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More Holiday Pet Safety Tips!

12/22/2014

Tree and lights on display? Check.

Stockings hung on the mantle with care? Check.

Clear about the common dangers posed by the holidays to your pets? Uh-oh.

Don’t despair, be prepared! Watch this month’s yuletide episode of Pet Talk and find out what holiday trimmings are on the nice list and which ones are on the naughty. Your heightened awareness could help prevent everything from unintentional fire hazards to unwanted ingestion of plants that are safe for humans but poisonous to pets. Simply by following these helpful guidelines, your pet kid could avoid gastric upset and serious injury.

With a little help from Dr. Sarah, you can make sure your pet’s holidays are safe as well as jolly. Be sure to share this video with friends and family, or anyone fortunate enough to share their home with a companion animal.

Have a Very Merry Christmas from all of us at Natural Pet Health Foods!

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Holiday Safety Tips

12/22/2014

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Gathering your family together for a delicious, festive feast is a holiday tradition. And, while you don’t have to completely exclude your pets from the celebration, you do need to watch out for the seemingly harmless holiday fixtures that could wreak havoc on their health.

In this month’s informative episode of Pet Talk, Life's Abundance staff veterinarian, Dr. Sarah sheds light on the things pet parents shouldn’t put under the Christmas tree. From errant table scraps, to cookies left out for Santa, to the delightful treats made for friends and family, if your dog or cat eats any of these, you could land on your vet's “naughty list”. The last thing you want to do this holiday season is forego eggnog and caroling in favor of urgent medical care for an ailing animal companion. So, watch this special yuletide message and enjoy the spirit of the season, responsibly! From all of us at Natural Pet Health Foods, we wish you a merry - and safe - holiday season!

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Winter Hiking Tips

12/15/2014

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As we gear up to celebrate Thanksgiving and the coming winter holidays, the polar invasion is taking hold of much of the country and plunging temperatures. Just because Mother Nature is throwing around her frigid weight doesn't mean that outdoor excitement with your canine must come to an end. With a little preparation, the right equipment and a helping of common sense, you and your dog can stay active while hiking and exploring during the cold weather months. In this episode of Pet Talk, Dr. Sarah and her trusty sidekick Alma show you how to remain safe while trekking through winter wilderness areas … especially in places where hunters might be present. With loads of great tips, Pet Talk will help make your outdoor adventures an arctic blast!

Dr. Sarah

Take the.....

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Howling Good News for Boxer Rescue

12/1/2014

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Wonder Boy.... McCoy

We’re pleased to bring you news of yet another financial award given by The Dr. Jane Foundation, this time to a dedicated group of Boxer rescuers in Florida.

Headquartered in Tallahassee, Boxer Aid and Rescue Coalition, Inc. (BARC) is a not-for-profit rescue organization that operates a network of volunteers in north Florida and south Georgia. In their decade of operation, these devoted caretakers have helped to rescue and find forever homes for hundreds of Boxers.

With no facility, fostering represents the backbone of their enterprise. While not confined to metropolitan areas, the majority of foster pet parents live in Jacksonville, Gainesville, Pensacola or Tallahassee. Known for their superlative care, BARC actually has a waiting list for homeless Boxers until a foster home becomes available.

Dogs come from all sorts of heartrending situations. Sadly, they receive hundreds of surrender requests annually, nearly one per day. Each Boxer receives medical care, basic training (including a behavioral assessment), a caring foster environment and the promise that they’ll be placed in homes where they will be treated ‘as a member of the family’.

BARC’s main source of revenue comes from adoption fees, but oftentimes the cost of veterinary care can be two-to-eight times that amount. In spite of minimal resources, BARC has achieved great things on behalf of their Boxers, finding homes for hundreds of purebred and mixed breed Boxers. In fact, coordinators go out of their way to make sure that the personalities of the dogs and humans are an excellent match.

While most of their younger Boxers are only in foster care for 1-2 months, senior dogs rarely find adopters. This isn’t unique to this rescue, or even to the breed … it’s just a fact that most people looking to adopt aren’t interested in older dogs. However, BARC stresses that adopting an older dog has many overlooked benefits. Senior dogs are often better behaved than puppies, fully housetrained and finished growing, so there aren’t any ‘I can’t believe how big they’ve gotten’ surprises. Plus, it’s well known that older dogs who’ve been homeless express unending gratitude for their adoptive pet parents.

BARC plans to use the financial award given by The Dr. Jane Foundation to develop future fundraising efforts. Any funds generated by such efforts would be earmarked for veterinary care, including surgeries and heartworm treatments, unfortunately an all-too-common ailment seen by BARC. A recent fundraiser, consisting of a silent auction and food and beverage sales, proved very successful, and 100% of the amount raised went towards covering accumulated vet bills.

"BARC is so grateful for this funding”, said Courtney Reichenbach, president of the rescue. She added, “Dealing with everyday veterinary expenses doesn't leave money left over for fundraising. This grant will allow us to hopefully generate even more income, which will help us pay on outstanding balances and help new dogs coming into the program."

Here are just a few of the many Boxers currently waiting to be adopted …

McCoy

Also pictured at the top of our post is McCoy, who BARC fosterers expect will ‘make someone a great companion’. Until he was admitted into BARC’s foster program, McCoy had never lived untethered. He had been tied up for so long that his neck was horribly infected. Carrying several pounds of extra fluid due to heartworm disease, he was still 20 lbs. under his ideal weight. In the early stages of heart failure, his recovery seemed unlikely. And yet, that was not the full extent of his illness … tests revealed that his kidneys were not functioning properly. In spite of all of these medical woes, McCoy has had an amazing recovery, thanks to superb care for his body and his spirit. His transformation from an emaciated, dispirited pup into his happy, healthy self is nothing short of miraculous. In fact, his fosterers say that he is ‘a complete joy’.

Ellie

Meet Ellie, who scores a perfect ten on any measure of cuteness.
Less than a year old, this Boxer mix is nuts for her toys and the occasional ice cube. In her current foster home, Ellie lives well with a small fur sibling. Equally happy loping about the yard or curled up in a lap, this adorable girl is ready for her forever home.

Murphy

A nine-year-old Boxer mix, Murphy became one of BARC’s many owner surrenders after his pet parent died. Technically ‘special needs’, this affable fellow has been diagnosed with irritable bowel, but he’s very much housetrained. His adoptive family should install a doggie door to the backyard, so he can let himself outside whenever he needs to go. Always ready for a game of fetch, Murphy is athletic, gets along well with other canines and exhibits a trait common to many other Boxers … he’s partly made of Velcro (i.e., he’s a real people person)!

Cruise

You’d be hard pressed to find a more handsome Boxer than Cruise. Highly affectionate, his enthusiasm can hardly be contained when his people are around. A born athlete, this three-year-old is trained, good with other dogs and has the cutest happy dance you ever did see. If you’re looking for a pup that’ll turn heads and melt hearts, Cruise is the canine for you!

On behalf all of the dogs who have experienced a vastly improved life due to the continuing efforts of this rescue, we offer BARC our great thanks. Their dogged determination to make a positive difference in the lives of so many Boxers made funding this grant request truly rewarding.

To learn more about this outstanding organization, we encourage you to visit their website at boxerarc.org (or email them directly at [email protected]). You never know … you or someone you know could end up finding your new best friend!

We are thankful to all of our readers and customers. Through your personal donations and continued patronage, you make all of our grants possible. Your compassion and generosity have helped to make the world a better place for abandoned, abused and neglected Boxers.

If you’ve had experience with an animal rescue organization deserving of special recognition and financial support, please encourage them to fill out one of our grant applications. Interested parties should email [email protected] or fill in their contact info Click HERE … one of our customer service agents will be happy to share all the details.

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More Holiday Pet Safety Tips!

Holiday Safety Tips

Winter Hiking Tips

Take the.....

Howling Good News for Boxer Rescue

Take the....

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