Miniature pigs are gaining popularity as domestic pets in England, according to the NY Daily News:

The little piggies weigh just over half a pound at birth and only grow to 12 to 16 inches high, topping out at about 65 pounds - rather svelte in the pig world.

A cross between pot-bellied pigs and other breeds, these pigs are not cheap. One breeder sells pairs of them for $1100 each. As of now, teacup pigs are only sold in Britain.

Image source: CallMePigg

Pet owners don't seem to be spending any less on their pet's food, though they do claim to be cutting back in other areas, including toys and treats. According to the American Pet Products Association, retail sales of pet food grew 4.5% in 2009 to roughly $18 billion. This number is expected to reach $21 billion by 2013.

According to this Denver Post article, Kathy Shmidt says they don't take their miniature schnauzer to the groomer as often to save money, but this hasn't affected food purchases much. "He needs to eat what he's accustomed to."

Pet prices have actually increased lately because of rising costs, but people still seem to be spending on pet nutrition.

Image source: maestrosantana20047

Until recently, there haven't been any standards for pet carriers allowed in carry-on luggage on airlines. Yesterday eight major airlines launched the Guaranteed On-Board Program, "a pet carrier insurance program that will guarantee members full reimbursement of the cost of their air ticket and their pet’s travel expenses if they are ever refused permission to fly."

Participating airlines include:

• American Airlines
• Midwest Airlines
• AirTran
• Continental
• Delta
• Northwest Airlines
• Southwest Airlines
• Alaska Airlines

The in-cabin carrier sizes approved for the GOB Program are:

• Small: 16 in long x 10 in wide x 8.5 in in height – suitable for pets up to 8 lbs
• Medium: 18 in long x 11 in wide x 10.5 in in height suitable for pets up to 16 lbs
• Large: 20 in long x 11.75 in W x 11.5 in in height suitable for pets up to 22 lbs

For more information, visit the Guaranteed On-Board Program website, put together by the Sherpa Pet Group.

Image source: American Airlines Pics

Pilots N Paws is a non-profit group of private pilots that flies pets from overwhelmed shelters to shelters where they have a better chance of being adopted. According to an Associated Press article:

This week, Pilots N Paws is seeking to transport 5,000 animals to safety in a flurry of flights designed to raise awareness of the charity and draw attention to the importance of spaying and neutering.

Jeff Bennett has volunteered his time and flying skills to Pilots N Paws for about a year. Since then he has flown 124 needy animals, including a pot-bellied pig. One question many people have is how the pets react to flying. Bennett says:

"They're a little anxious to start, but once you fire up the engine and start taxiing, a lot of times they settle down. Most of them go to sleep during the flight, and when you start descending it's almost like they know what's going on and they start waking up and making a little bit of noise."

To find out more about Pilots N Paws and to see how you can help, please visit their website.

Image source: Lance Romance

This post is one of a series of informational posts written by Dr Randal Brue for one of our great sponsors, KAYTEE. For more information on Dr. Brue, click here.

A processed diet undergoes a tremendous transformation from its beginnings which preserves the important nutrients and delivers them in a highly palatable form. An extruded diet for example, combines raw ingredients such as:

• Eggs
• Corn
• Wheat
• Oats
• Amino acids
• Vitamins
• Minerals

These ingredients are combined into a mash, which is then cooled at very high temperatures. This cooking process destroys most bacteria and makes the diet highly digestible, so it passes into the bloodstream easily, carrying all the necessary nutrients. The extrusion or cooking process also makes the diet more palatable. Pelleted diets are manufactured similarly, except at lower temperatures that are not as effective in killing unwanted bacteria.

Sometimes these diets do require a conversion process and pet birds such as parakeets and finches many not recognize it as a food, looking instead for seed. Because these birds are small, with a rapid metabolism, they cannot go for long periods without food. So watch your pet closely when feeding these diets until they are readily eaten. The advantages once converted, however, are that your pet bird is receiving all the known nutrients in a form that is lower in fat. Typically, less is wasted which helps offset the higher cost as compared to seeds.

According to the Chicago Tribune, a Michigan man was sentenced to 18 months to 6 years in state prison for allegedly torturing the family cat and then tossing it into the garbage after he thought it was dead. 31-year-old Joshua James McKinley received credit for 56 days he had already served and was ordered to pay $628 in court fines and costs.

Police said on July 6 McKinley threw the family cat, Whiskey, up to 20 times before it ended up in the garbage can. McKinley said he threw the cat because it was eating dinner on the kitchen counter.

Previously McKinley pleaded guilty to felony animal torture. The injured cat, Whiskey, was taken to the West Michigan SPCA.

This post is one of a series of informational posts written by Dr Randal Brue for one of our great sponsors, KAYTEE. For more information on Dr. Brue, click here.

If you feed only a seed diet, be aware that your pet bird is getting very little calcium. Without this necessary nutrient, bones do not grow well or develop normally and his body may actually take stores of the mineral from healthy bones. To absorb calcium, your pet bird also needs adequate Vitamin D and the mineral phosphorus.

As a nutritionist, I’m often asked about vitamin supplements for pet birds. For your pet bird, the way a supplement is administered may affect its ability to provide the needed nutrients. Because birds’ mouths are very dry, with very little saliva, a powdered vitamin and mineral supplement could present problems. When humans eat salted sunflower seeds, they are cracked open in our mouths and the salt tasted, whereas a bird’s dry tongue and mouth eliminate dissolution of a powder in the mouth. So if the powder is given in a seed shell or hull, most of it will drop to the floor when the bird cracks open the shell. Very little of the supplement is ingested by the bird and most is wasted.

One way to provide the needed nutrients in your pet bird’s diet is to supply a powdered supplement in the bird's water or on soft foods. It is a good idea to watch your pet’s water closely because this method can have problems. Vitamins tend to break down very quickly in an aqueous or liquid environment and also when exposed to ultraviolet rays, such as in direct sunlight. These conditions make providing the correct dosage of vitamins and minerals difficult and potentially problematic. The danger arises when nutrients break down into inactive compounds in the water which the bird cannot use. They are still present in the water, however, and available for bacterial utilization. So not only is the bird not getting the nutrients it needs to combat infection, but the broken down compounds may actually be feeding the bacteria the bird will soon be drinking. To make matters worse, powdered or liquid vitamin and mineral supplements rarely contain the amino acids also needed by your pet bird.

The people have spoken! In a recent poll we asked what your favorite summertime exercise activity was for you and your dog. As of today, 31% of you agree that walking, jogging or hiking with your dog is the way to go during the summer months.

27% prefer playing fetch, and 21% enjoy tug-of-war. I did NOT vote for fetch, because our dog Donut doesn't do a great job of bringing back anything you throw her way.

Bringing up the rear, only 16% voted for swimming. A mere 5% chose playing frisbee. Thanks to all who participated, and keep those doggies exercising!

Image source: cutbug

This post is one of a series of informational posts written by Dr Randal Brue for one of our great sponsors, KAYTEE. For more information on Dr. Brue, click here.

Your pet bird may need additional nutrition even if fruits and vegetables are added to a seed diet. As you may know, fruits and vegetables do contain a lot of water, vitamin C and fiber. But surprisingly, most birds do not require Vitamin C in their diet because they manufacture it themselves. Fiber also has little nutritive value to birds.

As an animal nutritionist, I know that certain vegetables and fruits are better for birds. Deeply pigmented ones like the following are high in Vitamin A:

• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Yams
• Spinach
• Kale
• Parsley
• Kiwi
• Guava

These vegetables and fruits can add a lot to the nutritional value of a diet, while grapes and apples do not add nearly as much. Even so, this diet is still deficient in Vitamin D and Calcium as well as the missing amino acids. It is certainly possible to provide a good diet of cereal grains, some seeds, vegetables, limited fruits and adequate protein sources such as egg, beans and animal products to a bird for it to do well. But do you have time to cook for your bird everyday?