8 Creatively ODD Ways To Help Shelter Homes

When You Can’t Adopt – A Helping Hand At Shelter Or Rescue Homes Is Of Much Worth

When animals are abandoned and neglected by owners, or people are not capable of taking care of their pets, rescue homes and animals shelters march forward to help. 

The care provided goes beyond the basic needs, as they not only cater the basic needs like shelter and food but also work hard to provide medical care, vaccinations, grooming, heartworm and flea and tick protection before they can be placed up for adoption. Moreover, it takes a huge toil on these organizations when large scale rescue operations are carried out or abundance of kittens during the warmer months.

Whether it’s a large animal shelter, a small municipal shelter or a community-managed rescue center, these caring individuals put in their unconditional love and ceaseless efforts to bring in a ray of hope in the lives of helpless animals. And, to help these good Samaritans, we can also bring in the helping hands.

Love Is In Abundance – Share It

If you can’t adopt, helping shelter homes by advertising pets is the best thing you can do. Your Instagram profile, Tumbler page, Pinterest board, Twitter stream, Facebook timeline and other social media accounts are the crucial points to share a lot about animals that are looking for a parent. Sharing profiles of the adoptable animals to your groups hardly takes your time or effort in creating a perfect match for an animal who require a home forever.

DO you Love Driving – JUST Get behind the Wheels to Transport Animals

Can you drive? If YES! rescue shelters are always in need of people who can transport shelter animals. Whether it is taking animals for vet appointments or from shelters to rescue homes, or rescued animals to their foster homes, you can put in your driving skills to test. Donating your little time with driving will assist animals to meet their requirements.

DO You Love Volunteering – Helping Hands Brings in More Joy

Many shelter homes have volunteer programs where they require helping hands constantly to carry out certain rescue center tasks. You can check into these programs that might include duties like making phone calls, hanging flyers, cleaning up kennels, mailing applications or bathing the animals. You can even apply monthly treatments such as flea and tick preventives, heartwormers if required by the centers.

DO You Love Donating – Just Don’t THROW – Donate Items

Many times, we just dump those useless or unnecessary items in the bin when we do not need them. Though these things might not be of much use to us, but they can be of great use to these animal shelter homes. 

 

Items you can donate

1. Towels
2. Old beds/bedsheets
3. Brushes
4. Sweaters
5. Food & Dishes
6. Cleaning supplies
7. Toys
8. Newspaper
9. Baby crates
10. Polythene bags

Check in with a local shelter near you if there’s any of the items you can bring in. Many shelter homes have their donation policies according to which you can donate things because some accept food items and some may not.

DO You Love Shopping – Check On Shelter’s Wishlist & Buy

Many shelters or rescue homes have wishlists either on their bulletin board or links on their website. Buy items of these wishlists online which is much easier to do as the websites’ wishlists include the shelter homes address and you don’t need to ship any items yourself. You can buy these items without leaving your home just at a click.

Do You Love Walking – Walk Dogs

Due to short of staff, shelter homes are not able to exercise or socialize rescued animals. If you love dogs and are good at handling, take an hour out in a week to take shelter dogs for a walk. Whether it’s a walk, exercise or a play time, it has a positive psychological and physical effects for waiting animals.

DO You Love Cuddling – Pet Cats

Like dogs, cats too need socialization. You can take out an hour once in a week if you’re a cat lover. Hang out with cats – playing, cuddling, petting and interacting with them.

Do You love Sharing – Donate

Rescue homes and animal shelters are always short of money due to constant inflow of rescued animals. Unfortunately, lot of rumor mills are always running saying that shelter homes earn a lot from adoption fees and government aids. On the other hand, the truth is most shelters and rescue homes don’t receive much from state funding, and adoption fees are never too high. Therefore, donations and adoption fees are the only way that helps them in saving lives of furry pals.

Healthy Tips That Can Add Years To Your Dogs Life

5 Shades of Heavenly Healthy Tips To Add Years To Your Pooch’s Life

With pets as their lovable companions and best friends. pet owners always yearn for their pet’s long and healthy life. However, we miss out to consider the basic things that will lengthen the lifespan of our furry pals. A little care and proper attention with regular treatments will allow to improve immunity leading to quality life and adding up the years. Let us check here the major tips that will help your pet live a long life.

Always Opt For High Quality And Nutritious Diet

 

A quality food enriched with nutrients is an essential part that not only improves your pet’s health but also add years to life. Fur pals who are fed balanced diet and highly nutritious food obtain overall health – including shiny coats, bright eyes and glowing skin. Healthy diet supplies enough energy for regular metabolism as well as helps strengthen immune system, which possibly protects pets from minor illnesses. Proper diet is also a gateway to support intestinal health, increase visual sense and mental sharpness along with keeping their muscles and joints healthy and strong.

Regular Exercise To Maintain Optimal Weight

 

 

As humans, pets too do need to maintain their weight because obese pets are prone to numerous health issues. A recent survey states that obesity has become one of the leading diseases in pets across the United States, which is quite fatal at times. Cutting down the years to one or two years, obesity opens doors for different diseases ranging from joint pain, diabetes, heart disease and shortness of breath. It definitely affects your pet’s entire body in different ways.

Yearly Vet-Visit - A Must In Health Plan

 

 

Though your pet is healthy, visiting vet regularly for checkups lengthens lifespan preventing unwanted infection and aids in early detection of any acute disease if prevailing. Regular vet care is compulsory for every pet. Apart from routine vaccinations, vet visit helps reveal health issues which may not be known to pet owners. In many cases, these visits help in early diagnosis leading to the success of odd treatments. Discovering a disease at early stage helps in not only preventing dangerous situations but also reduces the cost of treatments making it more effective in curing the disease. Regular vet visit is much better rather than waiting for the serious conditions to appear.

Help Maintain Dental Health

 

 

A good oral health shows the overall well-being of your pet. Major diseases start due to negligence of dental hygiene. Most felines and canines face obesity issue, the next to which is bad oral health problem. When this is left unanswered, it causes pain and makes it quite difficult for your pet to eat. Not treating in time can even lead to kidney and heart disease. Along with regular dental checkups, ensure to brush your pet’s teeth regularly with toothbrush and toothpaste. In case your pet hates to brush or dislikes the taste of paste, you can avail flavored paste that encourages your pet to brush. Alternately, you can even give them dental treats, diets and toys.

Never Leave Them Unsupervised

 

 

You may feel proud to let your dog or cat move freely. Contrarily, which is not safe. Letting them go around will expose them to a lot of unseen dangers like road accidents, theft, attack from street animals, contagious diseases, toxins and a lot more. They can even be irritating to your neighbors especially when they happen to dig out their garden or soil it. Following these tips along with your care and love can make their life fulfilling while adding up more years.

4 Easy And Simple Ways To Socialize Your Dog

Socialization a pet means helping them to be comfortable as a pet within the society which includes various types of people, environment, building, sights, noises, smells, animals and other dogs. The act of exposing your pooch to the world. It is really fun part of socialization. You need to give all the vaccines to your doggy before taking him out into the world. It is paramount that you help your furry pal to grow up to be confident and outgoing. If you do it wrong your pup may become aggressive or a frightened puppy. Here are few simple steps that can help you socialize your Fido:

Meeting New People: 

 

Introduce your puppy to the people in your family, your friends, neighbors, guests. Don't force your pup, let he approach them on his own. This will give your pooch a greater sense of control. It is important that you try to meet all kind of people with different backgrounds, ages, and professions. Even introduce him to kids and let your doggy play with them under supervision. This is essential to interact with all kind of people early in life or he will develop aggressive behavior toward them later.

Meet Other Doggies: 

 

Take your pooch to the dog park, where he will be able to meet all types of dogs. Allow cordial sniffing and some play. Keep an eye when your furry pal is playing with other dogs. If you find any types odd behaviors back off with your dog or leave the park. You can we also invite your friends to bring their dogs to backyard or garden for a game.

Introduce To Other Pets: 

 

You can make your pup meet the kitty. You can place them in a different room with the safety bars. Keep more distance before allowing them to meet face to face. Keep an eye on their meetings until you feel that all will go well. May be your pooch is well socialized he will still try to chase other animals or prey.

Introduce To Types Of Noises:

 

This is also essential that you introduce your furry pal to all sorts of noises so that he don't get irritated with them. Take him at the place where your grinding, vacuuming, on the roads with a leash or you can carry him etc. Put on the object such as grinder for few seconds, off it call your pup to you. Reward him for this.

How Do I Establish A Strong Bond With My Feline? A Cat Owner's Dilemma

Just like us, cats have different behavioral traits and personality. There are certain cats that like staying on the lap of their owners and being stroked while others like to sit near their owners and not on their laps. So this goes to show that cats have varied personalities and these personality traits can be traced back to their genetic disposition. Hence, hereditary has a lot to say about a cat's personality.

Researchers have found that the personality of a cat passes to the kitten genetically by the mother cat. So if the kitten is friendly it is due to the genes of the father cat and vice versa. One thing is for sure that we cannot change the hereditary disposition of the cat but what we can do is try and build trust in felines through positive ways. Let us now look at some of the tips to establish a strong bond with your furry friend:

Be Extremely Calm In Front of The Feline

The very first thing that needs to be done is to not show sudden movements or aggressive actions in front of the cat, as she might feel threatened. If  your cat is sitting in the middle of your way try to move slowly without disturbing her. In this way, she will get to the use of your presence and will appreciate your feline manners.

Interpret You Cat's Body Language

It is little tricky to understand the cat's body language. The cat may snuggle you that means trying to communicate with you. If the cats are packing back or in front or vocalizing that means she wants to play with you or asking for food near you. If the cat is trying to sit on your lap but not finding comfortable she may get irritated. You can make out whether she is irritated by signs such as:

• Flicking her tail
• Meowing
• Twitching the skin
• Shifting of ears to a position like airplane wings

Rewarding Your Feline

Sit on the sofa instead of a high chair, so that it will be a little bit closer to your feline's height and she may feel good. Start the training by keeping some treats with you and give it to her when she sits on the floor. She will look at you after eating it. You can then place a second treat on the sofa next to you so that she can easily climb it and eat the treat. Then the next treat should be kept on your lap and when she comes to eat the treat don't hold her back instead make her feel comfortable by giving her complete freedom. This is the most important step to building the trust between you and your cat.

Petting Your Cat The Right Way

If your cat loves when you pet her, let her enjoy your petting and affection. Just try to keep it very positive by paying attention to her preferences. Don't try to touch her tail as this can be a sensitive part of her and even don't touch her paws, as she loves to have her paws left alone.

Give Freedom to Your Furry Friend:

Allow your feline to get down from your lap, don't restrain her. If you give her such freedom she will be more comfortable. Once your feline knows that she can move whenever she wants it will make her come back to you. Never hold her tightly because that would give wrong signal to her and she would not like to come near you. When she sits on your lap in a positive and relaxed position consider it to be a positive move.

After going through these tips we hope that you might have got the idea of establishing a strong bond with your furry friend. Just remember that it takes time to build the camaraderie with your feline so why not try it today and invite her towards you who knows she may jump onto your lap, rolling over in front of you. This is what we call a friendly banter....

Tips For A Healthy Pet By Veterans

Your dog is your four-legged companion, buddy, playmate, partner in walking, footwarmer at night. No doubt, to keep him at the utmost health and playful, you would do anything and everything. So, what are the things that are of real concern for maintaining your pooch's health.

Veterinarian's Tips For Healthy Pets

Many pet parents miss on these essential things though trivial, only to visit vets when their pets fall sick. This comprehensive guide from a vet's desk help you keep your pet healthy and happy. It is not only just providing food, exercising or grooming that can keep your pooch fit and fine but there are those little stuff that add wholesomely in improving and attaining your pet's optimal health.

Tips For Keeping Pets Healthy

1. Pet Food Without Chemicals

Pet food may contain fillers and other chemical preservatives. Choose a pet food sunning chemicals such as ethoxyquin, BHA, BHT. It is better to vary cat diets to cut short their exposure to harmful chemicals like mercury in seafood. Organic food is the better option or you can choose free-range ingredients rather than “by-products.”

2. New Foam Pet Bedding

As pet bedding foam wears away, make sure you replace the older foam bedding with a newer one. It is also essential to replace or reupholster furniture that has exposed or crumbling foam. This prevents choking incidents as most likely pets are inclined to chewing.

3. Use HEPA-filter Vacuum

To limit the population of fleas and ticks, as well as control toxic add up in the home environment, always vacuum your house. Vacuuming especially with HEPA-filter fetches better result avoiding the buildup of allergans. Furthermore, try to take off shoes at the door (you can have special home sneakers or slippers if you are not comfortable without footwear). This hugely lowers the risk of your pet's exposure to toxic chemicals in the house dust.

4. Pitcher-Filler or a Faucet

Supplying fresh water is necessary to keep your pet well-hydrated in both summers and winters. For safe and clean drinking water for your furry pal, use a faucet or pitcher-filler to fill your pet's water bowl.

 

5. Organic Gardening

Most Americans use insecticides for treating and maintaining lawns. For a pollutant free environment as well as healthy you and your pet, cut down on insecticides. Using organic methods, you can take care of your lawn. These insecticides used in the lawn may cause nervous system damage in pets that play and walk on the treated lawn, eat the grass or breathe the chemicals.

6. Biodegradable, Compostable doo-bags

While going on dog walks, remember to take doo bags along with you. Purchase bio-degradable, compostable doo-bags for your pooch. If possible, just reuse bags like plastic newspaper wrappers.

7. Safer Flea and Tick treatments

Some flea collars and treatments are loaded with chemicals. In spite of using these products, look for alternative flea control treatments that are authentic and superior quality. Along with using safer flea and tick medications, regularly vacuum your house, wash pet bedding and bathe your pet.

8. Non-Toxic Pet Grooming Products

Before buying pet grooming products, always read ingredients labels and safety measures. Avoid buying products without ingredients and “caution or warning” labels. Some harmful ingredients to check in the label are paraben, PEG, Urea or Fragrance. 

Supplements For Your Pet’s Health Care

These days, the nutritious supplements ensure humans to make us healthy and keep away from the diseases. In the same manner they have come up with pet supplements. The supplements are given to the pets if they don't have appropriate eating routine to get the essential vitamins and minerals which are inadequate in the body of pets. 

The Benefits of Supplements For Your Pet

 

We need our furry companions to live long, healthy lives with us, so why shouldn’t we supplement their diets to accomplish that objective?

Do pets need supplements?

If pets are getting a complete balanced diet including essential vitamins and minerals, then there is no need of supplements given to the pets according to FDA. Dogs eating a homemade diet may require supplements to match the diet as they may not get the proper amount of balanced diet.

Are supplements safe for my pets?

Potentially, if an animal eats a balanced diet and gets more amounts of vitamins and minerals, they could be unsafe, as per the FDA and veterinarians. A high amount of calcium can bring skeletal issues, particularly in large breed dogs; an excess of vitamin A can harm veins and cause lack of hydration and joint pain. More amount of vitamin D can provoke a dog to quit eating, harm bones, and make muscles to atrophy.

How should I choose the right supplement for my pet?

If you are choosing to purchase pet supplements online, find out the ingredients in it before giving it to pets from your vet. Your veterinarian’s will prescribe you what is good for your pet. With the help of prescription it will be easy to buy the supplements for your pet.

There are numerous pet health supplements available. In the same way as with human, a well balanced diet is the essential establishment for good health of a pet. While supplements can be useful in particular circumstances, it's best to consider each pet on individual basis. With any purchase make sure to do your research to abstain from spending cash on redundant items. Finally, make sure you check out with your veterinarian about the pet health supplement products and then buy it for your pet.

The best way to give my pet his supplements

You can give the supplements to the pets by hiding it in the pet friendly food for good taste. If it is a pill or it is in powder you can directly mix in his food.

What kind of vitamins or supplements have you given your pets? Share your stories so that we all can have the idea what is the best for our pets.

How To Get Rid Of Flea Eggs On Pets

Flea Eggs - How To Get Rid of Them

Does your dog go on scratching its ears? Does your cat go on licking that paw or tail? Inspecting deeply, you can find that tiny specks of black or dark maroon colored substance in the fur; this proves that your furry pal is infested with fleas. These nasty creatures live and survive on dogs and cats by sucking their blood by biting. This typically irritates your pet resulting into constant itching and scratching, which you can observe in your dog or cat if your pet is infested. Sometimes the biting or scratching is intense that the skin becomes reddish or even pets can harm themselves. Not limited to this, some pets that are quite sensitive can face allergic problems because of flea bites and result into skin conditions like Flea Allergy Dermatitis, which can enormously effect pet’s health.

Why Flea Eggs Must Be Destroyed Before They Hatch?

Working Immediately on Flea Solution

Learning about fleas on your pet, your first step is to eradicate all those fleas from your pet’s body. Lacking the action, fleas can multiply at fastidious speed under right breeding conditions, which means just 2 or 3 fleas can create a huge band of thousands of fleas within a few weeks.

In a day, a mature healthy flea can lay 50 eggs, and for these eggs to hatch, it takes 21 days with the aid of suitable environment. With each egg hatching into adult flea, the number of fleas keeps on multiplying unless any solution is found.

How to Kill Fleas Eggs and How To Get Rid Of Flea Eggs and Larvae?

Eliminating Fleas with Frontline Plus

Finding your pet being infested with fleas, destroying all those fleas becomes paramount. Furthermore, to eliminate and control future re-infestation is to find the right treatment to break and totally destroy flea life cycle. Therefore, finding a flea treatment that only kills adult fleas in not sufficient. What is important is to find the right product that not only destroys mature fleas but even completely eliminates all the life stages of fleas such as flea eggs and larvae. This will definitely prevent that shocking and sudden outburst of flea infestation on your pet within few weeks.

Frontline Plus Kills Fleas

One such product that can work starting from first stage of flea life cycle to the end is Frontline Plus. It is specially designed for all size pets for both dogs and cats. It is developed with unique concept differently from other flea and tick products, because it has a combination of pesticide and insect grow regulator. The key ingredients in this product provide all round protection to your pet. Fipronil and s-methoprene in frontline plus kill both adult fleas and flea eggs, with lasting effect for a month.

Ensure to Keep Those Fleas at Bay

To keep those fleas away from your pets, it is necessary to monthly use frontline plus on your pet. This will protect your pet from nasty flea bites and the irritation they cause. Proper treatment with frontline plus on monthly basis definitely helps to not only eradicate flea and tick infestation but also control future infestation.