The last thing one wants to hear when the economy is bad is "Get another family member." but this may just be a way to battle stressful times.  Pets are costly...vet bills, food, toys, apparel, medication, etc. but their worth to people far out weighs the cost to keep them happy and healthy.

According to a recent article by the United Press International, in a study of 400 people:

The study showed that because of pets' ability to be non-judgmental and uncanny way of "just listening", owners can find comfort in them without fear of judgment. Check out your local animal shelter and give a pet a new loving home and they will pay you back 10 fold. 

Recently VPI Pet Insurance used data collected from insurance claims to compile a Top Ten list of why most pets need to go to the vet.

 VPI Pet Insurance

Coming from a veterinary background, I can tell you that all of these can cost a small fortune to treat.  Let's take number 3 on the dog side - Pyoderma, or as most people know it, hot spots.

What all is involved with the treatment of a hot spot?

All of this....for this:

The sad part is that most of these money draining issues are the reason that many pets get sent to shelters.  Owners no longer want to deal with the "problem child".  Over 3 million shelter pets are euthanized every year in the USA.  Many of these can be avoided by proper care at home and many can be helped by organizations like the North Shore Animal League - the largest no-kill shelter in the United States - by promoting no-kill shelters, adoptions, and spay/neuter.

Casey is helping in more ways than one:

1. We have teamed up with North Shore Animal Leaguehttp://www.animalleague.org/ to help end shelter pet euthanasias.  Every time a Casey product is purchased from our Casey eBay store, 20% is donated to the North Shore Animal League.

2. By purchasing Casey products like Essentials Supplement and Just Relief for Dogs and Cats, you make your pet healthier and happier so those visits to the vet need only be for routine exams and vaccines.

So do your part and help both your own pet and those less fortunate that still deserve a better life.  Check out our eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/caseypets or visit our website at Casey Charities for more information.

"Spring Fresh"  "Mountain Breeze", "Lavender Fields"...You know these well.  You probably have laundry detergent with just such scents now, but did you know that these may be harming your pets?  One of the biggest looked over allergen for pets is laundry detergent, carpet deodorizers and dryer sheets.

One way to be sure your pet isn't suffering from unnecessary allergies, is to use dye free, fragrance free laundry detergent.  You may not think that your laundry would effect your pet but think of this:

1. Does your pet sit on your lap?

2. Does your pet sit on the couch?

3. Does your pet sit on your bed?

4. Do you wash your pet's bedding or blankets?

5. Does your pet wear shirts that you wash?

These are the places that the new "Spring Time Rain Fresh Fields of Lavender" scented laundry detergent you just bought is going to effect your pet.  So the next time you are at the store getting laundry supplies, try the fragrance free, dye free kind or move over to natural laundry detergents like borax, soap flakes, and even soap nuts (my personal favorite).  

Your pet will thank you for it!

The hazards of certain flea and tick prevention is a well known subject to veterinarians and their technicians but unfortunately, the public is still very much unaware.  Safe, top quality flea and tick prevention can seem costly to the average person but the results of not using prevention or using a cheaper version can be far more expensive.

Let's start with not using flea and tick prevention at all.  So your pet gets a tick or two that you can pull off at your leisure.  So your pet gets a few flea bites and they become itchy, no big deal, right?  Wrong!  Fleas are more of a pest than just a few flea bites here and there.  Fleas live and breed on your dog and IN YOUR CARPET!

What does that mean to you? Your house becomes infested, your pet is never rid of fleas and you start to get flea bites as well.  Fleas can cause itching, hair loss and allergies.  These in turn can lead to hair loss, open sores, infections.  Ultimately, you will end up taking your pet to the veterinarian for skin treatments, flea treatments and then flea treatment for your home....all of which are very expensive.  If you have flea allergies, a visit to your doctor may also be in order...another cost. 

Should have put that preventative on, huh?

One thing I didn't mention was that the ingestion of fleas can cause tapeworms.  And although you may think that this ingestion may only occur with your pet and a nice expensive dewormer will cure it, you too may involuntarily ingest a flea.  Gross.

What about those ticks?  They are ugly, they give most people the willies but it's what they give your pet and you that is the most important. Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever, Lymes Disease, Ehrlichiosis anaplasmosis, Tularemia, Relapsing Fever, Colorado Tick Fever, Babesiosis, Tick Paralysis, and many more.  Doesn't sound so innocent any more does it?

Use the prevention!

Now that you are wanting to use flea and tick prevention, the kind you use is very important.  There are reasons that some prevention is found hanging in the grocery store and the other kind is found being prescribed by your veterinarian.  In this case quality of your prevention can mean life or death for your pet.  There has been many cases of adverse reactions to store bought flea and tick prevention, some even leading to death.  Don't skimp on this medication for your pet, get yours from your veterinarian.  They will know what one is best for your pet and for the area you live in.  Trust me on this one if nothing else.

The EPA has even started stepping in.  You can read more about this new development in the Healthy People, Healthy Planet section of Mother Earth News.  They even discuss natural flea prevention towards the bottom of the article.

Don't let fleas and ticks cost you money or cost your pet its life.

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It's an age old question:

"Why does my pet eat grass?"

The funny thing is that no one really knows!  No one but the pet eating the grass.  There are many theories floating around but no definitive answers.  Here are a few of those ideas to give you a little insight into the strange world of pet tastes: 

1. They like it!  I know that it sounds strange for humans to think of running out to their lawn, grabbing a hunk of grass and start chowing down on it but that is exactly what some pets love to do.  Whether the grass tastes sweet or if they like the texture, no one knows!  Dogs are omnivores and much of their ancestral diet is made up of vegetation so it really isn't that awkward to think that this is just a way of getting "some greens".

2. A nutritional deficiency is another option.  All organisms have cravings.  These cravings usually coincide with some type of deficiency in the body. Some dogs, and people, crave dirt when minerals are low. Some people crave sweets and greasy food when they need a little fat in their system.  Pets eating grass may be the result of a deficiency as well.  Different vitamins and minerals can be found in grass.

3. The "stomach tickle" is yet another sound theory on why pets eat grass and the most commonly known.  You see your pet eating grass and you instantly think that their stomach is upset and they are trying to vomit.  The "stomach tickle" is a result of eating grass. It stimulates a vomit response which pet's always seem to feel is the easiest and best way to feel better when their stomach is upset.  "My stomach is hurting, I must get out what is in there, I must vomit." - makes sense!  So why don't all pets eating grass vomit?  If you watch a pet that likes to eat grass, they will delicately chew the grass before swallowing.  Pets that have an upset stomach will gulp grass down like their lives depends on it, not chewing, just swallowing.  These whole blades of grass is what causes the stomach's vomit response.

4. Cat's have their own reasons to eat grass.  Roughage.  Cat grass can help with everything from hairballs to folic acid to fiber.  Cat's love to eat plants so providing cat grass ensures that they are eating safe greens.

Whatever the reason your pet eats grass, be sure to keep it in mind when you use chemicals or treatments on your yard, what house plants you keep around and the reason they want to eat the grass.

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