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Video: Our Mission in Photos
Video: Our Mission in Photos
Top 10 Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Pet
Top 10 Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Pet
- Your female dog or cat will live a longer, healthier life.
Spaying a female cat or dog helps prevent breast cancer and pyometra, a dangerous infection of the uterus. Breast cancer can be fatal in about 50 percent of female dogs and in 90 percent of female cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.
- There are major health benefits for your male animal companion, too.
Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your male dog or cat prevents testicular cancer, if done before six months of age.
- Your spayed female won’t go into heat.
While cycles can vary greatly, female cats can go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. Dogs can go into heat every 6 months.
- Your neutered male won’t need to roam away from home…
An intact male in search of a mate will do just about anything to find one. That includes digging his way under or jumping over the fence and making like Houdini to escape from the house. And once he’s free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males.
- …and he will be much better behaved to boot.
Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unneutered dogs and cats may mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. And FYI, a neutered dog protects his home and family just as well as unneutered dog- and many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering.
- Spaying or neutering will NOT make your pet fat.
It’s no use to use that old excuse. Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds, not neutering. Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor food intake.
- Spaying or neutering is highly cost-effective.
The cost of your pet’s spay or neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter. It also beats the cost of treatment when your unneutered tom escapes and gets into fights with neighborhood strays…or the cost of cleaning the carpet that your unspayed female keeps mistaking for her litter box, or the cost of…well, you get the idea.
- It’s good for the community.
Stray animals pose real problems in many parts of the country. They can prey on wildlife, cause vehicular accidents, damage the local fauna and scare children.
- Your pet doesn’t need to have a litter for your children to witness the miracle of birth.
We’ve heard this one a lot. But you know what? Letting your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping teaches your children irresponsibility. There are countless books and videos available to teach your children about birth in a responsible manner.
- It packs a powerful punch in the fight against pet overpopulation.
Right now, there are over four times as many cats and dogs as there are humans here in America. Millions of all ages and breeds are euthanized annually or suffer as strays. These high numbers are the result of unwanted, unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering.
Holiday Survival Guide for Pets and Their People
Holiday Survival Guide for Pets and Their People
Fruitcake, snow globes, bread dough – who knew these holiday staples could harm pets?
From meds to goodies to plants – plus the big 5 holiday dangers – this simple list of holiday No No No may help save pets’ lives!
Lock These Meds Away
Goodies That Are Baddies
Wrapped gifts containing food
Snow globes
Holiday food such as chocolate, uncooked poultry, bread dough, fruitcake & alcohol
Salt in ice melt, homemade play dough and salt-dough ornaments
Pretty But Unpalatable
Poinsettia
Christmas cactus
Holly
The Big 5 Holiday Dangers
In order of call volume reported by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center:
Chocolate
Tree preservatives
Poinsettias
Medications
Alcohol
Source: ASPCA
Is it wrong to give pets as gifts? ASPCA’s Dr. Emily Weiss weighs in.
Is it wrong to give pets as gifts? ASPCA’s Dr. Emily Weiss weighs in.
There is just no data to support that we should be denying the adoption of a dog or cat to a person who wants to gift a pet to a loved one. Dr. Emily Weiss is back again this season to bust that old myth.
So, last week on the ASPCApro Facebook page, there was a passionate dialogue about adopted pets as gifts. There were those in support, and several who used words like “bad idea,” “foolish,” etc. And then there were a few folks who stated that their shelters received tons of calls after the holidays from those looking to get rid of the pet they received as a gift.
A couple of years ago we published asmall survey study exploring the impact on retention and perceived attachment when obtaining a pet as a gift. There was already a fair amount of peer-reviewed research pointing to pets obtained as gifts being no more likely to be relinquished – or in some cases, less likely to be relinquished than pets obtained other ways. But as most shelters were still not allowing pets to be adopted as gifts for others, we wanted to further explore the relationship.
We found that the majority of people who obtained a pet as a gift thought receiving the pet as a gift increased their level of attachment, and only 3% said it decreased it. The percentage of pets obtained as gifts still in the home is the same as, or lower than, the percentage reported for general pet retention.
There really is just no data to support that we should be denying the adoption of a dog or cat to person one who wants to gift a pet to a loved one. The earlier data could even be loosely interpreted that the better adoption option would be to adopt pets as gifts more readily than to adopt pets for an individual! In fact, this points to an important point in how we interpret risk. Look – most dogs and cats stay in their homes. Studies repeatedly tend to find a retention rate for keeping a pet for life somewhere around 85% ish.
So this means that for every 100 adoptions you do, you should count on about 15 of those animals being re-homed in the course of their lives. Yep. Now that should not stop us from doing adoptions. Instead, we should celebrate it – most dogs and cats stay home. And the better news is we are actively working on ways to increase that retention for those who want to keep their pets.
Now, going back to the couple of folks who commented on that Facebook post that they received lots of calls after the holidays… We suspect that the holiday season is a time in which there is a higher than average acquisition of new pets, be they obtained as a gift or for oneself. If that is true, one would expect that shelter may receive more calls after the holidays – not because pets given as gifts are more at risk, but because there are more new pets in general! I have to mention there were also those on that Facebook post who reported things such as, “I can only speak for my own experience. At our large open admission shelter, which I’ve been at for more than a dozen years, we have never, ever seen this to be a problem. So the answer from here is – yes, I know how many Christmas present pets are turned in to shelters after New Year’s – none here.”
I had the honor a couple of weeks ago to give the keynote at the Carolinas Unite conference and shared some of the data on pets as gifts. There were several organizations in the room that had embraced the idea and were among the shelters who were conducting pet deliveries on Christmas day. It was really great to see what happens when an old myth is busted and the lives that have been saved as a result. I collapse in tears as I watch this YouTube video of the human animal as he/she obtains a new pet as a gift. Let’s continue down this path and get more animals home where they belong.
Courtesy of ASPCA: http://www.aspcapro.org/blog/2015/11/18/pets-gifts-just-do-math
What is Xylitol and why is it bad for dogs?
What is Xylitol and why is it bad for dogs?
Many people use peanut butter as a snack or pill concealer for dogs. This is usually OK but some companies are using sugar substitutes in their products. Make sure you read your labels!
Xylitol is a sweetener that’s gaining in popularity because of its dental benefits for people as well as its suitability as a sugar substitute for people with diabetes. Because of its ability to help prevent cavities and tooth decay and its low glycemic index, xylitol is proving to have some good dental and other health benefits for people. Unfortunately, while xylitol appears to be perfectly safe for people, it is extremely dangerous for dogs — even in small quantities.
Ingestion of as little as 0.1 gram (g) of xylitol per kilogram (kg) of body weight (0.1 g/kg) can cause a rapid and dangerous drop in a dog’s blood sugar (a condition called “hypoglycemia”). Hypoglycemia can show as staggering, appearing disoriented, collapse, weakness, and seizures.
Just slightly more than that, approx. 0.5 g/kg xylitol ingestion, can lead to debilitating, and sadly often deadly, destruction of a dog’s liver cells.
These quantities, or toxic doses, are based on the data that the animal-specific poison control hotlines have collected from reported cases*. To highlight that these are reported cases is important, because not every case of toxicity makes it to the vet, and not everyone that does go to the vet is called into the animal poison control hotlines. So the actual toxic doses could be even lower, and dogs with certain pre-existing medical conditions (such as diabetes, hepatitis, and others) are likely to be even more sensitive to the toxic effects of xylitol.
*Sources: New Findings On The Effects Of Xylitol Ingestion In Dogs from ASPCA-APCC 2006; Acute Hepatic Failure And Coagulopathy Associated With Xylitol Ingestion In Eight Dogs from ASPCA-APCC 2006, published in JAVMA (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2006; 229:1113-1117)
National Animal Shelter and Rescue Appreciation Week Nov. 3-9
National Animal Shelter and Rescue Appreciation Week Nov. 3-9
This week is the National Animal Shelter and Rescue appreciation Week. The Humane Society of
the United States (HSUS) started celebrating in 1996 in Lincoln, Neb. The week is to focus on the 3,500 animal shelters across the US who try to place the estimated 6-8 million homeless animals each year.
The week “encourages people to become acquainted with their local shelters and rescues and to learn how they can assist their lifesaving work.”
Every local shelter or rescue needs volunteers – fosters especially. Without fosters the dogs cannot be rescued from shelters and given a chance to transition into a home environment. Many rescues and shelters have people who are working with limited resources and do not have the means to get these animals noticed.
There is a way that you can help. You will often see rescues ask you to share pictures and posts of animals. Sharing saves lives! The more they are shared, the more they are networked, and the better chance they have at finding a rescue who has a foster or adopter.
Ten Ways to Help Your Local Shelter or Rescue
1/ Share your love
Tell the world how you feel about your local shelter or rescue by sharing their messages in person and on social media.
2/ Get to know your local shelters and rescue groups
Locate the ones in your area and go visit. They are always looking for people to help walk dogs or clean food dishes or cat cages.
3/ Learn before you leap
Before you adopt, do some research to learn what to expect when adopting a pet. Each breed has their own quirks. The more you know, the less likely you will become frustrated and return your new pet. Understand the challenges and rewards of adopting a pet beforehand they come home.
4/ Say “thanks!”
Take time to say thanks to the people who work at your local shelter or rescues. When you adopt a pet, share pictures and show how well your pet is doing. Rescuers love to see updates! Send a letter, email, or post something on their Facebook page or Website.
5/ Get crafty
Combine fabric, yarn, recyclables, and imagination to bring much-needed fun into the lives of local shelter and rescue pets. There’s no end to the toys you can make. Try braiding strips of fleece into fun for dogs, or cutting and folding a surprising household object into a cat distractor.
Create attention-grabbing “Adopt-Me” vests to spotlight available pets at adoption events held by shelters and rescues.
6/ Become a fan
“like” the individual groups on Facebook.
7/ Make wishes come true
Shelters and rescue groups always need towels, toys, and other supplies. Most have a list on their websites.
8/ Volunteer
Even if you can’t adopt now, volunteer! Do you have experience as a carpenter or electrician? All types of skills are valuable!
9/ Help at your own home
Make the jobs of shelters and rescues easier: Have the proper ID for your animals (a microchip and ID tags) at all times. Have all of your pets spayed or neutered. Keep your cats indoors, where you can keep them safe, and keep dogs on leashes when off your property.
10/ Help your shelter make positive changes
If you see something – say something. The HSUS’s has published guidelines for addressing that concern in the most effective way.
Just a Snippet from the Director
Just a Snippet from the Director
A little pink collar and matching leash – Why North Texas Giving Day is the best day to donate to Spay Neuter Network
Last week I saw such a moving act of kindness from one of our clients. We serve so many pet parents who really couldn’t afford to spay/neuter their animals or get their pets vaccinated unless we were here for them. It is a rewarding experience every day, but this day I was moved to tears. A young family came in with their female yellow lab mix in the back of their truck and the dog wore a piece of chain as her collar and leash. A man was bringing in his little bully mixed girl to be spayed and he saw how the family as struggling to get their dog inside. He took the brand new pink collar and leash off his girl and helped the young boy put it on his dog. With a smile, he told them they could keep the collar and leash. The entire family smiles back in thanks.
Each and every day I am amazed by the care and kindness of the pet parents we work with. Our mission is to eliminate pet overpopulation through subsidized spay/neuter services, while empowering communities to care responsibly for dogs and cats. This mission is infectious and shared not only by our incredibly dedicated staff, but it spreads to our customers, neighbors and community. Every dollar we receive from our wonderful funders in the area, including our customers goes to help pets and pet parents.
Now you have an opportunity to make a powerful donation during North Texas Giving Day on September 17th and it’s really easy! This is an online campaign and you just go to http://northtexasgivingday.org. Also, find out what we are doing with 150,000 p”NUTS” to get people giving on our Facebook Page September 17th! So please give from your heart so we can continue and do more wonderful work for our Pets and Pet Parents.
Deanna Sauceda
Executive Dir
Spay Neuter Network
Cherish Your Chihuahua
Cherish Your Chihuahua
Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes are some of the most at risk pets entering U.S. shelters each year. Spay Neuter Network, with funding support from PetSmart Charities, the largest funder of animal welfare efforts in North America, are addressing the problem by introducing the “Cherish Your Chihuahua ” spay/neuter campaign.
Through the “Cherish Your Chihuahua” campaign, Spay Neuter Network will offer a special $20 spay/neuter surgery and free nail trim for Chihuahua and Chihuahua mixes during the month of August.
“Spaying/neutering a pet is the most effective thing a pet parent can do to prevent unwanted litters from being born and contributing to the homeless pet overpopulation problem. ,” says Deanna Sauceda, Executive Director, Spay Neuter Network.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) endorses spaying and neutering puppies as young as eight to 10 weeks old. Research also shows that the procedure may improve the behavior and health of the pet, including reducing the risk of certain reproductive cancers and infections.
This special $20 rate is even less than the organization’s normal low-cost priced and is available to all residents in the areas we service. Pet parents who wish to take advantage of this offer must mention the “Cherish Your Chihuahua” campaign when they call to schedule their appointment. The campaign is based on availability.
Thanks to the PetSmart Charities grant, Spay Neuter Network will provide 500 “Cherish Your Chihuahua” sterilizations for $20 in August. Please visit www.spayneuternet.org or call 972-472-3500 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
PetSmart Charities’ “Cherish Your Chihuahua” campaign provides more than $145,746 to spay/neuter clinics to fund affordable, high-quality spay and neuter surgeries for more than 3,106 Chihuahuas across the nation during the month of August.
About Spay Neuter Network
Spay Neuter Network is a volunteer 501(c) 3 nonprofit corporation eliminating pet overpopulation through subsidized spay/neuter services, while empowering communities to care responsibly for dogs and cats.
Spay Neuter Network operates a regional clinic outside Dallas with free transport pick-ups for those needing services in outlying areas. We also operate a Mobile Animal Spay/Neuter Hospital (MASH) in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex, providing affordable pet vaccinations, sterilizations and pet care resources to more than 20 communities.
Spay Neuter Network performed more than 17,000 spay / neuter surgeries last year preventing more than 250,000 unwanted animals. Contact Spay Neuter Network at 972-472-3500 or www.spayneuternet.org
About PetSmart Charities:
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. More than 400,000 dogs and cats find homes each year through our adoption program in all PetSmart® stores and our sponsored adoption events. PetSmart Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding spay/neuter services that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization, separate from PetSmart, Inc.
Tips to keep your pets from starting a house fire
Tips to keep your pets from starting a house fire
Wednesday is National Pet Fire Safety Day. According to the National Fire Protection Association, an estimated 500,000 pets are affected annually by home fires and nearly 1,000 of these fires are accidentally started by the homeowners’ pets themselves. To help prevent fires and keep our pets safe from this residential threat, the American Kennel Club provides the following tips:
- Extinguish open flames. Pets are curious and will investigate cooking appliances, candles or even your fireplace. Do not allow your pet to be left unattended around an open flame, and make sure to thoroughly extinguish any flames before leaving your home.
- Remove stove knobs. Be sure to remove stove knobs, or protect them with covers before leaving the house _ a stove or cook top is the No. 1 piece of equipment involved in your pet starting a fire.
- Give flameless candles a try. These candles contain a light bulb rather than an open flame and take the danger out the ambience of candlelight. Cats, in particular, are notorious for starting fires when their tails knock over lit candles.
- Keep pets near exits. Keep collars on pets and leashes at the ready in case firefighters need to rescue your pet in the event of an emergency. When leaving pets home alone, keep them in areas or rooms near your home’s exits where they can be easily found.
- Secure young pets. Especially with young puppies, it is important to keep them confined and away from potential fire-starting hazards when you are away from home. There are many options for safe, secure and comfortable crates and gates.
- Hang a pet alert window cling. Write down the number of pets inside your home and attach the static cling to a front-facing window. This critical information saves rescuers time when locating your pets.
For more tips on dog ownership, visit the AKC at www.akc.org. (c)2015 American Kennel Club.
I Cower in the Shower on the Fourth of July
I Cower in the Shower on the Fourth of July
Every Fourth of July I think of this “dog thought”…I cower in the shower. Many years ago my family had a wonderful 65 pound Golden Retriever and Lab mix named “Nuva.” She loved the kids and let them crawl all over her. After the initial puppy and teen years, she never chewed up anything, never pottied in the house and was gentle and courageous, but come Independence Day, she was a different dog. Fireworks scared the heck out of her and she would become nervous and whale-eyed and very unpredictable, but then she found a solution.
One day, about four days before the Fourth of July, I couldn’t find Nuva anywhere. I was frantic. Our yard was dog safe and the house, the same. I decided I needed to head out and comb the neighborhood. I went to the bathroom before I left and suddenly heard whimpering coming from the shower. I pulled back the curtain and there was Nuva, huddled in the corner, slobbering, shaking and miserable. I tried to coax her out, but there was no budging her. I realized that was probably the best place for Nuva during the Fourth of July week; she was inside, no windows, sheltered from much of the booms and flashes and secluded, but easy to find. Most importantly, she was contained.
The Fourth of July is a horrible day for many dogs and cats. Every shelter agrees they are flooded with lost dogs and cats once the fireworks begin. So, what can you do? I asked our medical director, Dr. Jennifer Lavender for advice.
“Don’t ever underestimate the ability of your pet to escape,” says veterinarian, Dr. Lavender. “When dogs are scared they can scale large cinder block walls, escape through locked doors and windows and chew or dig their way out of yards, rooms, garages and kennels. The most important way to keep your pet safe and sound is ‘containment.”
Also, if your dog is on anti-anxiety medications, make sure their prescription is filled and dosage is correct and you have kept them on their meds consistently. You have probably heard of “pressure coats” called “Thundershirts” and these work for some, but not all dogs to ease anxiety. There are some over the counter dog appeasing pheromones that come as collar or diffuser. You should test these possible aids well in advance of the Fourth of July to see just how effective they will be.
I know we all love to party, but if you have dogs and cats who hate fireworks, it’s probably not a good idea to have people going in and out of the house and fireworks nearby. If you are going to be out of town, don’t leave the safety of your pet with a house sitter or friend checking them before and after work. Instead, consider a professional kennel or consider taking vacation time during a less stressful time for your pet.
But, things can happen, so make sure your animal has a tag with their name and two phone numbers. You can get these made immediately at a vending machine at the big box pet stores or Walmart. If your pet isn’t chipped get it done (here at Spay Neuter Network, we do it very cheaply for $16.50 per chip per pet) and make sure your information is updated!!!!
If your dog or cat does get lost or takes off, time is of the essence. Hit the streets immediately and talk to everyone, not just neighbors, but also postal workers, delivery people and people just walking around. Put up simple flyers on telephone poles right away in the neighborhood with a picture and phone number. Post a picture on social media like Facebook and Next Door. Post immediately to the lost and found sections on the area shelter websites. Many cities and counties also have a pet lost and found on their websites and Facebook pages. As soon, as the shelters open, start walking the closest ones to your home at least once a day and recruit a friend or two to do the same. Oh, when you find your dog or kitty, be sure to post that they have been found and there is a happy reunion! Also, if you see a four-legged running about, bring them in and help get them home.
So, as the rockets start glaring and the bombs bursting in air, watch your best friends and watch their cues; what helps them feel safe? For my old girl, Nuva, the best bet was to hit the shower; it was the safest space she could find. So, I put her bed in the shower and let her cope in her canine way. Nuva knew best.
From all of us here at Spay Neuter Network, have a safe Fourth of July and enjoy your most precious independence and freedom here in America.
