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Estate Planning and Your Pet
If you died unexpectedly, do you have a plan in place for care of your pets?
More pet owners are making provisions in their estate planning for their pet’s care. Most states allow pet owners to establish a trust for their pet. With a trust, property can be set aside for your pet’s care and a trustee named to manage the property.
A new owner for your pet can be named either in your will or irrevocable trust. If you don’t name a new owner, most state laws give ownership to your next of kin. In the will, you can also set aside funds to be given to the new owner for your pet’s care.
Have you planned for your pet’s care?
Info for this post from Whole Dog Journal, March 2012
Keeping the Peace In a Multiple Cat Household
Having multiple cats can be fun but it also has its challenges. Following are 
ten tips to maintain order and keep all the feline residents purring:
- If you have one cat currently and are now adding another, choosing a new cat of the opposite sex can reduce fighting among them.
- If your current cat is older, rather than adopting one kitten think about adopting two so they can keep each other busy.
- Never leave a new cat alone with the resident cat(s) until you are certain they won’t fight.
- Never give treats to one cat and not another.
- Window perches create space and allow your cats to sun themselves and give some personal space.
- Grooming your cats regularly can help reduce their stress and yours.
- Do not allow play between cats to become aggressive.
- If fighting occurs between cats, do not attempt to separate them by hand. Distract them by making a loud noise and put them in separate locations.
- Learn to understand feline body language.
- Make sure each cat’s needs are met and that each cat is treated as an individual member of the family.
Enjoy your feline family members and have a purr-fect day!
Chip Bags Can Be Deadly
I just finished reading a story on the PETA.org site of a woman whose dog suffocated because of a mylar potato chip bag.
It seems Blue was quite a mischievous fellow, escaping when he got the chance or getting into the trash when his people were gone. One day, while his mom was at the store, Blue decided to raid the garbage can and found a real treasure, an empty potato chip bag with some crumbs left inside.
He stuck his head into the bag all the way to get the crumbs and the bag got stuck on his head. In his panic to get air, the mylar bag became a suction and he was unable to get it off. He eventually lost consciousness and suffocated by the time his mom got home.
The danger of mylar chip bags to pets and children is not widely known. Blue’s family is hoping to bring focus to this issue in the hopes chip companies will begin putting warnings on the bags and eventually change the bag materials.
In the meantime, if you have empty chip bags that are made of mylar, please cut them into pieces before putting them in the trash. Blue’s family has established a Facebook page to enlighten people on the danger of mylar bags. Check out their page at https://www.facebook.com/PreventPetSuffocation
Veterinary Malpractice-A Different Ball Game
We’re all familiar with the term “malpractice” when it comes to medical care, but when dealing with veterinarians the laws are quite different than they are for medical doctors. Examples of veterinary malpractice include incorrect diagnosis, prescribing inappropriate medication, following a wrong course of treatment or abandonment of treatment altogether.
Awards for veterinary malpractice vary dramatically from medical malpractice. In most cases, if the court rules in your favor in a vet malpractice case, you recover only the costs you paid for your pet’s treatment. If your pet dies, most state laws allow for only the “market value” of replacing your pet. Damages for “pain and suffering” are not considered.
It’s best to settle vet malpractice cases out of court whenever possible, mediators can be a great help in keeping emotions on both sides in check and coming to a solution workable for both sides.
Veterinarians are licensed in the state where they practice and it is possible to lodge a complaint with the state licensing board if malpractice is suspected. Once a complaint is filed with the board, they will investigate and take whatever action they feel is appropriate. Normal sanctions include fines, suspension or revoking the veterinarians license. Some licensing boards offer a dispute resolution service which can be more cost effective than a court case.
Info for this post from Whole Dog Journal, March 2012
The Break-Up: Who Gets The Pets?
When couples split, custody of family pets is becoming an increasingly larger issue.
Although these cases can be quite heated, the parties involved are usually genuinely concerned about the welfare of the pet. Points to consider when deciding custody include:
- Age of the pet (Does it make sense to uproot the animal and force them to adjust to a new home?)
- Separation from friend-animals (would loss of animal friends impact the pet’s quality of life?)
- Stress of long-distance travel (will the animal be forced to travel a long distance to the new home?)
- Any breed-specific statues at new location (are there any breed-specific laws in the new location that could impact the pet’s relocation?)
Shared custody or visiting arrangements can be defined if both parties are willing to negotiate.
For cases involving domestic abuse, some states have passed legislation to include pets in restraining orders and remove them from abusive homes when victims are moved to a safe home. When safe homes don’t allow pets, animal shelters are often called to provide temporary housing.
In states without legislation to protect pets in domestic abuse situations, attorneys can pursue adding pets as family members to restraining orders. Many courts honor this request to protect pets if just cause can be shown.
Is Your Pet Into Working Out?
Pets require a regular fitness regimen to keep them on the road to good health, so make an appointment with your pet’s health.
Experts tend to agree that 30 minutes a day, four times a week, is enough exercise for a dog. However, just like it is for humans, a daily workout would be better. For cats, experts suggest 15 minutes of exercise each day to stay healthy. However, two 15 minute sessions for indoor cats are optimal.
Some ideas for the dog set include playing fetch with your pooch. Go for a long walk or jog. Play a wild game of chase. If your dog is a water-lover, go for a swim! Have fun! Whatever game you can drum up that will get your dog’s heart pounding is great!
Cats tend to engage in social play, such as romping, wrestling, and chasing. Or, they get into object play, such as stalking, pouncing, or chasing an object around the house. When it comes to exercising your cat, focus on the object play.
Some objects that make great fitness props include feather toys, furry toy mice, toy balls on slick floors, catnip toys, or even laser toys. (Just make sure not to beam the laser into the cat’s eyes!)
Are there some great benefits to all of this? Pets who experience regular exercise tend to act out less frequently. They will gain social skills through the constant interaction with you. You will bond with your pet. Above all, the health of your pet will be improved and he/she can most likely live a longer, healthier, and happier life!
It’s The Day To Talk Spay
On National Spay Day, we wanted to give you some reasons to spay or neuter your pet:
- > A dog or cat as young as 4 months of age can get pregnant.
- > Litter mates can produce a litter!
- > Cats typically enter their first heat between 4 to 6 months. A cat will usually have 2 to 4 heat cycles a year, each about 15-25 days in length. If breeding does not occur, these heat cycles will reoccur every 15 to 20 days and it is possible for these cycles to to repeat every 3 to 4 weeks. Based on these figures, one unspayed female and one unneutered male can be responsible for 420,000 kittens during their lifetimes!
- > Dogs typically enter their first heat between 4 to 6 months. These cycles last, on average, about 3 weeks and will usually have them every 4 to 7 months.
- > Dogs/cats spayed before their first heat have less than 0.5% chance of developing breast cancer (mammary cancer)
- > At least 50% of the overpopulation problem is non-neutered males. Females can’t do it alone.
So, as Drew Carey (and Bob Barker before him) says it the end of EVERY Price Is Right episode, have your pet spayed or neutered!
Information for this post from spayorneuter.com
Collar That Cat!
When shopping for a cat collar, those with either buckled or snap-together closures are perfect choices. Test the snap-together ones to make sure the hold is strong. Also make sure it has a quick-release feature in case your cat gets stuck on something. You will also need to find one that adjusts as your cat grows, if you are starting with a kitten. If your cat goes outdoors frequently, you might look into a collar with reflective features.
The ideal fit for a cat collar should allow you to slip one to two fingers between your cat’s neck and the collar. Some cat collars come adorned with bells that cats enjoy. Just make sure that the bell is secure and does not come off and pose a choking hazard.
Don’t rely on your cat’s collar as the primary means of identification. If your cat becomes lost or loses his collar, he cannot be postively ID’d. The best thing to do is to have a microchip placed under your cat’s skin to increase the chances of your cat being returned home.
Do Vacations Drive Your Cat Crazy?
Cats generally like remaining in familiar surroundings, so it’s preferable to allow them to remain in their normal environment when you’re away.
If you’re thinking about hiring a petsitter, make time to show the sitter specifics about feeding (do you stay in feeding area when your cat is eating or do you distribute food and allow them privacy for their meal?) litterbox maintenance and play time. Give your cat a chance to interact with the sitter as much as possible to help build your cat’s level of comfort.
If your cat is prone to act less than friendly with strangers, but doesn’t aggressively pursue, advise the sitter to ignore the cat and go about their other duties. It’s been my experience that curiosity takes over and cats will come out after a visit or two to see what’s happening.
For cats that aggressively pursue strangers, owners should seriously consider boarding.
If your cat is accustomed to having people at home a lot during the day, consider leaving music or TV on to keep them company and minimize the sounds of silence.
Of course your cats prefer having you at home with them, but a little advanced planning can lessen your kitty’s stress until vacation is over.
5 Ways To Save Money On Pet Expenses
- Don’t impulse buy. When shopping for your pet, go to the store with a list and determine ahead of time how much you plan to spend. Be sure to stick to it!
- Watch for deals. Check the Sunday paper for coupons on treats and food. Discounts are also available online from pet deal sites like doggyloot.com, which sends weekly emails offering discounts on treats and other dog supplies. Amazon.com has a large selection of pet food and supplies, often at a lesser rate than you’d pay elsewhere.
- Brush your pet’s teeth. Taking care of your pet’s dental health will go a long way to keeping vet expenses in check.
- Watch your pet’s weight. Keeping your pet at a healthy weight can help reduce health problems such as diabetes. Don’t overfeed or over treat pets. It’s not good for weight control and will cost more to keep food stocked.
- Talk to your vet. Many vet offices offer discounts at different times of the year such as discounted dental services this month (Pet Dental Month).
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