Happy Spring!
Great stuff inside - Fundraisers, Safety Tips, and the Education Corner including April is Heartworm Awareness Month
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Thank you very much for your support of our recent Facebook Online Auction!
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Here are the latest FUNDRIASING opportunities to help AAL.
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Flower Power Fundraising
Grow for a good cause!
Plan your spring and summer garden and shop online with
Flower Power
(click
HERE
). You can get herbs, fruits, salad fixings, and flowers for shady or sunny spots. Your order will be shipped to you for your planting season, anywhere in the USA, money back guarantee. AAL receives 50% of your order amount. Please
order by May 1
and help us reach our $1,000 goal!
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Pet Palooza
April 27th, noon-4:00pm
Dog walk, dogs in costumes, beer tent, food trucks - fun!
Come see AAL under the red tent. We will have free Pet Emergency Cards, and other items for sale such as
Dog Treats compliments of
Baked Well
and yummy cupcakes for the humans
.
New location!
McAlpine Creek Park, 8711 Monroe Road, Charlotte
Click
HERE
for more info.
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Community Bag Program
We are excited to announce that AAL has been selected to be a part of the Community Bag Program at
BI-LO 1401 East Main St Rock Hill, SC!
During May, each time a reusable Community Bag is purchased at the East Main BI-LO, $1 will be donated to AAL. You can find the two colorful reusable Community Bags with the Giving Tag on the reusable bag rack at the store. The key is to look for the bags with a tag that features a blue heart with $1 in it.
We appreciate the support you give, which has allowed
AAL
to rescue and care for many dogs and cats in our area. The Community Bag Program is a great way to continue to support our efforts while working to eliminate single-use paper and plastic bags.
Imagine if each one of our supporters purchased just ONE bag! Please spread the word and pass this exciting news on to your friends and family.
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HOT WEATHER is around the corner. PLEASE take care of our furry friends!
Please remind others too!
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Traveling this summer? Please consider these safety tips. See your vet first and ensure they are up to date with all vaccinations and are microchipped. Depending on your destination, you may need a health certificate. Practice walking on a leash properly and picking up after your pet. Make sure the destination lodging is pet friendly. Lastly, ensure to pack a Pet Kit which includes first aid supplies for your pet, extra leashes, collars, treats, water bottles and food bowls.
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April is Heartworm Awareness Month
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DOGS:
Heartworms in dogs are easy to prevent, but difficult and costly to cure. The only way dogs get heartworms is
by the bite of an infected mosquito
. And there's no way to tell if a mosquito is infected. That's why prevention is so important. The worms travel through the bloodstream - harming arteries and vital organs as they ultimately complete their journey to the vessels of the lung and the heart. Heartworm disease is serious, can be fatal, and has been reported in all 50 states. The bite of just one mosquito infected with the heartworm larvae will give your dog heartworm disease. It takes about seven months, once a dog is bitten by an infected mosquito, for the larvae to mature into adult, foot-long heartworms. They then lodge in the heart, lungs, and surrounding blood vessels and begin reproducing. Symptoms of heartworm infestation can include labored breathing, coughing, vomiting, weight loss and listlessness, and fatigue after only moderate exercise. However, some dogs exhibit no symptoms at all until late stages of infection. Heartworm disease is diagnosed by examination, radiographs or ultrasound, and a veterinarian-administered blood test. All dogs should be routinely screened with a blood test for heartworm either annually in spring, at the start of mosquito season, or before being placed on a new prescription for a heartworm preventive. The chewable pills, highly palatable to most dogs, are usually administered monthly and manufactured by several companies. The pills can be given to dogs under 6 months of age without a blood test, but older animals must be screened for the disease prior to starting medication. You can opt to give your dog a pill only during mosquito season (spring through first frost), but the most recent recommendation from the American Heartworm Society is to keep giving them all year - not only does this avoid errors, but many of the products also prevent other intestinal parasites.
Treatment - The most common drug used to treat heartworms in dogs is called melarsomine hydrochloride. The drug is given as a series of injections over a 24-hour period (or separated into two treatments given one month apart). The dog usually needs to be hospitalized for a time during and after the treatment to watch for signs of shock or other adverse reactions that may require further treatment. After the medication has been given, it will take at least four weeks for the adult heartworms to be eliminated. During this time, the dog will be given monthly heartworm preventive medication to rid the body of the immature worms in the system. Because the worms are dying, they will migrate through the body and be absorbed. The dog must be kept from running or playing, as this may cause a rapid movement of a large number of dying or dead worms to the lungs, where they can cause a blockage. For this reason, the dog will need to be watched closely for signs of coughing, vomiting, depression, or diarrhea. Any abnormal signs should be checked by your veterinarian.
CATS:
Cats can get heartworms too. Heartworms enter the cat's bloodstream after it is bitten by an infected mosquito, eventually migrating to the heart or blood vessels of the lungs. Here the larvae cause a severe reaction, resulting in lack of oxygen exchange and cough. Signs of infection are variable but most often are related to the respiratory system. A veterinarian may suspect that a cat has been infected in cases of coughing, asthma, wheezing, difficulty breathing, vomiting, lethargy or weight loss. While some cats will have very mild signs, others can develop signs of congestive heart failure. Some cats will suffer from sudden death as a result of the death of one or more worms. At the present time, there are no acceptable treatments for eliminating heartworms from infected cats. Your veterinarian may treat your cat's symptoms if it is displaying signs of disease. Because of the potential for serious or fatal consequences of infection, and lack of approved treatment,
preventing
heartworm is the best strategy by keeping the cat indoors. Talk to your veterinarian about heartworm prevention, the key to avoiding this awful disease.
For more information, please visit
HERE
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Congratulations to these lucky pups and kitties who recently found their forever homes!
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Lucky pups
Ron, Veronica, Jax, Boone, Thelma Lou, Zeila, Annabelle, Milo, Charlie, Fiona and Keely
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Purring kitties
Blaze, Bindi, Balou, Dobie, Bahama, Liam Blu, Eli, Justine, Cyrus, Rambo, Ray Charles, Luna, Sydney, Suzi Quatro, Fred, Angel and Ginger
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mynextpet@yahoo.com | www.mynextpet@yahoo.com
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