Don’t Go It Alone: Seeking Help And Healing After Pet Loss

Pets are family, and just like losing a relative, the experience of pet loss is sad, profound and difficult. Because most companion animals have relatively short life spans, enduring the death of a pet is an inevitable part of pet ownership.

Pet loss doesn’t always mean losing a pet to death, either. Mistakes happen, and pet loss can mean one of our babies inadvertently getting out, running off, or getting lost. And when neighborhood canvassing, posting flyers, and calling local shelters doesn’t turn them up, we must eventually work through the loss.

However, without the appropriate knowledge and resources, working through pet loss and properly processing our thoughts and emotions surrounding the event can elude us.

That is why I’ve enlisted the help of my friend, Pet Loss and Bereavement Counselor, Ann Beyke (pictured below). Thank you to Ann for answering some questions for us (her responses are in blue).

 

What is the best way a friend or relative can help another in the immediate aftermath of losing a pet?

Be present for them. Ask them what they need or want and check in on them. After the loss of an animal companion we may tend to isolate ourselves. Don’t stop asking a person who is mourning the loss of an animal companion if they want to go for a hike, to the movies or have a cup of coffee. Your presence, with or without words, may be of incredible comfort.

My pet has been missing for some time, and I don’t think he/she is coming back. I can’t say for certain whether he/she is still alive, but I miss him/her nonetheless; is grieving and honoring their life appropriate in this situation?

Regardless of the circumstances of our loss, honoring our pet and grieving their departure from our lives can be a part of the healing process.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Being asked to share the journey with a person who has lost a cherished animal companion. Because I have had numerous losses myself, I understand the intense pain of losing a pet. To be there for others who are grieving is such a honor.

What’s your advice on the best way to work through pet loss?

Be gentle on yourself. Surround yourself with people who understand what it’s like to lose a best pal. Give yourself time and cry as much as you need to. Celebrate the incredible joy your pet brought you and let yourself laugh at the crazy things they did. Know that you will heal.

I’m afraid no one will understand my grief or, even worse, that I’ll be ridiculed; how can I bring up the subject of losing my pet and still feel safe and respected?

Sadly, not everyone understands what our pets mean to us and how their loss affects us. We know what’s best in terms of discussing it with people. In fact, in our social and work life, we may gravitate to those who have pets and they often provide needed support. Something as simple as, “I’ve had a recent loss,” may be all we want to say to others.

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Again, thank you, Ann, for letting us pick your brain!

Be sure to visit Ann Beyke’s website at http://petlosscounselor.com , and make sure to bookmark it so you’ll always have Ann as a resource (for yourself or for someone you love who may be dealing with pet loss).

Thanks for reading, everyone! ….Have a blessed Thanksgiving!!

~Duck & Turtle

As always, we welcome your thoughts in the comments section! Please “Like” us on Facebook , follow us on Google+ , and subscribe to this here blog by entering your email address ……….Thanks a million!! 🙂

To reserve us for pet sitting or house sitting or to obtain more info please call 505-410-7954 or email us at info@duckandturtle.com

26 SUPER Cute Dogs With SUPER Cool Coats!

 

Hi, everybody!! Boy has it been a busy summer! We’ve gotten to hang out with lots of our furry buddy-ol’-pals from all around Albuquerque, we’ve had several special-needs pets to care for, several  gardens to tend to, and most recently, we’ve been caring for a fun brood of chickens (Daniel’s fave!). 😀

 

We appreciate you all keeping up with us, and thank you all for your likes, comments, and your overall support of Duck & Turtle!

 

We thought we’d share something fun and eye-catching this time around, something visually striking. This brought me to the idea of dog coats!

 

Dog coats have significance to us because our dog, Sangoma, is a double merle. This means that the same genes that gave him his unique and beautiful coat also left him hearing- and vision-impaired. Sango is a very sweet and special boy who quickly went from being our foster to being our third. ♥

 

Also, we were recently watching the movie Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and were struck by how much in the wide shots the colors and coats of Shadow, Chance, and Sassy resemble our three, Ruca, Sango, and Kourry, respectively…. (Hahaha! Sorry, Kourry.) 🙂

 

Needless to say, I’ve had dog coats on the brain.

 

Here are 33 stunning dogs with strikingly unique colors and markings, some of which are the result of a rare genetic variation or condition…. all of which will leave you amazed!

 

Enjoy these most memorable and beautiful dogs….

 

…but don’t be bummed afterward because your pup doesn’t look like a super-cool masked superhero.

 

Remember: they are ALL unique and uniquely one-of-a-kind on the inside. 🙂

 

……..

 

A husky with designer shades.

 

 

Masked superhero pup.

 

 

I smell lots of LOVVVE! ♥ ♥ ♥

 

 

Puck, a beautiful Australian Cattle dog.

 

 

A Panda German Shepherd with what’s known as a piebald mutation.

 

 

An Akita pup who loves a good (two) pair of boots.

 

 

Nature’s lil’ work of art.

 

 

A doggy with a FIERCE fashion sense.

 

A camouflaged Rottweiler.

 

 

She hearts you. ♥

 

 

Bull, the Labrador Retriever.

 

 

Mustachioed Man’s Best Friend.

 

 

AWWWWWWWWW!!

 

 

Examples of a somatic mutation, which causes yellow labs to show black spots.

 

 

 

 

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!

 

 

Is he giving us the “side-eye”?

 

 

Pup sportin’ the “connoiseur”.

 

 

Another lil’ work of art.

 

 

A lil’ heartbreaker.

 

 

Another natural-born “connoisuer”.

 

 

Mudis, a rare Hungarian herding breed.

 

 

Pandas or puppies??

 

 

Much like our dog Sango, Zuma here, an English Cocker Spaniel, was born with genes that made him beautifully colored but also left him deaf and with a form of tunnel vision.

 

 

Awesome Bernese Mountain Dog.

 

[via Reshareworthy]

 

As always, thank you for reading!

 

If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog using the right sidebar.

 

For more information about our services, please give us a call at (505) 410-7954 or send us an email to info@duckandturtle.com

 

Leave us your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Google+.

 

Thanks again!! 😀

 

~ Duck & Turtle

 

 

 

Keep Calm And Celebrate Freedom: Ways To Reduce Stress For Your Pet During 4th Of July

Hello All, since tomorrow is a major (and majorly FUN!) holiday for the U.S., we thought we’d share some ways to reduce stress for your pet during 4th of July, so that they can have an enjoyable holiday too!

 

 

Of course, we humans will be enjoying grilled food, music, fireworks, and parties. But for our pets, this can be a noisy and often frightening time of year.

 

You may be surprised to know that the 4th of July is the single biggest day of the year for pets to go missing! They tend to panic and run off due to the noise and commotion associated with the holiday.

 

 

So here are some ways to reduce stress for your pet….

 

…because we all know firework-popping usually doesn’t begin or end on the 4th of July, but before and after.

 

Ways to reduce stress for your pet:

 

• Keep them indoors, even if the festivities are happening at your house. Give them a room that is just for them, off-limits to your partygoers, and well-insulated from sound (a basement works great!). Be sure to put their beds and plenty of blankets or towels in the room with them so that they can burrow and make their own “pet cave” for comfort. Turn the radio on with soothing music or leave a TV on at a comfortable volume to help drown out noise from firecrackers, and close windows and blinds. Give them plenty of toys and treat them often; this should not be a timeout for them. Also, be sure to leave a fan on and plenty of drinking water in the room in case they get too warm.

 

 

• If you must keep your pet outside, keep them blocked from the view of passersby. People have been known to throw firecrackers near fences with pets to get a reaction, which can have a negative effect on your pet.

 

• One of the great ways to reduce stress in your pet is by hugging them. They love you, therefore, they love your embrace, and it makes them feel secure. Of course, you can’t spend your entire 4th of July holiday hugging your pet to death! They might actually get annoyed with you 😉 But you CAN try compression garments such as the Thunderhsirt  and the Calming Cap (which will help some dogs when nothing else will).

 

 

• Use pheromone sprays, collars, and/or diffusers. There is Adaptil for dogs and Feliway for cats, which can help take the edge off for many pets. They’re safe and easy to use but work best as part of a program over time.

 

• Supplements such as Anxitane and Zylkene can be a great help to noise-phobic pets. Ideally, though, they need to be started a week or two in advance.

 

 

• Since exercise is one the greatest ways to reduce stress, take your dog for a long walk or hike earlier in the day, before the festivities begin. If a dog has less energy, he’ll be less prone to panic during the evening.

 

• In thinking of ways to reduce stress for your pet, keep the following items as far away from them as possible, as they can pose serious risks to your pet:

– Firecrackers

– Lighter fluid

– Matches

– Citronella

– Insect repellent & sunscreen

– Holiday table scraps (there may be too big a variety of foods to be discerning)

– Glow jewelry

– Alcohol of all kinds

 

 

• Lastly, you may ask your veterinarian for a prescription for alprazolam, the generic for Xanax. It’s the best of the prescription sedatives for noise phobias. You may need to have it compounded for your cat, so don’t leave it until the last minute.

 

That’s it for now, folks!…

 

For more information about our pet care and house sitting services, please give us a call at (505) 410-7954 or email us at info@duckandturtle.com

 

In the comment section, please leave your thoughts/ideas on ways to reduce stress for your pets! Thank you for “liking” and sharing this article, and please subscribe to our blog using the right sidebar.

 

Your pals,

 

~ Duck & Turtle

 

 

 

Wishing everyone a festive, safe, and informed (on ways to reduce stress for your pet) 4th Of July!! Happy Birthday, USA!!! 😀

 

Summer Safety Tips: Gettin’ You And Your Pet Prepped For The “Dog Days” Of Summer

Hello Friends, the Duck & Turtle guys here with some useful summer safety tips to help you beat the heat by keeping your pet cool & comfortable, happy & healthy.

 

We hope you’re having a GRAND summer so far! We’re only 10 days into it. But if you live in Nuevo Mexico, then, like me, you’ve probably been calling it summer for about a month just because in terms of the weather, it definitely feels that way!

 

 

 

So, summer is here…. and what does that mean?? (For one, it means sharing some summer safety tips is in order 🙂 )

 

It means cooking outside, going swimming, running through sprinklers, the 4th of July! It also means staying hydrated and cooling out under an a/c as much as possible…. am I right? 🙂

 

Dramatization….DO NOT try this at home!! 🙂

 

Most importantly, though, summer means keeping your pets safe from dehydration, overheating, sunburn, and parasites.

 

We humans are pretty good at fending for ourselves when it comes to keeping cool in summertime, but our pets…. not so much.

 

So here are our summer safety tips to help you help them prepare for the “dog days” of summer:

 

• Implement an effective flea and tick control program (best done in the spring!)

 

• Always have fresh, cool water in multiple spots around your house and plenty of it so that ALL your pets have enough to stay hydrated. Adding a few ice cubes to your pet’s water dish is a refreshing treat!

 

• On the go with your pet? Keep a water bottle that’s just for them, filled with fresh, cool water.

 

• NEVER leave your pet in a vehicle! The temperature inside a parked vehicle can surpass 100 degrees in a matter of minutes!

 

• If you keep your pet outdoors, purchase a cheap “kiddy” pool and keep it filled with cool water in the shade for your pet to cool off.

 

 

• Walk dogs in grassy areas; paws can quickly burn on hot asphalt. You may consider paw protectors such as shoes or booties. Press the back of your hand firmly against the pavement for 7 seconds to verify if it will be comfortable for your dog, and use the following table as a guide:*

When Air Temperature is:    Asphalt has been measured at:**

77°F…………………………………………………………….125°F (at this temp, skin destruction can occur in 60 seconds)

86°F……………………………………………………………135°F

87°F…………………………………………………………….143°F

**These temperature correlations represent worst-case-scenario factors: direct sun, no wind, very low humidity, and high radiant energy.

*Source: Berens J. Thermal contact burns from streets and highways. Journal of the American Medical Association; 214 (11): 2025-2027

 

 

• Summer safety tips can easily be forgotten when you’re distracted or outdoors having fun. Leave your pet at home with a professional pet sitter if you are going out to do activities that will have you in full sun. During extremely hot weather, your pet would prefer shade to sunshine.

 

Hey! It’s me, Jarrett, with one of my great pals! 🙂

 

• If you do go out with your pet, remember these summer safety tips AND be keenly aware of excessive panting, reddened gums, dehydration, confusion, lack of muscle coordination as these are signs of heatstroke. To treat them, get them to a shady, cool place, cool them with wet towels, and call your veterinarian.

 

• Avoid “travel trauma” by leaving your animal in the care of a professional pet sitter while on vacation. Your pet remains in its own familiar, secure home environment and receives the love and personal attention it needs while you’re away. ♥

 

Me again! With another great buddy of mine! 🙂

 

• If you do decide to take your pet along with you on vacation, remember these summer safety tips: plan your route ahead of time, locate animal-friendly lodging, and include plenty of travel time for potty breaks and exercise breaks for your pet.

 

And last, but not least….(No round-up of summer safety tips for your pet would be complete without it!)

 

• Remember to avoid the heartache of heartworm by having an early detection test done and using preventative medication.

 

 

 

Thanks for tuning in, folks!…

 

For more information about our services, please give us a call at (505) 410-7954 or email us at info@duckandturtle.com

 

As always, we welcome your thoughts in the comments section! Thank you for “liking” and sharing this article, and please subscribe to our blog using the right sidebar.

 

Your friends,

 

~ Duck & Turtle

 

 

 

 

                   

 

Wishing you all a fun and safe summer with the help of these important summer safety tips!! 😀