Winter Safety Tips for Pets

Free pet emergency card provided for your convenience

Maintenance Tips

Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it can be hard on people. There are things you can do to keep your pet warm and safe. In case of severe weather remember to protect your pet, bring them in doors, and always be sure they have current license tags, rabies shots and/or microchips in case of separation.

•  Shedding – Most dogs and cats shed their summer coats in the fall before putting on their winter coat, brushing frequently should help your pet and you be happier.

•  Water - Always provide fresh, clean water … when temps dip below freezing, it’s important to keep it free from ice.

•  Shelter – Outdoor pets should have dry, warm shelter out of the wind & it should be winterized with extra bedding.

•  Food – Staying warm requires extra calories; pets may need more food or a change in diet … consult your vet.

•  Ice, salt, & snow – Remove ice, salt, mud, or snow from your pets coats & feet as soon as possible. If the skin looks reddish, white or grey in cold weather, suspect frostbite if the weather has been really cold … consult your vet.

•  Frostbite happens when the body gets cold and pulls all the blood from the extremities to the center of the body to stay warm. Animals’ ears, paws, or tail can get cold enough that ice crystals can form in the tissue and damage it. It may not be obvious, as the tissue doesn't show signs of the damage to it for several days … consult your vet.

•  Hypothermia happens when the body temperature falls below normal, and may occur if your pet spends too much time in the cold, does not have adequate shelter, or is in poor health. Symptoms range from depression & lethargy to stiff muscles & reduced heart or breathing rates … consult your vet.

Hazard Warnings

•  Car engines – Cats and kittens like to nap on warm places, this can include car engines!  Knock on the hood or honk the horn, then wait a few minutes before starting the engine. If in doubt, open the hood and look.

•  Antifreeze smells good and tastes very sweet to pets, & very small amounts can be deadly. Damage is done by chemicals crystallizing in the kidney. If a pet has been in contact with antifreeze … consult your vet.

•  Crystals forming in the urethra – Fall is the most common time of year for cats to form small stones or crystals that block the flow of urine from the bladder through the urethra. Any cat that seems to be straining "to go to the bathroom" should be checked by a veterinarian at once.

•  Halloween - Candy is not good for pets, especially chocolate. Keep pets inside during trick or treat with the extra traffic in the neighborhood.  Be careful when answering the door to greet trick or treaters, with all the visitors and frequently opened doors to sneak out of, pets can also get confused and frightened by the noise or costumes.

•  Holiday food – keep your pet on its regular diet as much as possible.  Alcoholic beverages, candy, chocolate, turkey and fixing, pork, fish, bones, are just a few hazards which may cause issues with your pet’s digestive system.

•  Poisonous plants – Many plants used to decorate for the holidays, including Christmas rose, holly, mistletoe, philodendron, & dieffenbachia, are toxic to your pet so they must be kept out of reach.

•  Holiday paraphernalia – Electric cords, tinsel, spray on-snow (unless specified as non-toxic), ribbons, rubber bands, plastic or foil wrapping, etc. can be dangerous to your pet. Please take extra precautions during the holidays.

Information compiled from www.weather.com & www.healthypet.com

Better Days Animal League has rescued about 3,000 neglected or abandoned animals since opening in 2007, finding permanent homes for most of them.

When the no-kill organization first opened almost four years ago on a 12-acre tract just outside Shippensburg, it started with a 20-by-40-foot building and a determination by Humane Society police officer and founder Dennis Bumbaugh to make a difference in the lives of abandoned, unwanted or neglected animals, without resorting to euthanization.

Today, the league's shelter is home to about 100 dogs and 94 cats, including an emaciated male boxer who was found wandering in Shippensburg's Middle Spring area and brought to the Better Days shelter Sunday afternoon.

Dubbed "Roscoe" by his rescuers, the dog was immediately hydrated and given a small amount of special food designed to provide the nourishment he needs until he regains his health.

"We don't know Roscoe's story, and unfortunately he can't tell us," Bumbaugh said.

He speculated that the brindle-colored boxer might have got away from his owners and not been able to find his way home again. Or perhaps his owners couldn't afford to feed him and simply abandoned him.

"With the economy as it has been the last few years, we have seen many cases like that in recent years," Bumbaugh said.

Whatever the reason, Roscoe's future is brighter since being taken in at Better Days on Sunday. Click here to donate.

Brumbaugh, who is the league's chief executive officer, said that Roscoe's story is just one of thousands that have played out under the watchful care of the league's volunteers over the last few years.

"We had no idea how severe the need was in the area when we opened our doors in 2007 as a support service to existing organizations," he said.

As animals continued to come to the shelter, Better Days concentrated on adoption and public awareness to find homes for the animals it was taking in from a three-county area consisting of Franklin, Fulton and Cumberland counties.

It soon became apparent that in order to continue this, Better Days was going to have to expand its shelter.

"This expansion is not out of want, it is pure necessity," Bumbaugh said. "We have to do this to continue to do what we do."

Better Days kicks off a capital campaign – Building To Save – to raise $990,000 to construct a multi-purpose animal shelter at its property at Roxbury and Mongul Hill roads with a "Spring Fling Casino Night" May 7 at the Eagles picnic ground in Carlisle.

Money raised will be used to build a new 40 kennel building on the league's existing property, with modern cleaning, heating, ventilation and waste disposal systems. An open free-roaming cattery and a much needed surgical suite to provide low cost spay and neuter clinics will also be added.

The additional kennels and expanded cattery will allow Better Days to increase the housing capacity and expand exposure for adoption, according to Bumbaugh. They would be soundproofed to minimize noise impact to the neighborhood.

The league would also like to add a rainwater capture system to be used for cleaning and a small wind turbine to provide supplemental electricity to the facility. Those two things would reduce utility services by 30 to 40 percent, according to the league board.

The animal league relies on donations and fundraising activities for almost all of its support. Bumbaugh said just a $15 donation would provide a week's worth of the special food Roscoe is going to need during his recovery.

Better Days, third place winner in Public Opinion's recent marketing grant competition, will use the grant to publicize its Building To Save fundraising campaign.

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Vicky Taylor can be reached at 262-4753 or vtaylor@publicopinionnews.com

ABOUT BETTER DAYS ANIMAL LEAGUE:

Location: 12310 Mongul Hill Road, Shippensburg 17257

Founder and CEO: Dennis Bumbaugh

Phone: (866) 493-3590

E-mail: donate@betterdaysanimals.com

Website: http://www.BetterDaysAnimals.com

The grant

Every year thousands of local residents give back to their communities by contributing their time and money to the efforts of Franklin County's numerous non-profit organizations.

While some organizations are larger or better known than others, all are worthy components of what makes the area such a great place to live.

These organizations struggle with many issues, but two of those issues stand out. Both are in areas where Public Opinion has chosen to join their efforts and, in turn, help serve the community as well:

- The first is in fundraising to generate the necessary money needed to carry out their efforts.

- The second is in educating the community of what their missions are and how they benefit local residents.

Public Opinion's marketing grants provide advertising space and the medium to get the "word out" by reaching the largest audience available in Franklin County today.

The Animal Rescue Site is hosting a special challenge for eligible Petfinder.com member shelter and rescue groups. The grand prize is a $5,000 grant, and they will be awarding many other grants to rescue groups with the most votes — a total of $300,000 in grants for animal welfare organizations.

Think how many animals we could help with $5,000!

Help us win! All you have to do is click to help rescued animals, and then vote in The Animal Rescue Site $300,000 Shelter⁺ Challenge of 2011 – with Petfinder.com. Both of these actions are absolutely free! You can vote once a day, every day during each voting period for the entire year. Every time you vote, or tell a friend to vote, you are making a huge difference for us.

Vote today!
Visit: www.theanimalrescuesite.com