What To Do (And Not Do) When You Find A Stray Kitten

Finding a stray kitten curled up under your deck or meowing plaintively on the side of the road can feel as exciting as finding a $100 bill on the sidewalk. Those tiny triangle ears! The blue eyes! Stray kittens are undeniably cute, but finding one outside by itself brings up a long list of questions—not to mention potential problems you now need to solve. How you choose to move forward could be the difference between life and death for that innocent little kitten. Whether you want to make the little one part of your family or not, there are steps you need to take to help that kitten survive.

To read more on this story, click here: What To Do (And Not Do) When You Find A Stray Kitten

A Dumped Dog's Prayer

I did not write this poem, the author is unknown. I am posting it hoping that it will touch someone who is thinking about abandoning their pet(s). I am hoping that they will try and find a place for them before dumping them in the streets.

Times are hard now for all of us, and some people can no longer care for a pet. Please consider checking with family, friends or your local animal shelter before leaving your pet behind.

                                              A Dumped Dog's Prayer

Don't close the door! Don't push me away. Why are you leaving? Don't make me stay. Slow down the car, I can't keep up. This pavement is hot and my pads are cut. I've got to quit running or my heart will pop. Every muscle is aching. Why don't you stop? I'm so hungry and thirsty. Darkness is near. But I shouldn't leave, he will come for me here.

Several weeks have passed, I am dead on my feet. They call me a nuisance because I eat off the streets. Every car that passes, I chase it to see If it's my master coming for me. Though I approach those that come near With trust in my eyes and no sign of fear. With hate in their voices and a cold, heartless stare, They threaten to kill me - they don't even care. Batter my body with rocks that they throw, I will not leave, he will come, don't you know? Overtaken with weakness, my body is numb. I'm sick and so lonely. Oh please, let him come! I will go back where he first threw me out. I'll wait for him there, he will come, no doubt.

My thoughts are fading. My chest feels like lead. I'm sleepy, so sleepy - I can't lift my head. It's so quiet, so peaceful -- all remains still. There is my master at my home on the hill. Yes, I can see him, he's calling my name. His voice is so gentle, his hands are the same. He decided he wants me. Things will be fine. I really do love him, that master of mine. My tail wags with pleasure. I can't catch my breath. He came in my dreams, but so did my DEATH!

Author Unknown

                                                 He found a place to sleep.

Does Your Pet Have Allergies? – Do You Know The Symptoms?

Does your pet have allergies? Did you know that they have some of the same symptoms that we do? Depending on the type of allergy, your pet may have different symptoms. Although pets occasionally exhibit watery eyes and some sneezing, the most common reaction is scratching. Constant scratching may lead to raised infected welts, open sores, and loss of hair. Ear infections are also common in dogs with allergies.

Although seasonal allergies in dogs and cats are common, they don't usually manifest in pets the same way they do in humans. We humans will sneeze, cough, and get congested, but dogs and cats tend to get skin problems, even when they inhale allergens.

The most common form of allergy in dogs and cats is called atopy. Atopy is often seasonal. If a pet is allergic to ragweed, symptoms occur in the fall. Pets who are allergic to spring tree pollen will show signs in April and May. If a pet is allergic to dust mites, the symptoms may be most dramatic in the winter, when more time is spent inside. Signs of atopy include:

• Chewing at the feet
• Constant licking of the flank (side) and groin area
• Rubbing of the face
• Inflamed ears or recurrent ear infections
• Recurrent hot spots in dogs and pinpoint facial scabbing in cats
• Asthma-like wheezing and respiratory problems is more likely in cats

Cats:
There are four known types of allergies in the cat: contact, flea, food, and inhalant. Each of these has some common expressions in cats, and each has some unique features.

Contact - flea collars or to types of bedding
Flea - irritation in response to flea bites
Food – General cat allergens are soy, wheat gluten, corn, and fish. They can be allergic to just about anything though.

Inhalant - Cats may be allergic to all of the same inhaled allergens that affect us.




 

Lyme Disease in Dogs: What You Need To Know

You’ve probably heard of Lyme disease. You or someone you know may have even tested positive for it, but did you know that your furry friend is just as at-risk for exposure to this dangerous disease as you are, maybe even more so? Fortunately, cats are not at risk for acquiring Lyme disease, but as we now know, their canine counterparts certainly are.

Research indicates that in 2016 and 2017, 1 in 8 dogs in Roanoke County tested positive for Lyme disease. In 2018, 1 in 9 dogs in Roanoke County tested positive, an improvement from previous years. It may seem hopeful that perhaps the tick population in our area is now less than what it was in previous years, however we strongly believe fewer dogs have tested positive for Lyme disease because of increased efforts to prevent disease transmission, like vaccination and year-round flea/tick prevention. So what exactly is Lyme disease and how can you protect your dog? We’ll answer these questions and more in this blog post!

To read more on this story, click here: Lyme Disease in Dogs: What You Need To Know

Man Builds A “Bar” For Squirrels In His Backyard That Serves Nuts

We all have our careers, and then on the side, we have our hobbies. For the most part, our hobbies are different from what we do for a living, but sometimes some people get lucky and their careers overlap with their hobbies.

One Fire Protection Technician, Matt Thompson, also likes to spend his free time doing woodworking, his hobby. Thompson noticed that there were people who were trying multiple attempts to create picnic tables for squirrels. He became inspired by the woodworking and chose to make his own version. Matt decided to get a little fancy with his idea and chose to make a bar for the squirrels to be able to hang out on the fence of his backyard.

To read more on this story, click here: Man Builds A “Bar” For Squirrels In His Backyard That Serves Nuts

Dangerous Household Products That Can Hurt Your Dog

Do you know that the products that you use to clean your home can hurt your dog? Here are some tips on “Dog Proofing Your Home!”

Keep these items away from your dog:

Household Cleaners:
Ammonia, disinfectants, fabric softener and bleach. Keep chemicals and cleaners securely locked away.

Indoor Plants:
Mistletoe, marijuana, poinsetta, tobacco, cactus, dumb cane, and philodendron.

Outdoor Plants:
Azaleas, daffodils, horse chestnuts, tulips, wild mushrooms, rhubarb, and morning glories

Pesticides: Rat poisons, bug sprays

Personal Items:
Antidepressant and prescription drugs, hairspray and nail polish can also hurt your dog.

Insect control products, such as the insecticides used in many over-the-counter flea and tick remedies, may be toxic to animals.

Human medications such as pain killers, aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen. Cold medicines, anti-cancer drugs, anti-depressants, vitamins, and diet pills can all be toxic to animals. Always keep medication containers, and tubes of ointments and creams away from pets. If you drop a pill, make sure you find it immediately and dispose of it.

Holiday decorations and lights are beautiful, however they do pose a risk to cats and dogs.  Keep these items out of the reach of  pets.

Avoid using mothballs in the outdoor environment they are toxic to wildlife. Boric acid dust or solution is corrosive and toxic to pets, and commonly found in ant killer and cleaners.

When using fertilizer, as with lawn weed killer products, read manufacturer instructions carefully. Some granular and liquid sprays contain enough concentrated nutrients so that contact exposure can lead to paw irritation.

Though puppies are always chewing…keep household batteries away from them. Leaking batteries are a risk to any pet. Old batteries should be disposed of by recycling. Large batteries that spill are very dangerous as concentrated sulfuric acid can literally eat through the pads of a dog walking over the area. Small round button batteries like those in watches and cameras are sometimes swallowed, and usually pass through without harm.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), states that cigarettes contain nicotine. If a cat eats too much tobacco they can become ill. Symptoms include vomiting, agitation, diarrhea and increased breathing rate. The dog can experience weakness, muscle twitching, and could go into a  coma and possibly die.

Licking up antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid and gasoline can cause your dog to become ill. Antifreeze does not have much of an odor or foul taste and your cat is likely to lap it up without thinking. Some brands of antifreeze have gone so far as to use additives in their products to make them less attractive to animals. It only takes a small amount, less than a tablespoon, to be fatal to your dog because of liver damage. Be sure to keep your dog away when you are working with antifreeze and clean up any spills immediately and dispose of the clean-up rags properly

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), also states that the signs of ethylene glycol antifreeze poisoning really depend on the amount of time that has lapsed since ingestion. Approximately thirty minutes to an hour after ingesting antifreeze, grogginess, disorientation and lethargy may occur. The initial signs for ethylene glycol antifreeze may look like drunkenness. Vomiting, diarrhea and ultimately kidney failure will follow 12 to 24 hours later. Since there is a narrow window of opportunity for managing antifreeze poisoning before kidney damage occurs, it is critical to get your dog to a veterinarian for prompt treatment.

Do not let your dog drink from puddles. These products taste appealing to pets but most are lethal to animals when ingested. So thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle. Also, keep your pets far away from any suspect puddles.

Pencils:
For some reason pencils seem to be the perfect chewing toy for puppies and older dogs.  The Lead Education and Abatement Design Group (LEAD) is a not-for-profit community organization which develops and provides information and referrals on lead poisoning and lead contamination prevention and management. They state that, “Every source of information we've ever read says there is no lead in graphite pencils, except that one graphite pencil tested had 1.6% lead in the graphite".

The Friendship Animal Hospital  in Washington, DC, states that the following actions should be taken if you feel that your dog has eaten a pencil.

Pencil "lead" is actually graphite with traces of iron. Graphite is essentially non-toxic. So I would not be worried about poisoning from the pencil "lead". The wood pieces of the chewed up pencil, if ingested and sharp, could potentially cause severe intestinal problems.

Try to piece together the remains of the pencil and determine if your dog did actually swallow any of it. Perhaps he just chewed it into pieces and didn't actually ingest it. If you think the dog did ingest pieces, based on the pencil remains were they chewed to tiny bits or larger slivered pieces? You are trying to determine if the dog actually swallowed pieces of pencil and if so were they sharp pieces of wood that could get lodged in the intestines? If you think the dog ingested sharp pieces you should go to the vet for x-rays. Also, any change in normal bowel movement, straining, black tarry stool, blood in stool, or indications of belly pain indicates a serious problem and you should go to the vet immediately!

If you feel confident that pieces ingested were tiny "chewed well" pieces they will most likely pass through your dog's digestive system with no problems. You could feed a little canned pumpkin or a small amount of metamucel to increase bulk/fiber which will help ease things through.

If you suspect that your dog has ingested any of these products, or if it shows any signs of illness. Please take them immediately to the nearest veterinary hospital.

Never, ever give your dog chicken bones.

The experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center set the record straight. As the Premier Animal Poison Control Center in North America, they are your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: (888) 426-4435. A $65 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card.

Dangerous Household Products That Can Hurt Your Cat

Do you know that the products that you use to clean your home can hurt your cat? Here are some tips on “Cat Proofing Your Home!”

Keep these items away from your cat:

Household Cleaners:
Ammonia, disinfectants, fabric softener and bleach. Keep chemicals and cleaners securely locked away.

Indoor Plants:
Mistletoe, marijuana, poinsetta, tobacco, cactus, dumb cane, and philodendron.

Outdoor Plants:
Azaleas, daffodils, horse chestnuts, tulips, wild mushrooms, rhubarb, and morning glories

Coca mulch, can also hurt your cat.

Pesticides: Rat poisons, bug sprays

Personal Items:
Antidepressant and prescription drugs, hairspray and nail polish.

Other Items:
String, yarn, rubber bands, and dental floss are easy to swallow and can cause intestinal blockages or strangulation. Insect control products, such as the insecticides used in many over-the-counter flea and tick remedies, may be toxic to companion animals.

Human medications such as pain killers, aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen. Cold medicines, anti-cancer drugs, anti-depressants, vitamins, and diet pills can all be toxic to animals. Always keep medication containers, and tubes of ointments and creams away from pets. If you drop a pill, make sure you find it immediately and dispose of it.

Holiday decorations and lights are beautiful, however they do pose a risk to cats and dogs.  Keep these items out of the reach of  pets.

We all use Pine Sol, but did you know that this cleaning solution containing high concentrations of pine oil, and  alcohols derived from pine tree wood. Turpentine is another product that has pine oil terpenes. Cats are particularly sensitive to pine oils because they lack an efficient liver enzyme system to detoxify them.

Cats are sensitive to Lysol cleaner but not only because of their sensitivity to the alcohol in the product, but because this cleaner also contains phenols.  Cats have problems detoxifying this type of poison due to the low efficiency of the detoxifying liver enzymes.

Furniture polish may contain petroleum distillates which are toxic to cats . Avoid using mothballs in the outdoor environment they are toxic to wildlife. Boric acid dust or solution is corrosive and toxic to pets, and commonly found in ant killer and cleaners.

When using fertilizer, as with lawn weed killer products, read manufacturer instructions carefully. Some granular and liquid sprays contain enough concentrated nutrients so that contact exposure can lead to paw irritation.

Be careful with pressure treated wood. The slow release around the wood of the impregnated fungicide can contaminate their water.

Dispose of old batteries. If a cat brushes up against an old leaky battery, the acids transferred to the fur can lead to burns of the tongue during grooming, or chemical burns.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), states that cigarettes contain nicotine. If a cat eats too much tobacco they can become ill. Symptoms include vomiting, agitation, diarrhea and increased breathing rate. The cat can experience weakness, muscle twitching, and could go into a  coma and possibly die.

Licking up antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid and gasoline can cause your cat to become ill. Antifreeze does not have much of an odor or foul taste and your cat is likely to lap it up without thinking. Some brands of antifreeze have gone so far as to use additives in their products to make them less attractive to animals. It only takes a small amount, less than a tablespoon, to be fatal to your cat because of liver damage. Be sure to keep your cat away when you are working with antifreeze and clean up any spills immediately and dispose of the clean-up rags properly

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), also states that the signs of ethylene glycol antifreeze poisoning really depend on the amount of time that has lapsed since ingestion. Approximately thirty minutes to an hour after ingesting antifreeze, grogginess, disorientation and lethargy may occur. The initial signs for ethylene glycol antifreeze may look like drunkenness. Vomiting, diarrhea and ultimately kidney failure will follow 12 to 24 hours later. Since there is a narrow window of opportunity for managing antifreeze poisoning before kidney damage occurs, it is critical to get your cat to a veterinarian for prompt treatment.

Do not let your cat drink from puddles. These products taste appealing to pets but most are lethal to animals when ingested. So thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle. Also, keep your pets far away from any suspect puddles.

Never, ever give your cat chicken bones.

The experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center set the record straight. As the Premier Animal Poison Control Center in North America, they are your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: (888) 426-4435. A $65 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card.
   

Recipes For Dogs: Barbara Laino's Homemade Dog Food

In the April/May 2011 issue of The Bark, we interview Barbara Laino about the nutritional benefits of feeding your dog home-cooked meals in addition to, or in lieu of, commercial dog food (see “Home Cooking with Barbara Laino” April/May ’11). Here are two more recipes cooked up at Laino’s Midsummer Farm in Warwick, N.Y., that are sure to please your pup’s taste buds and keep her healthy:

Homemade Dinner Recipe for Dogs

This recipe feeds 2-3 large dogs for 7-10 days.

Grind the following ingredients in a meat grinder. Alternate ingredients so the grinder does the mixing for you. For instance, grind six necks, one carrot, a handful of garlic and pumpkin seeds, then six more necks and so on. Mix with a large spoon as you grind.

Meat:

• 40 lbs of chicken neck without skins

• 10 lbs of chicken hearts

• 5-10 lbs of organic chicken livers

• 2 cans of pink salmon (optional)

Vegetables:

Can be interchanged with other vegetables and fruits (no grapes or onions). Dogs and cats usually do not like citrus.

• 2-5 lbs carrots

• 1/2 a bunch of red cabbage

• 1 beet

• 2 apples

• 1/2 a bunch of spinach or other dark greens

Other ingredients:

• 1 cup of raw pumpkin seeds

Add a couple of the following items. Have these ready on hand as you are grinding and add a sprinkle here and there of each so you can thoroughly mix the batch of food.

• 9-12 raw whole eggs (optional)

• 2,000 mg of vitamin C powder

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Thorvin kelp powder

• 1/4 cup of tumeric powder

• 1/2 to 1 cup of dried parsley

• 1/2 to 1 cup of dried oregano

• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup of tahini

• 1/4 cup of raw honey

After grinding and mixing all ingredients thoroughly, keep the food in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Midsummer Farm Homemade Fish-Based Dog Dinner

(The below recipe is for 1 medium dog for 3 days, about 10 1-cup-size meatballs) This recipe can be made in larger batches for efficiency sake. This raw food can easily be frozen in meatball shapes appropriate for the size animals you are feeding.

Serving Sizes of Raw Meatballs:

• For a large 50-100 pound dog – three to five 1-cup-size meatballs per day

• For a 20-40 pound dog - two or three 1-cup-size meatballs per day

• For a 1-10 pound dog – one to two 1/2-cup-size meatballs per day

*Remember – this is a concentrated and efficient food source and is power packed. You won’t have to feed as much bulk-wise as with a commercial food; most commercial foods have a lot of fillers.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of Frozen Fish Fillets. I like to use an oily fish like Mackerel or Whiting.

• 1-2 cans of Alaskan Wild Pink Salmon

• 1/4 - 1/2 pound of Beef Liver

• 1-3 Eggs (optional)

• 2 cups of Chopped Veggies (can be any combination of carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cooked squash, green beans, cooked yams, apples, berries, kale, spinach). Do NOT use onions or grapes of any kind.

• 1/2 cup of Pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

• 2 tbsp Honey

• 2 tbsp Dried Parsley

• 2 tbsp Dried Oregano

• 2 tbsp Tumeric Powder

• 2 tbsp Thorvin Kelp Powder

• Optional: 1 cup of cooked oatmeal, barley, or brown rice

Directions:

Alternate putting frozen (still frozen grind much easier), liver, vegetables, garlic, and seeds through a meat grinder. As you grind into a big bowl, add and mix in the canned salmon, eggs, honey, dried herbs, powdered kelp.

Keep in a well-sealed container in fridge. Scoop out appropriate amounts for your pet, or if you made a very large batch that is more than can be consumed in about 5 days, roll into meal-sized meatballs and freeze. Then you can just take out whatever number meatballs you need and defrost them a couple days before you need to feed them. Meatballs will last at least 3 months in the freezer.