May 25, 2010
By Nancy Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

On Saturday, June 12th at 5pm, Long Island’s first ever ‘Bark for Life’ will be held at Stotzky Park in Riverhead, NY to benefit the American Cancer Society (ACS). ‘Bark for Life’ will be a tail wagging good time for dogs and their owners alike. Based on the ACS’s ‘Relay for Life’ events, ‘Bark for Life’ will be a family fun event all about your pooch! So many people have participated in Relay for Life events, but really wanted to bring their dogs, especially Cancer survivors – who have felt their dogs have been a natural part of their healing therapy. So at the suggestion of many, Bark for Life was born, the event originally started in Pennsylvania, and now is debuting on LI!

“We are thrilled to present ‘Bark for Life’ as the premiere event here on Long Island, in Riverhead. So often, our dogs help us through our darkest hours-they support those who are battling this dreadful disease. ‘Bark for Life’ will celebrate our canine caregivers, honor those canines and humans who have survived and remember all those with whom we have lost. This event filled four-hour non-competitive walk for canines and their owners to Celebrate, Remember and Fight Back and to raise funds and awareness in the fight against cancer. We hope many people and their dogs will join us,” said Dawn M. Tropeano, the Director of Special Events for the Long Island Chapter.

To attend the event, registration is at 5 pm, and for a $20 donation per dog attending, (or per person if not bringing a dog), the event runs to approximately 9:30pm. – with many activities leading up to and during the relay walk. Similar to a Relay for Life event, but this event is catered to our furry four-legged canines, participants are welcome without a dog as well. The event will host a slew of canine activities that dogs will be pawing to take part in. From contests like dog-owner Look-a-like contests, best costume, musical sit, minute to win-it, best tail wagger and so many more. For a howling good time all while raising funds to fight cancer, bring your well behaved pup and join the other top dogs who will be barking for life!

For a complete list of the doggie activities, how to register ahead of tiBark for Life me and collect donations, form a team or additional information go to:

For more information contact Dawn Tropeano via email at dawn.tropeano@cancer.org.

May 20, 2010
By Sheryl Matthys of www.LeashesandLovers.com

How Your Dog Speaks for You
In our fast paced world, did you ever stop and think how your dog speaks for you? Your dog may be representing you more than you realize personally and professionally. Here are some tips and putting the Dog-O-Meter to the test to improve your business.

The Dog-O-Meter

Okay, so it’s a figurative meter but it’s very powerful. You may have your dog in your business with you and/or may take your dog along with you as you meet new potential clients or could just coincidentally make new contacts while out walking your dog. Well, your dog can send a potent message to others about who you are, how you conduct business, and what you deem important.

So, what is YOUR dog saying about YOU? Have you ever looked at your dog and actually noticed a physical or personality resemblance to yourself?

If you’re in the market for new business clients, let’s take a check up of how you treat and speak to your dog, how much care you give him and the time you spend with him. How you are with your dog sends out many messages, both verbal and non-verbal.

Five Tips for Keeping an Eye on Your Dog-O-Meter:

1. Dog talk: You’ve probably heard someone yell at their dog or yank the leash; it’s not very appealing and may be an indicator of how you may treat humans.

2. Grooming is as grooming does: Are you a slob? Is your dog? Depending on what you see, it may be time for an adjustment!

3. Time is money, but money isn’t time: We spend a lot of money on our pets, but money doesn’t build relationships – time does. Do you spend more money or time on your dog? When you make more time for your dog, all of a sudden you may have time for your clients and work as well.

4. Keeping it real: We may know dog owners who are more in love with the access their dog gives them. It’s easy to see how treating your new client might turn out in the same manner.

5. The “Mini Me Syndrome”: Some people may treat their dogs like extensions of themselves– and end up wanting their mate to be a mirror as well. Enjoy the difference of someone else’s thoughts and ideas.

To learn more about what your dog can teach you for all your human relationships – get the new best seller, Leashes and Lovers – by Long Island author Sheryl Matthys.
http://LeashesandLovers.com/thebook

One day last week, Bandit, an elderly, much loved female Jack Russell, managed to slip between two loose boards in her fenced yard and wandered off into the early morning. Her frantic owners immediately searched the surrounding area, but there was no sight of her. Fortunately, this tale has a happy ending…….. Bandit was found more than 24 hours later, several miles away from her house running down a major thoroughfare! She was brought to the town animal shelter, where she was reunited with her grateful family. Although luck certainly played a big part in Bandit’s safe return home, the actions of her quick thinking owners made a big difference. They did all the rights things, quickly, got information about their missing pet out throughout the neighborhood, notifying local vets and shelters, and networking for results. Ultimately, they were contacted by the shelter when Bandit was brought in.

When a pet is lost, it’s a terrifying experience, but you need to ACT FAST!! Here are some things you can do right away:

• Contact local animal shelters and animal control agencies. Immediately file a lost pet report with the local shelter and visit them daily, if possible. Let them know if your pet is microchipped. Most shelters won’t give information over the phone, so you may need to go in person! If your pet is a purebred, contact breeders and breed rescue groups in the area. Check with your local police precinct (do not call 911) – police officers often find stray animals. Stop in at the local firehouse too.
• Search the neighborhood. Walk or drive slowly through your neighborhood, at least several times a day. Enlist friends and family members to help! Call your pet’s name and then listen and look. (Try to remain in place long enough for your dog to have a chance to hear your call and find you). Ask everyone you come across- neighbors, crossing guards, letter carriers, landscapers and delivery people if they have seen your pet. Have a flyer with a recent photograph and information on how you can be reached ready to hand out.

• Notify local vets. Many times people will bring a found pet to their vet, so contact all vets and animal hospitals in your area and put the word out. Follow-up with a flyer if they agree to post it for you.

• Post Notices. Make up lots of flyers with a photo (preferably color), and use plastic sleeves to protect them if the weather is bad. Post them everywhere you can think of….start with pet stores, groomers, grocery stores, community centers, the library, churches, karate and dance schools, laundromats, convenience stores , soccer fields, anywhere people will see them. Contact the schools in your community and ask if you can post info in common areas. Include some details about your pet’s sex, age, weight, breed, color and any special markings. To protect yourself, consider leaving out one identifying characteristic so you can ask anyone who finds your pet to describe it.

• Use the power of Social Media Spread the word quickly any way you can!! Text, tweet, blog, anything you can think of. If you don’t have a Facebook account or don’t know how to use social media, ask your kids, (or your neighbors kids) to help. Ask friends to help spread the word. Don’t forget free community internet sites- if there’s a local website post in the lost and found section. Consider publishing paid advertisements in newspapers, and online papers. Use Craigslist (in the community/pets section) as a resource- you can post a notice and search for your pet at the same time! You never know- someone may have already found your pet and listed it on Craigslist so be sure to scroll before you post. (You can post anonymously on Craigslist if you prefer not to give your phone number- people can respond by email).
• Change the message on your answering machine asking for the date, time, and location when the caller may have seen your missing animal, as well as the caller’s name and phone number in case you have questions

• Consider a professional petfinding service. You may want to consider bringing in a petfinding service. There are companies which will autodial houses in your neighborhood broadcasting a message about your pet (www.findtoto.com is one of them). To take it further than that, there are a number of pet finding services advertised on the internet, but like anything else, there are also a lot of scams. If possible, check with the Better Business Bureau, and ask for references before you contract with them.
• Be cautious If a stranger claims to have found your pet, make sure they describe him thoroughly before you offer any personal information. If they can’t provide that identifying characteristic not included in your posting, they might not really have your pet. Don’t ever wire money to anyone insisting on that as a condition of returning your pet.

Don’t give up your search! Animals that have been lost for months have been reunited with their owners.

May 19, 2010
By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Choosing a pet insurance company.

Picking a pet insurance company for your pet’s health isn’t what it used to be. Many companies in the past, and some current companies, put a lot of limitations on what pet owners could use the insurance for. In other words, if you had a dog that needed to go to the vet twice in one year for the same problem, your insurance company most likely would only cover one of those visits.

One company offering much better services and that has been introduced to the United States for the past two years, is Trupanion. A company that started in Canada 12 years ago, offers much more coverage, has a higher payout, faster approval and payment, does not have penalties for filing claims and has very fair premiums. Premiums in which you can decide what you want to pay monthly and choose a deductible that fits your budget.

Trupanion’s goal is to provide a product that is beneficial for both pet owners and veterinarians. In speaking with the Long Island company representative, Thomas Russo, he said, “It is important for us to be transparent in our coverage and practices, thereby giving us the ability to meet and exceed the expectations of our clients. One of the most important strategies to achieve this goal is to eliminate the possibility of pre-existing conditions by enrolling puppies and kittens for lifetime coverage. Simply put, this translates into more paid claims for our pet owners.”

Pet owners that are interested in Trupanion should know that they would have one simple plan with 90% coverage, and has no limits, caps or hidden penalties. No limits means, no limits per year, per claim, per incident, for the lifetime of your pet, and the policy actually includes hereditary conditions.

One of Trupanion’s core values is that they never penalize a pet owner of an unlucky pet. They will never raise rates, limit coverage or cancel a policy for an unlucky pet with multiple claims. Like with most pet insurance companies there are waiting periods of 30-days for illness and 5-days for injuries for new enrollments, this is to prevent insurance fraud.

As with all insurance, pre-existing conditions are not covered. A pre-existing condition would be something that is noted in the pets’ previous vet’s medical records, any new illness or injury after enrollment would be covered. So if your pet, let’s say had a small bump, but it was not noted in vet’s records, and now the bump needs to be addressed, it would be covered.

For owners that want to try the pet insurance but aren’t ready for a commitment, Trupanion offers a 30-day free certificate, but it is only available at participating veterinarian offices. This complimentary no obligation certificate is issued by your vet after an exam for your puppy or kitten which is less than one year of age. The pet owner must activate the certificate by midnight of the day following the exam. Trupanion waives the 30-day/5-day waiting periods for the trial offer, so owners would get immediate coverage for the 30-days following activation. Also note that veterinarians receive no financial or other incentive for presenting pet owners with this certificate. Veterinarians also really like Trupanion because the company does not question their medical treatment or decisions.

Pet owners can do their research at Trupanion’s website. Simply go to www.trupanion.com and generate your customized quote.

Trupanion even lets you customize your policy by letting you: compare cat and dog insurance companies; get detailed policy information; choose a custom deductible; add more pets; find a premium that fits your budget; and enroll your pet.

In this day and age of some outrageously high veterinary costs, pet health insurance may be the solution owners are looking for.

May 17, 2010
By Michel Selmer, DVM of www.AdvancedCareForPets.com

Homeopathic Alternative to Vaccines

The purpose of vaccination is to protect your pet from potentially fatal infections by pathogenic (disease-causing) viruses such as distemper, rabies,and others. The way this is done is to inject either a killed or a “modified” (non-pathogenic) live virus, which sensitizes the immune system to that particular virus. Thereafter, if your dog or cat is exposed to, let’s say, parvo virus, s/he will be able to respond quickly and vigorously, producing antibodies to overcome the infection. This sounds like a pretty good plan, on the surface. However, as with any medical procedure, we must ask the simple and direct questions, “Is it safe? Is it effective? Do the benefits outweigh the risks?”

The Problems with Routine Vaccinations

Not surprisingly, most of the problems involve the immune system. After all, the immune system is what vaccines are designed to stimulate. But they do so in a very unnatural way that can overwhelm and confuse the immune system. The body may overreact to normally harmless substances (allergies, especially flea allergies and other skin problems), or even produce antibodies to itself (autoimmune disease). At the same time, the body may be sluggish in responding to those things that it should reject, such as common viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. This can result in increased susceptibility to acute infections (such as ear infections in dogs, bladder infections in cats), chronic tapeworm problems, or in more degenerative cases, cancer.

What alternative is there?

The big question has always been: What alternative is there? Despite these potential problems, vaccination must surely be preferable to losing puppies and kittens to distemper, parvo, and other fatal diseases! Until recently, there have been no practical alternatives, so the short term benefits of vaccination have seemed to outweigh the long term risks. Now, however, there is a safe and effective alternative to vaccination: homeopathic nosodes. Like vaccines, nosodes sensitize the body to a particular virus, so the immune system can react quickly and effectively to natural exposure. Nosodes are at least as effective as vaccines, and in some cases have been shown to be significantly more effective than vaccines in preventing infection. The biggest advantage of nosodes over vaccines is the fact that they are completely safe. There are no risks or side-effects whatever. And they can be safely given to puppies and kittens much earlier than vaccines can. In fact, the mother can be treated before she gives birth, giving the puppies or kittens protection from the moment they are born. Nosodes, like all homeopathic remedies, are very easy to administer: they are given by mouth, and don’t even need to be swallowed. They are also very economical – far less expensive, in fact, than vaccination.

Limitations of Nosodes

There are some limitations to the use of nosodes. Rabies vaccination for dogs is required by law in most counties, and the rabies nosode, called Lyssin, will not satisfy that requirement. You should know, however, for the health of your animal, that all vaccines, including rabies are legally and medically approved for use in healthy animals only! So if your dog is showing any signs of acute or chronic disease, s/he is exempt from that requirement and should not be vaccinated. Despite the obvious advantages of nosodes, most boarding kennels and veterinary hospitals will not accept them in lieu of vaccination. If you need to board your dog or cat in a boarding kennel or veterinary hospital, you may be forced to have him/her vaccinated. This is a problem that will hopefully improve with time as more kennel owners and veterinarians become familiar with nosodes.

If You Decide to Vaccinate

As a veterinary homeopath, I do not recommend routine vaccination for dogs or cats, except for rabies, (which is requied by New York State Law), in health dogs. If, for whatever reason, you decide that you must vaccinate your pet, I would make the following recommendations:

1. Never vaccinate an animal with symptoms of acute or chronic health problems, or at the time of surgery or any other physical or emotional stress.
2. For adult dogs and cats, vaccinate every 2-3 years, instead of yearly.