{"id":295,"date":"2018-01-02T22:02:39","date_gmt":"2018-01-02T22:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/?p=295"},"modified":"2018-01-02T22:02:39","modified_gmt":"2018-01-02T22:02:39","slug":"january-2018-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/january-2018-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"January 2018 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Be Prepared When Bringing a New Pet into Your Home<\/a>
\nRemedies to Help Your Older Pet\u2019s Arthritis in the Colder Weather<\/a>
\nGet Overweight Pets on Track to Help Them Live Longer and Healthier Lives<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nBe Prepared When Bringing a New Pet into Your Home<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the start of a new year, and it brings so much promise. If you adopted a new pet or received one as a gift, do you know what to do or what to expect? How should you prepare your home and your family?<\/p>\n

According to the article, \u201cBringing Your New Dog Home,\u201d from The Humane Society of the United States, \u201cThe key to helping your new dog make a successful adjustment to your home is being prepared and being patient.\u201d The article offers some tips:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Prepare the home to include supplies, from a collar, ID tags and leash, to food, water bowls and toys.
\n\u2022 Decide who will feed the pet, walk the dog or clean the litter box, and decide where the pet will sleep.
\n\u2022 Ensure housetraining is consistent.
\n\u2022 Schedule a veterinarian appointment.<\/p>\n

In the article, \u201cWhat You Need to Know Before Bringing Home a New Pet,\u201d at HealthyPets, Dr. Karen Becker discusses how to successfully add a new pet to your home:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Before bringing home a pet, ensure there are no dangers and move \u201ccords out of reach, and plants if your new addition is a kitty,\u201d Becker wrote.
\n\u2022 If you have other pets, seek advice on introducing your new addition.
\n\u2022 For new cats, \u201cregardless of whether there are other pets or children in the family, I recommend you separate the new addition in a little bed-and-breakfast setup of her own for at least a week,\u201d Becker wrote. \u201cThis will help her get acclimated on her own terms, which is the way cats prefer things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bringing home a new pet is exciting. There is so much to look forward to and lots of love to go around. Make sure you have all the information you need to ensure the transition goes smoothly for everyone, including your new pet.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nRemedies to Help Your Older Pet\u2019s Arthritis in the Colder Weather<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arthritis hurts the joints in both humans and animals. Similar to humans, pets with arthritis feel more pain during the colder months.<\/p>\n

The reason for increased arthritic pain in humans during colder months is not actually known by doctors but the assumption is that it is partly caused by \u201cthe drop in air pressure, which can allow the tissues to swell, or the effect that cold has on the muscles; a stiffening that can be uncomfortable even for those who do not suffer from joint issues,\u201d according to the article, \u201cHow to Alleviate Arthritic Pain During the Winter,\u201d at PetMD.com. The same holds true for pets with arthritis.<\/p>\n

There are things you can do to help alleviate some of the pain:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ensure your dog is not overweight, \u201csince extra weight places a lot of extra pressure on the already stressed joints,\u201d the article said.
\n\u2022 Speak with your veterinarian about medications and supplements.
\n\u2022 Alternatives such as massage, acupuncture and even physical therapy can help.
\n\u2022 Keep your dog as warm as possible.
\n\u2022 Pet ramps can help your pet with stairs.<\/p>\n

According to the article, \u201cArthritis and Cold Weather: Treating Degenerative Joint Disease in Winter\u201d at Pet Health Network, for dogs with degenerative joint disease, or DJD, the cold can be brutal. Movement is key as \u201cactivity helps the joints combat stiffness\u2014which in turn reduces pain,\u201d Dr. Jeff Werber, DVM, wrote.<\/p>\n

Getting up and getting out with your dog for a walk is key. \u201cThe movement will help your dog maintain good muscle tone, and muscle tone is crucial to combatting arthritis,\u201d Werber wrote.<\/p>\n

If there is ice on the ground, try booties or pad protectors for your dog\u2019s paw pads. There are numerous things you can do while working together with your dog to help him combat arthritis, especially in the cold.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nGet Overweight Pets on Track to Help Them Live Longer and Healthier Lives<\/strong><\/p>\n

Obesity is a concern for humans and pets, and the situation seems to be getting worse. Pets who are obese are at risk for a variety of medical conditions that can be extremely dangerous to their health. What are the signs? What can you do?<\/p>\n

In the article, \u201cThe 5 Biggest Questions You Must Ask About Pet Obesity: How to Check, What to Feed, and How to Exercise,\u201d Dr. Ernie Ward, DVM, CVFT, and founder of The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), said some weight-related disorders for obese pets include diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, cancer, kidney disease and more.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ward suggests that pet owners ask their veterinarians five important questions:
\n1. Ask if your pet is overweight and get an assessment.
\n2. Ask the amount of calories you should feed your pet every day and \u201cFeed that amount,\u201d Dr. Ward wrote.
\n3. Ask how much weight your pet should lose in a month\u2019s time. \u201cA weight loss plan\u2019s performance is critical to track and monitoring monthly trends is an accurate indicator of success or stagnation,\u201d according to Ward.
\n4. Ask about exercise for your pet and the type of activities \u201cbased on your pet\u2019s species, breed, age, gender, and current physical abilities,\u201d Ward said.
\n5. Ask if your pet is at risk of a medical problem because he is overweight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI often emphasize that food does not equal love,\u201d wrote Dr. Patti Iampietro, Best Friends veterinarian in the article, \u201cObese Dogs and Cats: Why Pet Obesity Is a Health Concern.\u201d She added, \u201cWalks, play time, petting and quiet time alone with your pet all say \u2018I love you\u2019 just as effectively as giving treats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Work alongside your pet and help him lose weight safely in order to bring him to a healthy weight\u2026 and a healthier life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Be Prepared When Bringing a New Pet into Your Home Remedies to Help Your Older Pet\u2019s Arthritis in the Colder Weather Get Overweight Pets on Track to Help Them Live Longer and Healthier Lives Be Prepared When Bringing a New Pet into Your Home It\u2019s the start of a new year, and it brings so… 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\/295"}],"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=295"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":297,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295\/revisions\/297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}