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The holidays are near. It’s time for festive decorations, rich holiday foods, and fun presents. And, while the holidays can be fun for people, they can pose many threats to our pets. Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control offers these safety tips to make the holiday season safe for you and your pet. 1) Christmas trees are fascinating, especially to little animals. They can also be dangerous for your pet. Pine needles, ornamental flocking, tinsel, ribbons, and other decorations are harmful if ingested. Pets will be safer if confined away from the Christmas tree when they are home alone. 2) If you give a gift of candy or food to someone with a pet, let them know that the gift is one that a pet might try to investigate. Have them place it out of the pet’s reach. When you receive a gift that will be opened later, ask if it is an edible gift that might attract a pet. 3) Pets are know to chew electrical cords, so keep pets away or use a product such as bitter apple to discourage chewing. Avoid dangling cords in areas where pets could become tangled. 4) If you use an additive in the water of your Christmas tree, cover the stand and water with foil. Pets can become sick from drinking the water. 5) Chicken bones, turkey and ham bones should be sealed in a trash bag and removed from the home. If the trash is left inside, the smell may entice your pet to investigate. These type bones splinter easily when chewed causing perforations in the animal’s intestinal track. 6) Many holiday plants can cause pets to become quite sick if eaten. Keep holly berries and poinsettia out of the reach of your pet. 7) Avoid bringing a new pet home until after the decorations have come down and the parties are over. A new pet requires a calm and quiet introduction to their new home. Many pets have difficulty adjusting to the unusual activities and busy schedules that occur at Christmas. The added stress to your new pet can make them seriously ill. 8) Avoid the temptation to indulge your pet with extra treats. Your animal’s diet should remain as it has the rest of the year. By following these guidelines throughout the holiday season, your pet will be healthy, happy and safe.    Read More»

Most of us pick up after our pets to be good neighbors and to keep our yards clean.  In fact, in Fort Wayne, picking up pet waste is required by law.  Picking up pet waste is also a way that citizens can help protect the environment – especially our ponds, streams and rivers.

Leaving pet waste on the lawn or sidewalk makes it more likely that the material will be washed into a storm sewer during a rain storm.  Storm sewers discharge directly to ponds, ditches, streams and rivers, so whatever is picked up by a storm sewer goes directly to a water body without any kind of treatment.   Pet waste contains bacteria that are harmful to water quality.  In fact, the bacteria in pet waste can make people sick when they come into contact with polluted water.  And as pet waste breaks down in the water it promotes the growth of weeds and algae which, in turn, can reduce the amount of oxygen in the water and affect fish and other aquatic life.

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The healthcare option that eased the end of life for Uncle Bill or Aunt Mary is now widely available for Fido and Mittens.

For terminally ill pets, hospice care gives owners an alternative to expensive medical procedures or early euthanasia by teaching them how to nurse their dog or cat at home.

"Most of the people who opt for this particular service have actually gone through the [hospice care] experience with a human family member," said Kathryn Marocchino, founder of The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets in Vallejo, Calif.

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It was a beautiful night in the forest. A white blanket of fresh snow sparkled in the moonlight. A full moon smiled down from its lofty perch in the night sky.

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 Russia, U.S. agree to treaty on hunting polar bears POACHING: Pact is intended to reduce illegal slaughter.

A new treaty between Russia and the United States sets up an agreement for subsistence hunting of polar bears that roam between the countries.

Now wildlife managers have to figure out how to do so in some of the world's wildest territory.

Wildlife scientists and representatives of indigenous populations met recently to decide how best to advise a new commission that will oversee subsistence hunting of polar bears in the Alaska-Chukotka region.                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                  

 
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Questions & answers about pet adoption.
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The holidays are near. It’s time for festive decorations, rich holiday foods, and fun presents. And, while the holidays can be fun for people, they can pose many threats to our pets. Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control offers these safety tips to make the holiday season safe for you and your pet. 1) Christmas trees are fascinating, especially to little animals. They can also be dangerous for your pet. Pine needles, ornamental flocking, tinsel, ribbons, and other decorations are harmful if ingested. Pets will be safer if confined away from the Christmas tree when they are home alone. 2) If you give a gift of candy or food to someone with a pet, let them know that the gift is one that a pet might try to investigate. Have them place it out of the pet’s reach. When you receive a gift that will be opened later, ask if it is an edible gift that might attract a pet. 3) Pets are know to chew electrical cords, so keep pets away or use a product such as bitter apple to discourage chewing. Avoid dangling cords in areas where pets could become tangled. 4) If you use an additive in the water of your Christmas tree, cover the stand and water with foil. Pets can become sick from drinking the water. 5) Chicken bones, turkey and ham bones should be sealed in a trash bag and removed from the home. If the trash is left inside, the smell may entice your pet to investigate. These type bones splinter easily when chewed causing perforations in the animal’s intestinal track. 6) Many holiday plants can cause pets to become quite sick if eaten. Keep holly berries and poinsettia out of the reach of your pet. 7) Avoid bringing a new pet home until after the decorations have come down and the parties are over. A new pet requires a calm and quiet introduction to their new home. Many pets have difficulty adjusting to the unusual activities and busy schedules that occur at Christmas. The added stress to your new pet can make them seriously ill. 8) Avoid the temptation to indulge your pet with extra treats. Your animal’s diet should remain as it has the rest of the year. By following these guidelines throughout the holiday season, your pet will be healthy, happy and safe.    Read More»

HIGHLAND, Ind. -- A pet store owner posed as a veterinarian and allowed a 9-foot, 250-pound alligator to roam the store after hours, state investigators said.The Lake County Prosecutor's office charged 43-year-old Brian Robenhorst of Hammond with practicing veterinary medicine without a license and theft on Jan. 11, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor said. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday for an initial hearing.    Read More»

 

 

 

It was a beautiful night in the forest. A white blanket of fresh snow sparkled in the moonlight. A full moon smiled down from its lofty perch in the night sky.

    Read More»

Most of us pick up after our pets to be good neighbors and to keep our yards clean.  In fact, in Fort Wayne, picking up pet waste is required by law.  Picking up pet waste is also a way that citizens can help protect the environment – especially our ponds, streams and rivers.

Leaving pet waste on the lawn or sidewalk makes it more likely that the material will be washed into a storm sewer during a rain storm.  Storm sewers discharge directly to ponds, ditches, streams and rivers, so whatever is picked up by a storm sewer goes directly to a water body without any kind of treatment.   Pet waste contains bacteria that are harmful to water quality.  In fact, the bacteria in pet waste can make people sick when they come into contact with polluted water.  And as pet waste breaks down in the water it promotes the growth of weeds and algae which, in turn, can reduce the amount of oxygen in the water and affect fish and other aquatic life.

    Read More»

The healthcare option that eased the end of life for Uncle Bill or Aunt Mary is now widely available for Fido and Mittens.

For terminally ill pets, hospice care gives owners an alternative to expensive medical procedures or early euthanasia by teaching them how to nurse their dog or cat at home.

"Most of the people who opt for this particular service have actually gone through the [hospice care] experience with a human family member," said Kathryn Marocchino, founder of The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets in Vallejo, Calif.

    Read More»