This blog is for informational purposes only. Please consult with a veterinarian if your pet is ill.

Friday, April 27, 2012

The Ins and Out of Animal Shelters - They Are Not All the Same



Recently a well meaning friend rescued a young cat from certain death on a very busy road in Maryland only to find out later that the cat was put down by the shelter he brought her to. Obviously he was very upset but didn't know that all shelters have different policies.


Your local Animal Control is usually considered to be a high-kill shelter. When an animal is turned in to them or picked up by them, they only hold the animal so many days before they are euthanized. Other animal shelters follow this policy as well, only keeping cats and dogs that are healthy, well behaved and easily adoptable. All others are euthanized. Feral cats and stray dogs are of questionable back grounds will usually be euthanized in high-kill shelters and that is unfortunately was what happened to my friend's rescued cat.


Other animal shelter are considered to be low-kill shelters, meaning they will put down cats or dogs that have serious health issues, are injured or test positive for chronic diseases like Feline Leukemia or if they have serious behavior issues.


The best option would be a no-kill shelter. These shelters will go great lengths to get medical treatment, correct behavior issues - anything it takes to spare the life of a cat or dog brought in to them. Or they will find another shelter that can deal with whatever issue the pet has and then find a forever home for them.


A very serious note about euthanasia - shelters vary on their means of putting  the animals down. Many use lethal injection - the most humane way to euthanize but many shelters still use the gas chamber which is a very stressful, horrible way to die. There are other even more barbaric forms of euthanasia used in shelters, so again - be sure you know what form of euthanasia the shelter using or take the animal to a no-kill shelter - the best way to go! Do not be mislead by the misnomer Humane Society Shelter - their policies may be anything but humane!

Helping a stray dog or cat is a wonderful thing to do but please make sure you know the policies of the shelter you are surrendering them to - it could mean the life of that very animal you wanted to rescue!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

SeaCure Protein for Digestive Issues in Pets



This is not a paid advertisement or endorsement. 

I have been using this product recommended to me by my vet for many years off and on as needed and think it is worth talking about.  Years ago when one of my cats had intestinal cancer my vet suggested using SeaCure to help his digestion and add nutrients to his diet.  Being pure fish protein, it is easily digestible.

Using marine micro-organisms that digests whole fish fillets into protein fragments that are mostly 2 and 3 amino acids long (di-peptides and tri- peptides). This predigested protein is very soluble and very easy for the human digestive system to absorb.  From my understanding, this product was invented to treat humans suffering from malnutrition. Many vets now use it to treat pets for the same issues.

Mainly SeaCure helps the digestive tract repair itself.  It alleviates nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.  It helps irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, ulcers and leaky gut syndrome.

I have been using this on my cat Minnie who has suffered for years with irritable bowel.  She vacillates between constipation and diarrhea.  Often she strains so hard to go, she vomits her food.  After a few weeks of being on this product, Minnie is doing so much better with regular bowel movements and no vomiting.

I also give this to my elderly cats who have lost weight and muscle tone in old age.  SeaCure  helps the elderly to maintain their strength and stamina by providing them with a easily digestible protein in their diet. 

Besides adding digestion, SeaCure also speeds the healing of wounds, reduces the side effects of chemo and helps those with HIV/Aids (or FIV in cats) to maintain weight, avoid muscle loss and diarrhea.  I give this to my cat Ivy who has FIV.

There are many sources online to purchase SeaCure.  Some offer a pet version but I buy a human supplement and open the capsule, sprinkling it on their food.  My rule of thumb is to give 1/8 to 1/4 of the human dose to pets, depending on size and weight.  Both cats and dogs can benefit from SeaCure.

We give this product 40 thumbs up!


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