4 Legs & a Tail NR Fall 2021

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Fall 2021

Celebrate National Cat Day The Joy of Petsitting The Blessing of a Horse When Your Pet Goes Missing Advances in Canine Cancer

Inside this issue of 4 Legs & a Tail

®

3. National Cat Day

Pg. 9

Here are some ideas for a special day with your favorite feline

5. What to Do When Your Pet Goes Missing Dorothea Hasselmann

8. Join Pet Food Warehouse in the Continuing Wag It Forward Mission September 26th, 2021 at the Champlain Valley Exposition! Don't miss a full day of family fun at the region's best pet show

9. Dog Mountain 20th Anniversary Celebration Dog Party! 2020 marked the 20th anniversary of the Dog Chapel at Dog Mountain

10. Pets Need Clean Air Too! 13. The Ping-Pong Ball

Heather Brouillard

Pg. 18

Lisa Vear

Is it a ping-pong ball or a turtle egg?

16. "I'm Afraid of Anesthesia for My Pet" Sandra Waugh, VMD, MS

It's a fear many of us have, but is it really warranted?

18. Alternatively Speaking: The Veterinarian/ Client Relationship Dr. Anne Carroll DVM, CVA A behind-the-scene look at a veterinary office during the pandemic

20. Oral Care For Your New Family Member Emily Sullivan, DVM 21. Cancer in Canines: A Scary Proposition, but Advances Everyday Peter Kenseth and Holly Kenseth 22. Joys and Challenges of Pet Sitting Karen Sturtevant

Pg. 22

Fuel for thought if you ever considered a career as a pet sitter

25. My One Word

Susan Miller

What makes horses such a blessing

26. Isabelle Cindy Chaffee and Felicia Welton The tale of one Retriever and her adventures in Vermont 27. Daisy Delight Susann King RN 28. Consider Foster Care Pat Jauch How even short-term love can make a huge difference

4 Legs & a Tail Volume N.321 P.O. Box 841 Lebanon, NH 03766

Publishers: Tim Goodwin, Tim Hoehn Office Manager: Beth Hoehn

603-727-9214

Graphic Design: Kristin Wolff

TimH.4LT@gmail.com

Sales: Scott Palzer, Rebecca Smedy

Fall 2021

If you have a tale about a tail or a photo that will make us smile, we’d like to hear from you. 4 Legs & a Tail is published quarterly and distributed free of charge throughout Northern and Western VT and Northern NH. 4 Legs & a Tail, Inc. is locally owned and operated and acts as a moderator without approving, disapproving or guaranteeing the validity or accuracy of any data or claim.

Any reproduction in whole or part is prohibited.

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October 29, 2021 NATIONAL CAT DAY TIMELINE 4000 B.C.

CATS WORSHIPPED

BY EGYPTIANS

Considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians, many pictures and statues of cats have been passed down through the millennia.

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ational Cat Day is celebrated on October 29. It was created by Colleen Paige to bring awareness to the number of cats that need to be rescued each year.

Cats remind us that just when you think they’ve lost interest in you, they’ll turn around and melt your hearts. When it appears they’re too busy staring out at passing cars, chasing nylon mice, and sending tiny multi-colored balls to their under-the-refrigerator graves, they’ll somehow let you know that their very

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500 B.C.

CATS REVERED BY THE SONG DYNASTY

The first cat is given to the emperor of China and quickly becomes a popular pet among the rich.

100 A.D.

CATS TAKE A PERMANENT EUROPEAN VACATION

Egyptian traders introduce cats to Europeans, specifically the Greeks and Romans, who use them as pest control.

world revolves around you. Just wait. did not happen overnight. Cats did not It’ll happen when you least expect it. go from wild beasts to softly purring pets — just, sort of, one day.

Cats have their own timetable.

Per National Geographic: “DNA analysis suggests that cats lived for thousands WHEN IS NATIONAL CAT DAY 2021?

National Cat Day is obser ved on of years alongside humans before they October 29 each year with the same were domesticated. During that time, holiday being celebrated in Canada their genes have changed little from on August 8. those of wildcats, apart from picking up one recent tweak: the distinctive HISTORY OF NATIONAL CAT DAY stripes and dots of the tabby cat.”

Lifestyle writer Colleen Paige has Another study from University of taken credit for establishing Nation- Rome scholar Claudio Ottoni reveals al Cat Day in 2005. Her stated mission: that ancient sailors would bring cats “To help galvanize the public to recog- along to “help protect food storages on nize the number of cats that need to be board by killing rodents. This allowed rescued each year and also to encour- cats to spread across the world.” age cat lovers to celebrate the cat(s) in We’re glad they spread. Like dogs, their lives for the unconditional love and who get all the credit for being lovable, companionship they bestow upon us.” cats feel everything we do. They can We cat-egorically believe her. She appears gauge our moods and emotions — and to love all cats — domestic and feral — act accordingly. They have also given and we’re certainly in favor of that. up a lot of their natural cravings to live Science magazine reports that cat in homes and apartments. (Especially domestication goes back 12,000 years. indoor cats.)

That encompasses a lot of toys and even Take a moment on National Cat Day more naps. The process appears to have to appreciate all the love they bring. taken place in the Middle East — think Yes, they’re on the aloof side, but they’ve Israel, Iraq, and Lebanon. Domestication come a long way.

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THE NUMBERS 34.9% 14.2%

Cats are so chatty

Although cats are primarily nonverbal communicators, they will talk to you — if you talk to them. The more you talk to your cat, the more she will respond back to you. You may both be talking about totally different things, but there's definitely a conversation going on there.

45.8%

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Cats Are Easy to Maintain

They can clean themselves, use a litter box, and don't need outdoor exercise.

Cats can somehow adapt seamlessly to any home environment, from a small one-bedroom apartment in the city to a spacious cottage in the country.

5.10%

ARE YOU A CAT OR A DOG PERSON?

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CAT DAY

A Schnoz That's One of a Kind “I’m a cat person”

“I love dogs & cats equally”

“I’m a dog person”

“I don’t like animals”

Have you ever closely examined a cat's nose? Those bumps and ridges are exclusive to each individual cat and can be used as an identifier— just like a fingerprint can be used to identify a human.

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WHICH FOOD BRAND DO YOU FEED YOUR CAT? Meow Mix Natural Balance Royal Canin IAMS Taste of Wild Hill’s Science Diet Purina Blue Buffalo Fancy Feast 9Lives WholeHearted Nature’s Recipe Friskies Other 0

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NATIONAL CAT DAY "Time spent with cats is never wasted."

- Sigmund Freud: Neurologist, Psychoanalyst

THE FACTS 44% More than four-in-ten people surveyed own at least one cat! 57% of these cat owners have just one.

NATIONAL CAT DAY ACTIVITIES Adopt a Cat

National Cat Day is all about raising awareness of shelter cats and reducing the number of unwanted cats that flood shelters every day. What better way to celebrate National Cat Day than by adopting a cat from your local shelter?

Donate to Your Local Shelter

Can't adopt a cat? You can still improve the lives of your local shelter cats.

Consider donating food, blankets, or toys to your local shelter or other animal welfare organization. Those kitties living in shelters will feel a bit more comfortable while they're waiting for their forever homes.

Volunteer at Your Local Shelter

Shelter cats need love too. Stop by your local shelter and volunteer to play with the kittens, clean their spaces, scoop their litter boxes, and help with any other chores. Your visit is sure to be a bright spot in any shelter cat's day.

46% Just under half of people surveyed responded say that they tell their cats "I love you."

25% A quarter of people surveyed stated that their cat is their best friend.

NATIONAL CAT DAY - SURVEY RESULTS Info gathered by one of the top Boston PR Firms

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What To Do When Your Pet Goes Missing Dorothea Hasselmann, MHS Shelter Tech

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as Fluffy or Fido suddenly gone missing?

You’re worried and don’t know what to do next.

But, as hard as it might be when your family pet runs off, it’s important to try to remain calm.

Last year, Monadnock Humane Society had a reunification rate of approximately 78% for our stray canine friends and almost 11% for our stray feline friends. These are positive statistics, but how can we increase these rates? Here are some guidelines using a recent cat recovery story with many important lessons and a very happy ending.

Where do you begin? Start your search by contacting neighbors, ask them to be on the lookout, and notify you immediately if they see your pet. Then, contact your local animal control officer, your local veterinary hospitals, and animal shelters as well. If your pet is lost somewhere within Cheshire county, call Monadnock Humane Society and submit a lost pet report. Granite State Dog Recovery is another wonderful resource for your missing pooch, and of course, if your animal is microchipped, contact the microchip company. Additionally, social media outlets such as Facebook can also play a big role because lost pet posts can be easily shared throughout the community and beyond. After completing the items on this list, post the information regarding your lost pet on local “lost and found” websites. Tenthousandeyes.org is one of these tools and can also be of great assistance. It allows you to post a picture of your pet and other detailed information (type of pet, name, color, weight, location lost, etc.) where it can be easily viewed by all visitors to the website.

It’s important to know that many animals will remain close to where they’ve gone missing. Cats will usually stay within a 200-yard radius of their home during the first 48-72 hours of getting lost.

Most house cats, who have never been outside, will often be scared and confused. They’ll try to find a quiet location, such as under a shed or deck, to crawl into or huddle under. Along with checking small spaces, check nearby trees as the feline may have climbed up to find safety. It is also a best practice to leave their litter box outside as well as some of their favorite food (but make sure that a wild animal cannot get to it!) If you have access to a trail cam, you can set it up in the area. This will allow you to see your pet if they visit for food or use of the litter box...even at night. If you notice that your pet is returning to the same spot, at the same time every night, you could set up a “Have-a-Heart” trap to safely lure it inside and secure him/ her until you can get there and recover them.

Here is the story of Django, an indoor/outdoor cat, who has lived with his family for 17 years but still ran off. He knew his territory well and would usually stay close to home.

But, when a family member came to visit with their active dog, they noticed that Django was not around like he usually was. They assumed he was staying clear of the home because of the dog, but after he was missing for a few days, they began to worry. The owners checked with their neighbors about any sightings and they also went looking in the woods where Django would sometimes roam. They checked MHS’s website but didn’t see him listed there. After three weeks, they began to give up hope and thought that because of his age, he had wandered away to find a quiet spot to pass away. Little did they know, a Good Samaritan spotted Django, picked him up, and brought him to MHS. When he was not reclaimed quickly, the MHS veterinary staff gave him a medical exam and treated him for a fatty lump on his chin. After his mass was surgically removed and he had healed, he was put up for adoption. Once again, the family was browsing the MHS adoption page for a new cat and that’s when they saw him…Django, their missing cat!!! They came to MHS that same day and reclaimed him, happy to know he was still alive, and happy to see his lump had been removed!

The lesson here is to never give up your search or assume that your pet has wandered away to die or even something worse-- like being attacked by a wild animal. Most of the stray cats that come into MHS are never reclaimed by their owners. Remember to always Continued Next Page

Check out our online database for missing pets: www.tenthousandeyes.org Fall 2021

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Check out our online database for missing pets:

www.tenthousandeyes.org check (and keep checking) with any animal welfare organizations in your area to see if your pet is eventually brought in.

In the case of a missing dog, it’s important not to chase them. Even a casual walk during the search can push them further away from home. Lost pets usually stay pretty close to where they’ve gone missing, however, they can potentially end up

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at great distances due to well-intended people attempting to catch them. When loose, even the best-trained dog can become highly excitable and very distracted. Their fight or flight instinct takes over and that is when their pursuer can be viewed as a predator. This behavior is hard for an owner, in this situation, to understand. When an owner is trying to catch their loose dog, work from a distance, don’t move abruptly, approach quickly, nor have your back turned; and don’t speak until the dog is interested in approaching on their own terms. Social, confident dogs are easier to recover versus those that are shy, anxious, and frightened.

Another, somewhat unknown challenge that exists is when a dog has not been crate trained. This is because they do not recognize the trap (which closely resembles a crate) as a safe space. Crate training is recommended for this (and other) reasons… even if, under normal conditions in your home, they will never use it. Dogs tend to build routines very quickly, they will try to find shelter and water, and then food as

Django

needed. They often travel between dusk and dawn because there are fewer people around. Remember to respect their space and monitor for new, emerging routines.

Once a routine is established and identified, a feeding station can be set and a camera can be added to the area. If you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable handling this on your own, seek the help of a professional pet tracker.

To assist with recovering your pet, it is important to make sure to document as much information as you can. Remember to note the day and time they went missing, what caused the animal to run off, and how they were acting at that moment. Other tips to use as you work to bring your pet home include leaving a piece of bedding outside in the area where your pet was last seen and keeping a shed or garage door open wide enough for your pet to access. Especially during colder months, providing a warm area for them to retreat to will help them get out of the elements and retain body heat.

Always listen for random barking; some disoriented dogs will bark to try and get housemate dogs to bark back. Housemate dogs can also help in recovering a lost pet by spreading scent around.

Lastly, microchip your cat or dog. Microchips don’t operate like a GPS and can’t tell you your pet’s whereabouts but if a Good Samaritan brings a stray animal to a shelter or a vet hospital, they will scan for a microchip. This increases the chances of being quickly reunited with your missing pet. If your animal is microchipped, make sure to keep your registration information current and accessible in case they do get lost.

Let’s all work together to increase our reunification statistics! Some of us are very familiar with that anxious feeling we get when a pet goes missing and then conversely, the tremendous relief we feel when they are back home with family!

Fall 2021

Fall 2021

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Pictured L to R: Olivia Fahr, Katelyn Blades, Alexis, Hannah Richard, Joel Dumas, Travis Germain, Andy Collins

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oin Pet Food Warehouse in the continuing Wag It Forward mission on September 26th, 2021 at the Champlain Valley Exposition!

Put on your futuristic shades, leash up your pets, and join Pet Food Warehouse for a nonprofit party of epic proportions!

PFW is excited to bring back the biggest dog-centric event in Vermont at the Champlain Valley Exposition from 10am to 4 pm on Sunday, September 26th. Tickets are only $5 each and kids under 12 (and pets) are free. All profits are split equally between the 28 participating local animal nonprofit groups. Plan on having a blast for a great cause! (Shorten your wait at the gate by buying tickets in advance at either location of Pet Food Warehouse.)

Last year, Covid had us pivot back into an in-store Wag It Forward fundraiser. Over a long weekend in October, 10% of sales at both Pet Food Warehouse stores were donated to the WIF Fund. We also had generous sponsorships from local Rock Star Real Estate/Keller Williams, the Pets Global Family of Brands, and Wellness Pet Food. Our amazing customer base donated over $8,000 in the month preceding the event. All told, despite Covid-19, we were able to donate $20,959 to 32 local animal nonprofit groups! We are amazed by what is possible when you “Keep Calm and WIF On”. The generosity of our pet communi-

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R: Pictured L to ton, Lucinda Ea ci, to Courtney An Eva Anders

ty is humbling, and we cannot wait to see everyone safely together again this fall.

For 2021, we are getting back on board with an outer space-themed Wag It Forward Festival while we stay safe and spaced out!

As in years past, Wag It Forward 2021 will launch off with the Chase Away Canine Cancer 5K fun run before the event; dog dock diving will be provided by Ultimate Air Dogs; live music will keep the atmosphere danceable with The Dog Catchers; local food vendors will provide rations and potent potables; and the Fun Zone showcases family-friendly activities for young, old, and furry voyagers alike… including a gravity-defying bounce course!

Come early to run in the 5K (register ahead of time at runsignup.com) at 9am and your bib gains you free entry to the festival activities that begin at 10am!

More of a catwalker than a runner? Checkin for the space-themed costume contest by 11:30am and strut your look and your pet’s look in the fashion show at noon for a chance to win one of 3 prize packages valued at $100 each!

Outfitted in theme, or not, swing by the free photo booth to get a souvenir of the day with your two and four-legged (or tentacled) friends. Plus, share pics of the day on social media with the hashtag #PFWWIF for a chance to win a $50 gift card to spend at Pet Food Warehouse.

Greet all 28 nonprofit groups that work tirelessly every day for animals in Vermont and explore the many pet-related vendors with a wide variety of premium pet products and foods, including some of our generous sponsors. We’d like to specifically thank these top sponsors for powering this mission with their support: Rocketeer Level: Pets Global Family of Brands (Essence, Fussie Cat, Inception, and Zignature) Sun Level: PLB International (Canadian manufacturer of Pronature Life and Pronature Holistic); Wellpet family of brands (Wellness, Whimzees, Sojos, Old Mother Hubbard, Holistic Select, and Eagle Pack); Oh my DOG daycare and boarding facility Jupiter Level: Andy & Audies natural pet chews; American Natural Premium; Fetch The Leash! Dog Behavior and Training; Identity Pet Nutrition; Triumph Pet Foods Saturn Level: Darford; Dominion Tech; Fido Biotics; Healthy Hemp Pet; Island Memorial; Koha; OC Raw; Oma’s Pride; Petmate; PetSafe; The Honest Kitchen; our friends at The Pour House; Vital Essentials; and the Windjammer Inn and Conference Center.

We can’t wait to Wag It Forward with you and your pets on a beautiful fall day. For more details about the event,visit www.pfwvt.com/wagitforward. For questions about the day’s events, please email wecare@pfwvt.com.

Fall 2021

Dog Mountain 20th Anniversary Celebration Dog Party!

Saturday, October 2nd, 2021 @ 12pm-4pm

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n Saturday, October 2nd, Dog Mountain, Home of Stephen Huneck Gallery, is hosting the 20th Anniversary Celebration Dog Party!

2020 marked the 20th anniversary of the Dog Chapel at Dog Mountain. Often considered Stephen Huneck’s greatest and most personal artistic contribution, the Dog Chapel was introduced to the world in 2000 as a symbol of peace, love, and remembrance. In the 20 years since, it has been transformed into a living piece of communal art and history, ever evolving with each new memorial of a beloved pet pinned to its overflowing walls. The Dog Chapel has become a unique and moving physical embodiment of the unending love people have to give.

Although 20th anniversary celebrations were delayed for a year due to the pandemic, Dog Mountain is excited to celebrate the anniversary -- and recent restoration of the Dog Chapel steeple and Angel Dog -- with a joyous Dog Party in 2021!

Come boogie to live music by Gulf Coast Blues artist, Shrimp Tunes. Snack on delicious eats from Tacos Del Reino and the Vermont Food Truck. Satisfy your sweet tooth with local treats from Makin’ Maple and other vendors. Participate in a variety of activities such as the fun-filled dog contests, lawn games, doggie agility course, magic show, raffle drawing, bounce house, and more!

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Come for the day to enjoy Dog Mountain’s 150 acres of doggie mountaintop paradise. Covered with fields and meadows, dog ponds, hiking trails, and breathtaking views, Dog Mountain is an enchanting location to run, romp, and play. Visiting families and their dogs will have a ball exploring the vast grounds, iconic Dog Chapel, and whimsical Stephen Huneck Gallery.

With hundreds of guests and dogs expected, this is an event that you don’t want to miss.

The 20th Anniversary Celebration Dog Party is free to the public and will be held rain or shine.

We want to give a special thanks to our Title Sponsor: The Orange Rind. Other sponsors include: Kingdom Animal Hospital, Community National Bank, Union Bank, and Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital.

Friends of Dog Mountain (FODM) is a nonprofit organization established in the spring of 2015 by friends and family of the late American artists Stephen & Gwen Huneck. Our mission is to steward and sustain the 150-acre Dog Mountain property in Vermont as a unique national treasure that honors the healing power of “dogs, nature, love, and art,” and to preserve and celebrate the important artistic contributions of Dog Mountain’s iconic creator, Stephen Huneck. www.dogmt.com

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Pets Need Clean Air Too! Heather Brouillard - Rutland Regional Medical Center

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t is well-known that smoking cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) cause damage to nearly every organ in the body. Smoking remains the leading cause of death in the United States and is responsible for 480,000 deaths per year, including 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. But did you know that secondhand and thirdhand smoke has just as detrimental an effect on pets? Each year, 58 million non-smoking Americans are exposed to secondhand smoke. If that many humans are affected, imagine the number of pets exposed.

Secondhand and thirdhand smoke exposure is unsafe at any level.

Secondhand smoke is from both the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke exhaled from your mouth. The effects of secondhand smoke have been studied for many years and most are aware of the dangers. However, thirdhand smoke is a newer concept that may be unknown to some.

Thirdhand smoke is the residue left on surfaces, clothing, and even pet fur by cigarettes and ENDS products. When talking about ENDS products, the content of the chemical residue left behind is still somewhat unknown. But what is known about the chemical compounds left behind is cause for concern. The aerosols produced

by ENDS products may produce higher levels of nicotine and other toxic chemicals as compared to combustible cigarettes.

Additionally, thirdhand smoke is nearly impossible to clean. Studies have shown that thirdhand smoke can still be present in the dust and on surfaces for months.

So how does this affect your pets? Nicotine and other chemicals from secondhand and thirdhand smoke can have serious health consequences for dogs, cats, small pets, and even fish. Dogs that live in smoking households can develop changes in their airways and lungs similar to smokers. Cases of nose and lung cancer are more prevalent in dogs continuously exposed to secondhand and thirdhand smoke. For cats, not only do they breathe in secondhand smoke like dogs, but their natural instinct to groom themselves exposes them Fall 2021

to the risk of ingesting thirdhand smoke and chemical residue that collects on their fur. Cats living in smoking households are two to four times more likely to develop aggressive mouth cancer.

Birds are very sensitive to air pollution, including chemicals from secondhand smoke. Birds are also at risk of exposure to thirdhand smoke through preening and absorption of chemicals through the feet. This can cause pneumonia, lung cancer, heart problems, allergies, and feather plucking. When exposed to secondhand and thirdhand smoke, small pets like guinea pigs develop cancer, pulmonary hypertension, and decreased weight gain. Even fish are not immune to the effects of nicotine exposure through secondhand and thirdhand smoke. Nicotine dissolves easily in water and is highly toxic to fish.

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Exposure to secondhand and thirdhand smoke is not the only hazard facing pets living with smokers. Accidental ingestion of cigarettes, cigarette butts, ENDS use capsules, and refill liquid can cause disastrous consequences from nicotine poisoning. Fatal doses of nicotine can be as little as 20 milligrams, while one combustible cigarette can contain 9 to 30 mg of nicotine. Capsules from ENDS products can contain twenty times the amount of nicotine as a cigarette.

With this knowledge, the best way to protect your pet is to eliminate their exposure to these sources of nicotine and carcinogenic chemicals. Even when you smoke or vape outside the home you still carry thirdhand smoke and chemicals in on your clothes and hair. Therefore, the best choice for your health and the health of your pet is to quit smoking and vaping. There are many resources available to help you.

Studies show that quitting with the support of counseling and medication can double or even triple your chances of successfully quitting. In Vermont, there are several different support options to help you quit. The in-person and virtual quit smoking groups offered through Blueprint for Health and facilitated locally through the Community Health Improvement team at Rutland Regional Medical Center offers weekly group counseling and support to help you quit cigarettes and other tobacco

products. Enrollment in the Tobacco Treatment workshop qualifies you for free or reduced-cost nicotine replacement. There are also more self-governed quit support options available through 1-800-QUITNOW and 802Quits.org, and through these options, you may also qualify for free nicotine replacement. However you choose to make your quit attempt, there is a support that is right for you. Do it for yourself and for your furry friend.

For more info about the available quit smoking support please reach out to the Tobacco Treatment Program at Rutland Regional Medical Center, 802.747.3768, or email us at smp@rrmc.org.

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e r u t a n g i Z Select Cuts A

well-balanced diet, backed by delicious ingredients and protein rich meats is exactly what your dog craves.

Pets Global Inc., our family-owned company based out of Southern California, is founded on a passion for animal welfare and is dedicated to creating quality pet food that pet owners feel confident putting into their furry friends’ bowls. Our family of brands includes Zignature, Fussie Cat, Essence Pet Foods, and Inception Pet Foods—each made to go the extra mile for both pets and pet parents.

Zignature

Zignature is our brand of dog food made to meet the nutritional needs of your furry friend. We set out to create one of the

best dog foods on the market by creating delicious formulas made with quality meat, poultry, or fish protein first, and wholesome ingredients.

Zignature’s menu is jam-packed with a variety of protein options to choose from.

Our Zignature Original line is made with our meat-first, limited ingredient philosophy, and is available in 13 unique protein options. While our Zignature Select Cuts line continues with our meat-first philosophy, bound with wholesome grains like oats, millet, and quinoa, and is available in 3 unique protein options to choose from.

Zignature Select Cuts

Zignature continues its solution-based philosophy with the addition of Zignature Select Cuts. Each Zignature Select Cuts Formula is made with quality meat, poultry, or fish protein as the very first ingredient and is bound together with wholesome grains like oats, millet, and quinoa. We round out each Zignature Select Cuts Formula with a variety of wholesome ingredients and essential vitamins made specifically for Pets Global Inc. Within our Zignature Select Cuts line, your canine companion has options! Among this delicious line of quality, well-balanced dog food is 3 tasty and unique formulas tailored to your dog’s tastebuds: Lamb and Lamb Meal Formula, Trout & Salmon Meal Formula, and Turkey Formula.

Rich in Fiber and Easily Digestible Formulas

Thoughtfully sourced, wholesome grains like oats, millet, and quinoa round out our delicious Zignature Select Cuts Formulas. These healthy grains are rich in fiber and can aid in helping your dog feel full throughout the day. All our oats, millet, quinoa, sunflower meal, flaxseed, and sunflower oil that go into Zignature Select Cuts Formulas are sourced from the United States and Canada.

Zignature Select Cuts Formulas:

Lamb & Lamb Meal Formula Zignature Select Cuts Lamb & Lamb Meal Formula is made with Lamb and Lamb Meal as the very first ingredients. Then, it’s followed up with healthy grains like oats, millet, and quinoa. Finally, it’s rounded out with a variety of wholesome ingredients and essential vitamins made specifically for Pets Global. Our Lamb & Lamb Meal Formula is packed with flavor and truly a canine favorite. Not only is this formula packed with flavor, but it’s also rich in quality protein which can help support your dog on their daily adventures.

Trout & Salmon Meal Formula Zignature Select Cuts Trout & Salmon Meal Formula is made with Trout and Salmon Meal as the very first ingredients. Then, it’s followed up with oats and millet. Finally, it’s rounded out with a variety of wholesome ingredients and essential vitamins made specifically for Pets Global. This seafood medley is perfect for our canine friends who crave all the fish flavors. Trout and salmon meal are also rich in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which can help maintaining a healthy skin and coat.

Turkey Formula Zignature Select Cuts Turkey Formula is made with Turkey and Turkey Meal as the very first ingredients. Then, it’s followed up with healthy grains like oats and millet. Finally, it’s rounded out with a variety of wholesome ingredients and essential vitamins made specifically for Pets Global. Turkey is an excellent protein source that is rich in protein and low in saturated fats, making this delicious formula a great option for your dog.

Thoughtfully Sourced Zignature Select Cuts Ingredients

What goes into your dog’s food matters. Each of our Zignature Formulas are made with thoughtfully sourced ingredients from trusted farmers and fishermen around the world to provide your dog with a nutrient packed, protein rich diet.

Turkey........... Our Turkey comes from the United States Lamb................ Our Lamb comes from New Zealand Trout.............. Our Trout comes from the United States

Confident Feeding with Zignature Select Cuts

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Each of our Zignature Select Cuts Formulas are carefully crafted so that you can feel confident about what you’re putting in your furry friend’s bowl. Zignature Select Cuts is made with quality meat first, paired with healthy grains, and rounded out with wholesome ingredients—which provides your pup with a well-balanced, delicious diet, made to meet their nutritional needs.

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The Ping-Pong Ball Lisa Vear - Green Mountain Animal Defenders

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y brother and I were very excited.

We had found a turtle egg near the pond by our school, and we were going to hatch it and have our own pet turtle!

We very carefully carried the egg home and proudly presented it to our mother.

“It looks just like a ping-pong ball!” she said.

“It feels cold. We need to set it under a light so that it will incubate and hatch.

That’s what they do with chickens,” my brother told us.

“Hmm.” My mother looked skeptical but said, “And then you absolutely CANNOT touch it until it hatches—if it hatches.

I’ll put it up high where it will be safe.”

My brother and I eagerly agreed.

Neither of us wanted to risk the turtle not hatching and jeopardize having our very own pet turtle.

My mother set the egg up on a washcloth right under a light, high up on top of a cabinet where my brother and I could see but not reach it. “Do NOT touch that egg, or it definitely won’t hatch,” she said.

For days my brother and I checked on our turtle egg, but there were no signs of hatching. Finally, my brother ran out of patience. “I’m going to get the stepladder and see if there are any signs of cracks on the side that we can’t see,” he said.

“No! You’ll ruin it!” I yelled.

“No, I won’t. I’m not even going to touch it.”

He dragged a stepladder over and climbed up so that he was face to face with the egg.

“Well?” I asked him, hoping for some good news.

“I’m still not high enough to see the back, so I just have to turn it a little. Hand me a pencil, and I’ll turn it with that so I don’t have to touch it with my finger.”

I ran to the craft drawer and found an unsharpened pencil. I raced back and handed it to my brother. Very slowly he began to maneuver the egg. But it was too round, unlike a bird’s egg, which is more oval, and it started to roll toward the edge of the cabinet…

We watched, frozen, as the egg reached the end of the cabinet and then… rolled off.

I don’t know what my brother pictured, but I imagined a yellow yolk with a turtle in it breaking open on the floor.

Instead, the egg bounced.

We watched as it bounced up and down on the floor, making the unmistakable sound of a ping-pong ball on linoleum, and Fall 2021

That turtle wanted to live where it will survive and be happy. You shouldn’t ever try to save an animal that doesn’t need to be saved: only help an animal that is injured or orphaned.”

“I guess,” I said, feeling slightly selfish.

“I was going to let it go after it hatched,” my brother lied.

Photo Courtesy of: “Well, it’s better it stays and hatches Melanie Sestokas where its mother puts it, and we can then rolled to a stop by the refrigerator. enjoy seeing the eggs and feeling the My brother and I could only stare excitement of hoping one day we’ll see while our jaws hung open. In silence, it swimming in the pond.” we looked at each other, then at the egg, ************ and back at each other.

This was my first lesson in respecting “Do turtle eggs bounce?” I whispered.

“That’s not possible,” my brother said. and conserving wildlife, and it’s one I “It must have been a ping-pong ball the always remember. Even as an adult, I’m whole time. But who would have buried tempted to pick up adorable newborn animals in the wild, but then I hear my it by the pond?”

As we continued to form theories in mother: “What you want isn’t all that our heads, my mother came up from the matters when what you want affects others, even if those others are animals.” basement with a load of laundry.

And that is the story of how I tried to “What’s that doing on the floor?” hatch a ping-pong ball! she asked.

“It fell,” my brother and I said in unison.

“Hmm. I suppose it fell on its own and not because you were on the stepladder poking it with that pencil in your hand.”

My brother and I both looked at the pencil still in his hand.

“I…I…” my brother stammered… “We were checking on it because it wasn’t hatching!”

“I thought you might,” my mother said.

“Good thing I swapped it with that pingpong ball the day you brought it home.”

“What?” my brother asked. “Why?” “Because this is no place for a turtle egg. Turtle eggs need to be in a cool, covered place, where they belong, or they won’t ever hatch. They can’t be around lights and small children who will poke them with pencils.”

“So you were never going to let us hatch it?” I asked.

“Nope. It wouldn’t have lived, and I’m sure it’s hatched by now and is safe in the pond where it belongs.”

“So we would have been waiting for it to hatch forever?”

“No, I was going to tell you once I could be sure you wouldn’t be tempted to go back and try to find it again,” my mother said.

“But I wanted a pet turtle,” I whined.

“But what you want isn’t all that matters when what you want affects others, even if those others are animals. www.4LegsAndATail.com 13

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I Am Afraid of Anesthesia for My Pet Part IV Sandra L. Waugh VMD, MS - Windsor Pet Dental

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k, Annabelle, you find this talk about anesthesia a bit, well, sleep inducing. After all, Dr Sandy (your mom) puts you under anesthesia yearly in order to keep your teeth clean and healthy and you have always been just fine. So what’s the big deal?

Well, anesthesia IS a big deal. To make anesthesia as safe as possible requires an investment in equipment, both the anesthesia machine itself and all the various monitoring equipment. It also requires an investment in the necessary medications involved. But most of all it requires an investment in the training of the anesthetists, the people who are in charge of anesthesia, from the first dose of the pre-anesthetic medication all the way to removing the intravenous catheter just before the pet goes home and everything in between. The anesthetists job is to use the information from the monitors to make constant decisions about the state of the patient and what actions need to taken, if any. A good anesthetist does not react to a problem after it arises during a procedure but anticipates potential problems and proactively takes steps to head off any problems. The anesthetist must know how to interpret the readings from the monitors, must know what to do if the readings are not normal and have the medications and equipment at hand in order to intervene.

A busy moment during the day. Two patients under anesthesia having teeth extracted (yellow arrows), two veterinarians performing the dentistry (red arrows) and two people whose sole job is to run the anesthesia (green arrows).

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Dr. Mike assists Dr. Sandy

Anesthesia is not a passive event where the patient is hooked up to the monitors, the gas anesthesia set at a “maintenance level” and the fluids turned on until the procedure is over. It is more like a balancing act where the anesthetist tries to minimize the level of anesthetic gas needed to keep the patient still but with enough pain medications to block the pain and keep them comfortable, all the while keeping the heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure, exhaled carbon dioxide, oxygen saturation, body temperature and respiratory rate within specific limits. This means keeping attention on every aspect of the anesthesia from beginning to end.

One essential tool is a chart used to write down the readings from the monitors every 5 minutes. This allows the anesthetist to note any trends that are occurring.

For instance, a slowly decreasing blood pressure is much easier to identify with the numbers written down than to rely on memory.

As the procedure comes to an end, the anesthetist will start turning the gas anes-

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thesia down so the patient will wake up.

This simple sounding job takes experience to do well. The patient should wake up shortly after the procedure is done but needs sufficient time while still asleep to be disconnected from the monitors, cleaned up if soiled and dried if needed before they wake up. We do not want the recovery to be too soon or too prolonged.

Ideally the patient is awake 15 minutes after the procedure is over and can walk out the door on their own an hour later even if they were under anesthesia for several hours.

While no one can make the risk of anesthesia go away entirely, it can be reduced to a very low level though patient evaluation, medication selection, good monitors, good anesthesia equipment and skilled anesthetists who are the single most important part of the puzzle.

As the procedure comes to an end, the anesthetist will start turning the gas anesthesia down so the patient will wake up.

This simple sounding job takes experience to do well. The patient should wake up shortly after the procedure is done but needs sufficient time while still asleep to be disconnected from the monitors, cleaned up if soiled and dried if needed before they wake up. We do not want the recovery to be too soon or too prolonged.

Ideally the patient is awake 15 minutes after the procedure is over and can walk

out the door on their own an hour later even if they were under anesthesia for several hours.

While no one can make the risk of anesthesia go away entirely, it can be reduced to a very low level though patient evaluation, medication selection, good monitors, good anesthesia equipment and skilled anesthetists who are the single most important part of the puzzle.

Dr. Waugh is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

She also holds a Masters Degree from Washington State University of Veterinary Medicine and is owner of Windsor Pet Dental, PLC.

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Alternatively Speaking: The Veterinarian/Client Relationship

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Dr. Anne Carroll DVM, CVA

n our last article, we talked about the impact of emotional stress on your cat’s health. What we didn’t discuss was that nothing impacts your pet’s quality of life more than their caregivers’ emotional health, including that of their veterinarian. It is true in all medicine, but especially in holistic medicine, that solid relationships between your family and veterinarian form the cornerstone of their healthcare. Like so many of our personal relationships, COVID has put stress on our doctor-client relationships and that has impacted how we provide health care to pets in ways none of us could have imagined. While some COVID restrictions have eased this past summer, the disconnect between client expectations and the veterinarian’s ability to meet those expectations has continued. I am not speaking for all of my colleagues, but from what I can glimpse on social media platforms and talking to other professionals, I hear our situation is almost universal. So I would like to take this opportunity to share our experience and hopefully take a step towards re-building healthy relationships.

For the past year and a half, veterinarians and their staff have been frontline caregivers even though the state has not officially recognized us as such. Through the entirety of the pandemic, each practice had to constantly re-invent how to do their jobs to care for patients while keeping staff and clients safe. These changes did not improve our efficiency, instead, they created dramatic increases in time for even the most simple of tasks. In an attempt to handle as much client care as possible, our workdays became 12-14 hours long without relief.

Some jobs are easy to walk away from at the end of the official workday, but certainly not this one. Veterinarians and their staff are driven by an intense pas18 4 Legs & a Tail

sion to help animals and their people. It is the relationships built with families and their pets that fuel that passion and is the reward for the demands of this profession.

It is certainly not the woeful compensation compared to any other segment of the medical profession, or lack of time for personal self-health. But COVID put a literal wall between us and our pet’s families. It was a struggle to maintain relationships and certainly impossible to forge solid foundations for new ones. We couldn’t refuel our energy banks via interpersonal connections whether to share the joy in healing or offer consolation for loss. Meanwhile, pet visits that would have reinforced how fun it was to go to the vet with wags and snuggles were now sometimes stressful without guardians present, despite all our efforts. On top of all of this, the veterinary staff was still trying to meet client expectations at a pre-COVID level, and that unrealistic goal exacted a huge emotional toll that sometimes made our day-to-day operations feel too daunting to cope with.

All of these behind-the-scenes stresses hopefully shed light on why you may have seen a change in your health care experience for your pets. No one likes ‘curbside’ health care, or the curtailed personal communication that comes with it. Even with offices opening up for more conventional interactions, I am sure in the past few months you may have called a veterinarians’ office and gotten the answering machine or have been told there will be a wait to be seen, or even been referred elsewhere. Even veterinary ER’s are overburdened and are turning away less than life-threatening cases. That is the reality of scarcity, and what gives great value to having a standing, current relationship with your veterinarian. COVID has magnified the need for people to decide what veterinary care means to them. Do you want to get your shots at clinics and only see the veterinarian when there is a serious issue, or do you want a life-long partner promoting wellness to maximize your pet’s healthy longevity? Of course, there are many gradations in between these two extremes, but the point is that you have to choose the type of relationship you want for your pets and then have realistic expectations regarding that choice. With schedules pushed beyond capacity, fitting in sick pets comes down to time and staff constraints. In our practice, we have greater flexibility to ‘squeeze’ someone in when we are current on their baseline info, individual needs, and already have a relationship with their guardian. This relationship allows us to focus on the health issue more efficiently, and that enables us to fit one more patient into our day.

Despite all these hardships, I feel fortunate to still love my job as a veterinarian, especially my ability to specialize in holisFall 2021

tic medicine. In its ideal practice, holistic care nurtures long-standing relationships, and it influences the type of relationship we strive to build with our clients. Holistic medicine is about the “whole”. It is all-encompassing, rooted in establishing a foundation of wellness early on with discussions on feeding and supplementation, vaccination, behavior, etc. that all will have the greatest benefit to your pet. Then over the course of a lifetime being able to see patterns of minor changes, perhaps unnoticed by guardians, that we work to ward off future problems. The longer the relationship the more pet, guardian, and veterinarian benefit. This is in contrast to the patients seen only every couple of years when a medical issue crops up. Out of necessity the focus of these visits is diagnosing and managing the acute issue.

Time constraints and lack of background limit longer discussions regarding what led to this issue and interventions to help prevent it from recurring. Treating the same issues chronically without addressing the root cause is unfulfilling for both vet and guardian. Holistic medicine is not for everyone, but even conventional medicine is more rewarding and successful when there is history with a patient, and a commitment made between guardians and veterinarians to care for this loved animal. That is the value of the relationship,

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not only for that pet’s health but for their guardian and veterinarian’s emotional health. That is why in my practice we are moving to require a patient to be seen at least once yearly to remain an active patient with us. This should allow us to see more patients, reduce acute issues, and feel fulfilled with the medicine we are practicing.

So how do you establish a good relationship with your vet so you can be there for each other in these trying times? First, commit to a relationship that you and your pet will benefit from. Don’t think of your vet as someone you hire for service on demand. Establish a relationship before vet care is ‘needed’, so your pet’s first visit can focus on wellness and getting to know the place and staff, not when they are ill and in discomfort. Secondly, keep open communications. Call as soon as you suspect an issue, so we have more flexibility if there is a wait to get your pet seen, without jeopardizing their health or overburdening our staff. Next, be an active partner in this relationship. Take the initiative to order refills or schedule wellness or recheck visits in advance. After sick visits, follow up with us so we are in the loop and able to continue to support your pet’s recovery. In this new reality, veterinary staff’s time is almost exclusively focused on giving care, which means convenience communications and reminders become secondary.

Lastly, and most importantly, be patient and kind. We know that concern for pets can make emotions run high. Trust in our commitment to you and together we will do the very best we can in these trying circumstances, as always.

Dr. Anne Carroll is the owner of the Chelsea Animal Hospital where she and her associates practice conventional medicine and surgery as well as several alternative modalities including traditional Chinese acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. For more information on alternative veterinary medicine visit their website at www.chelseaanimalhospital.com .

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Oral Care for Your New Family Member Emily Sullivan, DVM

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etting a new puppy and kitten is an exciting and busy time. There is a lot to introduce and teach your new pet. One important aspect of health care to include in this exciting adventure is dental care. This includes introducing brushing teeth, and monitoring for dental abnormalities with your veterinarian.

Introducing Brushing Teeth Brushing teeth can certainly be a struggle as pets get older. Introducing teeth brushing early on can make this process easier. The goal is to make the process fun and stress free. Adult teeth in puppies and kittens erupt between 4-6 months old. It is important not to introduce and vigorous brushing until these teeth are fully in. During this transition when deciduous (baby) teeth are falling out and adult teeth are coming in, your pet’s mouth will likely be sensitive due to the associated inflammation. Brushing teeth during this period can cause added pain and sensitivity creating a negative experience for your pet. So what can you do until then?

pet is over six months, you can slowing introduce teeth brushing with a finger brush or tooth brush.

Addy Rose

Introduce the tooth paste. Place a little tooth paste on a favorite toy so you pet gets used to the taste. You can also introduce the brush and allow you pet to sniff or lick a tasty treat from the bristles.

Start lifting the lips on your pet and/or gently touch or rub the outside of their teeth with your finger. You can reward them with a treat or toy after. If your pet gets too stressed at any step, back up and start with smaller steps. By the time your

Dental Abnormalities Your puppy or kitten will be making frequent trips to the vet to receive proper medical care as they grow. Your veterinarian will likely do a full physical exam including looking in the mouth. There are a few abnormalities that may be found, that can be addressed and treated early.

These include missing teeth, retained deciduous (baby) teeth, or malalignment of the jaw. As discussed earlier, adult teeth typically come in by 6 months. If your pet has a missing tooth, it should be further evaluated. Dental x-rays should be performed to determine if there is an adult tooth that is under the gum line or if there is no tooth at all. If the tooth is missing completely, no further treatment is needed. If the adult tooth is present and has not erupted above the gum line, it can form into a cyst that can cause damage to the surrounding bone or teeth. These teeth will need to be extracted to prevent further damage.

Deciduous teeth are considered retained when they have not fallen out by 6 months or when all adult teeth are in. When retained, these teeth can cause crowding, malalignment of adult teeth, and cause accelerated tartar build up and periodontal disease. These teeth should be extracted with in the first year to prevent these complications. Sometimes, these teeth can be extracted during spaying and neutering depending on the timing.

Malocclusions are teeth or jaws that are not in the proper position. This can include overbites, underbites, or rotated teeth. When malocclusion occurs, teeth are not able to contact each other properly. This can cause abnormal wear on teeth, or trauma to the soft tissue structure surrounding the teeth. These should be closely monitored by you and your veterinarian. Depending on the type of malocclusion, certain teeth may need to be extracted to avoid unwanted wear or trauma.

Emily Sullivan obtained her Veterinary Medical Degree from the University of Prince Edward Island. She has previously worked in western Massachusetts before coming to Riverside. She has an Australian Shepherd named Kiah, and two cats named Jamo and Yeti.

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While the prospect of a beloved pet developing cancer is an undeniably scary proposition, pet parents can take some degree of comfort in knowing that developments for the detection and treatment of cancer in animals are being made every day. In some cases, these developments are even outpacing advances in human medicine. While we all wait and Peter Kenseth and Holly Kenseth hope for a cure, diagnostics that allow for earlier detection and more effective treatment of cancer provide our best he Orange County Convention Cen- requires only a simple blood draw and is hope at improving the quality of life of ter provided a somewhat surreal stage in reportedly able to identify 89% of hem- affected pets and providing the maxiearly June, as thousands of veterinary and angiosarcomas and 74% of lymphomas, mum amount of quality time for them animal health professionals gathered for which account for approximately 1/3 of to spend with their pet parents.

VMX 2021. While the conference offered cancers in dogs.

Antech also showcased its CADET BRAF a virtual component, for many of the ~10,500 onsite attendees, it was the first and CADET BRAF Plus tests, which test in-person conference that they had attend- for transitional cell carcinomas (TCC) ed since COVID-19 largely shut down the and urothelial cancer (UC) in canines, based on the associated BRAF mutation. world over a year earlier.

Additionally, Antech was one of two Attendance at VMX 2021 was down ~40% from the previous year’s ~18,000 companies to release a digital cytology attendees, but there were still significant analyzer. Antech’s Digital Cytology Scandevelopments unveiled at the conference. ner promises whole slide interpretation One of the most notable trends was the within 2 hours of submission. Heska also proliferation of oncology diagnostics and released a telecytology solution, “Heskatreatments. Given that the Veterinary View Telecytology,” which offers results Cancer Society states that cancer is the in as little as 15 minutes, utilizing a “netmain cause of death in 47% of dogs and work of senior, board-certified veterinary 32% of cats, it isn’t surprising that ani- clinical pathologists.” In situations where mal health diagnostics companies are a veterinarian believes that an undiagturning their attention to combating this nosed mass warrants being aspiration or biopsy, these developments promise dreadful disease.

Many of the oncology diagnostics show- pet parents the ability to obtain a diagcased at VMX were screening tools to aid nosis quickly and accurately for their in cancer diagnosis for high-risk or elder- pet, and alleviates the uncertainty assoly canine patients. In what could be best ciated with having to send out tests for described as a shocking new product launch, external analysis.

In some future cases, pets with mast PetDx released OncoK9, a liquid biopsy multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test cell tumors might even be able to receive that employs cutting-edge genomic analysis diagnosis and treatment on the same day. that leverages next-generation sequencing Virbac unveiled “Stelfonta,” an intratu(NGS) technology and proprietary bioin- moral injection for local treatment of formatics algorithms. While advances in non-metastatic tumors in canines. Virbac veterinary medicine usually lag advanc- claims the injection starts working within es in human medicine, OncoK9 beat its 2 hours, with tumors typically destroyed human liquid biopsy counterpart, Galleri by day 7. This new treatment presents a from Illumina-founded company GRAIL surgical alternative for the treatment of to market by a matter of days. PetDx was mast cell tumors. founded by Illumina’s former Chief Medical Officer, which may account for the similarity in timeline. Regardless, the technology offers pet parents the ability to proactively diagnose and treat cancer via a simple blood draw.

Volition Veterinary also released Nu.Q Vet Cancer Screening test, which it is targeting towards older dogs (7+ years), for cases where there is a high suspicion of cancer, or as a complementary test for younger dogs of breeds with a higher risk for developing cancer (e.g., Golden Retrievers, Boxers, Flat Coated Retrievers, Beagles, Burmese Mountain dogs, Rottweilers, West Highland White Terriers and Shetland Sheepdogs). This test also Fall 2021 www.4LegsAndATail.com 21

Cancer in Canines: A Scary Proposition, but Advances Everyday T

Joys and Challenges of Pet Sitting

one-size-fits-all solution. Different canine breeds require different gear. Keeping an extra leash and treats in the car can come in handy. Bring a fully charged phone when leaving the house. Have emergency numbers programmed and at the ready. Think ahead for the best outcomes.

When meeting with the owner, having Karen Sturtevant a clear, concise list of questions is vital.

If they are opposed to a choke collar, by no means should one be used. If a cat has hen a friend asked if I would con- ter fix) while allowing the homeowner allergies, best to leave your kitty treats at sider pet sitting for her while she went peace of mind that their beloved pets are home. If the turtle always has his heat lamp away for a long weekend, I didn’t have to well cared for. For those who are consider- on like my friend Seymour did leave as is. think twice. My answer came within sec- ing making this their livelihood, in-depth Always honor the wishes of the pet parent. onds: a resounding, yes! This household questions need to be asked: was blessed with three small dogs, two cats, • Do you have compassion and empathy and a fun-loving ferret. What could be betfor all animals? ter? I would bring my little dog to join in • Is a license required in your state? the fun, making the canine count four. As • Are you insured/bonded? a self-described animal lover (freak), this • Do you have a contract/agreement?

• Are you able to provide glowing was my kind of assignment.

Upon first thought, pet sitting is ideal references? for a person who earns to be around ani• Are you a member or affiliated with mals. Our sort connect with them on a deep a professional association? level. Whether covered in fur or adorning What happens during a typical petwebbed feet, this is our kind of heaven. As sitting visit? fun as spending time with animals is, the During an overnight or extended stay, responsibility is enormous. In order for the petsitting offers the advantage of giving a person to be successful in a pet sitting the home a lived-in look. Simply having a situation, precautions, planning, and fore- vehicle in the driveway is a deterrent from thought need to come into play. would-be intruders. Duties may include Since my initial taste of caring for some- bringing in the mail or packages, open- Be prepared! one else’s pets in their home, I’ve learned ing and closing shades or drapes, watering Things are great until they’re not. Be prea few things––some unexpected. If you’re plants, and taking out the trash at the end pared when the best-laid plans go wrong. considering pet sitting as a way to earn of the visit. A quick sweep of the tile and What happens if a water pipe breaks? A extra income or make it a profession, I vacuum of the carpet is always a pleasant storm knocks out power and the medicaencourage you to research the field, edu- sight upon return from a holiday. It’s small tion needs to be refrigerated? The cat sneaks cate yourself on the nature of the business, acts of extras that make coming back for out an open door? The dog pulls out of her and affiliate with a professional organiza- the homeowner even more welcoming. harness when walking on a busy street or tion that will offer resources and first-hand Daily visits would include feeding the when a chicken flies the coop? I admit that knowledge. animals, changing the water, providing I’m an overthinker, an over preparer––not What is pet sitting? playtime (either walks and/or exercise always a deterrent when pet sitting. PreAccording to Pet Sitters International, in a secure area), cleaning litter boxes/ pare for the worse and hope for the best. pet sitting is characterized by in-home care crates, disposing of pet waste, and providHave a plan to answer the ‘What ifs.’ Upon for a pet while the owner is away. Pet sitters ing medications. If you’ve never had the initial interview with the pet parents, go visit their clients’ homes either once per experience of giving liquid medication over these and any other possible situaday or multiple times per day to provide by way of a syringe to a cat or bird, you tions that may arise. Together, formulate a exercise, offer fresh food and water, change don’t know what you’re missing! Milo, an plan of action. When an unexpected event litter boxes, clean out cages, administer elderly feline, was my first introduction. happens, after the initial scare, you’ll have medications and provide companionship. She (yes, a boy’s name for a girl cat) was a formulated course of action to follow.

Many times overnight stays are involved. a pro taking her meds twice a day. She’d Homeowners are encouraged to notify Although dogs and cats are the most popu- jump up on her feeding stoop and open neighbors that a pet sitter will be at the reslar recipients, birds, fish, turtles, tortoises, wide as I embraced her in a feline hug. The idence. Having an unfamiliar vehicle in and ‘smallies’ like guinea pigs, hamsters first few times were messy. By the third, the drive is something that is sure to draw and rabbits are also included. Don’t for- she had taught me to skillfully adminis- attention. A spare key can be left with a get farm animals. ter every drop. We humans can learn a lot trusted neighbor.

Having a trusted person come into your from our animal friends.

Lessons learned. space is often a great option to boarding. Tools for success I arrived one afternoon to an exciting Staying in familiar surroundings is less You don’t need to be a professional barking dog ready for my arrival. When stressful for the animals, their routine is not trainer to be a successful pet sitter. How- using the key, the lock wasn’t budging. As interrupted and they are most often hap- ever, having a general body of knowledge I wiggled the key and prayed for the click, piest and comfortable in their own homes. of health, nutrition, behavior, physical none was to be forthcoming. The owner Hobby or business? needs, and care is important. Knowing was out of state and I had no way of enterI have a full-time life and consider this basic anatomy and development stages are ing the home. What to do? After a walk a hobby, something I enjoy. It gives me a also valuable insights. Equipment such as around the yard (remaining calm on the change of scenery (and gives me my crit- leashes, collars, and harnesses are not a outside, feeling like a squirrel in traffic on Fall 2021 22 4 Legs & a Tail

W

the inside) I tried the key again––no luck.

I ended up driving to the police station, stating my dilemma, pleading for help. A sympathetic officer drove up in his marked car (oh, what the neighbors must have been thinking!). With a flustered explanation, I told him of my plight. To save face, I was secretly hoping the officer would have the same outcome as I did (silly out of towner can’t use a key!).

The key was not to work—either for me, a rookie or a seasoned law enforcement official. As the dog continued to bark, the officer gained entry with other means and I was in! The lesson of this story: always try the key before arriving.

Use color-coded tags or wraps to differentiate keys for each household. It’s much too easy to convince yourself that one key matches one house when indeed, it doesn’t.

This has happened, too.

Get to know each animal Animals, like people, are unique. When speaking with the owners, ask questions to encourage a conversation to gain knowledge of personalities and quirks. Andy, a kitty I had the pleasure of caring for, is a master of opening the cabinet door where the trash is kept. He’s been known to help himself to all sorts of delicacies. To ‘Andy proof’ the trash, an elastic is needed to wrap around the handles, securing the door and above the drawer, hindering curious paws. Once known as “Chunky Andy,” Andy also helps himself to any food on the counter. It’s not uncommon to find fruit and kitty treats stored in the microwave.

As funny as this is, it’s vital information to keep Andy safe (and fit).

Upon the initial meet and greet, have a candid, honest dialogue. For the safety and well-being, the animal’s triggers and preferences should be disclosed. Has the animal bitten or shown any aggressive or threatening behaviors? What are nutritional guidelines? Medications? Can you bring your own treats to share? Are they on a restricted diet? Allergies?

Paperwork Entering into an obligation to care for another’s animal or home is a contractual agreement. As such, each party needs to be protected. A Service Agreement, Emergency Veterinary Care Permission, and Indemnity Agreement are the minimum a pet sitter should have available, reviewed, and signed. Templates can be found online for customizing. Professional pet sitter organizations such as Pet Sitters International and the National Association of Pet Sitters offer several documents, as well as resources, membership, and courses for continuing education.

Vaccinations are key in keeping animals healthy, especially if you will be bringing your own animal for the duration of the stay. Ask to see veterinarian records or Fall 2021

contact the vet’s office (with prior approval from the owner) to verify. Review all medication dosages with the owner before the first visit.

Common Sense Be extra smart when exiting the safety of the house. Know when the weather is too extreme for long walks. If the payment is too hot for your bare feet, the same rule applies to sensitive pads on pup’s feet.

Frostbite can occur quickly—rethink that walk around the neighborhood. Latch the leash to both collar and harness. Think safety first. Minimum risk by planning ahead. Cats are expert stalkers and can zip through an open door in a flash.

Communicate and Document A daily update by way of a text message is a quick, thoughtful way to let the homeowner what’s happening. Add photos. Use this method for informal updates. For any serious issue, phone immediately. If the pet parent can’t be reached, get in touch with the secondary contact while continuing to attempt to reach the owner.

Keeping a daily log of activities is helpful—either written or typed. Note any out-of-the-ordinary circumstances or sweet and funny moments. Having a record of your stay is another layer of commitment and one the owners will appreciate.

Declining If you feel the situation is not safe, either

Milo

with an aggressive animal or questionable neighborhood, declining the assignment is in your best interest. Listen to your instinct. If something doesn’t seem right, it most likely isn’t.

A rogue chicken One of my first chicken-tending assignments had me involved in a situation no one could have forecasted. It was summer, a hot day. I had arrived early in the morning to let the hens (11 of them as I would count and recount numerous times throughout my stead) out of their roost.

Before unhooking their ramp, I refilled the water and scattered a good amount of Continued Next Page

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scratch (that’s chicken-speak for food) and grain around their enclosure. They slowly clucked their way down to enjoy the breakfast and warm sunshine. I left with plans to come back later in the day.

While at the grocery store, I bought them a watermelon. On my way home, I stopped in to say hello and give them the hydrating treat (an entire half in one area, cut into little triangles, of course, in another). All were accounted for; on my way I went. Later that day, the temperature and humidity rose to create a sweltering July day. The flock’s owners had a small pool set up for their kiddos. I donned my conservative bathing suit and trekked over to

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beat the heat. The water was a relief, cool and refreshing.

As I was lounging in the pool, from the corner of my eye I noticed a flurry, a movement. My head turned to see a hen, out of her fenced-in area, prancing on the lawn without a chicken care in the world. My first reaction was panic; my second: I’ve got to get this hen back where she belongs. My solitary zen-moment gone in a second, I, in my fit-for-a-middle-aged-woman bathing suit, jumped out of the pool. My mind told my brain to grab the pool scooper thing.

My next memory is running toward the rebel chicken with the scooper. The closer I got, the quicker she became. Around

the lawn we went, me in my wouldn’t-becaught-dead in public swimsuit, her, happy as a free-spirited chicken could possibly be.

I have a vague recollection of traffic slowing to watch the show of a lady attempting to catch a chicken with a pool net.

After what seemed like an eternity, when in reality it was only a few minutes, I caught that clever bird, netted her with a tennis-like swoop. Got her back in the safe zone and told my heart to slow down. Once again, all birdbrains were accounted for.

I later learned this particular girl does this renegade behavior almost every day.

She always returns for the safety of bedtime. That would have been nice to know.

We do our best to ask all the right questions, but even for the most astute, responsible of us, we’re sure to miss something.

Is pet sitting right for you?

Having empathy and compassion (and a sense of humor––see above chicken memory) for animals are good starts for those interested in pet sitting. Being an educated professional creates an extra level of trust.

Rates vary depending upon the situation, location, time period, and number and type of animals. Do your own research.

Become well-versed.

We love and care for our pets as our own human family members. Deciding to leave them in someone else’s care is not an easy decision. Often suggestions are made by friends and family. This is often the most sincere recommendation as the person has made a connection or has had experience with a certain pet sitter.

Being in the company of animals is a privilege. Caring for them for another’s home is a responsibility. Melding the two is a serious commitment. With forethought, a pet sitting experience can be beneficial and a learning adventure for all participants—just ask that disobedient hen.

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Susan Miller - Sharon, VT

his question was posed to me during a clinic I attended a few years ago, the clinician asked, “What one word would you use to describe what you experience from the horse and why you continue to work with them?”

There were several people in attendance and many auditors. Each shared a word or two of what they felt compelled to share as their word. Some of the words I heard were, Love, companionship, spirituality, friendship, bonded, majestic, beauty, kinship, partnership, and many other words in that vein…

On my drive home, I started to ponder this question again as I was last to be asked and felt like I couldn’t really find the word or words to describe how I feel about horses and why I continue to work with them. Love and spirituality were the closest words to what I feel.

So, were the words I repeated. However, on the ride home the word I think best describes how I feel popped into my head, and it is, Blessing.

After 40 years of experience as a horse owner, many more than that as a rider, and a lifetime of loving them & wanting to learn about them. Amazingly, my passion hasn’t waned at all. It has maybe even grown stronger, much to my husband’s chagrin. I am not only drawn to the animal itself but any knowledge about them, their care, and training.

Every time I am around horses, I realize what a blessing it is. How the horses bless me with their presence.

What a blessing it is for each and every lesson that horses impart.

Some of which take me quite a while to process and interpret. But it’s lovely when I feel I’ve gotten the message.

It’s a blessing that they let me work with them in a therapeutic setting and share in the magic that they offer to those less able than me.

It’s a blessing that I get to see the smiles that are created because of them, and often for them.

Horses are a blessing.

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Sometimes horses have a soft and gentle way of imparting great insights into our daily interactions with people. The horses mirror our moods or react because of them in ways that can bring about behavior change.

To anthropomorphize, or attribute human characteristics or behavior to animals is a way many people process their experiences with animals. I think it is often a good way to interpret animal posture, facial expressions, and body language. The better you are at reading the silent signals that animals present the safer you will be in any given situation with them. The silence in body

Susan Miller is a PATH Advanced instructor and ESMHL. Program Director at High Horses Therapeutic Riding Program and serve on the boards of the Vermont Horse Council and Vermont Horse Shows Association.

Horses are a Blessing

Horses are a Blessing

My One Word

language is often what will tell you the most. Horses communicate in a language without words. Pay close attention to their facial expressions, body posture, and head & tail shakes, the horses will tell you much if you take the time to listen. Interpret what you intuit and act accordingly for the good of the horse. See if you can read the air as they do.

Soon you will learn your horses, quirks, and what triggers them. It’s often those odd quirks that endear them the most to us and help us learn and grow. Sometimes the things we think are most annoying from the horses we interact with, are the very things that teach us the most.

There is no doubt that horses have an uncanny knack for helping people with introspective reflections in a gentle breath or liquid glint in their eye. Horses bring a feeling of spirituality when there are setbacks in life and in riding.

Imparting equine wisdom for transformational changes for the humans that listen to them, there is always a life lesson to be learned.

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Isabelle Cindy Chaffee - Barton, VT and Felicia Welton - Winooski,VT

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his is the story of a Black Lab / Golden Retriever cross named Isabelle. When my husband and I lost our Doberman of 10 years, we were devastated. We told ourselves that we would not have any more dogs. But a house is not a home without a dog, and our house felt very lonely after about 6 months. I began to look for a dog online. Every time I did, he would catch me and remind me “No more dogs”. Then every once in a while, a funny thing would happen, I would catch him looking.

I was an evening nurse in a long-term care facility and was often home around 1:00 am. One morning I arrived home to have my husband greet me. I immediately felt that something was wrong. When he told me to sit down, I knew that it had to be something bad. Then, he told me about a dog, this dog was Isabelle. The elderly people who owned her stopped taking care of her. Their neighbors stepped in and arranged for Isabelle to have a new home, ours. Not only was I relieved, but I was also over the moon. The next day, we went to the mall and we were greeted by a sweet dog pulling on the end of the woman’s lead trying to get to us. Our lives were never the same.

Isabelle was a medium-sized dog with a soft black coat. She had a spring in her step when went out on walks. She would keep her head up, tail out and prance when we went walking in the neighborhood as to say, ‘Here I am, come and pet me.” Her most remarkable feature, however, was her kind brown eyes. Those eyes could melt the strongest of hearts.

I knew Isabelle would make a perfect therapy dog. She had had a warm temperament that could provide love and comfort for those people in need. When I had her certified with Therapy Dogs of Vermont, she passed with flying colors. To begin her Therapy Dog duties, we visited several nursing homes. When my father was admitted to the ICU, I didn’t hesitate to bring her along with me to see him. The staff loved her so much that they gave Isabelle a volunteer badge.

While I was a nurse manager at a long-term care facility, I noticed other administrative staff brought their dogs to work. When I asked if it was OK to bring Isabelle to work with me, the answer was “sure, if she is a kind dog.” I assured them she was, and everyone immediately fell 26 4 Legs & a Tail

in love with her. I often would leave my office and return to find Isabelle had been hijacked by other administrative staff who would take her into their offices for a visit. Some purchased a bed and water bowls for her to use. It certainly took Isabelle to care for a village.

Isabelle was not only loved by the staff but by the residents too. She would sit with the dying patients, often without me at her side. One dementia resident did not know their family but remembered Isabelle. When another resident was being combative and yelling, Isabelle and I decided to try to work with him. While the rest of the staff could not approach him, Isabelle could. He looked down at her and said, “OH my what a big kitty.” She soothed him, and he continued to pet her happily until supper time. She just knew how to calm a resident who could not be calmed.

When I decided to no longer continue as a manager, the administrator still permitted Isabelle to come to the facility. She knew her way around the building and made her way to both nurse’s stations and to the administrative offices that she used to frequent. She had her own bed in the nurse station where I was working. Everyone knew that we would have a good night when Isabelle was on duty. While Isabelle was amazing with the elderly, she absolutely loved kids. Any kid encountered by Isabelle was an immediate friend. We live close to a school on a hill overlooking the playground. Isabelle could often be seen sitting on the hill, watching the kids. During the summer, she would sit and wait for them to come back to school. When we purchased another property, also next to a school I knew there would be trouble. Isabelle tried to sneak to the playground to join the kids and when I caught her, she stopped, looked back, then kept on going.

My kids were her kids, and though they are adults fully grown, they doted on her just the same.

Once we opened our home to one dog, it was only a matter of time before we got more. First was the black lab rescue Luka. Luka was a high-strung puppy, and Isabelle didn’t get along with her at first.

Imagine this soft loving dog growling and snarling! But once Isabelle asserted dominance as the matriarch of the house, the two got along better and could be seen lying side by side. Next came Emma the

Cairn Terrier (also a rescue). Small in stature, but big in personality. Emma didn’t take any nonsense from the big dogs. She would often play with (terrorize) Luka, which gave Isabelle more time to put her head in someone’s lap for pets. Emma also would take Isabelle on an adventure in the back yard and once got her digging into a woodpile after a creature that ran into it for safety.

Isabelle was a seasoned traveler as well.

Her sisters, Luka and Emma compete in nation dock diving competitions. Luka was so energetic with a strong toy drive, that she is the dog that got us started in the sport of dock diving. Emma is a fierce competitor that is often underestimated due to her size. We competed all over New England and New York, and Isabelle traveled with us as the most favored member of the team. She could usually be seen in the crowd supporting her sisters, surrounded by a group of children.

Isabelle’s final years were rough for me.

She stopped eating most things and I had to get creative. We searched the internet for different things to try to keep her eating. The dock diving community was also a great asset to me while I struggled to feed her. I would do anything I could think of to feed that dog. I ended up having to spoonfeed her the meals. What she liked at the end was eggs over easy. But when she collapsed and could not get up again broke my heart. The other two dogs would lie with her to keep her company. She was never left alone until it was time to say goodbye. It was amazing what this dog did for us as a family and in her community.

She instinctively pulled people toward her who needed someone to talk to. She never could answer you but she didn’t need to.

Her soft brown eyes said all the talking for her. They said, ‘ you are loved’ Fall 2021

Daisy Delight Susann King RN (Ret) - Belvidere, VT

Have you ever wanted a dog so much it made you cry? Well, in the fall of 2015,

that is how I felt. Our rescue dog Niki of 15 years had died, 2 years before. Due to us making a move from NC to VT, my husband was determined that we wait until we were settled. It would be just too stressful on a dog. So in Oct. 2015, we were in FL. for the winter-we are snowbirds. Peter had made me promise that I would not bring a dog home without him 1st meeting it. So, one day I drove to the Sebring, Fl. Humane Society to look at dogs. I first walked to the outside pens and saw so many sad BIG dogs.

A small dog was best for traveling. Then I went into the main building. Oh my, in the middle of this huge room was a plastic pen with 3 tiny Chihuahua mix pups playing. Donna walked over & said that these 3 sisters had been left in a card-

Fall 2021

board box at their gate. At that time they were only one month old. She and other gals had raised them and since they had been “fixed”, they were ready to go now at 3 months. The biggest was spoken for by one of the gals that raised her. The smallest was a real runt. The middle pup came running over & wanted me!. Boy, I wanted her. But remembering what I had promised my husband, I said we’d be back at 9 am when they opened.

The next morning we were the first in the door. I walked over to the pen and picked up “middle” pup and handed her to Peter.

He was smitten. He said, “ You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Then he said, “ what if she doesn’t get any bigger than 4 #s?”. I answered, “ We’re just going to love her!”

So, papers signed off we went to the pet store to get equipped. I decided to sleep with her in the spare bedroom, in case I had to get up with her in the night. Well, ‘get up’ was an understatement! About 2 hours after Daisy was tucked into her new round bed, beside me in the bed, I awoke to her scratching furiously. I turned a light on and what did I see--FLEAS!. Lots of them, in the bed with me also. I knew she was too young to take the flea meds, so I picked her up & we made a dash to the shower. We both got a good scrub with Dawn liquid detergent. I had used this trick before with an outside dog. Then I had to

strip the bedding & wash it in HOT water.

All the commotion woke Peter up. He just shook his head when I told him the story, and went back to bed.

Now, it’s 2021, Daisy is a delight. Wellbehaved, smart & travels well. Sort of, I must add. I had fixed her a bed on the back seat & had her strapped in, in case of emergency braking. But, she hated it back there.

She cried so much I had to unclip her & sit her on my lap. She loved that--looking out the windows -but not safe. So, I had to buy a padded bike basket that I tied down in front between us & a tie-down strap for her protection. That worked great until she saw a cow near the road. What a commotion !--we had to stop & held her up to meet that cow! As we often take slow drives on the pretty back roads of Vt., now we often have to stop for cows. Ya, she’s spoiled-but so am I.

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Consider Foster Care S

Pat Jauch - Caledonia Animal Rescue, Inc.

o you want a dog but cannot commit to being a full-time owner? In such a case, fostering may be your answer. Shelters are often full to capacity and depending upon their no-kill vs. euthanizing policies they must reluctantly refuse to add to their borders when there is no more room at the inn. Arrangements can be made to “borrow” an animal that may need socialization, or perhaps some short-term medical care, or simply one that needs more TLC than the workers and volunteers can provide.

Fostering can be short-term – perhaps just a few days or weeks until a permanent adoption can be finalized – or longer term such as when there can be issues (size, breed, temperament) that make the dog less desirable to the general public. Every shelter has its own requirements and if you are interested in pursuing this avenue for canine (or feline) care, a phone call is all you need to get the process underway.

Some time ago, in Massachusetts, our daughter and her husband fostered a beautiful rescued dog from the south. He came to them due to the owner’s neglect. “Brett” was a mature dog that was woefully underweight (about 50 pounds short of his breed’s norm), covered in skin eruptions due to a serious flea allergy, missing much of his formerly fluffy fur from malnutrition, with bilateral eye infections and worms, and was diagnosed with kennel cough. What was originally planned as a “short term” care situation became a visitation for several months. This pitiful creature had the potential to become a gorgeous specimen and he had an amazingly sweet temperament.

Surprisingly, he responded to several commands and was eager to please. His appetite was ravenous but calmed down once the worm issue had been resolved. Totally housebroken, Brett did not destroy things and played well with other dogs.

So, why would anyone want to take on the responsibility of rehabilitating such a creature? If you saw him and imagined what he could become, the challenge was worth every effort. As his health steadily improved his sheer devotion and apparent appreciation to his caregivers made all the work worthwhile. Eventually, he was adopted by a loving owner and found his forever home.

If you love animals and want to do something for one of them, even for a little while, fostering might be the solution for you and definitely for the animal in need. Think about it, but not too long, since many dogs and cats could use a loving, even if temporary, home.

OUR KITTY For Jazz

By Vesna Dye

What shall we do with our kitty?

He jumps on the table, knocks down our food; But what can we do—he is so pretty We have to be nice, we cannot be rude To this little bundle of joy Who keeps us awake all night.

What can we do but buy him a toy— A catnip mouse, a stuffed bunny; a plastic Turkish delight.

What shall we do with our kitty?

His ears are big, his eyes are sparkling blue.

He jumps and rolls, he is vivacious and witty— Watch him now—he fell into potato stew!

How can we train our kitty?

He thinks he is King Richard or Alexander the Great.

I guess we can’t. And we won’t feel guilty Because we love our Jazz to death!

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Fall 2021

Celebrate National Cat Day The Joy of Petsitting The Blessing of a Horse When Your Pet Goes Missing Advances in Canine Cancer