Happy Mother's Day!

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Truth About Pet Food

The latest Pet Food privilege announced by the FDA is regarding prescription cat and dog food. All pet food consumers and veterinarians should take note of this recent FDA Compliance Policy.

For decades the FDA has strictly enforced their idea that drugs are the only cure or treatment for illness – refusing to allow any food to make health or wellness claims. A claim such as ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ is forbidden.

But in the FDA’s infinite collusion with Big Industry, the agency allows pet food the same privilege of a drug (to claim it can cure or treat disease) without any of the requirements of a drug. Pet food is allowed to claim it can cure or treat disease without having to prove the effectiveness or even the safety of the pet food.

Kidney Function Canine Formula Dry/Kibble. This dog food, sold through a veterinarian, is allowed to make the claim of treating kidney disease in dogs.

Ingredients (bold added for emphasis): “Whole grain corn, brewers rice, dried egg product, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), sugar, dried whey, sodium caseinate, animal digest, calcium carbonate, vegetable oil, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, fish oil, salt, potassium citrate, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.”

To read more on this story, click here: Truth About Pet Food

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National Pet Week – May 1 - 7, 2016

Lifetime of Love -- The Basics: Seven days to a happier, healthier pet

Everyone loves their pets but not everyone is aware of what their pet needs from them to keep them happy and healthy long into their pet's senior years. Leading veterinary experts in animal health, welfare, and behavior invite you to take each of the essential actions highlighted during National Pet Week® that are vital to achieving a Lifetime of Love.

Select the pet that's right for your family's lifestyle, and make a commitment to that pet for its life. Even if you have already welcomed a pet into your home, your veterinarian can help you better understand the social and healthcare needs of your individual pet.

Learn about how to appropriately prepare your pet to enjoy a variety of interactions with other animals, people, places and activities. Everyone will be more comfortable!

To read more on this story, click here: National Pet Week – May 1-7, 2016

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Pet Owners Deserve Family Leave, Too

Bringing my adopted cat, Jameson, home with me in 2014 was one of the happiest days of my life.

Having to go back to work two days later was one of the worst.

While the rest of the country is hung up on the necessity of maternity leave — or even the newly coined “meternity” — one group continues to be overlooked when it comes to paid time off from work: new pet owners.

“Paw-ternity” leave is already a reality in the UK — the US pet-insurance provider Petplan found that nearly 5 percent of new pet owners in the UK were offered time off to care for their four-legged kids. (Not surprisingly, the UK is also light-years ahead of the US when it comes to maternity leave, offering up to 39 weeks of paid leave for new mothers.)

It’s time for the US to hop aboard the “paw-ternity” train. It’s not just because I want to stay home and cuddle on the couch with my new feline (which I do). When I adopted Jameson, he was 6 years old and had spent the previous year of his life in an animal shelter. He was suffering from several health problems after being neglected by his previous owner — and was skittish, nervous and uncertain about why he was suddenly being transported to a strange new home.

To read more on this story, click here: Pet Owners Deserve Family Leave, Too

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A Horse Clipper Has Become a UK Sensation Because of Her Serious Horse Clipping Skills

Melody Hames, 27, began clipping her own pet pony at the age of 12, and is now an absolute pro at it.

She had to trim her pony frequently because it suffered from a condition called cushings, causing it to have a thick woolly coat which doesn't change in the warmer season.

As she became more experience she decided to set up her own clipping company in Lancashire, JMC Equestrian.

She set up shop in 2013 and business has been booming ever since.

She used to do normal clippings, but has expanded her horizons after getting quirky requests from clients.

The clipper is now inundated with requests for fancy horse trimmings before shows.

Explaining how she decides patterns, she said: 'Often I will visualize it in my head and clarify it with a quick look at related objects which in turn can create new ideas and viewpoints.

"I sketched out different shapes for castles and also for the armour clip as I knew I wanted a specific kind of style castle and sword.

"This helps me visualize in my head and I run with it from there.

"I use a wide range of blades and clippers, I have blades and clippers to suit pretty much every situation, and ever breed as well as coat type.

"No stencils have been used to date or CGIs here - all hand crafted, it's very much like a craft to me that only comes with experience and practice."

Her designs, some which she draws freehand, take from 30 minutes to eight or nine hours to do.

She is most proud of her castle design, which she did over a few days.

She continued: "I would work for as long as it took though, over the space of days, to suit the horse.

"The castle is important to me as it kick started the larger scale custom clipping and gave me something to really work at. It got me a lot of attention.

"This season my favorite has been the Armour De L'Amore clip as it's on my personal horse Romeo and I have worked over time to build him up.

"Now he stands unaltered with complete trust while I work which has been a challenge as he's was a very nervous character and still is but he trusts me and it's a great feeling."

She trims complex medieval designs into the animals for her clients, and the horses she works on always look fabulous!

You wish you were as beautiful as this horse. Credit: Facebook/JMC Equestrian Custom Clipping

This is definitely Beyonce as a horse. Credit: Facebook/JMC Equestrian Custom Clipping

Just look at this great horse. Credit: Facebook/JMC Equestrian Custom Clipping

Credit: JMC Equestrian Custom Clipping

She hand-draws all her designs. Credit: Facebook/JMC Equestrian Custom Clipping

Utterly majestic! Credit: Facebook/JMC Equestrian

  

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Prince George’s County, Maryland - Prince George's County Animal Shelter: We Could Sure Use More Washable Stuffed Animals for Our Four-Legged Friends Here

We could sure use more washable stuffed animals (not beany-baby type) for our four-legged friends here. Gather them up from your grown kids' room and donate them. The animals here cuddle and love them, or they tear them up and we clean up after them. It's a chance we love to take.

 We also need your empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls. . . just place an extra bag under your bathroom cabinet and save them for us instead of throwing or recycling them. We have a great idea for their use!

Oh, and one more thing . . . plain yogurt -- any brand! Thank you to our generous community for helping out whenever you can.

3750 Brown Station Road

Upper Marlboro, Maryland

(301) 780-7200

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UPDATE - WHS/WARL: Stolen Kitten, Princess Jazzy Returned, Thanks to the Swift Actions of the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department

WASHINGTON, D.C. –.  Three days after her disappearance from the Washington Humane Society-Washington Animal Rescue League (WHS/WARL) New York Avenue Adoption Center, three-month old kitten Princess Jazzy is safely in the caring hands of WHS/WARL staff.

“We are thrilled that Princess Jazzy is back with us safely thanks to the swift actions of the Metropolitan Police Department and alert WHS/WARL staff,” said Lisa LaFontaine, WHS/WARL President & CEO.   “This case is another example of how we will do everything possible to protect the animals in our community, regardless of their size, species or age.   We are especially relieved because Princess Jazzy was under medical treatment prior to the theft and she will now continue to get the care she needs as she awaits adoption into a responsible and loving home.”

WHS/WARL staff members on duty Saturday were able to record a license plate number from a vehicle leaving the Adoption Center shortly after the kitten was reported missing.  The Metropolitan Police Department tracked down Princess Jazzy with the license plate information and returned the kitten to the New York Avenue Adoption Center.

The incident remains under investigation.

About Washington Animal Rescue League/Washington Humane Society (WARL/WHS)

The Washington Humane Society -Washington Animal Rescue League combined organization cares for more than 60,000 animals annually. The merger of the two organizations created the first end-to-end animal care organization in a major U.S. city.  The broad range of programs offered include: rescue and adoption, humane law enforcement, low-cost veterinary services, animal care & control, behavior and training, spay-neuter services, humane education, and many others.  Operating four animal-care facilities in Washington, D.C., the organization occupies a significant footprint in the District, and serves as a resource to current pet guardians and prospective adopters across the region.  Together, the organizations offer one, dynamic, industry-leading animal welfare organization in the Nation’s Capital; creating a unified vision for a model urban community for all animals – pets and wildlife alike – and the people who love them.

To read the initial story, click here: Washington, DC - $1,000 Reward for Information Leading to Arrest and Conviction of Person(s) Responsible for the Theft of a 3-Month-Old Kitten from a Local Animal Shelter (WHS/WARL)

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Washington, DC - $1,000 Reward for Information Leading to Arrest and Conviction of Person(s) Responsible for the Theft of a 3-Month-Old Kitten from a Local Animal Shelter (WHS/WARL)

Washington, DC - A three-month old female, brown tabby kitten named Princess Jazzy was stolen from the Washington Humane Society-Washington Animal Rescue League (WHS/WARL) Adoption Center on New York Ave in NE Saturday afternoon. WHS/WARL is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the theft.

“It is hard to believe that someone would commit such a crime,” states Scott Giacoppo, Chief Community Welfare Officer for WHS/WARL.  “In addition to breaking the law, they have put this kitten’s health in jeopardy by circumventing our easy adoption process, and denying the kitten needed medical care.”

WHS/WARL is now appealing to the public to help get Princess Jazzy back to the Adoption Center so that she can receive all the medical procedures that go into the adoption process and to ensure that the family that takes her fully understands her needs. Anyone with information is urged to call 1- 202-576-6664.

About Washington Animal Rescue League/Washington Humane Society (WARL/WHS)

The Washington Humane Society - Washington Animal Rescue League combined organization cares for more than 60,000 animals annually. The merger of the two organizations created the first end-to-end animal care organization in a major U.S. city.  The broad range of programs offered include: rescue and adoption, humane law enforcement, low-cost veterinary services, animal care & control, behavior and training, spay-neuter services, humane education, and many others.  Operating four animal-care facilities in Washington, D.C., the organization occupies a significant footprint in the District, and serves as a resource to current pet guardians and prospective adopters across the region.  Together, the organizations offer one, dynamic, industry-leading animal welfare organization in the Nation’s Capital; creating a unified vision for a model urban community for all animals – pets and wildlife alike – and the people who love them.

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