Handsome Ren Requests a Private Audience With You to Review His Lovableness
Meet 3-year-old rescue cat Ren! This sweet man currently enjoys a simple life in foster care and isn’t high maintenance beyond the need for a little brushing every now and then to keep his beautiful coat looking lux. One of those brushing mitts would probably send him to the moon, but what he really needs is to be adopted. Photo: SACatRescue It’s true that handsome Ren can look a tad grumpy or disgruntled at times but he actually loves nothing more than to snuggle up and watch Netflix with you all day once he realizes you’re...
TCVM food therapy for dogs and cats
We know the right foods improve and maintain health in dogs and cats, but Chinese medicine goes several steps further. We spoke to TCVM veterinarian, Dr. Marc Smith, for an understanding of food therapy from a Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine perspective. Q: Can you explain the concept of TCVM food therapy? A: According to Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine Theory, disease in the body is due to some type of energetic imbalance. So the goal of TCVM and food therapy is to maintain balance or bring your dog or cat’s body back...
How I Learned to Love ChatGPT for Shelter Marketing
This blog is for anyone who is curious, and perhaps a little nervous, about ChatGPT’s uses in animal shelter communications. When marketing and communications spaces started exploding with talk about ChatGPT earlier this year, my first instinct was to bury my head in the sand. Most feelings of anxiety in my life can ultimately be traced back to a fear of inadequacy or failure. I was terrified that a machine could possibly do my job—I’ve done marketing and communications for a major metro government shelter, for...
5 Foundations for Successful Dog Training
Dog training takes time and patience, but with a little foresight, you can set the stage for confidence and good behavior. These building blocks will arm pet parents with an effective approach to training, making sessions with your pup fun and intuitive! Foundation #1: Use a Holistic Approach to Dog Training For training to be successful, it’s important that your dog is healthy in mind and body and that there’s trust between parent and pup. An active, stimulated, and well-socialized dog will: Respond better to obedience training...
Adoptable Rescue Dog, Cinder, Could Be Your Real-Life Cinderella
Say hello to Cinder, a super sweet girl who spent a bit of time in Pima Animal Care Center’s decompression program for shy and fearful dogs. The shelter can be a bit overwhelming, and sometimes a gal just needs a helping hand! Since then, Cinder has graduated from the program with flying colors and loves her volunteer friends. Give her a minute to get to know you, and you’ll have a devoted friend for life! Cinder has a perpetually wagging tail and loves getting pets and scritches. Photo: Pima Animal Care Center During her time at...
Why Are Some Dogs Brains Growing in Size, & How Do Wolves Fit In?
According to a recent study, our canine pals’ brains are growing in size as compared to their ancestors. On average, dogs’ brains are 24 percent smaller than wolves’ brains, but research now suggests modern breeding efforts may have increased their size. Compared to early canines, modern breeds developed over the last 150 years have larger noggins compared to their body size. Scientists still haven’t figured out exactly why, though. The curious part about the new data is that multiple studies have shown that...
Solutions to Frequent Cat Ear Infection Issues
A cat ear infection is one of the most commonly diagnosed cat issues at veterinary clinics. Given that cats are such stoic creatures, however, an infection often becomes advanced before you even really notice it. As a result, serious health issues – including hearing loss – may ensue. All this to say, it’s important to recognize the signs of an ear infection in your cat and know what to do and how to treat them. Recognize the signs of an ear infection in your cat Some obvious signs of cat ear infections? Your cat’s...
Research study: Foster care has an impact on dogs’ welfare and adoption
This post was originally published in 2019. We are republishing today as foster care is as important as ever. Button had been at the Kansas City Pet Project for about a month, and he wasn’t doing well. He was displaying alarming signs of kennel stress, including pacing, spinning, vocalizing and jumping up and down over and over. The shelter has an excellent enrichment program that includes play groups, walks, puzzle toys and more, but this didn’t seem to be making a dent in Button’s stress levels. When Button was...
How to Overcome Fearful Behaviors in Dogs
Submission Guidelines Thank you for your interest in writing for Animal Wellness. As the #1 natural health magazine for pets in North America, we take pride in providing our readers with the information they need to make wise health care choices for their animal companions. Our publication embraces the entire holistic spectrum, from physical health issues to the emotional and spiritual well being of our animals. We welcome unsolicited articles and story outlines as long as they focus on holistic healing, whether physical, emotional or...
Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Free community-centric courses, Maddie’s Insights and more!
Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Learn how to become more community-centric with these free courses on Maddie’s UniversityIs your animal organization working to become more community-centric and need a little help? Maddie’s® University now offers Human Animal Support Services (HASS) curriculum, covering the most important concepts of the community-centric model. From lost pet reunification, pet support services, intake to placement, and creating a foster-facing medical clinic, the...
