Street food in Barcelona The Policía Nacional have announced that malicious person or persons are leaving salchichas with needles imbedded in them in all the parks around the city. This seems to be aimed at maiming or killing dogs. Separately to this, I have also heard of reports of food laced with poison being left out in the parks. Dogs are natural scavengers and so it is in their best interest not to allow them to eat food off of the ground.
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I am not a great fan of the dog parks in Barcelona.
I have two main reason for this. One is that some owners are not responsible and do not clean up after their dogs. This leads ot worm and parasite infestations, as well as infectious diseases like kennel cough being easily transmitted. The second is that dogs in dog parks can be misunderstood. Very often what is observed as "play" is a dog or group of dogs finding out exactly who is Top Dog and where they stand in that park's constantly changing and dynamic hierarchy. Dogs will always sniff each other to first gather this information. Once they have gleaned everything possible from this doggie "greeting" they then choose their next action. They may ignore the other dog and walk away or they may progress to other dominance behaviour such as mounting, jumping onto the neck of another dog, standing over them, holding a trophy (such as a ball) and postering with it etc. Many dogs act out these behaviours good naturedly, but other dogs are aggressive with their behaviour and yet others are timid and would much rather be sitting near their owner on a beach or lying on the couch. Whether the dog is the most dominant or the least dominant, dog parks can be stressful for all of them as they try to maintain their status or protect themselves or their owners. When your dog meets another dog where the above behaviours are acted out equally on both sides and they both rest in between bouts of play, you will know that your dog has found a true mate. It is then worth introducing yourself to the owner and arranging a time when the dogs can interact again. From my experience the things to look out for if you are visiting a dog park are:
Here is a link for dog parks in Barcelona. Enjoy and be responsible. Garden flowers and plants that can kill your pet are Poinsettia (or the Christmas plant), Rhododendron, Lilies, Daffodil bulbs. and Yew which is used in hedges and topiary. The vegetable patch can also be no safer with onion, garlic, leek and chives (all from the allium family) being toxic to household pets. Poinsettia affects dogs, and cats and the symptoms are diarrohea, delirium and blindness. Lilies (or the pollen) affects cats and the symptoms are kidney failure. Daffodil bulbs affects both dogs and cats and then symptoms are vomiting and diarrhoea. Rhododendron affects both dogs and cats and symptoms are vomiting, drooling, low blood pressure and coma. If you know your pet explores the world through its mouth the best is to avoid bringing these plants into your home or your garden. Guide dogs, other Assistance dogs and dogs with ID microchips and registered on the municipal pet register are authorised to travel on the metro in certain circumstances. Is your dog on the municipal pet register? Your vet will have the forms. At what time of day are dogs allowed on the metro?
Other Conditions to be met when travelling with your dog on the metro
General Information For safety reasons, dogs are not allowed on escalators. They are allowed in the lifts. Dogs are not allowed to sit on the seats and if any damage is caused by the dog the person in charge of the dog at that time will be held responsible. The dogs owner will be vicariously liable. At times when the metro is likely to be very crowded and the safety of passengers and animals so requires, the operator may restrict access to dogs. What happens if you do not follow the metro guidlines? If the handler does not meet the terms established (pursuant to articles 64.s) or 65.p) of Law 4/2006 of 31 March on rail transport, they will be commiting a minor or serious offence and subject to the relevant consequences. Your pets coat is the first line of defence against many diseases and is also a good indicator of their general health. In the human, for example, nails are an excellent and quick indicator of diet and health. A dog or cat's coat will consist of two kinds of hair: the protective 'guard' hair and the fine heat preserving 'down' hair. When grooming your pet the object is to remove the dead hair, stimulate the growth of new hair, clean the living hair and to stimulate the oil producing glands in the skin. Different breeds of cats and dogs require different grooming schedules, but whether short hair or long hair, it is up to us to monitor and maintain our pets coat, besides which, grooming creates a wonderful bond of trust between pet and owner. The tools of the grooming trade need to reach and remove dead hair both at 'down' level and at the 'guard' level. The tools also needs to gently stimulate the skin by not causing any pain. The most effective way of doing this is by grooming with something like the FURminator (pictured above) or, fine and wide toothed combs and slicker brushes. These tools reach both layers, removing dead hair selectively and are purrrfect for shedding that winter coat. Many people think that machine clipping their pet during the summer will keep them cool. This is not totally correct. Machine clipping deals with the length of the hair, it does not remove the dead winter coat underneath. Your pet will still suffer from the heat. The best way to help them shed their winter coat is to use something like the FURminator or the combs and slicker brushes mentioned above. This will also help keep your household fur free! I say goodbye to 2013 and move forward into 2014. and so i would like to take this opportunity to thank you all, for your continued support over the past year. We made over 1500 visits in 2013 attending to dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs and a tortoise. We administered medication in the forms of tablets, injections, syrups and enamas and made visits to veterinaries We provided a service for 365 days of the year, said goodbye to some of our cherished pets, provided advice for many owners and i certainly learnt many lessons during the year. I thank both Linda and Cara for adding their expertise and professionalism to provide invaluable support and care. I also thank my other helpers Stan and Sebastien who have helped in times of extra need. This allowed us to give the proper care to our sick animals and the flexability for family emergencies. Thank you to you all. It is very important for me to hear your honest feedback about our care and services. Please do not hesitate to go to the contact page and send me a message with your thoughts. Insurance for your PetI was in the bank the other day sorting out home insurance and looking into medical insurance for myself, when the lady helping me mentioned that La Caixa are now offering medical insurance for pets. Called SegurCaixa Mascotas, it is an annual fee which can provide cover on a 'Basic' or Complete' level. This may cover things like veterinary costs, vaccinations, death through accident or sickness and a variety of other options. If you are searching for insurance, this might be worth an investigation. Recently we have cared for a diabetic cat, visiting him twice a day to give his insulin injections. His name is Trinity and his photo runs alongside this blog. What is Diabetes? Diabetes is a disease caused by the body's inability to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar. After a cat eats, his digestive system breaks food into various components, including glucose. Glucose is carried into the cats cells by insulin. When a cat does not produce insulin or cannot utilize it normally, its blood sugar levels elevate. The result is hyperglycemia, which, if left untreated, can cause many complicated health problems for a cat. It is important to understand, however, that diabetes is considered a manageable disorder—and many diabetic cats can lead happy, healthy lives. Some may even go into remission. Types of Diabetes There are two types of diabetes: Type I is the most common and characterized by the cats inability to produce insulin Type II is where the cats body does not process insulin correctly. In both cases the cat does not properly digest sugar brought into the body by the food supply and their blood sugar levels rise. Symptoms of Diabetes Trinity's symptoms are marked in blue
Cats with diabetes will urinate excessively as the body tries to get rid of the sugar not being processed correctly. If you notice that your cat's litter box needs to be changed more frequently than usual, this could be a warning sign. Cats with the disease also may drink more water than usual in an attempt to quench their thirst and hunger. Also because the cat's body is unable to process the sugars in food, they may regurgitate their meal after eating. Which Cats Are Prone to Diabetes? The most important factors in the development of diabetes seem to be obesity, gender (male cats are more commonly afflicted than females) and age. Trinity is an older cat and also male. How Is Diabetes Treated? Every diabetic cat is an individual and will respond differently to therapy. Diabetes treatment is based on how severe the signs of disease are and whether there are any other health issues that could complicate therapy.
Your vet may also show you how to perform glucose tests at home. Other routine blood work may also be necessary. What Should I Know About Treating My Diabetic Cat at Home? As your veterinarian will explain, it’s important to always give your cat insulin at the same time every day and feed her regular meals in conjunction with her medication; this allows increased nutrients in the blood to coincide with peak insulin level. This will lessen the chance that her sugar levels will swing either too high or too low. You can work with your vet to create a feeding schedule around your pet’s medication time. It is also important to avoid feeding your diabetic cat treats that are high in glucose. How Can Diabetes Be Prevented? A proper diet and regular exercise can go a long way to avoid the development of feline diabetes. Aside from other negative effects, obesity is known to contribute to insulin resistance. Our latest ReferencesSusie took care of my two cats a couple of times during summer, and I am pretty happy to say that I have trusted her from the very beginning, not only for her professional ability to take care of them, but also for her understanding of my fears as "pet owner". She is also able to evaluate every situation and takes always the best decision for our friends. An example: two weeks ago we had an emergency and had to travel for the weekend, so I made a last minute call to Susie and she arranged her packed agenda in order to help me, because she knew that Kibu (the huge maine Coon) had a surgery the day before. Since she noticed that he was scratching the surgery wound, she decided to stay longer and left just one hour before we were back. Our cats love her and we all feel her positive energy! Lisa Di Blas, Kibu and Koa Susie has been walking my dog Dido for just over a year now, and I am glad to write this reference for her. My dog Dido is a very big girl and she has a very strong mind, so trusting just anyone to walk her is not possible. Dido was abandoned as a young dog, and had problems getting adopted because of her size and "boisterous" nature, I have put a lot of work into her training and behavior, and still do. Susie's calm demeanor and obvious knowledge about dog behavior made the decision to have her walk Dido very easy. Susie is also constantly providing feedback on how Dido is doing, which is much appreciated, as it allows me to adjust my own work with my dog. Susie has had a key to my apartment from day one, and that has actually come in very handy when I locked myself out of the apartment... Twice! I would like to summarize my experience thus: Maximum confidence, Minimum fuss - just the way I (and Dido) like it. Andreas Fjellner and Dido. We can offer airport pick ups, and in this case we were in a position to offer a place to stay, to this very sweet natured personality. Frank our Vietnamese cat! Found tied up to a pole, Frank was rescued by his humans. They say he is the luckiest cat in Vietnam as treatment of animals there is very poor. Frank had all his vet checks and travelled in a carrier bag underneath the seat of the passenger in front of his owners seat. He changed flights at Helsinki onward to Barcelona and was picked up by Linda. Frank was understandably nervous on arriving at my flat on the edge of Raval. He left his carrier and headed for the highest spot, where he hid for 24 hrs. After 24 hrs, i had to have a chat with Frank. I wanted him to understand that he did not need to be afraid. After our silent dialogue he moved his position to another high spot but one where we could both see eachother and start communicating. Frank has been here for 1 week now. He has blossomed in confidence, but for the first few days he had a very strong homing instinct and was insistent or trying every exit he could find in my flat. Some tips
Hi! Both of you asked about the cats. They are doing fine now, but they had quite a journey. They especially like our high rise apartment and how they can look out and down at everyone. We did not medicate them as our vet advised against it. We sprayed their kennel with a pheromone that is supposed to relax cats without drugging them. We trained them to "like" their kennel for three weeks before our journey. They traveled together in one big kennel -- the best decision we made as they fight like bratty kids at home, but cuddle together and take care of each other the second they get scared. They howled the whole way to the airport in the back of the van. It took us an hour to check in, we had ten suitcases and Olivia's bow and arrows. Her equipment caused a 20 minute stir, until they figured out that it was OK to load it. Meanwhile the cats were awake but quiet. Emre shushed the 6 agents who came by, one by one to look at the cats and exclaim, "Son enormes!!!!" "Hey, not so loud," said Emre, "You'll hurt their feelings!" Even though the cats travelled as luggage in a special compartment, they still had to go through security. In Barcelona, a security guard came up a special elevator to fetch the kennel (cats inside), a baggage handler, the gate agent and me and Olivia. The guard said we were in security breach and that only one passenger could attend to the cats. We explained that the cats are big. She doesn't care, the security people are being inspected today. No exceptions. She sent Olivia away. So, we went down into a holding room where the cats and the kennel go through separate screenings. The security guard looks inside the cage for the first time and says "Son enormes!" The gate agent and the baggage handler are not allowed to touch the cats. They roll their eyes. "Can you hold them both?" the security guard asks me. "Are you kidding?" I stare her down. She gets on the phone, she argues with someone for five minutes. "We go get Olivia," she says. No one is allowed to stay in the security room. So we all, security guard, baggage handler, gate agent, and me go back up the elevator with the kennel and the cats. Find Olivia. And start over. Even so, I must say, Delta Airlines has a wonderful pet program. When you check in at departure, they put a sticker on the kennel for each of your lift off locations. 15 minutes before take off, the cargo loader pulls the sticker for that location, off the kennel and hands it to the lead flight attendant. The attendant brings you the sticker and it says your name, seat number and, "Hi! your pets Pearl and Gus are on board too!" That happens each time your transfer planes too. This was a big comfort as we have friends who traveled on another airline and whose pets were separated from them and sent to the wrong city. After we arrived, the cats settled in quickly. After a lot of sniffing and pacing every inch of the apartment, they curled up and went to sleep. The only difference to them is that now they are watching out the windows and seeing the canadian geese fly buy instead of the seagulls. xx, Maia. "Maia Ozguc, Human Parent of Gus and Pearl" Reference He tenido la suerte de encontrar a Susie y de beneficiar de sus servicios y su profesionalidad para cuidar a Achille mientras estabamos de vacaciones. Susie es muy responsable, muy cariñosa con la mascota, respeta su rutina y aplica cuidadosamente las recomendaciones del amo. Tiene unos detalles muy apreciables, como enviar sms o videos para que el amo este tranquilo y vea que la mascota esta bien. Es con mucha tranquilidad que le hemos dejado las llaves de nuestra casa. Contamos ahora con ella como canguro oficial de nuestro gato y como amiga de la familia. Marie Helene and Achille Business over the last couple of months has been incredibly varied. This is one of the many reasons why I love my work.
ReferencesThank you so much Linda and Susie for the fantastic service. When I got home Otto was lovely and relaxed. A nice to change to the frantic puppy I see when I usually get home from work. The note from Linda was also a wonderful personal touch. ♥ Charlotte Samantha Joseph and Otto. From the first day Susie came in to look after me, I knew things were going to be different. Rather than fuss and try and get me to play with things when I wasn't in the mood, Susie let me go to her in my own time and remembered that it is my house and I am charge when Mum is away. And when she's not, actually. The second time Susie came I was taking medicine and Mum was slightly worried how I would adapt to someone else squirting liquid antibiotics into my mouth through a syringe, given that I had given Mum quite a hard time. But I'd come to trust Susie and liked her calmness, so I actually did it without any fuss. Susie is lovely; she grooms me and talks to me, she listens to me and she feeds me. I am always happy to see her, because I know she is there just for me and not fitting me in between other chores, but spending good quality time with me while Mum is away. When Mum gets back, she is always happy because I'm not despondent or fed up and she knows I have been well cared for and loved. Apparently, she even tells Mum how I'm doing while she is away too and sends her pictures, which is nice. Thank you Susie. Nicola Thornton and JD or Jack Daniels |
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