Friday, January 26, 2007

Dutch brewers launch dogs' beer


We found this interesting article on BBC News !

Please take a look at it !

A small brewery in the Netherlands has launched a new beer designed to bring cool relief to thirsty dogs.

Kwispelbier, marketed as "a beer for your best friend", is made from a special brew of beef extract and malt.

The beverage is a creation of pet shop owner Gerrie Berendsen, who wanted her dogs to share light refreshments with her after a day's hunting.

The beer is non-alcoholic and fit for human consumption, but costs four times as much as a Heineken.

"Kwispel" is the Dutch word for wagging a tail.

Ms Berendsen, who lives in the eastern town of Zelhem, commissioned the small local Schelde brewery to make and bottle the beer.

"Once a year we go to Austria to hunt with our dogs, and at the end of the day we sit on the verandah and drink a beer. So we thought, my dog also has earned it," Ms Berendsen told the Associated Press.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Pfizer's New Drug for Fat Fidos

Slentrol could help overweight and obese dogs slim down.

We just found that article on MSNBC.COM about a drug that Pfizer just created for overweight dogs and thought that it was really worth sharing it with you as I am sure that you will find it good news !

By Brian Lawler


If you're like me, you find overweight dogs cute. But canines that are 20% or more over their ideal weight are considered obese and are at risk for some serious health issues. If you're a dog owner whose pet needs to go on a diet, then pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) has some good news for you. Last week the Food and Drug Administration approved the company for marketing Slentrol, its treatment to help overweight and obese dogs slim down.

Leaving aside that in many cases dogs become overweight due to being overfed or underexercised, Slentrol could be used by the owners of the 25%-35% of dogs that are overweight and 5% that are obese. How it causes weight loss is not exactly known, but it's hypothesized that the liquid solution causes dogs to eat less and also absorb less of the food that they do eat into their bodies.

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