Animal Care Library

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

-- Anatole France

The following information is meant to educate and instruct. Experience can be the best teacher, but it can also be hazardous to an animal's health. All too often, animals end up in shelters or have sub-standard lives because there was little, if any, consideration given to their training, care and/or special needs.

Health & Safety     Dogs     Cats     Rabbits     Other Animals

Tips to Keep Your Pets Healthy During the Holidays

As the Holiday Season quickly approaches don't forget to resist the temptation to feed your pet the leftovers. It's hard to resist a loving friend's begging ways, but for their sake, resisting the temptation to share your feast with them should be the rule of the day.

• Leftovers are usually loaded with salt or fats such as turkey skin, ham, etc. which can cause inflammation of the pancreas

• Onions are toxic and too much garlic can also be toxic to pets

• Turkey bones, chicken bones, bird bones of all types are hollow and can splinter and cause perforations in the intestines so they should not be given

• Stay away from spicy foods and make sure the trash is secured

• Avoid giving them unbaked bread (i.e. yeast). A dog's stomach is a warm, moist environment and a perfect place for unbaked bread dough to expand, which can distend your dog's abdomen and cause extreme pain. Along with the expansion, the yeast can ferment, which can lead to alcohol toxicity.

• Other things to keep away from pets are strings used to wrap turkeys during cooking, and grapes and raisins which are toxic to an animal's kidneys. Even a handful of grapes can lead to vomiting and renal failure

Hurricane Preparedness
According to the City of New Orleans' Office of Emergency Preparedness a hurricane that is a Category 3 or above and headed toward New Orleans from the southeast (up the mouth of the Mississippi River), could be dangerous enough to put the city under 20 feet of water.
 

Renting with Pets – It CAN Work!
Renting with pets and searching for a pet friendly rental doesn't have to be a difficult or unpleasant experience. For landlords, an animal-friendly policy increases the marketability of the community, generates a positive public image and responsible pet owners make excellent long term tenants and tend to abide by the housing rules because they know that with animal-friendly housing there are limited options to choose.

Choosing Euthanasia for your Pet

Knowing when it's time to let your pet go: Emotionally speaking, all the preparation in the world is not necessarily going to make the decision any easier when you are faced with a terminally ill or dying pet and are trying to determine if it's time to let your pet go. The decision to euthanize a pet is one of the most personal, and sometimes the most difficult, decisions a caregiver can make.

Pet Friendly Gardening
Most gardeners that I know embrace life, love the feel of the cool soil under their feet, a little sun on their back and a gentle breeze on their face. Most dogs that I know embrace life...

Injured and Orphaned Birds
Every year hundreds of people find “orphaned’ baby birds – often in their own back yard. Many of these foundlings end up being hand-raised, usually without success, by well-meaning individuals and yet, few of these birds are truly orphans.