October is National Pet Wellness Month.
Sponsored in part by the American Veterinary Medical Association
Make sure your home is safe for your pet. Pet-proofing your home is important whether you have a new pet or have had pets for years. There are many everyday objects (medicines, pesticides and some household plants) that can prove poisonous to our pets. Go through your home to be sure that all potentially harmful objects are out of your pet’s reach.
Annual Exams: Pets should visit the veterinarian at least once a year. Annual exams are a great opportunity to check on the overall health and well-being of your pet and allow you to make any necessary changes in your pet’s daily routine and care. A review of the vaccination status and program most appropriate for your pet should also be completed at this time.
Spay/Neuter: It is incredibly important to have your pet spayed or neutered. Not only do the procedures prevent individual medical problems such as mammary and testicular tumors and uterine infections, spaying or neutering also helps curb pet overpopulation and reduces the number of unwanted pets who are euthanized every day. Spay and neuter surgeries can be safely performed as early as 8-12 weeks of age.
Weight Management: Obesity is a real and newly recognized problem for pets. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 53 percent of adult dogs and 55 percent of cats were classified as overweight or obese by their veterinarians. Prevention is much easier to accomplish than treatment, so consult your veterinarian about the right diet and exercise regimen for your pet.
A Balanced Diet: Commercial dog and cat foods make it easy to provide a nutritionally balanced and complete diet. Dog and cat foods contain all of the different nutrients your animal needs in the appropriate quantities. Remember it can be very difficult to create a balanced and complete diet from “people” foods.
Dental Care: Teeth and oral health are extremely important when caring for your pet and should be evaluated annually. If you are fortunate to have an animal who will tolerate frequent brushing, you are already one step ahead. Unchecked, dental disease can lead to kidney problems or nutritional issues if your pet cannot adequately chew and digest their food.
Senior Pets: As animal’s age, their dietary requirements and their ability to digest certain foods changes. When pets grow older, they lose some ability to concentrate urine so they need to produce more, and therefore need more water intake. You can help by feeding your pets better quality proteins and avoiding red meats like beef and beef by-products. Doing this will decrease the work load on the kidneys and help prevent diseases and health issues from developing.
Featured Dog- Lilly
Lilly is sweet and loving but is looking for a dog experienced home that can provide her with on-going confidence building and socialization. At eight months old, this girl is very energetic and super affectionate! Lilly is seeking a new family that has lots of time and love to share. Ideally she should go to a home that is active and has the time to take her on very long walks or even jogs or trail hikes. If you are looking for an active best friend who also loves the great outdoors, Lilly could be the one for you. She knows sit, plays with toys, can high five.
Other available dogs:
Lane- Small older Chihuahua Very friendly 7 yr
Farley- Long hair dachshund/terrier/peke 6 yr Very friendly
Tater Tot- Female young. High energy Very smart girl
Feature cat- Speedy We believe Speedy was struck by a car. He was found to have no broken bones but did have some bruising in his left hind leg. He is very friendly and likes to be held and petted. Plays with toys after lots of encouragement. He sucks the tip of his tail. His main objective is to be by your side or on your lap. He has a slight limp. He is probably about 1 year old. Beautiful spotted orange tabby.
Other available cats:
Zachary- Buff tabby male 6 years old. Shy and very loving lap cat
All animals will be spayed or neutered prior to leaving shelter and receive 1 year rabies vaccination and city license. Ages are approximated.
The City of Mesquite Animal Shelter located at 795 Hardy Way is open for adoptions from 11am until 1 pm, Monday through Saturday, Sunday 1pm -3pm. Please call 702-346-7415 during these hours to speak to the front desk. Animal Control may be reached by phone or voicemail at 702-346-5268
The animals submitted to the media may have changes so please visit our Petfinder website for a current listing and more detailed information on the animals. www.mesquiteanimalshelter.petfinder.com
Please also check our Facebook pages for lost and found animals along with pet information. https://www.facebook.com/MesquiteNVAnimalControl and https://www.facebook.com/FRIENDSOFMESQUITENVANIMALSHELTER
