Monday, December 13, 2010

From Now on "Like" us on Facebook!

From now on we will be continuing our blog posts on our New Facebook Page! "Like" us at http://facebook.com/bestfriendschaddsford.com

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Funny Video of the Week

Here is a video that is appropriate for this summer's sky-high temperatures!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Kitty City

Did you know that we have a very unique and luxurious boarding area for cats? It's totally separate from the dog boarding area, and there are 44 large "kitty apartments" that each have their very own window. You can even choose the view that you cat would enjoy best: overlooking the dog playyards, the birds and squirrels in the trees, or people in the parking lot!  We have a ceiling-high cat climbing tree, a tent, lots of toys,  and a couch and chairs for the kitties to enjoy while at playtime.
Call us at 610-459-2724 for any questions or information!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Boomer: Play and Stay Champ

Our best buddy Boomer is an 8- year old Golden Retreiver, who stays with us quite often and does our Play and Stay program. He loves to play with the jolly balls in our camp room and splash around in our pools. Boomer loves all other dogs and people, too.  He is just the happiest , friendliest boy ever, and we love having him with us!


Call us at 610-459-2724 for more information about our Play and Stay program!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Bionic Kitty!

Check out this article taken from Philly.com about this remarkable feline:
MARIA CHENG
The Associated Press
LONDON - Oscar the cat may have lost one of his nine lives, but his new prosthetic paws make him one of the world's few bionic cats.
After losing his two rear paws in a nasty encounter with a combine harvester last October, the black cat with green eyes was outfitted with metallic pegs that link the ankles to new prosthetic feet and mimic the way deer antlers grow through skin. Oscar is now back on his feet and hopping over hurdles like tissue paper rolls.
After Oscar's farming accident, which happened when the 2 1/2-year-old-cat was lazing in the sun in the British Channel Isles, his owners, Kate and Mike Nolan, took him to their local veterinarian. In turn, the vet referred Oscar to Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick, a neuro-orthopedic surgeon in Eashing, 35 miles southwest of London.
Together with biomedical engineering experts, Fitzpatrick gave Oscar two metal prosthetic implants, or pegs. Those were attached to custom-built faux paws that are a bit wobbly, to imitate a cat's natural walk. But first, he covered the brown implants with black tape to match Oscar's fur.
Fitzpatrick said he and biomedical engineers designed the artificial paws so that they would be fused to the bone and skin. "That allows this implant to work as a seesaw on the bottom of the animal's limbs to give him (an) effectively normal gait," he said. "Oscar can now run and jump about as cats should do."
The veterinarians then inserted the peg-like implants by drilling them into Oscar's ankle bones in his rear legs. The metal implants are attached to the bone where Oscar lost his paws and were coated with a substance that helps bone cells grow directly over them. The cat's own skin then grew over the end of the peg to form a natural seal to prevent infections.
After rehabilitation training that taught Oscar how to walk again, the cat was on all four feet in less than four months. Oscar's owners said they hoped his new paws would also further the technology for developing artificial limbs for humans.
"This is a pretty lucky cat," said Dr. Mark Johnston, a veterinarian and spokesman for the British Small Animal Veterinary Association. "Giving a cat artificial limbs is a very novel solution." Johnston said that while there are many "perfectly happy" three-legged cats and dogs, animals that lose two legs do not usually fare as well.
Dogs might cope better with some sort of animal-wheelchair for their back legs, but cats don't usually adapt to that because of their freer lifestyle, he said. "If a cat has two legs that are damaged beyond repair, it's very hard to keep him going," he said. "We would generally euthanize a cat in that situation."
He doubted the technique would be widely available due to the cost and said it was still relatively rare for animals to lose two legs at once. Gordon Blunn, head of biomedical engineering at University College London, who led the effort to make Oscar's fake paws, said they cost about 2,000 pounds ($2,996) to make, not including the cost for the operation itself.
In 2008, Fitzpatrick made an artificial knee for a cat named Missy who was struck by a hit and run driver. In the U.S., several animals have received artificial limbs directly attached to their bones at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Johnston said the next six months to a year would be critical for Oscar. He said veterinarians would have to closely monitor the feline to make sure no infections, sores or other movement problems crop up.
"It may not last forever, but even if you provide the cat with a few years of pain-free mobility, it may well be worth it," he said.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Spayed Club

Spaying and neutering our pets is very important for so many reasons. It helps prevent overpopulation, decreases unwanted sexual behaviors (like mounting and humping for dogs and spraying and heat cycles in cats), decreases the risk of your pet getting cancer, makes dog license fees cheaper, and decreases any unwanted or unplanned litters that you could be faced with.
The Spayed Club in Sharon Hill, PA, offers low cost spaying and neutering as well as vaccines. It is located at 800 Chester Pike Sharon Hill, PA 19079, and the contact number is 484-540-8436. You can also check them out online: http://www.thespayedclubclinic.org/

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Prince Chunk

Check out this video about the success story of a formerly obese, homeless cat and the foundation that has been set up in his honor: