Keep Your Pets Safe During The Holidays

With the holidays rapidly approaching, now is the ideal time to remind your customers that the holiday season can be treacherous for pets who are tempted by baubles, baked goods, and bright lights. But keeping them safe is easier than you think.

The Christmas tree

Christmas trees can be nearly impossible for curious pets to resist, but they are loaded with dangerous enticements. Strands of tinsel, if swallowed, can result in intestinal blockages. Glass ornaments can be broken into dangerous shards. Christmas lights and wiring may be chewed, pulled and stripped. Wrapped gifts--especially food-- can present additional risks; and the water under your tree may look drinkable to your pet but it could contain harmful bacteria.

To minimize the threat of these temptations, designate the tree ‘off limits’ to pets by placing ScatMat® pet training mats around the base, or at the entrance to the room. The ScatMat responds to your pet’s touch with a mild static sensation. After a few encounters, pets quickly learn to stay away from the area. Shelves, Tables or Counters

Pets that can reach tables, shelves, or counters face a whole range of hazards. Glass ornaments or displays are easily broken, candles can be knocked over, and kitchen counters, while often full of yummy tidbits, can be loaded with knives and sharp instruments, bacteria, or other dangers.

Some foods can be a real hazard for cats and dogs. Chocolate can be quickly gobbled up, but is also quite toxic to pets. Poinsettias, holly, amaryllis, mistletoe, or pine needles can be harmful if ingested.



To protect tabletops, shelves, and counters, the StayAway™ pet deterrent is a versatile solution. Small and portable, the StayAway can be placed at the approach to the area you want to protect. When a cat or dog gets within three feet, the StayAway responds with a gentle warning beep, followed by a startling blast of compressed air. The StayAway is non-flammable, so it is ideal for keeping pets away from candlelit displays and it is portable, so it can be moved around as needed.

Scat Mat

If you have resolved to keep pets off the furniture once and for all during this season of entertaining.

Answer To A Dumb Question

The next time someone asks you a dumb question wouldn't you like to
Respond like this?

Yesterday I was at PetsMart buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for
My loyal pet Angel the Wonder Dog and was in the checkout line when the
Woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had, an
Elephant? So on impulse I told her, "No, I don't have a dog. I am starting
the Purina Diet again."

I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital
Last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive
Care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both
Arms.

I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet, and that the way it
Works is to load your pockets with Purina nuggets. Then you simply eat
One or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally
Complete so it works well, and I was going to try it again.

I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now
Enthralled with my story.

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog
Food poisoned me. I told her no, that I stepped off a curb to sniff an
Irish Setter's butt and a car hit us both.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was
Laughing so hard. PetsMart won't let me shop there anymore.

I prefer Flint River Ranch Pet Food Myself located at http://www.fancypaws.com/dogfood.html

Vets have different vaccination schedules.

Vets have different vaccination schedules. This is a example of a common

Innoculation chart for a new puppy.

Puppy Vaccination Schedule

Age Vaccination

5 weeks Parvovirus: for puppies at high risk of exposure to parvo, some veterinarians recommend vaccinating at 5 weeks. Check with your veterinarian.

6 & 9 weeks Combination vaccine* without leptospirosis.
Coronavirus: where coronavirus is a concern.

12 weeks or older Rabies: Given by your local veterinarian (age at vaccination may vary according to local law).

12 & 15 weeks** Combination vaccine
Leptospirosis: include leptosporosis in the combination vaccine where leptospirosis is a concern, or if traveling to an area where it occurs.
Coronavirus: where coronavirus is a concern.
Lyme: where Lyme disease is a concern or if traveling to an area where it occurs.
Adult (boosters)§ Combination vaccine
Leptospirosis: include leptospirosis in the combination vaccine where leptospirosis is a concern, or if traveling to an area where it occurs.
Coronavirus: where coronavirus is a concern.
Lyme: where Lyme disease is a concern or if traveling to an area where it occurs.
Rabies: Given by your local veterinarian (time interval between vaccinations may vary according to local law).

*A combination vaccine, often called a 5-way vaccine, usually includes adenovirus cough and hepatitis, distemper, parainfluenza, and parvovirus. Some combination vaccines may also include leptospirosis (7-way vaccines) and/or coronavirus. The inclusion of either canine adenovirus-1 or adenovirus-2 in a vaccine will protect against both adenovirus cough and hepatitis; adenovirus-2 is highly preferred.
**Some puppies may need additional vaccinations against parvovirus after 15 weeks of age. Consult with your local veterinarian.

§ According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, dogs at low risk of disease exposure may not need to be boostered yearly for most diseases. Consult with your local veterinarian to determine the appropriate vaccination schedule for your dog. Remember, recommendations vary depending on the age, breed, and health status of the dog, the potential of the dog to be exposed to the disease, the type of vaccine, whether the dog is used for breeding, and the geographical area where the dog lives or may visit.

Bordetella and parainfluenza: For complete canine cough protection, we recommend Intra-Trac II ADT. For dogs that are shown, in field trials, or are boarded, we recommend vaccination every six months with Intra-Trac II ADT.

Cat Vaccination Schedule

INFORMATION PURPOSE ONLY AND NOT PROVIDED BY A LICENSED
VET *** THIS IS FOR INDOOR CATS RECOMMENDED SCHEDULE

Age Vaccination

7 weeks Combination Vaccine*

10 weeks Combination vaccine Chlamydia (Pneumonitis): include in combination vaccine where it is a concern. Feline Leukemia (FeLV): for kittens at risk of exposure to feline leukemia virus.

12 weeks or older Rabies: Given by your local veterinarian (age at vaccination may vary according to local law).

13 weeks Combination vaccine Chlamydia (Pneumonitis): include in combination vaccine where it is a concern. FeLV: for kittens at risk of exposure to feline leukemia virus.

16 & 19 weeks Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP): for kittens at risk of exposure to feline infectious peritonitis. Adult (boosters)** Combination vaccine
Chlamydia (Pneumonitis): include in combination vaccine where it is a concern.
FeLV: for cats at risk of exposure to feline leukemia virus.
FIP: for cats at risk of exposure to feline infectious peritonitis.
Rabies: Given by your local veterinarian (time interval between vaccinations may vary according to law).

*A combination vaccine includes feline distemper, rhinotracheitis, and calicivirus. Some may also include chlamydia.

**According to the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Feline Practitioners, cats at low risk of disease exposure may not need to be boostered yearly for most diseases. Consult with your local veterinarian to determine the appropriate vaccination schedule for your cat. Remember, recommendations vary depending on the age, breed, and health status of the cat, the potential of the cat to be exposed to the disease, the type of vaccine, whether the cat is used for breeding, and the geographical area where the cat lives or may visit.

PLEASE PLEASE HELP THIS STOP IF YOU LOVE PETS

This artist is torturing pets for his 'ART' IT IS LEGAL IN HIS COUNTRY BUT MANY ARE SIGNING A PETITION TO MAKE IT STOP. YOU CAN HELP Dear all, just received this and you bet I'll be signing the petition - - Dear friends, this is very cruel and sad. An "artist" from Costa Rica, named Guillermo Habacuc Vargas, put a starved dog as a work of art, the poor dog died there, he did not want anyone give him food or water. This monster asked some children to chase the dog and he paid them for their dirty work to give him the dog. In that event, (in which the dog died) he was chosen to represent his country in the "Bienal Centroamericana Honduras 2008", the petition site is to sign to boycott him , so he won't can participate in the event: SIGN HERE

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Starving-A-Dog-is-Wrong

I just learned about this and it makes me sick.

Flea And Ticks

During the weeks before vacation, fleas feeding and breeding on the pets deposited unborn offspring all over the homestead. And during the vacation, fleas at various life stages evolved, nourished by dried-blood flea excrement, "flea dirt," in the carpet and elsewhere. The result: A population explosion of fleas ravenous for fresh blood.
The scenario is fictional. But it depicts this fact: Left uncontrolled, bloodsucking pests can infest not just your cat or dog, but your entire house--and you!
Common household fleas don't usually transmit diseases to pets and people. The tiny insects are mainly "just a nuisance," says Marcia Larkins, D.V.M., chief of the companion and wildlife drugs branch in the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine. "They generally cause a lot of itching and scratching. They may also cause some discomfort due to possible allergic flea bite dermatitis."
Ticks, those other dreaded bloodsuckers, pose greater risk, annually giving pets and thousands of people illnesses such as Lyme disease.
Fortunately, a wide array of pest control products are available. We reccomend Frontline Plus or K9 Advantix. You can get them at http://www.fancypaws.com/petmedications.html for less than most other places.
While there are more than 200 species of fleas in this country, the main troublemaker for pets is the cat flea. Happy to feed on anyone in the household--cat, dog or human--these wingless insects will most likely choose a pet, whose fur provides warm camouflage for their breeding ground.
The flea life cycle, has four stages: eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults. Female fleas lay as many as 50 eggs a day, starting a life cycle that can be completed in as little as three weeks, depending on temperature and humidity. The eggs hatch into larvae, which feed on "flea dirt," excrement of partially digested blood. Larvae grow and molt twice, then spin cocoons, where they grow to pupae and then adults. The adult remains in the cocoon until vibrations indicate a host is nearby. This waiting can extend the life cycle. It also explains why large numbers of fleas often are seen when an empty building is reoccupied. Six-legged adults emerge and attach to a host to feed and breed, beginnning the cycle all over again.
Even when fleas elude detection on a pet, their black poppyseed-like excrement gives them away.
The main problem with fleas--itching--is due not only to their bites, but also to their crawling over the skin.

Poem

The sun is filled with shining light
It blazes far and wide
The moon reflects the sun's light back
But has no light inside.

I think I'd rather be the sun
That shines so bold and bright
Than be the moon that only glows
Through someone else's light.....

Roberta Flack "Free to Be You and Me"