International Homeless Animals Day 2014 - How You Can Help Homeless Animals

Every year local pet shelters and animal rescue organization are overwhelmed by overpopulation. The consequence is many animal are euthanized when homes can't be found for them. Saturday, August 16th was designated for the purpose of bring attention to the problem of homelessness. 

International Homeless Animals’ Day 2014 may be limited to one weekend, but it could be a starting point for you. Here are things you can do?

• A Forever Home-of course number one on the list is to adopt a homeless pet.
• Foster-for those of you cannot give a forever home, but have a little extra love, space and time consider fostering. 
• Just a Little of Your Time- volunteering doesn't cost anything, but your time and can make a world of difference to shelters and rescues.  Check out www.petfinder.com to find a rescue or shelter near you that needs help
• Donations- Cash or much needed supplies. Most organizations run on a very tight budget and every little bit helps.
• Be the Voice- in person or via social media. Let your world know about the needs of our homeless pet population.
• Let Your Wallet Do the Talking-consider doing  businesses with those organizations that support animal causes
• Walk the Talk-participate in events that help shelters and rescues
• Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve-wear a t-shirt with the message, put on a bumper stickers, key chains, etc. they can start a conversation.

Tips For Evaluating A Pet Boarding Facility

If you are wrapping up the summer with a last minute vacation, you may need to  find a suitable accommodation for your beloved family dog or cat.  If your choice is boarding, here are a few tips to make it a safe and happy time for both you and your pet. Remember: it’s important that when boarding your pet to let the facility personnel know what your pet’s needs and habits are; as pets can become stressed. Different pets have different needs, so make sure to ask plenty of questions about how different issues will be handled.  For example, some dogs won't defecate in a dog run setting so ask if your dog can be walked or brought into an open yard after eating.  This may seem like an obvious request but many facilities walk the dogs and then feed them in their cages afterwards.

Check out the facility first- this goes without saying, but it is important to investigate the facility. Your pet is unique and not all facilities are right for every pet.  Check for cleanliness, safety, activities, and level of care provided. All are considerations for a happy stay for your pet. Remember, you know your pet the best, ask lots of questions. 

Doggie Playtime--Many facilities now offer doggie playtime.  It is very stressful for dogs to be locked in a cage all day long.  Try to find a facility that will give your dog some social time. 
 
Veterinary Services- Ask what their veterinarian services policies are while your pet is boarding. Do they have a vet of staff?  Will they take the pet to your own vet?  Your pet's safety is of the upmost concern and wanting them to have access to good veterinary care is crucial. Also discuss your financial responsibility for these services. 

Food-Many pets have food allergies or sensitivities and it is important that your pet's diet is kept constant during your absence. Clarify with the facility the diet restrictions including; brand,type/flavor and amount. Providing your own food is a great way to ensure the diet is followed. The last thing you would want to deal with upon your return is an allergy flare-up.

Pet Vaccinations-  Most kennels require your pet to be current on his vaccinations. Plan ahead and make a veterinarian appointment in advance, so that you can provide the boarding facility with up to date records.

Medications or Supplements- If your pet takes medications or supplements, ask the boarding facility if they can accommodate your pet's medication/supplement schedule.  Also, check to see if there is an extra charge to give the medications to your pet. Be sure to reorder all medications/supplements in advance to ensure your pet has an adequate supply while you are gone.

Anxiety- Your pet may suffer from separation anxiety, bringing a beloved toy or blanket from home may help them feel more comfortable. You may also want to consider leaving your pet for a day/few hours, so they become familiar with the situation before you leave on your trip.

Dogs Detect Prostrate Cancer With 98% Accuracy

This year an estimated 233,000 men in the US will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year alone. Unfortunately, the current testing is not always accurate.  However, there may be help from "mans best friend" .  Italian researchers have found that specially trained dogs were able to detect prostate cancer from urine samples with 98% accuracy. 

It is well known that dogs have a great sense of smell.  Dogs actually have over 200 million olfactory cells compared to humans 5 million. It is this keen sense of smell that is already being used to help alert diabetics to high or low blood sugars.  There has also been studies that are showing great promise in detecting ovarian cancer and bladder cancer.  

The Italian researchers took a large sample of 677 participants, 320 of which had prostrate cancer at different stages. The trained dogs were able to detect the cancer 99% of the time, while specificity was 97% accurate for a total of 98% accuracy in detection.

This has a great deal of implications for pet owners.  Can our own pets detect when we have cancer?

Kitty Ginger Recovers From Acute Kidney Failure With Kidney Supplement

Ginger

Wanted to share this wonderful email we received from the Reilly family. We are so glad that Ginger is feeling better!

"Last year our Ginger escaped &  spent the night outside. We have no idea what she got into, but she became very sick. That Saturday, at the veterinary clinic, the doctor believed there was something wrong with his laboratory equipment. I even heard him in the back room calling the company that had recently calibrated the machine to complain. He sent her blood to outside lab.   I had Renelix on hand for my other kitty and started Ginger on it immediately.

The following Monday our veterinarian phoned and stated that the outside lab had confirmed Ginger's severe acute renal failure. He stated "Normally when I notify somebody of results this poor, they no longer have a pet that is living".  I explained that we had been through this before, and I attributed Ginger's survival to the products and advice I had received in the past from Susan Davis of Ask Ariel. Ginger was receiving IV hydration at home, as well as RENELIX and the diet as advised by Susan.

Ginger returned to her normal, healthy & ; spoiled self! Fortunately, she also slimmed down from her previous tubbiness! I can't thank Susan Davis enough!!!! "
           Suzanne -Florida 2014

Momma Cat and Kittens Survive After Being Abandoned In A Taped Box In The Hot Sun.

Momma cat and her four kittens that were dumped in a sealed cardboard box in the blazing sunshine outside Willow Veterinary Clinic.  Picture by Simon Finlay

Amazing survival story of a Momma cat and her kittens rescued in the nick of time.   Many people face the difficult decision to surrender their pets, but there are right ways and wrong.  Here is a story of animal cruelty that is definitely wrong!

"Tim Roe, principal vet at Willow Vets in Drayton High Road, Hellesdon, said the cardboard box left outside their business yesterday was sealed with tape so the cats could not get out, and had no air holes in it.

The cats have since been cared for by the vets and nurses and are now well but Mr Roe said they could have died in the hot sun.

He said: “In 30 years I have never seen cats sweating so much. In another 20 minutes they would have been dead.

“It was only luck that we discovered them, when I went out through the fire escape. They were left outside the door and might not have been spotted. Why would anyone dump cats like that?

“I would have rather had a phone call saying that a box had been left outside, than for it just to be dumped there without them telling us.”

He said the mother was about two-years-old and the kittens about 12-weeks-old.

He added: “They were dehydrated. We have been syringing water into them and they have been soaked in ice cold water to get their core temperatures down. They are luckily in pretty good shape. Prior to being left in the box they had obviously been looked after for some time.”

The cardboard box had a Tesco label on it and previously contained a hand blender set.

Mr Roe said the cats would be kept at the practice until they could find a home for them, or a charity to take them on."

LA Dogs Find Forever Homes in the Northwest

Yesterday, 150 homeless dogs from the Los Angeles area shelters got a ride of their life.  They flew from Long Beach airport to the Northwest where forever homes awaited them.

Here is the article from July 30th in the Long Beach Post:

This morning at 9:00AM, nearly 150 dogs from Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) and other displaced pets from Los Angeles County Shelters were loaded gingerly into their crates and lifted via an assembly line of hard working volunteers into a small airplane. This life-saving air transport will relocate the sheltered animals to the Pacific Northwest where more kennel space is available and adopters are waiting eagerly to give them forever homes.

Funded through the generous donations of the Bark Avenue Foundation, Wings of Rescue, Shelter Me and the pilot’s volunteered time, this flight was one of several this July that gave hundreds of unwanted shelter pets a chance to keep living.

Ted Stevens, Long Beach Animal Care Services Shelter Manager, spoke about how these rescue flights are just one of the solutions for reducing pet overpopulation in Long Beach. “We get to find homes for these animals, it opens up space in our shelter. This time of year, summertime, we’re overcrowded and we run out of kennel space, so this helps us free up some of those spaces,” Stevens said.

The rescue flight, departing from FliteServ’s Terminal at the Long Beach Airport, will land in Washington today, where the dogs will then be transported to four different shelters throughout the Pacific Northwest. Stevens said that farther North, “there’s an actual demand and shortage of supply for smaller dogs under 25 lbs,” unlike Southern California, which has an overabundance of these pint-sized pets.

Not only did the LBACS and Los Angeles County Shelters deliver animals to be transported, but several private animal fosterers came to FliteServ’s terminal to make sure the pets they had found and nursed back to health were loaded safely on board.

Susan Olsen’s eyes watered on the tarmac as she said her last goodbyes to Lila and Kilani, two dogs she fostered after they had been abandoned. “Someone brought [Lila] to me from San Bernardino city, she was ‘pulled’ from there, is the term, and this boy I went and picked out at Carson,” Olsen said. Olsen said she was going to wait until the very last minute to put Lila, a chihuahua terrier mix and Kilani, a Pomeranian spaniel mix, into their crates.

Carol Ferrell found Zeke and his sister, both Chihuahua mixes, running down a four lane road in Fontana at seven in the morning. Ferrell said, “I sat down in the grass in my work clothes, I made chirping noises and he came right to me. His sister was harder to catch. She squiggled out of my arms and I had to keep driving down the street until I could get her.”

Stevens explained that although these rescue flights are heart-warming attempts to save these animals, “It’s not the solution[...] the solution is to spay and neuter to reduce overpopulation and, you know, there’s a lot of animals that didn’t make it on this flight that are still waiting at the shelter for homes. We still want to encourage people to come to the shelter and adopt, rather than shopping someplace else.”

Dogs and Cats Can Get Sunburned

Who is at risk?
Special care needs to be given to hairless pets or those pets with very short or thin fur, with regards to sun exposure. With added attention bad to the parts of the skin that are regularly exposed to the sun. These include the ears, the bridge of the nose, the skin around the eyes, and the back. 

White pets and  certain breeds are more at risk for sunburn they include:  white Bulldogs, Dalmatians, Boxers, Whippets, Beagles and white or multi-coloured cats with white patches have skin that is very sensitive to light, especially on their heads. Also there are pre-existing conditions and medications that make the skin more sensitive.

What to do to avoid your pet getting sunburned

• Avoid sun- make sure your pet has a shady spot to rest, especially during peak sun periods
• Dress your pet- put a shirt, hat and socks/booties(to protect their feet) during out door activities
• Use Sun Protections of at least SPF 30 for very sensitive animals.

If your pet gets sunburned
Cool compresses and ointments to soothe the skin can help relieve the initial symptoms. If the burn is severe, a veterinarian should be consulted as treatment with a cortisone product may be indicated to prevent inflammation

What can happen?
In animals, sunburn results in an acute inflammation of the skin that can cause itching or even pain, depending on the individual animal. Frequent sunburns can lead to pre-cancerous conditions or even actual skin tumors.