Ryder – March ‘10

Ryder’s Mom Samantha writes:  “This smiling little man is Ryder.  His dad and I adopted him from a pet rescue center in Gainesville about a year ago and he celebrated his first birthday October 10th.  He is very mellow and well-behaved for his age and loves to play fetch and play with his many stuffed animals.  He has such a great personality and loves meeting new dogs and people.  He recently moved to South Tampa and I hope he is considered for the Pet of the Month!

Blondie – February ‘10

Blondie’s Mom Mary writes: “I would like to nominate my faithful companion of 13 ½ years… Blondie!  She has stuck by me through thick and thin and across the state from West Palm Beach to Tampa.  Blondie loves to be the center of attention and will do anything to get it!!!   She loves to go to the park, run with the other dogs and play in the mud!  Thanks so much for considering her for Pet of the Month!”

Marley – January ‘10

 

Hi! My name is Marley! I am a six year old Boston Terrier,

who still looks and acts like a baby! I live on Davis

Islands, with my mama’s and other Boston, Kelsey! I love

to fl oat on the raft and swim in the pool, occasionally with

my goggles, as you see here! My hobbies include chasing

lizards, barking at the squirrels from the front window, going

to the dog park, riding around in the Jeep, and watching

the other dogs on my big screen TV! I love my house, and I

love my life! I have it made!

Zeke – November ‘09

Zeke, short for Zekeapotomus, is a 10 month old Catahoula Leopard Dog who was born deaf and blind as a result of backyard breeding.  At 6 months, after the last “good” puppy went to a home, the breeder decided that Zeke was too much of an inconvenience and took him to the vet to be put down.  One of the employees there got the breeder to turn Zeke over to her and she posted Zeke on the rescue board of Catahoula Rescue Inc.  I generally try not to open the postings unless they are asking for help with transport but, wanting to know what an “unscrupulous backyard breeder” was about,  I looked.  I’ll be honest, I’m a sucker for special needs dogs and I LOVE the patchwork markings on some houlas.  I knew that no one else was going to want a deaf AND blind Catahoula puppy-they’re a lot of work when they have all senses-so I e-mailed the coordinator that I work with in the rescue and told her I wanted him; whether to foster or keep, I had to have him.  Because of his disabilities, she said if I took him in, it was for good.  We talked for about an hour or more about worst case scenarios that could happen with him and other dogs, with my dogs, with people, etc.  Oddly, it just made me want him more!  I took my kids out to meet Zeke on Memorial Day and that Friday he came home with me.

Pet Food Facts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pet Food Facts

Feeding a biologically appropriate diet to your pet will promote overall health.   Benefits can include:

1. Longevity
2. Weight Management
3. Healthy Skin & Coat
4. Disease Prevention
5. Proper Bone and Joint Development

Unfortunately, most brands found in grocery stores and big box stores are truly unfit for a healthy pet.  Foods are filled with processed grain such as corn, wheat, soy, and glutens.  While this might not sound so bad to you,  consider that dogs and cats are carnivores and require meat in their diet. 

What is a Carnivore?  A carnivore, meaning ‘meat eater’ (Latin carne meaning ‘flesh’ and vorare meaning ‘to devour’), is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of vertebrate and/or invertebrate animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging. …
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivore

Read your pet food ingredient labels!  This will give you a clear picture of what your pet is eating.  The first FIVE ingredients are the most important and the first TEN ingredients will tell you everything you need to know.  Ingredients are weighed prior to being cooked and the heaviest ingredients are listed first.

Good Ingredients include:

Chicken, Beef, Salmon, Herring, Duck, Turkey, or any other whole protein source

Chicken Meal, Beef Meal, Salmon Meal, Herring Meal, Duck Meal, Turkey Meal or other high quality meal source

Brown Rice, Barley, Oats, Oatmeal, Quinoa or other whole grain

Fruits, Vegetables, Vitamins and Supplements such as Glucosamine and Chondroitin

Bad Ingredients include:

Corn

Wheat

Soy

Gluten

Meat (unspecified)

By-products

By-product Meal

Animal Fat (unspecified)

Salt

Sugar

Artificial Colors and Flavors

*Corn, Wheat and Soy are common causes of pet allergies. 

The first two to three ingredients in a pet food should be whole meats or high quality meat meals.  Whole meat followed by a meat meal is the best situation.  Since a whole fresh meat will lose most of its water weight after being cooked, a meat meal will ensure that a good portion of the final weight is derived from meat.

Why are corn and corn derivatives used in commercial foods?  Corn and Corn Gluten Meal have high protein counts.  Many commercial pet foods use corn products to bump up the protein count in pet food to inexpensively meet AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) Standards.  As carnivores, dogs and cats do not require corn for protein but high quality MEAT!

So, what do all of these terms mean? 

Click here for AAFCO definitions of pet food ingredients:  http://www.braypets.com/FRR/aafcodef.htm

Interested in knowing how your pet’s food stacks up? 

Visit www.dogfoodanalysis.com and find out!

Can you afford to feed your pet a healthy diet?  Absolutely! 

1.  Since dogs and cats will absorb and digest so much more of a high quality food..less will be fed.  For example, if you are feeding 4 cups of a commercial brand dog food a day you might only need to feed 2 3/4 of a high quality food.

2.  Many holistic/all natural foods have a buy 12 bags and get a 13th bag free program. 

3.  Feeding a high quality food may result in less visits to your vet!!

You can do it!  Canidae is a premium pet food and you can feed a 50lb dog for $.62 a day on Canidae ALS.  Don’t you think your pet is worth it?

Valentine’s Day Sweet Toy & Treat Gift Ideas!

Your four legged Valentine gives you puppy luv all year long!  Say thank you with a few of these great gift ideas:

Wag Pet and Family Photo Day

Title: Wag Pet and Family Photo Day
Location: Wag on Davis Islands
Link out: Click here
Description: Join us for our Annual Holiday Pet and Family Photo Day with Laura Allen Photography. This is your change to have pictures made before the holidays. Call today to reserve your private photo session (813) 258-9181
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2009-11-21
End Time: 17:00

Picnic-Greyhound Rescue & Adoptions of Tampa

Title: Picnic-Greyhound Rescue & Adoptions of Tampa
Location: Al Lopez Park, Tampa
Link out: Click here
Description: Greyhound Rescue and Adoptions of Tampa Bay (GREAT) is having its annual picnic. We will have lunch, contests, vendors, GREAT merchandise, and lots of fantastic raffles & auctions. Rain or Shine
Start Time: 12:00
Date: 2009-11-15
End Time: 16:00

Charity Fashion Show to Benefit St. Francis Animal Rescue

Title: Charity Fashion Show to Benefit St. Francis Animal Rescue
Location: Gasoline Alley – 14042 66th St, Largo, FL
Link out: Click here
Description: Fundraising Event to Benefit St. Francis Animal Rescue. Hosted by The Tampa Modeling Photgraphy Assoc., with Designer – Tiffany Gilstrap-Scott.
COVER CHARGE: (proceeds will go to St. Francis Animal Rescue)
$10.00 advance ticket
$100.00 VIP
$12.00 at the door
MC, DOOR PRIZES & ENTERTAINMENT
Contact: cliquedacour@gmail.com for more details
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2009-11-08
End Time: 21:00

Dante – October ‘09

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