PetSugar

It's Time to Separate 10 Facts From Fiction, Shelter Dog-Style

PetSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:00:20 -0700

Without a home but not without hope, animals in shelters have to fight uphill battles based on all the myths about their situations. I've come up with 10 common misconceptions about these pups and broken it down into the honest truth - get started and see for yourself!

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Ask PetSugar: Why Do My Pet's Eyes Look Awful in Photos?

PetSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:20:16 -0700

Admittedly, I sometimes use editing software to touch up North's pupils but, when a pal asked about the phenomenon of red, yellow, blue, or green eyes in animal photos, I found myself rambling on like a quasiscientist. Just call me Dr. PetSugar . . .

When taking a picture, eye discoloration often occurs if a flash goes off with someone (or something) looking straight at the camera. I know I'm not the only one bending down to capture my pooch's cute antics and look at these baby blues! North's pupils aren't really that color, but learn why they look that way and read more.

You know how many creatures can see better at night? Well, that actually occurs because of the tapetum, a special reflective layer in the back of the eye. To get a touch technical, light passes through an animal's retina from the outside of the eye and is then reflected back through the retina a second time from the reflective tapetal layer beneath the retina. Not only does passing through this layer help species see better in low light, the color of the tapetal layer is actually different for different pets.

Most puppies and kittens have a blue tapetal reflection until the backs of the eyes fully mature and change based on coat color. Dark colored dogs often have a green reflection, light pets will often show a yellow tapetal reflection and other species (like Siberian Huskies and Siamese) may have no pigment and flash back red just like us!

Now there's nothing you can do about the science of animals' eyes, but Snapfish has a new way to battle this problem – Pet Eye can help rid pets of the unwanted glow from your precious piccys without using another editing software before ordering your prints. What color do your animals' eyes most often appear when snapping?

Mythbuster: Droopy Dog Tongues Don't Always Denote Thirst

PetSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:15:41 -0700

Am I the only pet owner who's tried to shove a bowl of water under my pup's dangling tongue . . . only to have him turn his nose up at it? I didn't always realize that just because his tongue was out, didn't mean he wanted a drink. Dogs hang their tongues out when they are hot (sometimes they're also thirsty), but it's actually a way to cool themselves off. Typically, pups pant and breathe in air through their noses and release the air through their mouth – when the mouth's open, the saliva can evaporate, producing a cooling effect! So, if your choosy pooch doesn't choose water when he's outside like Samson here, just know his body's working to further cool down his blood flow just by that cute technique.

Friday Mythbuster: Elephants and Mice

PetSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:30:14 -0800

If you recall the film featuring this big-eared pachyderm and his animated mouse pal, you'll remember he wasn't too keen about meeting this rodent. Now, I'm not sure where the idea that elephants are scared of mice originated from, but I'd like to take the time to assure you, it's not entirely true!

Think about it. Picture the size of an elephant. Then, picture the size of a mouse. Picture the size of the elephant's lil' eyes checking out that lil' guy. Although pachyderms can smell and hear things that are far away, their eyesight is poor and their eyes teensy in relation to their enormous heads (that can just turn slightly from side to side). Furthermore, there's no scientific evidence that elephants are fearful of many animals in the wild, and it's been shown that the two species coexist peacefully in captivity. Mice can make their homes in the elephants' hay and straw . . . and probably don't even get a second glance way down there from the big ones.

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The Scoop: Welcome Flocke!

PetSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:20:14 -0800

It's official - this 5-week-old polar bear cub has been named Flocke by zookeepers in Nuremberg today. They'd already affectionately dubbed the fuzzy one with that name meaning "flake" and ended up sticking to it. This baby was rescued after mother bear, Vera, appeared to be increasingly aggressive towards the cub, picking her up and dropping her . . . and just days after another new zoo mother bear, Vilma, ate her two babies. Despite Flocke's young age, her international popularity may soon rival Knut, the hand-raised Berlin Zoo "orphan" that turned one back in December. I can't wait to see more pictures and videos of both cubs growing up . . . and wonder if there will one day be a love connection between the two?!

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Friday Mythbuster: What Colors Do Doggies See?

PetSugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:00:47 -0800

I don't know about you, but I definitely give consideration to what color toy, harness, and bed I choose for my pet. Now, it's not because I truly believe he prefers a turquoise harness, indigo ball, or lime-green pinstripes on his chocolate-brown bed, I would just rather the stuff match my apartment (neurotic, I know). I can't tell what colors North's eyes see, but there's much research (and many misconceptions) about which colors, if any, are visible to doggies. Veterinary ophthalmologists have determined that dogs are similar to people with red/green color blindness - pups can see bluish and greenish shades but not many ones closer to red.

To learn about conclusions from experiments performed by University of Wisconsin researchers, read more.

The retinas of people who see colors normally have three types of color receptors, or cones, and each are particularly sensitive to a narrow part of the spectrum. However, doggies (and red/green colorblind humans) have only two types of cones, giving less basis for comparison and a more-limited perceived color range. People who see colors normally see the traditional VIBGYOR (violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red) spectrum like on the above kite. Dogs, however, see VIBYYYR (violet, indigo, blue, yellow, yellow, yellow, and red). This means that the colors of green, yellow, and orange look alike to dogs but different from red (which they can distinguish) and variations of blues and purples. Pups are actually best at telling shades of violet, indigo (he loves that ball!), and blue apart. However, the results also say that blue-green looks like white to dogs. Oops, guess he doesn't find his harness half as fashionable as I do!

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