Author: Marjorie Lewis

Improving Quality of Life for Your Animal Rescue: Part 2

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date January 19, 2023

The day has finally come when you bring your newly adopted animal rescue into your household. The process of creating a quality of life for your new rescue will be a day-to-day activity at first. For most pets, the basic elements that makeup “quality of life” are – sufficient food and water, protection from danger and extreme weather, companionship, occupation, sensory stimulation, and clearly defined boundaries and expectations. In order to create a good quality of life once you get your animal rescue, we’ve included some useful information to consider.

Your First Days with Your Animal Rescue

In the first days together, try to keep things simple. Moving out of a shelter and into a whole new world can be overwhelming for most pets. Think of your pet as an alien that has just landed from an unknown world. Introduce them gently to their new world.

Create Small Boundaries

Keep their boundaries small and their schedule relaxed. Pets don’t actually realize at first that they have landed in a new, permanent home. They may need days just to rest after the stress of the shelter.

Allow Exploration

Allow them all the time they need to explore and learn about your home and all the members of your family.

Keep socialization to a minimum in the first few days until your pet settles in.
Many newly adopted pets go missing in the first few days due to fear and confusion. Allow them to settle in, relax, and bond.

Keep the Same Diet

Start out feeding them the same diet they received at the rescue. Make dietary changes gradually and watch for any signs of distress such as vomiting, diarrhea, or itching.

Try out commands

If you have adopted a dog, try out different commands. Find out how much they have already learned.

As Time Progresses with Your Animal Rescue

Show them Boundaries

Practice leash walking and show them the boundaries of their property. A happy pet is one that knows where the boundaries lie and what the rules are that they are expected to follow.

Consider Their History

Keep in mind that your adopted pet has come to you with a history. They may already have developed likes and dislikes for toys, activities, food, and friends. Depending on your pet’s age, these are things that you may or may not be able to modify. Allow them the opportunity to express their preferences and then work with them to compromise when needed to suit your lifestyle.

If your dog is a “chewer”, provide plenty of things that they ARE allowed to chew on so they don’t get into trouble chewing on your furniture. Most pets do not adapt well when told, “It’s my way or the highway.”

Learn Triggers

Discover the “triggers” that your animal rescue has brought with them from their previous experiences. These may be ‘fear’ triggers such as fear of thunderstorms or “aggression” triggers such as aggression towards other male dogs. Some pets even have “over-excitement” triggers that cause them to lose their minds when the doorbell rings. Create an environment that limits these triggers and/or consult an experienced trainer to help you and your pet overcome their past behavior triggers.

Sleeping Spots

Allow your pet the option of a few sleeping spots in your home. Pets are happier if they can choose “their” spot. Some may choose the center of activity under the kitchen table while others want the protection of a snug, dark corner. Let them tell you where they fit best.

Set Expectations

Gently help your new pet to understand what expectations you have for them. Help them to define a role for themselves where they can fit nicely into your household. Some pets fit best as “gentle, quiet companions”, “household guardians”, “playmates”, “exercise partners”, or even “goofy clowns”. I find that pets generally want to fit in. Helping them to define a role that suits their personality offers more chances for positive feedback and a fulfilling place in your family. Asking a guard dog to be a couch potato just leaves everyone stressed and uncomfortable.

Match Energy

Match your pet’s activity level to their energy level. This will change throughout their lives. Discover the activities that your pet enjoys and share these together. A high-energy pet forced to live a sedentary lifestyle will not experience a high quality of life.

Enrich Their Environment

Provide environmental enrichment. No matter what type of pet you have chosen, environmental enrichment is a top priority in providing quality of life. Discover what types of toys and activities provide sensory stimulation and create curiosity for your unique pet. When animals are asked to live inside your home it is critical to create an environment for them that stimulates their brains and their sensory responses. In my home, I have created a climbing wall for my cat. He has a variety of cat trees to climb and scratch on. He has bird feeders to watch out the window and food puzzles to engage his sense of smell and his appetite along with plenty of small toys to hunt. Challenge yourself to provide experiences for your pet that feed all of his senses. Adding new toys and retiring old, stale ones is also key to keeping your pets engaged.

Pay Attention

Become familiar with your pet’s usual routine and behavior so that you can easily notice when things are not going well. Noticing subtle changes is the key to catching health and behavior issues before they become unmanageable.

Give Your Pet the Activity It Needs

Boredom and loneliness can quickly send a pet into depression or undesired behavior. Is your new pet naturally a loner or a party animal? Create playdates or other opportunities for your pet to socialize within their natural comfort zone. Forcing a shy dog to spend the day at the dog park is only asking for trouble.

In closing, the true key to creating a quality of life for your pet is to consider what they would ask for based on their individual species and personality. Do not treat them like a human, provide what they want, not what you want. If you have doubts about their needs or questions you would like to ask, an animal communication consultation may be just what you need to create a quality, lasting relationship with your rescued pet.

Animal Adoption

Improving Quality of Life for Your Animal Rescue: Part 1

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date January 11, 2023

Deciding to adopt a pet into your family is a big commitment that can bring years of great joy. One of the critical and often overlooked parts of a successful animal rescue is planning ahead to ensure you’re providing the best quality of life. Spending time and effort to plan and prepare for your new family member can ensure that the transition into your home is a smooth and pleasant one for you and your new pet. Here are some things you want to consider that will help enhance your animal rescue’s quality of life.

Build Your Village

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child”. The same goes for a pet. Here are a few things to do before adoption to get your village ready.

Be sure that all members of the family are on board with the decision to adopt and willing to participate in care and training.
Research the animal rescue that you plan to work with. Make sure the organization is a reputable one and not a puppy mill in disguise. Get your adoption application pre-screened so you are ready when the right pet comes along.
Form a relationship with the veterinary practice that you will work with. Find out a realistic estimate of the cost of annual care. Keep in mind that:

Many of the initial costs might be covered by the rescue organization.
Rescued pets come with an unknown health history. Consider purchasing pet insurance for your newly adopted pet to cover any unexpected health conditions. You can get a free copy of my Pet Insurance Comparison Chart below.

I have created a comparison chart containing the information that I was able to collect online from the ten companies that seemed most popular. This was the basic information available at the time I was shopping so I can’t vouch for the current accuracy. This chart is for educational purposes only. Ask Your Animals is not offering insurance advice and is not an insurance expert. Each person utilizing this information is responsible for their insurance choices and due diligence.

Please provide your information below to get the comparison emailed to you.

Consider Your Lifestyle and Prepare Appropriately

Give a close examination of your current lifestyle and schedule. Make sure that you have the time and resources to devote to a new family member.

Choose the pet that fits the size of your home and yard. A very busy person with only a small apartment might be better off choosing a cat as a companion. While an avid runner might choose a large dog breed known for their stamina. When we choose a companion that does not fit, it can cause stress for the animal and for us. Many adopted pets are returned to the shelter because they were expected to fit into a household that was not well suited to their needs. Narrowing your search ahead of time helps to ensure a match made in heaven.
Prepare your home for a new pet before it arrives. Consider fostering a pet before adopting one to be sure that you are ready for the commitment.

Lastly, Be Certain!

When you do get that call from the animal rescue saying, “we have a great pet for you”, take the time to revisit your list of pet requirements so that you can make a solid decision and not get carried away by a warm pair of sorrowful eyes. Considering all of this will create a great foundation for a good quality of life for you both.

Pet Insurance Pet Resources

Navigating The Mysteries Of Pet Insurance

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date December 18, 2022

Veterinary clinic. Female doctor portrait at the animal hospital holding cute sick cat ready for veterinary examination and treatment

The decision to include pet insurance coverage in your monthly budget can be a tough one to make in this time of economic uncertainty. Yet, having pet insurance coverage can give you peace of mind and save you thousands of dollars if your family pet were to become sick or injured. Sadly, many pet owners are forced to make heartbreaking decisions each day when faced with an unexpected emergency vet visit for which they cannot pay. In fact, 31% of dog owners say they can’t afford up to $2,000 in vet bills, even if the treatment could extend or potentially save the dog’s life. How would you handle a large veterinary bill if something happened to your pet?

Pet Insurance Can Save You Money

With the continually rising cost of care, it is worth considering a pet insurance policy. Even if you believe you have enough money to cover veterinary costs, pet insurance could still save you thousands of dollars if your pet gets sick or injured. Especially if you have multiple family pets, your out-of-pocket costs could add up considerably without insurance.

How Does Pet Insurance Work?

Like other types of health insurance, pet insurance can be purchased to transfer the risk of unexpected and unanticipated medical expenses that could be very expensive for the certainty of a fixed monthly premium.

The monthly cost of pet insurance could be around $45 for your dog and $25 for your cats but these rates vary depending on:

The age and breed of your pet
The state in which you live (some companies may not cover your state)
The deductible you choose
The percent of reimbursement offered
The custom add-on coverages you select

How Do You Choose?

I decided to consider a pet insurance policy for my new cat after the extended and expensive illnesses of my two other aged cats. I thought choosing a policy would be relatively simple but I was wrong. It seemed that each provider offered different basic and add-on coverages with widely varying rates and I found it difficult to compare one company to the next.

When searching online I found more than a dozen companies to consider. Each company advertises its policy as “the best” but upon reading the fine print I found many hidden pitfalls. I discovered “comparison” sites that offered quick and easy quotes from many companies at once. These comparisons did prove to be helpful but were quite vague about actual coverage. I discovered that many were actually sponsored sites that didn’t honestly select the best choice for my pet but directed me to their sponsoring company. I found it frustrating that no two comparison tools selected the same company for me. Every resource I consulted directed me to a different “best option”.

My head was spinning after hours of research and comparison. I eventually settled on a middle-of-the-road type policy that had good basic coverage for a fair premium. The monthly expense won’t break the bank and I will still have to budget for my basic wellness services and my deductible but I’ll have the $10,000 in coverage in case of an accident or unexpected illness.

Please provide your information below to get the comparison emailed to you.

What Should You Look For When Choosing A Pet Insurance Company?

Although no two companies offer exactly the same coverage, this is a summary of what to expect.

All plans have a deductible. You can select a level ranging from $250 to $750 annually. The higher the deductible, the lower your premium. Read the fine print to see if they are offering an annual deductible or a “per incident” deductible.
Reimbursement for covered expenses ranges from 70% to 100%. The higher reimbursement rates will also increase your premium.
Some companies offer a discount or bonus for your initial sign-up.
Look carefully for enrollment fees. These can be up to $35 for your first month.
Most plans have a waiting period before coverage begins. The average was around 14 days. Dog owners beware, there could be up to 12 months wait period for coverage of ACL repair.
Plans usually carry an annual limit on coverage. This can be a deal breaker. Don’t pay a $20 premium for a policy that will max out at $5,000 when you can get $10,000 coverage for the same price. One visit to the emergency vet clinic can easily exceed $5,000. Some policies offer unlimited annual limits so check the fine print.
Find out if you are required to take your pet for an annual vet exam in order to keep your policy in force.
Keep your eyes open for upper age limits on coverage and lifetime maximum limits. Read carefully for the limits such as “annual limit”, “per-incident”, and “lifetime maximum”
Find out if the policy pays for actual expenses for an illness or if the coverage is limited by a predetermined “benefit schedule” that caps coverage at a fixed price regardless of complications that arise or additional treatments needed to resolve the condition.
Most companies cover dogs and cats but very few cover exotics or other small animals such as rabbits and birds.
It would be helpful if insurance were to cover preventive healthcare such as routine dental cleaning but, like human healthcare, they focus on only the illness. An annual dental cleaning is an important part of any pet’s wellness plan and including this can prevent problems down the road. Most companies do not cover routine dental cleaning and some even exclude dental illnesses such as gum disease.
Most companies will require you to pay your vet for all services upfront and then submit a claim for reimbursement. Only a few policies will reimburse the vet directly.
A few companies now offer an app that speeds the process of filing claims and offers vet chat services 24/7.
Narrow down your choices and get a quote specific to your pet’s needs from various providers. Make sure they provide a “Sample Policy” for your state so you can review the fine print before signing.

Most plans will cover:

Accidental injury
Surgery
Diagnosis and treatment of illness
Chronic disease
Hereditary or congenital conditions
Cancer treatment
Prescription medication
Dental injury (broken tooth)

Most plans will exclude:

All plans exclude pre-existing conditions
Elective procedures including spaying/neutering
Routine or preventive care
Wellness exams
Routine dental cleaning. Some exclude dental diseases
Pet supplies or supplements
Prescription food
Flea and tick treatments
Vaccinations
Vet exam fees
End-of-life expenses including euthanasia

Some policies will offer add-on coverage for:

Alternative treatments such as acupuncture
Vet exam fees
Behavior modification
Spay/neuter
Physical therapy and rehab

These policy add-ons can greatly expand coverage, particularly for routine and wellness care. I found that this coverage comes at a very high price. In some cases, the annual add-on premium was even higher than the average out-of-pocket expense it covers. One company’s Optional Wellness Package more than doubled the original monthly premium. Please be careful to evaluate your expected annual out-of-pocket costs and consider putting the money aside in your savings account rather than purchasing the policy add-on.

Read The Fine Print

All companies do a lovely job of presenting a bright and attractive (and sometimes misleading) sales page with a summary of their coverages. None of them engage in full disclosure upfront. Before purchasing any policy, read the sample contract that details all of the conditions, exclusions, and fine print of their contract.

Dog owners should be particularly careful to read the coverage details for hip dysplasia or surgical repair of an ACL tear. Some companies exclude coverage while others require a 12-month wait period for coverage to begin. This surgery can cost up to $7,000 per knee and a double repair would max out your $10K annual limit.

Only a few companies offer coverage for vet exam fees. This can come as a surprise when you receive a vet bill for $300 and $170 of it is the exam fee. Only the remaining $130 would qualify for insurance reimbursement and then only after you have met your deductible.

In Conclusion

Each family needs to evaluate the expected annual costs of keeping their family pets healthy. No two families have the same needs. Choose a plan that balances the coverage you need with the cost of the premium. Make a budget to cover not only your premiums but the other routine out-of-pocket expenses such as annual vaccines, fleas and tick preventative, dental care, vet exam fees, your annual deductible, and the 10-30% of expenses not covered by your insurance reimbursement.

Ask the front desk staff at your vet’s office to help you by preparing estimates for routine expenses. Planning ahead and following your budget can save you from taking on long-term debt when surprise expenses arise. After all, the joy and love that our pets bring to our lives is priceless

Animal Health Horses

Pain Signals from a “Sound” Horse

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date December 16, 2022

Have you ever looked at your horse and just had a “gut feeling” that something was off? How do you determine if that feeling is accurate? How does any horse owner know what is motivating their horses’ “bad behavior”? Is it pain? An illness? A general unhappiness about their environment? The trainer may say that it is poor work ethic, rider error, or just plain naughtiness. The vet may not see any obvious lameness and declare the horse to be sound. Yet, the gut feeling still persists, but where do you look for answers?

Through my 40+ years as a horse owner, equestrian, and equine sports therapist, I have not only experienced it for myself, but I have heard some version of this sad and frustrating story time and time again. I have watched so many of my friends and clients navigate the unexplained behaviors of their beloved horses. The story often sounds like this:

The months go by and I feel the joy has gone from riding. I look at my equine friend and partner and see a dull and listless gaze. I can see he is not happy. I remember the days of laughter, hard work, and accomplishment when we felt powerful together, fit, strong, and forward. The strides felt long and light as we covered the ground, the wind in our hair. Today we trot forward with a stiff feeling back, short strides, and no energy to push on. His ears are back, his tail swishes, and he chomps the bit and stumbles frequently. If I ask for more, we end up in a struggle. He has no more to give. I know in my heart that this is not “bad behavior” or a “poor work ethic”. This is not the result of “poor riding”. This is not the natural state of my beloved horse.

All of the stories sound similar.

“I know something is wrong with my horse but I can’t find the cause.”

“This is not his usual behavior.”

“I know when he is happy and well and this is not it.”

“He is ‘off’ but no one else can see it.”

“My trainer says to push harder, my horse is just being naughty.”

“I have tried everything, massage, acupuncture, Magna Wave, chiropractic, saddle fitter. Everything helps but only temporarily. He is still ‘off’ and reluctant to work.”

So WHAT IS IT? It’s PAIN.

These behaviors are often the early signs of musculoskeletal pain that appear before a lameness can be detected.

Our horses are strong and brave. They work hard for us and try to meet our expectations. They push through the pain. They push and push, doing their jobs despite the pain in their body. They move differently and act differently while they compensate for the pain and continue to work. They work until they no longer can. By the time we detect an obvious head-bobbing lameness, it may be too late to help.

Sadly, our equestrian culture has developed a deaf ear to their pain. We have somehow lost the open dialogue that says, “Hey, my friend, what’s up? You feel a little off today. You’re not yourself. I can feel your back is stiff. Do you need another day of recovery? Maybe some stretching?”

Horses are generally very honest creatures. They don’t try to trick us into giving them a day off. When they are feeling playful and full of energy, they let us know. When they are in pain and honestly unable to perform they also let us know. They communicate with the same body language they use in the herd; stance, posture, facial expression, and willingness to move.

We Need To Trust Our Horses

We, as equestrians, need to practice our listening skills. Listen with our gut and watch with our eyes. If your horse is telling you he is “not himself”, trust him!

When we don’t trust, the frustration is real, painful, and expensive. These are statements I often hear from clients when they are searching for answers in the wrong places.

“My vet can’t see a head bobbing lameness, writes a prescription, and sends an invoice.”

“My trainer pressures me to continue training and competition despite my concern.”

“My horse is losing weight and muscle tone even though he is working regularly. I buy more supplements and treatments for ulcers.”

“I take time off to let him rest…..get radiographs…..try some shockwave….get a second opinion…..how about some joint injections….and still he is acting out under saddle.”

“I bought a new custom saddle and the latest magic pad. Still he bucks.”

Help To Identify Pain is Available

Sue Dyson, VetMB, Ph.D., a world-renowned expert in equine orthopedics, with a particular interest in lameness and poor performance in sports horses, has developed a tool that I hope will change the way we judge horse behavior. Her tool “The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE)”, developed through years of studying behavior in the ridden horse, teaches horse owners, trainers, and medical practitioners a new way of qualifying a horse’s behavior to determine if the horse is experiencing musculoskeletal pain.

An E thogram is a catalog or table of animal behaviors used to qualify normal vs. abnormal behaviors. You can download this table related to the Ethogram to keep for your reference. When used as a diagnostic tool, this Ethogram can help horse owners to identify and treat pain before the condition progresses and perhaps ends the horses’ riding career. An in-depth application of the Ethogram by NIH is detailed in this study.

The technique for evaluating a horse using the Ethogram can be seen in detail in Dr. Dyson’s film The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain. I believe this film is a MUST-WATCH for all horse owners. It is 35 minutes which could be the best investment in your horse’s wellness plan.

A General Synopsis of The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain

The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain is a film that dares to challenge the way we look at “badly behaving” horses, and promotes the notion that lameness doesn’t start at the head bob. Through a six-phase study, spanning three years, and over 400 horses, Dr. Dyson, and colleagues developed The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE), a tool to reliably predict lameness before the condition worsens into limping and other obvious signs of injuries. The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram is a catalog of 24 behaviors, which scientific studies have demonstrated can be associated with pain in the ridden horse. The majority of these behaviors are at least ten times more likely to be seen in lame horses compared with non-lame horses.

The film follows Dr. Dyson and Dr. Jim Myers of Gold Coast Equine, as they examine and diagnose show jumper Lauren McMahon’s beloved mare Galina, who was not obviously lame, yet seemed increasingly unhappy under saddle. Lauren had “tried everything” to figure out what was wrong, including ulcer treatments, multiple joint injections, and specialized shoeing but Galina only became more resistant under saddle. Galina’s story is not uncommon for horses that do not present with an obvious head bobbing lameness. Oftentimes these are horses that get labeled as “resistant,” “lazy,” and horses that buck or rear from pain, “explosive.” Trainers often tell riders to “push them through it.”

It also educates horse lovers on how to spot the early signs of pain while taking viewers on an emotional “ride” through the eyes of a young girl who loves her horse and will stop at nothing to try to figure out how to make her comfortable.

Dr. Dyson’s research was further explained in an article published recently in Equus Magazine. An excerpt from the article explains:

“Undiagnosed lameness has a far-reaching impact on the lives of horses and their riders, says Sue Dyson, VetMB, Ph.D. “One of the reasons I was incentivized to develop an RHpE was I had become so dispirited by seeing so many horses who clearly had pain-related problems that had been ignored for far too long,” she explains. “The horse, the rider, the training technique were being blamed over and over again. Coercive training techniques were being used. Longer whips, spurs, tighter nosebands, and ‘stronger’ bits were being employed. Moreover, veterinarians did not understand what they were looking at either—if an enlightened owner sought advice, and there was no obvious lameness seen in hand, they were told that the horse had behavioral problems.”

Learn more about Dr. Dyson’s Train with Trust Project.

I hope that you will join me in continuing the conversation with our horses, giving them the opportunity to express their needs through behavior and building trust for a pain-free partnership.

Reference: The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain: Shifting the Paradigm of How We See Lameness by Padmavideo

Pet Resources

The Pet Gift Guide – Part 2

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date December 9, 2022

Now that we know what to consider when purchasing a pet gift, let’s dive into some great gifts for the two most popular pets – dogs and cats. According to World Atlas and to no surprise, the two most popular animals owned as pets in the US are:

Dogs – 48,255,413 households own a dog
Cats – 31,896,077 households own a cat

Gifts for Dogs

The Kong Wubba – These durable, inexpensive toys are great for any dog. Kong offers a wide variety of toys in small to extra-large sizes. They also have different kinds to satisfy different playstyles, which is our top consideration in Part 1 of our Pet Gift Guide.
Chuckit!’s Breathe Right ball – These fetch balls are great for many reasons! They’re hollow so you can put treats in them, they allow airflow which helps dogs with breathing problems, and they float in water.
Bob-A-Lot – With this toy, you can do so many things at once. Your dog will get exercise while getting fed and will be entertained. It’s a great gift for when you’re busy working from home, entertaining company, or even away for a few hours.
A BarkBox subscription – How cool would it be to get a surprise box every month for you and your dog? You get the excitement of opening it and your dog gets the excitement of playing with them. Boxes start at just $23 a month and your first box includes 4 toys, 4 treats, and 2 chews.

Gifts for Cats

Eco-Kitty Comet – This is great for individual entertainment or for the two of you to play with together and is made of natural materials.
Cork Cat Balls – These eco-friendly toys are great for a game of chase. They’ll keep your cat entertained for hours and
Cat trees or condos – If you have more than one cat, cat trees and condos are an excellent choice! Most of them typically have multiple stations for play and rest.
Robotic Toy – No matter what you’re tied up doing, you can give your cat all the entertainment they need. These robotic toys have a bird, mouse, and feather attachments that you can set and let go for your cat to play with.

A Gift for Any Animal

Regardless of what kind of pet you have, hiring an animal communicator is the perfect gift! Animal communicators can help you have an even more satisfying relationship with your pet and give them a better quality of life. To learn more about what an animal communicator is, read our recent blog.

No matter what gift you give your pet, I hope you have a joyous holiday season!

Pet Resources

The Pet Gift Guide – Part 1

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date December 8, 2022

‘Tis the season! We’re just a few weeks away from Christmas and that means gift-giving galore for many of us. If you’re like me, your pets are your children, so you treat them as such and find so much happiness in giving them something that brings them joy.

How do you determine what to give your pets, though? They can’t write a list to Santa or tell you all the things they want when you walk through the mall. While we can’t get our pets to tell us the exact thing that they want, we can communicate with them to understand their likes and dislikes by working with an animal communicator. If you don’t currently have an animal communicator, here are a few things you may want to consider when buying a gift for your pet.

Playstyle – First and foremost, I consider the pet’s play style. Some pets are happy to play alone, chewing on a bone or chasing a ball around the yard. Others get bored very quickly if left to entertain themselves and prefer to have a playmate for a vigorous game of tug-of-war. Are they high energy, preferring to run like a maniac? Or do they have a more sedate playstyle, lounging around for hours with a stuffed squeaky toy? Take a moment to notice which toys and activities your pet chooses on his own. Then select gifts that fit their particular playstyle.

Engagement and enrichment – Most animals prefer gifts that engage their senses. Food treats are often at the top of their list as they engage the senses of sight, smell and taste all at once. What captures your pet’s attention – is it a bird quickly flitting past the window? Or the scent of bacon in the air? Perhaps it is sound that captures their attention. Or two senses combined, like texture and smell, that engage your pet.

I use homemade puzzle games to engage my smart cat. Dropping small treats into a puzzle maze made from cardboard gives him the chance to use his sense of smell and sight to locate the treat. This also satisfies his urge to hunt by chasing and catching the treat. How can you challenge your pet mentally and physically to engage them in a satisfying game? To further alleviate boredom for my cat, I fill a few small treat puzzles and hide them around the house for the cat to hunt while I’m away or occupied. A Kong or puzzle works well for dogs in a similar way.

Toy safety – This is high on my list of priorities. If your dog is a chewer, make sure that the gift cannot be chewed up into small pieces and swallowed. In fact, many emergency surgeries are performed around the holidays because chewers swallow even large objects. Check all toys for small pieces, such as plastic eyes, that can easily be pulled off. Or strings that could cause a strangulation hazard. If you have multiple pets in your household be sure that the cat toy is not a hazard for the dog and vice versa. Research where the gift is made and out of what material. Some items from overseas have been known to contain harmful, toxic ingredients. I like to select gifts made in the USA whenever possible.
Eco-friendly materials – When there is a choice, I always prefer to give gifts that are made and packaged with eco-friendly materials. This can be tough to do these days as so many items are made out of plastic and packaged that way as well. When I visit a pet store, I see lifetimes of plastic pet toys filling our landfills. It takes more effort to find but, there are eco-friendly pet gifts available. Perhaps a cotton sweater for your little pup or a catnip mouse made from natural wool fibers. Handmade gifts are always a great idea as you can make them yourself or find them on Etsy. Most cats are just as happy with a homemade cardboard toy as an expensive plastic one. When your pet tires of last year’s toys, please consider recycling, regifting or donating them rather than sending them to the landfill.
Longevity – When it comes to pet toys, longevity is less of an issue. Pets tend to get bored with most toys long before the object wears out. These days it can also be an issue of simply too many toys to choose from. Remember that less is more. A good strategy is to take away half of the available toys. Clean and store them away to be reintroduced as “new” at a later date. Or set up a toy exchange with some of your friends. Our pets don’t care if the gifts are new or used. Let them thoroughly enjoy a few toys then cycle them away as you bring out another batch that then receives fresh interest. If there is no fresh interest from your pet, it is probably time to donate that toy to a local shelter or rescue.
The gift that keeps giving – The joy I find in giving does not extend only to my own pets but also to the beloved pets of those that have less to give. For each pet gift you purchase this holiday season, please consider donating one to a local organization that provides pet food or gifts to families in need.

Now that you know what to consider when purchasing a pet gift, read part 2 to see what toys are trending this holiday season! Remember that no matter what you get, your pet’s favorite thing will be your time and attention. So be sure to give extra love this holiday season.

Wishing you, your family, and your pets a season filled with your favorite gifts!

Dog Training Dogs

Misconceptions About Dog Behaviors

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date November 30, 2022

Naughty playful puppy dog border collie after mischief biting pillow lying on couch at home. Guilty dog and destroyed living room. Damage messy home and puppy with funny guilty look

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “A dog is a man’s best friend”. There’s no denying that these loyal and loving animals can really be our best friends and companions. While they can be our best buds, this doesn’t mean that we completely understand each other. Think about our relationships with humans whom we speak the same language with. There are still so many misunderstandings. Imagine how many misunderstandings there are between dogs and humans! Below, I outline some common dog behaviors and common misconceptions about them to help you foster a better relationship with your furry friend.

Barking

Dogs will be dogs and barking is what they do to communicate with everything – humans and animals. While barking is normal, it can be excessive so it’s important to be aware of why your dog is barking.

If they are barking because someone is at the door, it’s their instinct to protect you. If your dog is just standing in front of you and barking for no apparent reason, they could just want attention, may need to go outside, or may be hungry. The reasons a dog barks are infinite so remember that if it’s starting to get on your nerves, yelling is only going to fuel the fire. It’s important to remain calm and communicate in a non-aggressive way. After all, your dog doesn’t necessarily know what you’re communicating to him.

Misconception: The dog should understand what I want from him.

No dog instinctively understands the rules for living amongst humans. The boundaries and expectations that we hold for our pets must be defined and trained for the dog to understand. While our dogs do learn to interpret our tone of voice, posture, and facial expression, they do not understand our words. Consistency, patience, practice, and positive reinforcement are our best tools to cultivate understanding in our dogs.

Aggression

Do you have that dog that, no matter what, always shows aggression towards people or other animals, especially dogs? If a dog doesn’t get much time around others, they may show their protector instinct as a default behavior because they don’t know how to communicate with others, even their own kind.

Misconception: Dogs always understand one another.

It is true that dogs have a “language” all their own. They use stance, posture, facial expression, and tail wagging to indicate to other dogs their intent to play or avoid contact. Most dogs will pick up on this non-verbal language shared by many breeds and interpret it correctly. However, there are many dogs that were not socialized at an early age, or at all, and will not understand the customary signals. Help your dog to learn this language early through careful socialization and plenty of dog play.

Chewing

If you’ve had a puppy before, you’ve probably experienced the chewing stage to some degree. Dogs are chewers because they use their mouths for exploration, second to their noses. Since puppies have so much to get familiar with, they tend to chew more often. What about those dogs who are no longer puppies that are still chewing everything? You may get very upset with them because they should “know better”, which brings us back to our first misconception. It also may be because they are not given what they need to keep from being bored and use chewing as a way of entertainment. They could also not like their environment and chew to destruct it. Regardless of the reason for chewing, it’s not always the dog’s fault.

Misconception: It’s always the dog’s fault

There are so many times when a dog is punished or corrected for what we call “bad behavior” when in fact, the behavior is a completely natural one for a dog. Quite often the misbehavior is simply a misunderstanding of our expectations. As responsible dog owners, we should always ask ourselves what role we have played in this behavior we have labeled “bad”. Have we taken the time to clearly teach the required skill? Have we trained clear boundaries and made our expectations clear so our dog can understand? Take the time to put yourself into the dog’s perspective and see the world as they do. Is it still clear that this was “bad behavior”?

Digging

Going back to the point of being bored, your dog could be excessively digging because they have nothing to keep them entertained. Remember that dogs who spend a lot of time outside will naturally dig because they want to bury a toy or because they want a cool place to lie down. If your dog is digging, you don’t have to task them with a “job” to stop it. There are other ways to mitigate digging.

Misconception: Dogs need a job

While it is true that boredom can cause all sorts of behavior issues, a “job” is not always the answer. Dogs have no concept of a “job” as we do. Dogs do need regular activity, and an environment that is enriched with sensory stimulation, and for some dogs, trained tasks give them stimulation and focus for their energy.

Dog Behavior Misconceptions Can Be Lessened with Animal Communication

Misconceptions are a part of life and at the same time, there don’t have to be so many. Hiring an animal communicator can help you get an understanding of why your dog has certain behaviors. Once you have an understanding, you can work together to change those behaviors.

I’d like to leave you with two things to keep in mind about your dogs as you embark on the journey of better understanding.

Dogs don’t experience guilt. The postures and expressions we see in a dog and interpret as guilt are usually fear or anticipation of punishment. This is based on the owner’s posture and tone of voice, not guilt from a past behavior. Therefore, you should use positive reinforcement to change behavior, as scolding them will not make them feel guilty and not do the act again.
You can teach an old dog new tricks. Old dogs can absolutely learn new tricks. If the dog is mentally and physically able to respond to cues and rewards, it can learn. In fact, learning a new skill or trick can add interest and energy to an older dog and enrich his senior years.

Animal Health

How An Animal Communicator Can Assist Your Aging Animal

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date November 22, 2022

Aging is a natural process for all living organisms. Sadly, as humans and pet owners, we not only have to go through the aging process ourselves, but we also have to see our aging animals go through it. As with humans, this can be a joyful and challenging experience, all at the same time. While the aging process is very different for us and our furry friends, there are a lot of similarities.

Pets Get Diseases, Too

According to VetSource, there are 7 common health problems found in aging animals, which also happen to be found in aging humans. They are:

Kidney Issues
Heart Problems
Cognitive Dysfunction
Arthritis or Joint Problems
Dental Disease
Lumps and Bumps
Loss of Vision and Hearing

As stated in our most recent blog, The Many Ways an Animal Communicator Can Help Your Veterinarian, life-threatening and nonlife-threatening health problems should always be addressed by a veterinarian, and an Animal Communicator can provide complimentary assistance.

Using An Animal Communicator Through the Disease Process

Pet caretakers can use animal communication to deepen their understanding and relationship with the pet who has been diagnosed with a disease. For instance, I’ve worked with a senior dog who, during a consultation, reported a spot on his lung that didn’t feel right. At first, he described it as a “flat feeling spot”. At our next session, the feeling had changed to “an area that doesn’t expand easily when I breathe”. A vet exam revealed a growth in that lobe of his lung. As the family, vet, and dog progressed through medical treatment, animal communication sessions helped to monitor his pain levels, difficulty breathing, and his personal experience of the disease progression. At each session, the dog was able to express any changes he felt as a result of medication and dietary adjustments. Working together as a team has helped this family to navigate a difficult time with less stress and worry. They have been able to fine-tune his treatments and he has survived more than 10 months longer than his original prognosis.

It’s best to check in with pets regularly using animal communication to observe changes or symptoms, especially when disease is present. Many health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes can reach a life-threatening level before a pet exhibits visible signs. Animals are often able to describe physical sensations such as difficulty breathing or irregular heartbeat which can alert you to seek medical care before the situation becomes critical. In situations like these, an animal communicator can help pet owners manage the disease and prolong their pet’s life.

If you’re considering using an animal communicator and your animal has already been diagnosed with a disease, it’s best not to share the diagnosis details with the animal communicator prior to your consultation so that they can feel what is reported from the animal first and not have perceptions skewed by another perspective.

Using An Animal Communicator Through the End-of-Life Process

As you know, the end-of-life process is often accompanied by disease. As a pet’s health declines there are simple things that the pet can share with you to better help you manage their physical condition and surroundings to support them during the aging process. For example, a pet may look sad and you may think it’s unhappy. When in reality, he simply isn’t as energized in his old age and is just tired. When communicating with your animal, they may report that they are feeling dehydrated and don’t have enough energy to get to the bowl. Therefore, you can just move the bowl closer to them to make the effort easier.

Knowing what an aging animal wants can really make a difference in its final days. I have worked with a senior dog who is blind. Since he is blind, his sense of smell gives him great joy despite not being able to walk very well due to his weak legs. To improve his quality of life, the owners pick him up and take him to the park so he can smell the lake, the dirt, and the other animals that have been there. This is the best day ever for him but they wouldn’t have known how to give him joy in his final days had they not worked with a communicator.

Additionally, when a pet is nearing the end of its life, palliative care is often put in place to maintain a level of comfort and quality of life just as it would for a human. The animal communicator can provide information that the veterinarian can use to help them transition more comfortably.

No matter if your pet is just aging or aging with a disease present, their level of comfort and well-being are critical so do what you can to make their last days, their best days!

Animal Communicator Partnerships Animal Health

The Many Ways an Animal Communicator Can Help Your Veterinarian

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date November 16, 2022

Have you ever had a sick pet that you’ve taken to the veterinarian and after dozens of tests and thousands of dollars, there’s finally an answer to the change in their behavior? If you have, you know how frustrating this can be. If you haven’t, I hope to help you prevent having this experience.

As pet owners, our pet’s health, well-being, and safety are of the utmost importance to us. Considering this, it can be disconcerting at times trying to determine what exactly is going on inside of them – if only they could talk, right? Well, they can! Through telepathic communication, we have the ability to ask them how they are feeling, what they are feeling, and where they feel it. Having the animal communicate this information rather than making assumptions, is so much better for the animal, the owner, and the veterinarian as it alleviates guesswork. When it comes to your pet’s health, combining the services of an Animal Communicator with a veterinarian can lead to less testing and diagnostics, saving money and time and resulting in a quicker diagnosis.

Assisting Your Veterinarian

At any age, behaviors and physical changes can happen and we don’t always know the cause of these changes. This can cause us, humans, to be stressed, but it can also cause heightened stress levels in our pets, which in turn could exacerbate the issues going on, making it more difficult to determine the root issue.

Even when the issue is not presenting itself as severe, when something changes in our pets, our first instinct is to take them to the veterinarian. This can be costly and require multiple visits and tests. Therefore, when you observe initial changes, scheduling a personal consultation with an Animal Communicator can equip you with more information to help your veterinarian focus his tests and diagnostics more effectively.

When we humans go to the doctor, the doctor interviews us and we are able to express our specific needs and feelings so the doctor can then provide focused treatment based on what we say. For instance, if you’ve noticed that your pet is not eating as much as normal and the pet is able to express that there is a tooth that is bothering them. Chances are that I can narrow down the area of where that tooth is; upper jaw, lower jaw, left side, etc. With this information, you can go to your veterinarian and tell them more specifically where to look for the issue. An Animal Communicator fills this gap so that your veterinarian can begin by evaluating the area mentioned and remedy that problem more quickly without unnecessary costs and tests.

Another example is a horse owner who reports that there are changes in their horse’s behavior and they think it may be lame. A veterinarian would have to evaluate all legs from top to bottom with a physical exam or radiographs and they may just give them painkillers to solve the problem. When working with an Animal Communicator, the horse may tell them that it has pain in the left, front leg at the knee. Combining the visual veterinarian exam with the feedback directly from the animal can enable the doctor to target diagnostic testing more quickly and accurately. In this example, the veterinarian could begin with radiographs of the knee and visually confirm the issue, saving time and money.

The Importance of Checking In Routinely With Your Pet

By giving your pet the opportunity to express themselves and truly tell you the things that are going on with them, you can broaden and deepen your relationship with your pet. It can allow you opportunities for them to let you know early when an issue arises so that you can get the necessary treatment for them or even prevent an illness. Stay on top of your pet’s wellness by scheduling a conversation with your pet communicator today.

Animal Communicator Animal Health

Animal Medical Intuitive – The Basics

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date September 26, 2022

As a pet owner, have you ever sat and pondered about your pet? Maybe they’re starting to act out or even withdraw. No matter what their behavior, or lack of, the reason behind what they’re doing could very well be due to a medical problem which is where a medical intuitive could prove to be very helpful.

Having a pet is one of life’s greatest blessings, but because of the communication barrier, it can become difficult at times. What if you could sit with your pet and ask them questions about their behavior, health, likes, dislikes, or just things that you are curious about? Well, you can!

A medical intuitive is an alternative medicine practitioner, who uses their intuitive abilities to find the cause of a physical or emotional condition through the use of insight rather than conventional medical diagnostics. Other terms for this practice include medical clairvoyant, medical psychic or intuitive counselor. These practitioners do not diagnose or treat medical conditions. They can, however, offer insight from a unique perspective that often adds useful information when used in conjunction with conventional medical diagnostics. It is one tool that can be added to your overall wellness protocol.

What Do Medical Intuitives Do?

Medical intuition focuses on visualization skills and intuitive and innovative scanning to obtain information from the physical body and its energy systems. It is designed to assist health care providers in a cost-effective, targeted approach to a patient’s presenting concerns, and is not meant to serve as a diagnosis of illness or disease. Studies have shown that medical intuitives have strong, subjective accuracy rates in identifying primary and secondary health issues. Additionally, their services are positively evaluated in the context of an individual’s concerns regarding their health.

History Of Medical Intuition

Edgar Cayce (1877–1945) was one of the most well-known medical clairvoyants. He was said to be able to discern the health conditions of people, and in many cases, heal them of their affliction. Many of the treatments that he developed are still used today.

In some cases, medical intuitives have been hired by hospitals, clinics, and medical offices, particularly in California. Some medical intuitives also work with M.D.’s.

How Can An Animal Medical Intuitist Help?

When a human visits a medical professional, they often engage in an extensive intake interview where the doctor can ask in-depth questions about how the patient feels. This interview helps the physician narrow down potential causes and develop the next steps for testing and diagnostics. As many animal owners can attest, veterinary diagnostics can be a very hit-or-miss process, expensive and frustrating. It can be difficult for a vet to focus on the root cause based only on our visual observations. An animal is not able to verbalize his physical sensations such as:

“My throat feels raw when I swallow.”
“The pain feels sharp in my left upper hip and radiates down my leg.”
“I feel a rapid flutter in my chest”
“I feel the pain in my right front hoof. It feels fine at the walk but the pain starts when I canter”
“I feel nauseous and low on energy”

When a horse exhibits lameness it can often be difficult to tell which limb is the cause. Narrowing down the focus onto one limb can save everyone a lot of time and money.

Clients often consult an animal communicator/medical intuitive prior to a non-emergency vet visit to collect information that will help the vet to zero in on the root cause and reduce the number of tests required. By locating sensations during an intuitive scan of the body, an animal communicator can report details of pain location, intensity, and quality. These details help the pet owner and their medical care team to discover symptoms that are not visible to us and to refine the treatment plan.

Regular “check-in” with a communicator can be useful to monitor the well-being of a pet during a course of treatment by asking the pet about pain levels, appetite, and other symptoms.

Pet owners also consult a medical intuitive to help them assess the quality of life of their senior pet as they navigate the challenges of old age.

As an animal communicator and animal medical intuitive, I use a scanning technique to feel what the animal is feeling in his physical body. As an empath, I feel the physical and emotional feelings of the animal in my own body reporting sensations of pain, pressure, headaches, nausea, itching, vision disturbance, hearing loss, dental issues, joy, sadness, lethargy, difficult respiration, etc.
Contacting an animal medical intuitive should never be your first choice in any emergency situation. Always contact your vet or local emergency clinic first. The intuitive work can complement your conventional veterinary care but never replace it.