Archive for the ‘Food’ Category
Pay-It-Forward Friday 6/4/2010
June 4th, 2010
If you have dogs or ferrets, this is your lucky Friday. It has been a challenging week for me. I have had a number of issues come up regarding dogs and ferrets. I had to do some research and contact other rescues and shelters for help. It’s amazing how animal people all stick together and help each other so animals can have a better life. Thank you!!
One challenge I had were ferrets with fleas. I never had ferrets with fleas so I was not sure what to do about them. I know they are delicate animals and it can be deadly if they are treated like dogs and cats for a flea problem. Here are some of the things I found out:
1. A flea condition is 100% fixable. I spoke to rescues who told me that ferrets die from fleas. They are such small animals and it doesn’t take long for them to be sucked dry. The fleas are coming in from a source. Once you find out what the source is, you can correct it. Ferrets, being indoor animals, should not have fleas.
2. If you have dogs or cats that come in and out you can give them Capstar. You have to get it from a veterinarian. This should not be given to ferrets, unless you just adopted them and need to get the fleas off this one time. (Talk to your vet about dosage).
3. You can also get an 8oz. spray bottle. Put about 2 tablespoons Skin-so-soft with 1 teaspoon alcohol (to cut the oil) and fill with water. You can spray that on the dogs and cats and rub it in. This will kill fleas. Again, be very careful not to use this too much with ferrets since they have very sensitive skin.
The one recommendation I got over and over again, get everyone and everything out of the house. Fumigate the whole house and have the yard treated. While you are gone, get all of the fleas off of all the animals. When you return, you are starting new. Make sure all of the animals stay in the house. If they must go outside, make sure they stay in your yard, if possible. Give them Capstar before they go out to be sure they don’t get any fleas. The ferrets should no longer have a flea problem, ever.
I also had people asking me about the proper food they should be feeding their dogs. Since I have not had dogs in years, I was not sure what to tell them. I have a friend, Greg Martinez, DVM who just wrote a book called, “Dr. Greg’s Dog Dish Diet”. That book has a wealth of information when it comes to feeding your dog. It gives you histories of different breeds, what different breeds eat, how different foods affect different dogs, etc. Did you know dogs are not suppose to have any corn or beef?
Here are a few tidbits I got from the book that I thought were interesting and I wanted to pass along:
1. A Tablespoon of olive oil or canola oil on the food daily, or an egg yolk in the food three or four times a week, can have a wondrous effect on health.
2. Never give your dog chocolate. That goes for ferrets too. Ferrets should not have any sugars or fruit.
3. The closest ancestor to a dog, the wolf. 99.8% of a dog’s DNA matches the wolf. To feed dogs well on a diet that resembles the natural diet of a wolf, make sure the mix of ingredients and nutrients are similar.
4. Wild game provides the wolf with a high-water, low-carbohydrate diet that is also high in protein and fat. With the exception of a few of the newer diet; canned dog foods most closely match the wolf’s natural diet.
5. Ounce for ounce, canned dog food has about a third the calories of dry food.
6. A healthier diet may actually prevent, decrease and often cure many of the common chronic problems in dogs.
These are the top 10 claims for Veterinary Pet Insurance:
A.Ear Infections
B. Skin Allerfies
C. Pyoderma (hotspots/ bacterial skin infections)
D. Gastritis/Vomiting (stomach upsets)
E. Enteritis/Diarrhea
F. Urinary Tract Infections Benign
G. Skin Tumors
H. Osteoarthritis
I. Eye Inflammation
J. Hypothyroidism
7. Allergies in dogs are caused by three common allergen groups:
A. Fleas
B. Pollens, grasses and molds
C. Allergenic food ingredients (most often wheat, beef and corn)
8. Wolves keep their teeth clean by chewing on the bones of prey animals. In that tradition, you can give your dog raw or frozen chicken theighs, smoked pork bones or beef knucklebones, and they’ll gnaw the tartar away. PLEASE, be careful what you give your dog. They should be able to chew NOT eat bones. The book goes into detail about this.
To learn more about dogs and their diets click here for Dr. Greg’s Book.
Then I had questions about adopting dogs. The best timing in the world because I had information sent to me from “The Camping Dog”.
It specifically talked about adopting a shelter dog. They say one of the best gifts you can give yourself is adopting a shelter dog. Are shelter dogs right for everyone? Absolutely not. You never really know what you’ve got until you get your new friend home. And odds are even that your dog will need specialized attention and care for health or behavior issues for some period of time. Unless you’re willing to be patient and work with your pup, you have no business having a dog at all – and especially not a shelter dog who may well have had traumatic experiences.
There is nothing more rewarding than watching a dog blossom into their true personalities. Seeing a dog learn how to play for the first time is a delight. And watching them grow as they learn new behaviors and have new experiences is so much fun! And they do thank you for it in so many ways!
If you would like to know the questions to ask yourself if you are thinking about adopting a dog click here.
Pay-It-Forward Friday
March 9th, 2010
I want Friday’s to bring awareness to other organizations that are doing wonderful things for animals. If you have information you want to share, send me a paragraph on the topic with a link to the website, by 11am on Thursday. I will do this each Friday. Please pass this link on to bring awareness to these wonderful organizations, thanks!
1. Have you ever thought about the food you eat? How does it affect your body and health?
There is a new movie called Food, Inc. It educates people about the food they eat. Oprah dedicated one of her shows to this topic. Alicia Silverstone wrote a book called “The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet”. She also discusses this topic.
When we used to cook quality food at home our health care costs, and medical needs, were much lower. Our world has changed. People buy fast food an average of 4 times a week. With that increase there has been an increase in health issues and health care costs. Animals are force fed and given all kinds of hormones. This impacts the animals, as well as the humans that consume them. A few of the topics discussed in the movie:
- Where our food comes from
- How it affects our health
- How to purchase quality food at the best price
- Restaurants that serve high quality food that has been raised caged free
What are your thoughts about this? You can comment below.
2. They say bears hibernate in the winter, right? Watch the video below to see what they really do in the comfort of their own caves! This is live video inside a bear’s den!
A team of biologists go to a black bear den to study a female bear and her two newborn cubs. The group recorded each cub’s weight and gender and examined the mother bear. Please listen to what they have to say about the bears and humans interacting. Sound familiar about other animals in the wild?
THESE ARE WILD ANIMALS, PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS ON YOUR OWN!!
3. Kirsten Starcher plays bass in a Vancouver-based rock band and while performing in Toronto, Canada in 2006, took a poignant photograph of a homeless man with his dog nestled in his arms. Her photo has touched many hearts around the world. Her consent to “Pets of the Homeless” to use her photo set a wave in motion.
“Years later, it still amazes me how this one tiny action, which almost didn’t happen, has had a ripple effect I never would have predicted,” wrote Kirsten for an article in the March 2010, Pets of the Homeless Newsletter.
People started writing to tell Kirsten about how the photo affected them. More charities asked to use it in their writings; artists asked to paint their own versions of it; a musician wrote a song about it. She received email from a woman in South Africa who found it on a flyer on the beach and was deeply moved. One of the artists planned to give a percentage of his gallery’s earnings – for a month – to a local homelessness charity, by way of appreciation.
This stunning photograph can be seen on the Pets of the Homeless website.
How Animals Fit Into An Ever Changing World
March 4th, 2010
Our world is ever changing. Remember when there were only three networks on TV? Now there are so many choices that people are overwhelmed. You add reality TV networks to the mix and it’s impossible to keep up. A lot of people record, or “Tivo” shows so they can see them “when they have time”. When does that happen? We have become so overwhelmed with keeping up with work and family life that most people don’t have time for TV. When they do watch it I wonder, how many people really take in what they are watching? Are their minds still on something else?
Now, add the internet to the mix. Most people are on their computers for work and play. It’s no wonder TV shows try to direct you to their website. That’s where most people spend their time. It is the place to find love, food, cars, investments, TV shows you missed, coupons and specials, old friends, as well as anything you need regarding animals. That is why I am placing my show on the internet, so I know you will see it!
I wanted to share with you some sites I think you might want to put into your database. You never know when you might need them. You’re already on the computer reading this 
I have posted them below.
There is also a term a lot of people have heard but really don’t understand. It is called “Fostering”. I recently did a report on Greyhounds. The dogs are rescued, sent to prison and trained by the prisoners. After they are trained they are sent to foster homes, or rescues, until they are adopted.
I always thought that fostering meant you HAD to keep the animal until a new home was found. That is not the case. Most of the time animals are only with you for a short time, maybe a week or two. If you have to leave for a trip, the organization will take the animal. If you only want a “friend” for a few weeks or a month, that is fine. There is a HUGE NEED for foster homes everywhere. There are all kinds of animals that need a foster home. It can be fun to learn about a new animal without the long term commitment. The animals come with food. Any medical care is also taken care of for you. All the animal needs is a safe and loving place to stay, temporarily. In addition, think of the love you will get in return.
The other nice thing about fostering is that you just opened up a spot for another animal. If it had not been for you, that animal might have been put down because there was no place for it to go.
If you would like to find out more regarding fostering, I suggest you contact your local shelter, rescue or other animal organization. Ask, “what does takes to be a foster parent”?
If you are looking for animals to adopt:
1.www.petango.com – These are all PetPoint Shelters. They also have a web based store and will make a donation to a selected shelter as a result of the person’s purchase.
2. www.adoptapet.com – People can do a “search saver” which will send them an email when a specific breed they are looking for becomes available.
5. www.akc.org – breed specific rescue groups
If you lost an animal:
4. http://haveyouseenthispet.com
Organizations that will help owners that cannot afford vet care.
Most of them handle serious medical conditions and injury. Some focus on low income, elderly and handicapped owners. A couple of them are for rescue organizations and homeless pets.
3.www.fveap.org/sys-tmple/door
I am sure there are many more organizations that can be added to this list. If you would like to post about one you know of, please submit it under our “Resources/ Organizations” page. Thanks for all you do for animals around the world!
Pay-It-Forward Friday
February 4th, 2010
I want Friday’s to be fun and bring awareness to other organizations that are doing wonderful things for animals. If you have information you want to share, send me a paragraph on the topic with a link to the website, by 11am on Thursday. I will do this each Friday. Information about animals in need will be posted at the bottom. This week……. ferrets need transportation help.
1. Have you heard of these sites that give away free kibble to dogs and cats?
Not only do they give away free kibble, but it’s fun. Each day the sites have trivia questions regarding dogs and cats. It’s interesting to see how much you really know about these animals.
As of today they have donated over 2.2 million meals to homeless dogs and cats in shelters across the country! There is a very neat event happening today, Friday. It’s call the “Free kibble kat Hi-5”
The “Free kibble Hi-5 “event for dogs was a huge success and they raised 20,000 meals for homeless dogs in one day! Now, on February 5th, they are going to be having the first ever FreekibbleKat Hi-5 event for homeless cats!
Please go to www.freekibblekat.com TODAY. They will be donating 5x’s the kibble when you play Meow Trivia! Their goal is to generate 5 million pieces of kibble in one day! Halo Pets is sponsoring the event with no limit on the kibble!
2. Cat Depot, is one of the largest nonprofit no kill feline adoption, rescue, education and resource centers in the nation. This might sound crazy, but they have a working dog that works with the cats. Her name is Beignet. She takes her job seriously. Rising before dawn every day, she heads to Cat Depot in Sarasota, Florida, where she socializes with more than 100 cats and kittens. Some dogs might think her job is a bit silly, but not Beignet. She knows that when she works with the kittens, she is acclimating them to live with a family dog. And that might makes their chances of getting adopted a little bit better.
Some adult cats are larger than her, but that doesn’t stop her from saying “hello.” In fact, their reaction lets cat caregivers know if a cat is dog-friendly. Heck, every once in a while a cat will get downright mushy and kiss her all over.
They can tell Beignet has an affinity for animals in need. A survivor of Hurricane Katrina, Beignet understands being alone, hurt and confused. Not finding her family, she too was once in an adoption center. Rescued with a broken jaw and broken teeth, an eye injury and missing fur, she can relate to misfortune. But Beignet also knows about hope, and every day she spreads the word to Sarasota’s cats and kittens that find themselves temporarily placed at Cat Depot. Beignet may not be the cutest or the youngest girl in town, but she knows she has an important job and that makes her feel good about herself. She welcomes all visitors, too, and demonstrates daily that you don’t have to be perfect to give love
Vote for Beignet! It only takes a few seconds at http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/Misc/Best-Pet-Finalists-2010.asp. Cat Depot and all the homeless cats and kittens appreciate your support!
3. Many health problems in pets can be traced back to the foods they are being fed. There is a huge debate in the pet industry about the quality of foods we feed our dogs. One thing that is often discussed is the need to change your dog’s diet – both to give them variety and to ensure they get quality and nutritionally balanced food to maintain optimum health. This article gives some really easy recipes to make at home that are quick, affordable, nutritionally balanced and that your dogs will love. There should be certain proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables and fruits in a healthy canine diet. Go to this website to get specific recipes that you can make in 3 minutes or less. http://www.squidoo.com/dogfoodrecipies
This was sent to me by CampingDog. They deal with dogs exclusively.
4. Ferrets Need Transportation Help in Florida. A woman named Sheri has 3 ferrets she needs to give up. She lives in Casselberry, Florida. A wonderful ferret rescue in Broward County, Florida will take them if they can be driven down to that area. The name of the woman who runs it is Dona. If you are able to assist please contact Sheri at may_8th_2006@hotmail.com or Dona at fuzzyrescues@aol.com
5. My Name is Brogan Horton, I am an investigator for Animal Recovery Mission ( A.R.M) We are facing an enormous crisis here in Miami, Florida concerning the illegal back yard slaughter. Hundreds of horses are bought straight from the track and transported to these “facilities” which are car ports and razor wire fencing. They are forced to drink rancid water, and stand in 1-2 ft of mud in the backing sun. Mares, foals, geldings, stallions are all mixed together in dog pens. Once an order is placed for a horse, they are lead to the “kill pen” where they are axed, hit with hammers, or stabbed with knives. Almost all of them are butchered alive to “ keep the blood flowing”. And its not just the horses. There are pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and geese . They also have puppy mill’s set up. There are currently 150 of these farms around Miami. The conditions are horrid and the treatment is beyond inhuman. Miami date animal services and the SPCA are over whelmed and unable to take in a house these animals. They also don’t have the man power or means to prove the help and investigations it takes to shut these places down.
We at ARM work exclusively in investigating and shutting down these facilities. Please, check out our website to follow along with what we are working on. CNN, ABC, NBC, have all aired stories featuring ARM and directly concerning the backyard slaughter.
We are about to raid and seize the animals on about 25 farms. This will include, horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, lots of chickens and geese. Were talking over 500 chickens and geese. The Media will be very much involved and will spotlight any rescue involved unless you wish to remain unnamed.
We are in desperate need of rescues to take in what ever you can take. We have horses of every type including some high name thoroughbreds, donkeys, sheep, pigs of every type and breed, goats, chickens and geese, as well as some puppies.
Please- if you can help contact me ASAP so we can start working out the details. Even if you know someone who might be able to, please forward this to anyone you know. We need homes and transportation.
Thank you very much for your time,
Brogan Horton
Investigator
Animal Recovery Mission
207-939-7852
www.animalrecoverym ission.org
Click Here to See Horse Videos
6. The Road Ahead in Port Au Prince
Devastated by a recent earthquake and its aftershocks, the people in Port Au Prince were left with little ability to care for the animals there, including more than 150,000 community dogs.
After a thorough assessment of animal welfare issues, the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH), which includes Best Friends, sprang into action, setting up veterinary services in and around the city.
Right now team members from ARCH – including Best Friends Rapid Response Manager, Rich Crook – are on the ground, working with a regional partner from neighboring Dominican Republic. Rich had this to report from the field:
“The team is now on the ground in Port au Prince and I can tell you firsthand that this is the greatest devastation I have ever seen … The scope and scale is overwhelming as you enter the city. After being here only a few hours, we saw several dogs that are in need of our help.“
In the coming weeks, ARCH also plans to open several veterinary clinics. Not only will these clinics help animals right now, but part of their goal will be to put longer-term strategies in place for the care of both family pets and stray animals. These strategies will include lifesaving spay and neuter for Haiti’s dogs and cats.
That means your support will be saving animals for years to come!
The Haitian government and people have been very welcoming of this news, too. They have been providing lots of support and even security.
But not only will animals be touched by your kindness. ARCH is hoping to staff several of these mobile clinics with local, young veterinarians with mentoring from international veterinarians from ARCH.
So your support will benefit animals and humans alike!
That’s the miracle Best Friends members make possible every day! On behalf of the entire Best Friends family and all of the animal lovers from Port Au Prince, thank you for all that you do.
P.S. And there’s more good news! All of your donations for Haiti are tax deductible on your 2009 taxes! See HR Bill 4462www.mGive.org/receipt. and consult your tax advisor for more information.
Pets of Homeless People
December 15th, 2009
These days we hear about more and more people leaving their pets behind as they leave their homes. It’s even harder to think about during the holiday season. Some people will find reasons to leave an animal behind; relocation, financial issues, divorce, more responsibility for an older animal….and the list goes on. For some, that is not an option. They will lose everything but they will never leave their beloved pet behind. The animal is the only thing that keeps them going in this crazy, unpredictable world. It is called unconditional love and it’s an emotional bond of loyalty. We all search for it when most of the time it is right in front of us, our pet. The tragic part is that these pets don’t choose their owners.
It is estimated, by the National Coalition for the Homeless, that 3.5 million people are homeless. Between 5% to 10% of homeless people have dogs and/or cats. In some areas of the country the rate is as high as 24%. Most people who experience homelessness are homeless for a short period of time, and usually need help finding housing or a rent subsidy. Unfortunately for those with pets it becomes more difficult. Many are forced to choose between their pet or a roof over their head.
Picture this, a well dressed woman walks up to a homeless man and gives him a bag of fast food on her way to work. The man has been sitting on the sidewalk in the same spot for weeks, he looks up and says “God bless you.” The woman nods and walks away but not before she turns to see him open the bag and remove a burger, take a bite and give the rest to his dog. This scene is probably something that goes on more often than we would like to think.
There is an organization I found out about called “Feeding Pets of the Homeless”. They provide medical care and food for pets that belong to the homeless and the disadvantaged. They do this by teaming up with Veterinarians and pet related businesses in different areas of the country. They’ll do talks in communities about this issue and work with food distributing organizations about the importance of including pet food. They also have collection sites across the U.S. and Canada. These sites are clinics, hospitals, businesses, storefronts and nonprofits that understand the human/animal bond. They work hand in hand with the food pantries and food kitchens, so the animals can be fed as well as the homeless. They also provide grants to licensed Veterinarians and other nonprofit organizations. You can email them at: info@petsofhomeless.org for more information and an application.
Please, go to their website and see if there is a collection site in your area. If not, please think about starting one for the animals and people in need. Feeding Pets of the Homeless is available to help. This is a hard time for everyone, animal and human. It takes a lot of courage, and love, for these people in need to stand by their pet, literally.