Feeding Is Believing

Take the "3 Bag Challenge" and Enter the Sweepstakes for a Chance to Win!

Make a healthy difference for your pet! Feed just three bags of Hill's Science Diet pet food to start making a noticeable difference in your pet's overall health.

Hill's Prescription Diet is offering a new challenge, the "3 Bag Challenge".

Get started today and visit www.feedingisbelieving.com

Also enter the Sweepstakes for a chance to Win!

Grand Prize: Lifetime supply of Science Diet Pet food and $5,000 donation to your favorite Hill's Shelter

Other Prizes: Free Science Diet pet food for a year

One Hundred Dollar gift cards

Transform your pet's life for pennies a day. The right nutrition can have life-changing effects on your pet. And for less than the cost of a snack, you can feed your pet an entire day's worth of the precise, balanced nutrition of Hill's Science Diet pet food.

Be inspired and read the amazing transformation stories from many pet owners, veterinarians and shelter workers reporting remarkable results from Hill's prescription diets.

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Companionship For Our Troops In Iraq

While on tour, many of our troops overseas have nothing that reminds them of home. There is a void they feel but sometimes they can be pleasantly surprised when a lost kitten or abandoned pup comes along and helps fill that void. The bond that is formed between a soldier and an animal they've rescued can be a strong one. Operation Baghdad Pups, an SPCA International initiative, helps Americans serving in Iraq bring home the animals they've befriended on duty. Since April 2008, the SPCA International in Washington D.C. has been busy setting up travel arrangements for 8 cats and nearly 70 dogs.

The first cat to make the 7,000 mile, 13 hour trip to her new home in the states was, "Hope", a small calico kitten. "Hope" was injured jumping out of a truck's engine compartment where she had been hiding scared and fragile. Bruce, an American contractor working in Northern Iraq, took her in and with the help of a medic nursed her back to health. The day came when Bruce was coming home to the states and he couldn't bear the thought of leaving "Hope" behind. After multiple frustrating steps including finding vaccines, completing travel paperwork with local authorities, working out flight arrangements and much more, Operation Baghdad Pups and the SPCA were able to reunite "Hope" with her new family in Northern Virginia. Terri Crisp, program manager of Operation Baghdad Pups says, "the value that is placed on these animals by the soldier and his/her family is remarkable and beyond description."

Read more about Bruce's story and many others in this article of Cat Watch.

How You Can Help Make A Difference

Baghdad Pups is run entirely on Private Donations. You can make a donation to Baghdad Pups or find a "wish list" of items on their website at www.baghdadpups.com. Items such as litter boxes, plastic food and water bowls, airline approved crates, as well as medicines for fleas and heartworm are much needed ammenities.

Future Changes and Growth For Our Furry Friends

Looking to make positive changes in attitudes toward the welfare and treatment of dogs and cats in Iraq and Afghanistan, The SPCA International is working to put in place mobile spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations. Currently there are no programs and animals are viewed as dirty animals carrying rabies and other diseases. With these programs in place, inroads will be made possible when kittens and puppies are safe to handle and touch.

It's Dental Health Month

~ Brush Those Pearly Whites ~

Did you know that 70% of cats over the age of 3 suffer from dental problems. Yikes! Did you also know it's the most common disease in cats, and studies confirm a strong relationship between the presence of dental disease and poor health.

Statistics such as these should alert us to the importance of good oral hygiene with our kitties. Believe it or not skipping your cats dental check ups could lead to.....heart, liver and kidney disease. It's difficult to imagine, but bad teeth can cause serious problems throughout a cat's body.

The physical signs can be as simple as bad breath. It's more than just a nuisance to you as Fluffy kisses you good morning, but a sign that something may be wrong. Along with inflamed and reddened or bleeding gums, a condition called gingivitis could be forming. At early sage sit is still reversible, but only if treated.

Just like us, if left untreated, gingivitis could lead to periodontitis or a breakdown of the teeth's supporting structures. Loss of teeth and pain are immediate problems, but the oral infection is likely allowing bacteria to enter and travel through the bloodstream to vital organs, such as the heart, liver and kidneys.

Dangerous and expensive in the long run, deferring a dental cleaning will only lead to a more expensive dental cleaning, extractions and other diseases later.

Treatment

Proper care begins with your veterinarian. Physical signs of dental disease can be hard to detect, even when advanced. That is why it is important to have their teeth checked every six months by your veterinarian.

Routine dental cleanings are also very important if your vet detects tartar, calculus, gingivitis or periodontal disease. Using an ultrasonic scaler to remove the tartar and calculus build up the doctor will them examine every tooth looking for erosive lesions and gingival pockets. Some problems may not be visible by the naked eye so x-rays will be taken allowing us to see problems below the gum line to the root of the tooth. Possible extractions could be recommended.

Follow up and Home Care

In addition to seeing your vet every six months to assess your cat's teeth and overall health, dental care does not end there. There are multiple methods to 'try' depending on your finicky feline's personality and tolerance, not to mention your ability to provide treatment. Methods of cleaning include:

1. Tooth Brushing ~ the single best method of cleaning your cat's teeth. For a helpful video on how to brush your cat's teeth click on the link. How to brush your cat's teeth
2. Dental Diets ~ prescription diets such as Hill's t/d and Purina DH are proven to improve dental health
3. Maxiguard OraZn Pet Oral Care and Maxiguard Oral Cleansing Gel ~ a gel that reduces the deposition of plaque, aid in the reduction of gum inflammation, and neutralizes mouth odors and a gel with Vitamin C added to help repair tissue
4. Oravet Sealant ~ wax sealant applied at then end of dental treatment to outer surfaces of teeth creating an invisible barrier to fight off plaque and tartar
5. Dental Chews ~ excercise you cat's teeth and my help reduce plaque
6. Dental Rinses ~ contain chlorhexidine or xylitol to fight bacteria and reduce plaque build up

Ask your veterinarian about preventing about preventing dental disease today. Remember, being proactive can help prevent or reverse the effects of dental disease....and help prevent more expensive dental treatment later. Your cat will thank you and will be much happier and healthier!