Puppy, kitten doesn’t make good gift on Christmas Day

I had planned to write a post on the topic of giving your children a puppy or kitten as a Christmas present, then I read this article written by the Aiken SPCA that covered it all.  Enjoy. Happy Holidays!

The calls have already begun coming in. “I want to get my kids a puppy for Christmas. Can you hold it until Christmas Eve?”

We certainly understand that kids love puppies and kittens, and many would be very happy to see one as a member of the family on Christmas morning.

However, if you take a step back and think about it, there probably isn’t a worse day to introduce a new member of the family into your house.

Animals need routine and take time to adjust to life away from a shelter and into your new home. On Christmas, you’re much more likely to have a house full of people, a big Christmas tree with lights and decorations, unwrapped toys and wrapping paper all around the house. Not exactly the best environment for a young puppy trying to find his way in a new home.

We also have to look back when we were kids. The excitement of opening our presents was one of the most memorable parts of the day. However, we all remember discarding one toy, when we opened a new, more exciting toy. The puppy may end up being the one discarded when the new video game system or new bike grabs little Johnny’s attention.

Holidays are typically stressful times in the home, too. There is nothing like reliving an old family argument that happened 20 years ago with people you only see a couple times of year to make you grab for some more of the spiked eggnog and start looking at your watch hoping it is time to go. Now, add in a little puppy or kitten that knocks over the tree, or pees on the rug, or chews on mom’s new fuzzy slippers that Santa brought her.

Next thing you know, the pet is back at the shelter as fast as someone heading back to the mall to exchange the outfit that Grandma bought them. The kids are heartbroken, the parents are frustrated; although the carpet cleaning guy enjoys the extra money around the holidays from the service calls.

Is there a solution? We think so. We don’t enjoy seeing homeless animals in shelters around the holidays anymore than you do. But we also don’t want to have a long return line at our front door on Monday, Dec. 28. That sight is tough to swallow.

If you are serious about adding a new pet to your home this holiday season, here is what we recommend.

First, decide what fits best in your home, dog or cat, young or full grown.

Next, go out and buy the supplies you will need. Let the kids open up a new leash and collar, a bowl and dog bed, a crate or little box. This will build the excitement of the new addition.

Print them out a little “gift certificate” good for a new puppy, kitten, dog or cat. Have them go with you and the entire family after Christmas to “redeem” their coupon for an animal that the whole family can agree on. You will have time to have a family discussion about who will walk the dog or clean the litter box and do other pet related chores that are important to discuss in advance.

Remind them that it is a big commitment and that the new pet will be with the family for many, many years and although they are lots of fun, there is work involved, too.

By the time Monday rolls around, children will have likely grown bored with many of their toys. Mom can put them in the closest. The family tree can be taken down and the homemade ornaments made of macaroni can be tucked away for next year.

You can then spend the rest of the weekend braving the crowds at the local movie theater or mall, all the while knowing your kids’ great gift is waiting for them at their local shelter next week.

By the time you come out and adopt, everyone will know the plan. You’re set up for a successful and lasting adoption.

You’re teaching your kids about responsibility, planning and that instant gratification isn’t the only way. Long after they are tired of the new GI Joe or video game, children will have a companion that will love them unconditionally. Consider coming out and adding your next member to your family. We’ll see you after the holidays.

By GARY WILLOUGHBY
Aiken SPCA Executive Director

Secondhand Smoke Harms Your Pet - Would you stop smoking to save your dog’s health?

Would you quit smoking for your pet’s health? New survey findings suggest that 28% of adult pet owners would try. The study is from the Henry Ford Health System Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and appears in Tobacco Control.

Of interest to me were the cited studies that linked pet health and secondhand smoke. (Sorry, no word on pets who actually smoke.)

• Dogs: Nasal cancer, lung cancer, allergic reactions
• Cats: Lymphoma, oral cancer
• Birds: Eye disease, respiratory problems, dermatitis

I know, I know. This study was only a survey, and all these links between pets and diseases are association studies, but this is your pet we’re talking about.

When nonsmoking pet owners were asked if they would request that people who lived with them stop smoking, 16% said yes, and 24% said they would ask them to smoke outside. Get ready for some battles.

Will knowing the risks of secondhand smoke to your pets change your way of handling smokers in your house?

By James Hubbard, MD, MPH
My Family Doctor Blog

[Originally posted February 11, 2009, James Hubbard's My Family Doctor Web site.]

Antioxidants for Your Dog

Don’t look for or put your faith in a “silver bullet” antioxidant. It doesn’t exist. Rather, supplement your dog’s diet with a variety of foods that contain antioxidants, such as blueberries, herbs (basil is great) tomatoes, egg yolks, green tea or spinach.

Feed these foods especially in times of increased physical stress for your dog; for example, when it’s fighting cancer or after extreme physical exertion.

Don’t overfeed any one antioxidant. Balance and variety are always advised.

Claims for Health and Healing

Arthritis: Antioxidants, but particularly vitamin C, art vital to any arthritic therapeutic program. Vitamin C is involved in the building and healing of joint and bone structures, and it plays an active role in the immune response.

Anti-aging: as an animal’s body ages, it undergoes a gradual accumulation of tiny bits of damage to cell and tissue structures and also to enzymatic systems important in the production of antioxidants. With age, then , the animal’s cells and organ systems no longer have the vital capabilities they once did. The result is an inability to deal with free radicals efficiently. Antioxidants improve the efficiency of all animal’s aging systems, resulting in a healthier old animal.

Cancer prevention: Antioxidants protect the body from the damaging effects of free radicals, slow tumor growth, and/or help cellular DNA retain its normal configuration.

 Heart disease: antioxidants protect the heart and circulatory system from oxidative stress from free radicals.

 Vision and eyesight: The antioxidants leutine and zeonxanthin and particularly helpful in supporting good eye health.

Immune function: Antioxidants are known to enhance healthy lymphocyte production and offer protective factors for other components of the immune system.

Learning Tricks is Not Just for Dogs – Your Cat can Learn Tricks too!

You may not be able to teach your cat to brush his own teeth, but cats can learn tricks just like dogs ~ they learn and respond in different ways. It has been shown that cats respond better to working for food than for positive reinforcement like many dog trainings methods.

SET THE FOUNDATION

To lessen the likelihood of upsetting your cat’s diet have moist or dry cat food as a treat on hand. Like dogs, cats also respond to praise, so when your cat performs a task you have asked of her, be sure to not only reward her with a food treat, but also with verbal praise. You will likely have more success if you work with one command at a time. As with any training effort, with humans or pets, your training effort will be more successful with consistency.  Be sure to let your cat learn at his own pace. But when you see an even slight glimmer that your cat understands the behavior you are trying to teach, reward her enthusiastically.  Here are commands for you to try:

COME

This command is best taught at mealtime. Use your cat’s name as you tap her food bowl and use the command “come.” When she comes to you, praise her and then give her the food.

SHAKE HANDS

Sit your cat in front of you and touch her paw and say, “shake. In the beginning you may need to gently lift her paw as you say “shake.” As soon as she reacts and lifts her paw, shake it and giver her verbal praise along with a treat. Consistency is key and repeating the command the same way each time. Our cat Bingo has mastered this command after my daughter worked with him using these training methods.

WAVE

Cats naturally swipe at a piece of food, which helps to teach this command. Hold a treat in your hand and place it in front of the cat’s nose but just out of reach of her front paws. Then, awaken your cat’s natural instincts, by moving the food back and forth with your hand in a waving motion while telling your cat to “wave.” As your cat is reaching for the food with her paw, it will appear that she is waving. Once her reaching motion resembles a waving behavior, praise her and give a treat.

SIT-UP

Gently place your cat into a sitting position. Hold a treat over her head and say “sit-up.” Do not give her the reward if she stands or grabs at the treat, just repeat the command and wait for her to try. When she accomplishes the desired behavior, give her the treat immediately and repeat the command several times.

In no time you’ll have the best trained cat on the block.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The History of Dogs

Canine history is a history of the friendship between us and our pet dog (Canis lupus familiaris). That friendship stems from us needing help with our herding, hunting and safety.

In times of famine it would also have been beneficial for the dogs diet and possible survival.

Early man also used him to supplement his own diet and even may have raised him for ‘camp meat’. Sometimes as a matter of necessity and other times as a delicacy. In some current societies it is still a practice.

It is also fair to conjecture man brought his new subject into the cave as a source of warmth on cold nights and this may very well have led to ‘companionship’ being added to the list of ‘pluses’ garnered from the relationship.

Scientists have argued for many years about the evolution and history of the domestic dog. Most now agree that our four legged pet is a direct descendant of the Grey Wolf.
DNA research conducted by Dr. Robert K. Wayne, canid biologist and molecular geneticist of UCLA indicates that dogs are closer to the Grey Wolf (Canis Lupus) than previously suspected.

In fact, due in large part to Dr. Robert K. Wayne’s genetic research, the authors of the “Mammal Species of the World”
the internationally accepted reference source on mammal species, reclassified the dog in 1993 from Canis Familiaris to Canis Lupus No one knows for sure when this all started.

Canine history has been studied using mitochondrial DNA.
This research tells us that wolves and dogs went different directions about 100,000 years ago. It is not clear if man had a hand in this or not.

What research also tells us is that our total canine population of today is descended from three females in the China area some 15,000 years ago.

Existing science does not give us the luxury today of determining which leg of the research is correct or if they will someday merge. Archeological History does not go back that far.

Research at this point does not tell us what happened to Canis Lupus Familiaris between the parting from the wolves 100,000 years ago and the parentage established from the three bitches 85,000 years later.

There’s a burial site in Germany called Bonn-Oberkassel which has joint human and dog burials dated to 14,000 years ago. China registers the earliest domestication between 7000-5800 BC.

Danger Cave in Utah exhibits the oldest cases of dog burial in the United States at about 11,000 years. When science brings us more on the subject we will bring it to you.

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If You Want To Get Healthy, Get Yourself A Four Legged Friend

During the start of every New Year, people from all walks of life make resolutions about losing weight, getting fit and getting healthier.  They purchase gym memberships, but can’t get motivated to go. They start the latest fad diet and can’t force themselves to stick with it long enough to get any results.

This behavior isn’t just limited to the beginning of the year either. People make failed attempts to get themselves into a better state of health with little success all year long.  There is always a good reason to start your new diet or exercise plan; you want to squeeze into a size six for your cousin’s wedding or you want to feel confident in your swim suit when beach season hits. Maybe your cholesterol is high or your stamina is low.

A large part of the failure of all of these endeavors to get healthier stems from the fact that we aren’t giving ourselves a good and definitive reason to get up, go out and get moving.  In the back of our minds, there is always the thought that tomorrow is another day.

Bad days at work, trouble sleeping or your favorite show coming on aren’t good excuses to skip your workout, but they are excuses that people use everyday.  What we need to guarantee is our success in getting healthier is a reason to get moving that we can’t ignore.

Man’s (or woman’s) Best Friend

If you can’t seem to stick to a regular workout routine and you are in desperate need of dropping some pounds, whether it’s by doctor’s orders or just to be able to look at yourself in the mirror again, then getting a dog may be the perfect path to your success.

There are no two ways about it, dogs need to get outside.  They need to go to the bathroom and they need regular activity to be healthy and happy.

An average dog needs about one twenty to thirty minute walk a day. In addition to the quick trips out to relieve themselves, they need to get enough exercise to remain in good health. Twenty to thirty minutes is, coincidently, a perfect amount of time for an adult to get out and perform some type of physical activity in order to stay in good health.

No Excuses

Your dog won’t want to hear that you’re tired. Your dog won’t care that the new episode of some prime time drama is coming on and your dog certainly won’t care that your boss was giving you a hard time all day.

Your dog will need to go outside, period. That is exactly the type of motivation many people need these days in order to get the amount of physical activity they need to get themselves into a healthier state.

A Faithful Training Partner

As you begin to work out the kinks created by year after year of doing nothing more than sitting in front of the TV, you’ll begin to feel better.  Those excess pounds that you’ve been building up will start to melt away.

There may be a lot of skeptics about this “workout plan.” People will wonder how it’s possible to lose weight simply by taking a dog out for a stroll, but you can rest assured that this is an excellent way to get yourself on the road to better health.

A recent study conducted by the University of Missouri at Columbia, showed a reasonable pattern of weight loss for subjects who walked a dog for twenty minutes a day, five days a week over the course of one year.

The average participant in the study lost nearly fifteen pounds over the course of the year.  Though the information from the study can not guarantee the same results for anyone who begins walking a dog, one thing to consider is that the study only included five days of the week. You, as a dog owner, would be getting that activity seven days a week.

The subjects were using twenty minutes as their goal per day. You would be unlimited as to the amount of time and type of activity you chose on each walk.

Fifteen pounds in one year is not an extraordinary amount of weight to lose, but for someone who’s had little success with any endeavor they’ve attempted in the past, fifteen pounds could be a huge accomplishment.  Seeing that weight come off can be a great motivator to do more. Having that unavoidable excuse for activity can allow you to get to that next level and continue to take the weight off.

If subjects in the study lost fifteen pounds in twenty minutes over five days a week, and you’ll be walking thirty minutes a day for seven days a week, your weight loss could be markedly higher. The change in your health over the first year could be dramatic.

As you begin, you may only be able to walk for fifteen, or so minutes a day. After a month, you may be walking for over thirty minutes.  The healthier you and your dog get together, the more activity you’ll be capable of on a given day. By the six month mark, you may be going for long runs with your new best friend.

Make no mistake about it, if you want to take a forty-five minute walk around a park on a beautiful spring day, your dog will be right by your side the entire time with zero complaints.  If you get to a level of fitness that has you wanting to take your dog for two thirty minute walks a day, it’s a safe assumption that your four legged friend certainly won’t have a problem with that either.

The more time you spend with your dog in these bonding experiences, the closer the two of you will get.  Your dog can and will be the best friend and training partner that you’ve ever had. For anyone who needs some kind of unavoidable excuse to get up and get moving, getting a dog can be the best solution.

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This article was written on behalf of http://www.petclassifieds.us , a popular online pet classifieds website.

Choosing the Right Crate for Your Dog

By nature, dogs are pack animals that live in dens. They take comfort in having their own secure area. You may have already observed your puppy finding a secure spot under a chair or bed. Offering your dog its own crate meets its instinctive needs and allows you some control in your housebreaking efforts.

Crate Selection

The first thing to do is decide on a crate.  The crate or carrier should be big enough for your puppy to turn around and lay down.  Giving your dog too much space allows it the option of soiling half its crate and still having an unsoiled area to lay down and rest.

Crates are made of a variety of materials. Those made of molded plastic are easy to clean, are draft-free, and have limited visibility. I have always used a wire crate. Wire crates provide a better view if car travel is frequent, but the crate may need to be covered to make it more den-like.

To get you started on your selection, we’ve provided information on current selections on e-bay.

Dog Crates

Crate Cleaning

If the crate is too large for the puppy, use a divider to make the area only large enough that he can stand up and turn around. Some crates even come with a divider so the crate can grow with the puppy. As puppy grows, you can move the divider to one side as you need to.

Our crate had a bottom tray that pulled out and could be cleaned and slid back in with little fuss.

 

Make Your Pet Stand Out with a Unique Name

If you are getting a new pet and don’t want to use a name everyone else has, check out http://www.bowwow.com.au. The maker of pet identification tags which produces tens of thousands of tags annually, has compiled a list of the top 60 names in a variety of countries, including the US.

While some of the names won’t surprise you (Buddy, Max, Fluffy, Blackie), some unexpected names make the list as well (Oliver, Taz, Kate) Also, keep in mind that most animals (dogs in particular) learn two-syllable names most easily.

Your Pet’s Home for the Holidays

If you think your Aunt Betty’s travel stories stress you out, think about the stress your pet must feel when his territory is invaded by strange humans, often for days at a time.

Pet experts have endless advice for helping pets survive the holidays; here are some of the most important:

Keep table scraps to a minimum. Your pet is already nervous with the change in his routine. Changing his diet too by adding rich human food is bad for his stomach and could backfire on you when your home is full of guests. Trust me on this one ~ been there, done that!

Pets crave routine. Keep to regular feeding and walking schedules to minimize the stress on your pet.

Keep temptations for your pet to a minimum. Put new toys, gifts, wrappings food, drink and other items out of your pet’s reach, or you could be making a trip to the vet to remove a foreign object from your pet’s stomach just when it’s time to sit down to a family dinner. 

Just always keep in mind that the holidays are stressful for our pets just as they are for us humans. Heck, just watching us run around like a crazy person trying to get everything done is enough to stress them out.

Feline Leukemia Symptoms

I lost my beautiful black and white long hair cat, Fluffy, to feline leukemia (FeLV) when I was in college. I spent hundreds of dollars on her treatment and it was a very emotional and traumatic experience to watch her die of this disease.  Feline Leukemia is responsible for more deaths among cats than any other infectious disease. There are vaccinations for FeLV, but they are not 100-percent effective, so it is important to know the signs of infection. Back when Fluffy died of FeLV there were not yet vaccinations for this desease. Fortunately today many cat’s lives are saved as a result of receiving a FeLV vaccination when they are kittens.

 Here are some of the symptoms you should be aware of: 

• Decreased appetite
• Decreased stamina
• Depression
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Excessive drinking and urination
• Infertility, jaundice (a yellowing of the skin, whites of the eyes, mucous membranes, and body fluids) - (this is one of the symptoms Fluffy had)
• Low-grade fever

 Contact your veterinarian right away if you suspect infections, especially if you have more than one cat.

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