For humans, eating a strawberry is a simple activity. For a tortoise, it's a full day of work:

Over The Counter Supplements (Nutraceuticals)

Nutraceuticals and supplements are commonly used in veterinary and human medicine for complementary treatment of many diseases. Many products claim to have medical benefits in preventing, treating or curing any number of illnesses.

Any compound with these kinds of statements on the label should be regulated as a drug and therefore approved by the FDA. Unfortunately, many companies don't follow this rule, and the FDA chronically ignores breaches if the products don't appear harmful.

When a product is regulated by the FDA, it must meet specific manufacturing and quality standards. Because there is no corresponding regulatory body for nutraceuticals, it can be difficult to assess some products.

Lost bluish gray Chihuahua 6/21 Kenmore area / family pet of 10 years missed dearly, please call 330-848-3581

Found: Family of Cats in Shalersville

If you are missing these cats

My sweet girl Miranda is missing. She is spayed, front declawed, medium build, fluffy, white with orange tail and some orange on face, head, and back (Turkish Van pattern). Last seen in Copley off of Jacoby. Reward! Please call 330-883-2022 or email rachelhelbing@yahoo.com with any information.

Please help us find our ginger tabby cat. He's a neutered male, all claws, and very friendly, he went missing on June 12, and he is very much missed. Please help us find him!

Email: d.maree.jackson@gmail.com

ST. MARYS, OHIO: Authorities say a man shot his dog after it bit someone at a campground, then dumped the dog in a western Ohio lake.

Officials who found the dog in a cage just over two weeks ago at Grand Lake St. Marys State Park, between Dayton and Toledo, at first thought the dog had drowned.

Some in Rome are helping their dogs beat the heat by eating gelato, the sweet Italian version of ice cream. But instead of dairy or sugar that can harm a dog's health, these pooches eat gelato made with rice flour and yogurt.

Female tabby cat/tiger stripe cat with possible Siamese mix.

She has the "Tabby" stripes on her face, legs, and tail, but with a very light colored gray/brown body and very blue eyes. Looks to be about a year to 2 years old.

Long haired orange and yellow male cat with one eye. Neutered and front declawed.

If found, please email budnton@comcast.net

LOS ANGELES: Like any new addition to an office, Dolly had an adjustment period. The hardest part: learning not to bark at the mailman.

Dolly is one of millions of dogs that accompany their owners to dog-friendly businesses every day. Even more will join her next Friday for Take Your Dog to Work Day.

This may be even better than Jimmy Fallon and the Roots' cover of "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen.

LOS ANGELES: Instead of an alarm clock, they wake to the sounds of elephants and tigers. They walk their dogs, but it's often to go see the crocodiles and echidnas. And when they worry, it is about creatures like the Tazmanian devil.

Robert and Bindi Irwin live in the center of the 1,500-acre Australia Zoo near Brisbane, a thriving legacy to their late father and crocodile hunter Steve Irwin.

The following is a release from the Portage County APL: 

On Saturday Humane Officer Steve Chapman got a call regarding a dog in distress. The caller reported that the owner hadn’t been there for some time and that the dog needed help. Officer Chapman arrived in Hiram around 30 minutes later to check on the dog. What he found was something out of a nightmare.

MARION, OHIO: An antique dog collar belonging to former President Warren G. Harding's beloved pet has been stolen from his historic home in central Ohio.

Marion Police say the thief broke into the 29th president's home Tuesday morning and took only the collar, which belonged to Harding's Airedale terrier named Laddie Boy. The collar was made in 1923 and has the dog's name engraved on raised letters surrounded by hearts.

Older cat, still has front claws, small slice on one ear. Reward

Email if found: Cavalierk@summacare.com

My 12 year old male yellow Lab got loose from his chain sometime Friday morning. I live on Prior Drive off Graham Road in Cuyahoga Falls. He got out of his collar so he does not have any identification tags on him. He is very friendly, loves the water, and he LOVES to eat. His name is AUGUSTUS, but he also answers to GUS. CASH REWARD IF FOUND AND RETURNED HOME SAFELY. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION PLEASE CALL ERIK @ (330)203-7136 or NICOLE @ (330)760-3752. Thank you.

Greetings from Dancing Paws Animal Wellness Center! We're new contributors to the Pets Blog, and are so excited to be a part of the community!

We lost our cat Jasper on Memorial Day. We had tons of company going in and out of the house this day (May 25th). He is only an inside cat. He is very friendly and would not hurt a fly! He is 2 years old and has been neutered.

He looks like the traditional siamese, he has big blue eyes. The only difference in this cat is his white-tipped paws on front and back, and his white mustash that he has. He is missed very much by my children, myself, and my husband. If he was found or seen PLEASE contact me immediatly (starelizabeth20@yahoo.com)

This friendly , large dog was found Sunday evening wandering in the neighborhood. Seems to be well trained and well taken care of. Took to vet, there is no id chip. Please call and identify the breed and color and we will gladly give your dog back to you. Call me at 330 524-4723 asap .

It's monkeys riding on top of dogs with the Benny Hill theme playing. What more do you need in life?

What started with a few hundred people in front of the Rubber City Radio building on Market Street has grown into one of the area's biggest pet events. The Akron Pet Expo takes place this Saturday at Hardesty Park and event organizers are expecting more than 4,000 people to attend.

In its 11th year, the Akron Pet Expo will have more than 130 exhibitors on hand from pet businesses to rescue groups. For those looking for a new member of the family, there will be on-sight pet adoptions.

O'FALLON, Mo.: A Missouri woman has paid a $100 fine for calling 911 to report her dog had collapsed.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Rose Lakey of O'Fallon referred to the Great Dane as her "daughter" when she made the emergency call on Easter Sunday. She said Wednesday, the day she paid the fine, that the word "daughter" came out accidentally.

Although this dog may not be a Dalmatian, he joins in with the fire truck's siren.

COLUMBUS: Ohio's governor signed into law Tuesday the state's widely watched new regulations on exotic animals, calling a suicidal owner's release of dozens of lions, tigers and other dangerous creatures months ago "about as bizarre as anything gets."

The state had some of the nation's weakest restrictions on exotic pets. And Gov. John Kasich acknowledged the lax rules as he prepared to sign the legislation at a Statehouse ceremony.

HANNIBAL, Mo.: A 9-month-old Yorkie wasn't about to leave a Missouri rest stop without his master. Mistakenly left behind by an Arkansas truck driver, Rambo waited there for two days until his owner was able to track him down.

Rambo jumped out of Michael Siau's rig when Siau stopped at a rest area near Hannibal on Friday, the Hannibal Courier-Post (http://bit.ly/M4I2mh ) reported.

It's nearly impossible to watch this video and not have an appreciation for those who adopt animals. Despite being shot in the spine during a home robbery in Chicago, Red the pit bull lives a happy life thanks to a loving owner and a custom-built car.

On June 16, Portage APL will be holding its Hogs & Dogs Poker Run benefit once again! Motorcycles and even cars are welcome. All proceeds benefit the APL and the hundreds of animals rescued and adopted each year. The ride will make four stops and end in Ravenna at the Big Dog Bar and Patio.

Registration begins at 11 a.m. at Portage APL located at 8122 Infirmary Rd in Ravenna (Coffee & snacks available). The first Bike out at 12 p.m. and last Bike in at: 5 p.m. at Big Dog Bar & Patio on Highland Road in Ravenna. Once folks arrive they will enjoy food, DJ, huge patio, and amazing raffle items! Pre-register by June 13 at $15 per rider and $10 per passenger. Day of registration is $20 per rider and $10 per passenger.  

"Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye may be the most played-out song of the year, but hearing a parody it from a dog and a cat is still pretty great. Enjoy:

Watch as this kitten tries to scare its older friend.

This little girl showed up at my doorstep a week ago, she is friendly and will allow you to pick her up. Very tiny.

Please contact Tia if this is your cat: Walker.tia@gmail.com

Spectators will have the opportunity to view over 200 cats representing 42 pedigreed breeds at a Cat Fancier’s Association (CFA) licensed cat show on June 9-10, 2012.

Sponsored by the Great Lakes Region, this two-day event will feature simultaneous judging of cats in eight rings. Ticket prices are: $6 for adults, $5 for children ages 4-12, children 3 & under are free. Show hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and 10:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. The show will be held at the Canton Memorial Civic Center 1101 Market Ave. N. http://www.cantonciviccenter.com/ (330) 489-3090.

There is a dog hanging by our house in Uniontown. Looks like a black mixed dog medium build,male, with a red collar.

 If this is your dog, email soulmansplace@yahoo.com

Taken to an emergency vet clinic in Copley, OH. We found him/ her lying in the road on Sacket Ave. near Cuyahoga St. She was bleeding & not moving, but was still alive, so I wrapped her in my sweater and took her to the emergency vet clinic.

By the time we got there, she had stopped bleeding and perked up. By the time we got her to the clinic, she was purring when I pet her & did not seem to be in a lot of pain. We signed her over to the clinic as a "good Samaritan case," so we are not allowed to know her current condition. I am hopeful that they could save her, though.