Urgent: Volunteers Needed - LA Animal Services

The Los Angeles Animal Shelters need your help!  YOU can make that life-saving difference by fostering for four days or more or adopting in advance of July 4th.  Unfortunately many pet owners leave their pets outside on July4th and the loud sounds of the fireworks terrify the animals who run in fear.  Many can't find their way home and end up at the municipal shelters.  Over the last three years, the Los Angeles shelters took in over 1,000 animals each year between July 2 and July 6. These pets are counting on us to help reunite them with their families, but often this takes time and that is where your help is needed.  Thus, municipal shelters sadly become a death zone as many animals become euthanized since there is nowhere to put them!  More animals are euthanized during the July 4th holiday period than any other time of the year.  What's worse, is summer overall is the worst time at the shelters as people often go on vacation and decide to relinquish their pet to avoid having to pay for boarding......again, causing the shelters to have a huge influx of animals.

The LA shelter has wonderful dogs and cats of all ages, breeds and sizes waiting to be your temporary companion or best friend forever.   When you offer to temporarily foster, you are saving two lives, the pet you are caring for and the pet who was given a space at the shelter.

To volunteer to foster, print your application at LAAnimalServices.com/foster or go to the Los Angeles Animal Shelter nearest you and ask for a Foster Volunteer application.  Take your completed form to the shelter nearest you.  You can also view some of the wonderful dogs and cats that are available for the Foster Program on the LA Animal Services Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/LAAnimalServices   For more information, please call:  (888) 452-7381.  If you don't live in Los Angeles and would like to help homeless pets in your area, please look up the nearest location of an animal shelter near you.  An animal's life is depending upon you!

Locations of LA Animal Services Shelters: 

South LA, Chesterfield Square Shelter

1850 W. 60th St., Los Angeles, 90047

West LA Shelter

11361 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, 90064

West Valley Shelter

20655 Plummer St., Chatsworth, 91311

East Valley Shelter

14409 Vanowen St., Van Nuys, 91405

Harbor Shelter

957 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro, 90731

North Central Shelter

3201 Lacy St., Los Angeles, 90031

Natural Treatments For Autoimmune Disease in Dogs and Cats

Autoimmune disease is common in cats and dogs. Pets can have unusual, seemingly unrelated symptoms making it difficult to diagnose. Examples: stomatitis, IBD, Pillow Paw. Steroids are the most common treatment but with an anti-inflammatory, low carb diet and a few supplements, you can greatly improve your pet's well being and reduce the need for steroids. Please click on the link to read our newsletter about natural treatments for autoimmune disease in dogs and cats.

Have a question about your pet?  Email us at support@askariel.com  Please know we cannot provide any veterinary or consultative advice but we will be happy to provide you with articles so that you can make an informed decision about your pet's next steps.

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Keep your pets happy and healthy with the best supplements for dogs and cats!  Ask Ariel's supplements have been used in veterinary hospitals since 2005. 

Have a question about your pet?  Send an email to support@askariel.com and our pet nutrition experts will be happy to assist you.  Please know we cannot provide veterinary advice but will be happy to include links to articles about how to treat a variety of pet conditions using natural supplements along with diet changes.

Join us now on Instagram! Be sure to follow @Ask.Ariel for cute pet pictures, a fun forum of followers and helpful pet health tips.
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Food Allergies in Cats

 Did you know?  Many cats are allergic to or intolerant of both fish and poultry? Why is this an issue? The reason this is important is that most pet owners don't even know that it is the fish and poultry contributing to their cats illness. Is your cat vomiting, having diarrhea, suffering from chronic UTIs, stomatitis or Upper Respiratory Infections? If so then consider a "novel protein" diet. A novel protein is a protein source your cat hasn't eaten before such as venison or rabbit. Once an intolerant or allergic food is eliminated, your cat's immune system will get stronger. Of course, in transitioning diets, be sure the new novel protein diet is grain-free and use raw frozen, canned or freeze dried to eliminate the starchy carbs.  To read the entire article, click here

Add Vegetables to Your Pet's Diet

Pets need real, fresh vegetables in their diet. Not the fake kind with food coloring made to fool you into thinking you are giving your pet real nutrition. Both cats and dogs can benefit from carrots, greens and pumpkin. Vegetables may be served steamed, chopped, puréed or raw depending upon your pet's digestion and appetite. Vegetables offer vitamins, minerals, fiber, enzymes and antioxidants all of which can not only boost their health but can make them feel more satisfied after eating. Raw frozen diets for pets contain a wide variety of fresh vegetables. 

Click here to learn more about raw frozen diets that contain fresh vegetables for dogs and cats. 

Perception, Communication And The Link Between Autism And Animals

 This article was contributed by guest author:  Dr. Lynette Gebler 

“I’m suspicious of people who don’t like dogs, but I trust a dog when it doesn’t like a person.”

Are dogs more sensitive to human nature or do they simply perceive the world in a different manner such as those with autism?  In the book Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, by Temple Grandin, Grandin examines the surprising similarities between an animal’s mind and an autistic mind.  Autism is a neurological disorder with various theories on causation. Scientists who study autism believe that the disorder is caused by under development of certain brain circuits, and over development of other brain circuits. The imbalance of the nervous system results in the common symptoms you see in autism such as speech delays, sound and texture sensitivities and developmental delays.  Grandin observes that people with autism, 'are closer to animals than normal people are.' Grandin contributes the differences between typical human mentality and animal mentality, not as a matter of IQ but as a matter of perception and emotion.

 Grandin, autistic herself, states that she has no language based thoughts; all of her thoughts are in pictures. Since animals do not have verbal language and many children with autism are non-verbal, memories and thoughts are stored as pictures, sounds, or other sensory impressions. Sensory-based information by its very nature is more detailed than word-based memories; therefore animals may understand intentions, emotions, images, or thoughts behind the words, even if the words themselves aren't totally understood. You may also observe an animal “sensing” something  before a human and thus dogs can even be trained to alert others to seizures and illness. Primarily, animals and people with autism are visual thinkers; while most people use a combination of verbal and visual skills for communication.  

We would all love to communicate better with our pets and that communication strengthens our bond with them.  Grandin, who is an expert in animal behavior, claims that her autism helps her understand and empathize with animals.  Grandin is also a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, an advocate in the autism community and an activist for the humane treatment of animals.

Are Topical Flea Killers Safe For Our Pets?

This is what topical flea killer did to our brand new wall and tile! Please understand that whenever possible I will always try all natural and holistic ways to address a health problem first. Where we live  it can get very humid making it a prime breeding ground for fleas. Sure enough yesterday, I discovered my sweet husky Legend had, in a matter of hours, created a giant hotspot on his hip from a flea bite. We have tried everything natural including years of $500 treatments of Fleabusters on carpets perfectly timed before the hot weather started. But nothing has worked. Since Legend eats a hypoallergenic diet and takes supplements for allergies, the only culprit is fleas!!! I hated to do it but on the advice of several vets, we concluded that the best thing for my severely allergic dog is to use a smaller size doze of Advantage for the few worst months. Anguished about this, I applied the vial in between Legend's shoulder blades as directed. It should have absorbed in but I guess he rubbed against our freshly painted wall and limestone tile. About a half hour later, I noticed that the paint on the wall had eroded and that something had penetrated through the protective sealant on the tile!! It took me awhile to figure out what it was and then I realized---yukkk it was the Advantage. If it did this to paint and tile, what does it do to our pets? Does anyone know of anything less harsh that works to keep the fleas away? We have tried many treatments and the natural stuff unfortunately just hasn't been strong enough. Please know we even had our entire house tented last year but the warm weather and humidity bring the bugs!