Download Newsletter March 2015

Volume 2/Issue 3
Discover
the right
way to
store pet
food
By Autumn Daughetee
Do you check the expiration
date before you buy a gallon of milk or a
package of ground beef? Of course you
do; this is simply common sense. Now,
do you check the expiration date on your
dog’s food? You should. In fact, many of
the same rules should apply to the purchase and storage of pet and human food.
It is extremely important to store
pet food correctly. To keep it fresh and
healthy for your pet, you should:
•
Choose a high-quality pet
food. There are numerous pet food companies that produce food manufactured to
high standards using the highest quality
ingredients.
•
Store kibble in a cool, dry location. Damp areas such as basements or
open containers leave kibble vulnerable
to mold. Canned food should be covered
and refrigerated after it is opened. Discard if not used after three to five days.
An alternative is to freeze canned food in
ice cube trays.
•
Avoid using reusable plastic
containers to store pet food. These
containers are not always airtight. In
addition, plastic can absorb fat and oils,
which can increase the risk of food becoming rancid.
•
Throw away any canned food
that your dog does not eat immediately.
•
Store pet food out of reach of
young children and pets.
•
Check best before and expiration dates on pet food. These dates can
sometimes be found on the back of bags
or the bottom of cans.
March 2015
Pet Spotlight: March
Maggie, a Jack
Russell Terrier, and her
brother Bucky, a Great
Pyrenees mix, live in
Weatherford with Lindsey
and Robert Erwin. Also
part of the Erwin family
are three equine sisters—
horse Terra and miniature donkeys Sophie and
Souvie. In addition, Maggie
and Bucky share the house
with two feline brothers—
Bo and Andy.
Both Maggie
and Bucky like to curl
up in any available lap.
Bucky also has a talent for
wrestling, He’s currently
training his little sister in
the sport.
Mutt Meatballs are a party hit
By Autumn Daughetee
I made these for my dog Lucy’s
birthday party this year. Yes, I know, my
dog is insanely spoiled. However, these
meatballs are easy and quick to make and
dogs of every shape and size seem to love
them. One of the pet parents in attendance seemed to like them too. However,
he’s always been a bit of a weirdo. The
rest of us were content to let our canine
companions scarf these down.
Mutt Meatballs
Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef or sirloin
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup oats
1 egg
3 tablespoons low-sodium tomato paste
Directions
Preheat your
oven to 350 farenheit. Beat the
egg in a separate
bowl. Combine
all ingredients,
including the
egg, in a bowl.
Roll into small
meatballs. Place
meatballs on
a well-greased
cookie sheet and
bake for 15 to 20
minutes. Cool
before serving.
Should you share your bed with your pet?
By Autumn Daughetee
For many pet parents
it starts with a new puppy or
kitten that is unused to sleeping alone. After a lot of crying
and whining, the exhausted pet
parents simply bring the puppy
into their bed for the night. Fast
forward several years and the
much larger dog or cat is still
sleeping in their human’s bed.
Does this sound familiar to you? Did your pet make
their way into your bed via another route? Chances are about
50/50 that if you’re a pet owner
you’ll have your pet in your bed
tonight. Nearly half of dogs in
the United States sleep in their
human’s bed. More than half of
American cats will curl up with
their pet parent at night. This
isn’t just an American habit.
Similar numbers are reported in
the United Kingdom, the Netherlands,
France and Japan.
However, before you cuddle up
next to your kitty or canine tonight, you
might want to consider new research on
sharing your bed with the family pet. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report, titled “Emerging
Infectious Disease,” that notes pets may
also bring with them bacteria, viruses,
parasites and more.
An extreme example of this
is a 9-year-old boy from Arizona who
contracted bubonic plague from sleeping
with a sick cat. Bubonic plague is spread
through flea bites. While cats may fall
ill, dogs are more resistant to the plague.
However dogs can carry plague fleas and
it is possible for them to become ill.
Another danger of pets in the
bedroom is cat-scratch fever. This can
be transmitted to pet parents who have
been scratched or licked by a cat with the
disease-causing fleas.
Save your pet’s paws
By Autumn Daughetee
Winter can be tough on your
pet’s feet. Salt on sidewalks and roadways
can irritate paws. Wind and the cold will
cause skin irritation. Although this salve
is edible, try to distract your pet from
licking it off with a gentle message. If
there is any sign of bleeding or infection,
see a veterinarian immediately.
Ingredients
1/8 cup coconut oil (liquid or room temperature)
1 tsp. vitamin E oil
Directions
In a small b owl or jar, combine both
ingredients and let thicken. Store the
mixture in the refrigerator. Apply the
mixture to paw pads or noses to prevent
or correct minor dryness.
The deadly MRSA virus has
also been linked to sick animals. Many
humans carry MRSA in their noses and
so do dogs. Sharing your bed with a sick
canine can result in the spread of MRSA.
Sleeping humans can also
become infected with worms and other
parasites through sharing a bed with
their pet. Pets also can carry fleas, which
easily jump to bedding and humans in
search of a meal.
While this all sounds quite
alarming, many veterinarians say that
being diligent in maintaining pet health
can greatly reduce the risks associated
with sharing a bed with your pet. They
recommend staying current on immunizations, using flea and tick control and
regularly having your pet’s stool tested
for parasites. However, young children
and adults with compromised immune
systems should not sleep with pets and
should also avoid other close contact
with their pets.
The Lucy Fund, Inc. is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit that aids pet owners
financially, through their local
vet office, with the treatment of
their pet when the cost becomes
a burden on the pet owner.
The Lucy Fund Newsletter is
published by The Lucy Fund,
Inc., www.thelucyfund.org.
Volume 1, Issue 1.
Editor: Autumn Daughetee,
[email protected]
Founder: Katie Phillips
For more information on The
Lucy Fund, please visit www.
thelucyfund.org or email info@
thelucyfund.org. If you would
like to submit a pet recipe or
story idea, please email
[email protected].
Joseph L Phillips, CPA, PC
Certified Public Accountant
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