November is Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month

PetsMatter: Nov/Dec 09 - Volume 4 Issue 6
From the American Animal Hospital Association

Older Pets May Be a Better Fit

A bouncy, clear-eyed puppy would have been the easy choice for Darryl and Katie Jockers of Northglenn, Colo.

Instead, the couple is drawn to the misfits and the unwanted. Their house is already home to a yellow Labrador mix found in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a black Lab retired from his job as a guide dog, a golden tabby cat and a 10-year-old Siamese.

In October 2008 they took in 16-year-old Stewart, a cocker spaniel with a long list of health problems, the worst of which was renal (kidney) failure.

The Jockers felt that they owed something to a dog like Stewart, who has already lived a long life and needs a comfortable, loving home to enjoy for the rest of his days.

“The way I see it, none of our animals get to choose us, and when we get to choose them, we owe it to them to give them the life they would have picked if they were able to choose,” says Katie, who adopted Stewart through the adoption organization The Max Fund.

Stewart needed almost constant care from the moment he walked through the Jockers’ door. Besides his kidney problems, he is also deaf and suffers from arthritis and a weak heart.

The Jockers feed Stewart nutrients and keep him constantly hydrated. Their reward has been a renewed older dog that is lively and gets along well with his new roommates.

“He’s great; he’s ornery and loves to be the center of attention,” Katie says.

A puppy, she adds, would have been fine. But she prefers a dog like Stewart because he provides an education just by living.

“They teach you to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life,” explains Katie. “Besides, they are quirky and funny.”

Other pet owners and organizations hope that prospective owners will take a more serious look at taking home an older dog or cat during November, which is Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month, sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Older pets have a huge advantage over puppies and kittens, simply because of their maturity level, states the ASPCA.

“I simply could not live through another puppyhood,” says Gayle Buchwald, senior vice president who oversees the ASPCA’s adoption center in New York City.

“Kittens are rambunctious and are always zooming here and there and tearing off the covers of your bed in the middle of the night,” Buchwald explains. “Older pets are like people — they’ve been around the block and their energy level is a lot more stable.”

Today’s busy lifestyles are also more conducive to older pets, Buchwald believes. An older pet is less high-maintenance than a puppy or kitten and can be left alone for longer periods of time. She adds, “Their personalities are already formed, and what you see is what you get; you can plan around that. Puppies and kittens are still forming their personalities.”

To help those who want to adopt an older pet make an informed decision, the ASPCA developed the Meet Your Match Program, which helps match an animal’s behavior and interests with potential pet owners.

Dogs are tested on their friendliness, playfulness, energy level, motivation, and drive and are placed in one of nine color-coded “canine-alities.”

Depending on their color code, some dogs are classified as laid-back couch potatoes, while others are more curious busy bees.

Cats are similarly categorized. Green cats (which are relatively new on the scene) are savvy and adventurous, while orange cats make amiable companions.

Adopting an older pet can also have drawbacks, and owners need to be aware of those potential complications.

Many older pets have health problems and often need special diets or medications. Older pets also may need modifications to get around, such as stepladders to get into cars or wider dog and cat doors.

At the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA in San Mateo, Calif., medical staff members spend a lot of time with an older pet to check for physical problems, while other staffers concentrate on any problems in behavior, comments Scott Delucchi, vice president and spokesman for the shelter.

“If a dog or cat is older than five or six we do a lot of work with them before we allow them to be adopted,” Delucchi says.

Still, the shelter does not do blood work or X-rays on most of the animals. Therefore, it is often the prospective owners who must take responsibility for making sure that an animal is a good match, he explains.

To get a better idea of why older pets would make good housemates and some tips on what to look for in an older pet, here are some helpful links:
http://www.aspca.org/adoption/meet-your-match
http://www.aspca.org/adoption/adoption-tips/adopting-the-perfect-family-pet.html
http://peninsulaspca.blogspot.com/2009/05/why-adopt-senior-pet.html

Sometimes small children are not good matches for an older dog or cat, says Adam Goldfarb, director of the Pets at Risk Program for the Humane Society of the United States.

“Some animals are not fond of children and all the grabbing they do,” Goldfarb says.

Still, a mature pet probably has been around a toddler and knows what to expect, he adds. “They’ve seen the world, and they know what to expect when it comes to a child. Younger dogs and cats may not see it that way and won’t get along with a child.”

Older dogs need their exercise, too. But like an older person, their days of running a marathon or chasing squirrels are, thankfully, long gone, Goldfarb says. “A nice walk in a park on a sunny day suits many older dogs just fine. That’s the beauty of older dogs — they have their own rhythm of life.”

Monte Whaley is a writer from Denver, Colo. He writes for the Denver Post.


© 2009 American Animal Hospital Association. All rights reserved.

Dog and Cat food rating

Here is some helpful info about choosing dog & cat food.
The original is in on-line at http://www.paws.org/cas/resources/fact_sheets_general/foodrating.php

Dog and Cat Food Rating

The following guide is provided by Dr. Michael Lemmon of Highlands Veterinary Hospital in Renton, Washington.

Foods are rated from 10 (the most nutritious) to 0 (the least nutritious)

10-9 For wild animals in nature: wild food
Source: hunting, foraging.
Characteristics: study wild animals to learn best diet for domesticated species.

8 The best you can do: balanced, fresh food made by you
Source: Dogs – ⅓ meat, eggs, diary; 2/3 grains, vegetables. Cats – ½ meat, eggs, dairy; ½ grains, vegetables.
Characteristics: ecological, inexpensive, easy, healthy (includes healthy leftovers)

7-6 Not a bad compromise: “health food” brands
Source: Precise, Wysong, Nature’s Recipe, Dynamite, Flint River, ABADY, Avo-Derm, Sensible Choice, Solid Gold, Pinnacle, Pet Guard, Nature’s Variety.
Characteristics: few or no preservatives, few or no by-products, dates on the bags, more nutrients retained, disease prevention design.

5-4 Getting the idea: “upscale” brands
Source: Science Diet, ANF, Tamiami, Cornucopia, Lick Your Chops, Nutro, Waynes, Old Mother Hubbard.
Characteristics: digestible, very concentrated, easily available, actually less costly, could be improved.

3 Just mucking along: all grocery store brands
Source: IAMS, Ol’Roy, Purina (all), Gaines, Friskies, Alpo, Ken’l Ration, Kal-Kan, Tuffys, Tyrells, Attaboy, Pedigree.
Characteristics: Not very digestible, additives, preservatives, chemicals, no date on bags, addictive flavorings added.

2 You get what you pay for: generic brands
Source: Holiday, Super-America, Houles, Fromms.
Characteristics: Ultra-cheap ingredients, irregular batch cooking, products are not tested, no reputation to lose.

1 Let them eat cake: soft –moist, gourmet cans, “treat” foods
Source: Tender Vittles, Gaines Burgers, Kibbles and Chunks, Pounce, Crave, Snausages, Jerky Sticks, Happy Cat, Mighty Dog.
Characteristics: Fake, plastic, junk food, addictive and deadly, rots teeth and intestines, expensive.

0 We warned you: poorly balanced, randomly-offered, people food
Source: Excess meat, fat, ice cream, candy, sugar, white flour products, tuna, steak, bones, anything microwaved.
Characteristics: Cause of obesity, picky-eaters, behavior problems, diabetes, allergies, shedding and dandruff.

© Progressive Animal Welfare Society
Reprinted with permission
http://www.paws.org

Red Lake Rosie's Rescue video: Before and After

I maintain the blog for Red Lake Rosie's Rescue and am happy to share with you this video of some of the good work done there. The video was created by Sarah a young woman who lives on the reservation and has seen the sad beginnings for these animals.

New cat drink technique

People who live with cats know that they LOVE fresh water. I've seen them drink from the sink, the tub, the faucet, but I had never seen this technique! Made me smile.

Lost & Found System

NOTE FROM MIKE FRY AT ANIMAL ARK:

Hi All,

It has been a while since we have talked about the Lost & Found system, long enough that some of you may not even remember that it exists! Some exciting and important changes are being made to provide more services for people and animals in our community. But, first a quick recap of the system and how you can use it on your web sites to help animals:

The Lost & Found provides a shared, open, Internet-based resource for people in Minnesota to post photos and descriptions of animals they have either found or lost. In the last 2 years alone 1,499 lost or found pet records have been added to this system, helping countless pets in our community to be reunited with their families.

The Lost & Found system is designed to be integrated into any web site, so that organizations using it can direct people to their own web sites to make use of this important functionality. Links to PetFinder and to information about where to find impound centers are also provided in the system. Impound center information is provided by Second Chance Animal Rescue.

There are a variety of different ways an organization can incorporate the Lost & Found functionality to their web site, including:

Direct Linking: Simply add a link to the following URL to your web site:

http://internet7.4tdomino.com/animal/LostFound.nsf/PublicLostFound!OpenForm

You may also integrate this same URL into a frame or iframe on any web page on your site.

Free customization of the screen is also available to help match colors and fonts of existing web pages.

Now - On to the exciting news!

Beginning sometime today, new features to the system will include:

Email notifications of Lost & Found pets. To assist animal control centers and shelters that accept stray animals, the system will begin sending email notification to key staff at these organizations to be on the lookout for lost pets, or to help cross-reference stray animals they have picked up with notifications of lost pets.

To ensure the correct person within your organization is receiving these notices, please respond to this email with the email of the address to which you would like these notices sent.

Beginning sometime within the next month, people who post lost pets will be able to subscribe to a Twitter feed that will direct emails to them about posted found pets in the system. They will be able to direct these messages to their email address, or have text messages sent directly to their cell phones. They may also opt to have notices sent to both places.

Posting a description of a found pet, or a stray animal taken in, will then automatically notify those people receiving these messages. Eventually, using TwitPix technology, we plan to be able to transmit photos of found pets to the cell phones of people who are looking for their lost pets.

For more information about this system, call Mike Fry at (651) 964-3140.

Abandoned pets

It is the dog days of summer and the cat rescuers are weary. Every pound and shelter and rescue is full of cats. These are friendly cats, so we know they had a home and someone abandoned them. There are cats waiting for homes wherever you live. If you can give one a home, think about doing it now.

I received a note yesterday about the cats pictured here. They are still alive because they are fortunate enough to be at a kind pound. Workers there want to give them every chance to find a home because they are so nice and adoptable, but they’ve been at the pound too long. More cats are coming in and euthanasia is next.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Impounds
Date: Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:38:30 -0500
From: mollywood4.0408@yahoo.com

We are an impound facility in princeton mn who have a number of cats they
have been here approx month or so. we arent having the best luck finding
homes, and our facility is getting full. If you can help at all let us no
763-389-2440

Fe dsh calico approx 1-2 yrs very friendly and easy going

dsh grey m/i friendly and likes other cats

We were contacted about four cats and I am taking in one of them. Can you take another?

U of M med. school to stop using live animals

DENISE SAYS: Too bad we lagged behind 95% of the med schools in the country in doing so...

Updated: 9/3/2009 10:38:25 AM

MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota plans to stop using live animals to teach emergency medicine to doctors in training. The Medical School will instead switch to high-tech simulations.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine alleged the university was violating the federal Animal Welfare Act.

A letter from the head of emergency medicine, Dr. Joseph Clinton, says the university significantly reduced the use of live animals on July 1, and will eliminate their use by the end of the year.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says more than 95 percent of U.S. medical schools now use human simulations instead of live animals.




(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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