Buying vs Adopting

A lot of people think the only way to get a good dog is to buy one from a breeder. They also think that shelter dogs are damaged in some way by their pasts. Neither one of these is true.

Through our visits to the dog park, I have met hundreds of great dogs who have come from shelters or rescue groups. All the owners told me how wonderfully the dogs fit into their lives and how much joy they shared. A few did have some problems with trust in the beginning but with a little patience and love they all came out of it.

If you are set on a purebred dog, there are purebreed rescue groups you can find in your area by typing purebreed rescue groups into your search engine. This is how I found Beau, my German Shepard. He had been found at a pound in St. Louis, MO by the German Shepard Rescue Group of St. Louis.

As you can see from the picture he is absolutely beautiful and his personality is just as beautiful as his looks. The German Shepard Rescue Group had him in foster care about 3 weeks before I adopted him. The great thing about rescue groups is that the foster parent can tell you some things about the dog's personality and training.

Beau was about 2 years old when I adopted him. He was housebroken, trained in all the basic commands, cat and dog friendly, and through the puppy stage. He bonded instantly with my 4 year old yellow lab and me. I have no idea why he was in the pound since the pound kept no records of how they acquired the animals they had but I am very thankful that he is a part of my life.

In the beginning he was very leery of men and he may have been abused by his previous owner. I was always very careful to introduce him to any new person so he would know they were okay. Since we have been traveling he has become extremely friendly and thinks he needs to say hi to everyone.

Most of the dogs at a purebreed rescue group are over a year old but if you really want a puppy, the shelters usually have several to choose from. Too many people don't spay or neuter their pets and take the unwanted litters to the shelter to get rid of them. When you adopt a pet from a shelter or a rescue group, they are spayed or neutered, heartworm tested or feline leukemia tested, and given their first set of shots.

To find pets needing homes in your area you can go to Petfinder.com. There are thousands of pets listed on this site who are in shelters and rescue groups. You can narrow your search by area, size, age and breed.

If you are dead set on purchasing a purebreed puppy or kitten, please find a responsible breeder who is doing it because they love the breed and takes good care of all the animals. Please avoid buying a pet from a pet store. Most of the puppies at a pet store come from puppy mills and are not a product of good breeding. Puppy mills are well known for overbreeding and insanitary and inhumane conditions. Please don't reward them for mistreating animals by purchasing a pet that comes from them.

Sick Cats

Cats will hide the fact that they are sick until they feel so bad that they can no longer hide it. When you see that your cat is ill, the safest thing to do is call your vet asap.

With a dog, you can usually tell when he doesn't feel well but a cat still has the strong predator/prey instinct and knows in the wild that the weak do not survive. Because of this, they will use all their strength to fight showing the signs of illness until they do not have enough strength to keep up the pretense.

My first cat once became very ill because of a buildup of hairballs. I was only 19 years old and did not know anything about cats. Luckily I took her into the vet and they were able to get her to clear the hairballs without having to do surgery. Now I know to give my cats hairball remedy at least once a week and to watch the litter box for signs of any problems.

Cats have a fascination with eating strings, rubber bands, dental floss or thread which can sometimes cause an accordian effect in the intestines which is extremely serious and needs surgery to be corrected.

If you see your cat going into the litterbox frequently or straining to urinate, it could be a sign of urinary tract infection. In a male this can be extremely life threating because their urethra is so small it can become easily blocked.

All cats will occasionally throw up a hairball but when you see that your cat is not feeling well, you need to watch him very, very closely. If he doesn't improve within a short time, then you should call your vet. No one wants unnecessary medical bills but it would be much worse to lose your cat.

Heartworm Preventative

Most people who have dogs know about heartworm and heartworm preventative. Unfortunately, heartworm is still a major problem and a large number of dogs are not on heartworm preventative.

Years ago we were told we could take our dogs off heartworm preventative during the winter months and to restart it in the spring. This is no longer true. The winters are not cold enough for a long enough period of time to be able to safely stop giving the heartworm preventative.

Heartworm preventative needs to be given year round!!!! You also need to make sure you know your dogs weight so you can give him the correct dosage. If you have a puppy, the preventative should be started at 4 months of age.

You can get heartworm preventative in many different forms and brands now. Some only prevent heartworm while others will also prevent some intestinal worms. I just found out this year about a heartworm preventative that is given topically that also prevents fleas! You need to talk to your veterinarian to decide which preventative is best for you and your dog.

You can only get heartworm through your veterinarian or you can get a prescription from your veterinarian so you can purchase it through places like Drs. Foster and Smith or PetMeds. Some vets require a yearly heartworm test while others will only require a dog be tested if he has missed a pill.

The heartworm test consists of a blood test and can be run in the vet's office while you wait. If the test is positive, your vet will discuss the various treatment options with you. Heartworm treatment is very expensive and dangerous for your pet but the alternative is that the heartworms will kill your pet.

If your pet is positive, you will need to keep him quiet and as stress free as possible during the treatment. Usually this period of time is 6-8 weeks depending on how well your pet responds to treatment. During this time, there will be frequent trips to the vet for treatment and more heartworm tests to check your pet's progress. Some vets will hospitalize their patients during the initial treatment while others will treat them and send them home.

In case you are one of those who have never been told about heartworm, it is transmitted by mosquitoes so even indoor dogs are at risk. Once a dog is bitten by an infected mosquito, the larvae travels to the heart where it hatches into a worm which produces more worms. As the worms grow and reproduce, it becomes harder and harder for the heart to function and like a blood clot, a worm or piece of it can travel into an artery causing the artery to clog thereby ceasing blood flow.

If a dog goes untreated, the worms will eventually damage the heart muscle and become so numerous that the heart cannot function and your dog will die. Normally you will not see any symptoms that your pet has heartworm until his condition is pretty severe.

Until the last few years there was no heartworm preventative for cats because it didn't seem to affect them. This also has changed and there have been cases where cats have been infected with heartworm. I've talked to my vet about this and according to him, it is still pretty rare for a cat to get heartworm but it does happen. Again, this should be discussed with your vet to see if heartworm in cats is a problem in your area.

While we were traveling around Florida, I heard numerous stories of stray dogs being taken in by people and almost every one of these strays were positive for heartworm. It is so heartbreaking that a disease so easy to prevent is still so prevalent.

Please, please make sure your dog is on heartworm preventative year round.

FLEAS!!!!!

This is one of the things most dreaded by pet owners. Once the fleas get into your house they become a nightmare for you and your pet.

Years ago the only options we had to fight fleas was to bathe and dip our pets. This was not only a lot of work but it was very messy and smelly. Also if your pet went swimming or got wet, then your protection was gone. The dipping was usually only good for 2 weeks so it was a constant chore. Luckily things have changed.

One of the easiest ways I've found to keep fleas from making your pet miserable and keep them from taking over your home is to use a topical flea preventative like Frontline Plus, Advantage or Advantix. The cheapest prices I've found on topical flea preventative is at Drs. Foster and Smith. The shipping on these flea preventatives is always free at Drs. Foster and Smith. Drs. Foster and Smith Online Pet Pharmacy. Join the thousands who trust Drs. Foster and Smith's online pet pharmacy.

If any of you have ever been to Florida, you know the sand fleas are terrible year-round. By using Frontline Plus I was able to keep my pets comfortable and my RV flea free. I did find out though that you need to rotate the product you use to keep the fleas from building up an immunity to the preventative. I used Frontline Plus for 6 months and then switched to Advantix for the dogs and Advantage for the cats for 6 months.

All 3 products are excellent but you need to remember that Advantix is not to be used on cats.

Diet

One thing I have always worried about when buying pet food was whether it had the nutrition my pets needed. A couple of years ago I started feeding Purina One to my pets and they all seemed to do well on it. I still wasn't completely satisfied that I couldn't do better without spending a fortune so I kept looking.

A few months ago I started researching natural diets and decided to give it a try. Beau, my 11 year old Shepard, was always difficult to get to eat anything. When I gave him the food I had cooked, he loved it!!! He still anxiously waits for me to put his bowl down and doesn't lift his head from the bowl until it is all gone. Katie, my 8 month old Heeler X, wolfs her food down and watches closely until Beau is done in case he misses anything.

Here is the recipe I use for those of you who want to try it:

1 can mackeral or 1 lb. lean ground beef

4 cups brown rice

8 cups water

1 cup frozen vegetables*

2 tbsp corn oil

Mix all ingredients together in slow cooker. Cook on low for 2 hours or until rice is done.

*Broccoli, green beans, peas, carrots, spinach or a combination of these

Beau and Katie did well on this but they seemed to be hungry all the time so I did start feeding them 1/4 cup of Purina One Lamb & Rice. Doing this seemed to keep them satisfied longer but I still wasn't satisfied with the nutrition they were getting.

After much searching, I found a vitamin called Be Well Dog at 1-800-PetMeds. Type "Be Well Dog" in the search box and you'll go right to it! After only a few days their stools were firmer and they were more active.

Of my 4 cats, 2 refused to eat the natural food so I had to go back to Purina One for them. I did start adding Be Well Cat to their canned food and they also started to improve.

Happy Healthy Pets

Over the years I have shared my life with many animals and also worked as a vet tech. I have always strived to do the best I could afford for my pets.

Through all my travels I have found that there are a lot of people who want the best for their pets but do not know what they need or where to go for the information. Through this blog I am hoping to help anyone seeking knowledge about proper pet care and nutrition.

At this time I have 2 dogs and 4 cats with ages from 16 years to 8 months. In the past I have had as many as 4 dogs and 6 cats at one time. I have always loved animals and with having so many, I have found there are things we can do that will cut down on illnesses and help extend their lives.

Feel free to email me with any questions and I will help in any way I can. This blog is not intended to replace veterinary care. I only want to share my knowledge with you and help you understand the basics of sharing your life with a pet or pets.