Christmas is a time of love, family, and last but not least, generosity and good deeds. However, not everyone can be in the warmth of a home on Christmas, and this is also true for our four-legged companions. How can we help them during this time and perhaps also give ourselves something to do?
If you're tired of sitting on the couch in front of the TV all day and snacking on cookies, it's time to start a new tradition. If you’re not interested in feeding ducks or taking a walk through the city or the forest, you may be thrilled to visit a shelter.
Many shelters open their doors on Christmas and welcome every visitor. In some places you can leave the dogs gifts under the tree, in other places this day is for meeting, a tour of the place or walking the dogs. There may also be an accompanying program in the form of lectures or demonstrations of training.
If you support a shelter all year round, their Christmas event has certainly not slipped your attention. If you don't but you want to do a good deed on Christmas, or you're just bored at home, try to look for organizations near you and find out when you can come, what you can bring the dogs or what they need most. I personally like visiting private shelters that have to raise funding to look after the dogs themselves. Every extra gram of kibble is more than needed here.
If you do go to a shelter and decide to bring the dogs some food, it's better to buy a small amount of high-quality food. Low-quality market food is unsatisfactory for abandoned dogs, as these dogs often come from bad conditions that also affected their digestion. Poor quality food would just cause digestive problems, and sometimes it is absolutely indigestible or even health threatening, apart from the fact that they don't get the nutrients they need from it.
In some places they only use one type of food that the dogs are accustomed, so they won't be able to use different kinds. I even know a shelter where they feed the dogs a BARF diet. Here they will appreciate a mixture of herbs, fruit and vegetables.
In addition to kibble and canned food, old blankets and large pieces of fabric such as bed sheets and linen, cleaning supplies including rubber gloves and solid garbage bags, disinfectants, collars, leashes and bowls are always useful in a shelter. However, it's always best to find out what they need beforehand.
If you can't find a shelter in your area, or if you don't have the time to visit one personally, a financial donation will also help. In some places you can even buy a gift certificate stating exactly what or for which specific dog the money will be used. You can then give someone a good deed for Christmas.
Arthritis ranks among the most frequent diseases of the joints in dogs. It is accompanied by pain and limitations for physical activity. And because it cannot be cured I’ll give you some tips how to make the life of your buddy with arthritis easier.
It is nowadays completely normal to have dog restaurants, saloons and spas. People try to indulge their pets with all the luxurious things. Some procedures are more helpful than others. But thalassotherapy is one of those that can have a positive...
Nowadays even our pets are subject to diseases of civilization. Obesity is no good for them as well as for people. Do you know how to tell if your cat is obese and what are its causes and consequences?
The season of ticks is back again and so it is the right time to start protecting our pets. These parasites also bring anaplasmosis except from borreliosis. And the fact that this disease is not generally know does not undermine its serious impacts on...
You, as cat keepers, will probably be frightened when hearing “cat plague”. But precisely this phrase is sometimes used for panleukopenia which is a very dangerous cat disease. You may not only prevent it thanks to information obtained but to identify...
The whiskers on cats’ face are probably too noticeable to ignore them. But do you know all the places where cat’s whiskers with sense of touch are? And do you know how this comprehensive tactile body functions?
As you might know, the assistance dogs help people with various physical or mental disabilities nowadays. But there is a program in the US and in other countries which helps children to improve their reading and communication skills.
We are all try to give our dog companions the best, from health care to the leisure activities. Nutrition is no exception to that and it is prone to modern trends similar to those of regular human food. Reducing or opting out the grain from the diet is...
Whether it has undergone castration or any other surgery, your dog needs to rest more after it. But this can sometimes seem almost impossible. To “force” your beloved pet to rest is not easy, indeed. A few tips how to handle this situation follow.
The last time, I shared with you my opinions on castrations in general and I’ve named the advantages and disadvantages of this procedure in bitches. Now, let’s take a look, how it is with dogs.
Castration is still quite a tricky and discussed topic. Today, I will introduce you to the facts about this procedure and about its consequences and I will also share my opinion.
If you have one of the furry furring balls at home, maybe you know, in what kind of devil some of them are capable of turning into, if you need to give them a pill. If your cat belongs precisely among those, in which it’s almost a superhuman task, I...
