On July 21, Massachusetts became the first state to ban the cruel practice of debarking dogs and cats — a surgery that cuts or removes an animal’s vocal chords to quiet barking and meowing.

“To take the voice of an animal would be the equivalent of taking a person’s voice or a person’s ability to communicate,” Brian Adams, spokesman for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), told Reuters.

Debarking — unless done as a medical necessity — will now carry a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500. Almost 60 state representatives and senators cosponsored the bill.

The procedure leaves the dogs or cats with scar tissue in the throat that can make it difficult to breathe, leading to a lifetime of wheezing, coughing, and choking for some animals, Beth Birnbaum, a member of the Coalition to Protect Rescue Pets, the organization that originally filed the bill, told The Boston Globe.

The law is known as Logan’s Law, which got its name from an adopted dog who was debarked. “This is so remarkable, the passage of this legislation,’’ said Birnbaum. “Beacon Hill should be congratulated.’’

Opponents of the bill claim more animals will be taken to shelters or abandoned if the surgery is banned, but Adams, of the MSPCA, says that in 2009, not one dog or cat was surrendered because he or she was too noisy. Supporters of the new measure say it is important for pet owners to understand why their cat or dog is making noise and use behavioral techniques to quiet them down.

Inspired by the Massachusetts law, U.S. Congressman C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger, D-MD, introduced a bill in May to support states that pass similar legislation to ban devocalization.

H.R. 5422 would authorize grants of up to $1 million for the prevention of cruelty to animals. It was referred to a House Agriculture subcommittee in June.

Question: We have been feeding him the chicken flavor, but they store was out of it! So we had to buy the Salmon flavor. My dog has been getting sick every day since. Could it be because of the flavor switch? Thanks for your help!

Answer: Some dogs are very sensitive to changes even amongst flavors as there are different primary protein sources and digestive upset can result.

Although this can happen with either dry or canned formulations it is particularly true when switching between the canned formuations as the salmon has quite a bit more fat and protein than the canned chicken formula.

I would obviously recommend getting him back on the chicken and call your store ahead of time to make sure they keep the chicken stocked for you.

Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

Babies and cute white fuzzy cats lying on his back can make just about anyone smile.

Laurie from Ashbury, IA knows this too. So she sent Ellen a cute photo of her 18-month-old grandson reading a book to her cat, Buddy, who laid on his back with his paws in the air while listening to the tale. The photo is last week’s Halo Pet Photo winner — and Laurie won a $100 gift card for Halo products.

Click here to read more.

Send Ellen your funny pet photos by clicking here for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate for Halo products. Each week there is one lucky winner.

We’re excited to let you know that this Thursday, August 19, Halo co-owner Ellen DeGeneres will be back on QVC telling you everything you want to know about Halo.

Ellen will be LIVE on the air from 9 PM until 10 PM Eastern Time. You never know what will happen when Ellen’s live in front of a camera!

But we do know she’ll talk about Halo Spot’s Stew dog and cat food, Halo Liv-a-Littles treats, our natural supplements and grooming products — and even announce an exciting NEW product!

Please mark your calendar!

Visit www.halopets.com/qvc for more information, and a link for your local listings.

I got this letter recently from a pet sitter who works for Lydia Best in Leesburg Virginia and attended the seminar on pet nutrition that I gave last year…

HALO is completely different from other commercial dry foods. The biggest difference is the fact that it is made with only real chicken, real beef, real salmon, or real lamb. They don’t use any rendered products like chicken meal (which is unfit for human consumption) to achieve their protein content.

… I hope you’ll also take to heart the fundamentals of my “nutrition seminar,” which is that an all-kibble diet is not balanced or healthy because even the finest kibble (which I believe HALO to be, based on the source of their ingredients) is still highly processed carbohydrates and Holly needs quality protein and fresh vegetables and even some fruits. So if you can balance out her kibble with an equal amount of protein from your own table like meat, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese and of course fish (which has to be easy when you’re sailing!) you’ll be giving her the optimal diet.

Click over to my original blog on “Halo Is Way Different Than Other Kibble! (Update)” for the whole story!

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.