ANIMAL WELLNESS
DECEMBER 2010/JANUARY 2011
AnimalWELLNESS For a long, healthy life!
Living pawsitive!
Gift Ideas
Festive RECIPES ANIMAL WELLNESS MAGAZINE
smells
SOMETHING
How artificial scents affect your animals
COZY
Winter
What’s BLACK DOG
PAW CARE
syndrome? ZEOLITES The minerals that detox and heal
Chillin’
Chinese Herbs
Tips for canine anxiety
SIT, STAY,
Ramp itUP
Smile!
Aids for elders
VOLUME 12 ISSUE 6
DECEMBER/JANUARY Display until Jan. 25, 2011
$5.95 USA/Canada
VOLUME 12 ISSUE 6
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AnimalWellnessMagazine.com
11/5/10 1:55:31 PM
Contents December 2010/January 2011
18 features
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18 Top 5 seasonal safety tips
Rich food and sparkly decorations are hallmarks of the festive season. They give us a lot of enjoyment, but can cause digestive havoc in your dog or cat.
22 Adopting online?
The internet makes it easier than ever to find the right dog or cat for you. Just make sure the sites you visit operate with the best interests of the animals at heart.
26 Festive flare Want to try something different this holiday season? Try treating your companion (and yourself!) to some healthy dishes with a Portuguese flavor.
36 Something smells
Artificial scents may make your house fresh and fragrant, but the chemicals that go into them can be toxic.
40 Green up for the holidays 5 earth-friendly gift ideas for your animal companion.
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44 Zest for zeolites
Your animal’s body is bombarded with harmful substances every day. These uniquely-structured minerals can help detoxify him and promote healing.
48 Sit, stay, smile!
Need a gift idea for that hard-to-please friend or family member? A special portrait of their dog or cat might be just the ticket.
55 Changing tack How a puppy’s brush with parvo inspired these entrepreneurs to give up selling office supplies and start formulating nutraceuticals for animals.
56 Chillin’ with Chinese herbs
Your dog is scared of loud noises, hates being left alone and is jumpier than a jack-in-the-box. Chinese herbs can calm him down by getting to the heart of canine anxiety.
64 Rover come home
All too often, missing dogs and cats are never found again. But this organization uses a unique approach to help bring happy endings to lost animal cases.
74 Treat his tootsies
Help your canine companion put his best foot forward this winter (and all year round) with a set of protective doggie boots or socks.
80 Ramp it up
Is he having trouble jumping on the bed or getting into your vehicle? A pet ramp or set of steps can make life a lot easier for your senior or disabled companion.
84 Black dog syndrome
The term is sometimes used to describe feelings of depression, but it can also refer to a very real phenomenon often seen at animal shelters.
36 Columns 14
Yakkity yak
52 Warm & fuzzy 60 Dr. Martin Goldstein 70
Communication
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86 Passages 88 Book reviews
Departments
98 Tail end
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Editorial
12 Mail bag
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30 Holiday gift guide 47 Product picks 68 The scoop 76 Animal Wellness resource guide 90 Ad spots 95 Classifieds 97 Events calendar animal wellness
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Adopting online?
The internet makes it easier than ever to find the right dog or cat for you. Just make sure the sites and online organizations you visit are operating with the best interests of the animals at heart. by Debbie Swanson
hen John and Ella Olson decided to get a dog, they headed to the local shelter. They wanted a small adult dog, suitable for life in their apartment, and one that would be good with children.
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coworker, who pointed her to an online pet adoption website. The couple soon met with a handful of dogs matching their criteria, and within a few weeks, adopted Stella.
They saw many nice canines, but none that met their criteria. Frustrated, Ella mentioned her plight to a
“She was at a shelter just over two hours away from us,” says Ella. “We’d never have found her if we didn’t
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go online.” Thanks to the internet, potential adopters are no longer limited to the cats and dogs available at local shelters. An online search can yield dozens of adoptable animals across the country. But there’s a catch. Just as with anything else, there are disreputable pet adoption sites as well as legitimate ones. It’s vital to learn how to tell the difference.
Look at their reputation One of the most well known online pet adoption services is Petfinder, which has adopted out 13 million animals since its inception in 1995. One reason for its popularity is its strong reputation; Petfinder screens every adoption agency before allowing it to post animals on their website. “In addition, all our adoption partners look out for one another,” says cofounder Betsy Saul. “If someone gets on there who doesn’t have the best interests of the animals in mind, we’ll hear about it, likely from more than one person.” The best way to screen a site is to look for the following red flags: Quick transactions: Any organization looking to find permanent homes for their animals should require applications, personal reference checks, a vet reference, a phone interview or even a home visit. Avoid sites that offer you an animal with little or no questions asked.
Find out who pays for the transportation, and make sure there are procedures in place to ensure the health and safety of the animal while he’s in transit. No health guarantees: The site should offer proof of recent vet checks and a full disclosure of any known medical information about the animal. If your potential companion comes with no health history, move on. No interest in population control: Reputable adoption centers are committed to ending animal overpopulation, and won’t release a dog or cat that hasn’t been spayed or neutered, or a puppy or kitten that doesn’t have a spay/ neuter agreement. If your dog or cat is arriving intact, find out why. Too much pressure: Dedicated adoption sites shun impulse shoppers. A reputable site might inform you that other families are looking at the same animal as you are, but they won’t put pressure on you or offer incentives. If the site you’re working with comes across like a late night TV commercial, keep looking. animal wellness
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