In times of crisis, people are often told to leave their homes for a “short time,” only to find that they cannot return for days or even weeks. As a result, community animal shelters are overwhelmed with lost and separated cats and dogs following a disaster. The past year has reminded us emergencies are not only natural disasters but could be family illnesses and injury too.

Being prepared is the best step families can take to ensure that they and their pets are ready to face an emergency. Knowing that a kit is packed and ready to go can put families at ease.

“Helping our residents and pets during an emergency is extremely important to our organization.” Said Patty Quimby, Executive Director of Talbot Humane.  “The Talbot Animal Disaster Services  Team has been in place and ready to assist our residents during weather or other catastrophic emergencies where an emergency shelter would need to be opened since 2010.  Providing the tools to our residents to be prepared in the event of an emergency is a priority.”  Quimby adds, “Preparedness saves lives.”

We encourage families to build a Pet Emergency Go-Kit and store it with the rest of the family’s emergency preparations:

• Basic first aid supplies
• A 3-day supply of bottled water and the pet’s preferred food, held in a waterproof container
• Safety harness and leash
• Waste clean-up supplies
• Medications and a copy of the pet’s medical records
• List of veterinarians and local pet care organizations
• List of the pet’s feeding routine and any behavioral issues
• Comfort items, such as a blanket or favorite toy, to help keep the pet calm and comfortable

 Tips to Help Ensure Your Pet’s Safety in an Emergency:

• Ensure your pet’s identification by using a microchip or collar ID tag, and make sure that your contact information is up-to-date.
• Display a pet rescue decal on your front door or window to let first responders know there is a pet in the house. Include your veterinarian’s contact information.
• Learn where your pet likes to hide in your house when frightened. Finding your pet quickly will help you evacuate faster.
• Identify a location to take your pet if you need to leave your immediate area. Keep in mind that disaster shelters for people may not be open to pets. These shelters that do accept pets are not drop and go shelters- you must reside in the shelter for your pets to be admitted. We highly recommend owners scout hotels and motels with pet-friendly policies and ask relatives or friends if they could house you and your pet.
• Carry a picture of your pet in the event of separation.
• If you need to evacuate, consider taking a pet carrier or crate for transport and safe-keeping.

Families looking to learn more about disaster preparedness and safety can contact Talbot Humane (410)822-0107.

HEATSTROKE CAN KILL, AND FAST

Most pet owners realize that keeping pets in hot cars can kill them…but not many realize just how quickly the effects of heatstroke can set in for a dog or cat. Heatstroke is a condition animals begin to suffer gradually, but it accelerates quickly; it’s easy for early signs of heatstroke to go unrecognized, and for the pet to be in an emergency situation within mere minutes.

On warm days, a vehicle acts like an oven.  It holds the heat inside, and that heat becomes very intense even on days that don’t seem too warm. On an 85-degree day, for example, even with the windows open, the temperature inside a car can climb to 102 degrees in 10 minutes, and to 120 degrees in 30 minutes.  With the humidity we experience here on the shore, it may go even higher.  Because a dog’s normal body temperature is 101-102.5 degrees Fahrenheit, he can withstand a body temperature of 107-108 degrees for only a very short time before suffering irreparable brain damage…or death. (more…)

PETCO’s LoveLost Program  is reuniting animals and their people online. This free, centralized lost and found tool is a single database that uses patented facial recognition technology to make finding lost pets quicker and easier. It is used by many shelters in our community to display all lost and found pets. Having all lost and found pets posted in the same place means that distressed pet owners no longer need to check dozens of different sources every day.

Animal shelters are on board, but we need your help to spread the word about this software so that any time a pet is lost or found, we all turn to Petco Love Lost.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Petco Love Lost immediately pulls listings from shelter databases into a centralized place.
• Lost and found pets are both posted on there. Uploaded photos of a missing dog or cat are immediately scanned to determine whether the lost pet is at a participating shelter or with a neighbor in the community.
• Petco Love Lost is not just for shelters to use, but also for citizen-to-citizen matches.
• Petco Love Lost has a smartphone app and their website is mobile-friendly, allowing pet owners and finders to quickly report lost and found pets, even on the go. There is no faster method to alert both the community and all surrounding shelters.
• Petco Love Lost has award-winning pet facial recognition that makes matches, sending alerts of these matches to pet owners, finders and shelters.

You can register your pets in the database right now so that if they ever go missing, the software will automatically alert you of animals in shelters that look like your pet.

Petco Love Lost is a FREE national database sponsored by Petco Love, formerly known as the Petco Foundation, so that there is never any expense to pet owners, finders or shelters!

Next time you see a lost/found post either in a group, on a neighborhood page or on a friend’s private account, link them to Petco Love Lost– you could be the reason a pet and his owner are reunited!

For the month of May our local Weis Market on Marlboro Rd. in Easton will be supporting the animals of Talbot Humane through their monthly “round up” program! When you make your purchase, simply choose to “round up”. Those funds will come to Talbot Humane! Over the past couple of years Weis has donated several thousand dollars in gift cards which we use for pet food, events and shelter supplies! We are so thankful to have Weis Markets as a community partner. Together our humane community changes lives! 

Store # 275 

Location: 219 Marlboro Ave, Easton MD 

WISH LIST:

• Kitten bottles
• Regular kitten nipples
• Miracle Nipples (all sizes)
• Soft Tissue/Baby wipes
• KMR Formula- powder
• Baby blankets
• Heating pads and heating disks (snugglesafe)
• Johnsons Baby Shampoo
• Karo syrup
• Shallow bowls
• Kitten canned food- poultry
• Kitten chow
• Baby food- poultry
• Small plates
• Incubator*
• Gift cards
• Digital food scale

The Mid Shore’s original pet photo contest is back! Talbot Humane’s 3rd annual photo calendar contest, Petparazzi, offers pet lovers the opportunity to enter their dogs, cats, or other small companion animals in a photo competition while raising funds for the shelter’s animal care and community outreach services.  

Participants may enter their pets online beginning June 1 until the contest ends on July 31. Using email and social media, entrants urge their family, friends, and co-workers to “vote” with their dollars for their pet on the contest website. The top dogs, cats, and other companion animals who receive the most votes in their respective categories at the end of the contest will be featured as a Pet of the Month in the 2022 Talbot Humane Petparazzi Calendar. The pet who raises the most funds overall in the voting will also appear on the cover of the calendar. The entry fee of $30 is considered a tax-deductible donation to Talbot Humane and includes a copy of the 2022 calendar with each entry. Pets entered in the contest are not limited to Talbot Humane alumni, or even to Talbot County; all pets are welcome! 

Through the generous support of our community, in its first two years, the Petparrazzi calendar contest raised over $35,000 for the animals of Talbot Humane. 

Get your camera out and snap that perfect shot of your pet then get registered today! https://www.gogophotocontest.com/talbothumane2022

Those crazy cats at Yo Java Bowl are stepping up for the animals for the month of April!  For every Acai Bowl sold at the Easton Farmer’s Market they will fund 1 meal for a pet. The Easton Farmer’s Market opens Saturday April 10th, and Yo Java Bowl will be there all month long, supporting your need for delish food and feeding the animals in need! 

According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP), less than 2 percent of lost cats and only 15 to 20 percent of lost dogs are returned to their owners. This is a sad statistic, but it’s true. Your dog and cat cannot tell us their name, address or phone number- that is without your help! 

Talbot Humane wants to increase the chances of reunited lost pets and owners.  One safe and effective way to provide identification is through having your pet microchipped.  In recognition of Pet Identification Week which is the 3rd week of April each year, Talbot Humane will be offering microchipping of your dog, cat or ferret for only $1 for the entire month of April. This includes the registration of your chip and an identification tag.  Now when was the last time you purchased ANYTHING for $1?  

Even if your cat doesn’t go outside, or your dog is always on a leash, accidents happen. Make sure all of your pets are properly identified so they can get home to you in the event of an unforeseen emergency.  

To make an appointment, please call 410-822-0107 during office hours. Appointments for chipping are generally scheduled between noon-4P Monday-Saturday. 

Keeping Your Pets Safe from Common Household Items
According to the National Safety Council, thousands of lives have been saved due to physical barriers like child resistant packaging and awareness campaigns. Likewise, in recent years, the veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline have worked tirelessly to raise awareness about protecting our vulnerable and unknowing pets from common household items that are highly poisonous to them. “Every year, we receive thousands of phone calls from pet owners, veterinarians and veterinary technicians about potentially poisoned pets,” said Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC and associate director of Veterinary Services for Pet Poison Helpline. “Fifty percent of the calls are for pets that have been accidentally poisoned by something that is safe for humans, but toxic to pets. It only takes a few minutes to educate yourself on how to avoid these situations. Appropriate petproofing and awareness of what to do in the event of a pet poisoning situation could spare you and your pet trips to the veterinarian for expensive, but life-saving treatments.”

Below are the most common household items that are toxic to pets. Ensuring that your pet doesn’t ingest them will be well worth the time and effort needed to keep them a safe distance away.

Xylitol: Many sugarless gums, including some Trident™, Orbit™, and Ice Breaker™ brands, contain xylitol, a sweetener that is toxic to dogs. Candies, mints, flavored multi-vitamins, desserts and baked goods may also be made with xylitol. Even small amounts when ingested can result in a life-threatening drop in blood sugar, or with large amounts of ingestion, liver failure. Signs of xylitol poisoning include vomiting, weakness, difficulty walking, tremors and
seizures.

Human medications: Common human drugs including NSAIDs (e.g. Advil®, Aleve® and Motrin®), acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol®) and antidepressants (e.g. Effexor®, Cymbalta®,Prozac®) can cause serious harm to your pets when ingested. NSAIDs can cause serious stomach and intestinal ulcers as well as kidney failure. Acetaminophen can damage red blood
cells in cats, limiting their ability to carry oxygen, and in dogs, it can lead to severe liver failure. Ingestion of antidepressants, which, of all human medications account for the highest number of calls to Pet Poison Helpline, can lead to neurological problems like sedation, incoordination, agitation, tremors and seizures.

Flowers: With Easter and spring right around the corner, flowers will begin to bloom. As beautiful as they are, some flowers can cause severe toxicity, or even fatalities, in animals. Certain types of lilies including tiger, day, Asiatic, Easter and Japanese lilies, are highly toxic to cats. Severe kidney failure can result from ingestion of even a few petals, leaves, or even the pollen. In addition, ingestion of certain spring bulbs (e.g. daffodils, tulips) can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. More serious reactions include abnormal heart rate or
changes in breathing.

Chocolate: With the Easter bunny on his way, make sure your kids hide their candy from your dog. While the occasional chocolate chip in one cookie may not be an issue, certain types of chocolate can be very toxic. Baker’s chocolate and dark chocolate pose the biggest problem. The darker and more bitter the chocolate, the more dangerous it is to our pets. The chemical toxicity in chocolate is due to methylxanthines (a relative of caffeine) and results in vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, seizures, and possibly death.

Fertilizers: Many fertilizers are basic gastrointestinal irritants. However, some are often combined with dangerous chemicals and compounds called organophosphates or carbamates, which can be harmful or deadly to pets. Ingestion can result in drooling, watery eyes, urination, defecation, seizures, difficulty breathing, fever and even death.

Pest Control Products: Rodent, snail and slug baits are often used to keep pests at bay. However, if ingested, these poisons are extremely harmful to pets. They are highly toxic and without immediate veterinary attention can be fatal. Rodent baits typically can result in blood clotting disorders, brain swelling or kidney failure, while snail and slug baits can result in severe tremors or seizures.

Pet Poison Helpline recently worked with VPI pet insurance to produce several videos with helpful and interesting information about keeping your pets safe from toxins inside and outside the home. They are available here: http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/Ask-the-Vet-Videos

Remember that what is safe for humans isn’t always safe for pets. If you think your pet has ingested something poisonous, it is always better (and less expensive) to get help immediately, rather than waiting until your pet is showing severe symptoms. Contact your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline immediately at 800-213-6680 for life-saving help. Pet Poison Helpline is the most cost-effective animal poison control center in North America charging only $35 per call, including unlimited follow-up consultations.

Reprinted from Pet Poison Helpline.

More information can be found at www.petpoisonhelpline.com 1-855-764-7661 info@petpoisonhelpline.com 8009 34th Ave. S Suite 875 Minneapolis, MN 55425

Our friends at Legal Assets are supporting the animals of Talbot Humane! We are so thankful for our community partners and this new addition to Easton from our dear friends the Oristian family who have supported us for years is exciting. 

Sunday March 14th they are having their first Bark and Brunch. Legal Assets is teaming up with Tito’s Handmade Vodka for a fundraiser for Talbot Humane. HOLD THIS DATE! Then join us in the Legal Assets Backyard Patio for a Dog-Friendly afternoon. They plan to have giveaways, special treats, raffles, and more.