A season and reason for giving

As part pf For Paws twenty five days of Christmas we've started a collection of home cooked recipes for the Critters of Christmas, called, "One Dog's Kitchen". http://issuu.com/editorgrn/docs/one_dogs_kitchen

We've asked our readers to send their best home cooked specialties; we'll publish them here so every family can bring their pet to the table this season for a special meal.

For each recipe received For Paws Hospice will deliver a meal to a hungry pet in time for the holidays. So here's your chance to share a gift that will make a difference in someone's life and spread some good cheer in the process.

To get you in the mood here's a frosty treat that is sure to warm the heart of your best friend.

Yogurt Pupsicles
From Puppy Tuff

Technically speaking dogs don’t eat dessert, they love snacks, but desserts as humans prefer them are loaded with things dogs shouldn’t or can’t have: chocolate, lots of sugar, too much dairy or in the case of a Double Chocolate Fudge Nut Sunday with whipped cream... No!

So we created this dessert (treat) that is both satisfying and just a little decadent, if you’re a dog.

You will need:

Cup cake tins with liners
Peanut butter
Bananas
Vanilla yogurt
Honey

Prep:

Start with 1 cup of yogurt in a bowl.  Add a tablespoon of honey, a ripe banana and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. Mash together thoroughly.

Spoon the mixture into cup cake tins then, using your fingers, insert a small ball of peanut butter into the middle of each cup as a surprise frozen center. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place in freezer for several hours.

To serve, peel the cup liners away and hand the treat to your very patient dog.

Vote for 2010 best idea to aid animals

Vote by Dec. 15, 2010 http://www.heska.com/About-Heska/Inspiration-in-Action-poll.aspx

LOVELAND, Colo., Dec. 1, 2010 -- Heska Corporation  announced today that animal lovers everywhere can support and honor veterinary medicine by voting for one of the top four ideas submitted in the 2010 Heska Corporation Inspiration In Action Contest.

Heska will award the winner $25,000 to help bring the inspired idea to life. After a careful review of over one hundred project ideas, a panel of judges from the veterinary industry narrowed the competition down to four finalists.

Robert Grieve, Heska's Chairman and CEO said, "The Inspiration In Action contest is the latest of our 'Smarter, Together' projects and demonstrates our belief that great ideas come to life when we work in partnership with our customers and colleagues - individuals who are very gifted and dedicated professionals"

The Finalists are:

Pets Forever

Pets Forever helps low-income elderly, ill or disabled Larimer County residents maintain ownership of their pets for as long as possible. Pets Forever provides direct services and resources related to pet care, supporting the population of pet owners who particularly benefit from the human/animal bond.

http://csuvets.colostate.edu/petsforever.html

Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation (PARC) Project

The PARC Project rescues Panamanian amphibian species that have been identified as critically threatened with extinction from an emerging disease caused by a fungal pathogen and takes them to established captive assurance colonies. The PARC Project is a model for amphibian crisis response.

http://amphibianrescue.org/about

The Prevent Unwanted Pets (PUP) Project

The PUP Project will create an educational program for school-aged children to address topics such as humane treatment and a commitment to spay and neuter. Another benefit of the project is inspiring children to enter the veterinary profession as technicians, veterinarians or volunteers.

http://www.petluv.org/index.htm

World Vets

World Vets, is a non-profit that provides free veterinary aid worldwide to animals that otherwise would never receive veterinary attention. Currently spanning 24 countries, World Vets addresses both animal and human health issues to develop sustainable veterinary aid programs. These programs improve the well-being of the animal and human populations and empowers local partners through collaboration, education and training.

http://www.worldvets.org/

Individuals may vote only once. Heska will also award $5,000 to the second place winner. For more details on the finalists and to vote, please visit, http://www.heska.com/About-Heska/Inspiration-in-Action-poll.aspx

American Humane honors animal assisted therapy

DENVER, Nov. 30, 2010 The American Humane Association, the nation's voice for the protection of children and animals, will honor its 200-plus animal-assisted therapy teams at a special volunteer appreciation gala in Denver this Friday, Dec. 3, 2010.

Along with their volunteer handlers, more than 60 therapy dogs, two therapy cats and one therapy guinea pig will be recognized for their work in bringing the healing power of the human-animal bond to those in need.

By bringing registered therapy animals to hospitals, child welfare facilities, homeless shelters, mental health centers, schools and many other locations, American Humane Association's animal-assisted therapy volunteers have helped to enhance the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of people.

Last year volunteer handlers and their therapy animals logged more than 30,000 hours of service, touching more than 120,000 lives at some 50 facilities.  Not only did these animal-assisted therapy teams help to soothe anxiety and promote healing, they also integrated the clinical treatment process to achieve specific goals in health care, physical therapy, counseling and education.

The Animal-Assisted Therapy Volunteer Appreciation gala takes place on Friday, Dec. 3, from 6:30-9 pm at the Westin Tabor Center, located at 1672 Lawrence Street in Denver. The volunteer recognition ceremony begins at 7:30 pm. The event will be hosted by renowned pet expert and journalist Steve Dale. The program includes American Humane Association President and Chief Executive Officer Robin R. Ganzert, Ph.D., as well as the founder of the Animal-Assisted Therapy Program, Diana McQuarrie. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Animal-Assisted Therapy Program in 2011.

Holy Molé

by Rick Hotton 

Reprinted with permission Triple 3 Marketing. LLC, 2010

To All A Good Bite

Bring your pet to the table this holiday and help feed a hungry animal.

For Paws Hospice and our friends: invite you to send us your favorite home cooked, pet food recipe.

For every recipe submitted we’ll deliver a free meal to a hungry pet during the holidays and your recipes will be published here: http://www.forpawshospice.org/one-dogs-kitchen.php for pet families everywhere to ‘Bring their Pet to the Table” this holiday.

Photos are wonderful of course and we encourage you to send one or two pictures of you creation, family and pets for inclusion in the cook book. 

Click here to view the recipe book: http://www.forpawshospice.org/one-dogs-kitchen.php, "One Dog's Kitchen"  *Recipes will be added as they are received. Event ends at Midnight, December 31, 2010. 

JoJo, a remarkable story of survival and service

Dog's Remarkable Story of Survival, Helping Others Earns Top Honors in Pet Rescue Contest
Pro Plan Doing More™ for Pets Contest Rewards Rescue Dog for Her Inspiring Story With a Trip to the National Dog Show Presented by Purina®

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 11, 2010 -- From roadside to bedside, a courageous dog named JoJo now uses her own journey through life to inspire humans recovering from orthopedic injuries. JoJo's remarkable tale could not have been possible without the help of a dedicated animal rescue organization. From the Heart Rescue, which saved this spirited pup, and JoJo have been named the grand-prize winners in the Pro Plan® Rally to Rescue® Doing More™ for Pets Rescue Stories Contest.  

JoJo's journey began, and nearly ended, as she lay by the side of the road in the west Texas desert. JoJo, a pit bull terrier, belongs to a sometimes feared and misunderstood breed, so the hours and cars drifted by with no help. Finally, someone stopped and took her to a shelter in rural Texas. An examination revealed a severely broken leg in need of specialized surgical repair. JoJo's journey resumed when an orthopedic vet 225 miles away in El Paso, Texas, agreed to do the surgery and From the Heart Rescue offered to step in as her rescue for foster and rehabilitative care.

The journey of JoJo continued when her foster mom, occupational therapist Ann Marie Giron, began to take JoJo to work so she could inspire humans recovering from orthopedic injuries. With a shaved hind leg, large rows of staples on her incisions and an external fixator sticking out of the top of her hip, JoJo went into service as a therapy dog to those in need.

Brandy Gardes, founder of From the Heart Rescue based in El Paso, Texas, and JoJo will be honored at the National Dog Show Presented by Purina at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa., on Nov. 20.  As part of the grand prize, From the Heart Rescue will receive $5,000 worth of Pro Plan® brand pet food coupons for the organization.
 
"It took a village to mend JoJo back to health," said Gardes. "After countless hours in rehabilitation and therapy, JoJo heeled extremely well restoring her body and growing her spirit."
JoJo has since had her fixator removed and is progressing wonderfully with her own therapy. She continues to help the patients at the orthopedic hospital, demonstrating the loyalty and intelligence of her breed. But even more, JoJo enjoys offering inspiration and love to people who are in pain.

The Purina® Pro Plan®  brand launched the fourth annual Rally to Rescue® Doing More™ for Pets Rescue Stories Contest to chronicle the amazing but often untold stories of pet rescue and to increase awareness of small pet rescue organizations' tireless efforts.

From July through October, more than 44,000 votes were cast by pet lovers across the country for the story that most touched their hearts to help select the grand-prize winner.
 
As unique as JoJo's story is, there are countless other unbelievable tales like hers from pet rescue groups across the country.  These stories reaffirm the purpose, effort and devotion of pet rescue groups everywhere.  To read more of these incredible stories, visit www.rallytorescue.org or http://www.facebook.com/rallytorescue.

Veterinary stem cell innovator to help animals worldwide

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 8, 2010 -- Vet-Stem, Inc. announced that a sub-license agreement with Australian Veterinary Stem Cells LTD (AVSC) has been completed which secures Vet-Stem's third affiliate to deliver its cutting-edge stem cell services to veterinarians for treating horses, dog and cats.  AVSC is now authorized by Vet-Stem to deliver these stem cell services in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. View the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8ZUKNE69tg

Vet-Stem holds the exclusive worldwide rights to the University of California and University of Pittsburgh (via Artecel, Inc.) patent portfolios of over 55 issued patents covering the use of stem cells derived from fat tissue.

As the first and largest company in the world to offer fat-derived stem cell services for veterinary use, Vet-Stem has rapidly developed the market, treating over 6,500 horses and dogs.  The company has moved to solidify its global leadership role by developing licensees with strong experience in key areas of the world.  The first license was issued to the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory in Dubai with rights for 13 Middle East Countries.  The second license was issued to Chemaphor, a public company in Canada, with laboratories in Prince Edward Island, adjacent to the Atlantic Veterinary College.   This third license solidifies the distribution network by adding the Australia/New Zealand markets, with promise for opening up Asia via the Singapore connections for AVSC.

AVSC is closely affiliated with global stem cell leader, Monash University (Melborne, Australia), and the renowned laboratory of Dr. Richard Boyd.  Boyd is a global expert in adult stem cells and has been working with stem cells from fat tissue for many years.  His scientific guidance will help AVSC rapidly enter the veterinary markets in their assigned territories.

"Intellectual property rights can be confusing in a rapidly developing market with evolving technology," said Bob Harman, DVM, MPVM, CEO of Vet-Stem. "We have licensed the strongest patents in the world to protect the market that we are creating in regenerative veterinary medicine and to ensure that the value of the company is optimized.  Now with these three distribution partners, we can utilize these global patents to reach far beyond the US markets and help animals worldwide."

The company currently offers stem cell services to veterinarians for treatment of lameness in horses and for arthritis in dogs and cats.  New uses of regenerative cells are in development for diseases in dogs, cats and horses that often times have few other treatment options.