ThePetCheckup

Home pet health test kit scores high with Australian Department

2008-05-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

About 10 days ago, we shipped ThePetCheckup kit to a customer in Australia. Although we have shipped to Australia many times, this package was held for 5 days by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

They sent a letter to our customer who explained to them what was in the kit (a home urine test for dogs and cats) and the package was then released to her.

Apparently, the woman at the Department was very interested in ThePetCheckup as she has two cats -- one who has a recurring bladder infection. Maybe she will become our next Australian customer!

Chloe has an ear infection

2008-05-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Chloe had her yearly veterinary exam last week...I brought her in a few months early as I suspected an ear infection--which she has.

She was prescribed Mometamax--4 drops per day for the infection. Chloe is extremely difficult when it comes to giving any type of medication. I think the memory of her early years when she was very sick and required alot of care have stayed with her. She seems to have a second sense when it comes to knowing I am about to give her medicine. She usually manages to outsmart me and the ear drops are no exception.

To make it even more difficult..the bottle that you are supposed to squeeze for the drops to come out is so stiff, you can hardly get anything out. I tried using another type of dropper, but that didn't work either.

She may think she has won this round, but with an infection, I will have to persevere and find a way to get the drops in her.

Wish me luck!!

A step closer to closing down puppy mills

2008-05-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

Best Friends Animal Society in Utah has been doing some great work with their campaign to close down puppy mills. I don't know the numbers on how many have been closed down throughout the country this past year, but they state on their website that there is one closed almost every week.

And eBay Foundation has pledged $330,000 in seed money to set up a puppy care center at Best Friends. Puppies and their mothers will be able to go to Best Friends puppy care center to get healthy and socialize so that they can be adopted into good homes.

When I keep my attention on all the positive things that are happening in animal welfare, it is really heartening. It feels like there is a momentum that has been created and will keep growing.

Our volunteer spay/neuter group here in Fairfield is growing too. It's like we had to struggle all these years to lay the ground work and now bigger organizations and groups are catching on and providing some support.

I wonder if we will ever be able to figure out how to get people to fix their animals BEFORE they breed. We get so many calls from people who just don't get it. They wait until they are overwhelmed with animals and then call for financial help. It gets very frustrating.

When our pets have skin diseases

2008-04-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

Skin problems are one of the imbalances that a pet home urine health test will not be directly helpful with, unfortunately. Usually the problem becomes apparent when the dog or cat is itching like crazy or developing bald spots or scabs somewhere on their body.

My cat Oliver used to have some problems on his paws years ago--he would lick and pull at the hair creating bald spots. I changed the kitty litter and the problem went away.

I did lots of research on skin problems during that time and learned some basic things:

1. The first outward sign of something wrong is excessive licking...so it is best to take action as soon as you notice that change in behavior.

2. A good diet (no animal byproducts) is critical.

3. The immune system is weakened during this time, so find a good supplement that will support the immune system and give it regularly.

4. Administering a vaccine during this time can make the problem worse.

5. Study some of the natural remedies for fleas and ticks and start them early before the flea season starts. I am investigating some of these now and hoping to find something that is effective. I will keep you posted.

The search for natural flea remedies continues: nematodes

2008-04-12T06:27:00.000-07:00

As spring is potentially arriving (we are getting about an inch of snow or slush today!), I have been doing more research into natural flea remedies. There seems to be several new products out there.

One is Nematodes..which are actually naturally occurring predators that live under the soil's surface. They are not harmful to people or animals, or birds, plants and the rest of the environment, and I have read that they kill fleas in the yard or garden.

Nematodes start killing fleas within a day of their application, but it takes about 2 weeks for them to reach their full effect. An application lasts about 90 days and there are specific ways that they should be applied.

Has anyone had any direct experience with Nematodes? I like that each application lasts for 3 months and it seems like a safe way to keep fleas out of my enclosed cat pen in the summer and early fall.

Big win for feral cats in Randolph, Iowa

2008-03-16T17:42:00.001-07:00

There was some great news yesterday regarding the feral cat situation in Randolph, Iowa. There are so many amazing people working in animal rescue and I hope that those involved in this situation will take a moment to appreciate their great success in this town which is only about 2 hours from where I live.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Cats may be breathing a bit easier in a tiny Iowa town after officials rescinded a five dollar bounty on their heads.
Instead, Randolph, Iowa, has agreed to work with animal rescue groups on a catch, neuter and release program.
The City Council signed off on the bounty after numerous complaints about stray cats. Under the initial plan, cats without collars would be taken to a vet and euthanized if they weren't claimed. The policy drew protests from animal lovers.
The 200-person town ended the bounty this week and has voted to form a task force involving animal rights groups.
A spokeswoman for one of the groups says feral cats will be returned to the outdoors, while strays will be adopted into homes.

Celebrating our bond with animals

2008-02-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in a previous post last week (Vote for Roxsy!) about the photo contest that the Humane Society is having in honor of February Spay/Neuter month. The contest goes on until March 6th.

Whenever I have a few minutes, I go on to the site (http://www.spaydayusa.org/) and read some of the descriptions written by people who posted pictures of their pets (there are now over 18,000 pictures posted).

What a love fest it is to read these descriptions. I highly recommend checking it out. Just mouse over the picture to read about the animal and also see a picture image.

Senior Living facilities make pets mandatory

2008-02-23T06:28:00.000-08:00

I read the neatest story about a senior living facility called Silverado Senior Living, which has locations throughout California, Texas and Utah. They care mostly for seniors with some type of dementia and attribute the health gains that they are seeing in the residents to their mandatory animal rule:

The rule requires atleast 1 dog and one cat for every 25 residents, 1 bird for every 4 residents, and an aquarium for every 40 people.

Part of everyone's daily schedule involves grooming, walking, feeding and caring for the animals. Noticeable benefits among the residents include heightened self-esteem and lessening of depression. This contributes significantly to improved mental and physical well-being.

The majority of the animals who live at the facilities are adopted from rescue groups. Very cool.

Preventing Dog Urinary Tract Infections

2008-02-22T21:02:00.000-08:00

There are some really basic things that every caregiver can do to help prevent canine urinary tract infections:

** provide plenty of fresh water and make sure that your dog is drinking enough every day

**allow frequent access outside so that your dog can urinate and prevent bacteria from building up in the bladder

**walk at least once a day as this will stimulate your dog's bladder

**bathe with a gentle, high quality shampoo with natural ingredients

Despite the best of care, the truth is that urinary tract infections (UTI's) are quite common in dogs -- and they can exist for sometime before anyone notices signs of illness. And the longer the infection lasts, the more severe it can become...sometimes infecting other organs. So your dog may be very ill by the time you are aware that something is wrong.

Using preventative health care measures (like ThePetCheckup monthly) can avoid many of the problems associated with urinary tract infections.

Good news in the war against fleas

2008-02-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

I just read about an interesting study on flea control done by Ohio State University.

In studying the cat flea, the researchers found that 96 percent of adult fleas and 100 percent of younger fleas are destroyed by vacuuming.

Pretty amazing statistics for those of us who do not want to use chemical flea control on our dogs and cats. The study was repeated several times and they got the same results each time.

Apparently, the brushes on the vacuum damage the waxy outer layer of the fleas--they become dehydrated and die.

Vacuuming, flea combing and the use of diatomaceous earth are the cornerstones of my flea control in the summer and fall.

Looks like I will be doing even more vacuuming this summer!!

Vote for Roxsy

2008-02-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

In honor or February Spay/Neuter month, the Humane Society of the U.S. is sponsoring a pet photo contest.

Among other prizes, the winning entry gets to award a $5000.00 grant to a humane organization.

Our spay/neuter program (CCSNAP) is represented by Roxsy. Check out http://www.noahsark.org/
for instructions on how to vote for Roxsy.

We can really use the grant to help animals in need in southeast Iowa.

Thanks!

Dog and Cat food recalls update

2008-02-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

It looks like there are still recalls out on some dog and cat foods. This is a link to the latest list that I have been able to find. It was updated the end of January 2008.

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov:80/scripts/petfoodrecall/

Pet Urine Test

2008-01-29T16:08:00.001-08:00

Each week we ship orders of ThePetCheckup to overseas customers and have found that the U.S. Postal Service has been the most reliable.

The biggest problem that we had was in a shipment to Brazil which actually took 3 months to get there. Our customer said that was the standard time and sure enough, at about the 3 month mark, her package was delivered.

I was thinking it would probably be best not to ship to Brazil again, but the customer likes the product so much, she has already ordered refills. She's willing to wait for them to arrive, so it will be interesting to see how long her package takes this time.

Kate is not a traveller

2008-01-28T23:08:00.000-08:00

I am doing some internet research into remedies for cats who have motion sickness while travelling in the car.

My cat Kate gets very car sick--even on short trips (1/2 hour or so). She is almost 3 and has always had this problem. She will vomit, drool, and generally be queasy for a while after we get home.

I would like to bring her on a trip to the Cape this coming summer, but need to be sure she will not be sick or uncomfortable along the way.

My research is still in the beginning stages, but I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions. Obviously, one solution would be not to take her on a trip...but other than the car sickness aspect, I think she would have a wonderful time. And it is hard to find excellent cat sitters for extended amounts of time.

I would be very interested and grateful to hear from anyone who has had experience with this situation.

Ending pet overpopulation

2007-12-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

With the end of the year rapidly approaching, I have begun thinking about next February's Spay/Neuter campaign.

This will be the 5th month-long February campaign I will have run and I really want to reach the group of people who are still allowing their dogs and cats to breed.

What will it take to get this group to respond? Right now, the best plan that we have come up with is to advertise very low prices for the surgeries...$5.00 for cats and $10.00 for dogs for the entire month. This will be only for people who need the financial assistance.

I am hoping over the holidays, I will have some time to put together a great promotion. I feel like I have run out of creative ideas and will have to look around the internet to see what other groups are doing that may work here.

Collecting a urine sample from your dog or your cat

2007-10-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

Our customers are always sharing with us their methods of collecting urine samples from their dogs and cats for their monthly ThePetCheckup test.

One of my favorites so far is a woman who said she uses the little plastic grease collectors that come with the George Foreman grill.

(Note: if you use this method, be sure to wash the "collectors" in hot water in between tests!!)

Practicing preventative health care with our dogs and cats

2007-10-26T13:42:00.001-07:00

One of the great perks about being the owner of a company that sells a preventative health care product for pets is that I get to speak with lots of wonderful people about their dogs and cats.

Our customers tend to be people who share a deep bond with their animal companions. They practice preventative health care and understand the importance of early detection. It is always fun and also illuminating to share different ideas and products that we have found helpful in protecting our animals' health. I have a bond with so many people throughout the world now who share many of the same values and goals for animals as I do.

Forward Thinking Animal Shelter in D.C.

2007-10-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

My sister just sent me a link from USA Today about the Washington Animal Rescue League in Washington, D.C.

Their shelter recently underwent a huge renovation and built a cutting edge shelter to maximize successful adoptions as well as increase positive interaction with the public.

"Whatever circumstances landed them in a shelter - whether they were strays, abandoned, turned over by terminally ill owners or rescued from inhumane conditions - was traumatic for them," says Scotlund Haisley, the executive director who persuaded his board to support a $4 million renovation. Every detail is intended not to pamper animals but to simply respond to their basic needs during the time when they have no home, no family and no ability to see or hope beyond the present.

With the in-residence animals experiencing less stress, remarkable things have been happening.

Adoptions have tripled since the renovation. And the atmosphere is so welcoming they are finding that people from the community come during their lunch breaks just to spend time with the animals.

Stories like this make me think there is really hope for the human race!

Rescue Waggin' Comes to Iowa

2007-09-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

For the past 4 years I have been volunteer spay/neuter coordinator for Noah's Ark Animal Foundation in Fairfield, IA. There is a small group of very dedicated people who are doing wonderful work helping animals in this area. I never cease to be amazed at what people can accomplish when they work together for a higher purpose.

We had some especially great news this month.

Petsmart Charities Rescue Waggin' accepted Noah's Ark into their program. Rescue Waggin' is a program that was started three years ago. They take dogs from overcrowded shelters in the midwest and northeast and then transport them to shelters in cities where the demand for adoptable dogs is high. Since they started this program, over 13,000 dogs have been transported and adopted!

The Waggin' will be transporting Noah's Ark dogs to the Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee, WI. Unbelievably, the wait time for adoption at this shelter is only 24-48 hours.

Noah's Ark is the first shelter in Iowa to become part of the Waggin'.

Well done everyone......

The Sugar Cube that Never Melts

2007-09-20T05:56:00.001-07:00

My favorite nickname for my cat Chloe is Pops. It is actually short for Sugarpops.

If you knew her, you would see why. She is a small, all white cat with beautiful gold eyes and a tiny pink nose. Ever since she was rescued as a tiny kitten, she has been the sweetest presence in the house. I call her my sugar cube that never melts.

Kate's nickname is Loretta. She was rescued from a feral cat feeding station and for the first year she lived with us, she did her own thing. She was always on the go and seemed to know exactly what she wanted to do. The name Loretta just seemed to fit.

She has changed quite a bit since that first year, though. She connects much more with people now and is always the first one to greet whoever walks through the door. And she loves to be massaged and brushed. She probably needs a new nickname now, but I don't plan on changing it. She'll always be Loretta to me.

What about your animal companions? I would love to hear how they got their names --or nicknames!

Chloe has a bout with Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)

2007-09-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I had gotten so busy with work that I neglected to do a monthly ThePetCheckup test on Chloe and Kate.

Sure enough, Chloe developed litter box problems. She would go in the box but could not pee. Kate would stand next to the box, wide-eyed, staring at me with a look that could only be interpreted as "something is wrong with Chloe and you had better take action quick!"

A trip to the vet and some medication solved the problem pretty quickly. We were lucky that it was caught early. But there was no real diagnosis as to the origin of the problem. Some research I did showed that for least 50% of cats with FLUTD the cause of the illness remains undetermined. Sometimes it is called FiLUTD or Feline Ideopathic Urinary Tract Disease, or Ideopathic Cystitis. It can quickly develop into something serious, so should be treated right away.

Once again, I was reminded how significant the role ThePetCheckup plays in keeping Chloe and Kate healthy.

Pet home urine test reveals critical signs of illness

2007-09-17T11:49:00.001-07:00

People are often surprised when they learn the range of illnesses that a pet urinalysis test can indicate.

A urine test for dogs and cats can show indications of some of the most common illnesses that affect our dog's and cat's health, including: diabetes, kidney infection, kidney disease, urinary tract infection, bladder disease, autoimmune diseases, bacterial infections, hepatitis and other liver diseases, and prostate diseases.

Of course, there are many illnesses that are revealed through other methods of testing: heart conditions, tumors, skin diseases, arthritic conditions, and many cancers for example. No one test can test for everything that can happen with our pet's health.

Still, a urinalysis test for dogs and cats is an important foundation of the yearly health checkup, so I always encourage people to have a urine test done at the veterinary clinic every 6 or 12 months (and, of course, use ThePetCheckup at home on a monthly basis!).

Preparing your dogs and cats for a potential emergency evacuation

2007-09-12T13:39:00.001-07:00

With all the wacky weather we have been having in Iowa this summer, I decided to organize things in case I ever needed to evacuate the house quickly with the kitties ~ Chloe and Kate.

Luckily they are both healthy and pretty flexible (well, Kate is anyway).

I did some research and came up with the following list in preparation for an unexpected evacuation. The most important thing being to always take your animal friend with you. Leaving a dog tied outside is a death sentence.

**Plan to be away from home for at least 3 days.

**Have a sturdy carrier large enough for your animal to stand, turn around and lie down.
Put a label on the carrier with the animal's name, your name and cell phone number. List any problems or medical conditions on the label.

**Have non-perishable items in the carrier: canned food, food and water bowls, cat litter and litter box, a familiar toy, bedding, medical records, sturdy leash.

** Keep perishable items at hand and ready to go: dry food, medications, water

**Identification: have a collar and license of ID tag on at all times.

Chloe and Kate don't have ID's on their collars..so that is something that I need to get done. Then I think we will be all set.

I also ordered (they are free) emergency stickers for the front and back door (in case there is an emergency and I am not home) alerting rescue people to the fact that there are animals inside the house. They can be ordered from here:

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_rescuesticker

Dogs, Cats and Unexpected Moments

2007-09-09T18:02:00.000-07:00

Someone sent me the following quote~

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us." (Ashley Montagu)

It made me think of all the times my cats did something which caught me totally by surprise and made me laugh out loud:

The time I woke up on a cold winter morning to find a then tiny Chloe fast asleep under my armpit.

Watching Kate drag her long feather toy on a stick from one room to another with such a sense of purpose.

How excited Oliver was the first time he stayed in a motel room.

Animals certainly seem to be masters in reminding us not take things so seriously. I , for one, am very grateful for all the much needed reminders.

Pet Home Urine Test

2007-09-05T13:05:00.001-07:00

When I first had the idea about creating a product where people could perform a urine test on their dog or cat at home, I wondered how easy it would be for people with no medical background to do this test.

We ran focus groups, gave away lots of free tests and found that when people realized how valuable this tool could be for protecting the health of their dog or cat, they were very open to learning how to do it. And it really is true that after you have done one test, you will feel like a pro.

More and more I am finding that it is often the simplest solutions that are the most effective.