Accupressure for adoption

Combining acupressure with behavioral techniques can help the new dog and the existing pack adapt to and bond with one another.  It can also help resident dogs accept the newcomer.  It leads to a much shorter period of upheaval and a quicker return to peace in the home.
The new dog has lost his original pack (family); and must learn a new physical environment, food, water, people, and pack.
Offer an accupressure session to the most dominant dog since he will feel the most threatened and resistant to change in pack status.

Introducing a new pet to the home "pack".

Bringing a new adoptee home is stressful to the new animal and to the current residents.  The goal is to minimize stress and avoid injury to everyone.  Here are some suggestions: 

1. Select one dog to meet the new one so they can bond before you introduce the entire pack.  
2. Meet on neutral ground like a park.
3. Create a safe barrier between the new dog and the pack so they become acquainted before meeting nose to nose.

July 10 is National Helmet Awareness Day

July 10 is National Helmet Awareness Day. More dressage competitors are now wearing helmets instead of top hats. Here is a quote from an article about a top dressage competitor. " A dressage tradition started to unravel when Olympic rider Courtney King Dye hit the ground in a March 3 training accident, fracturing her skull and lapsing into a coma that would last for weeks." Visit http://www.riders4helmets.com/ to learn more.

Your pet's hair can help clean up the oil spill!

If you plan to get your dog or cat groomed, or do it yourself, save those clippings. If you are getting your own hair cut, save those clippings, too. Clean out your brushes and combs - just leave the vacuum bags alone.
Your hair and your pets' fur can help clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Don't vacuum it up, because the hair and fur needs to be as free of other debris as possible.
The hair and fur is stuffed into old pantyhose or nylons, and made into booms that soak up the oil and cleanse the water. You can also donate those old nylons, runs and all, by the way.
At the root of this collection drive is Matter of Trust. This is a non-profit organization based in California, and they have already collected thousands of pounds of hair and fur to help make the booms.
"People" salons are collecting hair clippings, too. Carol McCoy, of the Carol Mccoy Salon at Stranz Hair Salon in Macon, said, "We're doing it in our salon, but I don't mind being a collection point."
She said she plans to get boxes soon to ship the hair and any fur, stockings or wool that needs to go, too. Call the salon to make an appointment if you want to get your hair cut, and to coordinate your donations if you have any of the other materials to bring. Call the salon at 478-731-0603 or 478-474-7644. The shop is open Tuesday - Saturday.
Other Macon area salons registered with Matter of Trust are:

• Signature Salon & Spa, Macon (704) 254-1561
• Stranz Hair Salon, Macon ( 478 ) 787-8924
• Studio L.A.S., Macon (478) 746-1386
• Visual Glamour,  Macon 478-474-1712
• Matthew Caleb Salon, Warner Robins  (478 ) 256-0369 
• Serenity Salon and Spa, Warner Robins  (478) 320-5310 or (478) 953-3001      
• Emerald Cuts, Dublin ( 478 ) 275-4222
• Great Lengths, Milledgeville (478) 453-2569

Please call to find out if the salon is willing to add your pet's fur to their donated hair before you drag the fur over to their shops.
While we can't find a local collection point specifically for fur, Coastal Pet Rescue in the Savannah area is accepting donations there for transfer to a Florida collection point.
You can send in donations of hair and fur yourself. Go to the sign-up page at Matter of Trust, sign up and get instructions for sending your donations to them. Although you are asked for credit card information, this is only if you wish to buy from the site (posters, etc.), and you do not have to put in your credit card information. Just leave that part blank and hit the sign up button.
If you own a pet grooming business, hair salon or any other kind of business and wish to donate, go here.
Schools that want to make a class or school project of making donations to help rid the Gulf of Mexico of all that oil and help save wildlife should click here.
Churches, government entities and other non-profits should click here.
Your donation and anything you spend on postage/shipping of that donation, are tax-deductible. Just save your receipt for shipping. Matter of Trust will send you a receipt for the donation after it is received and accepted.
Once you sign up, you'll get an e-mail telling you where to send your hair, fur, wool, nylons, etc.
The oil spill is expected to not only kill precious wildlife resources, but can effectively put out of business all those fishermen and small fishing companies that depend on the sea for their livelihood. This not only impacts them, but will likely cause the price of fish at the supermarket to rise significantly.
If you can't see the video link, click here to see the YouTube video of how fur and hair is used to make mats to soak up oil, and an amazing demonstration of how well these mats work.

Ways to make your dog smile #2 Inner ear noogies

Rub the little piece of cartilage that juts out at the entrance to your dogs' ear.  The dog will probably cock his ear to one side with his eyes half closed.
from 97 ways to make a dog smile, by Jenny Langbehn.

Tips for parasite prevention

10 Tips to Protect Your Horses from Insects

Follow these tips to protect your horses from insects and parasites and make your property less fly-friendly.

By Allison Rogers

Here's what you can do to make your horses more comfortable and your property less fly- and bug-friendly.

1. Remove anything that holds rainwater, such as old tires and unused buckets, and fill in persistent or perennial puddles.
2. Do not spread fresh, uncomposted manure on horse pastures you intend to use before the manure decomposes.
3. Don't overcrowd pastures.
4. Clean up grain spills and decaying vegetation, such as grass clippings and uneaten hay in pastures.
5. Keep water buckets clean and provide fresh water.
6. Deworm your horses on a regular basis.
7. Apply insecticide and repellent frequently.
8. Outfit your horses in fly masks.
9. Provide a shady shelter as a refuge from biting flies for pastured horses.
10. Remove manure from stalls daily and from pastures twice a week, and compost or dispose of it.
This article originally appeared in the May 1997 issue of EQUUS magazine. Read "A Trail Rider's Guide to Stopping Flies" in the June 2006 issue for a few quick and easy techniques to stop winged pests from ruining your summer rides.

Mosquitos are more than annoying...they spread deadly diseases

     Mosquitos are responsible for a number of diseases in North America, including West Nile virus and heartworm.  The former mostly affects horses, while heartworm is dangerous  to dogs.
    Where do mosquitos live?  They rest in dark, shaded vegetation during daylight, and come out to feed at night.  Mosquito eggs grow in water, and cannot survive without it.  Prevention must include getting rid of any water sources you can including your pets' water bowls when not in use.
     Keep your pets inside at night when mosquitos are most active; and leave lights off because they attract insects.  

Choosing good foods for your dog

Here are some tips for choosing good dog food:
A well researched, home prepared fresh diet is the best, but that can be time consuming and expensive.
Dry food is the least natural to the canine species.
Different dogs have different needs, so watch your dog carefully for signs of compromised health. Here are a few bad symptoms: runny eyes, smelly ears, itchy skin, severe gas, or frequest diarrhea.
Keep track of what your dog is getting and his response.
Switching foods regularly allows for a variation in the content of minerals and vitamins.

New home for hemopet

Hemopet, the first and only national non-profit animal blood bank, and its laboratory diagnostic division, Hemolife, have relocated to a custom built, expanded new facility in Garden Grove, California. The new 20,000 square foot facility houses Hemopet's animal blood bank, the Hemolife laboratory, large living quarters for donor greyhounds, consultation and office space as well as an expanded conference room for professional veterinary and community seminars.  Robert Woods, D.V.M, offers on-site complementary veterinary therapies including acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, hemeopathy, homtoxicology, nutraceutical therapy and flower essence therapy.  hemopet.org  source: Animal Wellness