I wanted to alert cat owners about a couple of really nice videos I've recently come across. The videos deal with two fairly common cat diseases; chronic renal failure and diabetes mellitus. Both of these conditions occur with surprising frequency in cats especially as they get older.
In this podcast, Dr. Bill and Dr. Larry discuss how PurinaCare® pet health insurance helped a pet owner with the serious issue of Mast Cell Cancer.
This is for anyone who has had to deal with cancer in their lives. Having insight into how it works in pets, and how pet health insurance coverage can be extremely helpful in defraying costs, is something worth knowing.
Oftentimes pet people wonder what the pet health insurance industry allows, and Dr. Larry talks openly about that on this blog, regularly. Read his posts and visit our podcast page to hear stories about claims and more on the issue of pet health insurance.
Just could not resist this video! Found it on the Friskies blog. One has to wonder what this cat is dreaming about? Thanksgiving, maybe? Just priceless! (and one wonders if cat's have deviated septums like people - I think I'll ask Dr. Bill and Dr. Larry)
p.s. they have some good polls on the Friskies blog, like one about pets celebrating holidays...do yours?
We wrote about Wag World™ in our "Top 10 Togetherful Cities in America" last summer, and I just found out they have something new going on. Looks interesting so I thought I'd share. Everyone knows that Wag World is a Beneful® site (and therefore part of our sponsor, Purina pet food), right? Well, you do now.
That's our open and honest disclosure statement.
Let's move on to the good stuff. Wag World is offering the first 2,000 members who post content on WagWorld.com a free Loofa™ dog toy. See pic. You can go to the site and join, then post a fav place on the map, write a review, upload a photo, and just be sociable. How hard is that?
The offer actually started on October 15th so...they are probably closing in on 2000 entries. You need to get over their today and add your stuff. (and then come tell us about it - we can share on twitter). The offer closes when they run out or on May 1st 2010.
Wag World is dog-friendly to the max, if you ask me. I just did a search on where to stay as we travel cross-country with the Wabby, and it gave me more than a dozen options that are pet-friendly! Okay, Wabby is a cat, not a dog, but really...the hotel/motels that are pet-friendly don't discriminate. And, cats are way easier to manage than dogs - in the sense that they kinda keep to themselves.
Anyone traveling with a pup, should visit this site and find out where to stay on layovers. It also has dog friendly parks and is a great place for YOU to share your pet-friendly locale so we can visit you, when we come to your town. Well, if we come to your town. Hey, you never know!
I like that the site is user-friendly, inviting, and gave me a reward (options on where to stay) within seconds of my search. It also has some good articles.
Now, I don't have a dog at the moment, so I am not in the market for the Loofa toy. But, I know lots and lots of you do have dogs...and you know your dog would go wild over this Loofa toy. So, get over there and make a big splash with your advice, pics, or whatever.
And, stay tuned. I will be sharing more pet friendly travel ideas as we move along on our trip. Now, Tom says I have to get back to packing. (and the Wabby is giving me the evil eye - all this commotion is not to her liking; wait till we get on the road! I bet she'll have a whole lot to say about being uprooted from her lovely, soft, cozy spot on the master bed!)
Okay, maybe doggie daycare isn't the cat's meow. I suspect cats would not like that much. Nor would dogs. However, I was having dinner with a friend recently and she revealed that her mother, who has two dogs, engages doggie daycare at least 2-3 times a week.
Not only that, but the dogs are picked up at the house by a van! Can't you just see all the dogs sitting at the windows of the van, looking out, barking at everything they see? Well, it doesn't work that way. The van picks the pups up in crates. Which means crate training is an important part of being a good pet owner. (link is to example of a company that uses a van, not indicative of the particular petcare business discussed here - primarily because my friend couldn't remember the name of it.)
Now, that's the cat's meow. Or, is it the dog's woof-woof?
My friend and I laughed about this whole idea - dogs going to daycare for socialization and walking and just getting some extra attention when their owners are working or at other appointments. And yet, it's not so funny. It's a sign of the times. We want to make sure our dogs are getting the proper health and exercise and if we're unable to do it, we're willing to hire others to do it.
I do know that pet-sitting is showing up in articles more and more. Many of us just don't want to put Fido in a kennel, while we're on a business trip or a vacation resort that doesn't allow dogs. So, a pet sitter that comes twice a day to feed and walk our dog, is a great option. Or, a pet sitter that our dog can visit and get to know, so he can stay with her while we're away, gives us peace of mind.
It seems to me that having pet health insurance is also a way to have peace of mind. I would certainly want to know my dog was covered in the event of an accident while the pet sitter was walking her, or some other issue or emergency. Wouldn't you?
