by Pamela Fitzpatrick, of YourDogWalkers, shihtzu58@optonline.net

NOVEMBER IS Adopt-a Senior-Pet Month

If you are looking to adopt a shelter dog or cat, please consider choosing an adult. Especially in these hard economic times, local shelters are overflowing with older dogs and cats. They are often passed over in favor of cute kittens and puppies. The sad reality is, for many abandoned senior pets, time is limited, and the odds are not in their favor.
Tillie is one of the lucky ones, here is her story:

In 2008, Vickie visited the Huntington Animal shelter with a heavy heart. She had lost all three of her rescued pets within a year, and her home felt empty. As she walked the shelter aisles, the memory of her loss was fresh, and she started to have doubts that she could adopt again. Vickie passed cage upon cage of barking dogs, and then she saw her!

Unlike the other dogs, Tillie was lying quietly up against the wall of her pen. The greyhound lab mix with the silver snout didn’t bark, or jump, she just lifted her head and looked at Vickie with deep brown eyes filled with sadness. As Vickie puts it,”It was as if she knew that the odds of finding a new home were stacked against her.” Vickie immediately felt a connection and asked to meet her.

Vickie realized that adopting this dog would be a tribute to the beloved pets she had lost. The chances of this approximately 9 year old dog finding a home were slim, so Vickie decided then and there to give Tillie a safe and comfortable home for the remainder of her life. After completing the adoption process, Vickie and Tillie started for home. Tillie was tired and confused- it had been a long day. When Vickie pulled into her driveway, Tillie perked up immediately, her eyes becoming brighter and her tail wagging. To Vickie, it seemed that Tillie realized that, after months of shelter life, she had finally had a home! At that moment, Vickie realized that this is what “Rescue” is all about.

Tillie settled happily into Vickie’s household, and is doing great two years later. Vickie now volunteers for the League for Animal Protection of Huntington, an all volunteer non profit organization running a dog program at Huntington Shelter as well as the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter. She is convinced that choosing a senior pet is the best choice, and was happy to share her story in the hopes that others will be inspired to give an older dog or cat a second chance.

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Did you know that cats that are exposed to 2nd hand smoke have a higher incidence of getting lymphoma, skin cancer and mouth cancer?  According to a Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine study which found a strong connection between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and oral and skin cancer in cats. Cats living with smokers had higher incidence of these types of cancer and cats living with more than one smoker and exposed to ETS for a period longer than five years have an even higher incidence of these cancers.

Mouth cancer may seem strange for a cat to get due to 2nd hand smoke, but because cats groom themselves daily, a cat living in a smoking housed hold can lick up carcinogens that have landed on their fur.  If a cat is exposed to 2nd hand smoke over a long period of time they can be exposed to carcinogens in dangerous amounts.

With dogs, 2nd hand smoke is associated more with nasal sinus cancer, especially in breeds that have longer noses such as Dobermans, Greyhounds or Collies. According to a study done by Colorado State University found that the risk of nasal cancer was significantly higher for long-nosed dogs exposed to household ETS than for unexposed animals, although there was no evidence of an increase in risk for short-nosed breeds. 

While primary lung cancer is not common in cats and dogs, according to Dr.
Keith Niesenbaum of www.CrawfordDogandCatHospital.com in Garden City Park said, “I have definitely seen pets with chronic airway disease that I believe is caused or exacerbated by poor environmental air quality. This includes stuffy, moldy, stale air and second hand smoke.  We have seen clinical improvements in patients as a result of cleaning up the environment [in which the pet lives in].”

While it can be extremely difficult for humans to quit smoking, but pets don’t have a choice if they are living in a smoking household.  Thursday, November 18, 2010 is the 35th Annual National Smoke Out encouraging smoker’s trying to quit, to not smoke the entire day.  Hopefully pet owners that happen to smoke and want to quit will make a healthier choice for themselves and their pets on the 18th.