Paw Prints Points: April 2011 Edition

Welcome Friends!

Despite April 15, this month is a great month!  Everything is in bloom, the weather is gorgeous, the grass is a saturated, emerald green color, and all of the animals are ecstatic with the mild temperatures.

FABULOUS FELINES

KOOL K-9s

RAINBOW BRIDGE

In an effort to showcase a place online that has been helping thousands of grieving pet owners for years now, we introduce you to Rainbow Bridge:  An online community dedicated to helping pet owners get through the loss of their beloved pets by their mutual love for animals.

The founder of Rainbow Bridge, Ginny Brancato, wanted a place to share her pet’s story, as well as, help others.   So, she founded Rainbow Bridge.  It’s a place dedicated to pet lovers all around the world who need a central place to meet and share their grief.  You can dedicate a poem or story to your pet, thereby allowing others to have a glimpse of the character and person your pet was.  The step to your heart created by your pet’s eulogy, furnishes your new-found friends on Rainbow Bridge, a solid step that they can take in order to get to know you and your beloved pet who crossed over.

When your loneliness is at its most palpable, Rainbow Bridge is the place that can reduce its pulse.

If you aren’t going through a pet loss at the moment, consider yourself fortunate.  For every day with the ones we love is nothing short of a gift from God.  And, though you may have your pet by your side this very hour, consider logging on to Rainbow Bridge to help others who just need to talk to someone because they have lost their dear friend.

We thank Rainbow Bridge for providing such a warm, inviting place where anyone can go to get through their heart’s winter storm.

TRAVELING WITH PETS

If you’re going to be traveling with your pet soon, a great little “tool” to take with you is an emergency kit.

You can either buy the kits already fashioned together with everything you need (a huge variety of pet kits can be found here http://www.first-aid-product.com/consumer/pet.htm), or you can simple create one yourself.

If you decide to design one yourself, here’s a link to  useful materials that you will want to make sure you include http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/veterinaryqa/f/FirstAidKits.htm.

Additional items we believe you need to include in your kit (we couldn’t find these items listed in the About’s Vet Medicine link above) are as follows:

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• A current copy of your pet’s vaccination records (especially dogs)
• Reflective devices such as reflective collars and leashes just in case something happens at night
• At least two days worth of medication if your pet is on such
• A toy for your pet to keep his/her attention on something positive and to reduce their pent-up energy (by playing). For dogs, a tennis ball would be a good thing to have in there as an example. And, for cats, a laser pointer for cats would be great.

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Having this kit, and written emergency instructions or booklet straight from a veterinarian, is like having your veterinarian in your back pocket for when emergencies arise.  Of course, this kit doesn’t substitute the need for seeking veterinary care but, in most cases, it will provide you with tools to address emergencies head-on until you can get your pet to a veterinarian.

Pack Style Tip: If you’re creating your own pack, make sure to check out packs that you can carry on your back or waist. The little bags with handles are great but they’re not so convenient when you’re on extended dog hikes (the type of hike where it doesn’t warrant carrying a full backpack but long enough to where carrying a little bag with two handles would become annoying). This tip is just from personal experience over the years.

Happy Traveling!

2011 KCRA A-LIST COMPETITION

We can’t believe it but it’s that time of year when KCRA starts their A-List Competition. This competition involves businesses in and around the Sacramento-area. You–as the voter–are able to choose your favorite business from any category listed, so make sure to get to KCRA’s website to vote for your favorite businesses. And, if you’re so inclined, please take a moment to vote for us KYPSAH on KCRA not because we’re asking you to, but only if you believe us to be worthy of winning this competition based on our service to you and your fur-kids.

For those of you who do decide to vote for us, we are incredibly honored and sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

EASTER ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR PETS

We have a great time at Easter with our pets!  Though egg-hunting is a special time for kids, it can also be a special time for our furry companions, too.  Of course, dressing up as a bunny is completely optional…hehe.

Here are just a few activity ideas that you can do with your cats or dogs.

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• 1. Just like kids, fill a few plastic eggs with treats and hide the eggs. You’ll have a great time watching them scout them out.
• 2. Instead of hiding just the plastic eggs alone, you can hide them in an Easter basket that they have to find. When they find their basket, they find their treats, toys, etc.
• 3. Carve out some time to take a nice stroll with your dogs or special lap-time with your cats.
• 4. Spend some quality time with your pet and create a new Easter tradition for your furry family companions.
• 5. If you have children, it’s fun to have the pets involved in the egg-hunt, too. You could have a competition on who finds the most eggs: Your pet(s) or your children 😉

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GETTING YOUR DOG TO EAT

Oftentimes, we pet owners spend a great deal of money trying to get our dogs to eat. We buy them every pet food known to mankind, and even cook their food.  However, they still won’t eat.  Here are a few suggestions that we’ve found helpful in turning your photosynthetic dog into a four-legged eating machine (including our own over the years).

1. If at all possible, exercise your dogs before feeding them.

If you don’t have the time to walk them, or the weather is too bad, consider purchasing a cheap but sturdy treadmill.  A good 20-minutes on the treadmill (the time and speed will be contingent upon your dog’s personal fitness and energy level) usually does the trick!

The dog’s language and mentality hasn’t changed throughout the years.  In the wild, they’re used to walking many miles a day to obtain food.  This behavior remains the same even if they’re domesticated companions living with you in your home.

2. Don’t free-feed your dog

Have two specific mealtimes per day for your dog (breakfast and dinner are usually pretty common mealtimes for dogs in conjunction with possibly a snack throughout the day, including but not limited, too, rawhides, bullysticks and/or real bones depending on your dog’s personal health and digestion needs).  If they don’t eat their food within 20-minutes, pull it up and don’t feed them until dinner time–save for a small snack as listed above.

3. Calmly make your dog’s food

Occasionally, when we’re mixing our dog’s food, we’re thinking about many things and some of those things are stressful.  Don’t transfer your negative, stressful feelings to your dog.  Your dog is in-tune with you.  What you feel on the inside, is often what they project or express on the outside.  Consequently, when you’re mixing your dog’s food, think happy thoughts (yep, thinking of the movie “Hook” here).

Make eating a relaxing, joyful time for your dog by being the calm, soothing force your dog needs you to be 🙂

4. Make your dog sit before putting the food bowl down

Again, feeding your dog should be a joyful, calm occasion.  You should be in charge and dictate when your dog eats, how much and so forth. Therefore, make your dog sit before placing his food bowl down.  When he is sitting calmly, then sit the bowl down continuing to keep him in a sitting position.  When it is okay for him to eat, then give the word (“Okay” or whatever word you want to use to signal that it’s okay for him to start eating).

Following these four simple suggestions often makes a world of difference!

Happy Easter!

Since Easter falls in April as well, it’s even extra special this year. Easter is a very special time for our family. For us, Easter represents the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And, though we have cute little, traditional Easter graphics up, our family never wants to overlook the Good News…the real reason behind Easter, at least as far as we are concerned. So, on this note, we wish you, your family and your fur-kids an awesome Easter!