Hi!
If you listened to the show last night, you'll know that I finally decided to voice my own opinion about London's deer "problem" and the surrounding issues concerning Sifton Bog. This whole deer "problem" surfaced a few years ago, and was initially brought to the city as a proposal for a cull. It has now turned into a "save the bog" campaign. The switch, in my opinion was based on appealing to people's emotions. A cull isn't very popular, but the bog is. The count this year actually showed that the deer numbers have been naturally declining - from around 52-55 for the last few years down to around 35 this year. The way the number is determined is that a specific protocol is followed, where there are volunteers posted in the bog, and they count the number of deer that they see, add up the numbers, and there you have it. Well, this year, when the numbers were presented to council, and found to be lower, it was proposed that instead of accepting the count as they have always done, someone proposed that they inflate the number back to last year's level, because some of the deer may have been sleeping this year, and have been missed. This was accepted as a good idea by council, and so I, myself am not sure why they bothered to waste any money at all on the count, since they just made it up, anyways, but I guess this is the way it works, so lets just continue the discussion!
I shared with my listeners my unique perspective on the issue. When I was a child, in grade two, we moved to Baffin Island, we lived there for 4 years, then when I was in grade six, we lived in the western arctic until I finished grade 11. During this time, I was obviously exposed to a completely different culture than those who have lived in southern Ontario or even south of the 60 parallel their whole lives.
When we lived on Baffin Island, we spent two of those years in a small Inuit community of about 450 people then called Lake Harbour, now called Kimmirut . Click on the link if you're so inclined! Everyone hunted - this is where our meat came from. I was exposed to hunting, and the butchering, eating, and using of the animal for many other uses. This never upset me or bothered me. I ate the meat (caribou, mostly - didn't like the seal or polar bear!). I was never troubled by the fact that we were eating an animal.
Then, when we lived in the western arctic, Fort Smith to be specific, we weren't allowed out one recess because a group of men had to cull a pack of dogs that had been hanging out by the school yard. We watched out the windows as men on snowmobiles chased the dogs through the back of the school yard, shooting them. This was a little harder to take, but still, I was not overly upset or troubled by it, because I understood that these dogs were a wild pack that were hanging out there because they were looking for food. Most of these dogs were not pets, they were strays that had come from sled dogs that had escaped, and strays that had been left to fend for themselves.
And, my third experience from the north that I relate to this deer issue is back in the eastern arctic, I was in grade 5. I was watching out my bedroom window as a man who lived a little ways in front of the house tried to kill a single stray dog with a bow and arrow. I watched, for a long time, as he repeatedly shot the dog with arrows, and the dog, yelping and howling ran away only to be shot at again by this man. Finally the dog slinked off, arrows protruding from it's body, leaving a trail of blood. I assumed he continued following it until it was dead, but I stopped being able to see. What I do know is that this one incident stands out in my mind because of the cruel and prolonged death that this animal suffered. I didn't tell that I had seen this happened, and when my mother, knowing something had upset me, finally forced my to tell her, my biggest fear was that this man had known I witnessed this murder, and was going to kill me as well.
So, while I was fine with animals being killed for food, and for safety, I was not fine with the one I saw being killed "bow and arrow" style.
How does this relate to the deer in Sifton Bog?
These deer do not need to be killed for food, they pose no threat to human safety - ah, here I get some argument about deer - car collision. ( I invite those of you leaning towards that argument to investigate for yourself to find out how many of these collisions actually occur in the immediate vicinity of Sifton Bog vs. other areas of the city.), and that leaves as the main option being considered to control the deer population a cull using bows and arrows. The justification for using bow and arrow comes from the fact that it would be too upsetting to residents to hear gun shots. I guess they'd better make sure none of their children look out of their bedroom windows, and get a glimpse of what I saw as a child.
Are the deer actually ruining the bog?
I don't know - they have been doing studies for a while now, and instead of waiting for those to finish, here we are talking about a cull again. Not to mention the money they have and are spending on this avenue only to jump right back into the cull debate
The main thing having a negative impact on the bog, in my opinion is human encroachment. The city allowed the bog to be surrounded by development - what is the bog's name now? Runoff from streets and parking lots enter the bog, flooding it with things like road salt. Stopping and changing the natural patterns of animals that would normally go into and through the bog., etc..
I just hope that these people can be stopped from allowing the same thing to happen in another treasure we have in the London area, Meadowlilly woods. Where a group has been fighting a Wal-Mart development. See Friends of Meadowlilly Woods
This deer issue is actually a very common one across North America, and I feel like there has been too much time and energy spent debating one issue when the evidence is copious and consistent.
Culling does not work - it is not effective at reducing deer herd numbers over time - it is something that needs to be done repeatedly. It is one of the more costly methods of trying to control deer.
I think that if we were effective in convincing city hall that it was #1 more cost effective, #2 more humane, and #3 a much more effective, long term management strategy to stop killing all of London's feral cats, we should be able to convince them of the same things regarding the deer - who are much more "appealing" to people than feral cats are.
There are just too many other options available to choose the mos barbaric one.
Thanks for listening (and reading)
-Lisa
Love your pet.
Showing posts with label everything pets show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label everything pets show. Show all posts
Pet Food
Hi everyone!
This week I decided to do the show myself. Not that all my guests haven't been wonderful - they have, but I had some things I felt like I wanted to say...hey, it's my show, Right?
I have already got some questions about this one, so I'll answer it first -
This was one of the questions;
Good evening Lisa, I was listening to your show tonight, with particular interest regarding the information about pet/dog food.
This week I decided to do the show myself. Not that all my guests haven't been wonderful - they have, but I had some things I felt like I wanted to say...hey, it's my show, Right?
I have already got some questions about this one, so I'll answer it first -
This was one of the questions;
Good evening Lisa, I was listening to your show tonight, with particular interest regarding the information about pet/dog food.
I wondered if you could let me know of some dog foods that you would recommend based on the information from your show.
Unfortunately I know very little about this and was very alarmed to hear about what some dog food can contain.
I want to provide something far more healthy for our beloved family friend and would appreciate any insight you could share.
Thank you
So, I thought that I would answer here in case anyone else had similar questions!
As I said on the show, one way to make sure that you are buying a good food for your pet is to make yourself a short list and take it with you to the pet store. I would avoid the big, chain stores - their prices are usually higher, they will usually try and sell you "their" brand of food, because they make more money on it, their staff is usually part time students, who I'm sure are great people, but they haven't the same interest in helping you find an appropriate food that a small store, where the owner works, that has more mature and knowledgeable staff will.That being said , the list you will take with you will include ingredients that you DO NOT want in whatever food you choose.
-corn
-wheat
-soy
-by-products
-meat
-poultry
-BHA, BHT, Ethoxiquin
Pretty straightforward, the only thing I'd like to explain is the "meat" and the "poultry"
If the food had real meat in it, it would tell you specifically what kind of meat was in it - it would say "beef" or "lamb", same with the poultry - if it was chicken, the label would read Chicken or chicken meal. When companies use the words meat or poultry, it is because even they themselves have no idea what the "meat" in the food is composed of - it probably came from the rendering plant, and contains a little bit of everything!
Sometimes I find that I avoid really having this conversation with people because I have had instances when I have been giving talks, and even the other presenters at these talks have had a hard time believing that everything I'm saying could possibly be true - that pet food ingredients can't be that bad. Well, they are. It makes me absolutely crazy when somebody tells me "I'm feeding X brand" is that ok. Lets look up the ingredients online I say. I type in "brand X", and this is what I find
GROUND YELLOW CORN, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH BHA/BHT), WHEAT MILL RUN, WHEAT, NATURAL POULTRY FLAVOUR, WHEAT FLOUR, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, SALT, RICE, VEGETABLE OIL (SOURCE OF LINOLEIC ACID), CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, VITAMINS AND MINERALS.
Corn, corn, and more corn. Why do they put so much corn in the dog food? I will talk about cat food in a minute. Corn is high in sugar, and so makes the food highly palatable - dogs and cats will both gobble it up. The corn they use in pet food is really cheap - most of it has been deemed unfit for human consumption - for various reasons. The germ has been removed, it is moldy, it is the sweepings off of the floor - it is basically all the stuff that is a by-product of making our food, (we shouldn't be eating all that corn, either) that these large, multi-national corporations used to have to pay someone to get rid of, now they all just own pet food companies, and so they throw all their garbage in there.
Corn, wheat, and soy are also some of the most highly allergenic ingredients found in food. If your animal is scratching, biting their feet, licking themselves, has little "pimple"- like eruptions, has stinky, gook filled ears, eyes that water and stain their fur, or a myriad of other, similar problems - your first step should be removing these three ingredients from their food.
Agri-business as has quite the agenda for corn, not just related to pet food, which I will not get into, but you can find more info at this link if you are so inclined. You could also just type Corn, agri-business into any search engine and find out plenty!
What is meat from the rendering plant? Why isn't it ok?
Rendering is a valuable service - if we didn't have rendering plants, our landfills would be full of rotting meat and would cause serious disease problems. So, rendering is when slaughter house waste - heads and hooves from cattle, sheep, pigs and horses, the other parts of animals that are deemed unfit for human consumption, road kill - whole skunks; rats and raccoons, euthanized dogs and cats, expired meat from the supermarkets - still in it's plastic and styrofoam containers. This all goes into the pit. The fat separates from the meat, and is skimmed off the top - this is your "animal fat and tallow", and the remainder is used as meat and bone meal, etc. I just found this website, and it explains everything in great detail. It can be found here, and it explains the whole process, and has information specifically related to pet food. It is an American site, this one is an excerpt from a book written by a woman from London, Ontario about the Canadian rendering process. Click here.
I said I'd get back to cat food separately. Cats are different than dogs, because they are what is known as "obligate carnivores" The definition of that term as found on Wikiedia is "An obligate or true carnivore is an animal that must eat meat in order to survive. They may consume other products presented to them, especially animal products like eggs and bone marrow or sweet sugary substances like honey and syrup, but, as these items are not essential, they do not consume these on a regular basis. True carnivores lack the physiology required for the efficient digestion of vegetable matter, and, in fact, some carnivorous mammals eat vegetation specifically as an emetic. The domestic cat is a prime example of an obligate carnivore, as are all of the other felids."
In short then, cats NEED meat, real meat, and can't digest all the grains, and would normally only eat it to cause themselves to vomit. One of the newest things in the pet food industry is grain free kibble. There is debate about whether or not this is good for all dogs, but can be agreed upon that this is how cats should eat. Here is another label comparison;
Poultry by-product meal, ground yellow corn, wheat flour, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, brewers rice, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of vitamin E), fish meal, brewers dried yeast, animal digest, vitamins and minerals
vs.Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs,deboned turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.
In the second list, there is potato - which must be included for starch, or the food would not stick together in a kibble.
Do you see the difference?
What main problems develop with cats?
Obesity, kidney and bladder problems, and diabetes. In my opinion, 98% of the time these problems occur is from feeding a grain based, meat lacking, dry kibble to your cat. The other 2% I would attribute to genetic weaknesses and other environmental factors.
I would also like to say here that I believe that cats should be fed a mainly canned/raw meat diet. Cats evolved as desert animals, and their bodies are much more efficient at extracting moisture from their food than from drinking water. Drinking water is not a natural cat behaviour, and when you don;t feed dry food, you will notice that your cat will hardly ever visit the water dish.
Here are a couple of canned food ingredient lists;
Water, Chicken, Liver, Wheat Flour, Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Starch, Wheat Fiber, Chicken Liver Flavor, Sunflower Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Beef Plasma Protein, Soy Fiber, Vitamins and minerals
vs.Turkey, Chicken Liver, Chicken, Chicken Broth, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Natural Chicken Flavor, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Flaxseed, Squash, Cranberries, Blueberries, Zucchini, vitamins and minerals
Which one would you pick?
There is also debate about dry vs, wet food and pet dental health. The latest article I read in a veterinary journal described it the best way I have found. I don't have the article anymore, so obviously this is it paraphrased!
The thinking used to be that a kibble based diet provided benefit to dog and cat oral health by forcing pets to chew their food, and that the kibble would cause abrasive action on the teeth and gums - thereby helping to keep them clean. Some vets and other professionals have changed their minds in regards to this. Now the thinking is leaning towards the fact that by forcing animals to chew (unnatural) on a cooked (unnatural) grain based kibble (unnatural) we are actually causing more harm to their teeth. Cats and dogs bodies are designed to rip, tear, and swallow whole what they are eating. As children, we are told to make sure that we chew our food properly - because our digestive process begins in our mouth. Our saliva is full of digestive enzymes that begin to break down the food that we eat before we even swallow it. Our pets have no such capacity. So, after all this cooked grain is deposited on their teeth, their bodies actually have no way to get rid of it. Te best way to keep your pets teeth clean is to provide them with fresh, meaty bones to chew on. Yes, cats too, if you can get them to do it! If your pets mouths are already full of plaque and tartar, there are many ways, other than dental surgery to help get them clean. That is a topic for another day that I will cover soon.
So, having said all this, I still haven't answered the question, what should I feed my pet?
As the main focus of the show is to help inform and give you the information to help you make better decisions, I think that I have provided a basis on which you can begin to make these decisions better yourself. Instead of recommending specific foods, I would really like to see people look at the labels for themselves. However, I know that everybody doesn't have a lot of time to really investigate fully or themselves how to do this. What I would recommend is that people first shop at smaller stores in their area that specialize in healthy foods, go through the phone book, and call some places. Talk to the person that answers the phone for a few minutes. Do they seem knowledgeable and informed? Does the information they provide you with jive with the information I've provided here? Then visit the store and judge for yourself whether you think that the store seems mainly concerned with providing you with information or do they seem more concerned with just making a quick sale and getting you out of there? Do they ask you questions about your animal's health, breed, weight, age, medical history, or just steer you to the cat or dog food shelf? I believe that a good store will take the time (providing of course that they have the time at that moment - if there are 5 other customers, please try to understand that the person working can't devote 1/2 an hour to you at that moment! But, their intent should still be clear.)
All that being said, the best resource for helping choose the best pet food, that I have found is a publication called the "Whole Dog Journal" - they also provide info on cat food. This publication is like the "consumer Reports" of the pet world. They accept no outside advertising, and so provide unbiased opinions determined by specific criteria.
But, they will not allow me to print their list without a fee, and they charge for a subscription. (no advertising revenue!!)
So, there a couple of other lists that I trust based on my experience, and here the foods that they list that I know are available in Canada, Ontario specifically
Dog and Cat Foods
Go! Natural
Now!
Orijen
California Natural
Canidae
Felidae
Halo
Eagle Holistic Select (only this line of Eagle)
Merrick
Fromm 4 Star (only this line of Fromm)
Nature's Variety
Wellness
Holistic Blend
Urban Wolf
Urban King
Pets 4 Life
Urban Carnivore
There are others, this list is not by any means completey comprehensive, and again, I am not a vet, and would not recommend that you use any of these foods to treat a medical condition, without the advice, guidance, and knowledge of you vet as a partner in your pets health. That being said, I have had personal experience with all of these foods, and would recommend any of them as an alternative to foods whose labels read like the ones I've posted above. I, also have not recieved any money or funding from any of these companies.
Hope I've answered some questions, and given you all "food for thought" ha ha!
I am dividing this weeks show into a few different posts, as I think there is too much information on various subjects to combine it all.
Thanks for listening and reading,
Love your pet,
Lisa
So, I thought that I would answer here in case anyone else had similar questions!
As I said on the show, one way to make sure that you are buying a good food for your pet is to make yourself a short list and take it with you to the pet store. I would avoid the big, chain stores - their prices are usually higher, they will usually try and sell you "their" brand of food, because they make more money on it, their staff is usually part time students, who I'm sure are great people, but they haven't the same interest in helping you find an appropriate food that a small store, where the owner works, that has more mature and knowledgeable staff will.That being said , the list you will take with you will include ingredients that you DO NOT want in whatever food you choose.
-corn
-wheat
-soy
-by-products
-meat
-poultry
-BHA, BHT, Ethoxiquin
Pretty straightforward, the only thing I'd like to explain is the "meat" and the "poultry"
If the food had real meat in it, it would tell you specifically what kind of meat was in it - it would say "beef" or "lamb", same with the poultry - if it was chicken, the label would read Chicken or chicken meal. When companies use the words meat or poultry, it is because even they themselves have no idea what the "meat" in the food is composed of - it probably came from the rendering plant, and contains a little bit of everything!
Sometimes I find that I avoid really having this conversation with people because I have had instances when I have been giving talks, and even the other presenters at these talks have had a hard time believing that everything I'm saying could possibly be true - that pet food ingredients can't be that bad. Well, they are. It makes me absolutely crazy when somebody tells me "I'm feeding X brand" is that ok. Lets look up the ingredients online I say. I type in "brand X", and this is what I find
GROUND YELLOW CORN, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH BHA/BHT), WHEAT MILL RUN, WHEAT, NATURAL POULTRY FLAVOUR, WHEAT FLOUR, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, SALT, RICE, VEGETABLE OIL (SOURCE OF LINOLEIC ACID), CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, VITAMINS AND MINERALS.
Corn, corn, and more corn. Why do they put so much corn in the dog food? I will talk about cat food in a minute. Corn is high in sugar, and so makes the food highly palatable - dogs and cats will both gobble it up. The corn they use in pet food is really cheap - most of it has been deemed unfit for human consumption - for various reasons. The germ has been removed, it is moldy, it is the sweepings off of the floor - it is basically all the stuff that is a by-product of making our food, (we shouldn't be eating all that corn, either) that these large, multi-national corporations used to have to pay someone to get rid of, now they all just own pet food companies, and so they throw all their garbage in there.
Corn, wheat, and soy are also some of the most highly allergenic ingredients found in food. If your animal is scratching, biting their feet, licking themselves, has little "pimple"- like eruptions, has stinky, gook filled ears, eyes that water and stain their fur, or a myriad of other, similar problems - your first step should be removing these three ingredients from their food.
Agri-business as has quite the agenda for corn, not just related to pet food, which I will not get into, but you can find more info at this link if you are so inclined. You could also just type Corn, agri-business into any search engine and find out plenty!
What is meat from the rendering plant? Why isn't it ok?
Rendering is a valuable service - if we didn't have rendering plants, our landfills would be full of rotting meat and would cause serious disease problems. So, rendering is when slaughter house waste - heads and hooves from cattle, sheep, pigs and horses, the other parts of animals that are deemed unfit for human consumption, road kill - whole skunks; rats and raccoons, euthanized dogs and cats, expired meat from the supermarkets - still in it's plastic and styrofoam containers. This all goes into the pit. The fat separates from the meat, and is skimmed off the top - this is your "animal fat and tallow", and the remainder is used as meat and bone meal, etc. I just found this website, and it explains everything in great detail. It can be found here, and it explains the whole process, and has information specifically related to pet food. It is an American site, this one is an excerpt from a book written by a woman from London, Ontario about the Canadian rendering process. Click here.
I said I'd get back to cat food separately. Cats are different than dogs, because they are what is known as "obligate carnivores" The definition of that term as found on Wikiedia is "An obligate or true carnivore is an animal that must eat meat in order to survive. They may consume other products presented to them, especially animal products like eggs and bone marrow or sweet sugary substances like honey and syrup, but, as these items are not essential, they do not consume these on a regular basis. True carnivores lack the physiology required for the efficient digestion of vegetable matter, and, in fact, some carnivorous mammals eat vegetation specifically as an emetic. The domestic cat is a prime example of an obligate carnivore, as are all of the other felids."
In short then, cats NEED meat, real meat, and can't digest all the grains, and would normally only eat it to cause themselves to vomit. One of the newest things in the pet food industry is grain free kibble. There is debate about whether or not this is good for all dogs, but can be agreed upon that this is how cats should eat. Here is another label comparison;
Poultry by-product meal, ground yellow corn, wheat flour, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, brewers rice, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of vitamin E), fish meal, brewers dried yeast, animal digest, vitamins and minerals
vs.Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs,deboned turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.
In the second list, there is potato - which must be included for starch, or the food would not stick together in a kibble.
Do you see the difference?
What main problems develop with cats?
Obesity, kidney and bladder problems, and diabetes. In my opinion, 98% of the time these problems occur is from feeding a grain based, meat lacking, dry kibble to your cat. The other 2% I would attribute to genetic weaknesses and other environmental factors.
I would also like to say here that I believe that cats should be fed a mainly canned/raw meat diet. Cats evolved as desert animals, and their bodies are much more efficient at extracting moisture from their food than from drinking water. Drinking water is not a natural cat behaviour, and when you don;t feed dry food, you will notice that your cat will hardly ever visit the water dish.
Here are a couple of canned food ingredient lists;
Water, Chicken, Liver, Wheat Flour, Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Starch, Wheat Fiber, Chicken Liver Flavor, Sunflower Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Beef Plasma Protein, Soy Fiber, Vitamins and minerals
vs.Turkey, Chicken Liver, Chicken, Chicken Broth, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Natural Chicken Flavor, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Flaxseed, Squash, Cranberries, Blueberries, Zucchini, vitamins and minerals
Which one would you pick?
There is also debate about dry vs, wet food and pet dental health. The latest article I read in a veterinary journal described it the best way I have found. I don't have the article anymore, so obviously this is it paraphrased!
The thinking used to be that a kibble based diet provided benefit to dog and cat oral health by forcing pets to chew their food, and that the kibble would cause abrasive action on the teeth and gums - thereby helping to keep them clean. Some vets and other professionals have changed their minds in regards to this. Now the thinking is leaning towards the fact that by forcing animals to chew (unnatural) on a cooked (unnatural) grain based kibble (unnatural) we are actually causing more harm to their teeth. Cats and dogs bodies are designed to rip, tear, and swallow whole what they are eating. As children, we are told to make sure that we chew our food properly - because our digestive process begins in our mouth. Our saliva is full of digestive enzymes that begin to break down the food that we eat before we even swallow it. Our pets have no such capacity. So, after all this cooked grain is deposited on their teeth, their bodies actually have no way to get rid of it. Te best way to keep your pets teeth clean is to provide them with fresh, meaty bones to chew on. Yes, cats too, if you can get them to do it! If your pets mouths are already full of plaque and tartar, there are many ways, other than dental surgery to help get them clean. That is a topic for another day that I will cover soon.
So, having said all this, I still haven't answered the question, what should I feed my pet?
As the main focus of the show is to help inform and give you the information to help you make better decisions, I think that I have provided a basis on which you can begin to make these decisions better yourself. Instead of recommending specific foods, I would really like to see people look at the labels for themselves. However, I know that everybody doesn't have a lot of time to really investigate fully or themselves how to do this. What I would recommend is that people first shop at smaller stores in their area that specialize in healthy foods, go through the phone book, and call some places. Talk to the person that answers the phone for a few minutes. Do they seem knowledgeable and informed? Does the information they provide you with jive with the information I've provided here? Then visit the store and judge for yourself whether you think that the store seems mainly concerned with providing you with information or do they seem more concerned with just making a quick sale and getting you out of there? Do they ask you questions about your animal's health, breed, weight, age, medical history, or just steer you to the cat or dog food shelf? I believe that a good store will take the time (providing of course that they have the time at that moment - if there are 5 other customers, please try to understand that the person working can't devote 1/2 an hour to you at that moment! But, their intent should still be clear.)
All that being said, the best resource for helping choose the best pet food, that I have found is a publication called the "Whole Dog Journal" - they also provide info on cat food. This publication is like the "consumer Reports" of the pet world. They accept no outside advertising, and so provide unbiased opinions determined by specific criteria.
But, they will not allow me to print their list without a fee, and they charge for a subscription. (no advertising revenue!!)
So, there a couple of other lists that I trust based on my experience, and here the foods that they list that I know are available in Canada, Ontario specifically
Dog and Cat Foods
Go! Natural
Now!
Orijen
California Natural
Canidae
Felidae
Halo
Eagle Holistic Select (only this line of Eagle)
Merrick
Fromm 4 Star (only this line of Fromm)
Nature's Variety
Wellness
Holistic Blend
Urban Wolf
Urban King
Pets 4 Life
Urban Carnivore
There are others, this list is not by any means completey comprehensive, and again, I am not a vet, and would not recommend that you use any of these foods to treat a medical condition, without the advice, guidance, and knowledge of you vet as a partner in your pets health. That being said, I have had personal experience with all of these foods, and would recommend any of them as an alternative to foods whose labels read like the ones I've posted above. I, also have not recieved any money or funding from any of these companies.
Hope I've answered some questions, and given you all "food for thought" ha ha!
I am dividing this weeks show into a few different posts, as I think there is too much information on various subjects to combine it all.
Thanks for listening and reading,
Love your pet,
Lisa
Super Adoption Day Sat., April 4th
Hi there,
sorry for the delay in posting - little technical glitch! So
This weeks show is about London's upcoming, Super Adoption day. It is being help on Sat. April 4th, from 10-4pm, at the Western Fairgrounds, special events building
What is a "super adoption day"? I will be joined this week by 3 guests to answer that question.
My guests are Marti , Judy, and Ron.
Marti is with all breed canine rescue, and Judy is with Animalert. Ron works for the city of London, in the capacity of Animal Welfare Coordinator. Thanks to all 3 of them to come and help us learn more about this great project. If you talk to Ron, he'll tell you that it was all the work of the rescue groups - that they have collectively come together to help raise awareness of pet adoption, and the groups that we have here in London that work so hard. The city has helped to provide the venue for the event to take place.
The groups that will be represented include;
Animalert - cats & dogs
Animal Love -cats & dogs
Animal Outreach - cats
All Breed Canine Rescue - dogs
Tiny Paws
Animal control cats & dogs
Animal Aide - cats & dogs
Pet Friends for life
Loyal Rescue
London Humane Society
London Dog Owners Association will also have a booth there to help provide people with information on dog ownership, and adoptions.
The city has an informational page set up here
We will be talking about the work that the rescue groups do - how you can foster a pet - many people aren't completely comfortable making a long term commitment to an animal. They feel like they'd like to have an animal in their lives, but just aren't quite sure. All of the foster groups are always in need of foster homes. A lot of these dogs and cats really have no other place to go. Often, the various rescue organizations just need a temporary home for an animal, and other times, they just need a place where the animal can stay for a little while, until an adoptive family looking for that particular type of animal contacts the rescue group, and the animal can be adopted permanently. While the animal is being fostered, the group will pay for any medical costs that occur, some of them will even provide food and litter.
One thing that I know that Marti, Judy and Ron want me to stress to you is that this day is to come, see the animals, hopefully find one where you are suited to each other, and begin the adoption process. The animals will not be able to leave with you on Saturday, but, as I said it is a way to start the adoption process. Because there are so many different groups represented at the event, and each group has different criteria to asses potential owners, it would just be too massive an undertaking to be able to have the animals leave that day. But, rest assured, if you happen to fall in love this Saturday, the groups will do every thing they can to make excellent matches.
Some people have mentioned to me in the past that it can seem like an inconvenience to adopt an animal when you can just buy an animal out of the paper, or find one on the Internet. I say to them that the reason it can seem like these rescue groups ask a lot of questions is because they have made investments emotionally, physically, and often times monetarily in these animals. Each one of them has a story, and the goal is to find a permanent home for them. To often people get pets that are ill suited to their lifestyle, or they weren't truly prepared, and animals end up back in the cycle of looking for a new home.
When you adopt an animal from a rescue organization, you are truly saving a life. Most times the animals have been in a foster situation for long enough for the group to learn enough about their personalities to help match them to a home that will be permanent. Do you have kids? Do you have any other pets. Are you active and busy, or do you stay closer to home - work full-time or are retired?
These are all very important questions to ask yourself and be able to answer honestly before you consider bringing home a pet.
For a good list of questions, just type in "why do I want a dog/cat" in a search engine, and you'll find a whole bunch of tings to ask yourself!
So, enjoy the show, I am one step closer to posting past shows on here so you can hear them.
Hopefully I'll have that done by next week!
Peace, and love your pet,
-Lisa
sorry for the delay in posting - little technical glitch! So
This weeks show is about London's upcoming, Super Adoption day. It is being help on Sat. April 4th, from 10-4pm, at the Western Fairgrounds, special events building
What is a "super adoption day"? I will be joined this week by 3 guests to answer that question.
My guests are Marti , Judy, and Ron.
Marti is with all breed canine rescue, and Judy is with Animalert. Ron works for the city of London, in the capacity of Animal Welfare Coordinator. Thanks to all 3 of them to come and help us learn more about this great project. If you talk to Ron, he'll tell you that it was all the work of the rescue groups - that they have collectively come together to help raise awareness of pet adoption, and the groups that we have here in London that work so hard. The city has helped to provide the venue for the event to take place.
The groups that will be represented include;
Animalert - cats & dogs
Animal Love -cats & dogs
Animal Outreach - cats
All Breed Canine Rescue - dogs
Tiny Paws
Animal control cats & dogs
Animal Aide - cats & dogs
Pet Friends for life
Loyal Rescue
London Humane Society
London Dog Owners Association will also have a booth there to help provide people with information on dog ownership, and adoptions.
The city has an informational page set up here
We will be talking about the work that the rescue groups do - how you can foster a pet - many people aren't completely comfortable making a long term commitment to an animal. They feel like they'd like to have an animal in their lives, but just aren't quite sure. All of the foster groups are always in need of foster homes. A lot of these dogs and cats really have no other place to go. Often, the various rescue organizations just need a temporary home for an animal, and other times, they just need a place where the animal can stay for a little while, until an adoptive family looking for that particular type of animal contacts the rescue group, and the animal can be adopted permanently. While the animal is being fostered, the group will pay for any medical costs that occur, some of them will even provide food and litter.
One thing that I know that Marti, Judy and Ron want me to stress to you is that this day is to come, see the animals, hopefully find one where you are suited to each other, and begin the adoption process. The animals will not be able to leave with you on Saturday, but, as I said it is a way to start the adoption process. Because there are so many different groups represented at the event, and each group has different criteria to asses potential owners, it would just be too massive an undertaking to be able to have the animals leave that day. But, rest assured, if you happen to fall in love this Saturday, the groups will do every thing they can to make excellent matches.
Some people have mentioned to me in the past that it can seem like an inconvenience to adopt an animal when you can just buy an animal out of the paper, or find one on the Internet. I say to them that the reason it can seem like these rescue groups ask a lot of questions is because they have made investments emotionally, physically, and often times monetarily in these animals. Each one of them has a story, and the goal is to find a permanent home for them. To often people get pets that are ill suited to their lifestyle, or they weren't truly prepared, and animals end up back in the cycle of looking for a new home.
When you adopt an animal from a rescue organization, you are truly saving a life. Most times the animals have been in a foster situation for long enough for the group to learn enough about their personalities to help match them to a home that will be permanent. Do you have kids? Do you have any other pets. Are you active and busy, or do you stay closer to home - work full-time or are retired?
These are all very important questions to ask yourself and be able to answer honestly before you consider bringing home a pet.
For a good list of questions, just type in "why do I want a dog/cat" in a search engine, and you'll find a whole bunch of tings to ask yourself!
So, enjoy the show, I am one step closer to posting past shows on here so you can hear them.
Hopefully I'll have that done by next week!
Peace, and love your pet,
-Lisa
Oops!
Hi There, everyone,
Not sure what happened to this weeks' show - I'll let you know as soon as I do!
We discussed the plight of Lucy, a lone female elephant at the Edmonton Zoo, as well as bill 50, the new bill that just passed that begins to give more right s to animals.
Details about Lucy can be found on The Friends Of Captive Animals website here.
There is also a lot of detail at Zoocheck Canada's website here
The problem is that Elephants are highly social creatures, and do not do well in zoo environments, especially when kept alone. They develop many chronic and uncomfortable conditions when kept in these environments. A list of Lucy's medical problems can be found on both of those websites. They are very typical of an elephant kept in less than ideal conditions. An elephant sanctuary in Tennessee has offered to transport her, and take care of her, at no cost to the city of Edmonton, but the city refuses. They say she is too ill for transport, amongst other things, but elephants much more ill than Lucy have been safely transported in the past to the sanctuary, and NO elephant has ever died en route to the sanctuary.
Zoocheck Canada's website has a wonderful letter written by Bob Barker that sums up the issues surrounding Lucy. Find it here. (PDF, may take a minute to load)
Bill 50 is a very important piece of legislation concerning tougher laws to protect animals - Friends of Captive Animals sum it up nicely here - bottom half of the page.
And this is the official website for bill 50 here.
F.O.C.A. has sent me a letter to post on the blog. I cannot do it from home, as I don't have the program on this computer to open it!
I will post it as soon as I am able.
In the meantime, please check out the links in this post. Zoocheck has a link to write an email to the Edmonton city council, it only takes a minute.
FOCA's website also contains lots of valuable, and interesting, information. Among my favorite pages are "what captive animals need" - things to notice and pay attention to if you happen to visit a zoo, as well as what to do if you see that the animals are NOT provided for.
I have also listed the links for easy access on the right hand side of the page, in the links box.
Lastly, check out this amazing video. It is about another elephant in the Tennessee sanctuary.
Here it is. I think it's a wonderful clip, and very heart-warming.
Thank-you so much to both Vicki and Elizabeth for being such wonderful guests!
Well, I'll let you know what happened to the show this week, and in the meantime, love your pets.
-Lisa
Sunday March 1st Show - Brian Salt of Salthaven!
Hi Everyone,
I'm really excited about this week's show. I interview Brian Salt, of Salthaven, Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre.
Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre is an organization dedicated to helping sick, injured, orphaned and otherwise displaced wildlife. Salthaven endeavours to educate people and provide inspiration which will improve the environment that we share with native wildlife. We all depend on the same ecosystem; when we help wildlife, we help ourselves.
One of the reasons we wanted to do this show now is to ask for some help.
Salthaven is in need of 15 volunteers this year. And Brian has asked for anybody interested to please look at their website salthaven.orgsalthaven.org If you are interested, you can email them a resume, and they will get back to you. I asked Brian about qualifications, and the main thing is that you be in good health yourself and not have a compromised immune system. There are a lot of things like parasites that can be transmitted from wildlife to humans, and people with a compromised immune system are at greater risk.
Salthaven is also always in need of donations of different things. Items included on the list right now are; examination gloves, raw salmon or trout for the bald eagle they have, garbage bags, a skill saw, etc. This list changes, check it often! Here is the link
Brain was always interested in animals, and thought that someday he'd be a veterinarian. He got sidetracked by becoming a drummer, and had quite a successful career doing that before he came back around to animals.
Brian Salt is the founder and director of rehabilitation at Salthaven. He has been a wildlife rehabilitator since 1985 and is certified by the IWRC (International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council) and OWREN (Ontario Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Network) in rehabilitation training skills and Advanced Clinical Pathology. He also currently serves on the OWREN (click for link) board of directors. Salthaven is an amazing wildlife hospital located in Mt. Brydges, just outside of London.
Salthaven is a completely volunteer run facility. During the spring, summer and fall Salthaven receives 25 to 30 calls a day regarding displaced, sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife. The calls come from local and regional police, humane societies, animal care and control agencies, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Canadian Wildlife Services and the concerned public.
They are only able to handle a small percentage of these calls, as the do not currently have a "rescue" arm. If someone finds a sick or injured animal, they have to be able to transport it to Salthaven themselves.
What will we be talking about?
I asked Brian how to tell if an animal is truly sick or injured. How do you determine if you should intervene or not?
One thing I know for myself is that every spring I get numerous phone calls from people who have found a baby bird on the ground who, they are certain has fallen out of the nest and is walking around, defenseless. Brian explains how, with baby birds, there are a few days in their development that they have to spend this time out of the nest before they are able to fly. The chest or pectoral muscles on a bird are the largest muscles, and the ones that they really depend on for flying. While they are in their little nest with mom, dad, and their siblings, there just isn't enough room for them to be able to adequately stretch out in order for them to develop those muscles. So, as fledglings, they are, indeed "pushed" out of the nest in order for them to gain the strength needed for flight. The way to tell if a baby bird is actually in need of help is to hide yourself far enough away from the bird so you won't scare it or it's parents, and watch. Most of the time, you will see that the parent comes about every 30min to feed the baby. This usually happens very quickly, and you have to be vigilant in your observations. The parent will be very quick when they come to feed, so as not to alert any potential predators as to the location of the baby.
This is also a common situation with fawns. The mother deer will give birth, clean the fawn of and feed it, and then leave it, sometimes for hours while she feeds herself. As humans, we cannot imagine such a thing! But, Brian tells me, fawns when they are first born have no scent, and as we know, are extremely well camouflaged. So, again, if you happen to come upon a fawn that appears to have been abandoned, and are concerned, create a bunch of distance, and wait. Usually you will see that the mother will come back.
Ways to tell that wildlife DO need assistance are;
-Obvious signs of trauma
-Dead siblings nearby
-Blood
-dry cold noses (as opposed to warm and moist)
-obviously older birds that are grounded
-not putting weight on a limb
-Broken wings
-lethargy, uninterested in it's surroundings
-the presence of flies - this one is a great indicator of an injury that may be hidden
-it is cold
OK, so there is an animal that does need help, now what do you do?
(from Salthaven's website)
If you answered yes to ANY of these questions, take the following steps:
They are looking for corporate sponsorship right now. They have developed a 5 year business plan that includes plans for a new facility to house Salthaven. They have included in their plan the cost of making the new facility a "green" one, run on wind & solar, and incorporating geothermal principles as well. Salthaven has outgrown it's current facility, and right now, they receive 25-30 calls a day, as I mentioned, and they are only able to help a small percentage of these animals. The new facility will also incorporate isolation facilities, which will greatly improve their handling capacity.
Another exciting thing that the new facility will allow is the construction of an auditorium, where people can come and learn about Salthaven, and what it does. Currently, Salthaven does an great deal of education and outreach. Brian is the one who does this, and as a result is only able to speak in the months from September - April, as during the rest of the year, all his time is spent at the facility helping the wildlife. With an Auditorium, they will be able to offer more education services, as he will not have to be travelling. Also, right now, Salthaven receives many calls from people who would like to tour the facility, and they are unable to accommodate this request. Salthaven is a rehabilitation hospital for sick and injured WILDLIFE. It is not a zoo. It would be detrimental to the wildlife to be exposed to humans on that level. In fact, even the volunteers sometimes have real difficulties not getting attached, and whenever someone has a bad day, looses a patient, stress affects them, etc, Brian tells me that Salthaven has a bunny for cuddling purposes. The distance MUST be maintained between the wildlife and the volunteers.
I think it's great that they have provided a "cuddle Bunny" to help relieve the stress that I can only imagine these people must have to deal with some days.
I hope you enjoy the show, I really enjoyed interviewing Brain, and want to express my sincere thanks to him, and all the volunteers who work so hard - often 18 hours a day during the spring and summer - to help our wild companions.
Salthaven is a wonderful place that deserves the support of caring people. Please help however you can - volunteer, donate, check the wish list - you may just have some things around that you have no use for, and instead of putting it in your garage sale, or listing it on Kijiji, you can donate it to them.
Thanks so much for your interest in the show. Next week, I will interview Vicki and Elizabeth from friends of Captive Animals, to discuss Lucy, an elephant in need of help who is currently living alone in the Edmonton Zoo, as well as the state of the regulations (or lack thereof!) in Ontario. Here is a link to their website.
Peace, and love your animals!-Lisa
I'm really excited about this week's show. I interview Brian Salt, of Salthaven, Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre.
Salthaven Mission Statement
One of the reasons we wanted to do this show now is to ask for some help.
Salthaven is in need of 15 volunteers this year. And Brian has asked for anybody interested to please look at their website salthaven.orgsalthaven.org If you are interested, you can email them a resume, and they will get back to you. I asked Brian about qualifications, and the main thing is that you be in good health yourself and not have a compromised immune system. There are a lot of things like parasites that can be transmitted from wildlife to humans, and people with a compromised immune system are at greater risk.
Salthaven is also always in need of donations of different things. Items included on the list right now are; examination gloves, raw salmon or trout for the bald eagle they have, garbage bags, a skill saw, etc. This list changes, check it often! Here is the link
Brain was always interested in animals, and thought that someday he'd be a veterinarian. He got sidetracked by becoming a drummer, and had quite a successful career doing that before he came back around to animals.
Brian Salt is the founder and director of rehabilitation at Salthaven. He has been a wildlife rehabilitator since 1985 and is certified by the IWRC (International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council) and OWREN (Ontario Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Network) in rehabilitation training skills and Advanced Clinical Pathology. He also currently serves on the OWREN (click for link) board of directors. Salthaven is an amazing wildlife hospital located in Mt. Brydges, just outside of London.
Salthaven is a completely volunteer run facility. During the spring, summer and fall Salthaven receives 25 to 30 calls a day regarding displaced, sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife. The calls come from local and regional police, humane societies, animal care and control agencies, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Canadian Wildlife Services and the concerned public.
They are only able to handle a small percentage of these calls, as the do not currently have a "rescue" arm. If someone finds a sick or injured animal, they have to be able to transport it to Salthaven themselves.
What will we be talking about?
I asked Brian how to tell if an animal is truly sick or injured. How do you determine if you should intervene or not?
One thing I know for myself is that every spring I get numerous phone calls from people who have found a baby bird on the ground who, they are certain has fallen out of the nest and is walking around, defenseless. Brian explains how, with baby birds, there are a few days in their development that they have to spend this time out of the nest before they are able to fly. The chest or pectoral muscles on a bird are the largest muscles, and the ones that they really depend on for flying. While they are in their little nest with mom, dad, and their siblings, there just isn't enough room for them to be able to adequately stretch out in order for them to develop those muscles. So, as fledglings, they are, indeed "pushed" out of the nest in order for them to gain the strength needed for flight. The way to tell if a baby bird is actually in need of help is to hide yourself far enough away from the bird so you won't scare it or it's parents, and watch. Most of the time, you will see that the parent comes about every 30min to feed the baby. This usually happens very quickly, and you have to be vigilant in your observations. The parent will be very quick when they come to feed, so as not to alert any potential predators as to the location of the baby.
This is also a common situation with fawns. The mother deer will give birth, clean the fawn of and feed it, and then leave it, sometimes for hours while she feeds herself. As humans, we cannot imagine such a thing! But, Brian tells me, fawns when they are first born have no scent, and as we know, are extremely well camouflaged. So, again, if you happen to come upon a fawn that appears to have been abandoned, and are concerned, create a bunch of distance, and wait. Usually you will see that the mother will come back.
Ways to tell that wildlife DO need assistance are;
-Obvious signs of trauma
-Dead siblings nearby
-Blood
-dry cold noses (as opposed to warm and moist)
-obviously older birds that are grounded
-not putting weight on a limb
-Broken wings
-lethargy, uninterested in it's surroundings
-the presence of flies - this one is a great indicator of an injury that may be hidden
-it is cold
OK, so there is an animal that does need help, now what do you do?
(from Salthaven's website)
If you answered yes to ANY of these questions, take the following steps:
- Place the baby in a softly-lined covered box with ventilation.
- Place the box in a warm, dark quiet indoor location away from all humans and pets.
- If you have a heating pad, put it under one half the container that has the animal in it and turn it on low. In a pinch a pop bottle or water bottle with hot water can also be used and wrapped in a t-shirt material and put in with the baby. Do not use towels for bedding. The weave is too loose. It comes undone easily and the threads can wrap around legs, and necks with dire consequences.
- Do Not attempt to give it food or water! The baby may appear hungry, but feeding a weakened animal or providing the wrong diet could cause irreversible complications that could further compromise the baby's condition.
- Contact a wildlife rehabilitator immediately. You can get their number by calling your local animal shelters, animal control, or the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
They are looking for corporate sponsorship right now. They have developed a 5 year business plan that includes plans for a new facility to house Salthaven. They have included in their plan the cost of making the new facility a "green" one, run on wind & solar, and incorporating geothermal principles as well. Salthaven has outgrown it's current facility, and right now, they receive 25-30 calls a day, as I mentioned, and they are only able to help a small percentage of these animals. The new facility will also incorporate isolation facilities, which will greatly improve their handling capacity.
Another exciting thing that the new facility will allow is the construction of an auditorium, where people can come and learn about Salthaven, and what it does. Currently, Salthaven does an great deal of education and outreach. Brian is the one who does this, and as a result is only able to speak in the months from September - April, as during the rest of the year, all his time is spent at the facility helping the wildlife. With an Auditorium, they will be able to offer more education services, as he will not have to be travelling. Also, right now, Salthaven receives many calls from people who would like to tour the facility, and they are unable to accommodate this request. Salthaven is a rehabilitation hospital for sick and injured WILDLIFE. It is not a zoo. It would be detrimental to the wildlife to be exposed to humans on that level. In fact, even the volunteers sometimes have real difficulties not getting attached, and whenever someone has a bad day, looses a patient, stress affects them, etc, Brian tells me that Salthaven has a bunny for cuddling purposes. The distance MUST be maintained between the wildlife and the volunteers.
I think it's great that they have provided a "cuddle Bunny" to help relieve the stress that I can only imagine these people must have to deal with some days.
I hope you enjoy the show, I really enjoyed interviewing Brain, and want to express my sincere thanks to him, and all the volunteers who work so hard - often 18 hours a day during the spring and summer - to help our wild companions.
Salthaven is a wonderful place that deserves the support of caring people. Please help however you can - volunteer, donate, check the wish list - you may just have some things around that you have no use for, and instead of putting it in your garage sale, or listing it on Kijiji, you can donate it to them.
Thanks so much for your interest in the show. Next week, I will interview Vicki and Elizabeth from friends of Captive Animals, to discuss Lucy, an elephant in need of help who is currently living alone in the Edmonton Zoo, as well as the state of the regulations (or lack thereof!) in Ontario. Here is a link to their website.
Peace, and love your animals!-Lisa
Canine Life Training
Hello all,
This Sundays show features another guest, Sharlene from canine life training. I have known her for a few years, and she has always struck me as very knowledgeable about the subject of training. Which is a good thing, since it is her business we will be talking about!
You can find her website by clicking here
We will be talking about all sorts of things regarding training, and her methods, and why it is so important to find a place (even before you get your new addition home) to do training.
One thing that I like about her methods is that they are motivational based, as opposed to using food for training. I know that this can be a real "hot button" topic, but in my personal experience with dogs, one of the most irritating things is when a dog won't do anything for you if you don't have a treat in your hand.
One of the reasons that so many people share their lives with dogs is that they are truly domesticated. They are hard wired to work for us. They excel and are at their happiest when you are the leader of the pack, and your expectations of them are clear and consistent. Sharlene makes a good point about dogs in a pack, and how ridiculous it would be if all the members only did something for the pack leader if there was a food reward involved. She also makes the point in regards to children - do you have to give them a piece of candy for every little thing that they do to contribute to the household? Unfortunately, I think I know just as many people who would and do bribe their children in this way as I do dog guardians! But that is a topic for another space!
From Canine Life's website;
At CanineLife, we take a fun, scientific, motivational approach to dog training to provide you with the best techniques that lead to a happy, healthy pet based on the psychology of how dogs think and learn.
Our method focuses on rewarding and increasing desired behaviours and prevention and management of unwanted behaviours. Since it is easier to prevent behavioural problems before they start, we encourage rewarding and reinforcing good behaviour.
Our goal is to ensure that all pet parents have a solid understanding of how to properly train their canine companion through teaching how dogs think and why they do what they do; helping to build the relationship between pets and their families. With a solid knowledge and understanding, you will be happy and confident with the ability to teach your dog.
CanineLife offers training for all ages, levels, and breeds of dogs. We offer both Private training lessons and Group training classes. In addition, we offer a special ‘Skills’ class once a week where you and your dog are welcome to come on a drop-in basis to enhance your training skills. Trainers are available on site to assist you with any techniques. Please browse our website for more information on classes, schedules, and pricing.
Our training instructors are certified in Pet First Aid and CPR, ensuring the safety of your pet.
So tune in on Sunday nights, from 5-6pm on am980. You can listen to the show on the internet, if you don't live in the area by following this link here
Just click on the "listen live" link at the top of the page.
Next week, we'll have Brian Salt, from Salt Haven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre on the show. His website is here
As always, your questions and comments are welcome.
You can comment on individual posts, or click on my profile for an email link.
Thanks for listening and reading.
-Lisa
This Sundays show features another guest, Sharlene from canine life training. I have known her for a few years, and she has always struck me as very knowledgeable about the subject of training. Which is a good thing, since it is her business we will be talking about!
You can find her website by clicking here
We will be talking about all sorts of things regarding training, and her methods, and why it is so important to find a place (even before you get your new addition home) to do training.
One thing that I like about her methods is that they are motivational based, as opposed to using food for training. I know that this can be a real "hot button" topic, but in my personal experience with dogs, one of the most irritating things is when a dog won't do anything for you if you don't have a treat in your hand.
One of the reasons that so many people share their lives with dogs is that they are truly domesticated. They are hard wired to work for us. They excel and are at their happiest when you are the leader of the pack, and your expectations of them are clear and consistent. Sharlene makes a good point about dogs in a pack, and how ridiculous it would be if all the members only did something for the pack leader if there was a food reward involved. She also makes the point in regards to children - do you have to give them a piece of candy for every little thing that they do to contribute to the household? Unfortunately, I think I know just as many people who would and do bribe their children in this way as I do dog guardians! But that is a topic for another space!
From Canine Life's website;
At CanineLife, we take a fun, scientific, motivational approach to dog training to provide you with the best techniques that lead to a happy, healthy pet based on the psychology of how dogs think and learn.
Our method focuses on rewarding and increasing desired behaviours and prevention and management of unwanted behaviours. Since it is easier to prevent behavioural problems before they start, we encourage rewarding and reinforcing good behaviour.
Our goal is to ensure that all pet parents have a solid understanding of how to properly train their canine companion through teaching how dogs think and why they do what they do; helping to build the relationship between pets and their families. With a solid knowledge and understanding, you will be happy and confident with the ability to teach your dog.
CanineLife offers training for all ages, levels, and breeds of dogs. We offer both Private training lessons and Group training classes. In addition, we offer a special ‘Skills’ class once a week where you and your dog are welcome to come on a drop-in basis to enhance your training skills. Trainers are available on site to assist you with any techniques. Please browse our website for more information on classes, schedules, and pricing.
Our training instructors are certified in Pet First Aid and CPR, ensuring the safety of your pet.
So tune in on Sunday nights, from 5-6pm on am980. You can listen to the show on the internet, if you don't live in the area by following this link here
Just click on the "listen live" link at the top of the page.
Next week, we'll have Brian Salt, from Salt Haven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre on the show. His website is here
As always, your questions and comments are welcome.
You can comment on individual posts, or click on my profile for an email link.
Thanks for listening and reading.
-Lisa
Video of my foster cats!
As promised, here is the video of my foster cats.
Hope you like it, and anybody interested in adopting any of these cats, or any others, can check out animaloutreach.ca. The cats in this video are being fostered at Dr. Doo's, located at 572 Dundas St, London. You can also call there if you are interested in adopting any of these cats. 519-642-1130
All the information about the group, and answers to all sorts of questions, including ones about adoption can be found there.
This group is based in London, Ontario, Canada. If you live somewhere else, I'm sure that there is a similar group in your area that you can get in touch with. If you need help, contact me, and I will try and help you find your local adoption agency!
Pet Massage and physical therapy
The show on the 15th features another special guest, Diana Rodwell-Allen. She is a Pet massage therapist.
We will discuss many different issues, focusing on the treatments that she offers, what they can do for your companion, and why her services are so useful and important.
I have taken the following from her brochure;
"Pet massage is the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body to achieve specific goals, such as drainage, relaxation or stimulation. In addition it can promote good circulation to all the organs and tissues in your pets body.
Pet massage is also a wonderful and effective form of preventative care. The massage practitioner is often able to feel and detect any abnormalities ie; muscle tension, swollen areas, inflammation or hot spots and lumps, much quicker than by sight or grooming. If any areas of concern are identified you will have the opportunity of taking your pet to your veterinarian immediately - possibly reducing complications. The animal will suffer less trauma and early detection can often assist your vet, possibly helping you avoid costly procedures.
Massage will relax a younger pet, reducing excitement, while increasing strength and flexibility. It will greatly benefit the older, lazy or tired animal giving it a good workout, while increasing circulation and flexibility of joints, also relaxing stiff shoulders, neck, lower back and tail.
Pet massage can be used very successfully in the calming of aggressive animals, as well as, over time, assisting nervous and timid pets to become more outgoing. It also facilitates greater acceptance to dental care, grooming procedures, and nail trimming.
Pets are often more than just our best friends, they are our loving companions, loyal protectors, and often comfort us through many challenging stages in our lives.
Diana's clients believe that anything we can do to increase the life expectancy, improve the quality of life and generally enhance the lives of our pets, is a small way of saying to our pets. "Thank you, we truly appreciate your unconditional love and affection.
Other services that Diana offers are
The major health issues for our pets today are being overweight and poor nutrition. We can increase the life span of our animals by loving them the right way....good food (the right portions), healthy treats, and a little exercise."
We don't always get a chance on the show to talk about everything that we'd like to, and we get to cover some things we hadn't planned on!
I'll be talking with Diana about what motivated her to enter this field, her training, and courses she has taken, the importance of having a good relationship with your veterinarian, success stories that she's had, and just how she does what she does.
Diana is very focused on nutrition as a primary factor in your companions life, and will help us understand what to look for in a good food for our pet. Should we really be feeding them the same thing day after day?
So make sure you join us for "The Everything Pet Show", Sunday night from 5-6pm
If you'd like to contact Diana, to learn more, ask her if she thinks her services would be of benefit to your animal, rates, etc., you can email her by clicking here
or calling her at (519) 439-4054 or C(519)851-5843
in case the email link doesn't work it's domesticpetmassage@hotmail.com
Hope you tune in, and if you miss the show, don't worry, I'l soon have links so that you can listen again!
Peace - Lisa
We will discuss many different issues, focusing on the treatments that she offers, what they can do for your companion, and why her services are so useful and important.
I have taken the following from her brochure;
"Pet massage is the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body to achieve specific goals, such as drainage, relaxation or stimulation. In addition it can promote good circulation to all the organs and tissues in your pets body.
Pet massage is also a wonderful and effective form of preventative care. The massage practitioner is often able to feel and detect any abnormalities ie; muscle tension, swollen areas, inflammation or hot spots and lumps, much quicker than by sight or grooming. If any areas of concern are identified you will have the opportunity of taking your pet to your veterinarian immediately - possibly reducing complications. The animal will suffer less trauma and early detection can often assist your vet, possibly helping you avoid costly procedures.
Massage will relax a younger pet, reducing excitement, while increasing strength and flexibility. It will greatly benefit the older, lazy or tired animal giving it a good workout, while increasing circulation and flexibility of joints, also relaxing stiff shoulders, neck, lower back and tail.
Pet massage can be used very successfully in the calming of aggressive animals, as well as, over time, assisting nervous and timid pets to become more outgoing. It also facilitates greater acceptance to dental care, grooming procedures, and nail trimming.
Pets are often more than just our best friends, they are our loving companions, loyal protectors, and often comfort us through many challenging stages in our lives.
Diana's clients believe that anything we can do to increase the life expectancy, improve the quality of life and generally enhance the lives of our pets, is a small way of saying to our pets. "Thank you, we truly appreciate your unconditional love and affection.
Other services that Diana offers are
- Therapeutic Touch Therapy (cancer, surgery, and major trauma)
- Physical Therapy
- Soft Tissue Massage (torn ligaments, muscle damage)
- Acupressure
- Deep Tissue Massage (Agility, sports and working dogs)
- Lymph drainage Therapy
- Medical Massage
- Orthopaedic massage
- Trigger Point Massage
- Behavioural Issues
The major health issues for our pets today are being overweight and poor nutrition. We can increase the life span of our animals by loving them the right way....good food (the right portions), healthy treats, and a little exercise."
We don't always get a chance on the show to talk about everything that we'd like to, and we get to cover some things we hadn't planned on!
I'll be talking with Diana about what motivated her to enter this field, her training, and courses she has taken, the importance of having a good relationship with your veterinarian, success stories that she's had, and just how she does what she does.
Diana is very focused on nutrition as a primary factor in your companions life, and will help us understand what to look for in a good food for our pet. Should we really be feeding them the same thing day after day?
So make sure you join us for "The Everything Pet Show", Sunday night from 5-6pm
If you'd like to contact Diana, to learn more, ask her if she thinks her services would be of benefit to your animal, rates, etc., you can email her by clicking here
or calling her at (519) 439-4054 or C(519)851-5843
in case the email link doesn't work it's domesticpetmassage@hotmail.com
Hope you tune in, and if you miss the show, don't worry, I'l soon have links so that you can listen again!
Peace - Lisa
Animal Outreach Interview / pet adoption
This is the second "Everything Pets" Show on AM980 Sunday night from 5-6pm. You can listen to the show by clicking on the preceding link.Thanks for joining us tonight, we have a great show planned for you. I have a very special guest, Dianne Fortney, she is a founder of "Animal Outreach", among many other things that we'll get to in just a minute. The response to last weeks show has been very encouraging, I've received quite a few comments from people, and some emails as well. The thing that I really enjoy about radio is that here we are sitting in a little booth talking away, and it is almost easy to forget that it is being broadcast out over the airwaves. Because you can't see your audience, sometimes I think – come on, who is REALLY going to be listening to me??
But, wow, it really seems as though you are – and, honestly, I never REALLY forget that you are out there, and I appreciate every single one of you!Before I go any further, I want to let everyone know that I've set up a website to follow the show. You have found it if you're reading this!The station will have a link to it on their website later on this week, and you can contact me directly there, or you can also reach me by going to am980.ca, and clicking on the contact us link or the show ideas link.
I will be posting show topics, scheduled guests, photos, and other interesting topics as they come up. I hope that you'll enjoy it and find it useful!
Don't hesitate to contact me for any show ideas, questions, comments, praise, criticisms, whatever your heart's desire!
Animal Outreach is a group that is very close to my heart. I foster cats for them, and the 2 cats that I share my home with are also animal outreach cats. I am in awe of the people who devote their lives in such an amazing way to saving the lives of animals that in many cases would not have any advocate. These groups are run by volunteers, who have full time jobs, and come home from often stressful days to spend hours saving the lives of these animals. Returning phone calls, finding foster homes for unwanted/ stray /sick/injured or just otherwise homeless animals.
Here are the cats that I am fostering right now that are available for adoption;
This is Felicia. She is a cat that was rescued from an abusive home. She took quite a while to come into her own, but she has, and she is an extremely sweet girl.
This is White Paws. He was a stray cat that a woman started feeding and taking care of. He decided that he'd had enough of the outdoor life, and wanted to join her household, but she already had cats, and they did not approve of having another!
So, she called animal outreach, and that is how he came to join our family. He is the perfect cat for an older person who doesn't have the time or energy to deal with a kitten. He is extremely affectionate, he is very bonded to me - I call him my boyfriend, but I don't think he would have too much trouble transferring his affections.
These two rascals are Gabby and Parker. They are about 5 1/2 months old. Very healthy, very active, very sweet cats. Parker in particular has a very strong personality, and provides us with endless amusement. These two cats were rescued from Animal control. They were born with severe upper respiratory problems, and they didn't have the staff to nurse them back to health. hey called animal outreach and asked if they would have someone that would be able to nurse them back to health. They did, and now they are robust and healthy cats looking for a permanent home.
This is little Wilma. Her, her mother, and brother and sister were in the same situation as Gabby and Parker. She is younger - at about 4 months, and has turned into a very affectionate (loves to give kisses) little girl. Her siblings have found homes, and now she is looking for one, too!
This is Pebbles, a 2 year old Tortoiseshell cat. We have had her for about 1 1/2 years. She is very sweet, but like to spend a lot of time alone. I have a feeling that it is because there are so many other cats, and that she would thrive on her own, where someone was able to shower her with all the attention she needs.
This is Whitey. She is the biggest love bug of them all. She is also 2 1/2 years old, I have had her since she was 8 weeks old. Her and her siblings (we had them all, Whitey is the only one left) were live trapped, as their mother was feral. She avoided human cont act until about 6 months or so ago, and now she is making up for lost time. She is a fantastic greeter, and just LOVES to have some one pet her belly and brush her for as long as they are willing
Back to the show.
As I mentioned, my guest tonight is Diane Fortney, she is a founding member of animal outreach
I have quite the show planned, but obviously, I can not tell you what Dianne is going to be saying on the show as we haven't done the show yet!
I do know that I plan to ask her all sorts of things about how she came to run this rescue group, and how they support themselves, stories about cat rescue and adoption - the ups and downs,
And we are also going to be discussing a very topical issue in the city of London right now - The deer in Sifton bog. I think that a lot of the information she will be bringing to the show will be very surprising for a lot of people.
If you want to write a letter to your city councillor concerning the issue, you can find out who your councillor is, and how to reach them by following this link here
There is a link on that page as well to help you find out what ward you live in if you don't know.
Hope you got a chance to listen in. If, after the show I think of anything else I missed, I will update this post.
Thanks for listening/reading, don't forget to email or leave a comment on the blog if you have anything to say!
Have a great day, love your companion animal and all living beings that grace our planet.
-Lisa
But, wow, it really seems as though you are – and, honestly, I never REALLY forget that you are out there, and I appreciate every single one of you!Before I go any further, I want to let everyone know that I've set up a website to follow the show. You have found it if you're reading this!The station will have a link to it on their website later on this week, and you can contact me directly there, or you can also reach me by going to am980.ca, and clicking on the contact us link or the show ideas link.
I will be posting show topics, scheduled guests, photos, and other interesting topics as they come up. I hope that you'll enjoy it and find it useful!
Don't hesitate to contact me for any show ideas, questions, comments, praise, criticisms, whatever your heart's desire!
Animal Outreach is a group that is very close to my heart. I foster cats for them, and the 2 cats that I share my home with are also animal outreach cats. I am in awe of the people who devote their lives in such an amazing way to saving the lives of animals that in many cases would not have any advocate. These groups are run by volunteers, who have full time jobs, and come home from often stressful days to spend hours saving the lives of these animals. Returning phone calls, finding foster homes for unwanted/ stray /sick/injured or just otherwise homeless animals.
Here are the cats that I am fostering right now that are available for adoption;
This is Felicia. She is a cat that was rescued from an abusive home. She took quite a while to come into her own, but she has, and she is an extremely sweet girl.
This is White Paws. He was a stray cat that a woman started feeding and taking care of. He decided that he'd had enough of the outdoor life, and wanted to join her household, but she already had cats, and they did not approve of having another!
So, she called animal outreach, and that is how he came to join our family. He is the perfect cat for an older person who doesn't have the time or energy to deal with a kitten. He is extremely affectionate, he is very bonded to me - I call him my boyfriend, but I don't think he would have too much trouble transferring his affections.
These two rascals are Gabby and Parker. They are about 5 1/2 months old. Very healthy, very active, very sweet cats. Parker in particular has a very strong personality, and provides us with endless amusement. These two cats were rescued from Animal control. They were born with severe upper respiratory problems, and they didn't have the staff to nurse them back to health. hey called animal outreach and asked if they would have someone that would be able to nurse them back to health. They did, and now they are robust and healthy cats looking for a permanent home.
This is little Wilma. Her, her mother, and brother and sister were in the same situation as Gabby and Parker. She is younger - at about 4 months, and has turned into a very affectionate (loves to give kisses) little girl. Her siblings have found homes, and now she is looking for one, too!
This is Pebbles, a 2 year old Tortoiseshell cat. We have had her for about 1 1/2 years. She is very sweet, but like to spend a lot of time alone. I have a feeling that it is because there are so many other cats, and that she would thrive on her own, where someone was able to shower her with all the attention she needs.
This is Whitey. She is the biggest love bug of them all. She is also 2 1/2 years old, I have had her since she was 8 weeks old. Her and her siblings (we had them all, Whitey is the only one left) were live trapped, as their mother was feral. She avoided human cont act until about 6 months or so ago, and now she is making up for lost time. She is a fantastic greeter, and just LOVES to have some one pet her belly and brush her for as long as they are willing
Back to the show.
As I mentioned, my guest tonight is Diane Fortney, she is a founding member of animal outreach
I have quite the show planned, but obviously, I can not tell you what Dianne is going to be saying on the show as we haven't done the show yet!
I do know that I plan to ask her all sorts of things about how she came to run this rescue group, and how they support themselves, stories about cat rescue and adoption - the ups and downs,
And we are also going to be discussing a very topical issue in the city of London right now - The deer in Sifton bog. I think that a lot of the information she will be bringing to the show will be very surprising for a lot of people.
If you want to write a letter to your city councillor concerning the issue, you can find out who your councillor is, and how to reach them by following this link here
There is a link on that page as well to help you find out what ward you live in if you don't know.
Hope you got a chance to listen in. If, after the show I think of anything else I missed, I will update this post.
Thanks for listening/reading, don't forget to email or leave a comment on the blog if you have anything to say!
Have a great day, love your companion animal and all living beings that grace our planet.
-Lisa
My name is Lisa Birtch and I'm here to bring you the " Everything Pets Show".I'll be here on Sundays from 5-6 pm, and we're going to spend the hour talking about ....pets. l really do prefer "companion animal" But that gets to be a mouthful, so we'll say pets sometimes, and companion animal other times!
"The main focus of the show is to help educate pet guardians to help them make more informed decisions regarding their companion animals."
I hope that we can help to kindle in you a desire you become involved in your pet's care, to improve their diet and to become an active partner, with their health care provider in their health and long life.
I believe that our health and the health of our companion animals is closely tied. The relationship that we have with the animals we share our lives with everyday is... oftentimes the closest relationship that may of us will ever experience. It is certainly unique, and I believe that it should be treasured and kindled.
Everything is precious, And the relationships that we as humans have with them is of utmost importance in my view.
So I'm here to help everyone who wants to enjoy your dog and your cat and your rat and your bird, even more than you already do because that is the reason you chose to share your life with an animal, right?I would like to stress, right off the bat that
The information on this show is meant to supplement the advice and guidance of your veterinarian and is not meant in any way to be taken over the advice and guidance of your vet.Please consult a licenced veterinarian to help you make informed decisions regarding your pet's care
I want to talk about a lot of things, and I really want to thank everyone here at the station for believing that we can have a great show and for giving me a chance!!!!! I'm pretty excited - who wouldn't be -to talk about something that they are passionate about and care about? And for me, that thing is obviously everything animals!!And........thanks to everybody listening.
Some of the things that I will be talking about are things like
-How to make traveling with your pet a more enjoyable and relaxed experience.-how to trim your pets nails with confidence, and the reasons it's so important.
-Pet Adoption/Rescue Organizations
-toxic plants to avoid if you have animals in the house!
-Safe plants to have in the house -especially - when you have cats who have taken up floral arranging as a hobby!
-Integrating a new animal or person into the family.-Coping with the loss of a pet.
-We'll have guests on the Show to answer questions, and address topical issues.
-And most importantly, we'll ask you to e-mail any questions that you have about your animals, and I'll do my darndest to answer them.When we get a pet, there is an agreement made to provide a home -shelter, food, etc. for that animal And so you might as well get the most out of it, right?
Now, I'm aware that there is always the person who will say "well, It was never my choice I never wanted this cat in the first place, or, I inherited the dog from someone, and now I'm stuck with it, I never chose to get a pet.But on some level, you agreed to it, right? And wouldn't you like to reap all of the benefits that pet "ownership has been shown to have?And most people did acquire their pet just for that reason -enjoyment companionship, and that's what we want to focus on -
Really getting the most out sharing your life with your pet!
No matter how you came to be sharing your life with themSo I'd just like to take a little bit of time and tell you about the reasons why I chose to spend my life with animals and with their well -being as my focus.
when I first moved out on my own - I got a cat - for the first time- my dad never wanted a cat -then I got a puppy!!
Well, that puppy, a golden retriever named Kassie ended up showing me WAY more than I could have known beforehand. We'd always had dogs - my whole life - I can only remember very brief periods of time when we didn't have one, so it was only natural that I wouldn't have been able to live without having my own!
Well, Kassie ended up being absolutely the most allergic dog, I could never have imagined that a dog could be so besieged with "issues".
Before I go any further, I have to say that... of course, she was....... mainly....... the VERY MOST WONDERFUL, PERFECT, SWEET, LOVING, BEATIFIC ANGEL you could dream of
Which is the reason I was so motivated to discover what was wrong with her.
-Her ears stank,,,,,,,,,, And required cleaning regularly-She chewed her legs and feet - incessantly - non-stop - all the time
-the skin in the folds of her neck would sweat and irritate her
-She just seemed so uncomfortable at times-She would get so Irritated that I would just get irritated, more frustrated, because I started to wonder if there was ever going to be a way I would be able to help her feel comfortable, and happy
SHE WASN'T LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME - it came and went, there would be stretches when she'd be just fine - and then - BOOM -
I starting thinking that maybe changing her food would make a difference, and it did, for a while, then it would be right back to the same old thing. Everytime I changed her Food it would help for a little while, then it would be the same thing again
I tried every shampoo, spray, remedy, prescription, food , EVERYTHING for quite a while
I went to every store
I talked to every person that I thought MIGHT be able to help
Then I found some people who were incredibly knowledgeable, and when I talked to them, the things they were saying just made senseAnd.... their ideas helped. Kassie began to feel better - her fur grew back, her ears stopped getting infected and sore, she stopped chewing her feet, she lost her stinky doggy odour.
I still had to make sure that her ears were cleaned - but not nearly as often, and they certainly didn't require the same amount of attention, but they became easier to maintain.
In short, it changed our lives.
I learned so much from them, and because of them, I began to work in the field of animals in a retail store that sold healthy pet food and supplements. I saw everyday that the way that people feed and take care of their animals had a profound effect.
And I started to learn more.Animals are such great teachers - it's like there is no filter - there is just cause and effect.
And it's quite easy to see when we just learn how to see it.
Just the fact that their metabolisms are so much faster than ours allows us to see JUST how profound and lasting making the best decisions we can regarding their well being can have. We have all heard that one human year equals 7 dog years, so think
about that in terms of being able to see positive changes in their health.Before I started to learn so much about animals, I had learned quite a bit about people. I had been in a pretty bad car accident and as a result of that I had investigated, and then became educated in the field of complimentary health care for people.
I am a certified clinical herbal practitioner, and although I do not practice herbal or other forms of nutritional therapy on humans, or on pets in that capacity what that knowledge allowed me to do was to become more versed in certain terminology, and to be able to make informed choices for myself in regards to using foods therapeutically for myself and my family and to see the effect that those things had on us.The knowledge I gained from my studies also allowed me to be able to weed through more information more quickly than I would otherwise have been able to do, and gave me valuable resources and ways to research all manner of things pertaining to the vast world of "alternative health"
Again, I am in no way trained in the veterinary sciences, and will never presume to give out any advice pertaining to those things that you should talk to your vet about - which should be really everything to do with your animal.
What I hope to accomplish is to educate and inform so that the time that you and your vet spend together can be more productive.
I am a strong believer that your relationship with your veterinarian is of utmost importance, and my plan is to have veterinarians on the show to be one of our primary resources to help answer your questions, and address topics of interest and concern to all of us.I was just talking about my experience regarding human health and going to school - basically to try and help myself recover my life after a bad car accident.
What I really discovered when I began talking to people about themselves and their health is that, unless they REALLY had a problem, they weren't really interested in doing much to help themselves. If They couldn't just take a pill to fix themselves, they, mostly, just really didn't see the point!But, after I started working in the health food store for pets, I realized that people would take your advice in regards to their pets health, and they would be consistent and follow through - and, they would see positive change. I realized that by helping people improve their relationships with their pets, they may start to see the positive effects certain changes could have on themselves as well, and on their own well being.
My involvement in the animal world also includes the fact that I am privileged to serve on an advisory committee here in the city of London, known as the "Animal Welfare Advisory Committee"This committee is made up of a group of wonderful, DEDICATED, caring members of the community who volunteer their time energy and expertise to fulfill the following mandate taken from the city of London's website
All information about the advisory committee can be found at this linkI'd just like to talk a little bit more about the advisory committee, because I really feel like there are important things that animal lovers, especially in London would like to know that are happening
The advisory committee was created as a result of a recommendation from the "Companion Animal Welfare Task Force",
Report submitted to the city in July 2006.
I am honored that I was also a member of that task force, and I was privileged to see just how the system does, actually, sometimes work. The task force came about as a result of much continued pressure on the city by a small group of dedicated people who were committed to bringing about change in the way that London dealt with animal issues.
We made many recommendations to the city, in particular, in regards to the relationship it had with the Animal Care and Control Centre, and the contract that the city has with them. Many of these recommendations were adopted by the city, and we can all be proud of our city because of it.
One thing that came about as a result of the task force, and the advisory committee is the city's new feral cat program
Again, from the city's website - just so I keep my facts straight -
Click hereNow, I know that this has been a "hot button topic for a lot of people, and any concerns seem to centre around the justifications for spending money on any kind of initiative to control feral cats. In particular an objection I read in the paper was "how dare the municipality spend a single dime to help stray cats when there is any single person suffering due to lack of basically anything, and that only after all the people are taken care of should we even begin to think about spending on cats
Well the point that I WOULD like to make here is that the city is ALREADY spending money dealing with stray and feral cats - which, by the way are two separate things
Feral means Feral cats were never tamed or socialized. They avoid humans and usually run away. Feral cats are very untrusting -so much so, they will wait to go to food if humans are in sight.
Stray cats were once pets. They are tame, friendly and will allow you to get close and pet them. Stray cats can be rescued and adopted to a home. They are sometimes vocal.
So the city is already dealing with and spending money on this issue - mostly through animal control. What the task force and the advisory committee were able to do was enable the city to see - through programs that have already been tested in a number of other municipalities is that it is actually more cost effective to develop programs such as the city's TNVR program than it is to capture and euthanize these animals which is what was happening previously.
So, implementing this program was done because not only is it more cost effective, but it is also kinder and more humane. This was an excellent example to me of how a city can function as a corporation, at the same time taking into consideration being humane and caring. Where there is a will there is a way, and I will say that in my opinion, there truly are some wonderful politicians right here that are willing and want to make our city a better place to live.
People can be quite quick to judge and make assumptions, but those who truly care will want to learn more before deciding what to think.
And that's really what I want to do in this time - Help inform so that you can be better informed to make up your own mind and also so you can make better decisions regarding your pets life I would encourage anybody who wants to know more about this TNVR to check out the city's website at this link - again I'm Lisa Birtch, and I'd like to continue to talk about the things that we'll be talking about here on the show in the weeks to come.
One important subject is coping with the loss of a pet. This can be a devastating thing to deal with, and something that a lot of people have difficulty understanding
Quite often, when someone loses a pet, people don't know what to say, a common reaction is to tell the person to go out and "get a new dog/cat puppy/kitten and they'll be fine. This is not always the case. We'll discuss this and help not only the person who has lost the pet, but also the other people in that person's life understand it.
The whole nail trimming issue - for dogs and for cats - why it is so important -
long nails split rip bleed painful cats get stuck, tear
chronic long - change dog's gait - lead to arthritis
how often you should do it, and how to get rid of the stress involved in doing it!
Pet Adoption and rescue - what is involved - close to my heart
why is it important
how you can help
Importance of regular vet check ups
again with fast metabolism - one year=7catch things early
preventative medicine much more effective
Games and things to do with your pets -
how to enrich your own life through doing thisNew ideas that you may not have thought of
Leads back to your suggestions - again email is here send in your comments, ideas, questions, what have you, I'd love to know what you think,
and what you consider burning issues.
Won't promise to get to all of them, but I'll do my best!So, this brings us to our final segment of the showThanks so much for tuning inI know some of you are catching this cause you're waiting for The SUPERBOWL to start, so, I hope some of you like it, and tune in again next Sunday night - Feb 8th From 5-6pm here on AM980
Again, I am really looking forward to the weeks ahead and all the possibilities that we have to really talk about animals and our relationships with them.
I don't think that I can stress enough just really how important they are in our lives, and what incredible gifts they can really be to us when they are thriving.
There is nothing like bundling up to take your dog out in the minus whatever weather, grumbling the whole time, then being so glad that we got out there with them because we saw the most beautiful frost or a beautiful bird, coming home and curling up with our cat to watch a movie, and falling asleep to a purr lullaby instead, or any of the wonderful things we're exposed to because of having an animal in our lives.
Thanks again for listening
Don't forget to email suggestions and comments to
EMAILlisac.gpo@gmail.com
Check out the show on the web on AM980.ca
And, we'll talk to you next Sunday - Feb 8th Here on AM 980 5-6pm
"The main focus of the show is to help educate pet guardians to help them make more informed decisions regarding their companion animals."
I hope that we can help to kindle in you a desire you become involved in your pet's care, to improve their diet and to become an active partner, with their health care provider in their health and long life.
I believe that our health and the health of our companion animals is closely tied. The relationship that we have with the animals we share our lives with everyday is... oftentimes the closest relationship that may of us will ever experience. It is certainly unique, and I believe that it should be treasured and kindled.
Everything is precious, And the relationships that we as humans have with them is of utmost importance in my view.
So I'm here to help everyone who wants to enjoy your dog and your cat and your rat and your bird, even more than you already do because that is the reason you chose to share your life with an animal, right?I would like to stress, right off the bat that
The information on this show is meant to supplement the advice and guidance of your veterinarian and is not meant in any way to be taken over the advice and guidance of your vet.Please consult a licenced veterinarian to help you make informed decisions regarding your pet's care
I want to talk about a lot of things, and I really want to thank everyone here at the station for believing that we can have a great show and for giving me a chance!!!!! I'm pretty excited - who wouldn't be -to talk about something that they are passionate about and care about? And for me, that thing is obviously everything animals!!And........thanks to everybody listening.
Some of the things that I will be talking about are things like
-How to make traveling with your pet a more enjoyable and relaxed experience.-how to trim your pets nails with confidence, and the reasons it's so important.
-Pet Adoption/Rescue Organizations
-toxic plants to avoid if you have animals in the house!
-Safe plants to have in the house -especially - when you have cats who have taken up floral arranging as a hobby!
-Integrating a new animal or person into the family.-Coping with the loss of a pet.
-We'll have guests on the Show to answer questions, and address topical issues.
-And most importantly, we'll ask you to e-mail any questions that you have about your animals, and I'll do my darndest to answer them.When we get a pet, there is an agreement made to provide a home -shelter, food, etc. for that animal And so you might as well get the most out of it, right?
Now, I'm aware that there is always the person who will say "well, It was never my choice I never wanted this cat in the first place, or, I inherited the dog from someone, and now I'm stuck with it, I never chose to get a pet.But on some level, you agreed to it, right? And wouldn't you like to reap all of the benefits that pet "ownership has been shown to have?And most people did acquire their pet just for that reason -enjoyment companionship, and that's what we want to focus on -
Really getting the most out sharing your life with your pet!
No matter how you came to be sharing your life with themSo I'd just like to take a little bit of time and tell you about the reasons why I chose to spend my life with animals and with their well -being as my focus.
when I first moved out on my own - I got a cat - for the first time- my dad never wanted a cat -then I got a puppy!!
Well, that puppy, a golden retriever named Kassie ended up showing me WAY more than I could have known beforehand. We'd always had dogs - my whole life - I can only remember very brief periods of time when we didn't have one, so it was only natural that I wouldn't have been able to live without having my own!
Well, Kassie ended up being absolutely the most allergic dog, I could never have imagined that a dog could be so besieged with "issues".
Before I go any further, I have to say that... of course, she was....... mainly....... the VERY MOST WONDERFUL, PERFECT, SWEET, LOVING, BEATIFIC ANGEL you could dream of
Which is the reason I was so motivated to discover what was wrong with her.
-Her ears stank,,,,,,,,,, And required cleaning regularly-She chewed her legs and feet - incessantly - non-stop - all the time
-the skin in the folds of her neck would sweat and irritate her
-She just seemed so uncomfortable at times-She would get so Irritated that I would just get irritated, more frustrated, because I started to wonder if there was ever going to be a way I would be able to help her feel comfortable, and happy
SHE WASN'T LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME - it came and went, there would be stretches when she'd be just fine - and then - BOOM -
I starting thinking that maybe changing her food would make a difference, and it did, for a while, then it would be right back to the same old thing. Everytime I changed her Food it would help for a little while, then it would be the same thing again
I tried every shampoo, spray, remedy, prescription, food , EVERYTHING for quite a while
I went to every store
I talked to every person that I thought MIGHT be able to help
Then I found some people who were incredibly knowledgeable, and when I talked to them, the things they were saying just made senseAnd.... their ideas helped. Kassie began to feel better - her fur grew back, her ears stopped getting infected and sore, she stopped chewing her feet, she lost her stinky doggy odour.
I still had to make sure that her ears were cleaned - but not nearly as often, and they certainly didn't require the same amount of attention, but they became easier to maintain.
In short, it changed our lives.
I learned so much from them, and because of them, I began to work in the field of animals in a retail store that sold healthy pet food and supplements. I saw everyday that the way that people feed and take care of their animals had a profound effect.
And I started to learn more.Animals are such great teachers - it's like there is no filter - there is just cause and effect.
And it's quite easy to see when we just learn how to see it.
Just the fact that their metabolisms are so much faster than ours allows us to see JUST how profound and lasting making the best decisions we can regarding their well being can have. We have all heard that one human year equals 7 dog years, so think
about that in terms of being able to see positive changes in their health.Before I started to learn so much about animals, I had learned quite a bit about people. I had been in a pretty bad car accident and as a result of that I had investigated, and then became educated in the field of complimentary health care for people.
I am a certified clinical herbal practitioner, and although I do not practice herbal or other forms of nutritional therapy on humans, or on pets in that capacity what that knowledge allowed me to do was to become more versed in certain terminology, and to be able to make informed choices for myself in regards to using foods therapeutically for myself and my family and to see the effect that those things had on us.The knowledge I gained from my studies also allowed me to be able to weed through more information more quickly than I would otherwise have been able to do, and gave me valuable resources and ways to research all manner of things pertaining to the vast world of "alternative health"
Again, I am in no way trained in the veterinary sciences, and will never presume to give out any advice pertaining to those things that you should talk to your vet about - which should be really everything to do with your animal.
What I hope to accomplish is to educate and inform so that the time that you and your vet spend together can be more productive.
I am a strong believer that your relationship with your veterinarian is of utmost importance, and my plan is to have veterinarians on the show to be one of our primary resources to help answer your questions, and address topics of interest and concern to all of us.I was just talking about my experience regarding human health and going to school - basically to try and help myself recover my life after a bad car accident.
What I really discovered when I began talking to people about themselves and their health is that, unless they REALLY had a problem, they weren't really interested in doing much to help themselves. If They couldn't just take a pill to fix themselves, they, mostly, just really didn't see the point!But, after I started working in the health food store for pets, I realized that people would take your advice in regards to their pets health, and they would be consistent and follow through - and, they would see positive change. I realized that by helping people improve their relationships with their pets, they may start to see the positive effects certain changes could have on themselves as well, and on their own well being.
My involvement in the animal world also includes the fact that I am privileged to serve on an advisory committee here in the city of London, known as the "Animal Welfare Advisory Committee"This committee is made up of a group of wonderful, DEDICATED, caring members of the community who volunteer their time energy and expertise to fulfill the following mandate taken from the city of London's website
All information about the advisory committee can be found at this linkI'd just like to talk a little bit more about the advisory committee, because I really feel like there are important things that animal lovers, especially in London would like to know that are happening
The advisory committee was created as a result of a recommendation from the "Companion Animal Welfare Task Force",
Report submitted to the city in July 2006.
I am honored that I was also a member of that task force, and I was privileged to see just how the system does, actually, sometimes work. The task force came about as a result of much continued pressure on the city by a small group of dedicated people who were committed to bringing about change in the way that London dealt with animal issues.
We made many recommendations to the city, in particular, in regards to the relationship it had with the Animal Care and Control Centre, and the contract that the city has with them. Many of these recommendations were adopted by the city, and we can all be proud of our city because of it.
One thing that came about as a result of the task force, and the advisory committee is the city's new feral cat program
Again, from the city's website - just so I keep my facts straight -
Click hereNow, I know that this has been a "hot button topic for a lot of people, and any concerns seem to centre around the justifications for spending money on any kind of initiative to control feral cats. In particular an objection I read in the paper was "how dare the municipality spend a single dime to help stray cats when there is any single person suffering due to lack of basically anything, and that only after all the people are taken care of should we even begin to think about spending on cats
Well the point that I WOULD like to make here is that the city is ALREADY spending money dealing with stray and feral cats - which, by the way are two separate things
Feral means Feral cats were never tamed or socialized. They avoid humans and usually run away. Feral cats are very untrusting -so much so, they will wait to go to food if humans are in sight.
Stray cats were once pets. They are tame, friendly and will allow you to get close and pet them. Stray cats can be rescued and adopted to a home. They are sometimes vocal.
So the city is already dealing with and spending money on this issue - mostly through animal control. What the task force and the advisory committee were able to do was enable the city to see - through programs that have already been tested in a number of other municipalities is that it is actually more cost effective to develop programs such as the city's TNVR program than it is to capture and euthanize these animals which is what was happening previously.
So, implementing this program was done because not only is it more cost effective, but it is also kinder and more humane. This was an excellent example to me of how a city can function as a corporation, at the same time taking into consideration being humane and caring. Where there is a will there is a way, and I will say that in my opinion, there truly are some wonderful politicians right here that are willing and want to make our city a better place to live.
People can be quite quick to judge and make assumptions, but those who truly care will want to learn more before deciding what to think.
And that's really what I want to do in this time - Help inform so that you can be better informed to make up your own mind and also so you can make better decisions regarding your pets life I would encourage anybody who wants to know more about this TNVR to check out the city's website at this link - again I'm Lisa Birtch, and I'd like to continue to talk about the things that we'll be talking about here on the show in the weeks to come.
One important subject is coping with the loss of a pet. This can be a devastating thing to deal with, and something that a lot of people have difficulty understanding
Quite often, when someone loses a pet, people don't know what to say, a common reaction is to tell the person to go out and "get a new dog/cat puppy/kitten and they'll be fine. This is not always the case. We'll discuss this and help not only the person who has lost the pet, but also the other people in that person's life understand it.
The whole nail trimming issue - for dogs and for cats - why it is so important -
long nails split rip bleed painful cats get stuck, tear
chronic long - change dog's gait - lead to arthritis
how often you should do it, and how to get rid of the stress involved in doing it!
Pet Adoption and rescue - what is involved - close to my heart
why is it important
how you can help
Importance of regular vet check ups
again with fast metabolism - one year=7catch things early
preventative medicine much more effective
Games and things to do with your pets -
how to enrich your own life through doing thisNew ideas that you may not have thought of
Leads back to your suggestions - again email is here send in your comments, ideas, questions, what have you, I'd love to know what you think,
and what you consider burning issues.
Won't promise to get to all of them, but I'll do my best!So, this brings us to our final segment of the showThanks so much for tuning inI know some of you are catching this cause you're waiting for The SUPERBOWL to start, so, I hope some of you like it, and tune in again next Sunday night - Feb 8th From 5-6pm here on AM980
Again, I am really looking forward to the weeks ahead and all the possibilities that we have to really talk about animals and our relationships with them.
I don't think that I can stress enough just really how important they are in our lives, and what incredible gifts they can really be to us when they are thriving.
There is nothing like bundling up to take your dog out in the minus whatever weather, grumbling the whole time, then being so glad that we got out there with them because we saw the most beautiful frost or a beautiful bird, coming home and curling up with our cat to watch a movie, and falling asleep to a purr lullaby instead, or any of the wonderful things we're exposed to because of having an animal in our lives.
Thanks again for listening
Don't forget to email suggestions and comments to
EMAILlisac.gpo@gmail.com
Check out the show on the web on AM980.ca
And, we'll talk to you next Sunday - Feb 8th Here on AM 980 5-6pm
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