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.

Featrured dogs- at this time there are no dogs available for adoption

luna

luna

Featured cats- Dino and Luna

dino

dino

Dino was found as a stray He is a very calm and friendly gentleman. Dino loves attention, will come when called and loves to be petted. He is a large gentle cat and will need a quiet home. He loves his treats. He still likes to cover his head with his blanket but watches and waits for you to come and give him the attention he craves and deserves.

Luna came from a home with multiple cats. She is a calm lady and loves attention and being brushed. She had beautiful silky white and gray medium-long hair. She will cuddle and stay beside you without bothering you. A quiet home would probably suit her best as she has lived with so many other cats it is time for her to be the center of attention.

Other available cats: At this time there are no other available cats

All animals will be spayed or neutered prior to leaving shelter and receive 1 year rabies vaccination and city license. Ages are approximate.

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 changed 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