Pet Therapy: Some Hospitals Allow Patients' Own Dogs to Visit

Madison Fleaks had been in Texas Children's Hospital in Houstonfor over six months waiting for a heart transplant. She was born with a congenital heart condition.

Not yet two years old, she may have forgotten much of her life at home. But she still remembered her two dogs; their photograph sat framed next to her hospital bed.

"If you said anything about the dogs, she would point and want to kiss the picture," said her mother, Tabitha Fleaks. Madison has been in and out of hospitals, she said, enduring multiple surgeries.

"She has been sick her whole life. All she knows is me, her dad, and the two dogs."

So when her dog Kodiak showed up in her hospital room one day, Madison was thrilled.

"It was amazing," Fleaks said. "She just lit up. She literally screamed when he walked into the door."

Texas Children's is not the only institution to allow some patients to have visitors of the canine variety. ABC News reached out to hospitals around the country and found that many have pet therapy programs, in which a trained owner-volunteer will bring a dog to the hospital for patients to enjoy. These programs have been said to help patients with their mood, pain, and comfort levels.

A growing number of these hospitals have taken their pet therapy programs even farther, allowing patients to have visits from their own pets.

Read more::http://news.yahoo.com/pet-therapy-hospitals-allow-patients-own-dogs-visit-230142986--abc-news-wellness.html;_ylt=As7mEDTuQZB9r5jupQ2C5kl4hMgF;_ylu=X3oDMTRhdWU5ZDY0BG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBTY2llbmNlU0YgQW5pbWFsUGV0c1NTRgRwa2cDZGUxZmRiOWYtMDdkYy0zOWI3LTg1ODMtYWIzNDFhYmQ3MjM5BHBvcwMzBHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyA2QxMmZkMDExLWJjNTEtMTFlMS1iZmI3LTAzZjY0NWUwYjRjNg--;_ylg=X3oDMTI0MmNvNGRoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANzY2llbmNlfGFuaW1hbHNhbmRwZXRzBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

The Voice: Cee Lo Ditches Purrfect The Cat For Feathered Friend

With a new season comes a new animal sidekick for "The Voice" coach Cee Lo Green.

Gone are the days of Purrfect, the white cat with the mysterious glint in her eye who sat in "Papa" Cee Lo's lap during the NBCreality competition. Now, the "Forget You" singer has moved on to a feathered friend - Lady, a pink Moluccan cockatoo.

PLAY IT NOW: Cee Lo Green Shows A Lot Of Love On The Voice

"Lady's name says it all," the singer told People. "She's my little lady with a big opinion. Sometimes whispers inappropriateness in my ear, but always ladylike."

And, fear not, Twitter fans - like Purrfect, Lady will also Tweet (or squawk?) using the Twitter handle,@CeeLosLady. In fact, the striking bird already has nearly 300 followers even though she's yet to make her TV debut.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: NBC’s ‘The Voice’ Coaches: Then & Now

Read more::http://news.yahoo.com/voice-cee-lo-ditches-purrfect-cat-feathered-friend-182442725.html;_ylt=AncsFjW4nWxdOhscfCtJic54hMgF;_ylu=X3oDMTRhajFqMWhsBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBTY2llbmNlU0YgQW5pbWFsUGV0c1NTRgRwa2cDYjY2NWI1YmUtNzU3NC0zOTMxLTgwMTAtODg0ZWNjMGI3YjllBHBvcwMyBHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyAzFiMzQ0NWUxLWJlMmEtMTFlMS05YmRhLTBhMGQ4OGVkZGNmMQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTI0MmNvNGRoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANzY2llbmNlfGFuaW1hbHNhbmRwZXRzBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

In a video released by NBC, Cee Lo can be seen exiting a Rolls Royce holding Lady (or Miss Ladybird) who he said he found while "vacationing on Fantasy Island."

"I saw this bird fly by and it landed on my windowsill and I just, I fell in love," he said. "Ladykiller!"

Click HERE to watch the video!

VIEW THE PHOTOS: First Pets: Animals That Have Raised The White House Woof!

Meanwhile, Cee Lo left Purrfect in the backseat of the Rolls, as the pampered pet was headed to a "Victoria's Secret shoot," according to the video.

Garden Dangers for Your Pet

Spring is probably the busiest season for homeowners to work in their yards. Many of these chores -- such as cleaning up from winter; preparing soil for planting, buying flowers, plants and trees; safeguarding property from insects; dealing with mulching; securing yard fencing; preparing the pool and caring for gardening and other tools -- can be dangerous for your pet.

Prior to your visiting your local nursery, hardware store or home center, research and store products appropriately so you can provide a safer environment for your dog, cat or other visiting animals that may wander into your yard.

Fertilizer and pesticides can be hazardous to pet health.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute have connected chemical lawn treatments to a rise in deadly cancer among household pets. Specifically, in a 1991 study, researchers reported that dogs were two times more likely to develop lymphoma if their owners sprayed or sprinkled the 2,4-D herbicide (weed killer) on the lawn four or more times a year.

Moreover, serious problems can occur as a result of pets ingesting grass that has been treated with fertilizers or pesticides. While fertilizers may contain heavy metals such as iron, the most dangerous forms of pesticides are fly bait with methomyl, snail bait with metaldehyde and gopher bait with zinc phosphide. These and other chemicals are particularly dangerous because they are absorbed by the grass stalks of your lawn which, in turn, can be eaten by pets.

Read more::

http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/garden-dangers-for-your-pet-1968

Adopting a Former Racing Greyhound Essential information for potential pet parents. Thousands of racing greyhounds are bred annually to compete in the nearly 30 dog racetracks across the United States, in an effort to produce "winning dogs," according to the Humane Society of the United States. The routine practice results in many more greyhounds than are needed on the racetracks. Not all will get adopted. April marked the nationwide initiative Adopt a Greyhound Month, to honor both the urgent need to adopt greyhounds and to highlight the reasons why they can make great pets. The Philadelphia-based National Greyhound Adoption Program is one of the many national non-profit organizations that facilitate adoptions of greyhounds. Its director David Wolf prefers to refer to the dogs as former racing greyhounds, and not retired, given that most greyhounds stop racing between the ages of 2 and 5, not placing them exactly in their older years. Read more :http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/adopting-a-former-racing-greyhound-1972