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How to Safely Store Household Chemicals Out of Reach of Your Pets and Other Wildlife Animals

Contributed by guest blogger Amanda Prather from ratpoisonfacts.org.

If you have a pest problem in your home, you’ll want to take care of it as soon as possible. The problem is, you also have pets that you need to protect. Can you get rid of those pests without your cat or dog getting into the baits or poisons? If you’re careful, you certainly can. Here is how to store poisons and household chemicals out of reach of your pets to keep them safe.

Storing Household Chemicals

There are many chemicals you keep in your house that should be kept out of reach in order to keep your pets safe. This includes household cleaners, such as bleach. Usually, keeping them in a cupboard your pets can’t access will be enough to keep them safe. However, if your pets are able to open doors, it’s a good idea to put child locks on them to ensure your pets can’t get in.

When cleaning your home, keep your pets away from the area you’re cleaning. This is especially true when cleaning floors. Pets may come through a recently cleaned area and then lick their paws, ingesting the chemicals. Wait for the floors to dry before you allow the pets back into the area.

Pest Control Items

When it comes to pest control, you need to be careful. You don’t want your pets to accidentally pick up these items and harm themselves. Rat poison poses the most danger to your pets and is one of the most common types of poison used.

If your pet has ingested rat poison, you will see varying symptoms depending on the ingredients in the poison itself. Most common rat poisons are designed to start internal bleeding so you may see coughing, vomiting with blood, lethargy, difficulty breathing, or collapse. There is an antidote to most common rat poisons, but you will need to get help right away.

Then there is the issue of dead pests. Once you’ve laid out a bait, you’ll probably find dead pests around the area. If you find any, dispose of them properly right away so your pets can’t get to them. A locked bin is ideal for this.

Finally, let’s consider insecticides. These are usually in liquid aerosol form making them very harmful to your pets. When they’re liquid, your pet’s body can absorb them much more easily. If you are using an aerosol insecticide spray, keep your pet away until the spray has dried. Once dried, the spray is less harmful to them.

Wildlife and Poisons

It’s not just your pets that are at risk if you’re using poisons, especially rat poisons. Your use will affect wildlife at large around your home. For example, predators that prey on rats will be affected if they feed on rats that have eaten the poison. This is a serious concern as some of these species, such as northern spotted owls, are endangered.

In some cases, the poison gets passed up the food chain. This enables the poison to affect several groups of animals, and sometimes even stay in their body for years.

There have been changes in poisons used for pest control, with newer varieties aiming to do less harm to wildlife. If you are concerned about the effect they have, you can look into non-lethal traps in order to protect them.

What to Do If a Pet Ingests Poison

No matter how careful you are, your pets can be persistent and still manage to get into poisons. If you suspect that your pet has eaten something harmful to them, call your emergency vet right away. It’s a very good idea to keep the number for them saved on your phone, so you’re ready if anything happens. However, if you take precautions, then the risk of your pet becoming ill is very low.

It’s easier than it looks to keep your pets safe from pest control poisons and other harmful substances. Educate yourself on what is harmful to your pet and keep these items out of their reach as much as possible. Keep an eye on your pet when using pest control tools to ensure they do not come in contact with them.

Google Voice Scam Alert!

We have seen an increase in the number of people reporting to us that they have fallen victim to the Google Voice scam.

Here is how the scam works.

The scammer gets your phone number from a lost pet site, Facebook page, Craigslist, or other public forum.

You receive a text saying that they have found your lost pet. The scammer then says they are sending you a 6-digit code that you need to send back to them to prove your identity.

In actuality, the scammer has created a Google Voice account using your phone number. Once you provide the 6-digit verification code, the Google Voice account setup will be complete.

The scammer can now use this Google Voice account to perpetrate other scams.

Please note – THE SCAMMER DOES NOT HAVE YOUR LOST PET. They are just trying to get the verification code to use your phone number to establish a Google Voice account.

Do not give out your Google verification code to anyone!

The Big Give is Back!

Support Pet FBI through The Big Give!

WHAT IS THE BIG GIVE?

The Big Give is a 25-hour online giving event developed to provide critical support for our area nonprofits during this unprecedented time. The Columbus Foundation, its family of donors, and corporate and community partners have provided $1 million+ in Bonus Pool funds to help everyone’s dollars go further.

Every donation received during the 25-hour event will be boosted by Bonus Pool funds on a pro rata basis. In addition, the Foundation will cover all credit card fees, so 100 percent of donations go to participating nonprofits.

HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?

Make a donation to support Pet FBI beginning on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. ET, through Thursday, June 11, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. ET. To begin, go to our listing in The Giving Store at columbusfoundation.org.

Anyone can participate using a major credit card (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express), or via PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, starting with a minimum gift of $20.

Everyone who makes a donation will receive an email receipt.

Thank you for supporting Pet FBI!

Pet FBI and Helping Lost Pets working together to bring more pets home!

Pet FBI is excited to announce our collaboration with Helping Lost Pets. Pet guardians who have lost a pet will now enter a report only once at either site and the information will automatically populate both databases. The larger and more comprehensive web-based information source will greatly increase the chances of reuniting lost animals with their families.

Lost Dogs of America and Lost Cats of America, additional project collaborators, will lend their considerable Facebook reach outside of Ohio to share posts on their respective social media pages.

We are thrilled about the potential of this collaboration, and we look forward to working with the dedicated team members of Helping Lost Pets, Lost Dogs of America, and Lost Cats of America!

Pet FBI was founded in 1998 in Ohio as the one of the first web-based lost and found pet services. In 2014, the service was expanded to serve the entire United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Helping Lost Pets created their map-based lost and found database in 2010. They serve the United States and Canada. All services provided by Pet FBI and Helping Lost Pets are always free of charge.

Read the full press release here.

PET FBI FOUNDER LOSES HER CAT!

“CHUCK” FINALLY RECOVERED AFTER 172 DAYS.

Chuck first showed up on our deck as a scrawny feral (wild) kitten. We took him in and gave him lots of attention and affection, but he never overcame his primal fears and would always run from us, unless we were tucked away in bed under the covers. He felt safe then and would knead and purr and delight in being petted and rubbed.

Last Spring, after three years as an inside cat and contented companion to our other felines, Chuck slipped out through a door that had accidentally blown open. I think he went through that door more out of curiosity than any desire to escape, but once outside, all his wild instincts were awakened and it was hard to get him back in.

The Pet FBI website often states that anyone can lose a pet, and we should not condemn the pet’s family. In almost twenty years as Executive Director of Pet FBI I have seen many cases of people who find lost pets, think that the family must have been careless, and use that as an excuse to keep the stray and not try to return it. But from painful personal experience, I can say most emphatically that ANYONE can lose a pet and should not be blamed for it.

Be aware that cats hang around for a while and hide. To lure Chuck back, we tried every tip and trick recommended on the Pet FBI site, all to no avail. If we tried to leave food for him, the raccoons got it as soon as we put it out. We finally found a way to outwit the raccoons by extending the legs of a table, making it possible for a cat to jump onto, but too high for a raccoon to climb.

You may have to trap. When a pet is lost its instinctive fearfulness kicks in and it may not always come to you. We bought an inexpensive security camera to monitor our deck to see if Chuck was still around. The security camera caught an infrared photo of a cat that looked like Chuck who came every night and jumped on the table to eat the food we had set out. We set a trap and caught it! We were jubilant until we took the trap into the house and into the light and saw it was not Chuck – just a tabby look-alike, undoubtedly a neighbor’s free-roaming pet, so we released it. That was the first of seven Chuck look-alikes we trapped over the six months we spent looking for him!

Take advantage of web-based resources, including social media. We used the Pet FBI database, Nextdoor.com, Facebook, and Craigslist. That resulted in many sighting reports.

Flyers are very effective, and Every Door Direct Mail may be even more helpful. We hung flyers everywhere and mailed postcards to 1,400 homes in our neighborhood through an inexpensive program run by the postal service called Every Door Direct Mail.

We had this 5×7 inch postcard made up by a local printer that also handled the EDDM mailing.

Print out an aerial view of your neighborhood. To determine what carrier routes to target for the EDDM mailing we studied an aerial view of our neighborhood (maps.Google.com) and reasoned that since Chuck is rather fearful, he would probably not venture beyond some busy streets and or the railroad tracks that bounded our neighborhood. The aerial map also enabled us to identify wooded areas and small streams that might be attractive to a lost cat.

The web-based reports, the flyers and especially the EDDM mailing produced over one hundred sighting reports.

Keep a record of sightings. People were so helpful! We kept a careful record of the sightings: who called, when and where. We plotted the sightings on the aerial map we had printed out. When there was a promising report or a cluster of sightings, we would set up a food station and a trail camera.

Follow up on sightings, using a trail camera if possible. We were fortunate to be assisted by two women who volunteer to help people recover lost pets with the aid of a trail camera. Trail cameras are motion activated and send photos, including infrared night photos, to a mobile phone via the cellular network. Then the volunteer who is monitoring the camera transmissions sends a text or an email with the photo to alert us. That was how we discovered and trapped all the wrong cats. Gray tabbies are all so similar!


An infrared photo from the trail camera. We monitored this cat for several days before we trapped him. It was not Chuck but sure looked like him! He was definitely feral but the neighbor who had reported him was willing to become his caretaker, so we took him to a special vet and had him neutered and returned to his territory. “Tiger” as he is now known has a nice shelter and is being well fed.

This is another cat we trapped thinking it might be Chuck. She looked thin – another feral. We took her to be vetted and discovered that she was lactating! Fortunately, the neighbor who had told us about her had just that morning discovered where she was hiding her kittens. We rescued them as well and took them to a shelter that accepts feral cats, which is very unusual. From the neighbor we learned that this kitty had been around the neighborhood for several years and had produced many litters. We think there is a strong possibility that she is Chuck’s Mom and that the neighborhood Chuck look-alikes that we trapped were her offspring that had survived.

Nothing succeeds like persistence. Days, weeks and then months went by and we were starting to get discouraged. Most of our flyers were gone. People take them down or they deteriorate. Sightings had gradually dried up. The weather was turning cold. I decided to do a second EDDM postcard mailing. We immediately got three sighting reports in one evening, all in the same area just up the street from us. One neighbor sent us a cell phone photo of a cat on her deck. This time we were 99% certain it was Chuck.
With that kind neighbor’s permission, we set up a feeding station and a camera on their deck. The next night we caught Chuck on camera at about 8 PM

He ate all the food. The following morning, we set the trap and waited…and waited…and waited. By 9PM he had not yet come. Marci, the woman with the trail camera who was helping us, suggested that we disarm the trap by 9:30PM for overnight or we would only catch a raccoon or a possum or worse yet, a skunk. So, we drove over there at 9:30 and discovered a raccoon who had just gotten himself trapped but had not yet had time to eat the food. We released him and scattered the food around on the chance that Chuck would come by and be motivated to continue returning to that deck. The camera had, in fact, caught Chuck showing up at 10PM, but we missed catching him because we had disarmed the trap!

Chuck at last! The trap is sheathed in plastic to avert suspicion and put in place without being armed for a few days until the cat gets used to going inside.

The next morning, we again baited the trap and waited for the call from Marci who was monitoring the trail camera. Late that afternoon we got the call that there was a cat thrashing around in the trap. We flew over there. As soon as we spoke Chuck’s name and made eye contact the cat settled down. We took a good hard look and confirmed it was Chuck!

Since he had been on the street for about six months, we could not just take him home and release him to mingle with our other cats. Fortunately, our vet was able to see him without an appointment. Chuck was very subdued, almost as if in shock. He seemed to be in pretty good shape. He had lost a few pounds, but he was not emaciated. They treated him for fleas, mites and worms, and we took him home. The vet advised us to keep him isolated for a few days, that it would be like introducing a new cat. But after two days Chuck was anxious to be liberated and have the run of the house again. It was like he finally realized that we were his benefactors and he didn’t need to be afraid anymore! Our cat-sitter, Char, pronounced him “the new, improved Chuck”!

At last the ordeal was over. No more dashing all over the neighborhood at all hours responding to sightings. No more going to bed wondering where he was and how was he surviving. No more waking up in the morning to the renewed anguish of knowing he was lost. So, we are sharing Chuck’s story to help others achieve a happy ending.

Here are some important takeaways from our experience:

  1. Like most inside cats that slip out accidentally, Chuck hung around for about two weeks, but he was hiding. We spotted him a few times, but he always ran from us. That is normal behavior for a cat in a strange environment. If it is safe and you can leave a door or window open, cats will often come back in their own good time. This initial period is the optimal time for trapping.
  2. We might have kept Chuck around if we had been able to make food available for him. Unfortunately, we were in the habit of giving leftovers to raccoons and they were always around ready to snatch anything we put out. By the time we figured out how to foil them, Chuck had moved on.
  3. Good photos are indispensable to recovery. Fortunately, we had several good photos of Chuck showing distinctive characteristics like the striping on his paws or the markings on his torso. Still, he closely resembled most other gray tabbies, possibly because they all came from the same mother as we later discovered. We used the best photo for our flyers and postcard mailings.
  4. We found Chuck through sighting reports prompted by social media (Nextdoor.com was particularly helpful), flyers and mailings. The flyers were effective only short term. Most people don’t notice them unless they have a pet themselves and often they get taken down. For example, after we spent several hours posting flyers all around a condo complex because there was a sighting, someone took them down the very next day.
  5. The EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) elicited the best response. I think we heard about every gray tabby cat in the neighborhood after our postcards went out! Several people said they posted it on their fridge.
    You can ask a local printer to help you create a postcard for EDDM. You do not have to spend lots of money on a for-profit commercial pet finding web site.
  6. Setting up a food station, monitoring with the trail camera and trapping were necessary follow-ups to sightings. If you do not have the use of a trail camera, just go ahead and trap although you risk catching the wrong cat. Even with the aid of a camera, you may still end up catching look-alikes.
  7. If you cannot afford or cannot borrow a trail camera, there are inexpensive home security cameras that will record comings and goings of people and animals. They may not send real time photos, but at least you will be able to determine if your pet has been coming around. So, in response to sightings you should; a) get permission to set up a food station and b) OPTIONAL: monitor the food station with a camera and c) once you think your pet is coming around set a trap.
  8. Most of all, do not give up too soon. As with almost anything we try to accomplish, nothing succeeds like persistence.

We should add that the method we used to recover Chuck worked well because Chuck did not go far beyond our neighborhood of several square miles. When searching for a lost dog or an adventurous cat, you need to exploit all means to elicit sightings far and wide: the Pet FBI database, all social media including Facebook and Nextdoor.com, Craigslist, and of course flyers. To be sure your flyers are the most effective, use the Pet FBI template and follow the suggestions for posting on our advice page.


A more self-confident Chuck enjoying the comforts of home.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY OF RECOVERING A LOST PET WITH US!
JUST SEND IT ALONG WITH SOME PHOTOS TO THE CONTACT LINK ON THIS

Can I share my holiday meal with my pet?

“Can I share my holiday meal with my pet?”

Our pets are part of the family and it’s only natural to want to include them with their own special dish.

If your dog or cat hasn’t had food sensitivities in the past, they can enjoy a taste of your holiday meal, but with a few precautions.

NONE of these:

  • Make sure the food isn’t too spicy or fatty.
  • Avoid ingredients such as raisins and grapes (can cause kidney failure in dogs), xylitol (artificial sweetener), onions, scallions, leeks or other members of the onion family (which can cause serious health problems).
  • No chocolate, caffeine, or alcohol.
  • No Macadamia nuts, which have a toxic ingredient to dogs (Who knew?)
  • No bones, which can splinter and cause serious intestinal damage.

YES, please! Here’s a sample plate that you dog or cat can enjoy safely. Just keep the portions small.

  • Turkey or ham, fully cooked (without bones or glaze)
  • Mashed Potatoes (if no garlic or added ingredients that irritate). Skip this one for cats because of butter and milk ingredients.
  • Green Beans
  • Macaroni and Cheese (just a taste—it’s high in fat)—dogs only. Cats don’t tolerate milk well.
  • Cranberry sauce—again, just a taste, because it’s high in sugar. Even better, your dog may prefer some raw cranberries as a treat.
  • Sweet potatoes with no brown sugar/cinnamon topping.

Your cat will be easy to please. She’ll be more than happy with a tasty slice of turkey or ham, no sides.

Happy holidays!

And remember to include on your gift list your favorite animal welfare organizations this holiday season.

To donate to PetFBI, click here: http://petfbi.org/how-to-help/donation-form/
To volunteer, click here: http://petfbi.org/how-to-help/anyone-can-help/
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Sources:
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/articles/holiday-meals-pets-can-eat-too/
http://www.petmd.com/dog/wellness/nutrition/evr_multi_holiday_scraps2
http://www.banfield.com/pet-healthcare/additional-resources/article-library/safety-tips/holiday-foods-that-are-hazardous-to-pets?BanfieldBuildReleaseTag=20171116h
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/thanksgiving-safety-tips

The Top 5 Safety Risks for Your Pet at Halloween

Can’t wait for Halloween? Your pet may not share your excitement.

And it’s not just the indignity of those ridiculous costumes. Here is a list of the top 5 Halloween safety risks for dogs and cats.

  1. Halloween treats with chocolate or xylitol (a common sweetener) can poison your pet
  2. When trick-or-treaters flood your porch, your dog or cat may panic and escape out the door.
  3. Electrical décor and wires and can invite chewing and turn deadly. Pets can also get tangled up in the cords causing injury.
  4. Wrappers, strings, and foil in your pet’s tummy can cause illness or blockages.
  5. More than any other time of year, cats (and dogs) are targets of pranks and abuse.

Keep your pet inside and away from the ghosts and goblins. Even the most kid-friendly pets can be overwhelmed and scared, leading them to growl, snap, or bolt.

Make sure your pet has proper identification. Microchips are recommended along with ID tags.

Not all pets tolerate a costume. If you still want your pet to sport a seasonal costume, make sure it doesn’t interfere with his vision, movement, or going to the bathroom. Try it on him a time or two before the big day, and if he struggles and shows distressed behavior, consider just a festive bandana.

Article contributed by Pet FBI volunteer, Linda Blaine.

The Big Give 2017 – Columbus Foundation

Support Pet FBI by Participating in The Big Give

WHAT IS THE BIG GIVE?

The Big Give is a 26-hour online giving event to make a difference through kindness. The Columbus Foundation, its family of donors, and corporate and community partners have provided a $1.3 Million+ Bonus Pool, encouraging everyone to support nonprofits they care about.

Donations received during the 26-hour event will be amplified by Bonus Pool funds on a pro rata basis. Everyone who gives will have their donation(s) increased. In addition, the Foundation will cover all credit card fees, so 100 percent of donations go to participating nonprofits.

HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?

Make a donation to support Pet FBI beginning on Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. ET, through Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. ET. To begin, go to our listing at columbusfoundation.org.

Donations may be made by using a major credit card (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express), starting with a minimum gift of $20.

Everyone who makes a donation will receive an email receipt of their donation.

Thank you for supporting Pet FBI!

 

Party on the Patio a Doggone Good Time!

Party on the PatioThank you to everyone who came out to support Pet FBI at Wednesday’s Party on the Patio. The weather was perfect and all the dogs, and their people, had a great time!

Special thanks to the Overtime Sports Pub and Zuko’s Pizza for hosting. The pizza was fantastic and the happy hour drink specials were amazing. The Overtime even brought out martini glasses filled with dog treats!

Dwayne Napper kept the party hopping all night with his music. Thanks Dwayne!

Many thanks to The Boutique Truck and Gleicher Treats for coming and supporting our cause as well as the representatives from Adornable.U, Rodan + Fields, Scentsy, and SignatureHomestyles.

We had such a great time, we’ve started planning our next one!

 

 

Party on the Patio for Pet FBI!

Wednesday, August 9 from 6:30-9 p.m.
Overtime Sports Pub and Zuko’s Pizza
4337 Cosgray Road, Hilliard, Ohio 43026

Join us on the patio at the Overtime Sports Pub to eat, shop, and enjoy some beverages – all for a good cause!

Zuko’s Pizza will be serving up the best pizza around while the Overtime Sports Pub will be offering happy hour specials on their dog-friendly patio.

The Boutique Truck, Columbus’ first mobile fashion truck, will be selling their amazing clothes and accessories. Gleicher Treats will have their wholesome, yummy dog treats for sale, and representatives from Adornable.U Accessories, Signature HomeStyles, Scentsy, and Rodan + Fields skin care will be selling their products as well.

Live music will be provided by Dwayne Napper. Plus, we will be raffling off some great pet-themed items!

All of these lovely businesses will be donating a portion of their proceeds to Pet FBI. Thank you! Donations underwrite the cost of services so our information center for lost and found dogs, cats, and all other pets is provided for FREE!