Pets

Spaying (female), neutering (male), altering, sterilizing, fixing, and castrating are all common terms used to describe the surgical process to render pets unable to reproduce. There are several misconceptions and "old wives' tales" about pets being spayed or neutered. One of them, is you should let your female dog have at least one heat cycle before having her spayed. Not true! Another one, neutering a male dog will change his personality making him less masculine and more submissive or feminine like.

Parcheesi is a Beagle/Pug mix who loves to play, play, play. Parcheesi’s previous owners kept him tied up a lot, so he has a lot of playing to catch up on. Alli is a female Domestic Short Hair Tabby mix. She gets along great with everyone but is ready for a home of her own. For more information on how to adopt Parcheesi, Alli or the many other homeless animals at the S.A.V.E. Center, call 859-881-0821.

Our featured pets for this week are Mike and Sheila. Mike is a darling 8-week-old tabby kitten. He is just now big enough for adoption and he can't wait to get to his new home. Mike's goal in life is to play, play, play and then snuggle up in his new person's arms for some serious nap time. Come and visit Mike, you will find him totally irresistible.  Sheila is a lovely 8-month-old black and silver shepherd mix. She is calm and gentle and enjoys the attention she receives from visitors.

Rabies is a deadly disease that is almost always fatal if not prevented. In fact, every year in the United States, measures are taken to prevent approximately 40,000 potential exposures to rabies. Rabies is considered a disease of nature and can affect our unvaccinated pets (dogs, cats and ferrets). The animals that most commonly have rabies are wild animals, such as raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats. Rabies is always present in Kentucky. Most cases of rabies in Kentucky are caused by bats, followed by skunks.

My grandmother had mental issues for the last 10 years of her life before passing away at the age of 82. The explanation I was given, after my questioning, for her condition was that she was just senile. Being a very curious kid, I didn't completely accept the explanation given to me. I wondered about whom, why, and how someone becomes senile. Back in those days when I was a young kid growing up in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, no one really talked, certainly not out loud, about such illnesses or conditions.

“Spring has sprung, the grass has riz…” or so goes the ditty. However, in my case, there is very little grass due to the weather conditions last summer, but there are lots of weeds.  I wonder if other pet owners are faced with the same problem.  Fortunately, Wendy Bedwell-Wilson anticipated this weedy problem last year and wrote an article titled “Hidden Lawn Dangers” in the May 2012 issue of Dog Fancy's “Natural Dog” section. She started with an example of a family that moved into a home on the edge of a beautiful golf course and allowed their kitty free access to the out-of-doors through a pet door.  A few months later, they had the kitty at the veterinary clinic because it had developed cancer.

Imagine your family pet who doesn't wear a collar escapes out the front door left ajar by the men delivering your new furniture. Won't ever happen to you? That is what most people think, until it happens to you and you are frantically searching for your companion. Too often, animals that enter the animal shelter come in with absolutely no form of identification, making it nearly impossible to contact the owner. The statistics are frightening - one in three pets will become lost in their lifetime, and according to the American Humane Association, only 17 percent of lost dogs and 2 percent of lost cats ever find their way back home.

Playing percentages, your pet probably does not have food allergies. As a matter of fact, food allergies in pets are not as common as many pet owners might think. Only 5 to 10 percent of pets with allergies have a confirmed food allergy. However, pets can have certain types of reactions to food substances that are not considered to be true food allergies. All allergies, including food allergies, are an immune-mediated response which means the body's immune system reacts, or over-reacts, to certain things that the immune system is exposed to referred to as allergens.

Rabies is a deadly disease that is almost always fatal if not prevented. In fact, every year in the United States, measures are taken to prevent approximately 40,000 potential exposures to rabies. Rabies is considered a disease of nature and can affect our unvaccinated pets (dogs, cats and ferrets). The animals that most commonly have rabies are wild animals, such as raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats. Rabies is always present in Kentucky. Most cases of rabies in Kentucky are caused by bats, followed by skunks.

Our featured pets this week are Cheri and Jessica. Cheri is a pretty, dilute calico. She was brought to the humane society as a stray, but she is a very social girl and we suspect she was recently a house kitty. Cheri is affectionate and loving. She has a beautiful face with a bit of an exotic look. Cheri is ready to come to your home and bring her love to her new family.  Jessica is a gorgeous German shepherd dog. She probably is pretty close to full-blooded but a bit smaller in stature.

Have you ever experienced any rules, policies, protocols and regulations with regards to your pets? Most of us are used to certain rules and regulations such as no pets allowed in a particular hotel or pets must be on a leash in a recreational park. However, many pet owners may not be aware of certain policies and regulations that pertain to their pets whenever they visit grooming, boarding, obedience training or veterinary facilities. For example, requiring your dog to be on a leash or your cat in a carrier is not just for your veterinarian's convenience and safety.

This is National Pet Week. For those who do not have pets, but wish they could, this is a special week to enjoy the company of friends' pets or visit the local animal shelter and have fun walking a puppy and playing with a kitten. When I talked with Kathy Nelson, former president of the humane society, she suggested that anyone recognizing National Pet Week by visiting the shelter might want to bring a bag of Purina puppy or kitten food, or a bottle of bleach or Pinesol detergent or paper towels.  Of course, clean worn terrycloth towels and blankets also are welcome.

“Spring has sprung, the grass has riz…” or so goes the ditty. However, in my case, there is very little grass due to the weather conditions last summer, but there are lots of weeds.  I wonder if other pet owners are faced with the same problem.  Fortunately, Wendy Bedwell-Wilson anticipated this weedy problem last year and wrote an article titled “Hidden Lawn Dangers” in the May 2012 issue of Dog Fancy's “Natural Dog” section. She started with an example of a family that moved into a home on the edge of a beautiful golf course and allowed their kitty free access to the out-of-doors through a pet door.  A few months later, they had the kitty at the veterinary clinic because it had developed cancer.