In a perfect world we’d never have to worry about or be confronted with animal cruelty and abuse. Unfortunately it is a reality that happens everyday. In an effort to combat animal cruelty you should know the signs and symptoms as well as what you should do if you suspect animals are being mistreated. All domesticated pets deserve a loving home and sometimes, all it takes is a phone call to put the wheels in motion to bettering an animals life.
Many people may have the image that animal abuse requires some sort of physical abuse or starvation. In fact abuse of an animal can take many forms.
What is Animal Abuse/Cruelty
Not Providing Adequate Shelter – pets that are left tied up outside in the rain, snow, wind, and sun without adequate shelter is a form of abuse. All animals should have the opportunity to shelter themselves from the elements.
Not Seeking Medical Treatment – this applies to everything from leaving serious physical injuries untreated to not taking steps to properly safeguard a pet from flea and tick infestations and heart worms.
Malnourished Pets – Anytime you can see an animals ribs clearly, they are malnourished and in need of care.
Frequent abandonment – Pets that are frequently left alone for extended periods of time without a pet sitter or anyone to check in on them to make sure they are in good health and their basic needs are being met.
Physical Abuse – Striking, choking, or incapacitating an animal in any way
So what should you do if you feel that you have witnessed or are aware of an ongoing situation in which animals are being mistreated? This will vary based on your areas resources. If you have a local Humane Society many of them will have a hotline you can call to report abuse. You can also call your local law enforcement agency and ask for assistance or direction in checking on the situation.
Make it a point to get to know the animals in your neighborhood and be sure to teach your children the proper way to treat pets – both theirs and others. If you have concerns, and feel comfortable with the owners, ask questions. Sometimes situations won’t be what they seem. You’d hate to end up reporting someone who had just taken in a starving stray and was trying to nurse it back to health. When in doubt though, call someone to perform a welfare check on the pet(s).
For more ways to help put an end to animal cruelty check out the Human Society’s information for your state here.
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Check out this heartwarming story here on the Huffington Post detailing how a dog named Opie found an abandoned new born kitten and alerted his owner. After some much needed veterinary care, the kitten (who was named Roscoe) came to be in fine health as well as a much loved companion for life to Opie, his life-saver. While there are many testaments to be found of dogs and cats growing to be inseparable (We’ve even seen the unlikely kinship of a rabbit befriending a cat!) there are a lot of factors to consider before one commits to housing a dog and a cat together. There is truth to the common loony-toon idea that cats and dogs are mortal enemies and there are some things to consider before you match up your pets.
Raising a kitten and puppy together is no guarantee of affection toward one another in adulthood. Like humans, pets have individual personalities and while they may accept they have to share their space with a “brother” or “sister”, that doesn’t mean they have to like it! Puppies and kittens are often playful with anything and anyone. Remember though that just because the two species have some playful tumbles in their youth, don’t expect them to have a trouble free existence. Having said that, if you are going to attempt to pair the two creatures it is best to introduce them while young. They may never reach the level of loving affection as Opie and Roscoe, but they should at least be able to comfortably tolerate each other. Should you not have the option to pair them when they are young and are instead bringing a new cat or dog into anothers already established domain, take some basic precautions:
Making a Match Between a Dog & a Cat
Introduce them both on an equal eye level
Make introductions in an open space so that neither animal feels trapped. Plus, if there is a scuffle you can move more quickly to restore peace
Make introductions slowly. Allow the two supervised play dates before you allow them to coexist in the same space.
Never leave a match unfamiliar with each other alone. Even if it seems like they are getting along well in a very short period of time, it could still lead to injury on one or both parts.
Feed and bed them in different spaces. If each animal still feels like they have their own domain, it will be easier for them to tolerate and learn to like each other.
photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/bastique/405755376/”>@bastique</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/”>cc</a>
Although our dogs and cats will occasionally scratch when they have an itch, whether it behind their ear or front leg, etc., incessant scratching is not common. According to PetMD.com, there are six main reasons why dogs and cats scratch.
Often times, when we see our pets scratch we don’t think much of it. On the other hand, there are times when the scratching is persistent and we must not dismiss it.
These six reasons are part of a main category resulting from dermatitis, and the categories are listed below.
*Environmental
*Nutritional
*Parasitic
*Allergic
*Neurogenic
*Infectious
These categories also become more challenging the more frequently they are diagnosed. T.J. Dunn states that the simplest diagnosis begins with environmental dermatitis, and is progressively complicated with the diagnosis of neurogenic dermatitis. Environmental dermatitis is a result of what pets are exposed to, but their skin doesn’t agree with it. By matching the environmental irritant to the pet’s skin, you can determine preventative methods. There are different examples, such as moist eczema and contact with plastics can cause environmental dermatitis. We will focus on the top three most common categories; environmental, nutritional and parasitic.
Nutritional dermatitis occurs because of a lack of nutrition. When fed appropriate amounts of a balanced diet, your pet’s nutrition is stable, and you’ll see results immediately. Quality dog and cat food consists of organic, all-natural, grain-free and veterinary-prescribed diet food. Our products, Wholistic Canine Complete for dogs, along with Wholistic Feline Complete for cats, adds in essential organic and super-premium ingredients for your pet. These are both supplements that can provide optimum results for your pet’s health, in addition to their current diet. Your pet will also maintain a shiny and supple coat when eating well, and this can be maintained also with our Wholistic Flax Seed Oil, which is pure, organic and cold-pressed flax seed oil that produces heavy concentrations, resulting in a high-shine coat for your pet.
Parasitic dermatitis is mostly a common form of fleas and ticks, and an overexposure to an area where they are inhabited, can result in an overly sensitive reaction to even a single bite from a flea. The bite results in allergic dermatitis due to the saliva of the flea. Other intense reactions from parasites similar to fleas are Cheyletiella mites, scabies (red mange), and Demodex mites. All of these parasitic dermatitis result from excessive or repeated exposure to an infected environment, stresses from a disease, poor nutrition or immune disorder. This can be prevented by providing supplements and nutrition support to your pet, such as Wholistic Diatomaceous Earth, Wholistic Alfalfa Powder, both excellent and highly recommended for your dog and cat. We will focus on the next three categories of dermatitis in a future article.
Do you find yourself struggling with common skin problems with your cat or dog? If so, what preventative method(s) have you found to be the most effective?
Do you have a dog that’s depressed, or has been in the past? Or have you had a pet that has or had been depressed and didn’t know about it for quite some time? We have several notable physical signs to monitor your pet’s behavior and to detect if they may be depressed. Follow these tips as recommended and seen in Good Housekeeping magazine:
Usually the first and obvious sign is less or altogether stopping of eating or drinking. This will affect your pet’s health overall, if not treated as soon as possible or accurately.
Chewing and Destroying Items– This is very detrimental behavior that not only affects your pet, but your household, along coveted and cherished items/pieces in your home. Boredom and depression play large factors in chewing and destroying things.
Using the Bathroom in the House or Outside of the Litter Box– While many times pets do this is because of their mad or angry, they can also be expressing sadness.
Zero of Loss of Interest in Activities– This signals low feelings and sadness in pets. They may used to love to walk, run or play ball, and now they have no interest in those things anymore. Be alert to your pet’s behavior, especially when they go from doing the things they love, to having no real desire to do none of it anymore.
Less Tail Wagging– If your dog is no longer tail-wagging, be aware that something’s up. A happy tail wagging usually means a happy dog, and the same is meant for the opposite of he or she being sad or depressed.
Hiding– If your pet is hiding more often than usual, and rarely coming out for cat scratches, belly rubs, or petting, your pet is probably depressed.
Needs Constant Companionship– If your pet is craving constantly pet-human bonding at all times, beware that your pet is probably upset that you’re not around. When you are around and you begin to leave, they start crying, whimpering or become anxious. This is also a form of separation anxiety.
Too Much or Not Enough Grooming– Of course it’s normal for your pet to groom themselves, yet excessive grooming is not normal, and is indication of physical and/or emotional issues. Too much grooming can cause skin infections, and none grooming can cause excessive shedding and hair issues.
Increased Vocalization– Since pet’s can’t talk about how they feel or what bothers or hurts them, they bark, whine, growl, hiss, or meow, and sometimes these expressions become increased; this is their way of telling you something is wrong.
Do you notice any other signs in your pet’s decrease in activity level. Have you experienced more or less symptoms with your pet?
We want to hear from you. Let us know in a comment on this post!
With National Pet Week being a central focus this past week, there are some time-saving tips and suggestions for pet groomers to promote their services and expertise. With the average American spending over $53 billion dollars for food, veterinary care, kennels, and more, animals are a costly, yet loved, commodity. As referenced in a recent press release that owners “will show appreciation for their pets with a visit to a pet groomer.”
With increase in business for pet grooming, the following are some helpful tips for professional groomers to keep current and attract additional clientele. Many of these tips are essential basics for any business to maintain longevity and success:
E-mail Newsletter– This is an ideal way to attract potential current customers with promotions, discounts and additional offers.
Social Media– It seems every business site now has a fan page, whether you want to promote your business, keep your customers updated with current hours, early closings, and exclusive specials for those who are connected with you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.
Web Site– Of course, a website is necessary to promote your business, as not everyone is on social media, and wants to be able to have the option to connect with you outside of Facebook and Twitter.
Customer Referral– Word-of-mouth has a huge effect on business sales and increasing customer loyalty, so offering incentive to current customers who refer their friends, family and/or colleagues, is an added bonus.
Owning a pet is very expensive. Pet owners are spending over $55 billion dollars a year in owning and taking care of a pet. YOWZA!
The following are tips that will help in deciding what to spend on and what not to spend on.
Dog Food– The main keywords with dog food are meat or meat-based. It’s smart to determine which brand has the same ingredients but is cheaper in price. Also, couponing is the way to go. Many of the brands will have coupons on their web sites during certain promotional periods.
Medicine– Be on the lookout for medications that have been tested, such as tick and flea treatment companies, Pet Armor, and although Frontline is a great brand as well, it is twice the cost of Pet Armor, which works just as effectively.
Toys– Are very beneficial for our pets, and are often a sense of comfort for your pet. We, as owners, don’t think our pets need toys, but often times they do, to distract them us being away during the work day, to other changes in their environment. Nylabones are great, and other cloth toys suffice very well, and are inexpensive.
Clothes– We have expensive taste with our own clothes as well as clothing for our pets. However, you can purchase clothing from expensive to affordable from such designer sites as RalphLauren.com to Amazon.com, which keeps your pets warm. If it it’s cold to you, it’s also cold to your pet.
Leashes– There are a variety of leashes, and as most clothes, toys, and other items, there are different lengths, training options, and most of these have competitors’ brands, along with cheaper options.
Many of our products for our pets are a preference of taste and how much we’re willing to spend on them, as many of our pets are like our children, and we’d be willing to spend as much as we’d like on them. However, with today’s economy and the need to maintain a budget, we need more frugal options; we hope these help you in your shopping!
Have any tips to share with your fellow pet lovers that are frugal and budget-based? Let us know in the comments below.
Actress Tiffani Thiessen, best known for her portrayal as Kelly on Saved by the Bell, and now plays Elizabeth on the hit USA show, White Collar, has teamed up with EmBARK on their current pet health effort to educate and empower pet owners. EmBARK is asking pet owners to pledge on their site as a pinpoint to become more mindful of their pet’s continuous needs.
This pledge is crucial, as each pledge will donate a Sergeant’s Pet Health Kit to an animal waiting for their forever home in animal shelters nationwide. The American Humane Society will assist with those animal shelters that have the most need. There will be up to 5,000 kits donated, and the retail value of each kit is $50, and includes products to keep pets healthy, such as Sergeant’s Whiff Shampoo, PurLuvin Sizzlin Strips, Sentry Petdex and lots more.
We, at Pet Nanny, think this is a wonderful service and look forward to pledging ourselves! For more information, check out:
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