How To Care For Your Pet’s Allergies
April 30, 2015
As the winter fades away and the temperatures rise, we naturally spend more time outdoors. Spring is a glorious time of year, but for allergy sufferers, it can be an extremely irritating season. You may not realize it, but your dog and cat can suffer from seasonal allergies as well. You don’t need to be an animal health expert to figure out if your pet has allergies. Here are a few things to consider to help alleviate your pet’s symptoms.
How to tell if your pet has allergies
As the trees start to bloom, they release pollen into the air. These tiny airborne particles can cause your dog’s eyes to itch, but you’ll most likely notice your pooch scratching a lot. Their skin becomes very itchy and they’ll scratch, bite, and rub themselves against hard surfaces to find some sort of relief. You might also notice hot spots on your dog. According to an animal health expert, a hot spot is noticeably red and there can be bleeding and hair loss around a small area of skin.
How to help your pet cope with allergies
Environmental allergies are almost impossible to avoid for dogs who need to go outside to do their business. For cats, it’s quite simple – keep them indoors. To help alleviate your dog’s allergy symptoms, bath them frequently. The more they scratch, the more inflamed and tender the skin will become. Regular baths throughout the spring and summer months can help sooth their dry, itchy skin.
How to help prevent allergies
It may not be possible to prevent all seasonal allergies, but you can help prevent the symptoms.
- Clean your pet’s bedding frequently and vacuum and clean the floors regularly.
- Use non-toxic cleaners. Household cleaners with harsh chemicals can irritate their skin even more.
- Animal health is a priority. Keep your pet healthy by visiting the vet yearly for their regular checkup. Allergies are an immune system response, so it’s important to keep your pet’s immune system strong.
- An anti-inflammatory diet or raw food diet may also help alleviate allergy symptoms.
15 Steps in Stopping Pet Overpopulation
January 21, 2015
Every year several animals are put to death in kill shelters simply due to overpopulation and not enough available loving homes for the unwanted animals. The only way to stop kill shelters from putting animals down is to stop the overpopulation of homeless cats and dogs. If your wondering what you can do to help stop pet over populations the tips below can assist.
1. Offer donations to shelters and clinics to help spayed female cats and dogs that need it.
2. Offer donations to veterinary clinics and shelters for male kittens and puppies that need neutering.
3. Adopting a pet that needs a home can mean less animals on the streets, which means less unnecessary liters being produced.
4. Becoming a foster parent for animals in shelters that are overloaded with animals can help provide more room in shelters to help get overpopulated pets off the streets and from producing more unneeded liters.
5. Preventing pet overpopulation also begins with you making sure your own pets have been spayed or neutered.
6. One of the ways vets can help stop the overpopulation of pets is by offer free spaying and neutering clinics to people who cannot afford to get their pets fixed, but wish to do so to prevent pet overpopulation.
7. Animals that are abandoned on the streets need to be rescued and brought to shelters and clinics. The less cats and dogs on the streets the less liters occur and euthanasia.
8. Providing more resources to help with the adoption and fostering process can help.
9. Donating plenty of food, water, pet care products, bedding and toys to local animal shelters can help the shelters provide for more rescued or abandoned animals, which means a reduction in cat and dog populations.
10. Opening your own non-profit shelter or rescue service can help get unwanted cats and dogs off the streets and from producing more liters.
11. Volunteering at your local animal shelter can help reduce animal population. Sometimes all shelters need is some extra pairs of hands to help take in more animals.
12. Preventing animal hoarding is a huge way to prevent animal overpopulation.
13. Creating a non-profit safe drop off spot for unwanted pets can help drastically.
14. Prevent the selling of fighting dogs. Once a dog is done fighting it’s put out onto the streets. A particular breed that is often used for fighting is the pitbull.
15. Make sure stray cats and dogs are rescued by animal patrol.
Each year thousands and thousands of animals enter into shelters. Sadly, some of these shelters are kill shelters meaning they put to sleep animals that are in perfect health and fun of love. This is because many shelters lack proper communication with their local communities about each animal that is in them. If shelters would, share important information about the animals that come into their shelters the animals would have a better chance at becoming adopted. If you are a shelter, wondering what needs to be shared with the community take a look at the list below for guidance.
#1 Share with the Community that Not All Animals in the Shelter have Behavioral Problems
It is important to share with the community, not all animals that come into your shelter have behavioral problems. Some are well behaved and just neglected and need a new loving home. Share information about particular animals in your shelter that do have certain behavioral issues, but also share how these issues can be resolved with tender love and care and lots of patience.
#2 Share with the Community that Not All Animals in the Shelter have Health Issues
It is common for people to believe that animals in shelters have troublesome healthy issues, but this is not always true. Discuss with your community that the animals that come into your shelter are most of the time healthy, but on some occasions, you do get animals with health issues that are treated successfully. In addition, talk about the animals that are loving, and well behaved, that simply need ongoing treatments to live happy healthy lives so they can have a chance at becoming adopted too.
#3 Share with the Community that Adopting animals from the Shelter is More Affordable and a lot Safer
If you think going to the pet store and purchasing a new puppy is affordable, guess again. Adopting a new animal from a shelter is actually more affordable. This is because most of the animals from shelters are fixed, have already had a wellness check by a veterinarian hospital, and are up to date on all vaccinations. This means you simply get to enjoy the new pet you are bring home. Most importantly, animals adopted from the shelter have had behavioral evaluations, which helps properly place an animal in the right home that is safe for them and their new owners.
#4 Discuss with the Community that Adopting a Pet can Enrich Their Lives
It’s important to discuss with the community that adopting a pet from the shelter can enrich their lives. This is because animals can provide love, laughter and protection too. In fact, not only do animals from shelters provide love, laughter and protection, but animals are also a great remedy for curing loneliness and sadness. They can even help a person with a certain health condition to become more independent.
Bottom Line for Shelter Animals Needing New Homes
The best way for a shelter to find animals new loving homes that fit their needs and their new owners needs is by communicating with your community properly. Proper placement of an animal can ensure they have a home for life and their new owners have a new pal they will just absolutely love and adore. So, get the word out in your community about the animals you have in your shelters by posting articles in a local newspaper, posting flyers in your community areas and send news letters to each member that lives you’re your community. Let everyone know the truth about your shelter and the animals you have in them.
If you are truly an animal lover then your passion will help you succeed in your quest to help people adopt homeless animals.
1. Contact local veterinary clinics that specialize in pets. You should contact them via email and telephone. A personal visit with a simple black and white flyers that bullet points your basic info is always good. Please be brief, fierce and memorable in describing your animal shelter and your available pets to adopt. Since veterinarians are involved in helping pet owners care for their beloved pets, they know who is looking to adopt and are often a first point of contact. In the unfortunate passing of a pet, the bereaved will often want to eventually replace that animal with a new one after an appropriate period of mourning.
2. Consider a free post on Craigslist that includes pictures. Go to: http://www.craigslist.com and under the headline “Community” click on “Pets.” It is easy and simple to post a picture and a brief description of the available homeless pet. Anything that relates to revealing the animal’s personality is especially helpful in differentiating from other ads.
3. Post pictures and descriptions on your animal shelter’s Facebook page that clearly call the pet lover to action. Adopting a pet is an emotional decision. It is best to keep your posting cute and brief.
4. Ensure that the signage near your animal shelter is adequate. If you are located near a major highway is it easy to find your location? You can also increase your exposure by adding small plastic signs that are quick to install by driving them into the ground on the edge of roads near major intersections. Be careful that you do not violate any signage rules on your area. Typically areas where you see real estate and political signs are already approved. You may need to get a permit. Contact your local city office regarding rules and regulations.
5. Participate in local networking opportunities. There are many ways to remind your local public that your animal shelter is well run and has adoptable pets. Join your local Chamber of Commerce, Lions, Rotary, religious institution, Optimists Club, FFA Alumni boosters, etc. The list of organizations really depends on your personal interests and availability for meetings.
Best of luck in your quest. Every homeless animal will find a home if you engage in a systematic plan.
