Dogs are social animals and bark for the same reasons humans speak: to communicate. Dogs do bark to warn and to sound an alarm, but they also bark in response to commands and at playtime. Like people, dogs can get lonely, fearful and stressed out. Their barks often give insight into their state of being.

Researchers have studied dog barks under different conditions to assess their range of tones. Findings show a contented dog’s bark is round and harmonious. An unhappy or distressed dog, on the other hand, tends to have a repeat, high-pitched, unpleasant bark. In either case, the dog is sharing information and inviting a response from its listeners.

Do you and your pets love Halloween? Show us your furry friend’s best Halloween photo. It can be your dog howling at the moon, your Orange Tabby playing with the pumpkin, or even your pup having fun in his favorite costume! Use your imagination and you could win an Adopt-a-Pet.com swag bag and a chance to be featured!

All you have to do is follow these three steps:

1. Follow @adoptapetcom on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook

2. Upload a Halloween inspired photo of your pet to your preferred social media account (make sure your account is set to public during the contest period for your entry to count). Make sure you are not using makeup or dyes on your pet or using a costume that can harm them in any way!

3. Caption the photo with hashtag #SpookyPets and tag @adoptapetcom in the pic

We want to see all of your pet’s spooky sides so feel free to enter often and with multiple pets! The contest will run October 4, 2017 through November, 4, 2017.

Submissions received will be judged based on creativity, originality, if your pet seems like they are having fun, photo quality, and adherence to the contest rules.

Please be sure to follow the photo guidelines when posting:

1. Pets in photos should be in a safe and relaxed environment, and you should not place makeup or dye on your pets. Please do not post photos in situations that could be harmful or stressful to your pets. If they are not having fun, don’t do it!
2. Photos must be visible to the public.
3. Entries must adhere to the Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter guidelines.
4. All photos must be original for entry to count.

One chosen winner will receive an Adopt-a-Pet.com goodie bag and will be featured on our blog and social media channels. Multiple stand out entries will be featured on social media throughout the contest period.

OFFICIAL RULES Continue reading “Trick or Treat! Awesome Contest Alert”

Our friends over at Petcentric.com have some great ideas of ways you can help animals in need over the holidays! The holiday season can be a wonderful time when we all come together with family and friends, and focus on fellowship and service to others including  abandoned animals in our communities. Many people take vacation around the holidays leaving animal shelters and rescue facilities understaffed. This is a wonderful time to volunteer your labor and skills to help animals in need. While you might not have the time the rest of the year, you can ask your local shelter if they need help with feeding, exercising or cleaning kennels — especially on the holiday days. If you have a large vehicle like an SUV or van, you might even be able to assist in the transport of animals. If the shelter is closed to the public or requires you be a trained volunteer to help on-site, you can offer to launder bedding, make fundraising calls, or organize adoption events at local businesses.

Photos & Videos. Animal shelters are often in need of a lot of professional services that they cannot afford to pay for. If you have experience photographing animals or making family videos, you can offer your one-time (or more!) service to photograph their animals for listing on adoption websites and promotional materials. Off-site adoption events are a great place to do this, as the shelter will have arranged for staff and volunteers to handle the pets, and you can focus on photographing and videoing them.

You can register on Adopt-a-Pet.com as a volunteer to be contacted by your local rescue, or search Volunteer Opportunities posted by your local shelters and rescues here:
www.adoptapet.com/get-involved

Donate Items or Cash.  Shelters and non-profit rescues are always in need of donations, both of money and essential items. Cash is always welcome and helpful! You can see if your local shelters and rescue have included a link to their donation page or Paypal by searching for them on Adopt-a-Pet.com here: www.adoptapet.com/animal-shelters –click on the shelter name, then look on the right for their “Donate to our Shelter” or “Donate to our Rescue Group” link, or their website link.

Donations of both new and used items are also often appreciated. Ask your shelter if they have a wish list. Shelters often can use donated food and treats, used kennels or crates that you no longer need, newspapers, old blankets, sheets, towels, and washable dog beds.

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Sudden onset shortness of breath, apparent weakness, or a distended abdomen might be signs of heart disease in either your cat or your dog. But all too often, there are no symptoms, so your pet’s best bet is regular visits to the veterinarian.

Jonathan Abbott, a Cardiologist at the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, says there are a number of ways to diagnose heart disease in pets: “x-rays of the chest, electrocardiography and cardiac ultrasound or echocardiography are the tests most commonly used.”

Your veterinarian will also be able to listen for a heart murmur and use a blood test to check for heartworm. Once diagnosed, there are treatment options that will enhance both the quality and length of your pet’s life.

When the family pooch is eating like a racehorse, drinking water like there isn’t enough left on this blue planet, and requiring walk after walk to relieve himself, something is wrong! What’s going on with your friend?

Your dog may have diabetes mellitis, the most common hormonal disorder of dogs. The disease is caused by a lack of insulin, the hormone that regulates how sugar is absorbed and used by cells and tissues in the body. It most often afflicts dogs between the ages of five to seven and female dogs are more susceptible than males. Obesity seems to be a risk factor. So if you notice your pooch displaying signs of extreme hunger, thirst or urination, contact your veterinarian. Diabetes is manageable!

Giardia and cryptosporidium are two pesky parasites that can affect an animal’s small intestine, causing diarrhea and cramping. These nasty organisms are transmitted when a form of the parasite called the cyst is shed in one animal’s stool and consumed by another dog or cat.

Dwight Bowman, a professor of Parasitology at Cornell University, says that when the animal ingests drinking water or puddle water or pond water, or eats something that’s contaminated with the cyst, they can get infected. He says that if your dog has diarrhea, diagnostic tests will help determine the cause.

Fortunately, if giardia is to blame, you don’t need to worry about picking it up from your pet. Bowman says there’s no evidence that the species infecting dogs also infects humans.

Campaign garners donations of much-needed flea and tick treatment to animal shelters nationwide

July 18, 2011

Release Link: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/7/prweb8647245.htm

An innovative national campaign designed to educate the public about the dangers of fleas and ticks while helping animal shelters protect the dogs in their care against the troublesome parasites launches today. In addition to its national online presence, the “Pooch Protest” campaign is featured on billboards which will begin in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then roll out to Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The “Pooch Protest” against fleas & ticks, a partnership between Bayer Animal Health and national pet-adoption charity Adopt-a-Pet.com, invites the public to visit http://www.PoochProtest.com, where they can register their dogs as members of the virtual protest. For every dog registered*, Bayer Animal Health, the makers of flea and tick preventive K9 Advantix® II, will donate a tube of the product to Adopt-a-Pet.com, who will, in turn, distribute the tubes to its member shelters and rescue groups across North America.

“Protecting pets in shelters from nasty parasites and pests is important for so many reasons,” says Adopt-a-Pet.com executive director Abbie Moore, “not the least of which is that a healthy pet, treated for fleas and ticks and other pests, is much more attractive to potential adopters. Treating with a flea and tick preventive can truly help to keep a shelter pet more comfortable and adoptable.”

David Meyer, president and co-founder of Adopt-a-Pet.com, stresses the importance of coming together as a community to help homeless pets. “There are many ways you can help animals,” says Meyer, “but this is perhaps one of the easiest ways of all. It just takes a computer and a few minutes to join, so that you can make a difference in countless lives.”

K9 Advantix® II is for use on dogs only. For more information, see http://www.PoochProtest.com.

Imagine taking off, just you and your canine best friend, on a great adventure across the country.  That’s exactly what a blogger named Will and his dog Mr. Eko are doing. With the support of petcentric.com, they’ve set out on the road looking for adventure and trying to find the best pet-friendly destinations the country has to offer. Thanks to their blog, you can be right there with them…virtually, at least. You can suggest destinations for Will and Mr. Eko, and you might even get ideas for trips you and YOUR dog can take together! What a fun project!  Check it out at www.markingourterritory.com.

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Planning for a Lifetime of Mobility

Normal wear and tear on joints occurs daily throughout your dog’s lifetime. Cartilage protects your dog’s bones and joints from the friction caused by everyday movement.

Natural glucosamine, a building block of cartilage tissue, can help maintain cartilage for healthy joints and mobility. That’s why Purina has created adult dog formulas that contain guaranteed levels of natural glucosamine, so you can help your dog stay active and healthy for a long time to come.

CARTILAGE

What is cartilage?

Cartilage is a tissue found at the ends of bones in the joint areas, that acts as a cushion. It is composed of a sponge-like mass of cells, together with proteins, special substances that hold water, and the water itself. Glucosamine serves as a building block to create these special water-holding substances.

What is cartilage?

Cartilage is a tissue found at the ends of bones in the joint areas, that acts as a cushion. It is composed of a sponge-like mass of cells, together with proteins, special substances that hold water, and the water itself. Glucosamine serves as a building block to create these special water-holding substances.

Why is it important?

Healthy cartilage is absolutely essential for proper joint function and overall mobility. Happy, healthy, active dogs need healthy cartilage and a diet that supports overall well-being, including joint health.

Where does glucosamine come from?

Glucosamine occurs naturally in several common dog food ingredients. Purina uses several poultry and meat sources and guarantees the level of glucosamine in several of their adult dog formulas. Glucosamine is also produced in the body itself.

Does natural glucosamine benefit senior dogs only?

No! Wear and tear on cartilage occurs over a lifetime, so glucosamine helps maintain your dog’s joint health throughout life.

How does the body maintain healthy cartilage?

Chondrocytes are cells present in the cartilage of joints. These cells use glucosamine and other compounds supplied by the diet or produced within the body to make and maintain proteins and the water-binding substances in the cartilage. This allows the cartilage to function as a shock absorber.

What role does glucosamine play in joint health?

As a building block of cartilage, glucosamine can help support joint health and mobility.