The Happy Beast - Blog - Cat Health

Sarah Arnold
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Change a Pet’s Life Day

Here are four ways for us to change an animal’s life for the better this year (Which will ultimately make our lives better too!)

Adopt

The motivation behind Change a Pet’s Life Day is to help animals in shelters and rescue groups find their forever homes. PetFinder.com is an awesome site that lets you search for animals by breed, size and age or you can browse through all the dogs and cats in your area. You can find puppies and kittens or older animals who already have some training. Providing a great home for an animal in need is the ultimate way to change their life!

Foster

If you’re not ready to commit to keeping an animal for the rest of his life, consider fostering! Most rescue groups are based solely in fosters homes and many shelters rely on fosters for animals who are stressed by the shelter situation. Dogs in foster homes tend to find their forever family faster than ones in shelters because they’re out and about meeting friends and neighbors! (Be warned: many foster families “fail” the process and end up adopting their foster pup! It’s a happy accident!)

Volunteer

We’ve made a friend at The Happy Beast who volunteers for the Colorado Rabbit House Society in Broomfield- a rescue devoted entirely to bunnies! She told me they are always looking for volunteers to feed the rabbits, clean the cages and to take care of daily chores. How fun would it be to spend an afternoon with a whole bunch of rabbits??

Check out volunteermatch.org to find opportunities to volunteer with animals in your area. We can put you in touch with our favorite rescue groups too!

Exercise & Train

Behavioral problems are the most common reasons given when people drop their animals off at a shelter. While most of us can’t imagine giving up our pets, providing them with a balanced and active home can make sure we’re never faced with that dilemma! Make sure your pets get plenty of mental and physical exercise. Play with your cats and give them a variety of toys. Walk your dog, take him on hikes and teach him new tricks.

Alright, now get out there and change some lives!

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Natalie Soonthornswad
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Product Review: Steve’s Raw Goat Milk Yogurt

Product Review: Steve’s Raw Goat Milk Yogurt

My poor dog was up all night, and poor me, I was up all night too…cleaning up her vomit. Dogs occasionally get stomach aches, just like we do. Pi is a healthy, raw-fed dog, so her digestive system is pretty solid, but even she isn’t immune to the effects of the neighbor kids feeding her brownies through the fence.

I’ve long been a proponent of using raw goat milk as a supplement for dogs and cats and I’ve seen it work wonders in animals suffering from cancer, diabetes, allergies and digestive illnesses. Steve’s Real Food just released their Raw Goat Milk Yogurt, so I was eager to try it on Pi’s upset tummy.

Steve’s Raw Goat Milk Yogurt has just three (AMAZING) ingredients:

  1. Raw Goat Milk- Full of probiotics and digestive enzymes (i.e. digestive aids and upset-tummy soothers)
  2. Chia Seed- Superfood that absorbs toxins from the large intestine. Also, awesome source of magnesium and phosphorus
  3. Coconut Flour- Believed to be antiviral, antibiotic and anti-parasitic

Goat Milk acts as a complete diet for dogs (remember unpasteurized milk is the first thing infants eat!)  It’s super gentle on their stomachs and is helps keep them hydrated.  For the first 24 hours after Pi’s puke-y night, I just fed her Steve’s Raw Goat Milk Yogurt. Those probiotics got to work, and she quickly made a full recovery back to her wild self.  Hooray!

The yogurt comes in a convenient, resealable, absolutely mess-free container (available in 4oz. or 16oz.) And you can serve it to your dog daily, as a treat, or just when his digestive or immune system needs a boost.  Cats love it too!

And of course, being a crazy dog-mom, I had to try a spoonful of the yogurt too. It’s tangy, smooth and pretty delicious!

Eat Well my Happy Beasts!

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Natalie Soonthornswad

The Scoop on Cat Litter

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Matt LeBeau
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Disaster Preparedness for Pets – Tips for Your Pet Emergency Kit

It was just about this time last year when the floods hit Boulder County and other parts of Colorado. Fortunately for us, our little house in Lafayette stayed safe and dry. Hearing how the floods affected other families though, was heart-breaking and a very real reminder that we do need to be prepared for a disaster, including disaster preparedness for pets.

After doing a little research with the RedCross, the ASPCA and Code3, I compiled this list of items to keep stockpiled in case of an emergency. It took me less than a half hour to get everything together. I encourage you to take some time this weekend to make sure your pet emergency kit is updated too!

The List!

  • 3-7 day supply of food (I like The Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated food – it’s light and has a long shelf-life)
  • at least 2 gallons of water
  • 2 feeding dishes (preferably stainless steel)
  • extra leash, collar and ID tag (I picked up an inexpensive set from The Happy Beast!)
    • (On Pi’s ID tag I listed her name, our address, my phone number and an emergency contact)
  • paper towels and baby wipes
  • first aid kit
  • medications
  • poop bags (or litter and litter box)
  • carrier for small dogs or cats
  • extra blanket
  • all of this information sealed in a ziploc bag:
    • copy of vaccination records
    • your name and phone number
    • vet’s name and contact info
    • two emergency contacts with phone numbers
    • recent photo of your pet
    • directions for any medications, feeding schedule, behavior issues (in case you are displaced and your dog has to be boarded)

Be sure to tailor your kit to your specific needs, I also added:

  • 1 week supply of Optagest (probiotics in case of upset tummy or bad drinking water)
  • 1 bottle of Ark Natural’s Happy Traveler (herbal calming supplement)
  • 1 bag of yummy treats (I picked Sojo’s Simply treats.  They’re freeze-dried, so they’ll last a long time.)
  • 1 super fun toy.  (Pi loves treat-dispensing toys, so I picked up an extra Busy Buddy)

Hopefully we won’t be faced with any kind of disaster, but I think it’s important to be prepared just in case.  And it’s nice to have these things on hand for those other kinds of emergencies – like running out of dog food when you can’t get to the store!

Stay safe out there and let us know in the comments what else you’d bring along for your furry friend.

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