by: Richard Delgado



================================================



Welcome to all our new subscribers! We hope you enjoy

this publication. You have received this newsletter

because you are either a client of The Woof Pack, or

you have signed up for the newsletter by filling out

our form.



We are sending you this complimentary issue, but if you

would no longer like to receive newsletters from The

Woof Pack, the unsubscribe instructions are at the

bottom of this publication.



We know you will love the pet care information included,

so if you enjoy it, do nothing and a new issue will come

once every month.



================================================



In this issue:



1) "Zoonotic Diseases Are a Concern For All Pet Owners"



2) "Cat Spraying and Urinating; Why and How Can I Stop It"



3) "A Reply to Last Month's Hip Dysplasia Article, From a Reader"



4) "Tell Us What You Think!"



================================================



1) "Zoonotic Diseases Are a Concern For All Pet Owners"



================================================



Whether you have cats, dogs, horses, snakes, or whatever animal,

you need to be aware of any zoonotic diseases that could pose a

threat to your health.



Zoonotic diseases are those diseases that can be passed from an

animal to humans. It can be from any animal, but for our purposes,

I will be talking about domesticated animals.



Let me go over some of the things that you need to do to prevent

any transmission of diseases from your pets to you.



- Any time you touch, handle, or work with an animal, you should

wash your hands.



- When you pick up animal waste, always wear gloves, use a tool

such as a pick-up rake so your hands never have to get near the waste,

or use some type of barrier such as a plastic bag. Wash your hands

immediately afterwards.



- I know this is hard to resist, but you should never kiss your pet, or let

them lick your face.



- Always be on the lookout for ticks and fleas. These two pests carry a host

of diseases. Remove ticks from your pets, from yourself, or from family

members as soon as you find them. Wash the area with soap and water. Put

your pet on a flea and tick program such as Frontline or Advantix, and rid

your home of any fleas and flea eggs.



- If you are pregnant, you should never clean the litter box. Get someone else

in your family to do it.



- If you are working in the yard where your pets may have eliminated, wash your

hands immediately afterwards. You should be wearing gloves. Be careful if your

child plays in any areas where an animal may have eliminated. Be sure to wash

their hands immediately. Do not let them touch their face with their hands before

washing.



- If you or a loved one are ever bitten or scratched, immediately wash the area with

soap and water. Administer first aid, and call or visit your physician for advice. This is

especially true for cat bites. Cat's mouths harbor harmful bacteria. If you are not sure

if the animal that bit you has had rabies shots, then definitely call or visit your physician.



- There are many diseases that are widespread, and there are many that are localized.

Make sure to consult with your vet to determine which preventative measure you need

to take with your pets. Make sure that your pets are protected against all local

diseases as well.



- Proper pet care will greatly decrease any chances of your pets getting any diseases

that may also pose a threat to you and your family. Have them checked out regularly

by your vet.



- When you are out on a walk with your pets, do not let them drink from any type of

standing water.

 

- Don't let your pets come in contact with any fecal matter, or urine waste from other

animals.





Zoonotic diseases are a concern for all animal owners. People with comprimised immune

systems and children are more susceptible to these diseases, and should

take all precautions to help prevent transmission.



If you want to know more about the diseases that animals may carry, and which are a

threat to you, I found a great webpage on the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website

which will tell you all that you need to know. You can browse by animal. Check it out.



http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/browse_by_animal.htm





=================================================



2) "Cat Spraying and Urinating; Why and How Can I Stop It"



=================================================



So you have a cat, or cats, that are spraying, or urinating in your home? Why on earth

do they do this, and how can you stop them from doing it? I will try to give you all that

I know, then you can follow through and hopefully rid yourself of this problem.



Just like dogs mark their territory, so do cats. This is what the spraying is all about. It

marks their territory to tell other cats that this area is theirs, and to stay away. But why

would a house cat need to spray, and why don't other cats do it? And what if your cat

is simply urinating in the house but not spraying?



Illness



The first thing you want to do is to make sure your cat is healthy. Illness can make a cat

urinate in areas other than the litter box. Bladder, stomach, kidney, or intestinal problems

can cause your cat to not only urinate in other areas of the house, but defecate as well.

Stress and poisoning could also be causes. Cats older than 9 years, and cats that have

accidents in many different areas of the house may have an illness.



The first step is to make sure your cat has a check-up, and that illness is not the cause.

Also, don't get angry with the cat. An ill cat does not have control, getting angry at

your cat may cause more stress, which can result in more accidents.



Stress



We all could use a little less stress. This goes for your cat too. Some cats are more

sensitive than others, and you need to look for cues from your cats to see when they

may be more stressed out. Look for changes in their body language, look at the size

of their pupils, and watch to see if they want to run away from things that may stress

them out.



You never know what may cause stress until you observe and learn from your cat. Some

of the more common things that can upset a kitty are changes in litter, change of location

of the litter box, dirty litter box, changes in location of furniture, moving to a

different home, introduction of another pet, changing weather, unwanted attention, changes in food, or going on vacation. All these, and many more may cause your cat to start urinating in unwanted areas.



Like all animals, cats are creatures of habit, and they love a routine. If anything in the routine changes, you may have issues. Keep stress down, and keep your cat happy by keeping

things predictable.



Spraying



One big stress agent is another cat, or cats. Most cats that live together will learn to get

along, or tolerate each other in the home, and there will be no problem. You can foster this

behavior if you play and groom them together. Let them sleep together, and let them eat

together (under supervision at first). These activities will create less tension and less

competition.



If the cats are allowed outside, then there may be a problem. Cats mark their boundaries all

the time when they are outside. If they come in and out, they may not differentiate the two,

and they may continue marking their territory inside as well.



Males are more likely to spray than females, but they both will spray. If you spay and

neuter your cat(s), this may get rid of the problem. If the cats have been spraying for some

time, the behavior is a part of them and it may take a while for them to stop spraying. And

if they continue to go in and out of the house, the behavior may not stop, depending on the

length of time the cat has been an outdoor cat.



Still, spaying and neutering is the best way to prevent cats from spraying. Spay or neuter

your cat before they are 6 months old, and very rarely will your cat spray. And, unless you

are a breeder, you should spay and neuter not only to hopefully prevent unwanted behaviors,

but it is also part of being a responsible owner. Shelters are already overpopulated.



If your cat(s) is not fixed, that time of the month is when you may notice they are spraying

more often. They may be looking for a mate, and spraying is a way to attract the opposite

sex. A cat's scent holds a lot of information that other cats can read when they smell it. 



If you live in a neighborhood with a lot of stray cats, just the sight of the stray cat may

cause your cat to spray. This is your cat's way of saying, "This is my home!" If you invite a stray into your home, you may have problems with it spraying, as discussed above. And if

you already have a cat, this may really cause spraying.



You should not feed the strays that come around if your cat is spraying. If you stop feeding

the stray, it should stop coming around and the problem may go away. If you have a

situation where your cat sprays when it sees a stray, block the view. This may prevent

spraying. If your cat sprays because there are other animals that are causing stress for your cat, separate the animals and the problem may go away.



Cleaning Up



Also, you need to clean the areas that are marked. These areas need to be absolutely free of

the odor. I say this not because you do not want to smell it, but if your cat smells an area that they have marked, they will spray there again and again. They will keep marking their territory.



There are many commercial odor deodorizers out there that work really well. They do not cover up the odors of urine, feces, or marking odors, but instead they neutralize them completely. Do not use any old cleaner that just tries to cover up the odors. They will NOT work. The odors must be neutralized. Again, if your cat can still smell it, they will continue to urinate or spray.



To help change the behavior of your cat spraying, you can use cat repellents. You may want to place foil or wadded up newspaper around the areas, or shallow pans of water. You can also put double-sided tape around the area. These will keep your cat away. You may want to put cat food down at the areas where your cat sprays because they do not want to mark where they eat. You may also spray them with a water bottle if you see they are getting ready to mark. Do not spray them with water any other time. Save this only for when you actually see them getting ready to mark.



As a last resort, confine your kitty cat to a small area. Have a spot for food and water, and a spot for the litter box. In a confined area, your cat will not want to mark because there are no threats. You can then slowly expand your cat's territory.



If you have been having problems, these solutions will take time and committment to use. Just try one thing at a time, and make sure your cats are healthy. You can stop your cats from spraying.





=================================================



3) "A Reply to Last Month's Hip Dysplasia Article, From a Reader"



=================================================



Last month's issue of The Woof Pack Times featured an article on hip dysplasia in dogs, and

steps to take to help prevent the disease from occurring in your dog. One of our pet sitting

clients and readers replied with an email on the subject. Cathy Branco of Union City has

two Corgi's named Jax and Emily, and two Norwich Terriers named Tucker and Paris.



She had a lot of great things to say, and some very good advice for our readers. Cathy does

show her dogs, and has a ton of experience working with dogs in and out of the show arena.



--------------Begin

Hi Rick,

 

Good article on hip dysplasia.  I especially liked the part on buying your dog from a reputable breeder.  In my opinion a reputable breeder has been breeding their breed 10-20 years and are actively showing their dogs.  This doesn't mean the breeder doesn't sell pet quality dogs, but they are very concerned about breeding the most sound dogs and matching potential clients up to their dogs.  Maybe one of these times you could do an article about backyard breeders. 



Just because you have a dog registered with AKC and sort of looks like the dog across the street, doesn't mean that is a good sound match (medical, aggressive).  The breeding has to be left to the breeders.  There is really not much money on breeding dogs.  The cost of breeding dogs can be very expensive.  The breeders do it because they love their breeds and are trying to improve them and breed sound dogs. 



By going to a reputable breeder the client knows they are getting the most sound dog they can buy. The breeder will interview the client and have them sign a contract.  This is to protect the breeder and the client.  If anything is wrong with the puppy it can be returned for either your money back or a different puppy. 



Nothing is more heart breaking then buying a puppy from a backyard breeder that is thinking they are making a killing on selling puppies, just to find out that your puppy comes up with hip dysplasia, or worse, after you have had your puppy for 6 months or better.  How do you give up your puppy or how do you afford to help the puppy medically.  Especially after you have paid out a lot of money for what you thought was a sound puppy. 



Now that is not to say that you have done all of the above and the puppy comes up lame or worse. Anything can happen. But you want to have the best possible dog you can purchase. My advice is that if a client is looking for a particular breed that they read up on the breed and go to dog shows to talk to the breeders of that breed.  They may find out that what they want will not mesh with their life styles.



One of the best shows each year to go to that has breeders that cater to the public is the San Francisco Dog Show at the Cow Palace.  It is a two day show and is always the first weekend of February.  It is the 2nd largest in the US.   We have to what you call bench our dogs for two days. We are there to talk to the public about our breeds specifically. 

 

Cathy Branco"



-------------------End



I love it when readers of our newsletter help to educate other pet owners out there. Cathy had a great idea to write on backyard breeders. I ran out of time for this month's issue, but look for that article in upcoming newsletters.



Great job Cathy, and Thanks!



==========================================================



4) "Tell Us What You Think!"



==========================================================



We'd love to hear what you think of this issue! This is

just one issue, with much more important information

coming in future months.



Please send your comments, questions, and ideas for

upcoming issues to us at:



rdelgado@thewoofpack.com



Your feedback matters to us!





======================================================



Copyright 2006 by The Woof Pack.

All rights reserved.



======================================================





You are subscribed to The Woof Pack Times Newsletter as

[email]



If you have received this mailing in error, or if you no

longer wish to receive email from the The Woof Pack Pet Sitting

and Care, please visit the link below to unsubscribe.



You will be automatically excluded from any future newsletter

mailings. You may still receive important updates and offers from

us.

unsubscribe@thewoofpack.com



If you want to be completely excluded from all emails, except for

when we are performing pet services for your and your pets (if you

are a client), you may unsubscribe from all lists by sending us a blank

email at the following link.

allunsubscribe@thewoofpack.com



Or, if you would prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail,

please contact us at:



The Woof Pack

Attn: Newsletter Subscription Dept.

P.O. Box 2714

Fremont, CA 94536-2714





Please remember to include the email address we have

contacted you at, so that we can complete your request

without delay.