A Leash Above would like to take this opportunity to remember all the men and women who died to protect the freedoms we are enjoying on this Memorial Day. Please let us also remember the dogs who were soldiers side by side with these service men and women. Thank you and we remember you on this day.
Twenty-five to thirty percent of all dogs in the United States suffer from canine hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is a genetic progressive disease associated with abnormal hip formation which causes laxity in the muscles, connective tissue and ligaments that support the hip joint and keep it in place.
Symptoms include difficulty getting up from and down into a lying position; reluctance to walk, run, climb and descend stairs, jump or play; frequent sitting during long walks; “bunny hopping” gait in which the legs move more together when running rather than swinging alternately; reluctance to extend rear legs; inability to stretch; shifting weight; vocalization on handling.
Many of the large and giant-breed dogs are susceptible, but also smaller breeds like bulldogs, French bulldogs and Shih Tzus are vulnerable. Obesity is a major risk factor.
Diagnosis is made by your vet based on observations, physical exam and radiology. A new screening method called PennHIP developed by the University of Pennsylvania can determine the potential for hip dysplasia in dogs as young as 16 weeks of age.
Treatment can be as conservative as controlled exercise and conditioning, weight control, heat and nutritional therapies. Surgery is also sometimes indicated which include total hip replacement, femoral head osteotomy and double and triple pelvic osteotomy. Prolotherapy is a noninvasive surgical alternative. This involves injecting dextrose and vitamin B12 in combination with lidocaine or something similar into the tendons and ligaments. The solution stimulates the body’s immune system to rebuild new tendons or ligaments. Prolotherapy has been used in humans for quite some time so it is not a new approach to healing.
Prevention: If your dog shows symptoms later in life, it is too late to prevent joint degeneration. The best approach is early screening of dogs at risk and lifestyle measures.
As with all health issues, discussion with your vet is the key for prevention and treatment. For more information about hip dysplasia, see the ASPCA’s web site: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dog-care-hip-dysplasia.aspx
You may have heard about a settlement last summer with retailers and credit card companies that would allow a business to charge you a credit card processing fee. At the end of January, that became law. Of course, many businesses will continue to believe it is just the part of doing business and you might not have the cost passed on to you (in the states where it is legal to assess the fee).
While this may be valid in many states, TEXAS is NOT one of them. In fact, the other states are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Oklahoma have some sort of law either limiting or restricting these fees. Recently I have been told that some pet sitting businesses in Texas, including some in The Woodlands, are charging you not only a fee, but sometimes even more than the 4% maximum of the transaction (if you happened to live in a state that allowed it, which again Texas does NOT).
In the state of Texas, the only entity that can charge you a credit card processing fee is the government (for example, for property taxes or other fees). It is not just for businesses located in Texas. No business, including those in other states, can charge a resident of the state of Texas a credit card processing fee. Retailers in the United States cannot assess these credit card processing fees to buyers in other countries either.
We promise to stay on top of laws that might affect businesses and our customers. We value and appreciate you.
To read more about this, visit Visa’s web site at: http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_visa/checkout_fees/index.html
To read more about this from the State of Texas Office of the Attorney General, please visit their site at:
https://www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/credit_cards.shtml
If you are a resident of Texas and have been charged a credit card processing fee, please use this link to register a complaint. https://www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/complain.shtml
February is National Pet Dental Health Month. People shy away from doing this with their pets, but it is just as important as brushing your teeth with the same risks to their health as it is to yours. Here is a great instructional video on how to go about doing this. It’s never too late to start.
In changing over the “going-green” consciousness, the top reason I am finding people do not scoop their yard of dog poop is to let the sun break it down naturally. Actually it is quite the opposite. Ecofriendly dog owners should be picking it up.
The poop contains viruses, bacteria, and other microbes. They will end up in your/our water supply. A heavy rainstorm and water-outlet run-off will end up in the water table. Any water that flows into a sewer goes into a body of water without being treated. Imagine a deer coming up to drink from the stream where your dogs’ waste now resides. Kids might also play in these bodies of water and they are notorious for not being germ conscious. They think, “its water, therefore it is clean.”
Putting it in the garbage is also not an eco-friendly idea as it will wind up in a landfill somewhere. You could use biodegradable bags that are compost friendly. You can always just come home and put the poop in your toilet. Your poop is good enough to be there, so why not your dogs? It then can be treated in the same fashion as human waste.
The Environmental Protection Agency has classified pet waste as a dangerous pollutant, a classification made over 20 years ago. The CDC confirmed that dog poop can spread parasites. Even if the poop is picked up, eggs linger for years. So your dog, your dogs’ toys, your kid, and even you could come into contact with it and risk getting a parasitic infection.
People think dog poop is a great fertilizer. It’s actually toxic to your lawn (just look at the grass and the discolorations), having a high amount of nitrogen. It also likes to form cooperative relationships with other harmful bacteria like E. coli.
If the health side of the equation doesn’t move you, there are communities taking this a step further by imposing a ticket to anyone who lets their dog poop without picking it up. Fees vary per community, but upwards of $1000 can be common.
It might surprise you that in Texas, a state that is heavily Republican and Republicans scream over governmental interference in private lives, an apartment complex in Plano, Texas is keeping track of the dog poop DNA to match it up with your canine. It is not the first community to do it. Some places in New Hampshire and Florida have been doing it for a few years now. The apartment complex in Plano gave residents a time period where they needed to come in and have their dogs swabbed and DNA registered (for free). If your dog has pooped and the DNA matches, you can be fined $250.
We are part of a global community and even though you believe that what you do in your yard should be your business, when it comes to water it is a shared resource. What affects one affects all.
There is a great webinar coming up soon that will be conducted in December by Pet Poison Hotline.
When: Monday, December 3rd, 2012 | 12 PM CST (1 PM EST, 10 AM PST) 
Cost: $10 (with 10% of proceeds going to Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization.
(Press from the site): While the holidays bring joy, family, friends, new decor and foods to our homes, they can also bring a bit of stress for both you and your pet. Join the veterinarians from Pet Poison Helpline for a jam-packed, one-hour webinar to learn about common holiday dangers so you can keep your pet safe this holiday season. Weíll discuss ìmust knowî toxins such as lilies, alcohol, unbaked bread dough and grapes. We’ll also do some myth-busting and provide you with the real scoop about commonly mentioned toxins such as poinsettias, chocolate and more.
The fire department has given you 30 minutes to evacuate your home. You need to get all everything you need for your family and your pets in that amount of time. Are you prepared? Do you know which shelters in your area take animals (not all will)? With hurricane season fast upon us, August and September are the busiest months for activity for the Gulf of Mexico. We are barely prepared with enough hurricane supplies as human beings, as evidenced by the number of people who flock to the grocery store, the gas station, and home improvement stores to get things at the last minute. If we have not prepared ourselves for a possible tropical event, it would be even more doubtful that we have thought about our pets. Here is some advice on how to be more organized prior to an emergency event:
1. While preparing your family plan, make specific plans for each one of your pets.
2. If you have multiple family members and multiple pets, make each person in the family responsible for locating and caring for one pet each.
3. In your plan, if you become separated from each other (like for example, a fire), decide where to meet up afterwards.
4. Who can you call outside of your area? If communications are down locally in your area, your out-of-town contact should know your disaster plan and family meeting place.
5. Include others in your disaster plan including family, friends, neighbors, your vet, and your pet sitter.
6. Contact hotels and motels in advance to see which one take pets. Also, check local humane societies and emergency clinics.
7. Develop a phone tree. One person phones 2 people to see if they need help. Those 2 call two more. Support each other.
8. Create a supply kit for you and your pets to take with you on the road before the disaster hits. Remember 30 minutes is not a long time to have to leave quickly. If you shelter in place, make sure which neighbors have stayed and find a place where your family could go as a backup until the storm has passed and repairs can be made to your home.
9. Stay current on vaccines for your pet. Make sure you have a written note from your vet of your pets’ vaccination status in case of evacuation. That should become part of your emergency disaster kit.
10. Practice with your pets in your fire drills at home to get them used to sudden actions.
11. If you use a pet sitter, make sure they have an emergency plan. Most professional pet sitters do. If you are away when disaster strikes, you and your pet sitter should have already discussed in advance the best plan of action. Your local emergency contacts will be essential to a well-rounded plan for your pets.
The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters has a great guide to prepare for disaster. Once at the site from this link: NAPPS Click on The NAPPS Disaster Preparedness Plan for Pet Owners (free 20-page booklet).
Don’t forget to come like us on Facebook (people anyway can participate in this contest) by August 31, 2012 for a chance to win a $50 Petco gift card. The Woodlands area residents also can get 25% of their first contracted service (or next contracted service), or 25% off the first Monday-Friday month of contracted midday services if services are booked by November 30, 2012 and used by December 31, 2012.
Again, this is not mine and I don’t know to whom credit is due, but it is wonderful:
A local business was looking for office help. They put a sign in the window saying: “HELP WANTED. Must be able to type, must be good with a computer and must be bilingual. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.”
A short time afterwards, a golden retriever dog trotted up to the window, saw the sign and went inside. He looked at the receptionist and wagged his tail, then walked over to the sign, looked at it and whined. Getting the idea, the receptionist got the office manager. The office manager looked at the dog and was surprised, to say the least. However, the dog looked determined, so he led him into the office. Inside, the dog jumped up on the chair and stared at the manager. The manager said, “I can’t hire you. The sign says you have to be able to type.” The dog jumped down, went to the typewriter and proceeded to type out a perfect letter. He took out the page and trotted over to the manager and gave it to him, then jumped back on the chair. The manager was stunned, but then told the dog, “The sign says you have to be good with a computer.” The dog jumped down again and went to the computer. The dog proceeded to demonstrate his expertise with various programs and produced a sample spreadsheet and database and presented them to the manager. By this time the manager was totally dumbfounded! He looked at the dog and said, “I realize that you are a very intelligent dog and have some interesting abilities. However, I still can’t give you the job.” The dog jumped down and went to a copy of the sign and put his paw on the part about being an Equal Opportunity Employer. The manager said, “Yes, but the sign also says that you have to be bilingual.” The dog looked at him straight in the face and said, “Meow.”
Don’t forget you can like us on Facebook by 8/31/2012 and receive an entry for our $50 Petco gift card; if you happen not to have a Petco near you, another equivalent prize will be awarded. You do NOT have to live in our area to participate. Our site, Facebook, and Twitter feeds are for all animal lovers. Bonus offer for people in The Woodlands, Texas or surrounding communities is that you will receive 25% off your next service with us that is good until the end of the year. Must have an initial consultation by 11/30/2012.
Original author unknown.
How Many Dogs Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb?
Golden retriever: The sun is shining, the day is young, weíve got our whole lives ahead of us, and youíre inside worrying about a stupid burned-out bulb?
Border collie: Just one. And then Iíll replace any wiring thatís not up to code.
Dachshund: You know I canít reach that stupid lamp!
Rottweiler: Make me!
Boxer: Who cares? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark.
Lab: Oh, me, me!!!!!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze let me change the light bulb? Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeze, please, please, please!
German Shepherd: I’ll change it as soon as I’ve led these people from the dark, check to make sure I haven’t missed any, and make just one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.
Jack Russell Terrier Iíll just pop it in while Iím bouncing off the walls and furniture.
Old English Sheep Dog: Light bulb? I’m sorry, but I donít see a light bulb!
Cocker Spaniel: Why change it? I can still pee on the carpet in the dark.
Chihuahua: ? Yo quiero Taco Bulb. Or “We donít need no stinking light bulb.”
Greyhound: It isn’t moving. Who cares?
Australian Shepherd: First, I’ll put all the light bulbs in a little circle
Poodle: Iíll just blow in the Border Collieís ear and heíll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.
How many cats does it take to change a light bulb?
The Cat’s Answer:
Cats do not change light bulbs. People change light bulbs. So, the real question is, ìHow long will it be before I can expect some light, some dinner, and a massage? All of which proves, once again, that while dogs have masters, cats have staff.
If your breed is not listed in that joke, how would you word it for your dog?
Don’t forget our great contest ending 8/31/2012. Like us on Facebook and you can get 1 entry into our contest for a $50 Petco gift card.† If you don’t live where there is a Petco, other arrangements can be made for an equivalent prize. Also follow us on Twitter and tell us about your furry kids!’
Launch Date Special
Our launch date is very near. Social media is key to promoting us higher on the Google search engines. It does not matter whether or not you live in our service area–our web site, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts are geared towards all animal lovers everywhere.
In order to generate buzz, we have two offers occurring:
Offer #1: Like us on Facebook. Everyone who likes us on Facebook between today and 11:59 p.m. central daylight time August 31, 2012 will receive an entry for a $50 gift card to Petco. You do not have to live locally to qualify. Winner will be announced sometime on September 1, 2012. Any person who has already liked our page prior to today is automatically entered.
Offer #2: Like us on Facebook and call for an appointment to meet your pet(s) and set up a service time prior to December 31, 2012. You will receive 25% off your first service contract or 25% off your first month of Monday-Friday service. Please see the description of our services for more details. When we have our free initial consultation, please mention this offer (coupon code FBLAUNCH). Offer expires November 30, 2012. This cannot be combined with any other offer. We will book up quickly for the holidays and this does not guarantee a service date if we are already booked.
Spread the word!