When you have to Re-Home your pet.

Sometimes life throws us curve balls and we are left with no choice but to find a new home for our pets.

Working in an animal shelter, there are often many different reasons I hear why people can no longer keep their furry friends.......allergies, lack of time, change in lifestyle and sickness just to name a few.

There are many different ways of trying to re-home your pet before deciding the euthanasia is the only way to end the relationship.

Here are a few ideas:

Animal Shelters

Check out your local SPCA, Humane Society or Municipal Animal Shelters to see if they take pets in for surrender for adoption. These animals would be placed in a kennel type setting or into a foster home, depending on how the organization is set up, and the staff will find a suitable family to match your dogs or cats needs.

Breed Rescue Groups

There are many breed specific rescue groups for purebred dogs and cats. These groups are very familiar with the particular breed that they rescue and their idiosyncrasies. They often have a network of foster homes that house these pets until a suitable match is found for their forever home.

Free Advertising

Consider advertising in the FREE section of your local newspapers. You can also post ads in your local grocery stores and vet clinics. When placing a pet yourself with a new family be sure to check them out and ask for references ( ie/ vet clinic, pet sitter or trainer that they use).


In any situation when trying to find a new home for your pet the most valuable information you can give the shelter, rescue group or foster parents is the TRUTH! Explaining in detail any medical or behaviour issues your pet has can give your pet the best chance at finding a new family. It allows the new family to fully understand the extent of attention and care your pet will need and helps them in picking the most appropriate addition to their family. This will also help to lessening the chance that the pet will be bounced around to multiple homes which is stressful on the animal.

WOW! Its almost been 2 1/2 years!

WOW! Its hard to believe it has almost been 2 1/2 years that I have been working at the animal shelter. It is quite different from what I was doing in general veterinary practice and I am still loving it! The time has already gone by so quickly. Its hard to belive that at one point in my career I couldn't even imagine considering a job in a shelter. I am glad that the opportunity presented itself....it was just the change I needed. Of course I woulnd't be blessed with 2 lovebirds and a Siamese x all from the shelter.....how is it that I worked almost 12 years in vet clinics and never brought one home but have managed to gain 3 in 2 1/2 years at the shelter?

Keke & LuLu, although they have had thier trials and tribulations, have been a great source of entertainment. Being a first time bird owner..... I had a lot to learn and yes......they were very patient.

And sweet little Sadie. The miracle kitten. She is the sweetest little Siamese X that was born to a domestic medium haird all black mom. We thought she may be pregnant when she came to the shelter but after 10 weeks (usual kitten gestation is about 8 weeks) we booked her for a spay. The night before the surgery at the vets she gave birth to one lone all white kitten...my precious little Sadie.....she truely is a miracle!

Well as the saying goes.......time sure does fly when your having fun!

Adoption 101

Here are the latest articles I have had published in the Sept/Oct issue of PETS Magazine!

Check out page 20 for "Adoption 101" and check out page 24 for "Sitters, Daycare or Kennel".


http://www.petsmag.dgtlpub.com/data/flash/PETS/9000000578/home.html


Hope you enjoy!....Hey why not subscibe to PETS Magazine for yourself!

Urinary Problems in Cats

Hey Everyone!

I have to admit I have been a slacker with my blog. But I have been writing. Check out my most recent article on page 18 of PETS Magazine July/Aug 2007 issue...........

http://www.petsmag.dgtlpub.com/data/flash/PETS/9000000542/home.html

Idiopathic/Interstitial Cystitis

Well I had my first experience with idiopathic cystitis, aka insterstitial cystitis, with my cat Sam. This is a inflammation of the bladder or unknown origin.

Sam is a DSH brown tabby and white 5yr old male neutered and up until now has had no problems. Last week he decided the best way to let me know there was a problem was to pee on my bed! With my RVT background and experience working in clinic I recognized this as him telling something wasn't quite right. Luckily I had a syringe at home and quickly collected the sample and took him to the emerg vet.

His urine sample showed no infection, normal amount of bacteria, high specific gravity, acidic PH and lots of RBC's. All pointing towards idiopathic cystitis.

Sam has always eaten a dry diet and has never been a big water drinker. He has always been consistent with his litter box habits.

There is no exact reason why this happens and can be brought on by stress. So I was racking my brain for things that may have changed that could have created stress for him. Then I remembered that I tried adding a litter deodarizer to his litter starting just 2 weeks before! I am sure this was the problem. The poor little guy probably couldn't stand the strong smell and was holding his bladder, which I think then irritated it.

Of course there are other contributing factors such as low water intake as a result of not drinking much water and being on a dry diet that prevent the bladder from being flushed out as often and increases the urine concentration. These affected cats seem to have more neuro transmitters in the bladder wall as well which I suppose makes them more sensitive as well as the fact they they seem to shed the lining of thier bladder( which is there as protection) more frequently.

Sam is now doing much better after limited treatment with metacam ( off label), using non-scented litter, adding canned food to his diet mixed with water to increase his water intake. I even went out and bought one of those fountain dishes to encourage him to drink more water. He was not treated with antibiotics as there was no infection present.

I am hoping that this change is what he needed to keep his bladder healthy and happy.... although this can be a recurring problem, I am keeping my fingers crossed that this was a one time deal!

For more info on idiopathic cystis....

http://www.medi-cal.ca/pdf/doreennotes/idiopathiccystitis2005_en.pdf

DNA sexing KeKe & LuLu

The birdie girls are doing great since KeKe's arrival. Although they don't seem to want to live in the same house, being both females they are too territorial, they sure do like to spend time playing outside of their cages together. LuLu is still the more dominant bird and will let KeKe know when she has had enough.

Earlier in the month I couldn't take the suspense any longer and decided to have them DNA sexed. After collecting a blood sample by trimming a nail and sending it to the lab I had a result in just a few days. I suspected they were both female and sure enough that's what the tests said too. I used a Canadian Company named Health Gene and found them quite efficient.

http://www.healthgene.com/

Somehow I feel better know that they are both girls.....At least I know I am not giving them a complex with their cute girlie names!

LuLu's new friend KeKe

Yes I think I must have sucker written on my forehead.

We have had LuLu for some time now and since getting past the days she drives us crazy, with her high pitched chirping for attention, we have grown quite fond of her.

I have been wondering for a while if she would like a friend. I was hoping that if I did bring one home it may calm her down a bit. I happened to be in the pet store looking at a pair and noticing how content and quiet they seemed. It just so happened the next day when I came to work what was sitting there but another peach faced lovebird. I thought it was sure to be fate and took her home that afternoon.

Since then things have be quieter around the house and they both seem content to have company. I was an experience trying to cage them together and I am not sure that I will try that for a while. LuLu is definitely the dominant bird and wanted no part of someone sharing her mansion. So for now they sit side by side in their own private palaces and are content with the living arrangements.

I am not known for taking animals home as I have worked in vet clinic in the past for over 10 years and never felt the urge to need to. I guess these two stole my heart... the little clowns that they are! It as definitely been a crash course in bird care and behavior.

Microchips are only useful when info is current!

Microchips are a great identification tool for pets. This small chip ( about the size of a grain of rice) is implanted by injection just under the skin between the shoulder blades where it remains for future identification if the pet is ever lost. The unique number that is encoded on the chip can be read by a scanner when the pet is lost and enters a veterinary hospital or animal shelter. Dog owners register their information ( name, address, phone number etc.) to this chip so in the event that their pet is lost and scanned they can be reunited with the info on the chip This newer method is much more reliable then the tattoos used in the past that often times smeared or faded over time.

The problem arises when pets are implanted with microchips and the information registered to them is not kept current. There are many pets that come into the shelter with microchips that have outdated information and are never returned to owners because we cant get a hold of them or they have adopted the pet to someone else and that new information wasn't registered. Unfortunately technology is only as good as the people behind it.

If you have a pet with a microchip please keep the info registered current and if you have adopted a pet have it scanned by your veterinarian and record the number. All shelters have lists of companies to call that have chips registered. This way you can update the info and greatly increase the chance of your pet making it home quickly.