Tag: pet health

Help Emancipet!

In case you have not heard of or used this organization, Emancipet is a nonprofit that provides accessible and affordable veterinary care to all pet owners, including spay/neuter and vaccination services. These are truly important services that benefit communities far and wide.

State Representative and House Agriculture Committee Chair, Drew Springer, introduced Texas House Bill 3806. If passed, this bill would restrict the services that Emancipet and similar veterinary care nonprofits would be able to provide to communities. Non-emergency services such as dentals and heartworm testing and prevention would only be available who could document that they are indigent, as opposed to anyone. What do you think about these restrictions? For more information, check out HB 3806 and Emanicpet’s plea.

Do you think that veterinary care should be affordable and accessible to all pet owners?

If you don’t like these restrictions and want Emancipet’s services to be accessible to everyone, here’s what you can do about it!

  1. MONDAY APRIL 1: Attend the committee hearing at the Texas Capitol and sign up to testify in opposition to the bill.
  2. Contact the Committee Chair’s office to oppose HB 3806. Their phone number is 512-463-0526.
  3. Contact members of the House Agriculture and Livestock Committee and express your opposition to HB 3806
  4. Contact your local Representative. Let of the Committee and your local Representative know you oppose this bill.
  5. Share your story and your support. Your experiences, photos and videos will help us tell the critical story of why this work matters in the fight ahead. Please share on social media why Texas needs non-profit organizations like Emancipet. Please include #Emancipet in your posts so that the organization can find and share them.
  6. Make a donation to support Emancipet. They rely on donations to fulfill their mission of making veterinary care affordable and accessible to all pet owners. Shelters also use Emancipet services.
  8. Share this post and ask everyone you know to do the same. So much is at stake.
What will you do to support Emancipet and other veterinary care nonprofits?

Unhappy Burrito

Charlie needed to get his annual shots, so we made an appointment and planned to wrangle a distressed cat. We know that putting a towel over his head makes him less stressed out, so we had that ready. We closed doors to all the rooms. But he freaked out and refused to move out of the cubby in the cat tower. After much wrangling, coaxing, and the strategic placement of a towel around him, we ended up with…a most unhappy burrito.

Don’t worry – Charlie can breathe just fine under the towel.

After Aaron left with Charlie, Garrus emerged from under the bed and – shock! – started squeak-meowing! I’m pretty sure he was looking for his buddy. He came into my office and gave me an accusatory look. I reassured him with pets but Garrus didn’t look completely convinced. I expect that when Charlie returns from the vet, there will be a reunion snuggle.

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Garrus is hanging out in my office, looking sad and asking for pets.

National Hug Your Hound Day

National Hug Your Hound Day was created by the author and canine behaviorist Ami Moore, the “Dog Whisperer of Chicago”. The holiday is observed annually on the second Sunday of September.

Photo courtesy of Pexels

National Hug Your Hound Day is about “truly observing your dog (from his point of view” in his environment and everyday life”. Like a number of other pet-themed holidays, it focuses on the happiness and health of your pet. Oh yeah, it might also be a perfect excuse to ensure your dog is sufficiently hugged!

Photo courtesy of Pexels

Photo courtesy of Pexels

Happy Cat Month

I’m sure that Happy Cat Month occurs at my house every day (or at least I truly hope so)! The CATalyst Council created Happy Cat Month to educate cat owners about what they can do to ensure their fur person is indeed happy, healthy, and thoroughly loved. There are four themes throughout the month, as follows:

  • Happy Healthy Cat: September 1-5
  • Happy Enriched Cat: September 6-12
  • Happy Multi-Cat: September 13-19
  • Happy Valued Cat: September 20-30

Photo courtesy of Pexels

Isn’t that neat and comprehensive? For more information, check out the CATalyst Council’s Facebook page!

Photo courtesy of Pexels

National Holistic Pet Day

When we humans think about our health, we think of mind, body, and spirit or heart. We strive to be healthy and find fulfillment in our lives. As responsible pet owners, we can extend that kind of thinking to our pets as well. When I say “holistic”, I’m talking about the whole, as in the mind, body, and spirit or heart of your pet.

Holistic health begins with good nutrition, physical exercise, and mental stimulation. Is your pet at a healthy weight? Does your pet get enough exercise? Do you think your pet is bored? These are only three questions to consider. As a caring and responsible pet owner, having a healthy and happy pet probably means that you’re happy for your pet too. Everyone wins.

Photo courtesy of Pexels

Here are some activities you can do today to celebrate National Holistic Pet Day:

  1. Have an adventure. Take your dog to a new park. Arrange a playdate with a new doggy friend. Bringing your dog to new places, combined with reinforced training, help your dog to be well-socialized and more confident.
  2. Play, play, play. Exercise can be therapeutic for pets and beneficial mentally as well as physically. By regularly playing with your pet, you strengthen pet-owner bonds, let your pet hone skills (fetching, tracking, pouncing, hunting, etc.), and reduce stress.
  3. Enrichment. Mixing things up a bit and encouraging pets to use their minds as well as their paws and noses can help pets, especially indoor ones, stave off boredom. Consider these ideas: food-dispensing puzzle toys; sensory enrichment (i.e. window perch for birdwatching, pet-directed videos); climbing posts, trees, and shelves for cats; novel objects like boxes, paper bags, pop-up tunnels, and bacon-flavored bubbles for dogs. Seriously!

Photo courtesy of Pexels

National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day

August 22nd is National Take (or Bring) Your Cat to the Vet Day! I’m sure cats across the world are saying, most emphatically, “NOPE!” but please bear with me. Part of responsible pet ownership or guardianship involves ensuring your pet is healthy, up to date on shots, and given appropriate medical care, and that any health or behavior-related questions or concerns are addressed.

Side-eye alert. Garrus is never thrilled about going to the vet but he certainly appreciates being able to eat normally now that his stomatitis is under control.

Why is regular veterinary care so important? Here are a few reasons to remember:

  1. Cats age faster than humans. A one-year-old cat is the equivalent of 15 in human years and a two-year-old is 24. After that, cats age 4 “cat years” for every calendar year. So much can happen in one year, so that is why an annual checkup at the vet is crucial.
  2. Cats hide illness and pain. Many cats are true stoics and don’t let on that they’re sick. By taking your cat to a vet at least once a year, any problem that may crop up can be treated early.
  3. Fat cat. According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners, over 50% of cats are overweight or obese. This extra weight can put cats at risk for diabetes, arthritis, heart, respiratory, and kidney disease, and more.
  4. Something’s up. If your cat’s eating patterns or litter box usage suddenly changes, that can indicate a health issue. Note changes in weight, activity level, sleeping patterns, socialness, mood, etc. and share any concerns you have with your vet.
  5. Preventative care. Having a baseline and an up-to-date medical history can help avoid medical emergencies and allow vets to detect and treat health conditions earlier rather than later.

Mau lets everyone know his name once we put him in the carrier. He does NOT like traveling in the car but he too needed to go to the vet to address his dental disease.

National Immunization Awareness Month

Did you know that August is National Immunization Awareness Month? This campaign applies to both humans and their fur people! While I’m certainly not a fan of needles and I’m certain my cats do not like getting poked either, getting annual vaccinations and keeping them up-to-date IS crucial for their health.

Photo courtesy of Pexels

Keep in mind, laws pertaining to mandated vaccines differ from place to place. For example, some places require annual rabies vaccinations while in others, this vaccine is required every three years. The ASPCA and PetMD provide a thorough breakdown about immunizations for pets.

Photo courtesy of Pexels

Have more questions about vaccinations for your pet(s)? Talk to your vet.

Summer Safety

Summer will end…eventually right? Here in Texas hot days drag on and on and on…Besides dreaming of somewhere cool and shady, you should make sure that your pets’ needs are considered during the hot summer months.

Here are a few things to remember:

  1. NEVER leave a pet in a parked car. It can get boiling hot in minutes. Seriously.
  2. Hot paws. Be mindful of hot sidewalks, driveways, and streets. If it’s too hot for you in bare feet, it’s too hot for your pet’s paws!
  3. Provide access to water and shade. Don’t assume they’ll find it themselves or that they’ll be fine for a while. Give them basic needs. Pets can easily suffer from dehydration and heat exhaustion.
  4. Haircuts. For long-haired breeds, a summer trim may be a good idea but don’t go overboard because you may risk your pet getting a sunburn!
  5. Keep windows screened. Ventilation, yes. Pets falling out, NO.
  6. Barbecue caution. Fatty meats, onions, grapes, and alcohol are bad for pets. Curious pets can also be burned by the hot wood, coals, grill, or flames.
  7. Know the signs. Pay attention and act if you notice if your pup or cat may be suffering from overheating and dehydration.

Want more information? Check out Cat Behavior Associates’ Summer Safety Tips for Cats, the Pet Health Network’ Seven Summer Cat and Dog Safety Tips, and the ASCPA’s Hot Weather Safety Tips.