Pumpkins, costumes, and scary skeletons - it's October! Here are some tips so that both you and your pets can enjoy the holiday in style.

Photo credit: Mike McCune www.flickr.com

Pumpkins are for more than pie
Did you know that pets can enjoy eating pumpkin right along with you? It is a healthy addition to food for many pets. Dogs, cats, parrots, many reptiles, rabbits, and small mammals can all benefit from pumpkin.

• Natural remedy for diarrhea or constipation: Pumpkin has a high fiber content that draws water into the colon. This will absorb the excess water from diarrhea to create more formed stool, and soften hard constipated stool to make it more flexible and easier to pass. Start with adding a couple tablespoons of cooked or canned plain pumpkin (not the pie mix) for cats and smaller dogs and 1/4 - 1/2 cup per meal for larger pets, then adjust as necessary.
• Vitamin-filled treat: rabbits, guinea pigs, other small mammals, and many reptiles can snack on cooked or raw pumpkin. If feeding raw, wash thoroughly and cube or shred the flesh to make it easier to eat. Keep quantities small since it can cause diarrhea if suddenly eaten in large quantities. 
• Bird Enrichment: many parrots will enjoy the whole pumpkin inside and out. Wash the outside carefully to remove any pesticide residue (buy organic if you can). Remove the top and cut holes in the side if you want to, then watch your parrot climb and feast. The seeds and flesh can be eaten raw or cooked, just remember not to salt the seeds if you're roasting them. Don't be alarmed if the stool turns orange and is a bit looser than usual after a pumpkin meal.

August 15 was National Check the Chip Day, so this month we're writing to remind you about the best way to  increase your chances of finding your pet if he or she ever gets lost.

What is a microchip, anyway?

• A microchip is a way to permanently identify your pet.
• It is a small electronic chip enclosed in a glass cylinder.
• It is the size of a grain of rice.
• ​The microchip is not a tracking device. It only contains your pet's unique ID number.
  
• A needle is used to place it underneath the skin, usually between the shoulder blades.
• Your pet can't feel it once it's in place.
• All animal shelters and veterinarians have scanners that can read the ID number on the microchip.
• You keep your contact information up to date in the microchip database.

​Do microchips work?

Yes! A study of stray animals at animal shelters showed that microchipped dogs were more than twice as likely to be returned to their owners as dogs without chips. Cats with microchips were 21 times as likely to be returned to their owners as cats without chips! But even so, more than half of microchipped dogs and cats were never reunited with their owners because the contact information in the database was missing or out of date. 
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Is your pet’s microchip information up to date? Use the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup to check and see which company your pet’s chip is registered with – then contact the company and make sure they have your correct contact information. http://www.petmicrochiplookup.org/

July 15 is National Pet Fire Safety Day. Every year, nearly 1000 home fires are started in the United States by a household pet. The most common cause is a dog or cat jumping up on a gas stove and turning the knob, igniting whatever is on the stove. One of our own clients suffered this tragedy a couple years ago when his basset hound jumped on the stove to get to a bag of kibble. The firefighters were able to resuscitate the basset, but another dog in the home died in the fire and the house was destroyed. 

 When you're not home:
Keep young pets confined so they can't get into trouble and are easy to find in case of emergency.

Consider leaving pets in rooms close to the entrances/exits of the home so they're easy to rescue. Ideally, your pets should stay in a part of the home with 2 exits so that they are less likely to be trapped.

Since pets can't escape a burning home on their own, consider monitored smoke alarms so that a company can be alerted if the alarms go off, and the fire department dispatched even when you're not home.

​Affix a pet window cling - firefighters must prioritize human lives, but they will usually save pets whenever possible. A window decal with a date and information about the number and type of pets can help rescue personnel be on the alert for your pet family.

We love our birds, and want to give our pets the best food to keep them as healthy as possible. Here’s the bad news: there is no single diet on the market that you can scoop from a bag and be done. But don’t be discouraged. The good news is that there are great diets available for our birds, and it’s easy to supplement them with a variety of healthy foods that you have right in your own kitchen.

Why don’t we have a single perfect diet? That’s a great question - and the answer comes from our birds themselves. Our pet parrot species originate all over the world, and each adapted to their native habitats. So a wild cockatoo from Australia is eating a completely different variety of plants than an amazon from Brazil. Then, each individual bird’s nutritional needs change over time: a mature adult needs far fewer calories per day than a growing chick, and an egg-laying hen needs far more calcium than when she’s not reproducing. Lastly, think of how smart and social your bird is - they often form strong food preferences in the first months of their lives, and self preservation instincts can prevent them from trying new foods (think about those poisonous berries out in the wild - the birds that survive are the cautious ones who only eat what their flock-mates are eating).

Can’t birds just eat seeds? Nope. Seeds are high in fat and deficient in many vitamins. They’re pretty much the bird equivalent of eating at McDonald’s every day: delicious, but so not healthy.
So, what’s the recipe for success?

• Start with a high quality pelleted diet designed for your bird. This should make up 60-75% of your bird’s daily intake. Good brands include Harrison’s, Roudybush, and Zupreem.
• Next, offer fresh food daily. This should be 20-30% of your parrot’s daily diet, and includes fruits, vegetables, greens, and cooked beans or pulses (like lentils). Variety is key here - change up your bird’s salad ingredients frequently to ensure a balanced diet. Organic produce is best, but if not available make sure to rinse thoroughly and peel when possible to decrease pesticide residue.
• Last, up to 10% of your parrot’s diet can be treats: seeds, nuts, dairy (like hard cheeses), and processed grains like bread, crackers, cereal, and pasta.
• Remember, AVOID avocados, chocolate, rhubarb, onions, and all the pits of stone fruits. These are toxic to parrots.
• Quantity counts too: a budgie needs only 12-16 Calories per day, while a large macaw tops out around 220 Calories per day.

Parrots don’t need grit or cuttlebones. While many cockatiels will happily ingest small quantities and be perfectly fine, some individuals will swallow large pieces of cuttlebone or too much grit and obstruct their intestinal tract. Parrots hull their seeds before swallowing, so they don’t need grit to break down seeds like pigeons and doves do. That’s also the reason that fortified seed mixes aren’t as healthy as the marketing would have you believe - the added vitamins get left in the seed cup along with the hull.

Help - my bird only eats seeds! What do I do?
This plan applies to any new food - fresh or pellets - whether we’re starting with an all seed diet or just trying to add some variety to a more healthy diet.

• Start with a vet exam - we never want to abruptly change a sick bird’s diet.
• Train your bird to meal-feed on the current food (this means getting rid of the full seed cup and measuring how much your bird eats in a given day - then divide this amount into two or three portions).
• Add a small amount of new food and limit the quantity of old food at each meal (start with 25% new at the very most), then gradually increase the proportion of new food; OR, feed the new food for breakfast, with no old food, and then offer the old food at lunch and dinner. Gradually increase the time until the old food is offered as your bird eats more of the new foods.

Be patient and DON'T GIVE UP!
Parrots are naturally suspicious creatures, and it usually takes over 20 times of seeing a particular food before they will accept it.

• The transition can take YEARS. Be glad that bird servings are tiny - you will throw away many, many untouched meals.
• Never try to force your bird - they are quite capable of starving themselves to death.
• Monitor stool production - if it decreases then your bird may not be eating enough and you need to go more slowly (but color change and some large soft stools can be normal when introducing fresh fruits/veggies).
• Some birds will never reach “ideal” diet, but even accepting one or two new foods is worth the trouble.

Tips and tricks for seed addicts:

• Offer a small amount of new food at a time (one piece can be more enticing than a pile).
• Mix grated veggies in with seeds - even if your bird picks through and only eats the seeds, at least he or she will be on her way to those 20 tastes. Remember to swap out for clean dry seeds after an hour to avoid spoilage.
• Play with Texture
  • finely chop vegetables or grate them in food processor - or offer huge hunks to large birds
  • mash cooked foods
  • switch between raw, thawed from frozen, or cooked (avoid canned unless salt-free and thoroughly rinsed)
  • for pellets, try blending them to dust and adding to a favorite food, or softening the pellets in water, tomato sauce, juice, applesauce, etc.
• Vary the color - most pellet colors actually taste the same, but many birds prefer red.
• Spice it up - many birds love heavily spiced foods. Try cinnamon, chili powder (or whole chili peppers), cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, etc. Make sure to use spices with no added salt.
• Model good eating habits - cut a slice of your apple and hand it to your bird, or take a bite of that pellet. Some birds will try new foods when invited into the dining room but not when hanging out in their cage by themselves.
• Try LaFeber’s Nutriberries - these make a great transition diet for seed junkies. They consist of hulled seeds in a vitamin-enriched matrix. Warm gently in the microwave and break them into seed-sized bites for quicker acceptance, since most seed-eating small birds don’t want to work hard enough to pry the seeds out from the ball at first.

With lots of patience and persistence, your bird can learn to enjoy a variety of foods. Not only is a balanced diet the foundation for a healthy pet, but you'll get to have fun at mealtime with your feathered friend, too.

Photo credit Geek2Nurse, www.flickr.com

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It goes without saying that your dog, cat, or other animal companions are not just pets, but family members and best friends! Pet owners will scour labels in order to find the healthiest food, and they’ll spend hours researching veterinary clinics to find the right one to deliver the quality care and treatment their pal deserves. Yet, according to the latest American Pet Products Association’s Pet Owners Survey, only 4% of dog owners and 1% of cat owners purchase a pet health insurance policy. We want you to keep in mind the benefits of pet insurance when you’re considering care and treatment for your furry loved one.

Just like a car crash or an unexpected fall, you never know when a pet medical emergency might strike. Choosing to purchase pet health insurance is a wise investment for the safety and well-being of your beloved family member. Unlike health insurance for humans, pet insurance allows you to obtain care from the veterinarian of your choosing, no matter the extent of your pet's health care needs. 

While it’s recommended that you obtain pet insurance as soon as your pet becomes part of your family, you can also insure your pet years later. When purchasing insurance for your pet make sure to read the policy carefully, as many companies place breed-specific conditions on their coverage or exclude pre-existing conditions. Some companies will exclude a condition that occurred the previous year even while your pet was covered by their plan. Look for policy language that talks about your pet's lifetime, not the insurance period. There are also significant differences when it comes to coverage of wellness care, so be sure to review what is included in each plan. Most pet insurance policies reimburse up to 80% of costs after deductible, and many pet health insurance premiums can be paid in installments. The majority of insurance plans offer discounts for additional pets in the household. There are currently a dozen or so companies offering pet health insurance. Embrace, Nationwide, and Trupanion are the pet insurance industry leaders.

We believe that pet health insurance is most valuable when unexpected medical problems occur. Responsible pet owners will budget for their pet's annual wellness care, but an emergency can easily incur thousands of dollars in medical bills at a 24-hour facility. Pet health insurance will deliver the emotional peace of mind so that finances never dictate the decision between life and death for your pet in a medical emergency.