Don’t give up, some animals are found months after being lost!

Tips for finding your pet:

Check your neighborhood.

• Walk around your neighborhood as you call your pet.
• Carry some food to lure your pet out from a hiding place.
• Carry your pet’s leash – you don’t want to be unprepared!
• Ask everyone if they have seen your pet. Carry a recent pet photo. Make sure that everyone knows your pet is missing. A small reward will motivate people to search.
• Drive around your neighborhood at night.
• Create a social media post about your lost pet.
• Make a poster about your missing pet.
• Buy a newspaper ad to let people know that you’ve lost your pet.

Check the Animal Shelters

• We recommend you check for your pet by coming to the shelter. Bring with you a detailed description of your pet and/or a picture for identification.
• Contact other animal shelters and services in your area.

We sincerely wish you a happy ending to your story.

Buy grooming tools and practice regular grooming at home or with a professional.

Some things to consider when feeding your pet:

• Buy rustproof dishes
• Clean dishes twice a day
• Keep dishes accessible to pets, not household traffic
• Schedule mealtimes with consistent portions; this minimizes your pet’s anxiety and encourages housebreaking.
• Check the bag of your feed for guidance on portions according to age and weight.
• Keep fresh water available at all times.
• Use treats in moderation for behavior modification and training.

Did you know that cats and dogs are allergic to chocolate and dairy products?

This article can teach you more about which foods are toxic to cats: https://www.webmd.com/pets/cats/top-10-cat-poisons

Check this article out for more details about what is toxic to dogs: https://www.webmd.com/pets/dogs/ss/slideshow-foods-your-dog-should-never-eat

You should maintain a variety of toys.

Toys provide extra exercise and entertainment for you and your pet.

It is important to give your dog plenty of exercise.

Dogs enjoy play time with toys.

Daily walks are also good exercise for both you and your dog.

Be sure to be a responsible owner when walking. Always scoop and bag dog feces.

This is a subject that is open to much debate. The short answer is: ATTACK ON ALL FRONTS AND NEVER GIVE UP!

Spray the yard, spray and flea-bomb the house, flea bathe the cat or dog and then use either powders/sprays of one of the new spot-on products (Advantage or Frontline). The powders/sprays need daily application, while the spot-on products are applied monthly.

It may take a few months to see good results, but the war can be won. BE DETERMINED!

When possible, yes! Carriers help keep both you and your pet safe while traveling.

Pets should always be properly restrained during transport.

Dogs:

Dogs like a consistent place to sleep such as a dog bed or a cage that is large enough for them to turn around or stretch.

Puppies need a place to stretch and grow. Adjust the pet bed size with your puppy’s growth.

Cats:

Older cats independently choose where they sleep. Kittens may feel more secure in their own bed.

Sample bed: Cardboard box on the ground floor, lined with an old towel or clothing. Neo- Kittens will need a hot water bottle or a small heating pad. The bed must be long enough for the cat to stretch out. Wash and/or change bedding frequently.

Store bought litter comes in many varieties. Cats coming from our shelter use non-scented pellets. Make sure to make a gradual change in their litter for a successful transition.

Litter for kittens should be unscented and non-clumping up to 8 weeks old.

Make sure the litterbox is easily accessible and private in a permanent location.

Litterboxes should be large enough for your cat to turn around and dig in.

Yes. A leash helps keep your pet safe and in control from strangers, children, other dogs and from their own instincts to run away when they feel frightened or threatened.

If the shelter finds a pet with a collar and identification on it, our Front Desk Ambassador makes every effort to contact the owner and tell them that their pet is at our shelter. The less time your pet spends at the shelter, the less it will cost you to redeem it and the faster you will be reunited.

Micro-chipping is permanent and a great addition to I.D. tags. Most shelters and veterinary clinics will check for micro-chips in animals. The number is entered into a national database which helps to “match-up” owners with their pets.

Proper pet care can be expensive. Ask your vet about Pet Insurance.

Start a savings account for your pet.

When life challenges you with change, make sure you have appointed a Pet Guardian.

Keep pets out of shelters. Keep them in the loving arms of a Family.

A pet first aid kit should include these items:

• large and small bandages
• scissors
• tweezers
• cotton swabs
• antibiotic ointment
• hydrogen peroxide (to induce vomiting or clean deep wounds)
• elastic tape
• eye wash (saline)
• ear-cleaning solutions
• K-Y Jelly (water soluble)
• any special medications prescribed by your veterinarian

This could mean a change in their health that requires special treatment and the assistance of a veterinarian!

Pets need scheduled vet visits.

Build a relationship with your vet. Be prepared for when an illness or mishap occurs. Prevention is the best course of action! Keep your pets up to date on vaccinations and flea/tick prevention. Puppy or kitty proof your home and yard.

Proper veterinary care includes:

• Schedule yearly wellness checks and vaccinations
• Follow all instructions for medications
• Keep your vet’s regular and emergency phone numbers programmed into your phone in case of emergencies

When it comes to your pet… your phone can be your next best friend!

Did you know that there are apps on your phone that will give you instant advice? By searching in the App Store, you will be able to find instant advice and information that will help you and your pet.

Some search topics are:

• Animal Poison
• Animal Magazines
• Finding a Lost Pet
• Flyers for a Lost Pet
• Ordering Pet Food

and many more ….

Get smart when it comes to media… many newspapers now have news about pets!

Trusted pet health websites:

The Humane Society of the United States

Veterinary Partner

Banfield Pet Hospital

WebMd Pets

petMD

PetHealthNetwork

MedlinePlus Pet Health

Cats use their claws to exercise, play, stretch, climb, hunt and mark their territory. Although your cat might use your hands or furniture for these activities, declawing in NOT the answer. Declawing is a painful and difficult operation. It is the same as removing the first joint on all of your fingers. It impairs the cat’s balance and causes weakness from muscular disuse. Declawed cats are defenseless. Cats need their claws for protection. You may know that your indoor cat will never have to climb a tree in order to escape the neighbor’s dog, but your cat doesn’t know it. Declawing makes a cat feel insecure and defenseless. It is radical to cut off so many parts of the body to prevent such a simple behavior problem.

In addition, declawing destroys one of the cat’s most enjoyable activities – climbing. It is natural for cats to scratch. It is perfectly normal feline behavior. It is unfair and inhumane to punish a cat for acting like a cat. The stress resulting from being declawed creates more problems than it allegedly solves. Some declawed cats become more nervous biters; others are known to become even more destructive to furniture than before the operation, and many cats stop using the litter box.

There are alternatives to declawing. Exercise and play with your cat regularly. Give him a scratching post and teach him to use it. See the sheet on “Scratching Furniture” enclosed in your adoption packet.

• Temporarily confine your cat to a small area where he does not have access to your furniture. A few days in a room with a litter box, food, water and of course a scratching post is much more humane than declawing.
• Trim your cat’s nails on a regular basis. The curved tip of the claw is the part that hooks into fabric, rugs, etc., and causes the most damage. If your cat is scratching you in play, see the sheet on “Biting and Scratching” enclosed in your adoption packet.

Raccoons, skunks and bats carry rabies. A raccoon can carry canine (dog) distemper and have an intestinal parasitic worm that causes severe disease if it infects humans. Do not handle a raccoon or touch its feces. Vaccinate your pet for distemper and rabies and keep them on a leash when in areas where raccoons are living.

Additionally, pigeon feces can be a source of fungal spores which can cause diseases in humans and animals.

There have been several studies over the years on this subject. They have all found that, even when done at two months of age, spaying and neutering puppies and kittens does not harm them and greatly decreases the pet overpopulation problem.

All animals adopted from the shelter are required by law to be spayed or neutered. Early age neutering and spaying also virtually eliminates mammary (breast) cancer and testicular cancer and will reduce any future prostate problems. THERE IS NO GOOD REASON NOT TO SPAY OR NEUTER!

Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks and causes inflamed joints, fever and systemic illness. It can be costly and difficult to treat.

There is a vaccination for dogs that will help prevent this disease and it is recommended any pet owner to ask your vet about the vaccination.

Using flea powders/sprays or the spot-on Frontline or Advantix will help kill the ticks.

Heartworm is a parasitic disease of dogs and cats that causes heart failure. The mature worms live in the chambers of the heart and the larvae are in the blood. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes. There is a blood test that your vet can do to see if your pet has heartworm and medicine the vet can prescribe to prevent the pet from getting heartworm.

If your pet travels outside the city, it is a good idea to see your vet and get on the preventative medication.

Treatment for heartworm disease is costly and can be harmful to the pet so prevention is definitely a better alternative.

Dogs:

Pediatric spaying or neutering is dependent on the breed of the dog, but can be as early as 2 months old as mating begins before 12 months.

Cats:

Spaying or neutering may begin at 2 months, but kittens must weigh at least 2 pounds as mating age begins before 12 months.

Dogs:

• Corona
• Lyme Disease
• Bordetella
• DHLPP (distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza and parvo virus)
• Rabies

Cats:

• FVRCP (feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia)
• FIP (feline infectious peritonitis)
• Rabies

The Red Cross shelters do not accept pets. Prepare a list of backup arrangements such as homes of friends and family, hotels that allow pets, boarding facilities, veterinarians and/or shelters.

Secure all bird cages and aquariums. These items may move and/or break during a disaster. Secure them on low stands or tables. Tighten the latch on your birdcage so that the door cannot be shaken open easily.

It is generally not recommended that you leave your pet behind during an evacuation. If you must, follow these guidelines to help ensure your pet’s safety.

• Post a highly visible sign in a window to let rescue workers know how many pets were left behind.
• Leave plenty of water in a large open container that cannot be tipped over.
• Leave plenty of food in timed feeders (check local pet supply stores). These will prevent your pet from overeating.
• Do not tie or cage your pet! The chances for survival are greater if he/she can escape easily.

The Red Cross has pet safety and disaster information online here.

You can call our shelter after hours and hear a list of important numbers including local police and the local dog warden at (814) 677-4040.

• Keep your pet’s license current.
• Make sure that collar and identification tags are worn at all times.
• Consider having a safe, permanent microchip implanted in your pet. This type of ID cannot fall off or be removed. Most veterinarians offer microchipping services to their customers.
• Train your pet to enter their carrier or crate at your command. Try putting your pet’s favorite treat in their carrier and sounding a bell at the same time. Repeat this process every day until your pet comes running at the sound of the bell. Continue this routine often enough to keep it fresh in your pet’s mind. This training will be extremely helpful when locating a frightened animal.
• Train your pet to be comfortable with being handled.
• Have your neighbors get to know your pets. Keep an updated list of their home and work phone numbers (remember to update these frequently).
• Select a Pet Guardian who will be ready to assist should a disaster occur when you are not at home. Make sure this person spends much of their time at home, or that they work within walking distance of your neighborhood.
• Select one or two backup Pet Guardians in case the primary person is not available.

A prepared disaster kit, kept in a safe and easily accessible place, will enable you to provide immediate care to your pet in an emergency. A calm, well trained pet, who is either on a leash, or in a carrier, will be more welcome wherever you go.

• Sturdy crate or pet carrier
• Identification tag and collar
• Leash
• Food and water – 7-day supply for each pet
• Non-spill bowls
• Litter box and litter
• Any special medications
• Manual can opener and plastic lid
• Pet’s vaccination history
• Recent photos of each pet
• Pet First-Aid book
• Pet First-Aid Kit
• Phone number of a local emergency veterinary hospital
• Phone number of your local animal shelter
• Long-term confinement equipment: chains, cable-runs, tie out stakes, portable caging
• Large plastic bags for pet cleanup
• Emergency phone number