Dogs Helping People

I spent a wonderful Saturday at the "I Love My Dog" Expo held in Lincoln. This event was conducted by the Domesti-Pups organization, a volunteer-based organization that strives to improve the quality of life for persons with special needs through the assistance of animals and to provide awareness through education. They provide service dogs for persons with disabilities, pet therapy programs, classroom dogs and educational programs. What a great group!

I want to thank everyone who stopped by our Petlane booth. I was amazed at the number of people AND dogs that attended the event, and I'm already looking forward to next year! Mindy and I kept busy and were tired by the end of the day, but it was well worth it. Here are a few pictures from the day...

 

It was nice to have so much room at the event!

A lot of the dogs were showing off their best looks. Here are a few examples!

                                                                               

There were bandanas and leis            

Sweaters were a popular option

 

  

  

And some chose not to mess with clothes at all, going instead for the fancy hair-do!

There were fuzzy dogs

Tiny dogs

And dogs traveling in style

 

  

And lots of dogs with great faces

  

  

But by the end of the day, all dogs had one thing in common. They were tired dogs!

Does your dog or cat brush twice a day?

How about flossing? Ok. I will admit it. I don't brush Xena or Harley's teeth.  I know lots of people who do brush their pet's teeth but I'm just not there yet.

February is Pet Dental Health Month. Pets are susceptible to dental problems just like us human. In fact, the American Veterinarian Dental Society reports that over 70% of pets show signs of dental disease by the time they are 3. Besides the obvious bad doggy breath (or kitty breath, I suppose), dental disease can lead to harmful bacteria in the bloodstream that can result in damage to vital organs.

In honor of Pet Dental Health Month, I'm offering a 10% discount to anyone who places an order for any of Petlane's dental care products. (The only catch is that you need to email or call me to place the order so I can get you the discount)

Plaque and Tartar Control is a colorless, odorless liquid. Just add it to your dog or cat's waterbowl and it will help prevent the buildup of the plaque and tartar that can cause so many problems.   

Our Breath-A-Licious treats contain 5 natural breath freshening herbs; peppermint, parsley, chlorophyll, fennel and dill, herbs that will knock out bad breath as well as aid in digestion, alleviate gas and soothe upset stomachs. Available in three sizes. Small (10 per pack): recommended for dogs up to 30 lbs; Medium (6 per pack): recommended for dogs 35 lbs; Large (6 per pack): recommended for dogs 50 lbs and up.




We also have a large variety of bones for dogs (and hey, my cat likes them too!)  These will also assist in removing plaque and tartar from teeth. If it goes in your pet's mouth, I'll give you the discount in February!

Nebraska-based pet food recall

Lincoln-based Nature's Variety is voluntarily recalling packages of its chicken-flavored pet food over concerns of salmonella contamination.

The company says in a statement issued Thursday that no pets or humans have been sickened:

Dear Nature’s Variety Customers,
We want to inform you that Nature’s Variety has initiated a voluntary recall of our Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet for dogs and cats with the “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10 because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella.The only products affected are limited to chicken medallions, patties, and chubs with a “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10.This includes:

• 3 lb chicken medallions (UPC# 7 69949 60130 2) with a “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10
• 6 lb chicken patties (UPC# 7 69949 60120 3) with a “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10
• 2 lb chicken chubs (UPC# 7 69949 60121 0) with a “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10

Look for the “Best If Used By” date on the back of the package directly above the handling instructions.
Please be assured, no human or pet illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this issue.  Also, no other Nature’s Variety products are affected by this issue. 
If you have purchased a bag of Nature’s Variety Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet (medallions, patties, or chubs) with the “Best if Used By” date of 11/10/10, we ask that you take one of the following steps.

• If your package has not been opened, please return the unopened product to your retailer for a full refund or replacement.
• If your package has been opened, please dispose of the raw food in a safe manner by securing it in a covered trash receptacle. Then, bring your receipt (or the empty package in a sealed bag) to your local retailer for a full refund or replacement.

We truly appreciate your cooperation, and we apologize for any inconvenience that this matter may have caused for you.

What are you feeding your pets?

 
I'll admit it.  Before I became an advisor with Petlane, I purchased any random dog food on the shelf at the store. Sure, I made myself feel better by getting something with "Select" in the title, but I really didn't do any research on what I was feeding my dog.  Now I know better.

But, after chatting with a friend on Facebook last night, I realized that not everyone has this information. She mentioned that her dog had been scratching alot and that they thought it was allergy-related. When I found out that she was feeding her dog a lower quality food I realized that could be the problem. Now, I'm not saying everyone has to go out and buy Petlane's Pure Woof or Pure Purr foods (although it would be great if they did!), but as consumers we should be aware of what to look for. So, thanks to some training material I have received, this is what you should keep in mind when shopping for pet food.

When Buying Pet Food:

1. A high-quality protein should be in the first five ingredients. This does NOT include by-products (and if you really want to know what that is, I'm happy to tell you)
2. Look for high quality carbohydrates. Avoid "flours" as they are processed. 
3. Healthy fats are good. Generic fats are bad. Animal fat as an ingredient? What animal? Blech.
4. Vitamins are good for pets too!
5. Artificial preservatives?  Sure....if you want your pet eating chemicals.

Take a look at the first five ingredients when you are shopping for pet food. They make up the bulk of the ingredients and will give you a good picture of the nutritional value.

If you would like to see how your food compares to our Pure Woof and Pure Pure, please contact me and I will try to get a comparison for you.

How to pill a cat

I have to admit that I was sent this through the Addison's Dog Yahoo Group I belong to, so I can't take credit for it, nor do I know who the author is. But it is too funny not to share.

Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby.
Position right forefinger and thumb on each side of cat's mouth and gently apply
pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop
pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat gently in left arm
and repeat process.

Retrieve cat from bedroom, pick up and throw soggy pill away.

Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly
with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right
forefinger. Hold mouth shut for count of ten.

Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse in
from garden.
Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws.
Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand
while forcing wooden ruler into cat's mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's
throat vigorously.

Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill out of foil wrap. Make note to
buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep up shattered figurines and
vases from hearth and set on one side for gluing later.

Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from
below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with a pencil
and blow into drinking straw.

Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to
take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet
with cold water and soap.

Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and
close door just enough so that head is showing. Force mouth open with dessert
spoon. Flick pill down throat with plastic band.

Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Apply cold
compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw t-shirt
away and fetch new one from bedroom.

Call fire department to retrieve cat from tree across road. Apologize to
neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from
foil wrap.

Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of
dining table. Find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth
followed by a large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints
of water down throat to wash pill down.

Get someone to drive you to emergency room. Sit quietly while doctor stitches
fingers and forearms and removes pill from right eye. Call furniture shop on way
home and order new dining table.

Arrange for ASPCA to collect cat and contact local pet shop to see if they have
any hamsters.

Giving medicine to your dog

I was talking with a co-worker the other day and he mentioned that his dog was prescribed antibiotics to take for a week. He was on day two and wondering how they both would survive since getting his dog to open up and obediently swallow the medicine was NOT happening. With Xena every morning, she knows that before I leave for work she gets a piece (or two) of ham. What I don't think she has figured out is that the ham contains her dose of prednisone. She is on a very small dose, and it is a VERY small pill, so this works for us. My co-worker's dog wasn't going to be fooled by that trick though, as her pill was considerably bigger. Peanut butter (another great trick) was also a bomb. Another option is to check with the vet to see if the meds may be crushed with no ill effects. They can then be added to food or a tasty treat, but you have to make sure all is ingested.

I encouraged him to check out Pill Pockets. I don't sell them, I'm not making money by mentioning them. But they work!  They come in two sizes...one for tablets and one for capsules. They are stinky and squishy.  You stick the pill in them and squeeze the end to seal it inside. Fido will never even know (kind of like putting carrots in cupcakes for kids that won't eat veggies.  They can be found at almost anyplace that sells pet products, and they look like this:

And now for a little brag! In addition to the daily prednisone pill, Xena gets an injection of a medicine once a month. Last night was the first time I did it myself at home, rather than having to drag her to the vet. Normally she doesn't even seem to notice when she gets her shot. She did turn around and look at me last night, as if to say "hey!  what the heck?!".   I'm telling myself that it wasn't because I was any less gentle than the pros, but that she just wasn't expecting it since we were on home turf. 27 more days till I have to try again!

Stay tuned tomorrow for the sequel to this posting. How to pill a cat....it's a good one!

Declawing -- No big deal or animal cruelty?

When we adopted Harley over the holidays it was a no-brainer that we would get him neutered. However, the issue of whether or not to have him de-clawed was another matter.  Before I became an Advisor for Petlane I wouldn't have given de-clawing another thought...I would have scheduled the surgery and been done with it.  However, I know that Petlane had donated money to a group that assisted animals who had been harmed by the procedure, and we have had discussions during training calls on alternatives to the procedure. Clearly I needed to give this a further look.

Our reasons for choosing to declaw were of benefit to the humans in our family. With my cat allergy (which is getting better by the way), scratches became welts that itched. Family and friends warned that our furniture would be ruined. Carpets would be destroyed. Was that enough?

But what are the cons of having a cat de-clawed. Well, when I hear that term I picture the removal of claws. Kind of like an extreme version of fingernail clipping. Then I learned that it is the equivalent of removing up to the first knuckle on our fingers. Not a fingernail trimming at all...but an amputation. There are some schools of thoughts that the procedure can cause behavioral changes, make cats more prone to biting, and cause problems with litter box usage. (of course, to be fair, there are just as many people to say those things never happen).

Harley has his claws and will keep them. Yes, I will need to figure out the best way to trim his nails on a regular basis. Yes, I will need to buy a new Yoga mat at some point as my current one is his favorite scratching spot. I may even need to invest in a scratching post at some point. But I won't have to worry that our cuddly kitten who loves to be  held may become aloof. I don't need to worry that he will start biting. I don't have to worry that he may become maimed in an elective surgery gone wrong (or worse, after all every time under anesthesia presents its own risks).  Will I glare at people who choose differently from me, or stand on a soapbox and preach the evils of the procedure? No, this is all the preachng you get. Just keep in mind the pros and cons, and then make the best decision for you AND your cat!