By Nancy Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

No Place Like Home, Pet Product Showcase

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of being invited to a media event for 25 of the most elite, beautifully designed and innovative pet products from companies across the US.  This exclusive pet product showcase, No Place like Home, that took place in Manhattan was presented by Pet Socialite Events and hosted by the fabulous pet trend and lifestyle expert, Charlotte Reed.  Among the press attending the event were various celebrities, most notably Richard Belzer and his dog BeBe an adorable poodle-fox terrier mix. 

  
Richard Belzer & BeBe checking out products

There was also elaborately designed ‘pet bedroom suite’ to tour that was decorated to meet the needs of pets and their owners.  

Some of the companies or manufacturers that were showcasing their products were: Furminator; Kyjen (Outward Hound); Sturdi Products; Luxury Pets; Bamboo; Hartz; Thunder Shirt; Premier; Designer Catbox; Unleashed Life; YepYup; Ecosmart; CitiKitty; R2 Solutions and more.  One of the companies had a very unique product, nothing this pet professional has every seen before – agility for pet fish – I kid you not, more to come on this.  This event was pretty crowded and filled with many pet press enthusiasts.   

  
If you look closely to left low hand corner you might spot a certain NJ House wife holding her cat, Grandma Wrinkles.

After receiving many unexpected pet product freebies from the event, what else to do but put them to the ultimate test, product reviews from my dog Max.  Over the next few weeks, we will be rating the products based on Max’s liking, how the product holds up, quality and more.  So be sure to look out for his reviews soon!  The first product being reviewed is doing quite well, here’s a teaser picture of Max getting his first sniff:

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

November is Adopt-A-Senior Pet Month: Two more “Happy Tails”

LEO
When Debbie’s family lost their beloved cat JB Dasher after a long illness in 2008, they weren’t sure when they’d be ready to introduce another cat to the two sisters he had left behind. But with Debbie volunteering at the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter in East Northport, NY, twice a week, it was difficult not to think of filling the void with another homeless animal.

Leo was 6 years old and had already spent 4 ½ years at the shelter. He was a loner who spent most of his time in the “cat tree” sleeping in a bucket or just watching the activities of the other cats below. He was shy and a little skittish – those traits, coupled with his age, made him less than a prime candidate for adoption. After talking it over with her family, Debbie decided to take a chance and bring him home.

Leo immediately became fast friends with their 6 year old female cat, Mink. They sleep curled up together (or fight over who gets the spot closest to the screen when the windows are opened), but they are rarely apart. Turns out, Leo also loves people – he can often be found sitting in someone’s lap or cuddling up for a head scratch.

Leo has brought Debbie’s family great pleasure, and they are glad to have given a good life to this lovable senior cat!

SEBASTIAN
Sebastian is another senior cat shelter who found a great home. Christine adopted him in 2008 from Grateful Paw Cat Shelter, where, as a volunteer, she found the 8-year old orange tabby irresistible. When she brought him home, however, her two older cats didn’t share her enthusiasm. It was a stressful few weeks during which the cats fought and Sebastian didn’t seem to be warming up to Christine or her family. Christine’s husband reassured her that with time and patience, Sebastian would come around.

How right he was! The family’s persistence and patience really paid off! Sebastian began to relax, becoming friendly, cuddly, and, in Christine’s eyes, even more irresistible. Two years later, this lucky kitty follows Christine around the house, and her lap is his favorite place to be! Whenever she returns home after a long day, he is at the door to greet her. The other cats, Pepper and Mooch, have also accepted him as a member of the family.

Christine is thrilled that she was able to give an older pet a home, and very happy that Sebastian “officially” decided to become her cat.

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.   

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

Halloween Safety Tips for your Pets!

Halloween is only a few days away and with pet costume parades, parties and trick-or-treating happening across Long Island many people want to include their pets in the fun. People often take their dogs along when trick or treating with their children, and those doggie costumes sure are cute! Here are some things that can help keep your pets safe when October 31 rolls around.

Costumes

Halloween can be a wonderful time spent with our pets, many people will adorn their dog, cat, goat or horse in costumes – but keep in mind not all pets like to wear clothes.  If you decide to dress up your pet please make sure it’s not too stressful for them. Some animals are fine with costumes, but it can be a great source of anxiety for others.   Just like their human counterparts, pet costumes should be properly sized, and non-constricting. Check for vision obstructions, and buttons, strings or ties that could create a choking or strangulation hazard.  Remove the costume if your pet is unattended.  A tip to help your pet get accustomed to wearing a costume is have them wear it in the house for a little while each day while supervised, to get used to it.  If your pet absolutely refuses, fights you, tries to “rub off” the clothing – then a costume is not for your pet.  Never force your pet to wear a costume!

Trick-or-Treating

Since Halloween is on a Sunday this year, there are more likely to be more trick-or-treaters ringing your door bell and a lot more activity in your neighborhoods.  Some pets do great and don’t seem to mind, but others can be very nervous or frightened with the constant knocking, door bells going off, strangers in costume, etc.  It’s probably best to keep your dog and cat away from your front door when the neighborhood children come to call. Dogs and cats are often frightened by all the commotion. A more adventurous pet might see the open door as an opportunity to bolt. Just in case, make sure your pet has proper identification on at all times. There’s always the possibility that a dog could view costumed visitors as a threat, (even someone they know) so don’t take any chances. Never leave your pet outside on Halloween. They could easily be harmed or stolen. Black cats are particularly at risk this time of year. Also if you don’t normally you’re your pet, don’t make Halloween a day to do so, costumes and screaming kids could definitely make it an unpleasant experience.  Finally, make sure you pet doesn’t eat any of the trick-or-treat candies – many ingredients are toxic to dogs and cats.

Holiday Decorations

Candles create a spooky ambiance, but they are easily knocked over by pets (and kids!). Consider using battery operated candles, which flicker realistically and are worry free. Always keep spider webbing, balloons, and other decorations out of your pets reach.

With a little planning, you can have a safe and fun day that includes the four-legged members of your family. Happy Halloween!

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Back to School & your pet

So it’s that time of year again, for some parents the most wonderful time of year when kids head back to school.  But maybe this summer you got a new puppy, kitten or “Hammy” the Hampster, which will no longer get full time love and attention from your children.  Pets can feel depressed and sad when a routine they have become accustomed to suddenly changes.  Parents also want to make sure with schedule changes and extra curricular activities, that your children who begged you for a pet don’t forget their responsibilities.

A few tips to help keep the household running smoothly, pets happy, kids on their busy schedules are:

• Have a child care chart posted for each pet, and each child so they know what day they have responsibility for what pet.
• Hire a pet sitter or dog walker, but don’t tell your child! You don’t want them to slack off knowing the dog may have already been walked that day or hamster or bird cage might have been cleaned earlier.
• Set aside play time each day for your pet.  In other words, make sure your children know at this particular time of the day the pet gets training time, play time, or walked with your kids.  Otherwise neglected pets, especially dogs that were doing great with training i.e. not chewing, or no longer having accidents in the house, may revert to doing so due to lack of attention, not spite.
• Have a family meeting so everyone is on the same page as to what their pet care responsibilities are.
• Set a schedule.  Try to keep the pets schedule as much as possible the same as it was over the summer, feeding, walking, etc.  Making some adjustments, earlier wake up time, feeding time, etc. and the pet will quickly grow accustomed to the new schedule if it is done on a consistent basis by all family members.
• Meet with a dog trainer if your dog starts acting out once their is less attention on them.

A responsible, caring and dedicated owner is not that hard to be today.  We are lucky in this day and age there are so many professional pet sitters and pet experts available, pet knowledge at our fingertips, free courses and more, for families to learn about responsibilities of being a pet parent.  Being a pet parent, whether the pet is a family pet or an individual child’s responsibility should be taken seriously and not frivolously. Most children find the experience very rewarding, loving and caring for another living being.  Make the back to school transition easy for all family members, two-legged and four-legged ones easy – have a family meeting tonight!