February 24, 2009 the Humane Society of the United States starts its annual campaign to encourage people to save animals lives by spaying or neutering pets and feral cats. Why does the Humane Society want to promote spaying and neutering? “Four million cats and dogs—about one every eight seconds—are put down in U.S. shelters each year. Often these animals are the offspring of cherished family pets, even purebreds. Maybe someone’s cat or dog got out just that one time or maybe the litter was intentional, but efforts to find enough good homes failed. Spay/neuter is the only permanent, 100-percent effective method of birth control for dogs and cats and a proven way to reduce the vast numbers of animals who are born only to die prematurely and without a family who loves them.”
Find out more about why you should spay or neuter your pet.
Find a local Spay Day USA 2009 event here.
Our kitties need special treats too!
You can whip this up in the food processor to make it easier.
If you have children running about, enlist their help in rolling the treat balls.
Ingredients
7 1/2 oz tuna in vegetable oil
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
water (as needed)
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix tuna, flour and parsley together well, breaking up tuna pieces so they are soft and mushy. A food processor will make easy work of this!
Add water gradually, as is needed to make a firm dough that is easy to mold into a small shape.
Roll a teaspoon-sized amount of the dough between your palms, creating a small round ball. This is where the kids come in 
Flatten the ball so it becomes disc-shaped.
Repeat process until all mixture is used, placing each biscuit disc onto a lightly greased oven tray.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Turn oven off but leave the tray in until the oven has completely cooled. (This will help the biscuits dry out further, and help the treats keep longer).
Treat your kitties once the biscuits have completely cooled.
Store treats in an air-tight container in the pantry.
We hope you have a Purrfectly Happy Valentine’s Day!
This Valentine’s weekend PBS’s Nature explores why humans love their pets.
Sunday night our family will be watching to find out more about the science of why we love of furry friends so much! You can find out too by tuning into your local PBS station Sunday night at 8.
Find out more and see a preview of Sunday night’s show on Nature’s site.
Just in time for Dental Health month, these crunchy biscuits with mint and parsley will help keep your pets teeth in tip top shape.
Minty Biscuits
* 2 Cups Whole Wheat flour
* 1/2 cup cornmeal
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (or 1 1/2 TBL dried mint)
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 3/4 cup water
* 6 tablespoons safflower oil
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, cornmeal, mint
3. and parsley in a large bowl
4. Add water and oil and
5. mix thoroughly
6. On a floured surface roll
7. out dough to 1/4″
8. Cut with cookie cutters
9. Bake for 40 minutes or until lightly browned
10. Turn off heat and allow biscuits to continue drying in the oven for several hours
Do you have a favorite treat recipe?
Share it with US!
In an effort to bring awareness to proper equine dental care, the American Association of Equine Practitioners developed the “Chew on This” campaign.
They focus on yearly examinations and owner education.
Check out their tips to keep your horse smiling!
Learn to Recognize Your Horse’s Dental Problems
Horses with dental problems may show obvious signs, such as pain or irritation, or they may show no noticeable signs at all. This is because some horses simply adapt to their discomfort. For this reason, regular dental examinations, at least annually, are essential to your horse’s health.
It is important to catch dental problems early. If a horse starts behaving abnormally, dental problems should be considered as a potential cause. Waiting too long may increase the difficulty of remedying certain conditions or may even make remedy impossible. According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), the following indicators of dental problems will help you know when to seek veterinary attention for your horse: Read the rest of this entry »
How often do you clean your pets teeth?
You can and should brush your pet’s teeth daily, but any brushing is better than none at all. Here are some tips to help you through the process.
Establishing a routine will work to your benefit. Generally, right after dinner your pet will be happiest. This is a great time to enlist their cooperation. Feed, clean teeth, play.
Use a soft toothbrush.
Help your pet become accustom to having something in their mouths.
Start by slowly lifting the lip and running your finger or damp wash cloth along the gums and teeth.
Talk to and praise your pet during “teeth time” to encourage calm cooperation.
Each day gradually increase the amount of time you spend in the mouth.
Focus on the outside of the teeth where gum disease usually occurs. The inside of the teeth are kept cleaner with help from the tongue.
Only use toothpaste formulated for pets. Do not use human toothpaste. Avoid using baking soda, the high sodium content can be dangerous to some pets.
A tasty home made treat for your horse!
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sunflower seed (or bran, crushed candy, or whatever it is your horse loves most)
3 medium carrots, shredded
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup molasses
Mix together the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl
Combine the applesauce, honey, and molasses in a smaller bowl
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix with a wooden spoon (batter will be
thick and tough)
Add a small amount of water if you are having trouble getting all of the ingredients to combine and continue mixing until all of dry ingredients have been incorporated
Roll batter into golfball-sized balls and place on a cookie sheet
Flatten each ball with either your hand of the bottom of a measuring cup
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes
Let Cool and share with your favorite equine!
The month of February is Pet Dental Health month. Below you will find several ideas on how you can improve the dental health of your pet naturally.
1. Bee propolis is a substance created and used by bees as a glue in their hives. It is a combination of beeswax and other secretions with resins from the buds of conifer and poplar trees. It has great anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties and can be used for infected gums and mouth ulcers. Use one drop per pound of body weight.
2. Raw bones contain probiotic bacteria and enzymes that help maintain heathly bacteria in your pet’s mouth. Chewing on raw meaty bones helps prevent tartar formation and gum inflammation, as well as providing calcium for healthy teeth and bones.
3. Cranberries inhibit the enzymes associated with the formation of dental plaque and help prevent bacteria from sticking to tooth surfaces.
4. Grapefruit seed extract in a natural antiseptic. It should be diluted before use, add one to six drops of extract to five ounces of water. Dip a cotton swab or a gauze covered finger into mixture and apply to pet’s teeth and along gum line.
5. Parsley has strong antimicrobial properties and makes a good breath freshener. It can be added as a whole food to your pet’s diet.
What steps do you take to help keep your pet’s teeth healthy?
In addition to the basic needs of food and shelter a dog also needs social interaction, positive attention from their owner, exercise, and mental stimulation. A simple 30 minute walk each day can fulfill these needs and keep your dog healthy and strong, and improve behavior at home through practicing obedience skills.
Social Skills
Dogs are social animals and enjoy the opportunity to socialize with other dogs. They are also pack animals and intinctually need to be with others - dogs or humans. A daily walking routine provides them with personal attention to satisfy this “pack need”.
Walking is a great way to ensure that puppies learn early to appropriately greet and interact with other dogs and people. These positive interactions build skills and ensure they will not act inappropriately when meeting other dogs as an adult.
Mental Stimulation
Dogs love to investigate their territory and seek out news smells and changes to their environment. Walking provides the mental stimulation that comes from experiencing a wide range of odors and scents. Without this stimulation a dogs enjoyment of life is limited and the dog can become bored and unhappy which leads to destructive behavior.
A daily walk is a great opportunity to reinforce training skills which builds self confidence, reduces stress, and makes sure they remember their training at home.
Exercise
Today it is estimated that 40% of American dogs are overweight. Regular exercise improves blood flow to the heart, and oxygen to the lungs, builds strong muscles, increases joint mobility, increases energy levels and helps to control weight.
Exercising your dog can enhance their quality of life, decrease risk of cancer, diabetes, arthritis, heart attach and strokes and extend their lifespan and the time that you can enjoy them being part of your family.
Exercise also improves a dogs mood, and decreases the risk of dog depression. It is especially important to keep aging pets agile and fit as they may not be inclined to exercise without your encouragement.
Preventing Behavior Problems
Walking relieves boredom that can cause behavior problem such as detructiveness, separation anxiety, and barking. Walking gives your dog a way to channel their energy in a positive way. Active dogs are typcially happy, well-adjusted dogs.
For good health and wellbeing of your dogs, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A regular routine of walking and playtime may be exactly what your dogs need to maintain its health for many years.
If you don’t have the time or energy to walk your dog regularly please consider accepting our offer to help.
When you walk your dog don’t forget to take along a bag to pick up after them and help us prevent pollution of our ground water!
