Mormon Life - Pets tag

Therapy dog goes visiting, home teaching

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:39:00 -0600

source: MormonTimes.com

I was home for the weekend to visit with my parents and sisters in September 2007. This particular Saturday, my sister, Joyce, was helping to do a dog transport for rescued dogs from two counties' dog pounds to go to a rescue shelter in Canada. When my sister had been asked to help with this transport, she told the group no several times. She finally consented to help with the transport from Findlay, Ohio, to Monroe, Mich. She asked me to go along with her, I thought it was OK but could think of things to do that would be more fun.

As I was sitting in the car, I felt an impression to go and see the beautiful brown dog. I listened and volunteered to take the big brown dog for a walk. He seemed to understand when I asked several things of him (slow down, sit, stay and shake hands). He happily got into the car and liked looking out the window. My sister saw him as another dog, with nothing really special about him. I felt this strong impression to ask about taking Max home to be a therapy dog. My sister started making telephone calls to see if we could Max off the transport so I could take him home with me. When we arrived in Monroe, the connecting transport staff was late in coming. Minutes before they arrived, the telephone call came stating that I could take Max home.

Mormons and Death: Childhood Pets

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:38:00 -0600

source: the-exponent.com

Mormon Life says: For those with a soft spot for pets that have been loved and lost. My sister and her family recently moved across the country, just a few days after their pet cat gave birth to four kittens. When my sister’s family arrived in their new state of residence, they stayed with a friend of a friend while they looked for a new home. These hospitable strangers owned a dog.

A couple days into their stay as house guests, my sister and her husband heard their three-year-old daughter screaming. They ran to her aid but they were too late. The dog had killed all four kittens and my tiny little niece had witnessed the tragedy.

My niece was naturally traumatized. Her reactions varied from anger, manifested by attacking her baby brother; denial, such as requesting to play with the deceased kittens; to spiritual questioning about what happened to the kittens after the dog bit them and made them stop crying.

Dave Says: How About Pet Insurance?

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:02:00 -0600

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: What do you think about having pet insurance? Dear Dave,

What’s your take on having pet insurance while building wealth in order to avoid being sidetracked by pet-related emergencies?

Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

We have three dogs in the Ramsey household, and my wife and I love those guys a lot. They’re almost like little hairy children to us both. However, we do not have pet insurance on any of them. You might be thinking that we’ve got plenty of money and don’t have to worry about that kind of thing. But even if we weren’t financially blessed it’s just not something we would do. Instead, we’d figure a reasonable amount for pet care into our budget.

Now, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. Reasonable expenditures to fix a sick or injured pet are absolutely fine. It’s the kind of thing anyone with a heart should want to do for a pet. But ridiculous amounts of money spent on an animal—many times spent selfishly on the part of the human because they’re so emotionally attached to the animal—can be cruel, inhumane, and financially disastrous.

I’m not going to be mad at you if you have $2 million sitting in the bank and you decide to spend $10,000 to keep your dog alive. But pet insurance? Really? I don’t think so.

—Dave

* For more financial help, please visit daveramsey.com.

Pet Preparedness

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:01:00 -0600

by Angie Sullivan
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: You consider your pets a part of the family, but have you stored the necessary preparedness items for your four footed friends? Once you have ensured the safety and preparedness of each family member, it is time to turn your attention to the loyal family pet. Believe it or not, preparing your pets for an emergency or disaster is very similar to preparing your children. They need many of the same basics, like food, water, and shelter. As with children, your pet’s disposition may change dramatically after a disaster or during an emergency. Pets often become confused and agitated. Staying calm will help your pets stay calm. Don’t panic, but speak firmly and calmly.

Before the disaster strikes, be sure you have a few things in order. First, be sure to stay current with your animal’s vaccinations. Take photos of each animal, being sure to include any distinguishing marks and store those photos along with any medical records or other important papers in a resealable plastic bag. Be sure your pet has a properly fitted collar, a current license and identification tags. This is important even for animals that rarely go outdoors. Have an emergency kit for each pet. Make sure you have and can easily use a carrier or cage for each animal.

During an emergency situation, try to keep your animals with you if possible. If you must leave your pet, be sure to leave enough food and water to last several days should you not be able to return quickly. Simply filling a bathtub with a few inches of water might keep your pet hydrated until you are able to return.

If you are taking your pet with you, be sure you take an emergency kit for them as well. This kit should include food, treats, and water. Include appropriate food and water dishes along with anything necessary to prepare the food, like a can opener. Pack blankets and towels along with a brush or other hygiene items. Sanitation items like litter, or plastic bags for picking up after the animals will be essential to keep everyone healthy and happy. A few familiar toys will help distract your pet and release tension.

Packing a small first aid kit for your animal is also a great idea. This kit might include a few days worth of medications or vitamins your pet normally takes along with a pet first aid manual. Include a card with the phone numbers and addresses of local vet offices. A small stash of tape, scissors, gauze, antibacterial soap and hydrogen peroxide can come in handy if your pet is injured.

Whether your pet is furry, flies, or has fins, they are often considered another member of the family! By taking these small steps, you will also be able to provide for the needs of each of your treasured family pets!

Pet Boarding Tips

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Claire Thornock Brazelton
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Summertime calls for family road trips: visiting extended family and friends, adventures to theme parks, and swimming in the ocean. However, when traveling, many families face the hard decision between bringing their four-legged friend along or leaving him at home with a sitter or boarding facility. What to do? Many pet owners choose to place their dog or cat in a kennel while the family is away, but it can be hard to know if your pet friend will be properly cared for. What do you look for in a pet boarding facility? How do you find the one that suits your pet the best?

Dr. Wanda V. Pool, owner of Deepwood Veterinary Clinic in Virginia, believes there are "Eight Golden Rules of Pet Boarding" that will help to keep your pet healthy and safe while you are away. Pool created these rules because she knows how hard it can be to feel secure about trusting your pet to someone else.

"Finding the right pet boarding facility can be tough, especially when leaving your pet behind to go travel," Pool says. "But these tips can teach you what to look for in a pet barding facility and how to prepare yourself and your pet for the visit."

Research: Find out about boarding facilities from reliable sources, like veterinarians. To find out complaints have been made about that facility, check with the Better Business Bureau or another authority. Tour the entire facility, and don't be afraid to ask questions about any concerns or problems that you see.
"Sniff" test: Satisfy yourself that the boarding kennel you choose is safe, clean, and comfortable, providing good care from knowledgeable, experienced staff. If you see something that is out of the norm and makes you feel uncomfortable, go somewhere else.
Healthy standards: Confirm that the kennel requires all boarding animals to meet health standards. The kennel should insist all animals, including your pet, are current on vaccinations that protect against illnesses like kennel cough (Bordetella) and the newly emerging virus canine influenza H3N8.
Next, make sure the kennel maintains good conditions, as there are two ways that infections can spread in a pet facility. First, aerosol spread is caused when a facility has too many animals packed into a small area, increasing the spread of germs and viruses due to lack of open air. Second, direct spread is caused when areas where animals have vomited or urinated in the facility are not cleaned properly and staff and other animals come in contact with that area. Check for any potential opportunity for infection to spread within the facility.
Pet identification: Your pet should be properly identified during its boarding stay. The kennel should provide a highly visible ID collar as a help to kennel staff. Permanent identification, such as a microchip, is equally important. Be sure your pet's registration and your owner contact information are kept up-to-date in a national pet recovery database. Provide the facility with current pictures of your pet in case your animal gets lost. If you bring in your pet during a busy time, a way to help out staff members and to assure your pet gets fed properly is to allocate the food portions into baggies and identify how many times the pet should get the food.
Just in case: If your pet is on medication, bring it in the original bottles with original labels; this allows the kennel to know exactly what to do and how much to give your pet, should a question arise. Also, a list of medications the animal is on and the name of the veterinarian that prescribed them is beneficial to staff members. Any basic information about your pet is also vital to the facility.
Expect the unexpected: Kennels should have plans in place to handle health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, so be sure to ask about their protocol. Make sure that the place you leave your pet requires you to provide the name and contact information of your veterinarian or a signed release form authorizing medical care, if the kennel has a veterinarian on staff. Be sure to tell the facility that you want to be contacted if your pet gets sick, or give a release that allows the facility to give treatment to your dog or cat if they can't reach you within 24 hours. Besides leaving contact information for your veterinarian, consider leaving contact information for someone you would like to have your pet picked up by in the event of an emergency.
Pet inspection: You and facility workers should inspect the animal for any existing problems before check-in. When you retrieve your pet from the kennel, closely inspect him or her; look for signs of fleas, scrapes or bruises, or illness, such as discharge from the eyes or nose.
Relax: Maintain your composure when dropping off and retrieving pets from kennels so they can model your good behavior. Pets are uncanny at accurately reading you and how you feel, and if you are upset and stressed about something, then they will act that way too.

Follow these tips the next time you decide to leave your pet behind while you are traveling, and you can return to the same healthy, safe, and happy companion.

Holiday Pet Safety

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0700

by Jenni Gasparrini
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: The holidays bring some wonderful things with them—turkeys, trees, presents, snow—but many of these things can cause problems for your furry friends. Get through the holidays safely with these few precautions. Big, small, fur, scales - no matter the type, pets are an important part of the family. They can even add an extra measure of merriment to the holidays - who doesn't love a Santa hat on a dog (besides the dog)? This time of year poses extra challenges to pet owners and their curious friends, though, in the form of extra decorations, plants, and food. So to keep your holidays bright and pet-emergency free, consider a few simple safety measures for your favorite friends.

Feed your pet the right food. One of the basic rules of being a pet owner is knowing when and what to feed your pet. Each pet responds differently to different foods, so it is up to us as owners to find out what best suits our dog, cat, rabbit, or bird. Even if you don't intentionally give your animal food from the table (and you really shouldn't), accidental snacking is more likely to occur during this season of dinner parties and goodie making. Some common foods to take extra care of:

Dogs and Cats

Onions and garlic: Toxic; can cause anemia.
Grapes and raisins: Potentially fatal; causes vomiting, lethargy, abdominal pain, and renal failure.
Chocolate: The classic no-no; can affect the nervous system and cause heart problems.
Salt: One teaspoon can cause serious sickness.
Macadamia nuts: Causes dogs serious but temporary sickness through muscle weakness.

Rabbits

Fruit: Excess fruit (more than two tablespoons of high fiber fruit) can cause digestive problems.
Junk food: Rabbits have sensitive digestive systems that cannot handle these rich foods.

Birds

Avocados: Keep that guacamole dip out of reach! Avocados can be fatal for birds. While you're at it, store onions, mushrooms, and dried beans away from your feathered friends, since they are particularly toxic.
Junk food: Fatty food, or anything high in sugar or salt, is dangerous for birds - especially chocolate.

Put a lid on it (the trash, that is). Most animals have a passion for human food. In their defense, even the trash we throw away tastes superior to their food. However, the trash can is the perfect hunting ground, and it's also the most dangerous.

Chicken bones, toxic or rancid food, and sharp containers or edges are dangers to your pets. When trash is inside, keep it locked away in a cabinet or closet that is not easily accessed. When you take out the trash, be sure to put a lid on it. Or if you don't have lids, be sure it is inside a trashcan and not just lying up against the house. Though you may have limits to how far you will walk to take out the trash when the weather is cold, your dog or cat is entirely limitless when it comes to most foods.

Mind the small stuff. Ribbons, paper, cords, and tinsel - floor scraps around the holidays are inevitable. Although a few remnants of wrapping paper or ribbon on the floor may not bother you, it may be a danger to your pet. When pets ingest it, they can have intestinal problems and blockage. Ribbons and tinsel are of particular concern (especially for cats). Don't use tinsel; if you must, keep it sparse and high. If you see some of this glittering garnish with bite marks on it, assume it was your pet and take him or her to the veterinarian. Additionally, be extra vigilant about regular vacuuming during this time.

Outside the house, watch out for salted walkways. Aside from the sickness pets can experience from licking it, salt is also irritating to pet paws. Wash off their feet if they walk on salt.

Beware of holiday plants. Rarely do we think about poisonous plants. After all, most of the time we aren't going to eat it. Your pet, however, may have a different idea. Curiosity may get the best of your dog, cat, rabbit, or bird, and you may find them munching on your holiday poinsettia or lapping up the water meant for your tree, only to later find them curled up and feeling ill. Take necessary precautions. If you have a plant that is poisonous, such as a poinsettia or sprig of holly (which is toxic for birds), try placing it on a shelf or a counter where your pets cannot reach it or see it. For your tree, make sure to secure a plastic bag over the water (which can have fertilizer, pesticides, and tree food in it), and watch carefully to make sure your pets don't try to climb the tree!

Be sure to check out the National Humane Society's website at hsus.org/pets/pet_care for the most up-to-date information on pet care.