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How to weigh the pros and cons of buying pet insurance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:19 GMT

By Lois M. Baron, special to Southern California News GroupPeople buy pet insurance for peace of mind. But in truth, insurance coverage comes with so many variations from so many different providers that you can’t sign on any old dotted line and assume all will be well.True, insurance can cover things like emergency care, cancer treatments, some surgeries and prescriptions. But the devil is always in the details: Some policies exclude specific breeds. Regular exams — which can run into hundreds of dollars with tests and vaccinations — usually aren’t covered. Reimbursement might be capped per year or per diagnosis. And the list goes on.The Veterinary Specialty Hospital in San Diego, California, sums up the situation in a blog post: “Research shows that owners with pets who are generally healthy throughout their life will pay more in premiums than they will receive in claims. However, there’s no way to know if you are getting the puppy or kitten that is going to be perfectly healthy. ...

Orioles ace Kyle Bradish, one of MLB’s best pitchers, will start Game 1 of ALDS vs. Rangers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:19 GMT

Kyle Bradish was acquired by the Orioles as part of a haul of minor leaguers the Los Angeles Angels traded to Baltimore for starting pitcher Dylan Bundy in 2019. He made his major league debut in 2022, blossomed into the Orioles’ ace in 2023 and now, the 27-year-old will toe the mound for Orioles’ first postseason game since 2016.The Orioles will face the Texas Rangers on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Camden Yards and it will be Bradish, as anticipated, who will get the start, manager Brandon Hyde said Friday. Rookie Grayson Rodriguez will start Game 2.Bradish bounced back from a foot injury in April to post one of the best seasons by an Orioles pitcher in decades. He finished with a 12-7 record and a 2.83 ERA in 30 starts spanning 168 2/3 innings, becoming the first qualified Orioles pitcher to post a sub-3.00 ERA season since Mike Mussina did so in 1992.The right-hander was one of only five MLB pitchers this season to have an ERA lower than 3.00. Over his past 22 starts, he ...

What pet best fits your lifestyle?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:19 GMT

There are many options for those looking for a family pet. Here’s a fun quiz to help narrow down your pick for a new animal bestie.Are you an extrovert, loyal, down for anything — whether it’s a day at a museum or the beach? Then you’re probably a dog person.There are countless breeds and every dog is an individual, so research is key. But here are some places to start:Toy: If you have a small space like an apartment, a toy breed like a Yorkshire terrier, Chihuahua or Maltese might be for you. This is the ultimate lap dog, but many breeds in this category have spunky personalities — so watch out.Hound: Sight and scent hounds fall into this varied group. It’s a big category including breeds like the basset hound, beagle, bloodhound, dachshund, English foxhound, greyhound, Irish wolfhound, Rhodesian ridgeback and whippet.Herding: Often known for their intelligence, desire to please and work, herding dogs need a job — whether it’s on a police force, like the German shepherd and Belgian...

Bruins mull final roster decisions prior to season opener

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:19 GMT

The Bruins may be down to one group of players for practice following Thursday’s preseason finale in New York, but it is still a rather bloated group.With a need to get down to the 23-man roster limit by Wednesday’s opener, there are 29 players still in camp, including goalies Linus Ullmark, Jeremy Swayman and Brandon Bussi. With Bussi no doubt earmarked for Providence, the only remaining goalie decision will be who gets the opening night start.For the forwards and defense, there are much tougher choices to make. Let’s take a look at how it breaks down:ForwardsAs of right now, the B’s have five extra forwards in camp. While coach Jim Montgomery said he has not made a final decision on whether training camp star Matt Poitras will be around on opening night, it’s hard to imagine him going back to Guelph before the B’s at least take a nine-game look at him.In Friday’s practice, Poitras was again centering Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic, the l...

Cat expert explains why your cat is always acting weird

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:19 GMT

By Melissa Hart, special to Southern California News GroupSamantha Bell’s Hollywood apartment is a cat’s dream home, filled with elegant scratching posts, plant-festooned cat trees and tasteful baskets holding feather wands and catnip mice. Window seats allow her kitties access to fresh air.“I think about the things my cats are missing from the outdoors and adapt their indoor habitat so their needs are met,” she says.Bell is the cat expert for Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal protection organization that includes a Los Angeles-based adoption center. She creates weekly short videos addressing behavioral issues in cats and kittens, tackling everything from litter box issues to tips for how to train your feline friends out of 5 a.m. breakfast demands.More than 46.5 million people in the U.S. own at least one cat, but few of us truly understand the feline brain as well as Bell.Please demystify what’s going on inside my cat’s head.Cats live in a world of predator and prey. ...

What mobile clinics in Dollar General parking lots say about health care in rural America

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:19 GMT

Sarah Jane Tribble | (TNS) KFF Health NewsCLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — On a hot July morning, customers at the Dollar General along a two-lane highway northwest of Nashville didn’t seem to notice signs of the chain store’s foray into mobile health care, particularly in rural America.A woman lifted a child from the back of an SUV and walked into the store. A dog barked from a black pickup truck before its owner returned with cases of soda. Another woman checked her hair in a convertible’s rearview mirror before shopping.Each went right by a sign exclaiming “Quick, Easy Health Visits,” with an image of a mobile clinic.Just after 10 a.m., registered nurse Kimberly French arrived to work at the DocGo mobile clinic parked in the store’s lot. She checked her schedule.“We don’t have any appointments so far today, but that could change,” French said. “Last night we didn’t have any appointments and three or four people showed up all at one time.”Registered Nurse Kimberly French works 10-hour shifts ...

MLB finalizes start times for Orioles-Rangers ALDS, with Games 1, 2 and 3 in afternoon, Games 4 and 5 in evening

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:19 GMT

Major League Baseball on Friday finalized the start times for the American League Division Series between the Orioles and Texas Rangers.After the Orioles’ 1:03 p.m. game Saturday, a time that was set at least in part to avoid conflicting with the Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks concert at neighboring M&T Bank Stadium that night, Camden Yards will host Game 2 of the best-of-five series Sunday at 4:07 p.m.The late-afternoon start time allows Baltimore fans to watch both the Ravens’ 1 p.m. game in Pittsburgh against the Steelers and the Orioles’ playoff game.After a day off Monday, Game 3 in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday will begin at 8:03 p.m. Game 4, if needed, at the Rangers’ Globe Life Field will start at 7:07 p.m. The if-necessary Game 5 on Friday at Oriole Park will begin at 8:03 p.m.Games 1, 2, 4 and 5 will be televised on Fox Sports 1. Game 3 will be on Fox.The Orioles, the AL’s top seed with a 101-61 regular-season record, earned a bye for the...

There's a dog-friendly speakeasy hidden in this Carlsbad corn maze

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:19 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- There's a speakeasy hidden in a North County corn maze that's offering craft cocktails, beer and wine for those with the secret password. Located somewhere along the Carlsbad Strawberry Company's pumpkin patch in a corn field at 1050 Cannon Rd., this fall popup is now welcoming guests over the age of 21 to venture out and enjoy award-winning spirits. Pumpkin patches to visit around San Diego County Open every Friday and Saturday from 4-9 p.m. throughout October, this speakeasy is provisioned by Pacific Coast Spirits -- a "grain-to-glass" distillery that operates a craft bar and kitchen on South Coast Highway in Oceanside. Maze wanderers will need a nightly password for entry. Pacific Coast Spirits will be posting clues and hints on their Instagram and Facebook stories every Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m. 5 San Diego beaches for sunset bonfires Guests who can find their way to this hidden gem are welcome to bring their dogs and children under age 2. Stroller...

New Mexico congressional map that was approved by Democrats can stand, a judge says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:19 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New congressional boundaries approved by Democrats that divided up a politically conservative oil-producing region in New Mexico don’t violate the state constitution, a judge ruled in an order published Friday. Judge Fred Van Soelen wrote that the redistricting plan enacted by Democratic state lawmakers in 2021 succeeded in substantially diluting votes of their political opponents, but that the changes fell short of “egregious” gerrymandering.“Because ‘entrenchment’ is the touchstone of an egregious partisan gerrymander which the New Mexico Constitution prohibits, the court finds that the congressional redistricting map enacted under Senate Bill 1 does not violate the plaintiff’s equal protection rights,” the judge wrote.An attorney for the state Republican Party indicated that the decision will be appealed to the New Mexico Supreme Court. A final decision could influence which party represents a congressional swing district along the U.S. border with Mex...

Colorado funeral home owner where 115 decaying bodies found tried to conceal improper storage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:19 GMT

CAÑON CITY, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado funeral home owner where 115 decaying bodies were found tried to conceal the improper storage of corpses and claimed he was doing taxidermy, according to a suspension letter sent to him by state regulators.The facility in the small Colorado town of Penrose had also been unregistered for 10 months after the owner for Return to Nature Funeral Home let it expire in November 2022.On Wednesday – the day after an “abhorrent smell” from the facility was reported, launching the investigation – owner Jon Hallford spoke by phone with a state regulator. Hallford acknowledged that he had a “problem” at the property. The document doesn’t explain what he meant.The document also doesn’t explain what Hallford was referring to with this taxidermy claim or exactly how he tried to conceal the improper storage of human remains.Hallford nor anyone else has been arrested or charged yet in relation to what authorities on Friday called a “disturbing discovery.” THI...