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I feel bonding with your pet beyond playing at the park, going for walks and playing fetch is important. To become one with your dog, so to speak. We are all one spirit, one mind! I have permission to share this with you from The Complete Holistic Dog Book. Enjoy!
How It Works
With its patent-pending design, Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs if they are anxious, fearful or over-excited. Based on surveys completed by over two thousand customers, over 80% of dogs show significant improvement in symptoms when using Thundershirt. Thundershirt is already helping tens of thousands of dogs around the world, and is recommended by thousands of veterinarians and dog trainers.
As for WHY Thundershirt’s gentle pressure works to calm a dog, experts such as Dr. Temple Grandin believe that pressure has a calming effect on the nervous system. Using pressure to relieve anxiety has been a common practice for years. For example:
- TTouch dog trainers use pressure to address a wide variety of anxieties.
- Veterinarians use pressure to relax cattle when they are administering vaccinations.
- People with autism use pressure to relieve their persistent anxiety.
- Children with certain behavioral problems use pressure shirts and weighted vests to relax and focus.
- Parents use swaddling to calm an inconsolable newborn infant.
So I am going through my email and see this tweet from The Mashable Hot List. Headphones for cats?! Is this real? YES— Sol Republic has made the world’s first cat headphones. This has to be the greatest marketing ever or the best way to raise money for animals in need I have ever seen!
National animal charity ASPCA® is the sole beneficiary of all proceeds raised from the sale of these limited edition cat headphones.
Check out this hilarious video about the sales guy who is allergic to cats! Tell me what you think. I am curious to know! Hurry and order, only ten of these headphones made for the low price of $999.00.
Richard Lederer is the author of more than thirty books on language, humor and history, including Anguished English and A Treasury for Dog Lovers. He lives in San Diego with his wife, Simone van Egeren.
I wanted to share this article with all animal lovers. I have had some bad experiences with vets and maybe you have too. Hopefully not. I had a regular veterinarian for years and was pleased. They were in a small trailer. Then they moved to a fancy building, very nice and large. But with the new accommodations, they lost their compassion. I had a number of issues before I finally said enough. Luckily nothing as serious as the story you are about to read. I finally found another vet that I am happy with and shows compassion for my pets and truly cares. To me, this is number one! Most vets I have been to seem only to care about the bill and not about the animal. Sad, but true. I understand vets need to be paid and there are certain fees, but there is a time to be humane, compassionate and understanding when a pet owner turns to their veterinarian for pet care advice or medical NEEDS!
Guest Blog: A subtle form of cruelty and the need to be a patient advocate
from Allie Phillips Blog
From Allie: Stemming from my blog on July 12th called We Can No Longer Remain Silent, this is the second guest blog in a series that will let you hear directly from experts in the field about animal abuse and ways that we all can get involved to prevent it and protect animals. Please share your thoughts and share with others!
By Sandra D. Sylvester, J.D. Sandra Sylvester is an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Prince William County, Virginia and a certified dog trainer. She has been a prosecutor for 25 years and has been prosecuting animal abuse cases for 10 years.
What a sight-a small, frail nine year old girl and an eighty pound German shepherd named Abby walking the halls of the courthouse together. They met a year prior, when the child was preparing to testify in a preliminary hearing against the man who raped her. She was at first afraid of this big dog, but after showing her how to take the oath to tell the truth, counting to ten and teaching the child not to take treats from strangers, the little girl warmed up to this gentle giant.
A year later, things had changed and now the sight of this child and this dog walking together had new meaning. The child was preparing to testify in the trial of her rapist. She requested Abby come to the courthouse to help prep her testimony. In the year since they had first met, Abby had undergone two major surgeries and two MRI’s- four procedures requiring general anesthesia. She now had to wear a diaper due to a surgeon’s mistake. The child was told about what happened to Abby and responded by saying “It’s OK, I wet the bed sometimes too.” There they were, hand in hand, walking the halls of justice- both victims and both survivors.
For anyone who may be aggrieved by poor veterinary care, I suggest you take the following steps:
- Pay with credit card. We filed a contest with the credit card company for poor service for the initial surgery and the boarding fees and received a full refund.
- Document everything-names of all personnel and every conversation you have. Follow up and if you live in a state where tape recording is permitted- do so.
- Demand the best care for your pet. You are paying for it. We researched everything we could about caudal equina syndrome (the final diagnosis for Abby) and learned about cutting edge technologies including stem cell replacement. I regret not being more demanding and will not make that mistake again.
- Do your research! We are managing our new puppy’s care, by researching side effects of vaccines, etc. We are now controlling what is done to our dogs and have partnered with an open minded veterinarian. If I don’t like the care my pet is receiving, I will take my business elsewhere.
- Obtain all your vet records- you paid for them!
Heidi’s Story
I found my mommy, Samantha, in 2008. I was being boarded at a kennel’s Samantha worked at. Samantha told her mom one day that this cute little doggie was homeless, me. My parents had left me at the kennels and said they did not want me any longer and do what you want with me. I was heart broken once again and wondered why people kept leaving me. I don’t understand; I am not a bad dog, very cute and loveable. Samantha fell in love with me immediately.
At the time, my mom was not allowed to have dogs where she lived. It was a nice apartment complex in El Cajon, two pools, jacuzzi, exercise room and central air. My new mommy would give this up to find a dog friendly place for me.
I ended up going home with another client from the kennels who had a number of other dogs. This lady kept me for only a week and brought me back to the kennels saying I did not get along with her other dogs. I had been abused and abandoned multiple times and had some issues that needed addressed by someone loving and patient.
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I have used brewers yeast w/ garlic tablets, Avon Skin So Soft and lavender essential oil. (do not use lavender on cats) All of these work. The first step in flea control is a healthy pet which starts with their diet. Fleas will infest a sick animal as I sadly witnessed first hand. My household is flea-free.
Even the healthiest pets can suffer from dehydration, heat stroke, and sunburn if overexposed to the heat.
Dogs, cats, and horses can suffer from the same problems that human’s do—overheating, dehydration and even sunburn—when the temperature rises. By taking these simple precautions from ASPCA experts (and my own info), you can keep your animal companions happy and healthy.
When the temperature is very high, don’t let your pet stand on hot asphalt. Their body can heat up quickly, and sensitive paw pads can burn. Keep walks to a minimum during these times.
I put a wet bandanna around my Golden’s neck when the temperature is high. She loves it and keeps her a little cooler. Outward Hound makes cooling bandannas for your pooch. It comes in small to large dog sizes. Read more...
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