When it comes to adopting pets, there are many options. People have different reasons for adopting a pet, and often this reason influences where they look for their new friend. For some people, whether the animal is a purebred or not is important, so they will pursue breeders. Others are interested in saving an animal from the fate of a life without a loving family. These people will typically search animal rescue organizations or animal shelters. Both purebred and mixed breed animals can be found at these organizations, as well as older animals and animals that need special care. This guide will help you explore your options when considering the adoption of a new family pet.

Choosing a Breeder

You’ve decided that it’s time for your family to have a brand new pet. Everyone is ready to play with it, feed it, clean it, and care for it every day. You know that you want a purebred, and you’ve researched the genetic and behavioral disposition of every breed, and you know the breed that’s best for your family and your lifestyle. The final step is to find a good breeder.

First, avoid pet stores. It is a known fact that most pets that are offered in pet stores come from mass breeding facilities more commonly known as “puppy farms” or “pet farms.” This is not a business practice that you want to support. It’s best to do the ethical thing and avoid them at all cost.

There are several methods you can use to evaluate breeders. Initially, obtain a list of referrals of reputable breeders from your veterinarian or local dog shows. Always visit where the breeder raises the dogs or cats, and bring the following checklist in order to determine whether the breeder is a good one.

Does the breeder:



Raise the animals in a home, as part of a family?

Have animals that appear healthy and excited when visitors arrive?

Maintains a clean area where the animals are raised?

Shows you the animals parents when you visit?

Knowledgeable about the breed?

Can produce records of veterinary visits for the animals?

Provides references?

Offers guidance for caring for your new pet and for the particular breed?



 

Purebred Rescue

An even better option than buying a new animal from a breeder, is to invest in saving a purebred living at a purebred rescue group. Purebred breeding groups are wonderful organizations that accept purebred animals that are typically abandoned, found as strays, or from local animal shelters. Purebred rescue organizations typically have a great deal of knowledge about the breed they work with, and usually offer a great deal of guidance for adoptive families.

When you purchase a purebred from a rescue group, you can feel good about having saved an animal from living a life without a loving family. You can find local rescue groups in your area through the newspaper classified section. A great resource for rescuing purebred dogs is to search through the contact list at the American Kennel Club. Another great resource for both cats and dogs is AllAboutDogsandCats.com, which provides a list of hundreds of national breed rescue clubs and organizations.

Animal Shelters

An animal shelter is the best source where you can find a family pet. Family shelters are home to many wonderful animals who mostly are only there because of the humans who previously owned them, not for any fault of their own. Often life changes, unrealistic expectations, or other reasons force families to give up their animals to animal shelters. Half of these animals end up euthanized because there simply isn’t enough space. This is why, obtaining your family pet from an animal shelter is the greatest thing you can do, and it is something you can feel very good about.

It is a common misconception that the animals at animal shelters are all mixed-breeds, poorly behaved, or poorly kept. While this may hold true for a minority of them, many of the animals found at shelters around the country are actually purebreds, nicely kept, and very well behaved. Many shelters even offer adoption counseling, training classes, and even discounted or free neutering. Some great resources to locate animal shelters around the country include Pets 911, 1-800-Save-A-Pet, or Petfinder. Another good resource is the classified section of your local newspaper, or the yellow pages under “Animal Shelters”.

A Pet Portrait of Your New Pet

Once you discover that special pet that will become your friend for life, there is no better way to celebrate than to commemorate the beauty and overwhelming “cuteness” of your new family friend with a painted pet portrait.

Pet portraits are sweeping the country as a very popular form of recognizing how much your animal friend means to you and your family. Pet portraits can be especially meaningful because when you see a pet portrait on the wall, it is a statement that this animal isn’t just “another animal”, but it shows that your pet is a loved and cherished member of the family.

The best pet portraits in the country are created by artist Nikky Hughes of Los Angeles. Nikky was classically trained at the Mission Renaissance art school, and she focuses on capturing not only the beauty, but the unique character of each animal. Her artwork is soft and romantic, and a portrait of your pet by Nikky will become a family heirloom for many generations.



By: Nikky Hughes: Pet Portraits

About the Author:

The Pet Supply Guy

Are you a cat lover? If so how many cats do you have? Is your cat good at home? Well, Of course, it is really very easy answering such questions, when raised by someone or other.

But what would be the answer if the question falls the other way round, such as, is your cat really secure? Does your cat return home safely at nights, without any rashes or bruises that are indeed created by other cats?

Are you sure, that your loveable cat alone eats the quality cat food that you have bought to her with at most care and affection? Most of the cat lovers would be finding it difficult to answer these questions.

Indeed these are the daily problems faced by cat lovers. These questions make the cat lovers feel worried about their dearest pets, creating a mourning atmosphere in their minds.

Sometimes it’s really hard to experience situations when the pet leaves the home and stays lost for two to three days. Is there a remedy for all these hard moments? If at all there is a solution, will it guarantee on the safety and security of the pet? Or are there any permanent solutions for all these problems to come to an end.

Can your cat be safe from being bullied by other stray cats? Can your cat be safe in indoor without escaping, if the weather outside is very terrible and violent? The answer for all these questions is so easy, and it is as simple as looking for sweet in a sugar factory. Of course, the answer for this is a big “YES!”.

The antidote for all these physical and environmental threats that are literally experienced by the owner and the pet has now come to light. The product is a nascent technology launched in our markets, which can be readily put to working status. It is what we call as PETPORTE CAT FLAP.

The Microchip Petporte Catflap is a great remedy for cat lovers and to keep other cats out. It exists to provide advanced animal access systems to make both cats and their owners lives better.

This is a Collarless technology, which indeed keeps the pet away from hard and rough collars which leaves a mark on the neck of the pet.

Petporte Catflap was invented and patented by one of the Guernsey’s leading vets, who wishes to remain nameless, which is just a series of inventions that will be coming onto the market intended to make your life, and your cat’s life, more enjoyable.

Petporte is the first Catflap in the world to prevent other cats from entering your home and recognizing your cat without the need for cat electronic, magnetic cat collar attachments, heavy collar tags, restrictive collars and infra red.

The owner of the pet need not worry because there are no harmful magnetic fields or infra red light emitted from the device that could make the pet sick, this product is highly reliable and secure and there is no danger involved in it at all.

Pet Porte, indeed will be friendly equipment for the safety of the pet. The Pet Porte product is not at all complicated, and it’s really very simple and ready for use, most probably the user of this Pet Porte product will not require you to constantly refer to the manual, because the whole technology works using just two simple buttons, one in red and the other in green.

Only the cats which have been previously programmed by the microchip gains access through the highly tensile magic door.

In the PetPorte Catflap there are two distinct modes worth mentioning.

The modes of operation that are likely to be used here are the VET MODE and the NIGHT MODE:

The vet mode is most commonly used in order to keep the pet indoor due to some specific reasons. And night mode uses a little more advanced technology, in which the magic door gets automated according to the light intensity of the outside atmosphere, thus it remains locked at nights, and of course the pet will always have access through the Catflap when it is outside the house. Thus these multimodal operations make Petporte Catfap unique from all the other Catflaps.

Now, while discussing about the initial steps of installation procedures, makes one feel that Petporte Catflap, is designed with at most simplicity and a product that shows a great deal of flexibility.

Programming the Petporte is again a very short and simple process, as there are no complex steps involved, indeed the whole installation is only a single step process.

The owner has to just press and hold the green button (beep sound is heard) and then the pet is made to pass through the magic door under the range of the sensor porch (beep sound is heard again).That is all the owner has to do, in order to finish with the programming process, in this same method an average of 32 different cats (approx) can be programmed.

There may be a question arising among the users that what actually happens when the pet is made to pass through the Petporte. This is nothing but, when the pet is passed through the Petporte the intelligent sensors present in the body of the Catflap recognizes the existing microchip ID implants, so this method is highly secure and reliable and its clearly evident from this fact that stray cats will never find an entry into the house .

This adorable product uses an adapter that is fixed directly to the power supply, rather than using batteries which may run out frequently or unexpectedly .The power supply that enters this Catflap is very safe, and its not at all harmful for the pet in any means, here there are no chances of short circuits or earth line problems, even if the pet chews or pounces on the lead insulated cables, as the voltage is very less and it’s only around twelve volts. Thus the information in Petporte’s memory is left as it is even if there happens to be a sudden power failure.

The major characteristics of the magic door that is used in the Petporte is that its highly tensile and strong as it has the capacity to withstand the pouncing/attacks ,even if it is created by the toughest cat around on the streets.

As the door is connected to the mains power, the magic door opens/closes at the blink of an eye, i.e. in just few microseconds, so that you’re lovable cat can enjoy its play with the Petporte, even if she/he loves to dash in and out frequently.

The Petporte is friendly device to your pet, and it is designed in such a way that, there will not be any possibilities in which the tail or the paws of the pet getting stuck. Eventually there are no possibilities for other stray cats to enter, thus making your cat feel free and relaxed at all times.

The Petporte Catflap has many salient features which makes it unique and reliable when compared to all the other Catflaps. In fact the other Catflaps such as traditional, magnetic and infrared flaps have their own disadvantages at different situations.

Firstly, while discussing about the features of the traditional cat flaps, when used and kept under observation for few days causes many drastic moments. The result is that within one night the owner can see his house ruined i.e. his carpets torn and scrambled, urine all over the wall, the cat food missing from its tray, the pet left with the marks of being bullied-all these are the nonsense created by the non others, but the stray cats. Thus these are the adverse effects caused when traditional type flaps are used.

Secondly, comes the magnetic Catflaps kind of flaps, all the pets which exist with magnetic collars can gain access through the door, this is a major drawback. And the other issue is that, magnetic collars are heavily and tight, that makes the pet feel uncomfortable.

Thirdly comes the infrared Catflaps, these Flaps have sensors both at the transmitting and receiving ends and the door opens only if the sensor in the collar points directly to the sensor on the door. These Infrared Catflaps are expensive too, indeed the amount of complexity involved in these methods are more .Finally all these demerits or disadvantages experienced when using other Catflaps are in turn changed into an advantage, merit or a positive point when Petporte Microchip Catflap is used.

ADVANTAGES INVOLVED IN USING PETPORTE

The Microchip Petporte Catflap was invented with lots of advantages in it like,The irritation caused by the collar on a cat can be averted by the use of the cats existing microchip.With the help of locking mechanism, stray cat can be kept away from dearest cats.To understand a cat need better, this has been purely invented by a vet, therefore the cat needs can be catered much efficiently by use of Microchip Petporte Catflap.

The pains of bringing a cat at nights it’s not an issue, by the use of Microchip Petporte Catflap the light level will be detected automatically and thereby your cats can sub sequentially brought into house at nights.

With the presence of Microchip Petporte Catflap, you will be able to know, if your cat inside the house or elsewhere, the beeping system of Pet Port will make you aware of the presence of your cat inside the house. You can easily switch the beep off if you want to.

The presence of magnetic latch in the Microchip Petporte Catflap, keeps the flap intact when the wind blows thus protecting the cats from getting hurt.

The simple two button operation mechanism Microchip Petporte Catflap, gives a full control over cats world.

Microchip Petporte Catflap allows you to program up to 32 cats of your choice and only the cats which are programmed can be under the scrutiny.

The programmable microchip within Microchip Petporte Catflap prevents the loss of information about cat during a short circuit or power failure.

All of this comes under low voltage intake with no batteries to replace so your cat can always come back inside.

This product is cat friendly where the doors are specially designed and makes it virtually impossible for your cat to get its paws stuck in the door. Hence the Petporte Microchip Catflap is a divine product that has been launched in the markets in order to quench the thirst of worried cat lovers, and this is a great time for those cat lovers to make full use of this great product.

The product has satisfied the customers whomsoever use the Petporte, thus making the users feel comfortable and relaxed at nights rather than worrying about their pets, since there is a friend there at the door step giving at most security to the loveable pets.

Get yours from http://www.microchipcatflaps.co.uk/ – a website recommended by Cats Protection and Your Cat magazine.



By: James Winsoar

About the Author:

Dog Training

About 25 years ago I began formulating pet foods at a time when the entire pet food industry seemed quagmire and focused on such things as protein and fat percentages without any real regard for ingredients. Since boot leather and soap could make a pet food with the “ideal” percentages, it was clear that analytical percentages do not end the story about pet food value. I was convinced then, as I am now, that a food can be no better than the ingredients of which it is composed. Since this ingredient idea has caught on in the pet food industry, it has taken on a commercial life that distorts and ******** the meaning of the underlying philosophy of food quality and proper feeding practices. Is health reducible to which ingredients a commercial product does or does not have? As contradictory as it may seem to what I have just said, no it is not. Here’s why.

AAFCO Approval

The official Publication of the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) gives wide latitude for ingredients that can be used in animal foods. As I have pointed out in my book, The Truth About Pet Foods, approved ingredients can include*:

dehydrated garbage

undried processed animal waste products

polyethylene roughage replacement (plastic)

hydrolyzed poultry feathers

hydrolyzed hair

hydrolyzed leather meal

poultry hatchery by-product

meat meal tankage

peanut hulls

ground almond shells

(*Association of American Feed Control Officials, 1998 Official Publication)

Simultaneously, this same regulatory agency prohibits the use of many proven beneficial natural ingredients that one can find readily available for human consumption such as bee pollen, glucosamine, L-carnitine, spirulina and many other nutraceuticals. It would be easy to conclude that reason does not rule when it comes to what officially can or cannot be used in pet foods.

From the regulators’ standpoint, they operate from the simplistic nutritional idea that the value of food has to do with percentages and that there is no special merit to any particular ingredient. They deny the tens of thousands of scientific research articles proving that the kind of ingredient and its quality can make all the difference in terms of health. They also are silent about the damaging effect of food processing and the impact of time, light, heat, oxygen and packaging on nutritional and health value.

So regulators are certainly not the place to go to determine how to feed pets for health. For their way of thinking, as long as a packaged food achieves certain percentages, regardless of ingredients, the manufacturer can claim the food is 100% complete. Pet owners then proceed to confidently feed such guaranteed foods at every meal thinking all the while they are doing the right thing for their pet. This old school nutritional view is standard practice in human hospitals as well where official dieticians feed diseased and metabolically starved patients a fare of jello, instant potatoes, powdered eggs, white flour rolls and oleomargarine because their charts say such diets contain the correct percentages of certain nutrients. Hospitals are a good place to go if you want to get sick!

The 100% Complete Myth

Consumers are increasingly becoming alert to the value of more natural foods. Everyone intuitively knows that the closer the diet is to real, fresh, wholesome foods, the better the chance that good health will result. Unfortunately, people do not apply this same common sense to pet foods. Instead they purchase “100% complete” processed foods, perhaps even going the extra mile and selecting “super premium” or “natural” brands, thinking they are doing the best that can be done. They surrender their mind to a commercial ploy (100% completeness) and do to their pets what they would never do to themselves or their family – eat the same packaged product at every meal, day in and day out. No processed food can be “100% complete” because there is not a person on the planet who has 100% knowledge of nutrition. The claim on its face is absurd. Understanding this simple principle is more important than any pet food formulation regardless of the merits of its ingredients. Everything that follows will begin with that premise, i.e., no food should be fed exclusively on a continuous basis no matter what the claims of completeness or ingredient quality.

Genetics Is The Key

Pets need the food they are biologically adapted to. It’s a matter of context. Just as a fish needs to be in water to stay healthy, a pet needs its natural food milieu to be healthy. All creatures must stay true to their design. What could be more obvious or simple? For a carnivore the correct genetic match is prey, carrion and incidental fresh plant material, and even some fur and feathers, as well as the occasional surprise of unmentionables found in decaying matter. It’s not a pretty picture to think that “FiFi” with her pink bow and polished toenails would stoop to such fare, but that is precisely the food she is designed to eat. Since that is her design, matching food to that design (minus the more disgusting and unnecessary elements) is also the key to her health.

The Disease Price

We may prefer to feed a packaged, sterile, steam- cleaned, dried, farinaceous chunk cleverly shaped like a pork chop, but let’s not kid ourselves, that is not the food a pet is designed for….regardless of the claims about ingredients on the label making one think it is five-star restaurant fare. Pets may tolerate such food for a time, but in the end nature calls to account. The price to be paid is lost health in the form of susceptibility to infections, dental disease, premature aging, obesity, heart and organ disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis and other cruel and painful chronic degenerative diseases. Because our pets are not out in the rigors of nature where they would quickly succumb to such conditions and end their misery, they languish in our protected homes and under veterinary care that does not usually cure but merely treats symptoms and extends the time of suffering. That suffering begins with the way in which we are feeding our pets, not the ingredients in a supposed 100% complete pet food.

The Perfect Food

What is the solution? It is simple and something I have been preaching for the past 25 years. Return pets to their environmental roots. They need – daily – interesting activity, fresh air, clean water, romps in nature, lots of love, and food as close to the form they would find in the wild as possible. Fresh, whole natural foods fit for a carnivore and fed in variety are as good as it can get. Anything less than that is a compromise. Compromise the least if health is the goal. (Same principle applies to you and your family.) To get a packaged food as close as possible to that goal requires the right starting philosophy of feeding (described above) and the expertise to design and manufacture such foods.

Enter The Profiteers

Elements of these principles (often distorted or misunderstood) have been taken up by an endless line of pet food entrepreneurs. The low fat craze led to low fat pet foods. The high fiber craze led to high fiber pet foods. The “no corn, wheat or soy” craze led to no corn, wheat or soy pet foods. The “omega- 3″ craze led to pet foods with fish oil. The “variety” craze led to pet foods supposedly offering variety. The “four food groups” craze led to all four bundled into a package. The “raw” craze has led to raw frozen pet foods. The list is endless and the race for pet owner dollars is at a fever pitch.

One can only feel sympathy for a concerned pet owner as they stroll along the huge array of pet food options in pet food aisles. Unfortunately, armed with only sound bites and lore they may have heard from a friend, breeder, veterinarian or on a commercial, they make choices that not only do not serve the health of their pet but may directly contribute to weakened immunity and disease.

The first thing consumers should keep in mind is the ideal diet for pets as described above. No packaged product regardless of its wild claims is ever going to equal that. The next best thing is to home prepare fresh meals. (Contact Wysong for recipes and instruction.) If that is not always possible, then products should be selected that are as close to the ideal as possible. (More suggestions below.)

Raw Frozen Pet Food Dangers

At first glance, considering the perfect feeding model I have described – raw, natural, whole – the best food may seem to be one of the raw frozen pet foods now clamoring to capture the “raw” craze. I’m sorry to say that some of these purveyors even use my books and literature to convince pet owners that their frozen products are on track. They take bits and pieces of good information and distort it into something that pretty much misses the point and misleads consumers. Also, these exotic frozen mixtures of ingredients of unknown origin, manufacturing and freezing conditions are most certainly not economical nor the best choice. They may, because of the water content and raw state, be outright dangerous.

[The Case Against Raw Frozen Pet Foods]

http://www.wysong.net/PDFs/caserawfrozen.pdf

Natural And Organic

At second glance then, it may appear that the next best thing would be one of the many “natural,” “organic” and “human-grade” dried or canned brands that are now flooding the market. Between these and the frozen food products, ingredient labels start to look outright ridiculous. For example, these are from some typical labels:

Every manner of “pureed” vegetable

Organic beef, rabbit, chicken, turkey, goat, lamb, duck, pork

Organic eggs

Organic honey

Organic papaya, persimmons, blueberries, oranges, apples, pears

Organic yogurt

Organic alfalfa, millet, quinoa and barley sprouts

Wheat grass

Nettles

Bok Choy

Cultured kefir

Cod liver oil

Capsicum

Watermelon….

Everything but the kitchen sink is put in so as not to risk losing any customer … and that would be in there too if a new myth appeared about the special health attributes of porcelain. I say the list is ridiculous not because such ingredients may not be wonderfully nutritious but because the consumer does not really know what part of the ingredient is being put in, in what form, how it is being protected from degradation and toxin formation and, as you will see below, the economic math does not add up. Additionally, feeding complex mixtures of foods (grains, meats, vegetables, fruit, dairy, etc.) at every meal is a digestive stress. Pets need a break once in a while and should have just a meat meal, a slice of watermelon or whatever fits their fancy, all alone so their digestive tract can focus and they can relish the flavor of an actual food.

Although the idea of organic agriculture is excellent, the use of the “organic” name just for marketing isn’t. Something may be labeled organic to entice customers but only contain a small percentage of organic (see below). Or, it may be that the particular organic ingredient may be of low nutritional merit – chicken heads, feet and feathers can be “organic.” Regardless, even if the food is 100% organic prime rib, that is not an argument for the exclusive feeding of the food to pets.

Human Grade

Then there are claims about “USDA approved” ingredients, “human grade” ingredients and ingredients purchased right out of the meat counter at the grocery store. Again, at first glance – and superficiality is what marketers like to deal with – it may seem that such foods would have merit over others. But such labels only create a perception of quality. People would not consider the food pets are designed for in the wild – whole, raw prey and carrion – “human grade” or “USDA approved.” Because something is not “human grade” does not mean it is not healthy or nutritious. For example, chicken viscera is not “human grade” but carries more nutritional value than a clean white chicken ******. Americans think that chicken feet would not be fit for human consumption but many far eastern countries relish them. On the other hand, “human grade” beef steaks fed to pets could cause serious nutritional imbalances and disease if fed exclusively. Pet foods that create the superficial perception of quality (USDA, human grade, etc.) with the intent of getting pet owners to feed a particular food exclusively is not what health is about.

There are also the larger concerns of the Earth’s dwindling food resources and swelling population. Should “human grade” food products be taken out of the mouths of people and fed to pets with all of the excellent nutritional non-”human grade” ingredients put in the garbage?

Think about the humane aspect of converting all pet food to “human grade.” Millions of tons of pet foods are produced each year. Should cows, pigs, sheep, fish, chickens and other sentient creatures be raised and slaughtered for these foods? Or should the perfectly good and nutritious by-products from human meat processing be used rather than wasted? Why would caring and sensitive pet owners and pet food producers want other creatures – that are themselves capable of being pets – needlessly raised in factory farm confinement and slaughtered when alternative sources of meat are available?

Pet Nutrition Is Serious Health Science

Pet nutrition is not about marketing and who can make the most money quickly. Unfortunately an aspiring pet food mogul off the street can go to any number of private label manufacturers and have a new brand made. These manufacturers have many stock formulas that can be slightly modified to match the current market trend. Voilà! A new pet food wonder brand is created.

Pet foods are about pet nutrition, and nutrition is a serious health matter. There is an implied ethic in going to market with products that can so seriously impact health. But the ethic is by and large absent in the pet food industry. Starting with the 100% claim and on to all the fad driven brands that glut the shelves, health is not being served. Nobody other than our organization is teaching people the principles I am discussing here. Instead, companies headed by people with no real technical, nutritional, food processing or health skills put themselves out to the public as serious about health … because that is what the public wants to hear and what sells. Never mind whether producers really understand or can implement healthy principles. The façade sells and selling is the game. Ingredients are important, true, but not less important than the expertise and principles of the producer who is choosing them, preparing, storing, processing and packaging them. Consumers place a lot of trust that nondescript processed nuggets are what consumers are being led to believe they are. Many a slip can occur between the cup and the lip. There are many slips that can occur between the cup of commercial claims and what ends up in the lips of the pet food bowl.

Consumer Blame

The consumer is not without guilt in this unfortunate – steady diet of processed pet food – approach to pet feeding. They want everything easy and inexpensive. They don’t want to learn or have to expend too much effort, and they want something simple to base decisions on like: “corn, wheat and soy are evil,” or “USDA approved,” or “human grade” or “organic is good.” They also want something for nothing and think they can get it in a pet food. People want prime choice meats, organic and fresh foods all wrapped up tidy in an easy open, easy pour package, hopefully for 50 cents a pound. They may even pay $1 or a little more if the producer can convince them about how spectacular their product is or how much cancer their pet will get if they choose another brand.

Doing The Math

Now when I go to the grocer or health food store and find these types of ingredients in raw, unprocessed, fresh packaged form, I don’t see hardly anything for $1 a pound, let alone 50 cents. Some of the organic meats are more than $15 a pound! Something’s afoul. But people are just not putting two and two together. How could a producer buy such expensive ingredients (as they are leading the public to believe they do) transport them to their “human grade” factory, grind, mix, extrude, retort, freeze, package, ship, advertise and pay salespeople and hefty margins to distributors, brokers and retailers and then sell them at retail for less than the cost of the bare starting materials? They can’t. So obviously manufactured pet foods making such claims are misleading (to put it gently). They may have organic filet mignon and caviar in the food but it would have to be an inconsequential sprinkle at best. Consumers must do the math and get realistic in their expectations.

Are By-Products Evil?

In the processing of human foods there are thousands of tons of by-products that cannot be readily sold to humans. Does that make them useless or even inferior? No. Such by-products could include trimmings, viscera, organs, bones, gristle and anything else that humans do not desire. Should these perfectly nutritious items be buried in a landfill? As I mentioned above, while Earth’s resources continue to decline and people starve around the globe, should we feed our pets only “human grade” foods and let perfectly edible – and sometimes even more nutritious – by-products go to waste? How is that conscionable or justifiable for either the consumer or the producer?

Road Kill and Euthanized Pets

This shift to “human grade” for pet foods is partly due to a variety of myths that have gotten much stronger legs than they deserve. Lore has spread in the marketplace that road kill and euthanized pets are used in pet foods. I have never seen the proof for this outrageous claim and after twenty years surveying ingredient suppliers I have never found a supplier of such. However, fantastic myths easily get life and the more fantastic they are the more life they have. It’s the intellectually lazy way and what lies at the root of so much misery. Sloppy superficial thinking is what leads to racism, sexism, religious persecution and wars. People would like to think the world is sharply divided into right-wrong, good-evil, black-white. Marketers capitalize on this by trying to create such sharp distinctions for consumers to easily grab on to: human grade = good/all others = evil; organic = right/all others = wrong; rice = white/corn and wheat = black. Such simplistic and naïve distinctions are quick and simple for advertisers and salespeople to use to sway public opinion. But nobody stepping back and using common sense would ever think that something as complex as health could ever come from what is or is not in a processed bag of food. Reality is not black or white; it is in shades of gray. Grayness requires some knowledge, judgment and discernment before making choices. It’s a little more work but is what we all must do if the world is ever to be a better place and people and pet health are to improve.

Digests, Meals And Other Boogeymen

Many producers attempt to sell their products by claiming they contain no “digests” or “meals.” The idea is that these are wicked ingredients and consumers should stay away from all products that contain them. A digest is a product created when enzymes break down foods. After you eat a meal and it is subjected to the acids and enzymes in the digestive tract it becomes a “digest.” Fermented (digested) foods made from soy, dairy and vegetables are among the most nutritious of all foods. Some “primitive” peoples bury food in the ground to rot and ferment and then uncover it later to consume it with great savor and nutritional benefit. Scavengers survive, and survive quite well, on fermenting, rotting and digesting foods. Meats, organs and trimmings can be likewise digested in vats creating both liquid and dried forms of commercial pet food digests. Being predigested they are highly concentrated and nutritionally efficient. If we are to listen to the taste buds of pets they would vote yes on digests since they find them highly palatable.

A “meal” is a food product that has been ground, mixed and dried. Meals are often used in pet foods because they are stable, easily transported, stored and handled. Dried pet foods themselves are ground, mixed and dried meals. So that makes an interesting dilemma for those who promote their products as having no meals. As far as processed pet food ingredients go, meals and digests can have their merits. There are degrees of quality as there are with any ingredient. There may be better options such as using fresh whole ingredients, but focusing on finding a product without digests or meals and feeding it exclusively is not the key to health. Given in sufficient dose, anything can be toxic and dangerous, even water and oxygen. Healthy food is a mixed bag of variety, form, preparation, quality, balance … and reason, not fear mongering or sensationalism.

4D

There is concern about dead, dying, downed (disabled) or diseased (4D) animals being used in pet foods. Other than the fact that this just does not “sound” like wholesome food, there is the concern that these animals may contain drugs or communicable pathogens (although this can be true of “human grade” ingredients as well). My point here will not be to defend unwholesome or dangerous meats but to give some perspective. As you are learning in this paper, just about every marketing angle used by pet food manufacturers is more sensationalism than it is substance. What does a carnivore eat in the wild? Is their diet only the strongest, most robust, fastest, healthiest and most elusive prey? Of course not. They seek and primarily feed upon the dead, dying, down and diseased – 4D prey. That’s exactly what humans who are alone in the wild, faced with survival, seek as well. Also, consider this, one of the largest markets for 4D meat is racing greyhounds. Not only are 4D meats fed, they are fed raw. Would kennels that make their living on the athletic performance of their animals feed foods that diseased their superstars or did not create results? These owners could buy commercial concoctions not containing 4D meat at the same price or less, but they don’t. There’s a reason.

If a cow breaks a leg in the field and is down, should it be killed and hauled to a landfill? How about a chicken ****** that was bruised on the processing line? Should they all be taken to a landfill because they might be called “4D,” “by-products” or “non- human grade?” What is the ethic in discarding a creature that has in essence sacrificed its life for food? That’s not how nature does it. Nothing is wasted.

But the supposed evilness of “4D” makes great marketing fodder and soap boxes for some who need a cause or a conspiracy to promote. People don’t like the sound of “4D,” ” by-products,” or “non-human grade.” Producers know this and play to it. Thus begins the race to see who can get to market first with “USDA approved” and “human grade” pet food labels. Whether it really has anything to do with health is not important. Perception and propaganda create profits.

(To put such fear mongering in perspective, consider that over 500,000 people [proportionate numbers in animals], the equivalent of more than five per day of our largest jet liners packed full, die each year as a result of modern medical measures [doctors, drugs, hospitals]. Yet we hear more fear and commotion about boogeyman food ingredients that rarely, if ever, take a life. You figure it.

[Why Modern Medicine Is the Greatest Threat To Life]

http://www.wysong.net/health/hl_884.shtml

To repeat, none of this is intended to diminish the need for wholesome and nutritious ingredients for pets or humans. But the buzzwords currently bandied about – “human grade,” “4D,” “by-products,” “USDA approved” and the like – do not provide the proper criteria for decision making and only mislead consumers into thinking health and good nutrition are only a phrase on a package away.

What To Do

How do concerned pet owners wanting to cut through all the marketing clutter negotiate a path? It is very simple if the basic principles I have discussed above are kept in mind. Here are tips on how to implement an intelligent health and feeding philosophy:

1. Learn how to feed fresh food. Alternate these with honest processed foods fed in variety, and complement these foods with well- designed supplements.

[How To Apologize To Your Pet]

http://www.wysong.net/PDFs/apology_pamphlet.pdf

Don’t get all particular and paranoid about balancing nutrients and ingredient do’s and don’ts. Rotate, vary, mix it up and fast once in a while. Trust in nature, not some marketing hype. (Use the same principles for yourself and your family if you want optimal health as well.)

2. If you must have human grade or organic foods for your pet, go buy the real thing at the grocery meat counter. Take it home, cut it up and feed it raw. Freeze the remainder into small meal portions and use them for subsequent meals. Don’t turn your brain off and go buy “organic” or “human grade” pet foods that for their cost could only contain hints of the real thing. Pet food manufacturers may be clever at marketing, but they are not magicians. One thing is certain; they do not buy ingredients and then sell them to you for less than what they buy them for.

3. Use appropriately designed supplements such as Call Of The Wild™ and Wild Things™ to balance raw meals and help make them safe if you are not skilled at such meal preparation.

4. The best raw, processed food alternative to fresh foods from the grocer is non-thermally processed dry foods – not raw frozen ones. (See Wysong Archetype™.) Use this food for alternate meals and as top dressing to heat processed foods.

5. Check the credentials of the person making the decisions in the company whose products you buy. Don’t go to a plumber for brain surgery and don’t expect serious healthy products from business people.

6. Steer away from brands that are pushing any particular hot buttons such as “natural,” “no by- products,” exotic ingredients (quail eggs, watermelon, persimmons, etc.), organic, omega-3, rice and the like. Although these features may bring some merit to a food (if they are put in at other than “pinch” levels), they are not an end in themselves and if the packaged food is fed exclusively can cause more harm than good.

7. Steer away from brands that fear monger. For example, there is the no corn or wheat scam – “buy our brand; it has no corn or wheat.” (Just saying a product has “no” something is enough to scare the non-thinking public to the brand that doesn’t have the boogeyman ingredient. Profiteers know this and play it to the hilt in the pet food industry.) The truth is, grains are put in dried nugget foods because they contain the starch necessary for the extrusion process. Starch is pretty much starch regardless of whether it comes from corn, wheat, rice, potatoes, millet or whatever. Grains also help decrease the cost of pet foods. They contribute some nutrition but in a properly formulated meat-based pet food the majority of the nutritional value comes from the meat. It is true that animals may develop allergy to corn or wheat but that can happen with rice or any other grain or ingredient as well. Problems are prevented by varying the diet. That is why Wysong has developed the range of formulations it has and puts them in small portion packs so the foods can be rotated. Of all the Wysong formulations, the ones with corn are chosen on almost a 5:1 ratio over all others and are the diets we receive the thousands of raves about, even in those pets supposedly allergic to corn!

[Wysong Testimonials]

http://www.wysong.net/testimonials.shtml

This is not to tout the merit of corn, or any grain in pet food for that matter. They are sort of a necessary evil in dried extruded foods and any of them can bring some benefit if rotated in the diet.

8. Do not feed any product exclusively. Variety is the spice of nutrition and the road to good health.

9. Features to look for in a packaged product would be those that bring the product close to the raw-whole-fresh-natural standard described above: active enzymes, probiotics cultures, natural preservation and protection against food-borne pathogens, proper packaging, intelligent formulation and balance, micronutrient dense, freshly produced, fresh ingredients – and the expertise to do all of this, not just say so on a package or brochure. (Some brands trying to get on the raw food bandwagon make outright false claims about “cold” processing.)

10. The company should be able to intelligently explain what they are doing in terms of processing, packaging, product preservation and prevention of food-borne pathogens. It is one thing to simply put a certain ingredient into a food, quite another to protect it until it is consumed. For example, Wysong owns its own manufacturing facilities in order to go beyond industry standard techniques. Special portion pack, light- and oxygen- barrier bags, modified atmosphere flush and natural ingredients to prevent oxidation and food- borne pathogens are part of all Wysong products. (See technical monographs on Packaging, Antioxidants and Wyscin™.)

11. Most important, learn. Support a company that helps you learn the truth and teaches you how to be at least somewhat independent of commercial products. Demand that producers provide proof for their claims in the form of good logic, evidence and science. Try to discern the company’s true motives, your pocketbook or your pet’s health. Learn how to go beyond The Pet Food Ingredient Game.

Wysong R. L. (1993). Rationale for Animal Nutrition. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

Wysong, R. L. (2002, June 19). Why Modern Medicine is The Greatest Threat to Health. The Wysong e-Health letter. Wysong Institute, Midland, MI.

[The Wysong e-Health letter]

http://www.wysong.net/health/hl_884.shtml

Wysong, R. L. (2002). The Truth About Pet Foods. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

Wysong, R. L. (2004). Nutrition is a Serious Health Matter: The serious responsibility of manufacturing and selling. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

Wysong, R. L. (2004). The Thinking Person’s Master Key to Health (60 Minute CD Discussion) Wysong Institute, Midland, MI.

Wysong, R. L. (2005). Comparing Pet Foods Based Upon What Matters: The First Study of its Kind in the Pet Food Industry. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

Wysong, R. L. & Savant, V. (2005). The Case AGAINST Raw Frozen Pet Foods. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

For further reading, or for more information about, Dr Wysong and the Wysong Corporation please visit www.wysong.net or write to wysong@wysong.net. For resources on healthier foods for people including snacks, and breakfast cereals please visit www.cerealwysong.com.



By: Dr. Randy Wysong

About the Author:

Hybrid Cars

Like most things these days, the price of pet care is increasing. However, unlike the price of gas, which is set by supply and demand, the cost of caring for your pet is driven by an increasing expectation for the quality of care.

The advancements in high-tech diagnostics now provide for a faster and more accurate diagnosis, which in turn allows your veterinarian to provide the appropriate treatment faster.

Pets are living longer due to improved health care and treatments, just as we are. And, just as with human aging, aging in pets sometimes brings the complications of chronic medical conditions, such as arthritis, kidney and heart failure and, of course, cancer. Cancer is the leading cause of death in pets over six years of age, and – also as with humans – cancer can be successfully treated in most pets.

What pet owners often overlook is the cost involved. While cancer treatments are far less expensive for our pets than they are for us, treating cancer can still be quite costly for most families whose beloved pet needs treatment.

It is not unusual today for cancer treatments for an ill or injured pet to cost into the thousands of dollars. For most people, this cost is a budget buster and creates a dilemma for pet families as they struggle with shuffling the budget to pay for the treatment or facing the emotional trauma of not being able to afford the needed care.

What are pet owners to do?  There are several options, but each has their downside.

Savings – The trouble here is that you won’t have it for another emergency when you need it, or for your retirement. Time is also an issue here as it takes years to have enough put aside if the problem is severe.

Credit Cards – With credit cards, we all know what happens to the interest rate if a payment is late and sometimes even when not. It’s exorbitant.



Disposable Income – If you’re like most, there is very little left after you’ve met your monthly bills for unexpected expenses, especially those that can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Pet Insurance – This is another solution that allows pet owners to budget and always be able to afford most any care that occurs once coverage is secured. Pet health insurance is a good option and an easy way to budget for your pet’s care. Since most plans reimburse you 80% after a low deductible, it gives pet owners peace of mind knowing they can afford care, whether minor or major.

Far too often, we think nothing will happen to our pets. This is wishful thinking because invariably, something will happen. When not prepared, this reality can lead to the hard decision of whether or not to pay for the pet’s treatment.

With pet insurance you pay an affordable monthly premium, and you’re prepared for the treatment of any of the thousands of illness and injuries covered by pet insurance.

Chances are that your pet will be faced with more than one large veterinary bill; having pet insurance means you’re prepared. Just like children, pets can get into plenty of trouble and have many of the same medical conditions as humans. Pets  are also subject to some diseases that do not afflict humans.

One aspect of pet insurance to keep in mind is that pet insurance does not cover medical problems that are already present, whether diagnosed or not. If the condition exists prior to coverage, then it cannot be covered. Because of this, pet owners need to purchase pet insurance when the pet is healthy or before major medical complications develop.  See how pet insurance plans work and visit http://www.petsbest.com/gettingstarted/howpetinsuranceworks.aspx.

When researching pet insurance policies, be sure to check for these things:



The ability to use your own veterinarian

That the policy pays a flat percentage of eligible expenses with no set schedules that may be considerably less than your veterinarian, emergency clinic or specialist might charge.

A reasonable deductible. The higher the deductible the lower the premium usually, since you are taking on more risk.

The company is recommended by your veterinarian. Your vet or their staff knows which companies pay, which ones provide good service, and which don’t.

Pets of any age are insured with no termination of coverage due to age. As pets age their medical conditions increase. When they are young, accidents are more prevalent. But remember, misfortune can attack pets of any age. You want your pet insurance coverage (http://www.petsbest.com/plans/illnessaccidentplans.aspx) to stay in effect to be prepared for those problems.

Fast reimbursement. Most vets require you to pay up front and then seek reimbursement from the pet insurance administrator or company. That means you don’t want to wait long for your money, since the cost may be on your credit card.

Affordable yet provides good value. How do you tell? It is tough. Ask friends who have experience. Ask your vet or shop carefully, as many companies and plans look alike but function very differently. Again, your vet will have recommendations. You can also go to the Pets Best Insurance website (http://www.petsbest.com) to check out a leader in the field.



If you want peace of mind knowing you’ll always be able to afford whatever care your pet needs, consider pet health insurance as the best option. It makes sense.

And remember, obtain pet insurance before your pet needs it. This will keep you from having to revert to savings, disposable income, a loan or using a credit card when medical emergencies occur.



By: Jack L. Stephens Dvm

About the Author:

Cat Trees

Perhaps the most famous Cat Song is The Siamese Cat Song recorded by Peggy Lee. The song is from the Walt Disney 1955 classic “The Lady and The Tramp”, an animated film about a classy Cocker Spaniel named Lady who falls for Tramp a scamp of a mongrel. The song however is about two arrogant cats, Si and Am, who have given Siamese cats a bad name ever since.

The Siamese Cat Song was penned by Lee along with Sonny Burke and over the years has also been recorded by Freddie and The Dreamers, Mitch Miller, Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin, Haylie Duff, and Bobby McFerrin. “We are Siamese if you please, We are Siamese if you don’t please.”

Both The Turtles and Petula Clark stepped into recording studios to make very different versions of The Cat in the Window, a song that compares a cat trying to get out of a window with the singer wanting to fly away. “There’s a cat in the window, and he’s watching all the birds go passing by, he’d love to fly out the window, go where the wind goes, and so would I.”

Who can forget the Muppets recording of The Cat Came Back, a song about a kitty that just kept finding its way back no matter how far it was taken from home. “But the cat came back, she wouldn’t stay away, she was sitting on the porch the very next day.”

In 1950 folks were flooding into record stores and asking for I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat. Mel Blanc recorded the song, written by Alan Livingston, Billy May and Warren Foster, about the cartoon cat and canary duo Sylvester and Tweety. “I tawt I taw a puddy tat a creeping up on me, I did I taw a puddy tat as plain as he could be.”

The Rooftop Singers followed up their 1963 number one hit Walk Right In, with Tom Cat a ditty about ‘Ringtail Tom’ who liked to go “strutting round the town” “And when he steps out all the other cats in the neighborhood they begin to shout.” Fast forward to 1981 and the Stray Cats record a musically different song but with a very similar theme, the rockabilly Stray Cat Strut. “Stray cat strut, I’m a ladies’ cat, a feline Casanova, hey man, that’s where it’s at, get a shoe thrown at me from a mean old man, get my dinner from a garbage can.”

Norma Tanega apparently owned a cat that she named ‘Dog’ and liked to take that

cat for walks, hence her 1966 hit Walking My Cat Named Dog, which does seem to be about her real life experience of strolling around town with her pet feline.

Most songs though that include the word Cat in the tile, are not truly about cats at all. A great example is the fine song, Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. No cats make an appearance in this song; instead the lyrics contain a very chilling message that every dad should pay heed too.

Bent Fabric, real name Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, had a hit in 1962 with Alley Cat, but this was an instrumental recording so it’s not a song about cats. Instrumental too was Aaron Copeland’s The Cat and the Mouse.

Cat People (Putting Out Fire) by David Bowie was recorded for the 1982 remake of the film Cat People. Great dark and menacing feel to the song but the words have no relationship to cats.

The cat in The Cat Crept In, recorded by Mud was actually a girl, as was the cat featured in The Rolling Stones’ Stray Cat Blues, this one with exceedingly sharp claws.

They Call Her the Cat, by Elton John is about, well it’s not about cats! Neither is Honky Cat, another Elton tune, that one is about a country boy moving to live life in the city.

Three Cool Cats, is a song that was first recorded by the Coasters in 1958 and covered by The Beatles in 1962 (but not released until 1995.) Of course this song is not about cats, but about three teenage boys and three teenage girls. The Beatles also recorded Little Willie John’s Leave My Kitten Alone, no surprise to find that the song is not about a kitten.

U2 recorded a song titled An Cat Dubh, which apparently means The Black Cat in Gaelic, no cat in the song though, black or otherwise.

No cats are in Year of the Cat by Al Stewart, Cat Scratch Fever by Ted Nugent, The Lovecats by The Cure or in Cool for Cats by Squeeze. Who can say what The Cat’s In the Well by Bob Dylan is about?

There must be countless other songs that have the words Cat, or Cats, in the title but are not actually about our feline friends. No doubt there are more songs that are about cats than those listed on this page, but those songs sadly seem few and far between.

But wait . . . wasn’t there a stage musical all about cats. Cats, the musical by

Andrew Lloyd Webber, was first shown in London, England in 1981. Based upon T.

S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats the show features song after song about . . . Old Gumbie, Grizabella, Mungojerrie And Rumpelteazer, Skimbleshanks, Old Deuteronomy, Gus, Macavity, and Mr. Mistoffelees. All of these characters are, of course, . . . Cats.



By: Larry Chamberlain

About the Author:

The Pet Supply Guy

You’ve heard of horoscopes, but have you ever heard of pet horoscopes? Many people believe that the position of planets and stars have a tremendous impact on the actions and events within our daily lives. Those who ascribe to this belief also understand that those impacts have an effect on all life, not just human life. This means that the position of planets and stars can impact the lives of our pets as well!

To determine the sign of your pet, just compare the month that your pet was born to the dates on the pet horoscope guide. Each range of dates has its own unique sign, identical to human astrological signs.

Where to Find Pet Horoscopes

Pet horoscopes are very unique because a pet’s life is obviously quite different than a human’s, with different concerns, desires, fears, and hopes. Reading your pet’s weekly horoscope can be great fun – just as much fun as reading your own. However, since pet horoscopes are not quite as common as human horoscopes, they can be a little more difficult to find. Below are several websites that list horoscopes for pets every week.

Petroscopes for Pet Horoscopes

Petroscopes for Pet Horoscopes is a great website focused solely on providing both weekly and yearly pet horoscopes. The main page features the yearly horoscope for each zodiac sign.

Here’s an example of a yearly pet horoscope from petroscopes.com:

“Taurus: Taurus is entering a difficult and tiring period. In spite of his natural cautiousness, your Taurus pet may seem so exhausted at times that you feel it necessary to take him to see the local vet. You may also notice your pet exhibiting signs of loneliness – try to give him as much affection as you can.”

This website features some great yearly pet horoscopes, but make note of the fact that the weekly horoscopes are not always updated in a very timely manner.

VPI Pet Insurance

The VPI Pet Insurance Company (yes, there really is such a thing as pet insurance!) provides timely and updated pet horoscopes. The page for 2008 summarizes the year for all pets as follows:

“This year, pets will discover their role as a constant companion is an important one. In 2008, Mother Nature will play a part in pets’ lives throughout the four seasons.”

The horoscope section of this website also offers a “Pet Education Center” that includes sections on “First Aid For Your Pet”, “First Time Pet Owners”, and “Pet Toxins & Poisons”. The website offers a brief horoscope blurb on the main page, and a link for each zodiac sign to a more comprehensive prediction page.

Clicking on the link for the prediction page for any of the signs brings you to a page that describes the personality of that sign (a very fun read, to compare it to your pet’s personality), as well as the effects of astrological events on the life of your pet during each season of the year. The website is laid out very well, organized cleanly and with very fun graphics.

Cat’s Central

Cat’s & Kittens Central provides a fun web page called Winky’s Pet Horoscopes, which is focused primarily on cats. The page touts Winky’s Pet Horoscopes as “The Internet’s #1 Feline Astrologer!” This web page allows you to view your cat’s monthly horoscope. If you don’t know your cat’s exact birthday, Winy says you can simply use the day your pet came into your life.

Each page for the monthly horoscope of each sign features an adorable photo of a cat given the title the zodiac sign “of the Month.” The horoscopes themselves are tailored specifically for cats and very fun to read. For example, Aries for this month reads:

“The moon is set to eclipse Pluto this month, but you needn’t worry yourself about that – after all, Pluto was a badly drawn cartoon dog and you, being of the feline persuasion, are far removed from such things.”

The humor and wit is great. The website, overall, is somewhat amateurish in design, but it isn’t overrun by ads and it’s very easy to navigate. The well-written horoscopes are definitely the star of the show at this site.

Nikky’s Pet Profiles

Another unique way to commemorate your pet and his or her zodiac sign is through a painted pet portrait utilizing an astrology theme and integrating the pet’s zodiac sign..

Pet portraits are very popular and sweeping the country. Nikky Hughes, of Los Angeles, offers amazing pet portraits that utilize unique backgrounds and themes. She is always happy to do portraits on request, and a pet’s zodiac sign would easily fit into the creative and witty existing portfolio of pet portraits that are displayed at her website.

Nikky was classically trained at the Mission Renaissance art school, and she focuses on capturing not only the beauty, but the unique character of each animal. There are more ways to enjoy horoscopes than simply reading them each day – feature your cat in a beautiful painted portrait that incorporates the zodiac, and you have an astrological masterpiece that will last a lifetime.



By: Nikky Hughes: Pet Portraits

About the Author:

Alternative Fuels

If you have just got a pet, you most likely will not know that there are a variety of ways in which you can protect your pet. As your pet grows on you, so will its age and no time is sooner than now to get it a pet insurance.

To get started, let’s get you familiarized with three types of pet insurance:

1) Pet Life Insurance

As veterinary care becomes more and more expensive, it only makes sense that you should get a pet life insurance. Not only will it help you in taking care of hefty medical bills but your pet should be able to live a healthy life because you are able to take it to see the vet for its routine check ups or shots.

In most cases, pet life insurance would also protect your pet from injuries that may affect them and get preventive care under the plan. Some pet life insurance plans will also provide your pet coverage for illnesses after thirty days of taking the plan.

This is how a pet life insurance will work for you. If the pet becomes injured or has fallen sick, all you have to do is to take it to a licensed veterinarian and pay them for their services after which you can submit a claim along with relevant receipts.

However before taking out a pet life insurance policy, you may need to consider a few necessary issues such as:

i) What should be covered by the insurance policy

ii) Different levels of pet insurance

iii) Limits of pet insurance

iv) Whether the plan will cover hereditary condition

v) You should consider the means to pay the premium

vi) You should know if the policy provides third party liability or not

vii) Whether there will be any payment when the pet dies.

You should also get a pet life insurance in the event your pet deliberately injures another pet or a person in which you may have to pay a sum of money for compensation.

There are different types of pet life insurances in which you have to compare prices, consider policy excess, get lifelong cover, and consider all benefits available. You also have to understand the small print to be well informed.

2) Travel Pet Insurance

Travel pet insurance basically put, is going to help you take care of your pet by the same way as a regular insurance, but when you travel. This means that if your pet gets sick or hurt, you will not be able to use your regular pet insurance to take care of your pet but you can use your travel pet insurance.

You can purchase a temporary policy that will give you travel pet insurance. This policy will generally last a number of days or even weeks. During this period of time if your pet gets sick or injured, you are going to be able to take advantage of the policy to pay for your pet’s recovery.

Another type of travel pet insurance provides your pet protection in case you have to ship it some place. This type of travel insurance covers these costs and anything that might go wrong when you have arrived to your destination.

3) Embrace Pet Insurance

Embrace pet insurance allows you to customize your pet insurance policy. This means that you can decide on what you want to include or not include in your embrace pet insurance policy.

All of embrace pet insurance policies comes with the basic built-in coverage such as: accidents and illness, genetic conditions, cancer, alternative and complementary therapies, hospitalization, surgery, laboratory and diagnostic testing and drugs administered by your vet.

The basic coverage of the embrace pet insurance policy is quite complete already that even if you do not add in for more services, your pet is being protected enough.

When customizing your embrace pet insurance, you can make it suit your budget and the needs of your pet. You can opt for your policy maximum, the deductible, co-pay and other options that can help you make your policy more suitable for you and your pet.

However it takes the age, health and status of your pet that will determine the parameters on how you can customize your embrace pet insurance policy. For example, if you have a cat and it is relatively young, healthy and stays indoors most of the time, you may be able to take up a policy that will cost you less. You have to evaluate the policy closely and find out where you can save some money.



By: Cindy Heller

About the Author:

Baseball Ebooks

Recently Pets Best Insurance conducted another set of focus groups on pet owners to determine if we were addressing what pet owners really wanted, and to see if they understood the value concept of pet insurance.

The results of the study confirmed observations stemming from years of prior experience in veterinary medicine and pet insurance. However, the results also showed that many pet owners believe myths about pet insurance born of misconceptions and incorrect information. Below are the myths we encountered and takeaways from our focus group.

“Pet Insurance Is Only For Sick Pets”

Actually, you must purchase insurance before your pet is sick, the same as you would buy auto or homeowners insurance before you have an accident or catastrophe. Although Pets Best provides a small amount towards a pre-existing condition insurance is really for future risk (loss).

“Insurance Is a Hassle”

Pets Best pet insurance plans are simple. You just pay your veterinary bills and submit the bills to us. We reimburse you directly in less than a week (unlike some plans which are complicated and utilize schedules which may be substantially less than your actual veterinary expenses).

With Pets Best 80% payment after the deductible, it is easy to figure out how much we will reimburse you for your claims. Since pet owners typically pay out of pocket for their pet’s medical expenses, the turnaround time for payment is shorter, unlike human health care where hospitals and doctors bill the insurance company.

“We Could Not Choose Our Own Vet”

Fortunately with most pet insurance plans there are no Managed Care principals, Pet HMOs or Veterinary PPOs to contend with. At Pets Best you can always select the veterinarian of your choice. Pet insurance is not typically involved in the decision process for treatments, care or cost. The only exceptions are plans that utilize a benefit schedule (which will affect your out-of-pocket costs) and one that is trying to set up a network of veterinarians.

“Pet Insurance Must Be Expensive”

Although premiums vary by company, plan type, age of pet, and species of pet (cat or dog), in most instances pet insurance is very affordable and the monthly cost is about what you would pay for a dinner for two. Pet owners can choose a less costly plan with lower limits and a higher deductible or a higher cost plan with lower deductible and higher limits. Prices will vary from company to company, but most are reasonable. See an overview of Pets Best insurance plans at http://www.petsbest.com/plans/default.aspx.

“Pet Insurance Has Too Many Exclusions Or Does Not Cover What I Need”

When it comes to accidents or illness, pet insurance actually has very few exclusions. Pet insurance is designed to transfer the risk of your pet’s future unknown health cost to the insurer. Close inspection will see that it truly does.

When it comes to protecting your pet’s health and the many thousands of accidents and illnesses that can happen to pets (other than hereditary, congenital and pre-existing conditions) all accidents and most illnesses are covered.

With Pets Best many of the typical exclusions are limitations, where the payment, although smaller, does provide some coverage and value. Ask your veterinarian or their staff how many times a pet’s illness can present financial hardship and hard decisions.

Pet insurance is like your own health insurance; it is designed to pay for your pet’s medical needs, whether it is a simple skin rash, a virus, an ear infection or severe cancer.

As a pet owner, your decisions surrounding pet insurance speak to your understanding the myths and facts about the real value pet insurance can provide. In addition to granting peace of mind and protecting your pocketbook, most pet owners still do not understand the benefits.

As a doctor of veterinary medicine and an animal lover, I will not rest until every pet owner is at least aware that pet insurance coverage exists. It can be budgeted at a reasonable cost so pet lovers never have to be concerned with their pet family member’s health costs.

Curious about what it would cost to insure your pet? Pets Best is happy to provide a free quote for pet insurance at https://www.petsbest.com/enrollment/AddPetLite.aspx.

Still have questions about pet insurance? Visit the Pets Best frequently asked questions about pet insurance forum.

If you’re a veterinarian, you’ll find more information on pet insurance options here, or visit the Morris Animal Foundation’s Veterinarians page for vet chat, pet memorial cards, information about recent studies, and more.



By: Jack L. Stephens Dvm

About the Author:

Green Living

Pet Insurance is often compared to human health insurance, yet the only similarity is that the health of the pet is being insured. Take it from me, Dr. Jack Stephens the founder of the pet insurance industry in the United States and its leading advocate for over 25 years.

Here are my comparisons and guidelines for pet insurance.

Pet Insurance Comparison to Human Health Insurance:

CHOICES

-Pet insurance offers limited choices to pet owners. Until recently, there were only three plans, although now there are nine pet insurance plans.

-Still, that’s a very limited selection when compared to hundreds of choices for human health insurance.

COST

-Just as veterinary costs are much lower than human health care costs, pet premiums cost much less. Whereas a typical pet insurance premium may be $20 to $40 per month, health premiums for humans are hundreds to over a thousand dollars a month.

-Premiums for pets will vary from company to company, and be influenced by other variables such as the age of a pet, species of pet, breed of pet, plan types and in some cases by geography.

-Curious about what it would cost to insure your pet?  Pets Best is happy to provide a free quote for pet insurance.

-Although it may seem complicated, the variances are much less than in human health care where the options and pricing confuse professional agents.

STRUCTURE

-Human health care has several major options that greatly impact choices.

-HMO (health maintenance organizations) plans are restricted to certain doctors, hospitals, cost of care and restrictions on access of care.

-Other than a few Pet Hospital wellness plans, none of these options exist for pets.

-PPO (preferred provider organizations) plans provide a list of doctors and hospitals but are more inclusive and less restrictive as the HMO.

-There is one recent attempt to develop a PPO for pets. Historically these attempts have not succeeded.

-Then there are the plans which have few if any restrictions of health care providers and fewer restrictions on the type and cost of care.

-In almost all health plans for humans, there are limits and restrictions on the cost of care, or “cost containment” provisions.

-Pet insurance is a liability policy that reimburses the pet owner (insured) for covered expenses incurred for their pet

-Pet owners want choices for care and selection of their veterinarian. This may change as utilization of pet care continues to increase, but all surveys of pet owners have been consistent in that pet insurance must allow them to use their own veterinarian and that they do not want the restrictions they endure for their own health plans.

WHO PAYS

-Most human health insurance is purchased by the employer, while pet insurance is mostly paid with discretionary income from pet owners. The bigger the employer, the better the buying power.

-Typically more benefits and better pricing are provided to larger groups, whereas pet insurance is typically individualized with discounts available for some employer and pet groups.

TAXES

-Human health insurance purchased through the employer and for the self employed is a business expense and not taxable to the employee, whereas pet insurance is paid from after-tax income.

REGULATION

-Pet insurance is considered liability insurance and is regulated typically as property casualty insurance, miscellaneous or inland marine, whereas health insurance is provided through exceptions to insurance by an act of Congress. Pet insurance is simpler in regulation and oversight.

CLAIMS

-Unlike human health care, the pet owner typically pays for veterinary care and seeks reimbursement from the pet insurance company.

-Most human health plans provide for the doctor or hospital to bill the insurance company and then collect the co-insurance from the insured at a later date.

-With pet insurance the insured pays out of pocket for the expenses, therefore the complaint turnaround time for claims reimbursement is more important. Waiting for reimbursement can become a problem when on a tight budget.

COMPLAINTS

-All companies direct complaints and claim resolution to internal controls that escalate as complexity or costs rise. With pet insurance unresolved complaints can be directed to State Departments of Insurance which regulate, license and audit the companies. They cannot force the company to reverse or pay a claim, however, they have great influence and if a regulation is not followed they can go to small claims court and litigation.

Still have questions? Visit the Pets Best  frequently asked questions about pet insurance forum.

If you’re a veterinarian, you’ll find more information on pet insurance options here, or visit the Morris Animal Foundation’s Veterinarians page for vet chat, pet memorial cards, information about recent studies, and more.



By: Jack L. Stephens Dvm

About the Author:

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Anyone who has owned a pet knows that buying pet supplies can become an extremely expensive endeavor. Pet needs are almost always underestimated until you actually have the animal living in your home, and you quickly realize that the animal needs proper bedding, toys, a carrier, leash, outdoor containment, grooming tools, as well as medicine and food. Properly taking care of your pet shouldn’t have to cost a fortune.

The resources below will help you find pet supplies, medicine, and food that will cost far less than the retail prices you’ll find at any grocery or department store.

Coupons for Pet Supplies

One of the first places to look for significant savings on pet supplies is through using coupons. Coupons can provide some significant savings on supplies, sometimes up to or greater than 50%. Various outlets, such as PetSmart, even offer free shopping for orders over a certain size. This means that by simply doing your pet supply shopping online, you are saving a fortune.

One of the best coupon providers with the most coupons for pet supplies is Coupon Mountain, with coupons for pet supplies, pet medications, and online deals for most of the major pet supply retailers. A few examples of the deals to be found at Coupon Mountain



$5 to $20 off K9 Advantix at 1-800-PetMeds

Get $15 off orders of $75 or more at PetCo

15% off orders over $40 at PETsMART

10% off any order at DogToys.com

15% off orders over $100 at PetCareRx

15% off Lambert Kay Pet Care products



This is only a very small sample of the long list of coupons and deals provided at Coupon Mountain.

Direct Pet Superstore

Direct Pet Superstore is a large discount retailer of everything you could possibly need for your pet. This includes toys, treats, grooming supplies, flea & tick management, medicines, and even an entire section with additional coupons and promotions.

Direct Pet has an entire section dedicated to saving money on your pet’s prescriptions called “Pet RX”. You can find medicine from Pfizer, Virbac, Boehringer Ingelheim, and other pharmalogicals at impressively competitive prices.

Other ways to save at Direct Pet Superstore:



Sign up and you will be notified of exclusive specials on new products and sale prices for existing products.

A current promotion is a $100 shopping spree for five lucky winners.

Request a free catalog

Discounts on supplies and medicine throughout the website



My Pet Outlet

MyPetOutlet.com is a fantastic discount pet supply website with multiple deals going on every month. A few examples from the main page include Dr Noys Swizzle Teaser for 15% off, a Merrick Meaty Beef Dog Bone at 25% off, and Kitty Hoots “Zoom” Organic cat nip at 20% off.

Categories at MyPetOutlet.com include supplies fro dogs, cats, birds, fish, and even reptiles and small animals. There’s even a clearance section where you can find some rock bottom prices. This week MyPetOutlet.com is offering 15% off every order over 50, as well as a free toy and free shipping. With prices this low, it doesn’t make sense to walk into a retail pet store anymore – shopping online saves so much more.

Pet Portraits, Send 5% Savings to an Animal Rescue Foundation

One of the most unique things you can do to capture the character of your pet, and to show people how much love you have for your furry friend, is to have a pet portrait done by professional artist Nikky Hughes of Los Angeles. Nikky was classically trained at the Mission Renaissance art school, and she focuses on capturing not only the beauty, but the unique character of each animal. She will accept photos through the mail of pets, and then create stunning portraits from those pictures. Pet portraits are ideal because they can be done from a photo (as apposed to getting the pet to “pose” at a studio.)

The great thing about Nikky is that she’s a pet lover herself, and this is reflected in how she runs her business. She discounts every commissioned painting by 5%, and sends those savings as a donation to an animal rescue foundation. This shows how Nikky’s love for all animals is not only reflected in her heartfelt portraits, but also in how she runs her business.

PetCo

Of course, another way to save a fortune off of pet supplies that you wouldn’t normally save if you simply visit a brick-and-mortar store, is to visit that store’s website. Petco also has a comprehensive online website where shoppers can shop virtually for all pet supplies. Petco provides internet only discounts to internet shoppers, such as free shopping, some of the lowest prices available anywhere for Frontline products, and each category (dogs, cats, fish, etc.) has a section devoted to sales, where you can find some impressive discounts off all kinds of pet products.



By: Nikky Hughes: Pet Portraits

About the Author:

Dog Training