Holidays with Your Pet (Part I: Travel)

The holiday season is upon us! As many of you hit the road or the skies to visit loved ones, here are some things to remember if you're bringing your furry friend with you:

Hitting the road?

• Keep your pet secure in a crate or in a fitted harness that attaches to the seatbelt. This will prevent him from losing his balance during sudden stops or starts and around corners. The crate should be large enough for him to stand up and turn around in. Both crates and car-ready harnesses are readily available at major discount stores and pet stores.
• Feed your pet about 3 or 4 hours before hitting the road, to ensure she can digest a bit and won't become carsick. If it's a particularly long journey, offer your pet food at a rest stop or gas station when the car is not in motion to ensure she's able to eat comfortably.
• Plan for emergencies! In addition to his regular collar and tags, include a travel tag with information on where you're staying and a cell phone or local number where you can be reached. If he's not already, consider getting your pet microchipped as an extra method of identification. Also, bring a copy of your pet's vaccination records, in case your animal gets loose and is picked up by local animal control - they may need proof of a rabies vaccination before he can be returned to you!
• It should go without saying, but never leave your pet alone in the car for anything longer than a quick bathroom break! In the winter, the car can act as a refridgerator, trapping and holding cold air, potentially giving your animal frostbite or worse!

Travelling by air?

• Schedule a visit to your vet in the week before you leave. Most airlines require a clean bill of health and vaccination records before your pet is allowed to fly. At this vet visit, you can also discuss whether its safe to tranquilize your pet. While tranquilizing can affect your pet's breathing and has it's own risks, for some pets the benefits of being calm during the stress of air travel outweigh the risks associated with medication.
• Book a direct flight if possible. This will eliminate the chance that you and your pet become separated during travel due to delays or missed connections. Carry a photo of your pet with you when you travel, and let airline staff both at check-in and on the plane know you're travelling with your pet so they are able to keep you informed.
• Check with your airline to verify documentation and procedures for travelling with your pet. Some smaller pets may be allowed to ride under the seat in the cabin; most will ride in the pressurized cargo cabin. Ensure that the crate you have for your pet is approved by the USDA for air travel - the store you purchase your crate from should be able to tell you.
• In addition to the collar and tags your pet will wear during travel, ensure you have your contact information and travel information attached to the crate. You may also want to attach a photo of your pet, on the slim chance she may escape her crate during travel - airline staff will be able to identify her and return her to the proper crate.

November is National Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month!

In the month of November, animal shelters across the country are highlighting an often-overlooked section of their population: their senior pets. What age defines “senior” varies from shelter to shelter, but these adult animals are often overlooked for the cute, roly-poly kittens and puppies in nearby cages.

However, there are many benefits to bringing an older animal into your family! Consider this:

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  Senior pets’ personalities are already developed, and shelters or rescues probably have a personality profile on the animal, so you can be sure you’re getting a great fit for your family


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  Senior pets have longer attention spans and better impulse control, making for much easier training! Additionally, senior pets are very likely to already be housetrained and familiar with many commands!


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  Because senior pets often had an owner before they ended up in a shelter environment, they are particularly grateful and always seem very aware that they were rescued!


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  Senior pets are great for a quieter lifestyle – they will be more mellow than a puppy or kitten, and less likely to get into boredom-induced mischief![1]


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  Senior pets are great companions for existing animals in your family! They often already have experience with other dogs or cats, and cause less stress for existing animals than a puppy or kitten might.


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  Senior pets are great for senior humans looking for companionship! They don’t require as much exercise as a younger pet, and are content to curl up on the couch as a napping partner for as long as you’d like![2]

To celebrate our senior pets this month, CMHS is reducing their adoption prices and hoping you’ll consider bringing one of these wonderful animals into your home!

[1] First four tips come from Petfinder.com
[2] Last two tips from cats.about.com

It’s almost National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week!

Shelter Appreciation Week is held the first full week of November each year, making this year’s event from November 7th through the 13th. The idea originated in Lincoln, NE, with the Capital Humane Society, and was picked up nationally by the Humane Society of the United States as a way to acknowledge and promote the contributions of shelters around the country.

This year, the Central Missouri Humane Society has already been able to contribute a lot to the community!

• Between January 1 and November 1, CMHS has taken in 5,133 animals, providing food, shelter and veterinary care during their stay
• Our amazing vet staff has completed hundreds of spay and neuter surgeries, both for the animals adopted from the shelter and for animals in the community!
• Quarterly vaccination clinics offered by CMHS administered 321 routine vaccinations, 30 microchips and 99 nail trims at an affordable cost for pets in the community!
• CMHS keeps extensive files of lost and found pets in the community, checking each day if there are matches to be made and lost pets to return to their families!
• Our food pantry has given out hundreds of pounds of pet food to families in the community who are struggling to make ends meet.
• And of course, we help families find their newest pet and our animals their ‘fur’ever homes every day!

Our volunteers and supporters are a huge part of our ability to provide services to our community! In 2009, our volunteers contributed almost 5,000 hours of support to CMHS, assisting with everything from special events to animal socialization! (At minimum wage, that's over $30,000 in support!) Additionally, donations from the community are a fantastic help – every pile of newspapers, jug of bleach and bag of kitty litter that is donated allows more of CMHS’s limited funds to go directly toward the care of the animals.

If you’re already a volunteer or donor, this week is as much for you as for us! We simply couldn’t keep doing what we do without your help. CMHS is able to keep its doors open because of you, and we’re so fortunate to have such a wonderful and diverse group of supporters!

If you’re interested in ways to offer support, consider these opportunities:

• Host a donation drive! Gather your coworkers, classmates or friends and collect bleach, kitty litter, durable dog toys, towels, blankets, etc. Every item donated is one less item CMHS has to purchase, helping us stretch our budget!
• Volunteer! We are always looking for great volunteers to help care for our animals, assist with special events and promote our pets!
• Adopt! If you’re looking for another pet, please consider the wonderful animals we have at CMHS. Your pet will come fully vaccinated, spayed or neutered and microchipped, all for an adoption fee that goes right back into the care of the animals!

Happy National Cat Day!

Tomorrow is National Cat Day, founded by Pet Lifestyle Expert & Animal Behaviorist Colleen Paige and sponsored by Animal Miracle Foundation & Network. It is a day to celebrate our feline friends and remember and help those that sit in shelters awaiting their furever homes. Shelter cats especially need our love and support; nationwide, the approximately 4 million cats entering shelters face difficult odds - about 70% of them will be euthanized. Cats are euthanized at a higher rate than dogs because so few cats have any owner identification information - no tags, no tattoos, no microchips. Because of that, less than 2% of cats in shelters will be returned to their owners, compared to 15% to 20% of dogs.* That small percentage leaves shelters overwhelmed with more cats needing homes than they have space for.

There is hope for these kitties, though, and you can help! Below are a few ideas on how you can make a difference in the life of a cat, whether it's yours or one that's waiting for its furever home in a shelter.

• Microchip your cat! And if your kitty is already microchipped, talk to your friends and family about the importance of microchipping their pets. Microchips can literally save the life of an animal that ends up in a shelter. It may be the only thing that gets your pet back into your care.


• Give your kitty some lovin'! Let them know how much they mean to you by taking some time out of your busy day to show them you care. Brush 'em, pet 'em, belly rub 'em - it doesn't matter as long as they get some kitty lovin'.


• Volunteer at your local shelter. All shelters need help, and the more help they get, the more the animals benefit. Volunteer to brush and socialize cats, or, if you've got the space, help them out by fostering.


• Raise some funds for a shelter or rescue. Host a garage sale, a bake sale, or a craft sale. Whatever you do, your local organization will appreciate the extra help!


• Have a supply drive at your school or office. Since many shelters are hurting for funds, it really helps out when the community donates goods like bleach and cat litter.


• Visit your local shelter and adopt your next feline friend. Adoption really is the best option, and you'll feel good knowing you saved a life. Watch for special events at your local shelter, like the CMHS Monster Mash Bash.

Enjoy National Cat Day, and be sure to show a kitty some extra lovin' on their special day! More information about National Cat Day can be found at http://www.nationalcatday.com/index.htm.

*Shelter statistics from Petfinder.com

Howl-o-ween

Halloween is just around the corner - a night filled with candy fueled ghouls and goblins. As we prepare by carving pumpkins, hanging spiderwebs, and readying costumes, it's important to keep our pets in mind as well. While loads of fun for us, Halloween can be overwhelming for our pets, and maybe even a little scary. Keep the following in mind, though, and you can have a safe and spooktacular night!

• Keep an eye on those spooky decorations. Those dangling spiderwebs may be tempting to kitty cats, and maybe even some dogs. Be sure that all decorations are out of reach of four legged friends so they can't become entangled or ingest anything. Be sure to watch out for candle too!



• Make sure jack-o-lanterns aren't accessible. Some dogs may be tempted to chew on your carved pumpkin, and while pumpkin itself is fine, large chunks of gourds can potentially cause an intestinal blockage.



• Keep all sweet treats out of reach. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs, and some candies have artificial sweeteners in them which are also toxic. Wrappers are a big no-no as well, so be sure that all little goblins and ghosts clean up after themselves. Allow your pet to join in the fun by getting them a special dog or cat treat.



• Keep pets inside on Halloween night. There's bound to be a lot more activity than normal, and that, combined with freaky costumes, can really spook your pet - they may become frightened and run off. To prevent this, keep them safe and indoors.



• Be sure that your pets are safe during trick or treating. No matter how friendly your critter may be, the constant ringing of the doorbell and groups of costumed kids may stress them out. Keep pets confined during trick or treating hours so they can't bolt out the front door if they become frightened. Give them a special treat to keep them occupied and happy.

Have a safe and spooktacular Howl-o-ween!

Dealing with Allergies

For lots of people, pets are considered members of the family. That's why it's so frustrating when you discover that you or someone in your household is allergic to the four legged furry kid. Getting rid of a beloved pet because of allergies is not an option for many people, so here are a few helpful tips for keeping those allergens under control and your pet in your home.

1. First, understand that you are probably not allergic to your pet's fur, but to their dander and/or the proteins in their saliva. When animals clean themselves they spread the protein from their saliva over their coat, therefore the more the animal cleans itself, the more they spread potential allergens (that's why cats can be such a problem - they're so clean!). Some animals produce less dander than others; some proteins will be less irritating to you than others; it all depends on how your body reacts to the specific allergens.
2. Groom your pet on a weekly basis. Brushing and bathing can do wonders for helping to keep allergens down. This means you should give your pet a bath every week (yes, even your cat - they can get used to bathing if done on a regular basis). Constant bathing, however, can be rough on your animal's skin. Be sure to use a gentle shampoo formulated for pets (no people or baby shampoo - dogs and cats have a different pH than people) and watch for dry skin issues. Once dry, brush your pet outside where you don't have to worry about pet hair blowing around the house and under furniture.
3. Keep pets out of the bedrooms and off of furniture. Though this won't keep all allergens from spreading to these areas it will help keep them down a bit - and every little bit helps when fighting allergies.
4. Vacuum at least once a day. This will help pick up dander and protein covered hair and help you breathe easier. Certain vacuums are designed to pick up pet hair better and are more efficient at trapping allergens - they may be worth the investment if your vacuum cleaner isn't doing the job.
5. Use an allergen catching filter on your furnace, and get an air filter or two for your living and sleeping areas. Although filters won't fix an allergy problems on their own, they'll certainly help keep allergens down.

By utilizing these techniques you can help keep your allergies in check and keep your furry family member in your home!

Adopt a Dog Month

October is a wonderful time of the year. The leaves turn color, the air is crisp, and it's a great time to find your new best friend! That's because October is Adopt a Dog Month - a whole month dedicated to the joys of rescuing an animal in need. If you're looking to add a four legged friend to your family, please consider adoption. Below are just a few of the reasons why adopting your next dog is a wonderful idea.

• You'll save a life. Whether you adopt from a shelter or a rescue group, you'll be saving the life of not just one, but two dogs! Your pet will get its furever home and a spot will open up for another animal in need.


• Rescued pets are grateful. A rescued dog knows that it's been saved and they'll show it! You'll be rewarded with tail waggin' and face lickin' for the rest of your days.


• You can have your pick. Shelters and rescues have a wide variety of animals available for adoption, from purebreds to mutts, and puppies to adults. There are even breed specific rescues out there if you're looking for a particular type of dogs.


• You may have a head start. A lot of animals in shelters and rescues already know commands and have at least started on their housetraining. Adopting means that you may get a dog that already has manners and knows that pottying is for outside.


• You'll help curb the pet overpopulation problem. Adopting a dog means that you aren't encouraging and supporting mass, uncontrolled breeding. And many shelters and rescue organizations spay and neuter their pets before adoption, so you won't have to worry about contributing to the overpopulation problem yourself.


• Love, love, and love. Adopting a dog means bringing lots of snuggly, furry love into your heart and home.