Secondhand smoke kills pets too

If you smoke, please refrain from smoking around your pets. Secondhand smoke can cause the same respiratory effects in dogs as it does in people, and they may develop life-threatening nasal and lung cancers.

Nicotine is also highly toxic if ingested, so keep all tobacco products out of reach. If a dog accidentally eats any tobacco product, they run the risk of collapse, coma and possibly death. If your guests smoke, be sure to point them outside and have an ashtray for disposal on hand.

For more information about protecting the health of your furry friend, please visit the ASPCA’s Guide to Pet Care.

The ultimate in recycling.

Photo from Dogs Life Magazine
Originally uploaded by Dog's Life Magazine

Choose adoption over pet stores because it's the right thing to do. With so many wonderful dogs out there, rescue dogs are a great way to enrich your life. When buying puppies from a pet store, you may unknowingly be supporting puppy mills.

All breeds, ages and sizes are available at shelters, rescue groups and your animal control. Dogs who are a little older make great pets because they usually come potty trained and aren't as hyper as a puppy. To search for a specific breed, size and age; visit Petfinder.com.

For a great article on pet adoption, please check out Dogs Life Magazine. Click on photo to visit their Flickr photo-stream.

It's Nat'l Pet ID Week – April 18-24.

Here's Cercei!
Originally uploaded by reneetellezphotography

Here are four things you should do, if you haven't already:

• Take a picture of your pet and make sure you have a current image on your computer or at any of the following places: Flickr, Snapfish, Shutterfly, Dogster or any of the many photo/file sharing sites. You may also want to have one put in your pet's chart at the vet's office.

• Microchip your pet. Any vet's office will do it. It's cheap and is a great way to permanently ID your pet.

• Make a contact list for your pet. This is a list of names, phone numbers, email and addresses of people that know you and your pet well.

• Register with a pet ID and recovery service.

Visit Dogster.com for more information. They also have a coupon for $3 off the "Together Tag", which is in partnership with the American Red Cross. We are currently enrolled with the American Kennel Club's Companion Animal Recovery.

I hope that none of us ever have to use these programs, but it's a great idea to have in case of an emergency. Let's keep our pets safe!

Only a few more weeks to sponsor us.

With hard economic times among us, animal shelters are needing help more than ever. Can you spare just $5? $10? Whatever the amount, every little bit counts. Please sponsor me in this wonderful fund raiser. Go to my personal Walk & Wag page.

Happy Spring!

see more dog and puppy pictures

NO HR 699 - sign the petition

ROAR - How to prevent animal cruelty

Where did the sun go?

So tired.
Originally uploaded by reneetellezphotography

Just when we thought the nice days were here to stay, it's gotten cold and rainy again. Leave it to Michigan!

You can follow Mel on Twitter

You can follow Mel on Twitter.
He goes by MrMelggles.

Happy Good Friday!

Nom Nom
Originally uploaded by reneetellezphotography

Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week

Why are you out there?
Originally uploaded by reneetellezphotography

We're singing our hearts out here – it's Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week, April 15-21!

It is everyones' responsibility to prevent and report animal cruelty AND violence against humans. Knowing about it and doing nothing is just as bad as the ones who are guilty of it.

The ASPCA has tips on what information to have on hand when reporting...

"Try to gather the following information before submitting a report of animal cruelty:

* A concise, written, factual statement of what you observed—giving dates and approximate times whenever possible—to provide to law enforcement.
* Photographs of the location, the animals in question and the surrounding area. However, please do not put yourself in danger! Do not enter another person’s property without permission, and exercise great caution around unfamiliar animals who may be frightened or in pain.
* If you can, provide law enforcement with the names and contact information of other people who have firsthand information about the abusive situation.

Remember, never give away a document without making a copy for yourself!"

For more useful information visit the ASPCA website.

If you don't know where to turn, your local law enforcement agency is a great place to start.

WELLNESS dog food

I just noticed that Wellness had a new food out, specially sized for smaller dogs. Since it's a high quality food, I was excited to let my dogs try it. We were almost out and after buying the big bag, there's no other choice than – learn to like it. They usually are picky when it comes to new foods, but I was pleasantly surprised when they gobbled it up without a second thought. I must also add that they've been fed this for about two weeks and still eat it like it's the best food in the world. They even jump around and dance for it.

This gets three paws up (highest rating)!

You can buy the Wellness brand from many independent pet retailers, Pet Supplies Plus (if your from Michigan) or on-line.

This food is great for picky eaters, sensitive skin and stomachs, allergies and for overall great health.

Be sure to visit the Wellness website for more info.

Humane Society of Huron Valley

With hard economic times among us, animal shelters are needing help more than ever. Can you spare just $5? $10? Whatever the amount, every little bit counts. Please sponsor me in this wonderful fund raiser. Go to my personal Walk & Wag page.

Sleep

see more dog and puppy pictures

WOOF

This is a picture I drew of my dog, Sasha.

Pet poison alert from the ASPCA

People with pets should NOT use moth balls. This just came to me via email from the ASPCA. News Alert #3:

"In the past year, the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) has managed 113 cases of mothball poisoning, and most of those accidents happened during the spring and summer months. According to the APCC’s Dana Farbman, CVT, the ingestion of just one mothball can produce significant illness. Naphthalene—an offending chemical found in some brands of mothballs—is toxic to dogs, cats and other animals, and if ingested, can cause serious illness, including vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, swelling of the brain tissue, seizures, damage to the liver, kidneys and blood cells, coma and even death.

Farbman also advises pet parents to look out for mothballs that contain dichlorobenzene. “This insecticide is somewhat less toxic than naphthalene,” she says, “but it can still cause stomach upset and potentially even neurological effects if consumed in large amounts.”

Like other toxic exposures, it’s important to seek immediate attention if your pet has ingested mothballs. Prompt treatment can make the difference between just another household accident and permanent tragedy. The prognosis for those pets who receive immediate care is quite good, provided no other underlying conditions like liver disease or anemia are present.

If you suspect that your pet may have ingested mothballs—or any other poisonous substance—please call your local veterinarian or the ASPCA’s emergency hotline at (888) 426-4435. For more information about keeping your pet safe from household poisons, please visit APCC online."

Flea season is among us, prevent now!

Flea – a small wingless jumping insect that feeds on the blood of mammals and birds. It sometimes transmits diseases through its bite, including plague and myxomatosis.

Order Siphonaptera: several families and many species, including the human flea ( Pulex irritans) and the cat flea ( Ctenocephalides felis).

I will tell you that prevention is way easier than trying to get rid of them. Once the fleas are in your house, you can count on months of "war" on these guys. They are one of the toughest things to get rid of. I'll discuss the cycle of a flea and ways to get rid of them at another time.

There are many types of flea medications out there. Talk to your vet to see what's right for you and your dog. Beware of the cheap ones at the store, they don't work very well, they don't last the entire month and they are highly toxic.

The top/trusted names are: Frontline, K9-Advantix, Advantage, Revolution, Program and Capstar. Never use flea products that are meant for dogs on cats (it will kill them) and vice versa. They are dog or cat specified for a reason.

Never buy medications from places that you've never heard of on the internet. Just like everything else, if it's really cheap it's probably not real. I do suggest checking out Drs. Foster & Smith online. They have great deals, have been around a long time and have free shipping on all flea medications.

Happy Spring and remember – Prevention is key!

Snausages Party Sack

Here's another one of my dogs' favorites. These are inexpensive, can be broken into small bits (they do not need a whole one) and are great for training. These are not very healthy and I would consider them to be "candy for dogs", so give sparingly. The last thing you want is an overweight dog. A dog also needs to "earn" treats. Coming when called, sitting, shaking, dancing; it doesn't really matter what it is, but it should never be given for "free". Dogs respond best to earned treats, which is especially true for maintaining good behavior (like listening).

Snausages also come in other shapes, like little footballs and the original little rolls.