Hi All! So this post is a shout back to an early-on post I did about the critical importance of clean clean clean water for your pet.

In today’s busy world, it’s really easy to cut corners wherever you can. Lots of people think if their pet’s water dish “appears” clear that it is in fact still clean and okay for the pet to drink. So they skip cleaning it for a day, or two, or a week, or more. WRONG!  The worst bacteria is in the pet’s saliva, which appears clear and doesn’t even show in the water dish. So it’s very important to understand then that once the pet takes its first drink from a dish of clean water, it’s actually already at that moment contaminated. That’s why it’s so so so important to clean the pet’s dish AT LEAST once a day, NEVER LESS.

It’s What You Don’t See.

You must NEVER wait till a pet’s water dish is green and slimy. By that point, you have far and away missed the mark for protecting your pet’s health. And, in fact, have put your pet in grave danger on several levels. You would even fall under the category of negligent and abusive at that point.  So let’s definitely avoid that, for your pet’s health and your good reputation.

How To Know For Sure if Your Pet’s Water Is Clean Or Needs Changing.

The most certain way to know is by programming yourself to automatically change your pet’s water dish at least once a day, every day, whether it appears to need it or not. Just become programmed, and this will guarantee your pet’s protection from any water dish bacteria.

Another way to check is to empty the dish and then rub your fingers over the inside surface of the dish. If it feels slimy, even a little, and no longer squeaky clean, then that’s bacteria buildup already. Have you ever been, say, late to work so you skipped brushing your teeth that morning? You could look in the mirror and not be able to tell, but you could feel it with your tongue, right. That’s the bacteria. Same deal with your pet’s dish.  DON’T WAIT TILL YOU CAN SEE IT!!

What The Bacteria Does.

First, you’re forcing your pet to drink contaminated water full of bacteria, fungi, and mold. These elements can and will damage your pet’s teeth, gums, blood, and organs. Do you see how this is hazardous to your pet’s wellbeing and even its life? If you choose to ignore your pet’s water dish, then get ready for hefty veterinarian bills to fix it — for example special diet and medication for damaged liver or kidneys, etc. Or, if you don’t want to pay out for veterinary care, either, then no doubt this is the point when your poor pet gets dumped at the shelter, right, so that you’re off the hook now. But imagine what’s ahead then for your precious pet that you just left behind. His future is now at risk, for both his health and even his life.

Do you really think someone else will come along and adopt him knowing all the health ailments he now has?  If you didn’t want to prevent them, why should someone else want to fix them?  Your pet may never find a new home and family to love and care for him, and he may never get out of that shelter alive, and this whole moment could so easily have been avoided. I know you don’t want that for your pet that you love so dearly. And I’m just playing devil’s advocate here to show you the progression when a pet’s health care needs are ignored. So let’s not let that happen.

Don’t Just Top It Off – Clean It First.

Don’t fool yourself into believing it’s enough to just “top off” or add extra water to the water already sitting in the dish. This does nothing to clean it of any bacteria. You’re just postponing the necessary cleaning, and allowing the bacteria to fester and grow. And all the while, your pet continues drinking the water because that’s all he has and he’s thirsty. So that bacteria is now also flooding your pet’s teeth, tongue, gums, bloodstream, and organs.

Here’s your FOOLPROOF way to the PERFECT WATER DISH ROUTINE:

1. Empty the dish entirely.
2. Scrub it completely WITH SOAP, inside and out, including the rim.
3. Rinse it completely until it’s SQUEAKY clean.
4. Refill with fresh water.
5. Add a capful of water treatment to prevent bacteria in the dish and in your pet’s mouth.
6. Repeat numbers 1-5 at least once every day.

BOOM!  It’s that easy. Takes less than two minutes. I know your pet is worth two minutes a day, right.  Also, I use a dandy little scrub brush that has a little soap dispenser in the lid. Makes the process even faster. I will never be without this brush!  And there also are some really good water additives you can use to prevent bacteria growth. My Amazon links to these products aren’t working right now; but, as soon as I get the links fixed, you’ll be able to click and go directly to them to buy or shop similar.

One Final VERY Important Tip …

Use stainless steel, glass, or food-grade ceramic dishes for your pets. They keep the water cooler longer.  PLUS — and this is important — plastic and acrylic dishes are porous enough that they absorb bacteria. So it’s tougher to scrub bacteria away, and no guarantee that you’ll get entirely rid of it.  So stick with stainless steel, glass, or food-grade ceramic bowls.  Food-grade means ceramic that is actually used for dinnerware, and not artwork, as in sculpting materials.

Oh, And One More VERY Important Final Tip …

Fountains are a great idea, too.  BUT — they are only as clean as you keep the filter. This requires you to at least partially disassembled the fountain to get at the filter and clean it or replace it.  Filters can be expensive if you’re changing as often as recommended.  If you’re trying to save money by not changing as often as recommended, then most likely the water isn’t getting filtered as well as it should.  So your bacterial problem still exists if you’re only putting in minimal work.  Like I said, tho, if you’re willing to keep up on it, fountains are great. They especially encourage your pet to drink even when he’s not feeling well, which is a huge plus.  Again, choose a fountain that’s food-grade ceramic, or glass, not plastic.  See my earlier post  for more info.

But, at the end of the day, the number one priority is CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN!!

God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post What You Don’t See DOES Hurt You! appeared first on BareFootPets.

If people more fully understood what declaw actually means, I have no doubt the practice would be outlawed. It’s commonly believed that declaw means to remove only the cat’s nailbed. If that were the case, then not so awful. After all, I’ve lost a fingernail a time or two in my life and it wasn’t the end of the world. But the truth is, the cat’s toes are surgically cut way up at the mid-knuckle and the entire lower toe is amputated. This amputation often includes a portion of the main foot pad underneath. This is a whole new ballgame now. To cut half the toe off and compromise that lower pad means to take away the cat’s natural cushion, balance, and movement. It also means nerves are being cut away, which will leave the cat with residual pain for years and years to come, maybe the rest of her life. She has now lost not only her grip, but also her balance, her natural movement, and even basic comfort.

Even after a cat is declawed, she will still have the biological urge to “sharpen” her claws on scratching posts, etc. She’s hard-wired for this. She also will still have the desire to play with her toys. But play time will be entirely different for her now – she can’t grab her toys and toss them in the air like before, or play tug of war with you and her favorite ribbon. These things just slip through her fingers now. She has been robbed of these simple enjoyments.

Also consider this: cats are very stealth. No matter how careful we are, they can still sneak out the door. If your declawed kitty gets out, she is now at the mercy of neighbor dogs, feral cats, coyotes, owls, hawks, and even just plain nasty people. And poor little thing, she can no longer climb a tree for safety, or lash out to defend herself, or even run fast enough to get away. Plus, if she’s out for any length of time and gets hungry, she can’t even catch a bird or lizard for food. Exposing your kitty to so many potential risks just cannot be justified.

Is There A Good Enough Reason Then To Declaw My Cat?

Lots of people still feel declawing a cat is okay if it’s done for the “right reason.” Decades ago I might have agreed. That was before I had Monet, one of my cats, declawed. I realized immediately what a horrible mistake I’d made when I picked him up from the vet, because his feet were now so very very tiny. That’s when the vet explained what was really done. It was decades ago, but I’ll never forget that day. I almost threw up.

But it was done, and my poor little Monet was the one who had to live with it. He was in such pain and struggled to learn how to walk again on the little nubby feet he was left with. I couldn’t have been more sorry or felt more miserable for what I’d caused him. I began reading up on declawing, and learned more and more about what an awful thing declawing is. Boy, do I wish I’d done the research before putting my beloved pet through it. In my humble opinion, and now that I am more fully informed about it, I believe declawing is cruel and should be banned.

But Are There Suitable Alternatives To Declawing My Cat?

!! Yes, Absolutely, Yes !! 

First, get into the practice of trimming Fluffy’s toenails when she’s quite young, and do it regularly, say once a week, to keep her familiar and comfortable with the routine. Even if she’s a bit older, still start the habit — better late than never. That’s the single best thing you can do to minimize her scratching inappropriately. If Fluffy totally resists, however, don’t force it. You don’t want to become the “bad guy.” Take her instead to your veterinarian or neighborhood groomer or Petsmart and have her nails trimmed for a nominal cost. Let them be the bad guy if necessary. You need to get those nails trimmed, but you don’t want to compromise her trust in you. So it’s perfectly okay to enlist someone else’s help.

Once you’ve established the nail trimming routine, here are some really cool added options to ensure that she won’t even think about scratching your furniture and drapes anymore:

Also, here’s a “home remedy” to discourage your cat from scratching your furniture. Simply apply a strip of packing tape to the spot where she insists on scratching. She won’t like the feel of it or getting it stuck on her toes. Then position her new scratching post right near that same spot and, in a very short while, she’ll figure out the scratching post is a much better option. I always sprinkle some fresh catnip on the new scratching post to attract her even more quickly. Cats go crazy for catnip, you know. TIP: Be sure to pinch it between your fingers before sprinkling it; this releases the fragrance more fully so your kitty gets the whole effect. And it’s SO much fun to watch cats play in catnip. You might even want to have your camera phone handy. Voila!  Problem solved.

With medical technology advancing at lightning speed nowadays, it’s entirely possible, maybe even likely, that declaw surgery could be improved upon so as to prevent kitty’s nails from growing long, without mutilating kitty’s little feet. Until that time, this animal lover is dead set against declaw. Alternatives, such as those listed above, are SO much more humane, available, affordable, and provide interactive fun for you and your kitty.

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008.  Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post Declawing Is Wrong … Right? appeared first on BareFootPets.