My Valentine Cats Recipes

DJ Laughlin Art

If your Pet has a pre-existing medical condition, consult your veterinarian before adding a new food to his or her diet.

Purr-fect Puff Pops

A tail-twitching, whisker-lickin' treat that is sure to get a meow from your favorite feline!

Ingredients:

1 hard-boiled egg
½ cup of honey
1 long sliced carrot
1 can of tuna (6-ounce can of tuna in water)

Directions:

Mash the hard-boiled egg and put it into a bowl. Add honey, carrot and tuna. Mix together and roll into marble-sized balls. Place the puffs in a sealed container and keep refrigerated until they turn into chilled pops. Then serve.

Serving size: 1 puff pop for an adult cat and ½ pop for a kitten.

Pet Party Coolers

We're sure that your cat and their party guests will have a lick'n good time with this chilled recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups water
½ banana
1-tablespoon low fat peanut butter

Directions:

Mix water, banana and peanut butter in a blender and pour the mixture into an ice cube tray. For larger dogs and larger treats, use paper cups. Freeze the mixture for a few hours until frozen solid. The coolers can get messy, so you might want to serve in the yard!

There is No Place Like Home

Pets love being in the comfort of their homes!  Cats are not fond of change or their carriers.  Linked is the story of Ripples cat who found himself out of the comfort of his home, in his carrier and placed in the cargo bin of a plane.  Ripples family vacation nightmare!

Ripples the cat would have preferred a loving pet sitter coming by his home every day. 

What do you think of these pet names? Do you see your four-legged friend’s name on this list? Tell us below!

So, drumroll please…. here is Banfield’s list of the top 20 pet names for dogs and cats in 2011:
Top 20 Dog Names
1. Bella
2. Max
3. Buddy

4. Daisy

5. Bailey

6. Lucy

7. Molly

8. Coco

9. Charlie

10. Rocky
11. Chloe

12. Maggie

13. Sadie

14. Princess

15. Sophie

16. Lucky

17. Roxy

18. Jack

19. Lola

20. Harley

Top 20 Cat Names

1. Kitty

2. Tiger

3. Bella

4. Kitten

5. Smokey

6. Max

7. Tigger

8. Shadow
9. Chloe

10. Lucy

11. Charlie
12. Oreo
13. Baby
14. Lucky
15. Buddy
16. Oliver
17. Jack
18. Simba

19. Princess

20. Angel

Pets and Holiday Safety

Anna & Coby in the holiday spirit

The Holidays are a very busy time of year.  The following list has some suggestions I learned from the Humane Society on how to make a safer holiday season for your pet: Decorations:Holly, mistletoe and poinsettias are festive, beautiful and POISONOUS to pets. Once ingested, they can all cause severe intestinal cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and central nervous system disorders. If you include them in your holiday decor, please make sure they are kept out of the reach of your companion animals.Keep lighted candles away from your pet.Christmas Trees:Make sure your tree is anchored in a sturdy base so that it can't be easily tipped over. If ingested, tree needles can cause injury to the gastrointestinal tract. Vacuum frequently. Beware of Broken or splintered glass ornaments. Avoid tinsel if at all possible. Should your pet swallow it, it could become ill.

Electrical cords for tree lights can be perceived as an attractive chew toy and result in a powerful shock. Cords can also become tangled around a pet which could cause a tree to fall over on them or worse yet, create an electrical short or fire. Secure them well out of hams way.

Do not leave wrapped food gifts under the tree. Wrapping paper and bows can also cause problems if swallowed. Put them out of reach if your pets are inclined to tear into packages.Diets:
The key to keeping your pet healthy is to maintain a consistent diet. Do not give your companion animal a "treat" of holiday leftovers. Unaccustomed food in your pet's diet can trigger digestive problems.
Do not give your companion animal a bone. They can splinter when chewed and eventually puncture the intestinal tract. Bones purchased in grocery and pet stores are a safe substitute.
Never give your pet chocolate. It is highly toxic to animals -- causing stomach cramps, constipation or diarrhea.House Guests:Guests can be stressful for a companion animal unaccustomed to a house full of people. Time alone with familiar toys and blankets can prevent your pet from getting nervous around visitors. Unfamiliar faces can turn normally docile animals into aggressive ones.

Happy Holidays

House Calls 4 Pet

House Calls Happy Pet Pictures 

PET OWNER STATISTICS

Dogs

There are approximately 77.5 million owned dogs in the United States

Thirty-nine percent of U.S. households own at least one dog

Most owners (67 percent) own one dog

Twenty-four percent of owners own two dogs

Nine percent of owners own three or more dogs

On average, owners have almost two dogs (1.7)

The proportion of male to female dogs is even

Nineteen percent of owned dogs were adopted from an animal shelter

On average, dog owners spent $225 on veterinary visits (vaccine, well visits) annually

Seventy-five percent of owned dogs are spayed or neutered

Cats

There are approximately 93.6 million owned cats in the United States

Thirty-three percent of U.S. households (or 38.2 million) own at least one cat

Fifty-six percent of owners own more than one cat

On average, owners have two cats (2.45)

More female cats are owned than male cats (70 percent vs. 65 percent respectively)

Twenty-two percent of owned cats were adopted from an animal shelter

Cat owners spent an average of $203 on routine veterinary visits

Eighty-seven percent of owned cats are spayed or neutered

HouseCalls Happy Pet Pictures 

House Calls 4 Pet 

Kids and Pets

House Calls Pet Tips
Dogs and kids are very similar in a lot of ways, except for the fact that dogs have bigger teeth and most children are unable to protect themselves from a dog if needed.

So, it is not hard to follow that I have one key rule that I enforce at home: Children and dogs should never be left alone. Not even for a second. But it is important to note that just being in the room isn’t enough, as an adult and handler of the dog, you must also be engaged and close enough to act if need be.

Getting your pooch and kids used to each other isn’t complicated, however, it does require consistency and training on both the side of the dog and the child.

The dog needs to be taught to sit or lay down for praise and affection and not jump up, nudge, or even lean for attention (even leaning or nudging can knock over a small child). Help your dog by practicing the way a small child might pet. Pat the dog on their head as a kid might or tug their ears and tail gently so that they become desensitized to a child’s accidental tail or ear pull. Try to give your dog a hug. Do they seem shy or pull back? That will give you a clue that your dog is uncomfortable and guide you with how to proceed with desensitization (in this case I would start with just kneeling on the ground, then a one arm hug, then work up to a full hug).

The child also needs some training. Encourage children to not reach or lunge forward when they interact with dogs. Also, teach them to scratch under a dogs chin and not reach above a dog to pet its head. Another good thing is to have your child scratch your dog on its shoulders or back, this keeps them away from the dog’s mouth. Do keep in mind any injuries or arthritis that might cause the dog to be sore anywhere and teach your child to avoid those areas. Reward your child when they scratch nicely and make sure you demonstrate proper petting techniques as kids pick up on bad habits quickly (read: rough-housing or wrestling).

Next time: How to introduce your dog to a new baby.

Elise Faber, CPT and member IACP (www.canineprofessionals.com)