April is a month for raising awareness about preventing animal cruelty. There are a number of ways that you can help. By following some of the measures below and encouraging others to do the same, we can work together to help improve the lives of our animal friends. These steps in the right direction often help others make a change in their choices also.
Buy cage-free eggs and grass-fed beef. Buying cruelty-free products helps endorse companies that make an effort to treat their animals with respect. Additionally, often these products are much better for you and less packed with artificial growth hormones or other unhealthy substances. Whenever possible buy directly from local farmers in your communities.
April showers bring May flowers and April also brings awareness to a couple of pet health problems that can be prevented. The American Veterinary Medical Association (www.avma.org) offers the following information about these two very serious canine health problems.
April is Lyme Disease Prevention in Dogs Month and National Heartworm Awareness Month.
These two diseases are becoming more serious in our canine friends here in northern New
England than they were in the past.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (www.avma.org) reminds us that March brings Poison Prevention Week, March 15 to 21.
While the emphasis may well focus on raising awareness about household items that are poisonous to children, it’s important to remember that many things in the home are also poisonous to our pets – cats, dogs and yes, even birds and other pets. The AVMA advises that raisins and grapes can be fatal to our canine family members and some plants, such as lilies are poisonous for our feline friends. Some kinds of nuts, such as macadamia nuts can cause paralysis in dogs and sadly, the most potent poisons for our pets are human medications. It’s important to know that many items commonly found in our homes can cause our loyal and beloved animal friends to become critically and perhaps even fatally ill. These items range from foods that they may enjoy eating, but shouldn’t, to cleaning chemicals and prescription drugs.
There are a number of reliable resources available to learn more about items commonly found in our homes that are poisonous to our pets.
February is Be a Responsible Pet Owner Month! There are a number of ways by which we can be “pawsome,” responsible pet parents. It takes lots of love and commitment. Bringing a pet into your home is a lifelong relationship and there are a few basic steps to showing how much you care.
Everyone at Pope Memorial Frontier Animal Shelter wants the holidays to be a happy time for you and your pet and not a time for an emergency visit to your veterinarian. The food and decorations that make the holidays so much fun for us can sometimes be hazardous for our pets. We want you to be aware of some of these hazards so that you can plan accordingly and prevent any potential problems. When in doubt, common sense is always a good strategy!