{"id":334,"date":"2018-08-23T22:10:24","date_gmt":"2018-08-23T22:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/?p=334"},"modified":"2018-08-23T22:10:24","modified_gmt":"2018-08-23T22:10:24","slug":"september-2018-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/september-2018-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"September 2018 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"

How Service Dogs Help and Bring Hope to Veterans<\/a>
\nFree-Roaming Cats with Tipped Ears and What You Should Know<\/a>
\nWhat is Bloat in Dogs and What You Can Do?<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>How Service Dogs Help and Bring Hope to Veterans<\/strong>
\nThe bond between service dog and veteran is immeasurable. Oftentimes, after arriving back home after serving, especially those returning from a war-torn area, a veteran may have physical impairments and\/or emotional issues ranging from bad dreams and flashbacks to fear and depression. Many veterans have been able to bring a service dog into their life to help with the sometimes-crippling aftereffects of war.<\/p>\n

Service dogs differ from emotional support dogs and therapy dogs. \u201cService dogs help people with disabilities perform tasks, which helps the handler attain safety and independence,\u201d according to the article, \u201cService Dogs: Helping Those Who Served Our Country\u201d at Companions for Heroes. \u201cAnd PTSD and psychiatric service dogs provide emotional support with people that have PTSD and other mental health conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to PTSD and service dogs, however, the Veteran\u2019s Administration at this time \u201cdoes not necessarily endorse their use,\u201d according to the article, \u201cService Dogs for Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder\u201d at AMA Journal of Ethics.<\/p>\n

Service dogs are not considered pets but rather working dogs. Because they have specialized status, the Companion for Heroes article said, they are allowed to go most places that the veteran goes, which includes restaurants and grocery stories. Their status is protected by federal and state laws as well, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) breaks down where they are allowed.<\/p>\n

Service dogs go through very specialized training but also continue to be friends with their veteran; they are a team. <\/p>\n

There are a variety of programs nationwide that train service dogs for veterans. The mission of PatriotPaws \u201cis to train and provide service dogs of the highest quality at no cost to disabled American veterans and others with mobile disabilities and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in order to help restore their physical and emotional independence.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>Free-Roaming Cats with Tipped Ears and What You Should Know<\/strong>
\nHave you seen any community cats in your neighborhood with something strange about their ears? Maybe you\u2019ve noticed and something doesn\u2019t seem quite right. What\u2019s it all about?<\/p>\n

Community cats, or feral cats, are mostly wild and live in colonies. According to the article, \u201cA Closer Look at Community Cats,\u201d at the ASPCA.org, community cats are \u201cborn and raised in the wild\u201d and typically \u201chave been abandoned or lost and turned to wild ways in order to survive.\u201d They should not be confused with stray cats, whom the ASPCA describes mainly as pets who have been abandoned or lost and are typically tame and OK around humans.<\/p>\n

Oftentimes, community cats are cared for by people who manage their colonies, which begins with instituting Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). With TNR, cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated against rabies, and returned to their colonies where a \u201ccaretaker\u201d feeds, monitors health and provides shelter, the ASPCA article said. <\/p>\n

In order to identify a colony cat who is spayed or neutered, ear-tipping (whereby an ear tip is snipped) is provided by a licensed veterinarian when the cat is under sedation. It is done so that future rescuers know which cats are fixed. \u201cThis is a painless and risk-free procedure,\u201d the ASPCA article said, adding that it \u201cidentifies them as being part of a colony with a caretaker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ear-tipping helps those who manage cat colonies know from a distance if a cat is spayed or neutered, according to the article, \u201cEar-Tipping Cats: What It Is and Why It’s Done\u201d at BestFriends.org.<\/p>\n

Ear-tipping \u201clets animal control officers know that a cat benefitted from TNR and has been seen by a veterinarian,\u201d the Best Friends article said.<\/p>\n

Cats whose ears have been tipped then do not have to deal with the stress of being trapped again for no reason. <\/p>\n

<\/a>What is Bloat in Dogs and What You Can Do?<\/strong>
\nHave you heard of bloat? It\u2019s very serious and all dog parents should know about it. Dogs most affected are the larger breed dogs with deep chests, including Great Danes, Irish setters and German shepherds among others. <\/p>\n

Bloat happens \u201cWhen a dog\u2019s stomach fills with gas,\u201d according to the article, \u201cBloat in Dogs: Symptoms & Prevention\u201d at petMD.com. \u201cThe expansion of the stomach puts pressure on the diaphragm, which then makes it hard for the dog to breathe.\u201d Additionally, the dog\u2019s stomach twists, causing shock and quick death.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn certain instances, bloating is noted when the dog exercises immediately after eating,\u201d the petMD article said, adding that an enlarged abdomen is the most obvious symptom. Other signs can include:<\/p>\n

\u2022\tlabored breathing
\n\u2022\texcessive drooling
\n\u2022\tvomiting
\n\u2022\tweak pulse
\n\u2022\tpaleness in the nose and mouth<\/p>\n

Oftentimes, bloat follows after a dog eats a large amount of food, according to the article, \u201cBloat in Dogs,\u201d at Pet Health Network. It happens fast and only your vet can determine bloat and what steps to take. \u201cSometimes bloat can be complicated by a deadly condition called gastric dilation\/volvulus (GDV) or \u2018stomach twisting.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Along with certain breeds, older dogs or those who have a family history of bloat can be at a higher risk. Because food is a major part of bloat, it is important \u201cto keep your dog\u2019s food under wraps to prevent accidental gorging,\u201d the Pet Health Network article stated. Although there are no real ways to prevent bloat or GDV, the article said to talk to your vet to see if the following tips can help:<\/p>\n

\u2022\tFeed smaller meals more often
\n\u2022\tOffer smaller amounts of water more often
\n\u2022\tLimit exercise right after eating
\n\u2022\tKeep your dog away from garbage or unknown food sources <\/p>\n

Most important, if you suspect bloat, call your vet immediately.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How Service Dogs Help and Bring Hope to Veterans Free-Roaming Cats with Tipped Ears and What You Should Know What is Bloat in Dogs and What You Can Do? How Service Dogs Help and Bring Hope to Veterans The bond between service dog and veteran is immeasurable. Oftentimes, after arriving back home after serving, especially… 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\/334"}],"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=334"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":335,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334\/revisions\/335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}