Pet Poisoning during the Christmas Season!

As the holidays close in on us and so many things involved in Decorating for Christmas are Poisonous, such as Mistletoe and Holly Berries...Please keep in mind that Mice and Rats migrate Indoors at this time of year and Homeowners take certain Precautions which may be unforeseen...Precautions, which may cost your pet its life!

Poisoning your pet might not be meant to be intentional. As a young boy I grew up on a farm with neighbors that had the same amount of acreage that we had, but they had no desire to raise animals or earn a living off the property. The Property was left to grow unchecked and the home became overrun my rats and mice. We had every available animal one could expect to find on the farm, while the neighbors had none. The Neighbors put out poison for the rats, the Feral cats ate the rats, the dogs ate the cats, and remnants of the dead rats, and the chain killed everything in the path.
Fast Forward 40 years...
Yesterday my dog got out "under" the partially opened garage door and by the time I could get out the door coax her back in the house, she had consumed something in the Neighbors yard. I saw her pick it up and when I shouted the command  "Come Here", she swallowed, quickly, whatever it was she had in her mouth...as any dog would! She came to me, but it was too late.  Within 6 hours she was regurgitating on the floor and attempting to Eat the contents of her regurgitation. I caught her, stopped her, and cleaned up the mess. Two or three hours later I walk into another room with my other dog, eating a regurgitation and cannot identify which dog did the act, but within 2 hours the second dog is now regurgitating everything she had for dinner. Now I have two sick digs. This week, I will be posting more about the Uses of Poison and the options, what to do to treat your pet if they are poisioned and how to control invading pest! @ http://srgrimespamperedpets.blogspot.com/

Pet Patio Planters display your favorite Breed and bring color to the Yard!

In an effort to raise funds for local no kill shelters I am building Custom Patio Planters. I can create your specific breed or you can choose from one of the available designs. All pieces are pre-drilled for easy assembly.

These are available in Singles, Doubles or a Plaque for customizing it yourself.

Let me know if this is for a Pet related fund raising event as Discounts may apply!

Canine circovirus infection

As a result of the outbreak in Michigan recently many people are searching for answers. Unfortunately there are no cut and dried answers.
Circovirus is usually limited to a small number of Dogs when it does appear, and is more prevalent in Pigs and birds than any other species. Here is what the American Veterinarian Medical Association has to say about it!

Circovirus in Dogs FAQ

Saying Good-bye

When it comes time to say good-bye to a dog you have had for as many as 15 years there are no comforting words to make it Easy.
Some of these dogs protected Family members  and some provided comfort on long lonely nights. Some were great hunting or working dogs over long week-ends and some were ALL OF THE ABOVE!

     No matter what, 15 years of devotion is a long time, and  accumulates a lot of memories. When it comes time to say good-bye time seems to slow down to a crawl and watching your beloved pet slowly deteriorate to the point that they struggle to stand up and stumble to the door when they do!
   
     Walks get shorter and can easily take twice as long. The  enthusiasm for the little things is diminished along with the spark in the eye. Many new attributes will surface such as lack of hearing and sight. This leads to confusion and frustration not only from the pets point of view, but some family members as well. Young children will not always understand the changes and must be cautioned when handling the pet since snapping at morsels and snapping from minor pains can progress as the pet ages.

     Coming home to the dog at the door will become a thing of the past since the pet can barely walk. The pet had an internal clock  that set the timing for everything from when you are arriving home to diner time to walk time and time to
Go outside.
     Their will be more accidents in the floor as well as meals may not settle properly and vomiting foam or entire stomach contents will become frequent! More time will be spent trying out Senior dog food brands your pet can keep down as well as Chew. The teeth are dull at this point and dogs struggle to devour food that just a few years ago were not an issue.

   When then do you say good-bye?

Unfortunately many people drop their pet at a local shelter complaining that they can't take care of it, or create other excuses. This Animal has 0 Chance of adoption to finish out it's final years and life ends right there for that Animal. One can only expect immediate Euthanizing.

If this is your choice, Please, think twice! Do not abandon this beloved creature to a cold damp concrete floor with strange dogs yelping and strangers everywhere. This Pet has has devoted every waking moment to loving you, and you should be the last face this Animal sees. Call a Home Service or make arrangements with your local  Veterinarian, but be there with them as they crossover.

Simply Google the word "euthanizing" and links will appear in your area that can provide Euthanizing services at home or within a vet's office with a sitting area for you to spend those final moments with your best friend.


   So when is a good time to say Good-bye?

There is no good time...The "TIME" is when you say it's time. You know your pet and you know your capabilities to take care of it! The Bottom line is that there is "NO Good Time"
I have heard many different reasons for ending a dogs life. Reasons vary from the city to countryside, and from one Mans opinion to one Womans opinion.
*I have seen dogs shot on the spot for killing chickens! Something that particular dog never did until it became Mentally diminished. But that was where the owner "Drew the Line"!
*I know of a woman that had her pet Euthanized when she passed away because the dog did not cope well with strangers. The pet was Euthanized, placed at her feet, and buried with her.

      What ever "YOU" decide is best for you and your friend is, "what is best"! Don't let other people influence you, demean your motives, or shame you into something you don't want to do. Don't let them jeopardize your satifactory departure with your pet. You made your decisions for the good of you and your pet based upon your life and no one  else's.
    Use a professional service and call references to ensure All cost associated with the disposal and the medical cost are included. Get feedback from the references to see it it was a good experience at their facility or a better experience in your own home.
     In the long run you will feel better for it. You will sleep better and you will have the peace of mind knowing that you took the entire journey from beginning to end with your furry friend and it was not only Enjoyable but Memorable to the very last day! You will recover faster and be better prepared when you bump into your next Furry Friend knowing you can carry them all the way to the end!

Happy Tails.
The Time has come! Good-Bye my Love. May the Rainbow lead you to Beautiful fields with lots of room to run!

The Great Escape artist!

This is the ongoing saga of Cinnamon and Cheyanne.  These are two lab sisters that have been at the shelter on and off since they were 6 weeks old.  At about 3 mons both girls were adopted together.  At about 6 mons they were returned because they could not be cotained by the fence that the family was allowed to build where they live.  The girls are completely vetted and spayed.  We will have to re-test for HW at this point. 

Anyway the new chapter!!  On October 12, I received an email from Red CollarRescue in Houston saying they would take them.  I was very excited because the girls are now 8 mons old.  I had transport arranged and the day before they were leaving, they escaped out of their kennel and could not be found.  Until TODAY!!  They are now back at the shelter, thin from their month on the run.  We were driving down the road to the shelter and saw them.  We pulled into a parking lot and they saw us and came running to the van.  So now we start the merry-go-round again to find them foster or rescue.  They are great girls and obviously meant to be together.  It still amazes me that after be loose on their own for a month, they were still together.

So if you can help these girls, please let me know.  And please forward their story and ask for help for them.  Thank you for your consideration.

Krista Mc Anally

Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake

Tool TX - Approx 52 miles SE of Dallas

903 432-3422

See our Adoptable Pets at www.hsccl.org

Donations at www.myspace.com/hsccl and

click on the PayPal Donation Button

Micro-Chipping your Pet...What's it really for?

For several week's this subject has been Gnawing at me and last night one of my Twitter patrons posted a news article related to the importance of Micro chipping a pet! By now most people know "What" micro chipping does, but: do we really know the importance of it?

Most people think micro chipping is rapidly becoming more advantageous for the "Individual" pet owner, But it is Rapidly becoming a way for law enforcement to track Dangerous dogs . In the event that they should do harm to anyone or anyones pet or property, the owner can be tracked down and prosecuted!
If no damage is done by the pet, the owner can be tracked down and fined by local and civil authorities for not maintaining the pet in a proper enclosure! Most Dangerous dogs are now being registered with this technology within the city's in which they reside and owners are scrutinized for there ability to maintain such an animal in a safe environment!
Many shelters simply eliminate the animals and do not allow them to be adopted at all!
In England and other places around Europe this is becoming more and more prevalent as Laws have been created to eradicate the dangerous species from existence. As long as a pet does not escape or cause harm to anyone, it may be possible to keep the animal for the duration of it's life. Should the animal escape under new Animal control Laws the animal is usually killed within a matter of days and evidence through photo's is gathered and preserved for the prosecution process to follow! Veterinarians are actually going so far as to track the DNA of specific breeds for Categorizing and notifying Town's and Cities of the potential threat's!!!
Breed Specific Legislation (Dangerous Dogs Act 1991)

The Bottom line here is to insure the security of the animal and prevent escape from a well designed enclosure! Here in my city of Fort Worth, Texas a stringent Height requirement is spelled out for anyone owning  specific Breeds in order to keep them from climbing. It is well to note here that height does not prevent many dogs from climbing a chain link fence. If a dog can get his paws in the links he can climb it!
At my home we have an escape artist and he simply pushes gates to test them for resistance because the children entering and exiting don't always slam them hard enough to latch.

Digging is another, and probably the most popular way for dogs to escape although most large dogs would require some time at the task to create a hole large enough to escape! If a pet is left out all night unattended, he has sufficient time to dig out especially if a rodent is taunting them from the other side.

What I am trying to point out here is not the importance of Chipping a pet, but rater the "ounce of prevention"  in the need for tracking down the owner's of a pet, because the Children left the gate open, or the neighbors cat coaxed your pet to take an afternoon jog, or heaven forbid, someone stole the pet! Pet theft is on the rise as the economy worst en's. Thieves are looking for sign's posting Reward's! A small dog is more inclined to be posted in the paper for a reward than any other pet.
 Many thieve's realized this lucrative scam after originally stealing pets for Dog fighting endeavor's and them finding the posting's for reward's!
Keeping your pet in constant site out in the yard is an impossibility, and keeping them indoors is usually only reserved for those that Live in apartment's and can only take a pet out for a controlled walk!

Word's to remember...A Dog does not have to be aggressive or commit an aggressive act ! The reporting by an person unfamiliar with dog's is all it takes. Showing its teeth while being captured and detained when cornered is evidence enough for a loving pet to be trapped by local animal control and killed, if not claimed or recovered in a quick and responsible manner!Don't forget in your haste to recover the pet to take any and all documentation including home photo's with you to the holding shelter! This can speed up recovery time and reduce argument's of ownership. Tag your dogs collar and note on both sides of the tags that the animal is chipped and provide a number for the local veterinarian!
Keep those pets safe out here and leave your comments and questions and idea's behind in the comment box. Thanks for visiting Pampered Pets and Pals! Have a Safe Weekend! Stevan G.
Micro-chip technology

A lawyer's guide to dangerous dog issues

 By Joan Schaffner
Watch this News report as a pet owner Battles a local shelter!

Dangerous Dog Taxes!

As shelters suffer overcrowding as a result of the Economic downfall’s causing extended un-employment and excessive layoffs more and more pet owners are faced with the tough decision of turning their pets over to a local shelter!
It’s a sad day when Taxing has become so prevalent in the process of pet control that it has priced honest working citizens out of a pet! Our city currently requires a $500.00 license for a pet deemed Dangerous and this varies from Rottweiler’s, to Pit’s (American Terriers), and Doberman’s. The selection of determination is left up to the Local license issuer whether it’s a Vet or the local Animal Control Center.
If a pet is left un-neutered there is an additional fee for “intact pet”!

These are based on Breed specifics only and have nothing to do with the temperament of the pet! If a person applies for Adoption of one of these “Dangerous” dog’s they must go through an application process that requires the certification of the property having a secured “60inch high” fence! Most fences are only 40 inches high! If there is the added risk of the pet climbing or jumping additional measures must be made!
Should the pet escape there are stiff fines and recovery fees and a license may be revoked and the pet killed! Deemed Dangerous can also be reported by a neighbor whom “say’s” the animal “appears aggressive” towards teasing children, or other pets walking near a fence or gate!
Once a fine has been issued for any violation an owner may take a Handling Education class to get some fines dropped but not all fines are eligible through this measure. If an animal should ever bite a person or another pet, they are Quaranteed, the situation review, fines and fee’s paid and if the pet isn’t killed, it’s then listed on the city web page of vicious animal‘s.

Everyone wonders why shelters are overrun with abandoned pets and why so many animals are being killed each year. This should help shed some light on some of the obstacles we as a society must overcome!
Any animal can be Dangerous, and all animals have to capacity to be Vicious. I have cornered Cat’s that I would rather not encounter without proper protective clothing. I have walked up to Aggressive German Shepherds I could talk out of biting me  but by the same token Encountered Chihualla and Pekinese that wouldn’t back down! Point made!

Here's a list of dog's insurance company's consider Dangerous!

Blacklist Dangerous Dog Breeds

As we move forward as a society wishing not to kill innocent animals, we must accept the fact that  certain responsibility come from pet ownership and as long as personal responsibilities aren’t met, the city government will step in, take control and find ways to financially benefit from what amounts to our lack of Education! Read my previous blog on Selecting the right type of dog . It should have been titled “Killing a pet 101“!

Choosing a pet for life

Choose a pet for life; Recently while assisting an elderly woman in finding a new companion we met a young volunteer from a local shelter and this is what she had to say about people adopting pets they can't keep! You can read my article on selecting the Right type of dog for your family at;http://www.ehow.com/how_4833687_select-right-type-of-dog.html Here's her sad, but true story; So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that your dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders'"or "strays", that come into my shelter are purebred dogs. The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving to that doesn't allow pets? Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her". Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 2 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me, "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her, we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog". Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off, sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy; if it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the 'Bully' breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those dogs just don't get adopted. If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed, it may get a stay of execution, not for long though. Most get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression, even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles, chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment. Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down". First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash, they always look like they think they are going for a walk, happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on the breaks when we get to the door; it must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process, they will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves. When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed, waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food?http://www.theveterinarysecret.com/?hop=0 You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind, it was just an animal and you can always buy another one right? I hope that those of you that read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head. I do everyday on the way home from work. I hate my job, I hate that it exists, I hate that it will always be there unless people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter. Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.You, your family, and friends can save hundreds of dollars each year in pet care by shopping on line. Spay or neuter your pet to prevent unwanted offspring. Make sure your pet is Micro-chipped for easy identification should he/she wander away. If the cost of maintaining your pet are too high whether its the food or the on going vet bills, visit http://www.pamperedpetsandpals.com/ before taking any futher action! See how much you can save each year in Veterinarian costs with a full Library both on video and in print. If you can't find the Answer to your question, there is a place to submit questions for quick answers.Don't give up on your pet because it would never give up on you!