ASPCA Day

Top 10 Ways To Celebrate ASPCA Day!

April 10 is almost here—and we hope you’ll join us next Thursday in celebrating the ASPCA’s victories on behalf of animals and the joy they bring to pet parents everywhere. Weren’t able to finish knitting those matching orange sweater-and-bootie sets for your canine clan? No worries—we’ve got a list of ten easy and effective things you can do to show you care about animals—on ASPCA Day and every day!

1. Wear Something Orange!
Open your closet and get out those bright orange pants, shirts, ties, shoelaces and socks that you never wear because you don’t think they match anything. That’s a fashion myth we’d like to dispel—everyone looks great in orange! And when people compliment you on your awesome outfit, tell ‘em that by wearing orange—the ASPCA’s official color—on April 10, you’re showing the world that you care about animals and support the ASPCA’s efforts to protect them. P.S. What do you mean, you don’t have anything orange?! Check out the ASPCA Day Store for some bright ideas.

2. Send an ASPCA Day eCard
Total effort this one takes? Just a few clicks of the mouse! Simply choose one of our ten cards and we’ll email the card to whomever you’d like, whether it’s your mom in Idaho or every dog-obsessed friend you’ve got on your electronic mailing list! You can even include a message if you want to add that personal flair.

3. Hang Up an ASPCA Day Poster
Another simple way to spread the word—let our posters do the talking! Download our specially designed ASPCA Day posters and hang them up in high-trafficked areas and businesses around your neighborhood. How about your local pet supply store, vet’s office, community center or library?
- City Version (.pdf)
- Suburb Version (.pdf)

4. Help Us Paint the Big Apple Orange!
If you’ll be in New York City on April 10, Union Square is the place to be from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. You’ll get to meet our adorable, adoptable animals, enjoy live music and meet the ASPCA’s animal cops from Animal Planet's Animal Precinct...and lots more! We hope you’ll stay ‘til sundown, when buildings around the neighborhood—and throughout the city—will light up in ASPCA orange.

5. Pay Your Bills
You can show your support for animals with every check you write! Our ASPCA checks from Checks In The Mail feature adorable dogs and cats (your choice), and you can purchase matching address labels, too. In recognition of ASPCA Day, you’ll receive a $2 discount on checks if you order by April 30.

6. Take Our Pledge to Fight Animal Cruelty
What better way to celebrate ASPCA Day than renewing your commitment to protecting animals and taking the pledge to fight animal cruelty? Just a click will help you learn how to identify and report abuse, stay up-to-date on the latest animal cruelty news and learn how to write letters to your legislators in the name of animals.

7. Let Your Money Do the Talking!
How to help after all your orange gear has been put away? Show your support every day with the ASPCA credit card. By using the card, you are supporting efforts to prevent animal cruelty. Please note that Chase donates $75 to the ASPCA for all new accounts that are used and kept open for at least 6 months. Apply here.

8. Talk to An ASPCA Animal Cop
ASPCA Day is a time to celebrate our victories on behalf of animals, and many of these victories result from the lifesaving work of our ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement officers. You’ve probably seen them in action on Animal Planet’s hit series, Animal Precinct, and now’s your chance to talk with ASPCA Supervisory Special Investigator Annemarie Lucas firsthand! Find out how you can prevent animal cruelty next Tuesday, April 8, when Officer Lucas will be hosting a live, online chat at our ASPCA Online Community from noon to 2:00 P.M., EST.

9. Rise and Shine…
Hey New Yorkers, how early are you willing to wake up to help animals? We're looking for volunteers to attend the morning news show on April 10 wearing orange and holding posters. We’ll be meeting at 6:00 A.M. at:
- The Today Show (NBC), corner of 49th St. and Fifth Ave.

10. Enter the 2008 ASPCA Day Community Leader Contest
The prize: an all-expenses-paid, three-day trip to New York City, a year’s supply of pet food, a gift basket and tour of ASPCA headquarters, which includes a meet-and-greet with Animal Precinct officers and Ed Sayres, ASPCA President & CEO.

How to win it? Enter the second annual ASPCA Community Leader contest, sponsored by Iams^® Dog and Cat Foods! Starting April 11, show us what you did to spread awareness of the importance of preventing cruelty to animals in your community. You’ll find more details here.

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Allergy Advice from the Humane Society

According to the Humane Society, studies show that approximately 15 percent of the population is allergic to dogs or cats. An estimated one-third of Americans who are allergic to cats (about two million people) live with at least one cat in their household anyway. In a study of 341 adults who were allergic to cats or dogs and had been advised by their physicians to give up their pets, only one out of five did. What's more, 122 of them obtained another pet after a previous one had died. It's clear the benefits of pet companionship outweigh the drawbacks of pet allergies for many owners. Living comfortably with a companion animal despite being allergic to him requires a good understanding of the allergic condition and an adherence to a few rules.


All cats and dogs are allergenic (allergy-causing) to people who are allergic to animals. Cats tend to be more allergenic than dogs for allergic people, although some people are more sensitive to dogs than cats. Contrary to popular belief, there are no "non-allergenic" breeds of dogs or cats; even hairless breeds may be highly allergenic.

Dogs with soft, constantly-growing hair—the Poodle or the Bichon Frise, for example—may be less irritating to some individuals, although this may be because they are bathed and groomed more frequently. One dog or cat of a particular breed may be more irritating to an individual allergy sufferer than another animal of that same breed.

The source of irritation to pet-allergic humans? Glands in the animal's skin secrete tiny allergy-triggering proteins, called allergens, that linger in the animal's fur but also float easily in the air. Allergens are present in the animal's saliva and urine, too, and may become airborne when saliva dries on the fur. The severity of reaction to these allergens varies from one person to the next, ranging from mild sniffling and sneezing to life-threatening asthma, and can be complicated by simultaneous allergies to other irritants in the environment.

If your or a family member's allergies are simply miserable, but not life-threatening, take these steps to reduce the symptoms:

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Create an "allergy free" zone in the home—preferably the bedroom—and strictly prohibit the pet's access to it. Use a high-efficiency HEPA air cleaner (available at almost any home and garden store or discount department store) in the bedroom. Consider using impermeable covers for the mattress and pillows because allergen particles brought into the room on clothes and other objects can accumulate in them.
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Use HEPA air cleaners throughout the rest of the home, and avoid dust-and-dander-catching furnishings such as cloth curtains and blinds and carpeted floors. Clean frequently and thoroughly to remove dust and dander, washing articles such as couch covers and pillows, curtains, and pet beds. Use a "microfilter" bag in the vacuum cleaner to effectively catch all the allergens.
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Bathing your pet on a weekly basis can reduce the level of allergens on fur by as much as 84 percent. Although products are available that claim to reduce pet allergens when sprayed on the animal's fur, studies show they are less effective than a weekly bath. Even cats can become accustomed to being bathed; check with your veterinarian's staff or a good book on pet care for directions about how to do this properly, and use whatever shampoo your veterinarian recommends.
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Don't be quick to blame the family pet for allergies. Ask your allergist to specifically test for allergies to pet dander, rather than making an assumption. And understand that allergies are cumulative. Many allergy sufferers are sensitive to more than one allergen. So if you're allergic to dust, insecticides, pollen, cigarette smoke, and cat dander, you'll need to reduce the overall allergen level in your environment by concentrating on all of the causes, not just the pet allergy. For example, you may need to step up measures to remove cat dander from your home and carefully avoid cigarette smoke during spring, when it is difficult to avoid exposure to pollen.
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Immunotherapy (allergy shots) can improve symptoms but cannot eliminate them entirely. They work by gradually desensitizing a person's immune system to the pet allergens. Allergy-causing proteins are injected under the person's skin, triggering the body to produce antibodies (protective proteins) which block the pet allergen from causing a reaction. Patients are usually given one dose per week for a few weeks to months (depending on the severity of the allergy) and then can often manage with one injection per month.
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Additional treatments for allergies to pets are symptomatic, including steroidal and antihistamine nose sprays and antihistamine pills. For asthma, there are multiple medications, sprays, and inhalers available. It is important to find an allergist who understands your commitment to living with your pet. A combination of approaches—medical control of symptoms, good housecleaning methods, and immunotherapy—is most likely to succeed in allowing an allergic person to live with pets.

Of course, if you do not currently have a pet and are considering one, and know you are pet-allergic, be sure to consider carefully whether you can live with the allergy before you bring a new pet home. Except in the case of children, who sometimes outgrow allergies, few allergy sufferers become accustomed to pets to whom they are allergic. Too many allergic owners obtain pets without thinking through the difficulties of living with them. And too often, they end up relinquishing pets, a decision that is difficult for the owner and can be life-threatening for the pet.

http://www.hsus.org/

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Oprah Winfrey plans to dedicate a show investigating abuses at puppy mills

Oprah Winfrey plans to dedicate a show investigating abuses at puppy mills

Oprah Winfrey plans to dedicate a show investigating abuses at puppy mills to her cocker spaniel, Sophie, who died last month from kidney failure.

"Sophie gave me 13 years of unconditional love. She was a true love in my life," Winfrey says on the broadcast scheduled to air Friday. (Advance remarks from the show were released Tuesday by Harpo Productions.)

The show features special correspondent Lisa Ling investigating puppy mills, which Ling calls "horrific" and "haunting."

Winfrey says the show is "for anybody anywhere who loves a dog, has ever loved a dog, or just cares about their basic right to humane treatment."

While Sophie was not a product of a puppy mill, and Winfrey's three current dogs were adopted from breeders, Winfrey says in the future she would look to adopt from an animal shelter.
scriptsandlyrics.com

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Essential Gear for Pets: ID Tag

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ASPCA Provides Tips for Pet Lovers with Allergies

Here are some of the ways animal lovers can make this allergy season sneeze-free:

* Spend time with furry friends. If you are unsure whether you or your family members have pet allergies, spend time in the home of pet-owning friends before adopting a dog or cat. “If a family member does have allergies, it doesn't necessarily mean you cannot have a pet,” says Dr. Hansen. “If you suspect that you or a member of your family has allergies, take them to a specialist who will determine the exact cause of your symptoms and help alleviate them.” Medications and immunotherapy (de-sensitizing shots) can often allow you and your companion animal to live happily together.
* Create an allergen-free room. A bedroom is often the most practical choice to do this, recommends Dr. Hansen. “By preventing your pet from entering this room, you can ensure at least eight hours of freedom from allergens every night. It’s also smart to use hypoallergenic bedding and pillow materials.”
* Limit fabrics in your home. Allergens collect in rugs, drapes and upholstery, so do your best to limit or eliminate them from your home. If you choose to keep some fabrics as part of your décor, steam-clean them regularly.
* Make sure your home is clean. Clean the litter box frequently, using low dust, perfume-free filler—clumping litter is a good choice. Dr. Louise Murray, Director of Medicine at the ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital, says, “Vacuum frequently using a vacuum equipped with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate arresting) filter or a disposable electrostatic bag. An air purifier fitted with a HEPA filter can also make a big difference in removing allergens from the air, but remember to still let in some fresh air daily.”
* Clean your pet, too! Both Drs. Hansen and Murray remind pet parents that bathing your pet removes allergens that accumulate in fur. “Be careful, though, not to do this too often,” says Dr. Murray, “as frequent bathing can dry out your pet’s coat.” You can also wipe your pet with a product formulated to prevent dander from building up and flaking off into the environment. Ask your veterinarian to suggest one that is safe to use on animals who groom themselves. Brushing or combing your pet frequently also helps to keep allergens at bay.
aspca.org

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Agency provides temporary dogs

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