Second Chance: Pet Parent Oversights

04 May Second Chance: Pet Parent Oversights

The homeless dogs here at Second Chance Humane Society have been discussing the fact that the best pet parents are those who recognize their mistakes.

We all know humans are not perfect – even though we like to pretend you are. But owning up to this sad fact can help you to become a better pet parent. Thus, keep an open mind as I highlight, for your growth as a pet parent, a few common parental oversights.

Sylvia

Let’s begin by looking at parental errors that lead to health risks for pets and their people.

Spring is here, time to start being more vigilant about some of the health risks present in our environment – such as ticks. These little suckers put your pet – as well as the rest of the household – at risk. Make it part of daily routine to do tick checks after outings and make sure you are removing them properly when you find them.(There are some great gnarly youtube videos available on the subject.)

Another invasive, often yet overlooked common health issue is Ringworm. If your pet has a round bald patch anywhere on its body don’t ignore it – have your veterinarian check for this nuisance fungus. Ringworm is contagious, i.e.. people can catch it, and it cause a reddish, ring-shaped rash on the skin. Leaving Ringworm untreated (on you or your pets) typically makes things worse, allows it to spread.

And while we are discussing invasive parasitic zoonotic (transferable between animal and human) disgusting things, we should not forget about other worms – and I am not talking about the kind that birds eat. The most common, Roundworms, can be living in both dogs and cats with unsupervised outdoor access, places where they can snack on rotting carcuses and bones, all playgrounds for the roundworm larvae. Take a look at pictures of these grotesque worms and you will suddenly be highly motivated to regularly de-worm your pet.

Dogs and garbage – now there is another bad idea… Letting your dog eat spoiled foods (although it tastes delicious to us) out of your own garbage or outside can easily lead to bacterial food poisoning (and associated vomiting, tremors, diarrhea, seizures, etc.) just as it can people. Don’t give your pets food you wouldn’t eat yourself. And for those dogs that will eat any repulsive thing they can wrap their mouths around, time to train them to “drop” or “leave it.”

Now that all the repugnant pet parental oversights are behind us, let’s talk about me. My name is Sylvia. I am a 2-3 year young gorgeous American Blue Pit-Bull. I am a friendly, gentle lover of people and dogs. I am very good-natured and would be a great hiking partner for some non-perfect person. I fully embody and embrace the canine creed of wag, smile, run, play, love, lick, eat, sleep, repeat.

Sahara

And my parasite-free friend Saraha is also 2-3 years young and a lovely Lynx point shorthair. Saraha loves getting scratched behind her ears and finding a nice cozy spot to sleep. Come meet her today – she will grow on you in a friendly, furry, purring, harmless parasitic way…

Editor’s note: It’s no secret. The Telluride region is dog heaven. Well, pet heaven. Unless you are one of our furry friends who gets caught in the maw of neglect and abuse. Then heaven is on hold until Second Chance Humane Society comes to the rescue. Second Chance is the region’s nonprofit dedicated to saving animals’ lives and promoting responsible pet parenting and human-animal bond. In her weekly blog, executive director Kelly Goodin profiles at least one, generally two of the many animals now living at the no-kill shelter, Angel Ridge Shelter, a dog and a cat, hoping to find them loving permanent homes. The column is sponsored by Ted Hoff of Cottonwood Ranch & Kennel, who from time to time exercises his skills as a dog whisperer, partnering with Kelly and her staff to help train a particularly challenging animal.

Ted Hoff &  Magnificent Mae

By the by, there is no better place to park your pup than Cottonwood whenever you head out of town (for locals) or are heading to town and staying somewhere that does not allow pets. Consider joining Ted’s Very Important Dog (VID) Club for added benies. (Details on Ted’s website.)