Pick up a ‘purrfect’ friend

Precious Paws Animal Rescue group in Franklin reminds folks that June is Adopt a Cat Month and they have a few candidates to choose from.

Ash and Smokey are being fostered by PPAR member Mary L Gurnée. They will be available June 29.  They will be spayed, vaccinated, dewormed and tested.  They are feline leukemia/feline HIV/HW negative. The

adoption fee is $50 per cat.

On June 3,  Gurnée said that “two and a half weeks ago these kittens were dying alone in the woods… It’s taken a lot of effort from everyone involved and a lot of around the clock

care at their foster

home to bring them to this point. It really feels more like 2.5 months ago, that’s how intensive it was.”

Other cat candidates include Cramer, Emma and Precious.

Meanwhile, Nova, the dog, is still looking for a home.

Leah M. Anson with PPAR said in a Facebook post, Nova “needs a bit of patience since she is very shy at first, but she is such a character.”

Earlier this month the group also posted some summer safety tips for pets.

Summer pet safety tips

Don’t leave your pet in the car — It only takes 15 minutes for an animal to get heat stroke and die in a hot car.

Exercise early in the morning or late in the evening — It is best to avoid running or hitting the trails with your buddy on hot days or warm, humid nights.

Prevent heat stroke —  Exposure to high temperatures, humidity and poor ventilation are often associated with heatstroke. Signs of heat stroke include excessive panting, discolored gums and mobility problems. You should seek veterinary attention immediately if you suspect heatstroke.

Protect your animals from sunburn — Check with your veterinarian for pet-safe sunscreen or keep at-risk pets indoors when the sun is high.

Avoid hot pavement — When the air temperature is 77 degrees, asphalt in the sun has been measured at 125 degrees.

Never leave a dog unattended with access to a swimming pool — Teach your dog how to swim safely to the steps and get out or fence in your pool.

Precious Paws can be reached by phone at (814) 671-9827 or by email at AdoptPreciousPaws@gmail.com. More information about the group and its low-cost spay neuter program, SNYP, can be found online at pparfranklin.com or on the group’s Facebook page.

Needed: Homes and litter boxes

Meet Tri-County’s tiny firecracker, Dani! This wee girl is full of big-time energy and delights in play. She is exceptional with cats, dogs, kids and adults. Dani would love to be with a family who knows how to have fun, so pop in soon to see this lively gal — she won’t be here long!

Say hello to Tri’s only Calico, Sweetheart.  Sweetheart was one of two animals abandoned in the cold for nine hours outside our building.  She was originally wary of people and her surroundings, but she has progressed well and now loves to be petted!  She is current on her vaccines and is healing splendidly from recent dental work.  A quiet

home would be ideal for this 8 year old sweetheart.

Lovely Lizzy is Firecracker Dani’s mom, and while the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Lizzy isn’t quite as rambunctious as her daughter.  But like Dani, Lizzy loves people of all ages and is amazingly affectionate.  She is up-to-date on shots and would make a fantastic family pet, stop in today and get acquainted with our lovable Lizzy!

No place to go?

 

Tri-County Animal Rescue Center is in great need of new litter boxes of all sizes — small kitten-sized for our tiny rescues, medium and large litter boxes, covered or uncovered boxes — we will happily accept all!  We also have a need for new stainless steel or ceramic food bowls to feed all of the hungry mouths in our care.

Tri-County said with out the people’s support, “our non-profit Rescue Center would be unable to help the discarded, abused, lost or surrendered animals in the Tri-county area.  Thank you for helping us make a difference!”

More information about the Shippenville shelter is available by calling (814) 918-2032, or emailing contactus@Tricounty-arc.org. Additional information is also available on the center’s Facebook page.

A couple of sweet guys

Clarion PAWS has several candidates for Adopt a Cat Month, including Artemis and Ryan.

Artemis is looking for love. This crazy guy will climb all over you to get your attention. Artemis lives in room 1 at the PAWS house with some other mellow cats that don’t mind his need for attention. Stop by and meet this sweet boy.

Ryan is about two years old. He loves to play with his roommates and talk to his neighbors. What he really enjoys is being part of everything you do. He tries to be helpful when volunteers are cleaning and give them lots of love.
This sweet guy is ready for a furrever home with lots of friends to share his love and playfulness with.

Clarion PAWS is located at 11348 Route 322, Shippenville, Clarion River Hill, between Scrap Happy and Clarion Electric. The adoption center is open from 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays. The center is closed Fridays and Sundays. More information is available online at www.clarionpaws.org, the group’s Facebook page or by calling (814) 229-1231.

Adoptions completed, more need homes

In the past week, the Venango County Humane Society said goodbye to dogs Toby and Perdy.

The shelter still has lots of dogs and cats that need homes.

A Facebook post said, “The Humane Society is currently at full capacity with cats and kittens, please call ahead of time to be put on a waiting list for an available space if you have cats or kittens to be surrendered, or if you have any questions about strays or feral cats, Thank you! We have many cats/ kittens and dogs looking for forever loving homes, please come see what we have!!”

Kittens Do, Ray and Mei are waiting for furrever homes at the shelter. Do, Ray and Mei are 2 month old males with Mei being the odd-man-out and sporting a tiger coat instead of an all black one.

An earlier post from the shelter said June is National Pet Preparedness Month.  A graphic offered a list of items for a emergency checklist.
Pet Emergency Checklist:

• 1 week of food
• 3 days of water
• First aid kit
  Medications
• Medical records
• Microchip numbers
• Collars and ID tags
• Recent photos
• Emergency sticker on your door
• Litter and tray for cats
• Poop bags and cleaners
• Carriers and leashes
• Blankets and toys

The humane society is open from noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. It is located at 286 S. Main St., Seneca.

More information on the Venango County Humane Society is available by calling (814) 677-4040 or online at venangocountyhumanesociety.org.

Homes found, homes needed

Clarion PUPs saw Jewelia and Skippy find homes earlier this month.

Meanwhile, the rescue has a friendly senior neutered male named Spike who needs a new home due to housing situation changing for his owner.

Those who want to foster or adopt Spike can call (814) 764-5580.

Joey, an adult female hound and shepherd mix, also needs a home.

More information about PUPS is available by calling (814) 764-5580 or emailing
clarionpups@gmail.com.

A post on the Clarion PUPS’ Dog Park Facebook page said the group needs people  to help with the continued development and managing of the dog park.

“We have several resources for grants but we need people who have experience with grant writing or even just the time to follow thru with soliciting funds. We need landscapers, mowers, playgroup managers, etc. If you have any interest in helping out please call: 814-764-5580,” the post said.

Fawn funding wanted

Skye’s Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is looking for more funding to help fawns in its care.

Earlier in the week the center had posted on Facebook that due to lack of funding they couldn’t take in anymore fawns.
However, the center ended up with two more fawns anyway.

“Fawn No. 12 was brought by a game officer from Allegheny county, sadly it was one of twins and the sibling didn’t survive…  Fawn No. 13 came from only a mile away from our center after the finders hit it with their car…They just immediately brought it over. Both are in a bad way, I’ll do everything I can,” the post said.

The center also reposted a statement from a longtime supporter.

“Thanks for helping these fawns … I know it must be hard for you to turn them away. I think you said care for one is approx. $500. If anyone reading this post wishes to donate so we can help Skye’s Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center help another fawn, I will start it off by donating $250 (half) to care for one of them……anyone out there wanna help to donate the other half ($250)? You can visit our Go Find Me at www.gofundme.com/skyeswildlife or mail to SSWRC. 889 Farren Surrena road. Harrisville, Pa 16038.”

Upcoming Events

**Heavenly Gaits Therauptic Riding center in Knox will host a workshop titled “Getting to Know Your Horse from the Ground Up” with John Penny at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 18. Registration can be made at heavenlygaitstrc.weebly.com/workshops.

**A pet show sponsored by the Venango County Humane Society and assisted by the DukeFest Team will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, June 27, in South Park, Bandstand Park, Franklin. Registration, music and games will be held at 6 p.m. with the show beginning at 7 p.m. All animals must be on a leash that is no longer than 4 feet. Categories include: Dog — tallest, shortest, most unusual markings, best dressed and best tricks; Cats — biggest, smallest, most unusual markings, prettiest eyes and best dressed; Other animals — any category that fits them.

**Slobberfest 2016 sponsored by Droopy Basset Hound Rescue of Western Pennsylvania is slated for July 9 in Union City. More information is available online at www.DroopyBassetRescue.com.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture shared this graphic of rabies cases from January to May of this year.

 

Pet Vet: Resist urge to give dogs, or any pets, human foods

By Jeff Kahler

I recently received a question from Dan, a question that has been asked and discussed for many moons between clients and their veterinarians. Is it OK to feed his dog human foods and, if so, what things are safe to feed the dog? I suspect if you asked this question of 10 different veterinarians you would get 10 different answers, but since you are asking me, Dan, I’ll give you my answer.

The reason this issue is an issue at all is because human foods can be detrimental, even dangerous, to our companions, especially if there are underlying diseases that may be at work. In Dan’s question, he refers to feeding other than “dog food” to dogs but I do want to discuss this issue in reference to other companions as well.

The digestive system, the structures and substances responsible for turning food into energy, is extremely complex and very different from species to species. The digestive system of a feline is totally different from that of a dog, which is totally different from that of a parrot, which is totally different from that of an iguana … well, you get the picture. Each has adapted to a specific diet that in the case of non-domestic species is provided in the specific environments in which they live. In the case of companion species, we provide their diets.

The development of diets for companions of various species is a dynamic process that has evolved over time through trial and error as well as, most currently, extensive research into animal nutrition. And this research continues.

To understand more about proper nutrition in companions, study of their non-domestic counterparts in their habitats has been revealing. In the case of cats, we have learned much about their nutritional requirements by observing lions, tigers, jaguars and other wild cats. Wolves provide a non-domestic model for dogs, as unlikely as that may sound looking at some of the breeds of dogs we have created. It’s hard to believe a chihuahua is related to a timber wolf, but metabolically they are brothers.

From these observations, we know that dogs and many avian companion species are what we term omnivores. This means they are designed to eat a variety of foods of plant and animal origin. Humans fall into this category, too. Do not infer from this, however, that humans and dogs are identical in their nutritional needs. Cats, we know, are true carnivores designed only to eat meat-sourced foods. Through proper processing, diets can be formulated to mimic protein from meat sources using proper blending of proteins from plant sources, but this blending must be very exacting to provide their nutritional balance. Rabbits, guinea pigs, iguanas, horses and chinchillas, among others, fall into the group we call herbivores. These creatures are designed to eat plant material.

What does all this mean? Especially in the case of dogs and cats, it means we as caretakers should pay close attention to their diets and stick to foods specifically formulated for them. It is especially important to use specific diets for our companions with certain digestive problems. These diets are specifically formulated to provide proper nutrition while dealing with a digestive problem. This is something you and your veterinarian can decide based on your companion’s condition.

Having said this, I realize that for some of us it is impossible to keep from feeding our companions from our plates. I know how hard it is to resist them when they give you “that look” — you know the one: the anxious eyes, anticipating, hoping. How can you resist? I know that’s what my dog counts on. My bird is much more brazen. He flies right up to the plate and tries to snatch whatever he fancies. To avoid inappropriate supplementation of your companion’s diet, I suggest a solution that has worked well for me. I do not eat in front of my dog and my bird is not within eye contact.

If avoiding your companion(s) during mealtime is not an option and you find it impossible to resist feeding them your food, please show discretion. At all cost, avoid foods that are high in fat. Meat and meat scraps can be especially dangerous and in my opinion should absolutely be avoided.

Not all is doom and gloom. There are human foods that can be used as treats, although I personally prefer to stick to treats specifically formulated for your companion. That said, I have been known to recommend “baby” carrots as a treat. They have no fat and are helpful in scrubbing a bit of plaque from the teeth. The key in my opinion is always to avoid foods that are laden with fat. Too many times, I have seen dogs become very ill, even fatally so, when treated with high-fat human food items.

Perhaps it is best to avoid all human foods for our canine companions, lest we begin to slide down that slippery slope to the point where we are being trained by our dogs to feed them what they want from our table rather than what is best for them.

(Jeff Kahler is a veterinarian in Modesto, Calif. Questions can be submitted to Your Pet in care of LifeStyles, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto, CA 95352.)

(All About Animals is a weekly blog that appears on Venangoextra.com and Clarionextra.com. Interested persons or groups can submit information to bigdogs.thederrick@gmail.com. More information about the blog is available by contacting Anna Applegate at 814-677-8364.)