After losing her owner and canine companion in the same week, 10-year old Sheba, a husky mix, was relinquished to the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA. These combined losses of close companions caused Sheba to become extremely depressed and thus uninterested in leaving her habitat or interacting with people.

In an effort to cheer her up, Sheba was introduced to another senior, Ranger, a 12-year old shepherd mix. That was the first time Sheba stood up and wagged her tail. She made great progress with Ranger’s support and it quickly became clear that the two could not be separated!

They found love in each other and now all these sweet seniors needed was a family to love and cherish both of them. Their dreams came true during November’s “Adopt a Senior Pet” adoption campaign. A lovely couple saw Sheba and Ranger on KUSI so they paid a visit to the San Diego Humane Society that very day. It only took moments to fall in love with the bonded pair, so the couple happily adopted them. Now Sheba and Ranger have a caring home with lots of space to play, take long naps and receive plenty of love for their golden years!

See this month's adoptable pets.

About the San Diego Humane Society & SPCA

Serving San Diego County since 1880, the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA’s scope of social responsibility goes beyond adopting animals. The Humane Society offers San Diegans a wide range of programs and services that strengthen the human-animal bond, prevent cruelty/neglect, provide medical care and educate the community on the humane treatment of animals.

As one of San Diego’s oldest nonprofit organizations, the Humane Society has campuses in both San Diego and Oceanside and is supported solely through contributions, grants, bequests, investments, proceeds from the Muttique retail store, and small fees for services. For more information or to see current animals available for adoption, please visit www.sdhumane.org.

If you’ve been wanting a companion pet but don’t feel you have the room for a cat or dog, or your housing complex does not allow them, consider a smaller pet to keep you company. Smaller pets can be mice, gerbils, hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, chinchillas, or rabbits. Many smaller pets make great companions. Rats love attention; hamsters are great for people who tend to be “night owls,” and guinea pigs sing lovely songs consisting of chirps, rumbles, and chattering; they are a delight to listen to. Rabbits can learn tricks and train their humans, and chinchillas are hysterical to watch, as they fly through the room, jumping from the tops of cages to furniture.

The first step in adopting a smaller pet is to learn about its care, in advance of bringing one home. There are many websites that can give you great advice: For rats, try www.ratclub.org an excellent site from New Zealand. Guinea pig advice can be found at www.guinealynx.info. For mice, try http://tinyurl.com/7bu29lx.

Care guides for each of these species can be found at http://www.weecompanions.com/resources.htm.

Guinea pigs make great pets for families with children, with parents as the chief caregivers. Guinea pigs are also known as cavies. They can live up to nine years, with five to seven years being the average. As with any pet, you must be prepared to keep and care for your guinea pig throughout its entire lifetime. The fun aspect of guineas is watching them putter about, making little nests in their bedding, and singing their sweet little guinea songs.

Guinea pigs are strict vegetarians and eat fresh vegetables, hay and fortified pelleted foods. Pigs are adopted or housed in same-sex pairs, as spaying or neutering surgeries are too risky. Breeding guinea pigs is not recommended, as it’s very risky for the mothers. The gestation period is about 70 days and pigs can give birth to one to four babies. The mortality rate for pregnant guineas is about 20% with one in five dying during the birthing process.

Hamsters have long been thought as good pets for kids, but that’s rarely the case. Nocturnal animals, hamsters sleep throughout the day and are active at night; just the opposite of your children. Hamsters are very delicate animals, therefore not a good choice for children who may have trouble holding them securely. For individuals whose schedules include late evenings, these tiny animals can provide hours of entertainment. The Humane Society of the U.S. provides a great video on their care at http://tinyurl.com/7zbs6ll. Be sure to provide them with the right housing, and many play things to keep them occupied and well exercised.

Rats can be controversial as pets, with many parents cringing at the thought. But they are great for kids because they love attention! Rats want to hang out with their humans and be held, a lot. This is perfect for children who really want that hands-on interaction with their pet. Rats live an average of two to three years, with the rare exception living up to five. They are very social and should be adopted in same-sex pairs so they will have a friend. They need your attention too; rats should get out-of-cage time of at least one to two hours per day. Rats are inexpensive to adopt, but their medical care can be pricey. They have a tendency toward growing tumors; regular vet checkups are a must.

Rabbits are a popular family companion and come in many breeds, colors and sizes. They run from a tiny 2½ pounds, up to 16 pounds or more. They are often sold and advertised as “dwarf breeds” by pet stores, only to grow to six or seven pounds. Their average lifespan is 8 to 12 years. Rabbits are extremely social and enjoy the companion ship of their own species and interaction with humans. They have very individual personalities so it’s very important to adopt a rabbit whose personality is a good match for you. Learn about rabbit care and behavior at www.rabbit.org.

Smaller animals are available for adoption through local shelters and rescue groups, including www.weecompanions.org. Information on the care, housing, and adoption of these precious little creatures is on their website.

Some people wear their heart on their sleeve. Dogs wear theirs on their butt. A dog’s tail is a flag, an indicator of the dog’s mood and intention.

When they’re scared or guilty it’s tucked between their legs; if they’re sad, it droops. Excited dog tails twitch and happy dogs wag theirs.

I don’t know what the tail of an aggressive dog does. I’m too busy avoiding the teeth.

If people had tails, there would be fewer bar fights, domestic violence and war.

My dog Musket is a Yellow Labrador, a breed known for being friendly he is also a Guide Dog.

Musket has a certain something which sets him apart from the rest of the pack. With very beautiful expressive eyes and that Labrador smile he is very popular.

But on the other hand, or should I say ‘end’ is his tail. He has a heavy tail and could batter down condemned buildings with it. But Musket has no idea what his butt is doing.

Musket’s tail broadcasts his emotions; happy, sad, guilty, nervous, excited or sick.

When he sees a friend or family member his tail wags so hard it creates a breeze. I might tie a fan on it for hot days. His all-time love, the holder of his heart is my wife Jane.

Musket snores like a longshoreman sleeping off a hangover in Singapore, but when Jane comes in his tail knows it before he does.

Just the end. Twitch, twitch.

“Where’s my Musket?” Jane asks.

His tail goes active, rapidly patting the floor. Whapwhapwhap.

“There’s my Musket!”

Then the pile driver. Wham! Wham! Wham!

Then he wakes, slobbering her with loving kisses.

He’s furry Prozac without the side effects.

My co-workers adore him. His tail against the metal of my filing cabinet sounds like Rosie the Riveter making a B-17.

Nothing a ball-peen hammer and some Bondo won’t fix. When Jane comes by the office to visit, Musket knows it right away.

ZOOM! He’s like a Tomcat on a carrier catapult, propelled by his madly thrashing tail.

I don’t try to stop him.

I’m blind, not insane. I like my arm right where it is.

Musket’s tail makes me laugh. And he likes it when I am happy. It’s a perfect circle of cause and effect, harmonious and unbroken. Sort of Zen-like. Paws be with you.



Mark Carlson, 51 lives in San Diego with his wife Jane and his Guide dog Musket. A docent at the San Diego Air & Space Museum and aviation historian, Mark writes for several national aviation magazines. He is a featured speaker for many local adult education programs. His first book, ‘Confessions of a Guide Dog – The Blonde Leading the Blind’ is a humorous memoir about the adventures of life with Musket. It is available in through Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com and iUniverse.com. You can reach Mark and Musket through www.musketmania.com.

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 Available in through Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com and iUniverse.com.

Famed comedian and character actor Tim Conway, formerly of television's The Carol Burnett Show, six-time Emmy Award winner and beloved by three generations of fans, is also a dog owner—and amid his background, he's got a unique way with animal stories. Pet expert Arden Moore recently launched into one of 'em on her international radio show when she breezily asked the entertainer the name of his pooch.

“I don't know,” Conway said. “I've never talked to him. He doesn't say a word. We keep saying 'What is your name,' and he just looks at us.”

When Moore reminded Conway that most dogs think their name is No, her guest had a ready reply. “We've never said 'no' to him,” he deadpanned, “because he has his own teeth.”

Turns out the dog's name is Leo, a bichon frise and, according to Conway, the cutest thing on four legs. It's true that bichons are absolutely adorable animals—but in seriousness, Moore is on to something when she jokes about the No part. The command is legendary in the dog owner's glossary of terms, and too often, she said, it's thrown around without a lot of thought to its effect on its target.

Enter Moore,a tireless advocate for pets, pet owners and the very special bond between both.

“Oh Behave,” the Oceanside resident's weekly radio show (carried by PetLife-Radio, the world’s leading pet podcast network) is only one entry in a litany of efforts in this behalf—she's written more than 20 books on pet behavior; is a frequent guest on the likes of Today, CNN, Fox News Channel and Martha Stewart Living; travels the continent helping millions understand their pets; edits several pet-centric publications; and is a certified pet first aid, CPR and safety instructor with Pet Tech, the international firm based in Carlsbad.

Pet Tech holds instructor training classes in first aid, dental care, caring for the older animal and techniques to apply before seeking emergency vet care. Moore instructs throughout the West Coast, but focuses her teaching in San Diego County and Coachella Valley. Pet Tech even offers an app that contains your pet's health information. For more on Pet Tech, go to pettech.net.

Moore shares her home with her “furry fab four” plus one—two dogs, two cats and, according to her website, “an overworked vacuum cleaner.” And just as her joy lay deep in the animal kingdom, she understands our profound responsibility to and within it. To Conway, Leo's a super dog and a loyal companion. To Moore, he's a fellow traveler, an indispensable link in her quest “to help people laugh, love and learn about their pets” and to help the pet do the same with you.

“Zeki,” Moore said of her Turkish Van mix cat, “should be the angriest animal on the planet and shouldn't like anybody” amid a life of abuse (which included a brutal knife attack). “But here she is, going up to people, so good with other cats and dogs. She's a totally spunky personality. She goes out in public with me, and she just wants to love you and get to know you and who you are.” There's an invaluable lesson for humans in there, Moore said, about second chances and self-empowerment, as was evident at SuperZoo, a major pet trade show in Las Vegas. Zeki, of course, was the hit of the day, even scoring an autographed baseball by Hall of Fame pitcher Orel Hershiser and tolerating a butt sniff from Tillman, the famous skateboard-riding Bulldog.

Most recently, Zeki and Moore were seen at last month's San Diego Pet Expo, with Zeki acting as a visual accompaniment in a first aid demonstration—without so much as a hiss or a nasty glare, Zeki let Moore apply a head hood that works as a safety muzzle.

The rest of the family includes Chipper, Moore's golden retriever-Husky mix named for Moore's love of golf; Cleo, a miniature breed of poodle and Basset hound and an avid surfer (Moore and Chipper are members of SoCal Surf Dogs, a group of dog owners who hang ten with their pets aboard); and Murphy, a molly cat that likes to cackle at birds. All are females, and all have escaped the mean streets in one way or another, thanks to Moore, whose early life in her hometown of Crown Point, Ind. included teaching her cat Corky to swim but certainly carried no hint of a career involving animals.

An education at Purdue University and newspaper gigs in Indiana and Florida would keep her out of the typical office environment for more than 20 years; one stint as an investigative reporter found her working a few desks away from John Grogan, author of the debut bestseller Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog. Grogan wrote the foreword in Moore’s best-selling book, The Dog Behavior Answer Book. An excerpt reads: “Had I followed Arden’s wise advice in this book, Marley might have been so good I never would have been tempted to write a book about him.”

Moore moved to California in 1999. A reporter's insight and a spirit's soul took over, opening the path to the pet field and the animal's unrivaled place in human affairs.

“When I was growing up,” Moore explained, “I always had animals. But I didn't realize I had a connection with them until I was older. I saw the need to tell everyone what pets can bring us. They teach us to live in the moment and to be up front with people around us.

“Animals don't have to speak in English or Spanish or Swahili. They speak in their own languages and are probably better multi-linguists than we two-leggers. All our dogs and cats and companion animals have to adapt to the one that's the benevolent leader. In order to get their meals and playtime, they have to amend some of their ways to fit into the people world. If I can help people understand their motivations, the people are happy, and the pets get to stay in the home.”

Moore, a member of the International Association of Animal Behavioral Consultants, must complete a certain level of continuing education to maintain her membership. Meanwhile, she said, she feels most comfortable resolving “mild to moderate” issues of pet behavior “interwoven with a medical condition. Between the pet owner and the vet, maybe care can be done a little faster and less expensively.”

Moore tells of a caller in New Hampshire who was at her wits' end—her cat was refusing to use its litter box, fueling the owner's thoughts about giving him away amid a lifelong relationship. Turns out it was simply becoming too difficult for this feline (then 12) to navigate downstairs to the box. A box at each level of the house (and treatment for a urinary tract infection) did the trick, and what could have been a tragic parting morphed into a resurgent relationship.

“Sometimes,” Moore said, “people will call you and say, 'If you don't help me, I'm going to have to put this animal down.' That’s hard. I can hear their frustration. I do my best to offer some solutions or refer them to professionals in their area”.

“Our companion animals read our energies. They're looking for a lot of clues, because they don't speak English, but they communicate very consistently and very candidly. They don't care if you're Bill Gates or Joe Schmoe. All they want to know is if you're gonna love them. They don't care about anything but you.”

Locally, their questions are answered and then some.

“People love their pets here in San Diego,” Moore said. “They like doing things for their pets and with their pets. Yappy hours, pet parades, dog surfing, cat shows, the [San Diego County] Humane Society, [the Helen] Woodward [Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe], PETCO, great vets, two Oceanside clinics that in the past two years have quadrupled in size: There's a lot going on if you happen to be a pet owner. This isn't just a place where people have a pet and pet them on the head. I've been coast to coast, and this is pet heaven.”

Still, extremism rears itself every so often. “People mean well,” Moore explained, “but there are still those who handle their companions like trophies, like the Chihuahuas that don't get to walk a day in their lives because people pick them up. That's sad. I want to be the voice of moderation. I'm more about showing you every day how you can sneak in manners. Have your dog say 'please' [like with a sit] before you give a treat. They learn to earn.”

Meanwhile, Moore is the creator of silly pet songs, PawPoint presentations (her version of the PowerPoint show), “Paws up!,” her signature catch phrase, and she has become the expert of the three Ps—pee, poop and puke. On top of it all, she launched National Dog Party Day™ last June as a shout-out to everybody's best friend, complete with doggie disco, doggie games, doggie treats and celebrity bakers. She's behind it all as a celebration of the animal-human connection.

Pet owners go with the flow by the millions, with Moore listening intently for the one signal that heralds their understanding.

“If they're laughing,” she said, “they're learning.”

For much more on Moore's books, radio show, classes and other pet-centric activities, go to FourLeggedLife.com.

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Check out these videos of Arden Moore too:













Below are some of the many guests Arden Moore has interviewed on "Oh Behave"

Feline Diabetes is one of the most common and treatable conditions seen in cats today. In the normally functioning cat, the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin. Insulin travels throughout the body and unlocks the cells (very basic building blocks of the body) to let glucose (sugar) inside so that it can be used for energy. Diabetes is a disease where there is too much sugar in the body. This is usually from not enough insulin. If there is not enough insulin, then sugar can’t get into the cell. The sugar stays in the blood stream and pulls water from the body to dilute it. The sugar and excess water is then processed by the kidneys causing an increase in urine being made, which makes the cat become a little dehydrated. The cat then ends up drinking more water because it gets thirstier. The cat may also act hungry because its body isn’t processing sugar for energy. Instead, the body will break down fat for energy and the cat loses weight.

Cats that become diabetic are typically overweight, middle-aged and male. Their bodies just can’t make enough insulin when they become obese. Often, owners notice their cat drinking more or producing more urine. Owners may also notice weight loss in face of a normal or increased appetite. The veterinarian will perform an examination and take a full history then recommend a comprehensive blood and urine test and look for high blood sugar and sugar in the urine.

Treatment for diabetes should include a diet change to encourage careful weight loss under a veterinarian’s supervision. Reducing the cat’s sugar intake by feeding it a very low carbohydrate diet can be helpful in most cases. Canned food is even lower in carbohydrates than dry food. Insulin is usually started at a low dose and carefully monitored. The owner will be taught how to give insulin shots and check the cat’s blood sugar at home. A glucometer, which measures blood sugar, should be used to monitor the blood sugar is keep it within a safe range. Many cats can be taken off of insulin after a few weeks to months of insulin on top of feeding a very low carbohydrate diet and weight loss.

If untreated, cats may develop diabetic ketoacidosis, which is where they burn so much fat for energy that their body becomes acidic and they also become dehydrated. This becomes life-threatening and requires fluid support, low doses of insulin frequently, and hospitalization. Another complication includes diabetic polyneuropathy, which means the nerves are affected by the high sugar and become weak. They don’t work properly and the muscles in the legs atrophy. The cats walk on their “ankles” (it affects the back legs more than the front.)

Hypoglycemia is a condition often related to diabetes. This can happen when the cat doesn’t need insulin any more or the cat is sick, not eating enough food and still gets a full dose of insulin. Sometimes the owner may accidentally give 2 doses of insulin, especially when two caretakers miscommunicate. Too much insulin causes the blood sugar to become very low. This is called hypoglycemia. This condition is an emergency as death can result shortly if not treated. The cat will act sluggish, disoriented, may lie down and have tremors. The owner should apply Karo Syrup to the gums and take the cat to the veterinarian right away for an exam and potentially intravenous glucose.

Many cats, when diagnosed and started on a low carbohydrate diet and insulin, will go into “diabetic remission” and not require insulin shots long term. Other cats might continue to require insulin shots. Cat owners need to understand when their cat is first diagnosed, the lab tests, insulin, syringes, diet, and glucometer may seem expensive. But after their cat has been “regulated”, then fewer blood tests are needed.

In summary, diabetes is a preventable, treatable, and potentially curable disease but requires the owner to be dedicated to care and be willing to learn how to treat a diabetic cat at home with insulin shots and blood sugar testing. Cats can still live long, happy lives with diabetes!



Dr. Ann Middleton is a veterinarian and owner of Clairemont’s Cheshire Cat Feline Health Center which is located at 4680 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. in Clairemont. For more info, visit www.cheshirecatclinic.com, or call 858-483-1573.