Setter may set record

* English setter Shadow Oak Bo has already made history - twice. In 2013, he became the first setter in 43 years to win the National Championship for Bird Dogs at Ames Plantation in Tennessee, which is dominated by pointers. He pulled a repeat this year, becoming the first setter to win back-to-back titles since a dog named Sioux in 1901 and 1902. Will there be a three-peat? * It's that time of year, when homes are filled with beautiful but toxic holiday plants. Lilies, amaryllis, cyclamen, Jerusalem cherry, mistletoe and yew (often used in wreaths) can all be poisonous to cats and dogs. Signs of poisoning include decreased heart rate, seizures, drooling, tremors, loss of appetite, severe stomach upset, weakness, difficulty breathing and potentially fatal kidney failure. If you catch your pet nibbling on one of these plants or anything else that might be toxic, call your veterinarian or a pet poison hotline.

* A new treatment may help the up to 500,000 cats annually who suffer from feline idiopathic cystitis - a chronic urinary blockage of unknown cause. Cats with the condition may have a defective layer of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) lining their urinary bladder. A pilot study of a drug called A-CYST, placed directly into the bladder via a catheter, showed promising results, according to the Winn Feline Foundation. A-CYST helps to restore the lining of the bladder wall. In the randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial, three of seven placebo-treated cats suffered a repeat obstruction, but the nine cats who received A-CYST did not.