Protecting Your Dog Against Ticks

by Lindsay Herrick-Somerset

As the weather warms up, that means more time outside with your dog. But, with the warm season, also means the return of something else: ticks.

Ticks are found specifically in longer grassy areas and in bushes. Even though many people think of them as insects, they are actually arachnids which are similar to spiders and mites. Ticks are parasites that feed off of the blood the host they attach themselves to. Those hosts can be can a human or an animal.

The biggest problem with ticks is that they are carriers of disease, specifically Lyme disease. Lyme disease can be very serious if not treated, with symptoms including a fever, loss of appetite, pain, lethargy, swollen lymph nodes, swollen joints and shifting lameness from one leg to another. If not treated, it can cause serious damage to your dog's heart, nervous system and kidneys.

If you suspect that your pet has Lyme disease, take them to their vet as soon as possible. Your vet will want to do a blood panel to be sure and then start your dog on antibiotics right away as Lyme disease is a bacterial illness.

This is why it's extremely important to do a tick check any time your dog has been outside, specifically if they have been in long grassy areas (such as the river valley) or in bushes. The most common places where ticks like to grab on to and most pet owners miss are your dog’s ears, between their toes and arm pits.

What do you do if you find a tick on your dog? The safest way to remove a tick is by using a tick remover tool . Do not touch the tick with your bare hands as bacteria could be transmitted to you. Wear gloves or use a paper towel if you don't have gloves. Grab the tick as close to the skin surface as possible so this reduces the chances of the head detaching. Twist and pull the tick out with steady and even pressure. It may take a minute or two, so be patient. Once the tick has been removed, find a container and take it your vet so they can send it off to a lab to be inspected. Write down the time and place where the bite occurred.

Once the tick has been safely removed, it's very important to disinfect the bite area and your hands as soon as possible.

So, what can you do to prevent your dog from getting ticks? Talk to your vet about what they recommend as there are many different options out there. There are monthly topical treatments that can be applied to your dog that are effective at keeping both ticks and fleas at bay. If your dog attends daycare, most daycare require proof that your dog is having it applied. But be cautious about using any random tick treatment you find at a store as they are not all created equal and/or can be hazardous to your dog.

Also, make sure you check yourself over if you have been out with your pet in high risk areas for ticks. You don't want to take your chances.

Kitty Extravaganza: Class of BFFs

August 8, 2016 by Spencer Mortenson ·

Welcome to Zoe’s Kitty Extravaganza!

For the entire month of August, all of our cats and kittens will be available for adoption by a minimum donation, instead of our regular adoption fees, and each week our blog will feature a different ‘class’ of feline interviews.

This week: Our BFF Class!

These five pair of felines are so in love with each other, they are now BFFs for life and must be adopted together. Why have one cat when you can have two!?! Our thoughts exactly!

Name: Toulouse
Favourite treat/food/toy: Katnip Kickers!
Describe yourself in three words: Shy, cuddly, & cute.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter? Angelina Jolie, adopter extraordinaire.
Who is your best friend forever? Rocquefort
What do you like most about your BFF? His cuddles.
What annoys you the most about your BFF? Nothing! I love everything about Rocky!
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Rocquefort
Favourite treat/food/toy: Katnip Kickers!
Describe yourself in three words: Cuddly, playful, sweet.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter? Sandra Bullock, she’d be the third BFF.
Who is your best friend forever? Toulouse
What do you like most about your BFF? He’s the best playmate!
What annoys you the most about your BFF? Nothing, Toulouse is the best friend a guy could ask for!
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Hopper
Favourite treat/food/toy: I like ALL kinds of treats, I may even nibble straight out of your hand!
Describe yourself in three words: Timid, shy, cuteness.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter? Lady Gaga
Who is your best friend forever? Petrie
What do you like most about your BFF? Everything!
What annoys you the most about your BFF? Not a darn thing!
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Petrie
Favourite treat/food/toy: Anything soft and delicious.
Describe yourself in three words: Adorable, cozy, granny-cat
Who is your dream celebrity adopter? Stephen Hawkings
Who is your best friend forever? Hopper
What do you like most about your BFF? She loves me unconditionally.
What annoys you the most about your BFF? She’s attached to my hip and sometimes steals my food.
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: George Weasley
Favourite treat/food/toy: Laser pointers!!
Describe yourself in three words: Explore, cuddle, play.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter? Reba McEntire, we have the same colouring.
Who is your best friend forever? Miss Blue
What do you like most about your BFF? Blue is ALWAYS in a good mood.
What annoys you the most about your BFF? I always have to give up the best cuddle spots for her.
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Miss Blue
Favourite treat/food/toy: String toys!! They are the best!
Describe yourself in three words: Kisses, cuddles, love.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter? Taylor Swift, a crazy cat lady who would buy me the fanciest cat trees.
Who is your best friend forever? George Weasley
What do you like most about your BFF? He always lets me steal the beset cuddle spots.
What annoys you the most about your BFF? He’s too adventurous, naps & cuddles are where it’s at.
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Don Drapurr
Favourite treat/food/toy: Anything with gravy. ANYTHING.
Describe yourself in three words: Want more attention.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter? Penn Jilette
Who is your best friend forever? Leonardo Decatrio
What do you like most about your BFF? I can’t always count on Leo for a great game of chase!
What annoys you the most about your BFF? He’s such a scaredy cat when people come to visit us….
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Leonardo Decatrio
Favourite treat/food/toy: Gravy. ::Drooooool::
Describe yourself in three words: Shy, reluctant, but FULL of love.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter? Teller
Who is your best friend forever? Don Drapurr
What do you like most about your BFF? He’s the BEST rug ripper upper partner!
What annoys you the most about your BFF? He always steals the best snuggle spots when our foster mom is loving on us.
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Dr. Mew
Favourite treat/food/toy: The TARDIS
Describe yourself in three words: Timey Wimey Adventure
Who is your dream celebrity adopter? Matt Smith who looks almost as good in bowties as I do. Although any incarnation of The Doctor would do.
Who is your best friend forever? Roary Williams
What do you like most about your BFF? He is a loyal companion who always has my back. And a good pillow.
What annoys you the most about your BFF? He likes to steal all the balls. Then I have to chase him to get them back.
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Roary Williams
Favourite treat/food/toy: All things ball. I like to carry them around in my mouth. I am also particularly fond of my tail.
Describe yourself in three words: Run! Sleep. Run!
Who is your dream celebrity adopter? Karen Gillan will always have my heart.
Who is your best friend forever? Dr. Mew
What do you like most about your BFF? He’s always ready for an adventure and he offers me all of space & time.
What annoys you the most about your BFF? Sometimes The Doctor just likes to kiss too much.
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Filed Under: Protecting Your Dog Against Ticks · Tagged With: Adoptable Cats, BFFs, Bonded Pairs, Kitty Extravaganza

Foster of the Week: Colby Cheese

August 7, 2016 by Spencer Mortenson ·

Hi, I’m Cheese! Colby Cheese.

Where’s your car? You DO have a car, right? Good. Let’s go for a ride!

Ahhhh…. I love the wind in ears! This is the life, I tell ya!!

I’m originally from Niagara Falls, what a fun little town! And now I’m here in Alberta. I’ve been all over this province, but I think it’s time I settle down.

I’ve settled into a great routine in my foster home.

My day starts bright and early when my foster dad wakes up. He comes to get my foster sister and me, then we go upstairs for a 45 minute snooze on the bed with my foster mom. I wait for my foster dad to tell me it’s ok to jump up on the bed, then I give my foster mom a quick kiss and settle in for a nap. She never sleeps long enough, but getting up with her means a walk and FOOOOOOD.

I start every day with a short walk. I keep hoping we’ll go for a car ride instead, but nope. Always a walk. My hound nose loves to sniff EVERYTHING. EVERY. THING. There are SO many smells out there! My foster mom doesn’t mind, but sometimes my nose gets carried away and she has to remind me that we are walking, not sniffing. I am very considerate of my foster mom and always do my business beside a garbage can. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do.

After my walk, it’s time for breakfast!!! My foster mom likes me to sit nicely until she serves breakfast. It’s SO hard when I’m SO hungry, but I try with all my might. After I gobble up my breakfast, I go upstairs to see who’s still sleeping. I crawl into bed with one of the kids and sleep until they get up. The girls take me on another short walk before lunch, then I spend the afternoon hanging out, being a dude. I love laying in the grass or sprawling out on the lounge chair for an afternoon siesta. I laze until dinner time. Food is my jam!

Evenings are for my people, I love my people almost as much as I love food. We go for an evening walk, then lay on the couch until bed time. I follow whoever goes up to bed first and snuggle with them until it’s time to go to my bed for the night. Sometimes my foster parents are too lazy to argue with me about going to my bed, my puppy eyes are extremely hard to resist, so I get to sleep in their bed with them. WINNING!!

It’s a great life with my foster family, they are so good to me. But, as much as I love living here, I am ready to find a forever home. One without cats!! That’s pretty much my only request. Cats flick my ‘Hunt Mode’ switch with a quickness! I’m happy with adults and kids and I don’t mind other dogs. I would like a home where my people are home more than they are away. And where there are lots and lots of treats! And a car. My life would be so sad without car rides.

So whaddya say? Check out my bio, apply to adopt me, and make me your passenger seat pal!

Filed Under: Protecting Your Dog Against Ticks · Tagged With: adoptable dog, Foster of the Week

Foster of the Week: Layla Maw

August 2, 2016 by Spencer Mortenson ·

Hi there, I’m Layla. Pleased to meet you.

Curl up with me in the sunbeam? It’s one of my favourite places to lay.

I came to Zoe’s a couple months ago with my babies. I was pretty nervous, my babies were only one day old when we were taken to this new place. I didn’t know what was going on. The people ended up being so, so lovely. They gave me such a nice space to take care of my babies and then they helped find loving forever homes for each one. And now here I am! Looking for a forever home of my own.

I’m a pretty easy going girl, my foster mom says I am sweetheart. I really love to be around my people. I always try to snuggle up to my foster parents at night, but sometimes the foster dog, Jamba, is already on the bed. I don’t mind dogs, but this one? He likes to torment me. Small dog syndrome probably…. I get along great with the rest of the dogs in my foster home. There’s also a litter of kittens here that I help take care of. They don’t have a mama with them, they need some love.

As lovely and loving as I am, I am still very playful! I love playing with toys and chasing them around. I love my scratching post, too. If you ask me, I am perfectly balanced. I love people and cuddles, but I am perfectly content to curl up in my favourite chair for a snooze. I am fun and playful, but not overly kittenish with super high energy. And I don’t mind dogs, cats or kids, but please know I can be a little choosey with other cats and I much prefer kids who are gentle and respect my space when I ask for it.

Also – did you know August is Kitty Extravaganza here at Zoe’s? That means my adoption fee is reduced!! What are you waiting for?? Check out my bio and apply to adopt me!

Filed Under: Protecting Your Dog Against Ticks · Tagged With: adoptable cat, Foster of the Week

Kitty Extravaganza: The Special Class

August 1, 2016 by Spencer Mortenson ·

Welcome to Zoe’s Kitty Extravaganza!

First up: The Special Class!

All of our fosters are special in their own way, but these five felines have a little extra specialness.

Name: Crossy
Favourite treat/food/toy: I love Blue Buffalo wet food.
Describe your life in three words: Curious, full of love & cuddles.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter: Ricky Gervais
If you won a pet store shopping spree, what would you buy? I would buy tons of food and supplies so I could help all the animals in need.
What are your special requests? I have an autoimmune condition that requires occasional treatment.
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Princess Peach
Favourite treat/food/toy: Freeze dried salmon!
Describe your life in three words: Sassy, affectionate, chatty.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter: Lady Gaga, darling.
If you won a pet store shopping spree, what would you buy? FOOOOOD! All of it. All the food and all the treats.
What are your special requests? I’d like a home without cats or children, please.
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Heather Willow
Favourite treat/food/toy: I like catnip. And catnip. And my favourite, catnip. And laser pointers. And catnip.
Describe your life in three words: Play, sleep, catnip.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter: Ellen Degeneres, because obviously!
If you won a pet store shopping spree, what would you buy? Wet food for all the homeless kitties. And catnip.
What are your special requests? I’d like to live without dogs or children, please.
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Moose Shrek
Favourite treat/food/toy: Dish soap bubbles! So much fun!!
Describe your life in three words: Sweet, curious, lovey.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter: Katy Perry, or Kitty Purrrrry as I would call her.
If you won a pet store shopping spree, what would you buy? The biggest cat tree I could find!
What are your special requests? I am on some medications and herbs and need special food, please.
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Name: Miss Moose
Favourite treat/food/toy: Greenies!
Describe your life in three words: Calm, sunbeams, ninja.
Who is your dream celebrity adopter: Julia Roberts, a fellow introvert who is mature and classy, just like me.
If you won a pet store shopping spree, what would you buy? I would have a personal shopper, of course, who would purchase Greenies & a cat tree for every window so I can lay in sunbeams anytime, any place!
What are your special requests? I’d like to be the only four-legged friend in your life, please.
Where can we find your bio? Right here!

Filed Under: Protecting Your Dog Against Ticks · Tagged With: Adoptable Cats, Kitty Extravaganza, Special Needs

Foster of the Week: Morgan Freeman

July 25, 2016 by Spencer Mortenson ·

*Bump*

Oh, pardon me…

*Bump*

Oops! Excuse me!

*Bump*

*Sniff, sniff*

Hmm….you smell human. Listen, I’ve got an itch right behind my ear. Would you mind?

Ahhhh….. That’s better, thank you.

Hi! I’m Morgan! Sit down beside me and let’s play a game. I’ll tell you three things about me and you have to guess which one is a lie.

I’m 10 years old.
Famous actor Morgan Freeman was named after me.
I’m blind.

Can you guess which one isn’t true? I know, I know. Too easy, right? I just wanted you to sit beside me and pet me. Now that you’re here, there’s no sense in getting up. Let’s chat.

I’m looking for a forever home. I had a family but they weren’t able to properly care for me, so Zoe’s took me in. I took a little time to adjust in my foster home, being blind makes new environments a little nerve-wracking, but nothing keeps me down for long! I’m always smiling! As long as I have a patient human by my side…

I went to Kause for Paws at Koch Ford on the weekend. It was a little much, not gonna lie…. I don’t really like big open spaces, they’re very hard for me to navigate. But once we settled inside where people registered, I was able to relax. The best part was all the people; a solid five hours of love, cuddles and scratches. That’s the good life….

Bark on the street is that senior dogs have a hard time getting adopted. I don’t understand that at all. Senior dogs are the best!!

No offence to puppies, they are pretty cute, but us older dogs are so much easier. We don’t ask for much: love, food and a comfy spot to lay our heads. At least that’s all I’m looking for. That and a home where I can be close by my people at all times. Being alone for too long makes me restless and I start to investigate things I probably shouldn’t. Like the kitchen counters…. In my defence, I don’t exactly know it’s the kitchen counters I’m surfing. It’s not like I can see that I’m in the kitchen. Wink, wink….

My age and vision impairment don’t hold me back at all. I hope it won’t hold you back from applying to adopt me!

Filed Under: Protecting Your Dog Against Ticks · Tagged With: adoptable dog, Foster of the Week

Foster of the Week: Sunshine Malala

July 17, 2016 by Spencer Mortenson ·

I am your sunshine, your only sunshine.
I’ll make you happy when skies are grey.
You’ll always know, dear, how much I love you.
I’ll never take my sunshine away……

Hey there! I’m Sunshine Malala.

I’m kind of a PSA cat. A two-fold PSA cat, actually.

Firstly, postpartum psychosis is REAL and it’s SCARY. It’s even scarier when you’re an animal and your humans don’t know why you’re being so terrifyingly violent. That’s how I came to Zoe’s. I had a litter of kittens, my hormones didn’t re-balance properly and the result was anything but friendly. I was surrendered because I was unpredictably dangerous and my family didn’t know what to do. I was so scared. I didn’t know what was going on – inside or outside my body.

The people at Zoe’s didn’t know if I could be saved, but they refused to give up on me until every possible avenue had been exhausted. I was booked for a spay, as all Zoe’s animals are, with the hope that it would help.

Which brings me to my second PSA: SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR ANIMAL FAMILY!!

Truth be told, I really didn’t need to have kittens and I didn’t need to suffer through postpartum psychosis. Neither would have happened had I been spayed as soon as possible. This all could have been prevented with a simple procedure.

Thankfully I am so much better now. I am sunshine personified. Well, feline-ified. I am happy, I am not scared or aggressive anymore. Other than my aggressive pursuit of affection and attention. I am quite vocal about my desire for affection; so if you want me to be quiet, you need to love me until I am satisfied. Also I must have chin scratches in the morning, I will head butt you square in the face until you give them to me. It’s best to just give in and love me.

My foster parents will tell you I’m a treat thief, but I disagree. The treats ARE for me and all I am trying to do is eat them. How can a cat thief something that is FOR THEM? I don’t get it. Humans are silly. They are the ones who bring the treats home though, so I let the silliness slide.

My foster families have been so great, I owe them my life, but I am now ready to move on to a forever family. I have few requirements, the main one being the only sunshine in your life. I don’t like dogs and I can take a long while to warm up to other cats. I’m not saying I could never be friends with another cat, maybe I just haven’t met the right one yet. Other than that, I require love and hugs, scratches and treats.

If you can give me that, I will be your sunshine forever.

Visit my profile and apply to adopt me!

Filed Under: Protecting Your Dog Against Ticks · Tagged With: Foster of the Week

Happy Tails Update: Parvo Puppy to Fury of Love

July 14, 2016 by Spencer Mortenson ·

The Mighty Imperator Furiosa (or Fury for short) has fast become a part of our family. She had Parvo when we adopted her, but she long ago kicked that and has been healthy ever since. She still loves string and rope toys, since her fosters originally played with her using a Cat Toy, so we have to be very careful with her as if she eats string that might be a blockage which would be bad! She also loves playing fetch with a ball, and actually has taken to playing catch, where she will dangle her front paws over the back of the couch and wait attentively to be thrown a ball or toy. There were a few issues with weight, but we’ve recently switched food on the recommendation of a vet to a tastier, higher calorie food and that seems to have done the trick. She was never underweight, and believe me, has had NO issues with energy, but she wasn’t quite as well built as you’d like for a dog so young. But she’s putting on more muscle and is ever more feisty.

At the end of march we welcomed our first non-fur baby to the family and Fury and Felix could not be getting along better. On the advice of your amazing staff we made sure to socialize Fury with small children, babies and a range of ages so that she could deal with all of them, and Fury treats Felix very carefully. Every time he makes noise, she trots over and sticks her head in his bassinet to make sure she’s okay. She gazes longingly at him from the corner of blankets, waiting for the day when this little tyke will become her best friend and play with her forever. I’m sure she can’t wait.

Fury has also had a positive effect with other dogs as well. She is a little afraid of other dogs, but reliable trips to the dog park has made her more and more courageous. In particular, my sister-in-laws dog Charlie was never really a fan of other dogs, but took to Fury right away. Charlie is older than Fury, but still enjoys playing and roughhousing, running after balls or frisbees with the younger dog, though occasionally Charlie will retreat to a high couch or seat where she can watch Fury’s puppy antics. Furiosa has been good for Charlie as well, as socialization with a puppy from a young age seems to have mellowed Charlie a bit, who used to suffer from anxiety and be very defensive around other dogs. She’s been more gentle, cautious, and forward about dealing with other dogs, which has been fantastic.

Yup, no matter which way you slice it, Fury has been a fantastic addition to our family and a top rate doggo. Well, she’s sort of terrible at the whole “guard dog” thing, despite her Sherperdly alarm bark (just today she failed to wake up when the utility girl walked into our yard to change over our power to a digital meter). But luckily, all she has to do in the Phillipchuk household is play, go for walks, wrestle and chase toys. 😀

We couldn’t be happier with Fury, and our experience with Zoes animal rescue was absolutely top notch from beginning to end.

The Mighty Imperator Furiosa (formerly KD Lang) came into care with her siblings, very sick with Parvo. Thank you to everyone who worked to get this litter in top notch health and heartfelt thank you to Fury’s adoptive family for this wonderful and touching update.

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KD Lang/Fury on the left with two of her siblings

Filed Under: Protecting Your Dog Against Ticks · Tagged With: Happy Tails

Edmonton Pop-Up Cat Cafe

July 12, 2016 by Spencer Mortenson ·

The brainchild of friends Aaron Getz, an event promoter, and Sarah Hoyles, a communications consultant and journalist, the Edmonton Pop-Up Cafe ran over the Canada Day weekend, allowing cat lovers from all over the city the chance to sup on their favourite beverage whilst playing, petting and cuddling some of Edmonton’s cutest foster cats, provided by Zoe’s Animal Rescue Society and the SAFE Team. The proud owners of two rescue cats, Aaron and Sarah came up with the idea a few months ago and engaged the services of some Edmonton organizations they’d worked with/had experience of in the past. There were 260 bookable spots available; when the initial allocation of 200 sold out within two days, an extra 60 spots were added which sold out in two hours!

As a venue Aaron had worked with in the past, he knew Latitude 53 was the perfect space to hold the event. Specially built barriers were erected with an entrance door which, although expertly patrolled throughout the weekend, was almost breached by one wily cat. Aaron and Sarah had previously adopted a cat from Zoe’s so the main cat provider was an easy choice. Edmonton Pet Photography recorded the event for prosperity and you can check out their shots here. Completing the set-up was Iconoclast Coffee which provided the beverages for the thirsty cat lovers.

There was a good mix of kittens and adult cats for the first day although it became quickly apparent that kittens flourish better in this kind of atmosphere. Most of the adult cats were given a well deserved day off on the Sunday, with the SAFE Team kindly providing more kittens for the Sunday. The event proved an excellent shop window for our four legged friends with a good number of applications being received by the end of the event.

As for the future, Aaron and Sarah said they’d be sitting down to discuss the future after they’d closed the door on this one. For those who were unlucky enough not to get a ticket for the weekend, Aaron and Sarah think its more than likely they’ll repeat the event so it’s probably worthwhile to keep an eye on their website here for updates…

Anyways, here’s some photos…

Filed Under: Protecting Your Dog Against Ticks · Tagged With: cafe, cats, edmonton, kittens, pop-up

Fosters of the Week: Sam & Samantha

July 10, 2016 by Spencer Mortenson ·

HI EVERYONE!!!!

We are Sam and Samantha. Also known as “The Sams” or “The Grandparents.” Affectionately known as, of course…. Ageism ain’t no thang but a chicken wing!!

Say….. you wouldn’t happen to have some chicken wings, would you? We are supposed to be on a diet, but we won’t tell if you won’t…..

Wait. I think I hear our foster mom coming. Ditch the wings!! Ditch the wings!!!!

Ahem…. Anyway…. let’s get on with our story. (Keep the wings handy. We’ll need a mid-story snack.)

I’m Sam! I’m bigger than my sister, so there’s even more of me to love. Like my fluffy rump. Ooooooh! I love a good rump scritch!!! There’s this spot right above my tail….. oh, man. Soooooo goooooood.

I love carrots too. There is NOTHING I won’t do for a carrot. Full disclosure, there isn’t much I won’t do for food, period. Breakfast and dinner are pretty much my favourite times of the day.

And I’m a jokester. You know that old guy in the senior home who’s always pulling pranks on people? That’s me! I like to hide behind the curtains and freak out my foster family. Hahahahaha! What a riot…..

I’m Samantha! My foster mom says I’m her sweetheart. I don’t want to be boastful, but I do consider myself a sugary kinda gal.

I love to cuddle with my foster mom on the couch and I am a big fan of tummy rubs. I also very much enjoy walks with my brother. Fresh air makes my soul happy.

My most favourite pastime is blanket burrowing. And I give it my all!! If you’ve never done it, I highly recommend giving it a go. It’s FANTASTIC! So much fun. I also have a bit of a passion for dancing. Truth be told, it’s really just reaching for treats, but I’m supposed to be on a diet. So it’s dancing, yup!!

We were very reluctantly surrendered to Zoe’s because our loving family was hit with some unexpected circumstances that left them unable to care for us. We miss our family dearly, but we’re still smiling! Always smiling! We know there is another family out there for us.

Because we are siblings, we come together. A bonded pair, they call us. But the bright side of that is we have a reduced adoption fee, basically 2 for 1!! Double the love for half the price! And we do love to love! We love people. All people. Any people. We just want to meet everyone, everywhere, all the time. People are great!! We like other animals, too! Cats and dogs. We like everything!!

Except thunderstorms. We do NOT like those. Evil, loud, horrible things.

Moving on!

We are sweet old souls with a lot of life left and a lot of love to give. We just want to be a part of a family. Maybe your family?

Check out our bios (Sam & Samantha) and apply to adopt us!

Filed Under: Protecting Your Dog Against Ticks ·

The 22 – kitty foo fighters!

July 8, 2016 by Holly Foisy ·

We were told about many cats and kittens in a not good situation. There were over 40 kittens and by the end of it, we took in 22 kittens. SCARS and BARS took the rest. The Alberta spay and neuter task force fixed all the adult cats.

Initially, we knew something was wrong, they appeared to be 4-5 weeks old but the vet said they were 8-9 weeks old. This meant they were extremely malnourished and very skinny. They require around the clock care from their amazing foster moms Pauline, Jocelyn, and Jill. Most are still very underweight. Sadly out of the 22, we have 16 left. After the frequent blood and diarrhea panels, ultrasounds, and necropsies on the kittens who passed, it was discovered that they have the FCOV and various infections. They require a special type of antibiotic, IV fluids and special food. We have already spent thousands of dollars on these kittens but we refuse to give up! Please consider sponsoring them or donating to their care!

Though they are sick, the 16 who are left never cease to warm our hearts. They love to play, and even when they aren’t feeling well they purr in their foster mom’s arms. Sadly Sly has been diagnosed with the deadly FIP virus, less than 5% of those who have FCOV will get this deadly illness. The vet says the others do not have a high chance of getting it and it’s not contagious. Sly is still happy and playing for now but sadly will not make it. Dignity is extremely skinny and yet very bloated, the ultrasound thankfully did not suggest FIP. Glam is still under a pound but slowly gaining weight! All the others are doing very well and we are hopeful for them. We want to give these amazing kittens something to look forward to, so next week we will start accepting applications on most of them and continue to keep everyone up to date on how they are doing.

The ones who have passed are Edmonton, Parade, Tinkerbell, Hamlet, Murray, and Queen. They are living it up on rainbow bridge.

Filed Under: Protecting Your Dog Against Ticks ·