how to test your dog for their dominant paw, here’s how – just follow these tests as demonstrated by Ellie Mae on YouTube:
With every natural disaster, there are also animal victims.
Please follow this link to view the YouTube video of a dog in the aftermath of the tsunami in Japan. The dog refuses to leave his injured friend.
(Both dogs are now reported to be in the care of animal welfare authorities.)
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in animal welfare, Dogs, special dogs and awards
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