Memorial Day Weekend Events

Wow! Can you believe it’s Memorial Day weekend already? It’s the unofficial start of summer and we have a lot to do!

Portsmouth Humane Society is celebrating this weekend. Actually the celebration is on Monday. They’ll be at the Memorial Bash. The party runs from 12 to 4 at the John Tyler Soccer Fields by Willet Hall, 3701 Willet Drive. There will be $1000 of free items and food will be available for $5. Half the proceeds go to PHS. You can get tickets at the Old Skool Video Games store at 5660 Portsmouth Boulevard in Portsmouth.

PHS also has a deal for our military members. This Saturday, Sunday, and Monday people with a valid military ID can adopt an animal for free. If you don’t have a military ID, you can adopt an animal for $31 and that includes getting two cats or kittens for one adoption fee. That’s a real deal!

Heritage Humane Society is celebrating too. Roxy is having a Birthday Bash at the Nautical Dog today from 11 until 7 tonight. She’s turning 7 today. If you bring in something from the HHS wish list you get 15% off your purchase. Everyone gets cake and a free bag of cookies too! Some of the things on the wish list are cat litter, canned dog and cat food, paper towels, toilet paper, and leashes. If you’re looking for a furry friend, you can adopt an adult cat from HHS for $50 until May 31st. Your furry friend will be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and ready to go home with you. If you’re a new adopter at HHS you can take home two adult cats for the one adoption fee. The Nautical Dog is located at 5104 Main Street in Williamsburg. Heritage Humane Society is located at 430 Waller Mill Road.

Animal Rescue of Tidewater will be out with adoptable animals to meet you on Sunday. They’ll be at the Greenbrier PetsMart from 2 to 4.

Animal Aid Society will be out with the dogs tomorrow. You can meet them from 12 to 4 at either the Oyster Point Care A Lot or the Tabb Walmart.

I found out something about the Norfolk Animal Care Center. You can’t find much on the Norfolk.gov page but they have a “Friends” page that list events. I found out they ARE looking for fosters. If you have the room and would like to foster, check out the page at www.friendsofnacc.com/programs.php. They also have a Golden Paws program. If you adopt a senior pet over the age of 7, the adoption fee is only $35. And if you’re a senior 65 or over, the adoption fee for a senior pet is waived entirely. A senior can adopt any pet at the shelter for $35, but senior pets are free for seniors. The NACC is located at 5585 Sabre Road in Norfolk.

Holly Ridge Manor Canine Country Club is having a huge celebration tomorrow and it’s part of the Pungo Strawberry Festival. It’s the May Day for Mutts and the party runs from 10 to 6. There will be 80 rescue groups and shelters there and a police dog demonstration. They’re also having tours of the kennel and daycare. There’s much more too. Too much to list! HRM is located at 2993 Seaboad Road in Virginia Beach. You can check out the event page at www.hollyridgemanor.net/mayday/.

K9 Justice League will be there. Then on Sunday they’ll be at the Redmill Petco from 10 to 4. Petco is located at 2133-114 Upton Drive in Virginia Beach.

The Virginia Beach SPCA and Koizilla Monster Ponds have a good deal going on. If you adopt a koi for your pond, Koizilla will donate half the adoption fee to VBSPCA. The fee runs from $10 to $300. Koizilla also wants to take in koi that you either need to give up or have grown too big for your pond. They’ll take it in and it can be part of their Educational Adoption Program. Give them a call at 757-474-1149.

Norfolk SPCA will be out with the dogs and cats this weekend. You can meet them at Walmart at 1170 North Military Highway tomorrow from 1 to 4. They’ll be at the Diamond Spring Road Care A Lot on Sunday from 1 to 4.

Do you love Stella and Dot jewelry? How about pugs? Who couldn’t love a pug? Pugs U Gotta Save has a deal with Stella and Dot. Kelly McCarthy, an independent stylist, will donate 15% of the online sale to Pugs U Gotta Save until July 15th. You really need to check it out. They have some beautiful jewelry. Check out the sale at www.stelladot.com/style/trunkshow/3756f46e-9dca-11e1-ad30-005056b55330.

Langley Kennel Club and Gloucester Kennel Club want you to come see all the dogs at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. The shows today and tomorrow are sponsored by LKC and the shows on Sunday and Monday will be sponsored by GKC. There are conformation classes each day and there are over 1,500 dogs entered. There will also be 8 Rally and Obedience Trials. Four today and four more tomorrow. It’s amazing to see these well trained dogs competing. You shouldn’t miss it! Parking at HRCC is free and admission is $5 a person, $3 for seniors, military families, and children. Active duty military and children under 12 are free. There will also be vendors and food available for purchase. All events start at 8 in the morning and run until 6 in the afternoon.

Well, that does it for this weekend. Get out and have fun with your dog. Meet some new furry friends and take some time to honor our military. They’re the only ones, other than your dog, who would give their life protecting you.  

Becoming A No-Kill Community

I read a post the other day written by a board of people at the Virginian-Pilot. It seems they have swallowed the whole “We can’t do no-kill here because…” garbage that the Norfolk Animal Care Center gives for euthanizing animals. And they swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.

Becoming a No-kill community isn’t easy. But it seems like some of the shelters, NACC especially, want to sit back and say “We’re over here people! Come adopt an animal or we kill it!” Remember the line about no man being an island unto himself? Well an animal shelter is part of a community. And the animal community is so much larger than just one shelter. Granted, some laws in Norfolk need to change to give animals a chance at survival. And more people need to volunteer a bit of time.

The first step is to institute a Trap, Neuter, and Return policy. If people are worried about the cat surviving after they are returned to the wild, why not set up a cat colony caretaker system. Caretakers, or group of volunteers, keep an eye on the colony. They provide food, make sure there is shelter, capture and get vet care for injured cats, and make sure all the cats in a colony are spayed or neutered. It sounds like a lot but a small group of people can do it without too much strain on any one person.

The next step is to expand your community. Instead of just having the two choices of house the animal at the shelter until it’s adopted or kill it, use the volunteers already in place in the rescue community. Do you know how many rescues there are in Hampton Roads? Or even in the eastern part of Virginia? More than you can imagine. And all of these groups have Facebook pages with friends and fans all over the country. A lot of them have Petfinder.com pages too where animals are promoted with their story, age, temperament, and any problems they have. All of these groups have at least one adoption event each month and they have fundraisers when needed. Local business’ help by providing a place to have the events and donating a portion of sales to the rescue. And every Friday I post about the events and where the rescue groups will be. If healthy animals in a shelter can be released to a rescue group, it frees up space and resources at the shelter.

Rescue groups have a network of fosters who take in an animal and care for it until it is adopted. Some foster for a few days. Others foster continuously, one animal after another. Every time one is adopted, they take in another one. While an animal is being fostered, it receives socialization with other animals, people, and basic training. They learn how to behave in a home and any problems they have are addressed. If rescue groups and other shelters can do this why can’t the NACC? Other shelters do it very successfully. NACC could too. You just have to look beyond the walls of the shelter to find fosters.  

In order to keep more pets from coming into the shelter, the shelter needs to help people keep their animals at home. People are giving up their pets because they’ve lost their jobs or their homes. This is usually a temporary situation but giving the pet up to a shelter is a permanent solution to the problem. Shelters can provide the temporary help these families need and the pets can stay at home. Providing low cost spay/neuters and basic vet care is essential. Given a choice of providing food for a pet or paying a vet for a vaccination, low income people will buy the pet food any day. The local pet supply stores have “paws clinics” where pets can get a basic checkup and vaccination for a low fee. The SNIP van and the Neuter Scooter provide low cost spay and neuter services and they go all over the place. If the shelter has enough room for a small clinic one or two days a week and enough parking space for a mobile surgical van, they could offer these services without too much trouble. Newport News Animal Control does this and gives the vet tech students’ field experience at the same time. It’s very successful here and can be done anywhere. The shelter does need to make sure the public knows about the clinics and spay/neuter availability. Not everyone has internet or reads a newspaper. The local media can help by telling people when and where they can get these low cost services.

There are several pet food pantries around here too. They help provide food and supplies to pet parents for a short time. This helps keep a pet in a home too. It would cost a lot less to temporarily provide food for a pet than to take the pet in and house it in the shelter. And most of the food and supplies are donated so the shelter wouldn’t be shelling out money for it.

The Hampton Roads community has more than one shelter. Some shelters are overcrowded and some have room for more animals. Why not transfer animals to shelters that have room? After transferring animals to foster homes and local rescues, transfer some to shelters that have a bit of room. Even if you have to go a bit outside of Hampton Roads, it will free up space and resources that are needed at the shelter.

Maybe someone could volunteer to be a grant writer for a shelter. Many shelters qualify for grants and they can provide the extra funds the shelter needs for upkeep or special projects. Contacting companies that make pet supplies to get donations also helps. A lot of pet companies donate a lot of food and supplies to shelters and rescues at no cost. All it takes is time to make a phone call or write a letter or email. When Heritage Humane Society needed cat litter, I called Purina and got a coupon for a free 30 pound bag of cat litter, then went to PetsMart, picked it up, and delivered it. I know Royal Canin donates food to shelters too. Most pet food companies do. And these donations can free up money needed elsewhere.

Becoming a No-kill community won’t be easy and it can’t be done overnight. But it can be done. All it takes is a willingness to network and expand your community. But to do that you need to get out of the shelter and meet your community. You also need to believe it can be done and be willing to do the work necessary to make it happen. If the people in charge of the shelter don’t believe it can be done or are not willing to do the work, they need to be replaced with people who can do the work. And, as usual, I’ll have all the weekend events for you tomorrow.  

Oh What A Mess

Well, we have the FDA Inspection Report on the Diamond plant in Gaston South Carolina and what a mess it is. You can find the report at www.petsumerreport.com/diamondinspection.pdf.

The first observation was that precautions were not taken to prevent contamination from any source. It goes on to say that animal fat and animal digest are not tested past the initial testing for contamination and there is no way to test it beyond the initial testing. An employee was also seen touching the in-line fat filter and oil with a bare hand.

The second observation was that there are no hand washing or hand sanitizing station anywhere near the finished product on the line.

The third observation was that the equipment wasn’t in good repair and had damage to parts that move the feed along and it had feed residue attached.

The fourth observation expands on this. Part of the production line not only has gouges and cuts, it’s held together with cardboard and duct tape. The foam gaskets around the access doors to the bucket elevators are falling apart and have a lot of feed residue and dust on them. The gouges and cuts are very difficult to clean and the cardboard and duct tape are impossible to clean enough for a food production line. Basically, anything produced on this equipment will be contaminated with all kinds of things.

This raises a lot of questions. Susan Thixton, Pet Food Advocate and author of PetsumerRepot.com and TruthAboutPetFood.com, asks why animal fat and animal digest are even in the production line. None of the foods manufactured at this plant lists either ingredient in their food. Animal fat and animal digest are rendered from euthanized animals and contains Pentobarbital. It’s the worst of the worst of dog food ingredients. Obviously it’s also in cat food as one of the brands had cat food manufactured at this plant. She also asks whether any of the people working for the pet food companies ever saw the inside of the plant where their food is produced. And how did the State Inspectors miss all of this when they inspected? You can read more at www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/the-plot-thickens-clues-to-big-issues.html.

All of this bothers me. Ingredients’ being used in foods and not listed is a big concern. People food with unlisted ingredients is recalled because it can kill people with food allergies. There shouldn’t be any unlisted ingredients in food. Consumers trust ingredient lists and use them to determine the quality of the food they purchase.

I also understand that equipment gets worn and damaged. But plant owners should fix things that are damaged. And not with cardboard and duct tape! If you have to hold your equipment together with cardboard and duct tape, you have much bigger problems than contamination.

But I have even bigger concerns. This is only one plant for one manufacturer. This one plant produces 15 different brands of foods. There are more plants, more manufacturers, and more brands of pet food. So, what are the rest of the plants like? If inspectors didn’t see any of the problems at this plant in the past, what are they missing at the other plants? If pet food company reps don’t see the inside of the plant that makes their food, how do they know the food is produced in a safe way and isn’t contaminated? Final testing of the product should tell us if the food is safe but obviously there isn’t any testing after the ingredients enter the plant. And how do the different brands make sure there aren’t any ingredients added that aren’t listed. None of the 15 brands list animal fat or animal digest anywhere in their ingredients lists. How can they be sure their food is being produced correctly following their formula? That’s like giving someone a recipe, expecting them to follow it, and finding out later they added dangerous ingredients, didn’t tell anyone, and put your name on the finished product. That’s not fair to you or the consumers who purchased your product. It makes your company look like it isn’t ethical and doesn’t care about the safety of the consumers.

It’s a lot to think about. And the conclusions are frightening. Unfortunately all we have to protect us is the FDA inspectors and the agriculture inspectors for each state. Let’s hope they step up and do their job.  

Lots To Do

There are some big events this weekend – 2 dog walks, a fun horse show, and all kinds of other things. We’re supposed to have decent weather too.

Suffolk Humane Society will have some great pets out to meet you this Sunday. They’ll be at the North Suffolk PetsMart. You can meet them from 11 to 3. Since this is puppy and kitten season, there are a lot of pets looking for new homes. Maybe you’ll meet your new best friend! The North Suffolk PetsMart is located at 6243 College Drive.

Portsmouth Humane Society will be out with the sheltered dogs tomorrow. They’ll be at the 3rd Annual Elizabeth River Boat and Nautical Yard Sale and Flea Market. Not only can you meet some great dogs, you can also find some really good deals. The event will be at the Ocean Marine Yacht Center, 1 Crawford Court, in Portsmouth from 9 to 3.

Norfolk SPCA is having their 30th Annual Dog walk tomorrow. The event will be on ODU’s Kauffman Mall lawn at the Webb Center at Hampton Boulevard and 49th. You can join in the fun from 10 to 2. Great Dane Rescue of the Commonwealth and K9 Justice League will be there too.

Beagles to the Rescue will be out with some wonderful beagles tomorrow. They'll be at the Princess Anne Petco. You can meet all the sweet beagles from 1 to 4. Petco is located at 4540 Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach.

Long Dog Dachshund Rescue will be out tomorrow too. They’ll be at the Hampton Petco with some little wiener dogs from 10 to 2:30. It’s the 3rd Birthday Celebration for this Petco location. Peninsula Pet Pantry will be there collecting pet food donations too.

The Peninsula SPCA is busy this weekend. They’ll be at the Hilton Village Rummage Sale from 9 to 11. Volunteers and donation dogs will be out getting donations while you’re getting some good deals. Part of the money you save can help the pets in the shelter.

Sunday is the big day though. It’s the Paws for a Cause Dog Walk and Festival. It’s going to be at the Mariner’s Museum Park right inside the gates. The fun begins at 12 and runs until 4. There will be lots of activities, raffles, contests, demos, rescue groups, and vendors. Admission is $10 per person and kids under 15 are free. There is limited parking at the museum and over flow parking will be at the CNU parking deck. You can buy your raffle tickets in advance online. They have some great prizes. The link is http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=bsru7bcab&v=001xmZOF4pc7pORbGGoEpK2yAOC79rD7Jxe4TxU0hPF4Ydd9QbQQ1yOmwQhqC23NwRBLcCS9bR6G2L02Uh_nVNSTvv8u1FfhRFxB6EfSFfyeeu69eIiwiA8bpozqbGxrKB-eiIW5RIgc8nYcWmQEFPvwW9_B4u22ehTH2mriFnljO3jsnuxa9bnkoGvg2hVa14gyF82QYonrLmmA3jez6pRwa7Gp98GtO-nKxvyW8wLHGW_fOPDlcWds3wJprbRhUlv. There is also a link on site to a registered walker. She’s raising funds and Starbucks is matching donations. So go check it out. SEVA GRREAT will be there along with several other rescues and Peninsula Pet Pantry will be there too.

Animal Aid Society will be out with the dogs tomorrow. Look for them at the Tabb Walmart and the Oyster Point Care A Lot. You can meet them from 12 to 4.

Isle of Wight County Humane Society will be out with the pets this weekend. You can meet their cats tomorrow at the Newport News PetsMart from 12 to 5. And on Sunday you can meet the adoptable cats and dogs at the Newport News Petco, also from 12 to 5.

Want to see a ball game? Sunday is the Bark in the Park Pet Food Drive at Harbor Park in Norfolk. You can see the Tides play the Pawtucket Red Sox. Bring 5 pounds, or 5 cans, of dog or cat food and get a free ticket. Gates open at 12 and the game starts at 1:15.

If you want to see a fun horse show tomorrow, head to Herford, North Carolina. United States Equine Rescue League is having a FUNdraiser Horse Show to raise funds for feed and vet care for the rescued horses. They have about 22 classes including games, English, and Western. There are even classes for minis. There will be raffles, food, vendors, and a demonstration. It’s going to be a great day! The show will be at Meyler Farms, 213 Woodville Road in Hertford. Show starts at 10 am. This is where I would be if I had a ride. It’s going to be a lot of fun!

Well, that should keep you busy. Get out there and have fun with your dog. And help out the rescues this weekend!  

Ewww! Hot Spots!

Hot spots are yucky. Mac hates them. And anytime I feed a low quality food like Pedigree or Beniful, he gets them. And he gets ear infections too. When he’s eating a high quality food or home cooked, he doesn’t have hot spots or ear infections. I think he can’t handle all the grains in the cheaper foods. He wasn’t born to eat corn as a main food source.

So what do you do if your dog gets hot spots? You can take them to the vet for antibiotics, steroid creams, and antihistamines. Or you can take care of them with some home remedies. These home remedies really do work and they’re cheap too.

Mac is on Benedryl, or the generic form of it, several times a day. It helps with itchy skin and keeps him from scratching and making things worse.

Black tea is good for drying up a hot spot. Hot spots are very moist and nasty looking. Black tea has tannins that dry up the wound, stop the infection, and help it heal. Steep a black or green tea bag in 8 ounces of water and let it cool. Then you can use either the tea bag or a cotton ball to apply tea to the sore. Let it stay there for up to 5 minutes or however long your dog will stand for.

Apple cider vinegar works too. It has antifungal and antibacterial properties. Mix it 50/50 with water and apply it with a cotton ball.  The biggest problem is that it stings. Mac hates it. You can add it to the food though. A tablespoon a day added to the food is supposed to help keep dogs healthy.

Witch hazel works very well. It’s cooling and soothing so it doesn’t sting. And it’s an antiseptic so it kills germs too.

You can make a pain relieving antibacterial solution. Dissolve 2 aspirin in 1 tablespoon of alcohol. Add it to 8 ounces of cooled tea. Then apply it to the hot spot with a cotton ball. You can add a drop of Tea Tree Oil to it too.

Once you get the sore to dry some you can apply Neosporin or other antibacterial, antifungal lotion. There are also some over the counter remedies you can use. I have used R7 Wound Care Spray. It works rather well but the spray action makes it sting and Mac doesn’t like it. There are several antimicrobial, antifungal creams at the pet supply stores too. They work well and don’t sting. But, you have to wash off any build up that occurs. There is a product called K9 Klearup that is supposed to work well. I’ve never tried it and am not sure where to buy it. They do have a website at www.k9klearup.com. Burow’s Solution works too. I haven’t tried it but it gets good reviews.

So, we’re using black tea and witch hazel on Mac. His hot spots are clearing up and he doesn’t mind much as long as I have good treats for him. And no more Pedigree! Saving $4 on dog food isn’t worth the hassle of clearing up hot spots, ear infections, and possibly paying $50 for a vet visit and purchasing medications.

The best thing you can do is prevent hot spots from getting started in the first place. Feed a good quality dry food, homemade, or raw. Grain free is preferred. If your dog gets wet a lot, make sure to dry them very well. Especially around the ears. Make sure there are no ticks or fleas on your dog by using a good quality spot on flea treatment every month. If your dog has other allergies, find out what they are and keep him away from it. Dogs can have allergies to flea bites, ticks, grains, proteins, inhalants, plants, and other stuff. Some of it you can control. Keep antihistamines on hand for the rest.

I’ll have all the weekend events for you tomorrow. There are some big one’s coming up!  

More Mess

Remember the exploding mess of recalled pet foods I told you about last week? Well, there’s a bit more mess to add.

Solid Gold Health Products for Pets, Inc. has recalled a batch of their puppy food and a batch of their adult food. Both were produced in the Diamond South Carolina plant.

The recalled puppy food is WolfCub Large Breed Puppy with a “Best Before” date of December 30, 2012 and an “X” in the 11th digit of the date code. The recalled adult food is WolfKing Large Breed Adult with the same “Best Before” date and “X”.

There are 6 different UPC codes and sizes. The best way to get the correct numbers is to call the company at 800-364-4863, Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm Pacific time.

And there’s another recall for cat food. I don’t think this will affect as many pets though. Nestle Purina is recalling Purina Veterinary Diets OM (Overweight Management) Feline Formula canned cat food. You can only buy this from veterinarians in the US and Canada. The can size is 5.5 ounces. The “Best By” date and Production Code are JUN 2013 11721159. They included a Bag UPC code of 38100 – 13810. You can find these on the bottom of the can.

This food is being recalled because the Thiamine , or Vitamin B1, level is too low. Cats with a Thiamine deficiency will have decreased appetite, salivation, and weight loss. Advance cases will have vertiflexion or bending of the neck toward the floor. They will also have seizures, be circling, fall down, and be wobbly. If you treat it early it is reversible.

Most of you know I cook for my dogs and cats. Right now they have grilled chicken livers, hearts, and gizzards in the fridge waiting for dinner tonight. They’re cheap to buy and all you do is put them in a roasting or baking pan on a medium hot grill, set the timer for 30 minutes, and close the lid. When the timer goes off, the food is cooked. I add cooked brown rice, peas, carrots, and sometimes a bit of instant potato flakes. Then I put in some chicken broth and water. They usually get this over kibble and I buy a good quality kibble.

I did try to save money earlier this year and bought Pedigree kibble. Big mistake! Mac can’t have so much grain because he gets hot spots on his neck and around his ears. Trust me, the $4 extra for dog food more than makes up for the cost of a vet visit. I’ll tell you how to treat hot spots tomorrow.

If you want to make your own dog and cat food, you can check out these websites.

www.creatinghealthfordogsandcats.com/events

http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/51/04717925/0471792551.pdf

http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjhomemade4.html

There are thousands of sites with homemade dog and cat food recipes on the web. Just do an internet search. If you want to know more about feeding raw, you can check out these websites too.

http://rawdogs.livejournal.com/627389.html

http://qualityaussies.webs.com/feedingarawdiet.htm

That's it for today. Get some good recipes and I’ll tell you more about hot spots tomorrow.  

Mother’s Day Weekend

Can you believe it’s Mother’s Day already? Didn’t I write about New Year’s in the last week or so? Anyway, remember to get your Mom something special. Spend some time with her, give her a call, and tell her you love her. She did raise you.

Mike Duman Auto Sales is doing something special this weekend. They’re having a family event at their Franklin dealership on Friday and another one at their Suffolk dealership on Saturday. On Friday, May 11, Operation KidSafe will be there with the digital fingerprinting system for children. The parent gets a permanent digital copy to keep in case of an emergency. There will also be safety resources available. Franklin Fire Department will be doing child safety seat checks too. There will be face painting and children 12 and under can audition to be in Mike Duman Auto Sales commercials. All this is happening from 12 to 5 at the dealership at 1201 Armory Drive in Franklin. The auditions will be held from 2 to 5.

Then the festivities head to Suffolk on Saturday, May 12, from 10 to 3. Operation KidSafe will be there with the digital finger printing and safety resources. The Suffolk Fire Department will be doing child safety seat checks too. And the children can audition for the commercials from 11 to 2. Parents or guardians of children auditioning will get a free Mike Duman Silver Rewards Card both days. Suffolk Humane Society will be there with adoptable pets from the Suffolk Animal Control shelter from 11 to 3. By the way, the Operation KidSafe ID and child safety seat checks are free both days. The Suffolk dealership is located at 2300 Godwin Boulevard. The people at Mike Duman Auto Sales hope the families in the community will come out and take advantage of all they’re offering, and they’re happy to be able to host the events. I’ve met some of the Duman family at the Mutt Struts and they’re really nice caring people. You should take your family out and have some fun.

Portsmouth Humane Society will be out with the animals from the shelter on Saturday. They’ll be having fun and meeting everyone at the K9 Karnival at Mount Trashmore. The festival is running from 10 to 3. The 2012 Hyperflite SkyHoundz will be there having a local competition for canine disc catchers. There will also be The 21st Annual Dog-Gonest Dog Show and an agility course. There will also be pet related product vendors, rescue groups, service exhibits, and canine demonstrations. Mount Trashmore is located at 310 Edwin Drive in Virginia Beach. SEVA GRREAT and K9 Justice League will be there too.

K9 Justice League will also have some of the dogs from the shelter out to meet you at the Princess Anne Petco on Saturday and Sunday. You can meet them from 10 to 4. Petco is located at 4540 Princess Anne Road.

Heritage Humane Society is still having their special on cat adoptions. You can adopt a cat one year old or older for $50 through May 30th. And they have a buddy system. You can adopt one and get a buddy for free. Cats are social and having a buddy helps them settle in easier. This helps a lot if you work or have to spend part of the day away from home. And all the cats go home already spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and micro-chipped. You should check out all the great cats at the shelter. It’s located at 430 Waller Mill Road in Williamsburg.

Peninsula SPCA will be wrapping your Mother’s Day gifts on Saturday. They’ll be at Patrick Henry Mall from 12 to 4. You buy it and they’ll wrap it for a donation to help the animals in the shelter.

Animal Aid Society will be getting your dog clean for Mother’s Day. They’re having a Pamper Your Pooch Dog Wash on Saturday from 1 to 4. Take your dog to the shelter at 80 Butler Farm Road in Hampton. Your dog will get a bath and their nails trimmed and be smelling great for Mom. Bath prices are based on the dogs’ weight, $10 to $30. Nail trims are $5. Each dog will get a treat and a bandana too. So head out, get your dog clean, and help the dogs at the shelter.

If you’re hungry on Saturday, you can get some chili. Norfolk Police, Fire and Rescue, and Sherriff’s are having a chili cook-off and the money goes to the Norfolk Animal Care and Adoption Center. Every dollar you donate to the Friends of NACC will get you a vote for your favorite chili recipe. Admission is free, but they do request a $5 donation for chili tasters. The event will be at the FOP Club, 1111 Harmony Road in Norfolk, from 1 to 4.

Isle of Wight County Humane Society will be out with some pets to meet you Saturday and Sunday. They’ll be at the Newport News PetsMart on Saturday. Then on Sunday they’ll be at the Newport News Petco. You can meet the adoptable pets from 12 to 5 both days.

Get out there and have some fun with your dog! And call your Mother! You know she worries!  

The Difference You Make

I have a heartwarming story for you today. If you ever think that what you do doesn’t really make a difference, here’s proof that it does.

Last week a person was on his way somewhere on Naval Base Road next to I64 near the Tidewater and Little Creek exits. If you know that area, it’s a really busy road.

My friend spotted a pit bull puppy on the side of the road next to an open crate. The pup had been dumped there to fend on his own. That’s bad enough but this pup had a problem. He was born with no bone in his front left paw and it’s curled up into a nub. He had been chained outside for a while and had a pretty bad wound around his neck from the chain. He was hungry and thirsty. He was one sad pup!

Needless to say, my friend stopped and picked up the puppy. He was seen by the doctor at Pet Care Vet on Virginia Beach Boulevard later that evening. The vet, tech, and staff worked on the puppy until after 10 o’clock that evening. They got the puppy cleaned up and bandaged. They gave him a good meal and a comfy place to sleep that night.

All through this ordeal, the pup was friendly and playful. He wasn’t scared or lashing out at the people helping him even though he had every reason to. According to everyone who saw him, he was getting along quite well on his nub and playing. He was just a sweet, happy puppy. And the best news is that one of the employees at Pet Care Vet adopted him the next morning so he has a wonderful loving home now.

These people took time out of their day and their time off from work to take care of an abandoned puppy. Becau,se of that the puppy has a wonderful home, lots of love, and a happy future. Every time you do something to help a rescue or a pet in need, you make happy endings possible. Even if you do just one thing. Donating a can of food or a blanket helps pups like this have a good meal and a comfy place to sleep. Donating a bit of money can help pay the vet that looks after this puppy. Everything counts. And it’s not possible without people like you.  

A Real Mess

We have a real mess here. I’m sure you’ve heard something about a dog food recall put out by Diamond. It started with one batch of puppy food made in South Carolina. Then it expanded. And expanded. Now it’s a real big mess.

Diamond has been good about recalling the food that may be contaminated with Salmonella. None of the foods tested had Salmonella so all of this is just precautionary. But the list of recalled foods is amazingly long. It includes some of the best high quality foods on the market. The brands being recalled are 4Health, Canidae, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Country Value, Diamond, Diamond Naturals, Kirkland Signature, Natural Balance, Premium Edge, Professional, Taste of the Wild, and Wellness. The recall is for dry dog food. The only cat food listed is from Kirkland Signature. The CDC has received some reports of salmonellosis in people but not pets.

Kirkland Signature is dropping Diamond as a manufacturer. And Wellness no longer purchases any products from Diamond Pet Food. To find out if you have any of the recalled foods, look on the back of the bag. Look for the production codes and “Best By” date. If there is a 2 or 3 in the 9th or 10th digit and an “X” in the 11th digit in the production code and the “Best By” date is December 9, 2012 through April 7, 2013, then your food is on the recall list. The code must have the 2 or 3, the “X”, and the “Best By” date listed above. This is a sample:  FDE0104R5 3X TS 10 - January – 2013.

The foods being recalled were distributed in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Canada. You can get a list of all the different varieties being recalled at www.diamondpetrecall.com.

If your pet has eaten any of the recalled food, they may have symptoms of Salmonella. These are decreased appetite, abdominal pain, lethargy, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Young puppies and senior pets are very vulnerable to this any other illness’. Otherwise healthy pets can be fine but infect other pets and people. If your pet has any of these symptoms, see your vet immediately. People who contract Salmonella have the same symptoms. Infants, young children, seniors, and those with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to this. The best thing you can do is wash your hands after handling pet food or surfaces exposed to Salmonella.

I’ll have some better news for you tomorrow.  

Big Adoption Weekend

There are some big events this weekend. It’s the Nation Adoption Weekend sponsored by PetsMart Charities. More than 1,200 stores will have rescue groups and shelters in to show off the adoptable pets. It’s a great time to bring home a new friend!

Suffolk Humane Society will have adoptable pets at the Chesapeake Square PetsMart at 4300 Portsmouth Boulevard in Chesapeake. They’ll be there tomorrow and Sunday from 11 to 3. And for each animal adopted at a PetsMart store this weekend, PetsMart Charities will donate $35 to the shelter or rescue.

Sterling Meadows Feed and Tack is having a huge tent sale tomorrow and Sunday. They’re also having door prizes, food, reps, and more activities. The sale runs from 8 to 6 tomorrow and 11 to 6 on Sunday.

Portsmouth Humane Society is really busy tomorrow. They’re having a Cinco de Mayo party at the shelter and the adoption fee is only $5. Yes, that’s right. Five dollars for a new friend. And if you want a cat, you get two for $5 with their buddy system. And you get to snack at the nacho bar. What could be better than new friends and good snacky food?

Some of the pets from PHS will be at the Portsmouth Art and Cultural Center. You can meet them tomorrow from 10 to 12. The center is located at 400 High Street in Portsmouth.

You can meet some new friends and check out some fancy cars tomorrow night at the 2nd Annual Night Car Show. The show is hosted by the Hodges Ferry Ruritan Club at 2525 Airline Boulevard in Portsmouth. The show runs from 5 to 8.

Then on Sunday you can meet some more new friends at the Hilltop Plaza PetsMart. They’ll be there to meet you from 12 to 3.

Friends of Virginia Beach Animal Care and Adoption Center are having a Cinco de Meow-O party tomorrow at the shelter. They have a lot of sweet cats and kittens who need a new home. Come on out and meet them. There’s also going to be a piñata decorating contest and you’ll be able to make some cat toys. The party runs from 10 to 3 at 341 South Birdneck Road in Virginia Beach.

Friends will also have animals from the shelter out to meet you at the Greenbrier PetsMart tomorrow and Sunday. They’ll be there from 10 to 4. Other rescues will be there too including Animal Lovers Assistance League, Animal Rescue of Tidewater, Cat Rescue, Inc., Chesapeake Humane Society, Norfolk SPCA, Partners Among Cats and Canines, and Rainbow Rescue. Greenbrier PetsMart is located at 1236 Greenbrier Parkway in Chesapeake.

Heritage Humane Society also has a lot of cats and kittens who need a new home. Through May 31st,  you can take home a cat one year old or older for $50. These cats are grown and already have a set personality. And they’ve already been through the chewing stage! Each cat has been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. HHS has a buddy system too so you can get a second cat for no charge. Since the cats have a friend, they will get accustomed to your house twice as fast. They’ll settle in easier and be right at home. HHS is located at 430 Waller Mill Road in Williamsburg.

Lendy’s Café is going to the dogs on Sunday. Great Dane Rescue of the Commonwealth is having their 2nd Annual Great Dane Day from 1 to 4. You can meet some adoptable Danes, bid on silent auction items, check out the vendors, and enter the raffles and the corn hole contest. There will even be a Kid’s Zone with face painting and games. You can even meet Huff, the Great Dane in the winning Doritos commercial. Lendy’s is located at 1581 General Booth Boulevard in Virginia Beach. Bring your gently used shoes that you want to get rid of too. The Kelly Company is collecting gently used shoes and donates a small fee to GDROC for each pair. They’re looking for leather or canvas athletic style shoes but will take any kind. Shoes can’t have worn soles, holes, or be flip-flops.

K9 New Life will have adoptable dogs out to meet you at the Town Center PetsMart tomorrow. You can meet them from 12 to 3.

You can meet some more adoptable animals at another car show tomorrow. Animal Rescue of Tidewater will have the animals out to meet you at the Car Show in Fairfield Shopping Center from 10 to 1.

Animal Aid Society will also be out with the dogs tomorrow. Look for them at the Oyster Point Care A Lot, Tabb Walmart, and Newport News PetsMart from 12 to 4.

Isle of Wight County Humane Society will have pets out to meet you this weekend too. Look for them tomorrow at the Newport News PetsMart from 12 to 5. Then on Sunday they’ll be at the Newport News Petco from 12 to 5.

That should keep you busy! And you can meet a new friend! I’ll have lots more info for you next week. In the meantime, get out there and have fun with your dog.