Yet more of those gorgeous photos by Kristýna Kvapilová.
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As I said last week these were all taken from here.
Again, I am going to take a short break and will see you all in the New Year; on January 2nd, 2019.
Category: Photography
Columbia River Dog Food Recall
Columbia River Natural Pet Food Recall Expands
Columbia River Natural Pet Foods of Vancouver, WA, is expanding its recall to include 2 of its dog and cat food products because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria bacteria.
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December 24, 2018 — Columbia River Natural Pet Foods of Vancouver, WA, is expanding its recent recall to include additional dog and cat foods due to their potential to be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.
What’s Recalled?
The following products are being recalled:
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- Columbia River Cow Pie Food for Dogs and Cats
Package Size: 2 pounds
Lot Number: 72618
- Columbia River Cow Pie Food for Dogs and Cats
- Columbia River Chicken and Vegetables Food for Dogs and Cats
Package Size: 2 pounds
Lot Number: 111518
The recall includes 261 packages of Cow Pie Lot # 72618 and 82 packages of Chicken & Vegetables Lot# 111518 fresh frozen meats for dogs and cats, produced in July 2018 and November 2018.
Cow Pie and Chicken and Vegetables are fresh frozen meat products intended to be fed raw to dogs and cats.
Both were distributed in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington through retail stores and direct delivery.
The Cow Pie product comes in frozen 2-pound purple and white plastic bags with Lot# 72618 found on an orange sticker.
The Chicken and Vegetables product comes in frozen 2-pound turquoise and white plastic bags with Lot # 111518 found on an orange sticker.
No illnesses have been reported to date.
About Salmonella and Listeria
Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever.
Rarely, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms.
Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Pets with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting.
Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain.
Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans.
If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
What Caused the Recall?
The potential for contamination was noted after testing by the Washington State Department of Agriculture revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in one package of Cow Pie and Salmonella in one package of Chicken & Vegetables.
What to Do?
Consumers who purchased the product should discontinue use of the product and return for a full refund or exchange by returning the product in its original packaging to place of purchase.
Consumers with questions may contact the company at 360-834-6854 Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM PT.
This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.
Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.
Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.
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Please share this important news item as far and wide as you can.
A very useful piece of advice.
Times they are a changing!
I am speaking of the summer months and the risk of animals being burnt. Mind you, as the following article shows, summer is stretching it a bit. This article was published on December 10th!
But whenever it was published it’s a good news story.
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Cats, dogs and a bobcat are the latest burn victims saved with fish skin
By JACQUELINE GULLEDGE December 10, 2018.
Just this past month, California suffered its worst wildfire in the state’s history. Camp Fire in Paradise, California burned 220 acres and claimed the lives of 85 people. The vast majority of residents had little-to-no warning to evacuate, and many pets were left behind and left to fend for themselves along with the wildilfe.
Several dogs and cats burned in the fire ended up at Valley Oak Veterinary Center in Chico. When Dr. Jamie Peyton, chief of the Integrative Medicine Service at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, heard about the animals, she volunteered to treat them with the innovative method of using tilapia skin on their burns. (This is the first time dogs and cats have been treated with tilapia skin for burns.) The kitten pictured above suffered third degree burns on some of his paws and lost the pads to all his feet.
“Their paws have been badly burned,” said Dusty Spencer, a veterinary surgeon at VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center. “Their whiskers are singed or gone. Some of them have had really bad burns on their eyelids and nose.”
An 8-year-old Boston terrier mix named Olivia was one of the first dogs to receive treatment.
Olivia’s owners, Curtis and Mindy Stark, were out of town when the blaze began. Fortunately, Olivia has a microchip and was reunited with her owners. She suffered second-degree burns to her paws, legs and side, but it wasn’t long till she was feeling better thanks to the tilapia skin.
“It was a day and night difference,” said Curtis Stark. “She got up on the bed and did a back flip. That is the first time we saw her acting like she was before.”
Treatment also works for the most severe burns
Pets weren’t the only animals to suffer during the wildfire. Many wild animals desperately tried to flee but couldn’t.
A bobcat was also brought in for treatment. Peyton tells MNN the bobcat suffered third- to fifth-degree burns on his paws. A fifth-degree burn means the burn goes down to the bone. The animal was very thin due to his inability to hunt for food and lack of food sources after the fire. In the week since the bobcat received his first treatment, he has had three tilapia bandage changes. “Each one seems to be showing marked improvement and he is moving well and showing a lot of spunk at his rehabilitation home,” said Peyton.
It will be several months before the bobcat can be released back in the wild, but Peyton’s goal is to “help him heal as soon as possible to allow him to get back to his home.”
Previously, Peyton treated a bear cub injured in California’s Carr Fire back in August and before that two bears and a mountain lion from the Thomas Fire earlier this year.
Previous success for other injured wildlife
This summer, the Carr Fire near Redding, California burned for more than a month and scorched more than 229,000 acres — also forcing many wild animals to try and escape.
On Aug. 2, a Pacific Gas & Electric Company contractor spotted an injured black bear cub lying in the ash, unable to walk on her paws. She was the latest victim of the Carr Fire — and luckily, one the contractor knew he could help. The contractor called Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, a certified wildlife rehabilitation facility.
A team was quickly mobilized to rescue the cub. Officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) cleared a safe path and tranquilized the cub to carry her to safety. The cub was brought to a lab to be treated by a team of veterinarians from CDFW and the University of California, Davis.
“Generally speaking, an animal that has survived a fire and is walking around on its own should be left alone, but that wasn’t the case here,” CDFW’s Environmental Program Manager Jeff Stoddard said. “In addition to her inability to stand or walk, there were active fires burning nearby, and with the burn area exceeding 125 square miles and growing, we weren’t sure there was any suitable habitat nearby to take her to.”
How does tilapia skin work for treating burns?
“The tilapia skins provide direct, steady pressure to the wounds, keep bacteria out and stay on better and longer than any kind of regular, synthetic bandage would,” Peyton said. “The complete treatment also includes application of antibiotics and pain salve, laser treatments and acupuncture for pain management.”
The cub is the third bear in the state to be treated for burns with tilapia skin. Earlier this year after the Thomas fire, two bears and a mountain lion also received similar treatment. With each animal being treated, Peyton and her team grow more optimistic that tilapia skin is an effective treatment for burns that can be used in veterinary hospitals around the world.
“Just like we’ve seen in other species, we’re seeing increased pain relief. We’re seeing wound healing and an overall increased comfort,” said Peyton. “One of the most important things about being at UC Davis VMTH is that we are learning new techniques, but they don’t make much of a difference unless we can use them in the community.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated since it was originally published in August 2018.
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Reading this article leaves me with the impression that there are a great number of good people out there!
Picture Parade Two Hundred and Sixty-Nine
More of those gorgeous photos by Kristýna Kvapilová.
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All taken from here.
Finally, I shall be taking a break over the Christmas holidays and will be back with you on Thursday, 27th December.
You all have a peaceful and relaxing time.
2018’s brightest comet!
As seen on the EarthSky website.
There were a number of photographs of Comet 46P/Wirtanen on this site.
But the one that really leapt off the page, so to speak, was this one:
Jack Fusco Photography in California wrote: “Hi EarthSky! I’m so excited to share my 1st photo of comet 46P/Wirtanen! We took our boxer, Kona, out to the Anza Borrego Desert with us and came home with a new family photo. : ) I shared some behind-the-scenes and outtakes over on my blog as well.” Awesome photo, and thanks for the how-to-photograph info on your blog, Jack!
Amazing!
That Winter Solstice
Good people, this is mid-Winter.
(Northern Hemisphere only.)
OK, not in the sense of weather because the worse is yet to come I’m sure. But in terms of the movement of the Planet Earth in its orbit around the Sun. And that’s what matters!
This is a really ancient moment as the following article published in The Conversation explains in much more detail.
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What winter solstice rituals tell us about indigenous people
By Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, The University of Montana
December 13th, 2018.
On the day of winter solstice, many Native American communities will hold religious ceremonies or community events.
The winter solstice is the day of the year when the Northern Hemisphere has the fewest hours of sunlight and the Southern Hemisphere has the most. For indigenous peoples, it has been a time to honor their ancient sun deity. They passed their knowledge down to successive generations through complex stories and ritual practices.
As a scholar of the environmental and Native American religion, I believe, there is much to learn from ancient religious practices.
Ancient architecture
For decades, scholars have studied the astronomical observations that ancient indigenous people made and sought to understand their meaning.
One such place was at Cahokia, near the Mississippi River in what is now Illinois across from St. Louis.
In Cahokia, indigenous people built numerous temple pyramids or mounds, similar to the structures built by the Aztecs in Mexico, over a thousand years ago. Among their constructions, what most stands out is an intriguing structure made up of wooden posts arranged in a circle, known today as “Woodhenge.”
To understand the purpose of Woodhenge, scientists watched the sun rise from this structure on winter solstice. What they found was telling: The sun aligned with both Woodhenge and the top of a temple mound – a temple built on top of a pyramid with a flat top – in the distance. They also found that the sun aligns with a different temple mound on summer solstice.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the people of Cahokia venerated the sun as a deity. Scholars believe that ancient indigenous societies observed the solar system carefully and wove that knowledge into their architecture.
Scientists have speculated that the Cahokia held rituals to honor the sun as a giver of life and for the new agricultural year.
Complex understandings
Zuni Pueblo is a contemporary example of indigenous people with an agricultural society in western New Mexico. They grow corn, beans, squash, sunflowers and more. Each year they hold annual harvest festivals and numerous religious ceremonies, including at the winter solstice.
At the time of the winter solstice they hold a multiday celebration, known as the Shalako festival. The days for the celebration are selected by the religious leaders. The Zuni are intensely private, and most events are not for public viewing.
But what is shared with the public is near the end of the ceremony, when six Zuni men dress up and embody the spirit of giant bird deities. These men carry the Zuni prayers for rain “to all the corners of the earth.” The Zuni deities are believed to provide “blessings” and “balance” for the coming seasons and agricultural year.
As religion scholar Tisa Wenger writes, “The Zuni believe their ceremonies are necessary not just for the well-being of the tribe but for “the entire world.”
Winter games
Not all indigenous peoples ritualized the winter solstice with a ceremony. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t find other ways to celebrate.
The Blackfeet tribe in Montana, where I am a member, historically kept a calendar of astronomical events. They marked the time of the winter solstice and the “return” of the sun or “Naatosi” on its annual journey. They also faced their tipis – or portable conical tents – east toward the rising sun.
They rarely held large religious gatherings in the winter. Instead the Blackfeet viewed the time of the winter solstice as a time for games and community dances. As a child, my grandmother enjoyed attending community dances at the time of the winter solstice. She remembered that each community held their own gatherings, with unique drumming, singing and dance styles.
Later, in my own research, I learned that the Blackfeet moved their dances and ceremonies during the early reservation years from times on their religious calendar to times acceptable to the U.S. government. The dances held at the time of the solstice were moved to Christmas Day or to New Year’s Eve.
The solstice. Divad, from Wikimedia Commons
Today, my family still spends the darkest days of winter playing card games and attending the local community dances, much like my grandmother did.
Although some winter solstice traditions have changed over time, they are still a reminder of indigenous peoples understanding of the intricate workings of the solar system. Or as the Zuni Pueblo’s rituals for all peoples of the earth demonstrate – of an ancient understanding of the interconnectedness of the world.
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Let me pick up on the last sentence: “Or as the Zuni Pueblo’s rituals for all peoples of the earth demonstrate – of an ancient understanding of the interconnectedness of the world.”
We are all of us interconnected across the world. We have been for a very long time.
The importance of understanding this, truly understanding this, is critical to our future.
Why don’t we do this?
The day of the dogs.
I saw this on the BBC News site back in November and had been meaning to share it with you before now. But it’s still highly relevant.
Do no more than go straight into the article.
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Nepal festival celebrates ‘day of the dogs’
Every dog has its day, and for canines in Nepal that phrase could not be more literal.
The five-day Nepalese Hindu festival of Tihar started this week and the second day is known as Kukur Tihar or “day of the dogs”.
Dogs are celebrated and blessed with a Tika – a red mark applied to their forehead.
The animals are also given flowers, garlands and offered food as part of the festival.
Hindus believe that dog is the messenger of Yamaraj – the God of death – and by keeping the dogs in good humour they will be able to appease Yamaraj himself.
The festival, which shares some traditions with Diwali in India, also celebrates cows and crows.
It is not just beloved pets who are involved in the celebrations. Stray dogs are honoured on the day too.
Treats given to dogs during Kukur Tihar can range from meat, milk, eggs and good quality dog food.
Tihar is also called Deepavali or the festival of lights.
Throughout this festival, people in Nepal clean their houses and courtyards; light up lamps and pray to Laxmi – the Goddess of Wealth – urging her to visit their houses and bless them.
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Just beautiful!
Picture Parade Two Hundred and Sixty-Eight
More from Margaret K.
But from a different source.
Once again, I feel as though I should include the introduction:
My name is Kristýna Kvapilová and I’m a dog photographer, traveler and frisbee player from the Czech Republic. I’m 21 years old and I’m the proud owner of a Canon 5D Mark IV.
When I leave my computer-based job, you can often see me somewhere on the road, traveling and exploring the world with my beautiful 7-year-old Australian Shepherd Charlie, who is my personal teacher and also the best and the most faithful model I’ve ever had! He’s a so-called professional dog model who can do many tricks, for example, lick on command.
He truly changed my entire life… I’m a photographer only thanks to him and I’m incredibly glad for that. He’s always been so patient with me and I learned a lot because of him.
In photography, I focus primarily on pets and my goal is to make the photos look somehow more special than basic photos taken in the garden. I want to bring aesthetic elements, memories or a message that can help me to communicate with the outside world. I like to capture the true nature of dogs in my portraits, their personalities.
But what I like more and more is a combination of traveling, dogs, and photography. It’s not only about the photography but also about the experience of an adventure: sleeping in a tent, getting our paws dirty and just walking in the breathtaking nature.
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Brilliant!
Picture Parade Two Hundred and Sixty-Seven
These are just mouth-wateringly beautiful.
Margaret K. from down in Australia sent me the link to these photographs.
I should add the words that precede the photos.
Many people think of Finland as the land of cold weather and darkness. However, Ossi Saarinen (previously here and here), a Finnish photographer, believes that the country is much more than just that, and he shows another surprisingly enchanting side of his motherland.
Ossi brings delightful feelings through his photos of spectacular Finnish nature, especially the untouched forests covering almost three-quarters of the whole country. And within these peaceful and ancient forests, wild animals roam freely and enjoy their lives at their best.
Finnish animals appear to be very mysterious, fascinating and charming just like they’ve stepped out from fairy tales. Ossi does not skip the chances to capture the beauty of Finnish wildlife either. He believes that every encounter between the animals and humans becomes an unforgettably amazing experience (Well, let’s not talk about the encounter with a bear).
Now, let’s enjoy the fairy tale’s atmosphere in his photos
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Oh my! Beautiful beyond words!
Picture Parade Two Hundred and Sixty-Six
A look at some of the prize winners of the 23rd annual Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice Award
Taken from here. (And I hope the copyrights aren’t being infringed by me sharing them.)
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Wonderful!
Learning from Dogs 