{"id":233,"date":"2016-12-19T15:32:01","date_gmt":"2016-12-19T15:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/?p=233"},"modified":"2016-12-19T15:32:01","modified_gmt":"2016-12-19T15:32:01","slug":"january-2017-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/january-2017-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"January 2017 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"

If You See a Stray Dog, Here\u2019s How to Help<\/a>
\nKeeping Dogs Indoors vs. Outdoors: What\u2019s Best for Your Best Friend<\/a>
\nDeclawing Your Cat: The Pros and Cons<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nIf You See a Stray Dog, Here\u2019s How to Help<\/strong><\/p>\n

It happens to so many of us: You see a stray dog in the street or side of the road and you want to help but are unsure of what to do without scaring the dog or having him or her run into traffic.<\/p>\n

According to \u201cHow to Help a Stray Pet\u201d from The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), whatever you do, don\u2019t get into an accident so safely pull off to the side of the road. Here are tips from the HSUS:
\n\u2022 Catch safely: Often a dog will be scared, sick or injured. You cannot predict his\/her behavior. Ensure the dog doesn\u2019t run into traffic. \u201cIf possible, restrain the animal. Create a barrier or use a carrier, leash, piece of cloth, or length of rope to keep the animal in the area.\u201d
\n\u2022 Be cautious. An animal may be scared and could bite due to fear. \u201cWhen moving toward the animal, speak calmly to reassure them,\u201d according to the HSUS article. \u201cMake sure they can see you at all times as you approach, and perhaps entice them to come to you by offering a strong-smelling food such as canned tuna or dried liver.\u201d
\n\u2022 Ask for backup. You may need help restraining the dog so you can call local animal control, or police if you are in a rural area.
\n\u2022 Bring the dog to safety. The HSUS article advises that if you can transport the dog, bring the dog to an animal shelter nearby. \u201cIf you plan to keep the animal in the event no owner is found, notify animal control that you have the animal or that you have taken them to a veterinary hospital for treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out the dog for injuries. If the dog has tags, try to call and locate the owner, or have the dog checked for a microchip. The dog may have a family who is searching for their canine friend.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nKeeping Dogs Indoors vs. Outdoors: What\u2019s Best for Your Best Friend<\/strong><\/p>\n

Should dogs live indoors or outdoors? There are families who have dogs who live inside and sleep alongside their humans. They are part of the \u201cpack\u201d and considered family. There are families who leave their dogs outside all the time. Often those dogs lack socialization and become isolated.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s best?<\/p>\n

According to \u201cHow Much Should You Keep Your Dog Outdoors?\u201d at PetFinder.com, Jacque Lynn Schultz, C.P.D.T. Companion Animal Programs Adviser, National Outreach, wrote, \u201cA dog who\u2019s kept outside experiences social isolation. He may engage in excessive barking and howling in an attempt to reunite his pack.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schultz said that outdoor dogs who are isolated \u201cbecome exceedingly independent and difficult to train.\u201d Although bringing dogs outside to play is a great idea, it should not become their full-time home.<\/p>\n

For those dogs who do like to spend time outdoors, it is very important to ensure they have appropriate protection from the elements and enough fresh, clean water, especially during summer months. Make sure to bring dogs inside during inclement weather. Also make sure to keep an eye on dogs outside as they could succumb to overheating during the summer. Outside dogs can be put in harm\u2019s way if encountered by wildlife such as coyotes. Whatever you do, do not chain your dog outside, as that is very dangerous, cruel and inhumane.<\/p>\n

\u201cDogs are companion animals and, as such, belong in our homes and in our lives,\u201d Schultz wrote. Your dogs should not be restricted to a backyard. When you make an effort to train your dog, teach him or her manners and socialize your dog, \u201cyou will discover you have within him the best possible companion.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nDeclawing Your Cat: The Pros and Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a lot of controversy on the subject of declawing cats. There are some countries that have actually banned the practice, considering it to be inhumane.<\/p>\n

Some cat owners think it\u2019s OK as they don\u2019t believe that declawing is harmful and want to deter cats from scratching up furniture. \u201cThey don\u2019t realize that declawing can make a cat less likely to use the litter box or more likely to bite,\u201d according to \u201cDeclawing Cats: Far Worse Than a Manicure,\u201d an article from The Humane Society of the United States. \u201cDeclawing also can cause lasting physical problems for your cat.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the article, cat\u2019s scratch. It\u2019s a normal behavior for them. They do it, \u201cto remove the dead husks from their claws, mark territory, and stretch their muscles.\u201d They begin the behavior at approximately 8 weeks old, which is the perfect time to train them on using scratching posts and get them used to trimming their nails.<\/p>\n

Declawing should only be considered for medical purposes \u201csuch as the removal of cancerous nail bed tumors.\u201d<\/p>\n

The surgery to declaw is not like having nails trimmed. It is the \u201camputation of the last bone of each toe,\u201d the article said. \u201cIf performed on a human being, it would be like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the HSUS article, cats who have been declawed can experience:
\n\u2022 Pain in the paw
\n\u2022 Infection
\n\u2022 Tissue necrosis (tissue death)
\n\u2022 Lameness
\n\u2022 Back pain
\n\u2022 Nerve damage
\n\u2022 Bone spurs<\/p>\n

The HSUS article recommends the following to help deter unwanted scratching:
\n\u2022 Keep your cat\u2019s claws trimmed
\n\u2022 Provide scratching posts and boards throughout the home
\n\u2022 Ask your veterinarian for humane options<\/p>\n

Medically, there is no benefit to declaw your cat. You can ensure everyone in the family is happy when you train your cat not to scratch furniture and other items in the home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If You See a Stray Dog, Here\u2019s How to Help Keeping Dogs Indoors vs. Outdoors: What\u2019s Best for Your Best Friend Declawing Your Cat: The Pros and Cons If You See a Stray Dog, Here\u2019s How to Help It happens to so many of us: You see a stray dog in the street or side… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233\/revisions\/235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}