Scottsdale Pet Expert » cats

Playtime, Day Visits!

Danielle — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:20:44 +0000

Selena is a ffriendly housecat that loves to play and talk. Below is a clip recently taken while her Mama was away and Bella’s House & Pet Sitting was there to play, feed and love on her!

Pet First Aid

Danielle — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:14:15 +0000

Interesting article I found while getting information for one of my employee’s at Bella’s House & Pet Sitting about Pet CPR and First Aid… Photo courtesy of www.sunnydogink.com

CATS AND DOGS

picture taken from this site

Vital Statistics: Pulse and Heart Rate
Normal resting rates:

Cats: 150-200 bpm
Small dogs: 90-120 bpm
Medium dogs: 70-110 bpm
Large dogs: 60-90 bpm

Pulse should be strong, regular and easy to locate.

Checking the pulse
The easiest place to locate a pulse is the femoral artery in the groin area. Place your fingers on the inside of the hind leg and slide your hand upward until the back of your fingers touches the abdomen. Gently move your fingers back and forth on the inside of the hind leg until you feel the pulsing blood. Count the number of pulses in 15 seconds and multiply that number by 4. This will give you the beats per minute (bpm).

Temperature
Normal temp. for dogs and cats: 100-102.5 degrees
Thermometer should be almost clean when removed.
Abnormalities are indicated by blood, diarrhea, or black, tarry stool.

Basic First Aid Procedures
All of the following situations require immediate veterinary care.

Fractures
- Muzzle animal.
- Gently lay animal on a board, wooden door, tarp, etc. padded with blankets.
- Secure animal to the support.
- Do not attempt to set the fracture.
- If a limb is broken, wrap the leg in cotton padding, then wrap with a magazine, rolled newspaper, towel or two sticks. Splint should extend one joint above the fracture and one joint below. Secure with tape. Make sure wrap does not constrict blood flow.
- If the spine, ribs, hip, etc. appears injured or broken, gently place the animal on the stretcher and immobilize it if possible.
Bleeding (external)
- Muzzle animal.
- Press thick gauze pad over wound. Hold firmly until clotting occurs.
- If bleeding is severe, apply a tourniquet between the wound and the heart.
- Loosen tourniquet for 20 seconds every 15-20 minutes.
- A tourniquet is dangerous and should only be used in life-threatening hemorrhaging of a limb. It may result in amputation or disability of the limb.
Bleeding (internal)
- Symptoms: bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum; coughing blood; blood in urine; pale gums; collapse; rapid or weak pulse.
- Keep animal as warm and quiet as possible.
Burns
- Chemical
  - Muzzle animal.
  - Flush immediately with large quantities of cold water.
- Severe
  - Muzzle animal.
  - Quickly apply ice water compresses.
  - Treat for shock if necessary.
Shock
- Symptoms: weak pulse; shallow breathing; nervousness; dazed appearance.
- Often accompanies severe injury or extreme fright.
- Keep animal restrained, quiet and warm.
- If unconscious, keep head level with rest of body.

Restraint Methods
If your animal is injured, you must restrain him/her for your safety as well as your pet’s. Muzzle your pet to restrain it unless it is unconscious, has difficulty breathing or has a mouth injury.

Dogs–Muzzles

Speak and move calmly and quietly.
Have someone restrain the dog with a leash.
Approach dog from the side and behind its head; do not attempt to put muzzle on from the front.
Quickly slip a nylon or wire cage muzzle over nose, secure snugly behind ears.
If a muzzle is not available, you can make one from a strip of gauze, rag, necktie, belt or rope about 3 feet long.
- Make a large loop in the center. Quickly slip loop over dog’s nose.
- Bring ends under chin. Tie snugly behind ears.

Cats–Muzzles

Speak and move calmly and quietly.
Have someone restrain the cat by holding the scruff of its neck firmly. This does not hurt the cat; it just prevents him/her from moving.
Working from behind the cat, quickly slip a nylon muzzle over the cat’s face. The muzzle will cover most of his/her face, including the eyes. Secure snugly behind head.
If you are alone, scruff the cat with one hand and put the muzzle over the cat’s face with the other. Slide both hands along muzzle straps and secure behind the head.
If a muzzle is not available, one can be made with a rag or a strip of gauze. Make sure that it is carefully placed around the cat’s mouth and securely fastened, as cats can escape from these temporary muzzles.

Cats–Body Restraint

Most cats can be restrained by holding the scruff of the neck.
The “Cat Sack” can be used for fractious or very frightened cats. Slip sack over cat from tail to head, zip up appropriate zippers.
Wrap cat in a towel, making, sure his/her front legs are covered and against the body.
Gloves are not recommended for handling cats. They reduce the handler’s dexterity and can easily be penetrated by a cat’s teeth.

BIRDS

Basic First Aid Procedures
All of the following situations require immediate veterinary care.

Fractures
- Wing
  - Restrain bird by wrapping in a towel or slipping into a sock with the toe cut out.
- Leg
  - Restrain bird by wrapping in a towel or sock, leaving leg exposed.
  - Splint leg with 2 pieces of adhesive tape placed perpendicular to leg across break site.
Bleeding
- Broken “blood” feather (new feather)
  - Pull feather out gently; bleeding should decrease.
  - Press finger over removal site until bleeding stops.
- Wound or broken nail
  - Apply pressure to site with finger(s). Bleeding should decrease.
  - Apply “Quick Stop” powder or styptic to stop bleeding.
  - Flour or cornstarch can be used in an emergency.
Puncture Wounds
- Wrap bird in towel or sock.
  - See veterinarian: antibiotics are required to prevent infections.

Restraint

Carefully wrap bird in towel, gently folding his/her wings against the body. Keep your hands out of the way of the beak.
Gloves are not recommended for bigger birds. They reduce the handler’s dexterity and strong beaks can easily penetrate them.

SMALL MAMMALS AND REPTILES

Restraint

Wrap the animal in a towel or rag, gently folding his/her legs against the body.

This material produced by the
Palo Alto Humane Society in conjunction with the American Red Cross Northern California Disaster Preparedness Network and the Independent Living Resource Center, San Francisco, CA in cooperation with June Kailes, Disability Consultant through a grant from The American Red Cross Northern California Disaster Preparedness Network

Feeding your pet quality food cost less!!!

Danielle — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:05:33 +0000

To read the full report of this email visit www.TruthAboutPetFood.com/SaveMoney.html

This is one of those things that nobody is going to believe at first glance. Many will probably dismiss it completely as a hoax. But if you are a pet owner AND if you want to save money, this is something you will find very interesting. Pet owners can save BIG feeding their pet a high end, high priced dog food or cat food. Many of you are already aware of the health benefits from feeding a high end pet food – you’ve witnessed the changes happen right before your eyes. I’ve taken the ‘benef it’ issue one step further. I’ve been worried that because of higher gas prices and grocery prices that pet owners might be turning to the seeming discount brands of pet foods to save a few bucks. What I discovered is jaw dropping amazing. I’ve been studying pet food for many years now and never took the time to examine what I spend – per day/per year – to feed my dogs and cat. Then I compared that cost per serving to feeding them one of the highly advertised pet foods. I save hundreds of dollars a year feeding them high priced, high quality foods – I’m not talking about the savings in vet bills – just the actual cost of the pet food. So here’s the story…

Dog and cat owners have the overwhelming task of deciding between hundreds, if not thousands of different types of dog foods and cat foods. They all look similar; similar pictures of happy pets and healthy ingredients on the bag, and all claim 100% Complete Nutrition, Premium, and/or Choice. With higher gas prices, higher grocery prices many pet owners are turning to what appears to be the most economical, lower priced dog foods and cat foods. However you might be surprised – pet foods that appear to be cheaper according to the price of the bag or can, actually cost far more than the highest priced, high end pet foods.

The truth of the matter is the discount pet food brand is actually more expensive per serving than many of the highest priced brands. Yes, you read that correctly. The explanation for this is found on the feeding instructions and the ingredients in the pet food itself. Every pet is different, and the amount of food your pet eats per day also varies with age and activity level. But according to the feeding instructions as researched and recommended by each pet food manufacturer, you will probably be surprised at the cost per serving.

I did a little experiment – a math experiment. I compared four different dry dog foods, four different canned dog foods, four different dry cat foods and four different canned cat foods. The comparison shows you the first five ingredients of each food, gives you definitions of the pet food ingredients, tells you if ingredients are from U.S. only sources or if imports are used. And then you see price per serving of all these foods.

Here is what I learned… According to the web site of one of the most popular brands of dog food sold in the U.S. – the feeding instructions tell you that a thirty pound dog would need to eat around three cups of food per day. The cost of this pet food breaks down to being about $.67 per cup. So that means Fido would eat $2.01 worth of dog food each day according to the recommended feeding instructions on the label.

But on the other hand from the web site of a high end, all human grade ingredients, all U.S. ingredients dog food – the feeding instructions tell you that a thirty pound dog would need to eat around 1 ½ cups of food per day. The cost of this food is about $1.16 per cup. This food seems to be about twice as expensive as the popular brand. However, according to the recommended feeding amount, Fido would eat $1.74 worth of dog food each day. That’s a savings of $.27 per day to feed your dog a high quality, human grade ingredients, no risky imports dog food. A savings of $98.00 per year feeding a thirty pound dog high end, high priced dog food.

Interesting huh! Now, let’s look at canned cat food. Again, from the label of one of the most popular brands of canned cat food sold in the U.S., the feeding instructions recommend a fifteen pound cat to eat five – 3 oz cans per day. At $.80 cents per 3 oz. can – Fluffy would be consuming $4.00 worth of cat food each day according to the recommended feeding instructions on the label.

But with a high end, all human grade ingredients, all U.S. ingredients canned cat food, the feeding instructions tell you a fifteen pound cat should eat three 5.5 ounce cans per day. At a cost of $1.29 per 5.5 oz. can ($.26 per ounce) – Fluffly would be consuming $3.87 worth of cat food each day. That is a savings of $.13 per day to feed your cat a high quality, human grade ingredients, no risky imports cat food. A savings of $47.00 per year feeding the high end, high priced cat food!

Then I looked at my own pets, and the savings I have feeding them one of the highest priced, highest quality pet food. Two dogs, one cat – I save over $868.70 per year. No I don’t buy in bulk – no I don’t use coupons or frequent feeder programs. I buy twenty pound bags of dog food and six pound bags of cat food – AND I pay shipping charges (UPS) to have it delivered to my door. I still save over $850.00 a year compared to one the cost of one of the most popular, highly advertised pet foods sold – a cheaper pet food when you look at the cost per bag. To be fair, I feed my senior 97 pound German Shepherd less than what the pet food recommends. That’s due to his age (not as active), but it’s also credit to the high quality ingredients in the food. My other pets eat just about exactly per day what the food recommends.

Feeding amounts do vary from pet to pet. However each pet food manufacturer has done extensive research and testing to know how much food needs to be provided each day to your dog and cat. The recommended feeding amounts provided on each pet food bag or can is fairly accurate.

Please don’t look at the price of the bag or can of pet food when considering what to feed your pet. Look at the ingredients and consider cost per serving. Avoid pet foods with ingredients like by-products and chemical preservatives (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin). Learn if ingredients are from U.S. sources. The actual savings of purchasing high quality dog and cat foods goes far beyond dollars per year – the true savings could be years added to your pet’s life.

To try this test yourself here is how you calculate cost per serving of pet food…

Dry Food
XYZ Dog Food sells for $12.00 for an eight pound bag.
Eight pounds into $12.00 = $1.50 per pound
Two cups (estimate) per pound = $.75 per cup.
Multiply suggested feeding amount (cups per day) X cost per cup = Cost per serving.

Can Food
XYZ Cat Food sells for $19.00 for a case of 24-3 oz cans.
Twenty four into $19.00 = $.80 per can
Multiply suggested feeding amount (cans per day) X cost per can = Cost per serving.

The full report of ‘Save Money on Dog Food or Cat Food – Buy Expensive’ was too long to publish here. If you’d like to read it, and see the chart comparisons visit www.TruthAboutPetFood.com/SaveMoney.html.

Compare ingredients and cost per serving of your pet’s food – you might be very surprised.

By the way, it is best to feed adult dogs and cats twice a day. The nutrition provided in just one meal a day is difficult for your pet to utilize over a 24 hour period. If you currently only feed one meal a day – split the amount of that one meal into two meals. If you change pet foods – especially for dogs – switch slowly. I always recommend ¼ new food to ¾ old food for 4 to 7 days, then ½ to ½ for another 4 to 7 days, and so on. The moisture content in canned foods is especially beneficial for cats. Cats just don’t drink enough water. But because of the high moisture in canned pet foods – more of the food needs to be eaten to provide the correct nutritional requirements. And make sure the canned food does not contain BPA in the lining. Save yourself some money…buy high quality dog foods and cat foods.

Wishing you and your pet the best,

Susan Thixton
Truth About Pet Food
Petsumer Report
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/

This information has been provided to you via Bella’s House & Pet Sitting in Scottsdale, AZ

ID Your Pet!!!!

Danielle — Fri, 30 May 2008 19:09:20 +0000

Just last month as I was driving around McDowell Mountain Ranch doing my morning visits, I spotted a small terrier mix sprinting around the neighborhood. It was only 9AM, but it was already at least one hundred degrees outside. I stopped my car and did the trick of, “Here little buddy! Do you want a treat?” He came to me and I checked the blue collar around his neck for identification. There was nothing there. Just a collar. I scooped the little guy up put him in my air conditioned car and drove him to Dr. Sosnow at North Scottsdale Animal Hospital (that office is great!) We scanned the little guy for a mico chip and he didn’t have one. So now I had a dog who’s owner I did not know and I was not about to surrender it to Animal Control.

This type of situation happens all of the time. If you are one of Bella’s House & Pet Sitting clients, chances are you have heard our speech about ID YOUR PET! Accidents happen, that is why we have car and health insurance. If your door ever opens in your home, or you take your pet for a walk, then there is a possibility that your pet will escape. Without proper identification, your chances of finding them are slim.

If your pet escapes:

- Wildlife could harm or kill your pets if they get loose.

- Someone may be bold enough to just keep your pet and assume you don’t want it. I have heard some stories!

- Your pet could end up with Animal Control. If you do not go to the facility every day to check to see if your pet turned up, they could put your pet down after the third day!!! Did you know that Arizona pet overpopulation is so bad that 75% of sheltered animals are put down! (Don’t buy, adopt a pet!)

Luckily this story ended happily. When I found the dog, I contacted the Debbie the activities director and she put a bulletin on the community TV Channel. The owner walked in the office just a few minutes later looking for “Smokey” and the owner and pet were happily reunited. Please consider this a serious warning about IDing your pets. Not all stories end happily.

This information has been provided to you by Danielle Vasta, Owner of Bella’s House & Pet Sitting. Please contact her at: (480)330-4552 or www.BellasHouseAndPets.com for any of your pet sitting needs!

Tips For Exercising With Your Pet

Danielle — Fri, 30 May 2008 18:59:29 +0000

Many have said, “A tried pet is a happy pet” and it is also true that it means a happy pet parent! Although many pets lay around most of the day, it is very important to exercise your pets. How much exercise is dependent upon the breed & age. For some, two fifteen minute sessions a day are enough, for others two thirty minute sessions work better. To determine your pets level of exercise comfort monitor their energy levels before, during and after your exercise routine with them.

Breeds such as pugs, bulldogs, and boxers have trouble breathing when exercised vigorously. This is due to the shape of their snout. Others, such as greyhounds and whippets can run fast, but it is important to keep in mind that these breads are sprinters, not long distance runners. Larger breeds are susceptible to joint problems and over working them could be more harm than good. Dogs are used to short burst of energy, stopping to sniff or go potty. A brisk walk paying close attention to your pets breathing is the best option.

Never should an individual rollerblade, bike, or run a dog next to the car. All these situations could be fatal or the leash could fall and you could lose your pet. In addition is the person who is doing these activities has to stop short, the pet risks being choked, jerked, or injured by the abrupt stop. There have also been reports of dogs paws and tails getting run over by wheels and caught in wheel spokes.

Your four legged friend wants to please you so chances are when you are out running they are going to try and keep up with you. This can easily hide their fatigue or hide the signs that they are dehydrated.

Don’t forget to keep your dogs nails trimmed. This does not automatically happen when walking. Their nails need to be trimmed so they do not risk being split or causing more serious damage like a fall.

Always take water for your pet when out. They get thirsty just like you!

FUN GAMES: Fetch, soccer, dog parks, swimming (good for dogs with joint problems), Frisbee or flyball and agility training