Pets Best Newsroom

Blog posts Categorized under ‘Pet Industry News’

Shelter holds candlelight vigil for euthanized pets

Posted on: August 26th, 2010 by

A shelter worker stands over a sad puppy.
No one likes to think about euthanizing animals—but one shelter in West Virginia makes a point of it.

According to the WOWK 13 news source, Kanawha Charleston Humane Society held a candlelight vigil last week to honor the thousands of animals that have been put to sleep.

Shelter volunteers strung 7,574 pet collars around the property to represent each pet that had been euthanized over the past year, the news provider reports.

“It is a terrible feeling because you know you could have helped them… those animals shouldn’t have to be killed because humans didn’t help them by getting them fixed or doing simple things for them,” shelter volunteer Autumn Lenn told the provider.

According to the source, 4 million animals are euthanized each year. In addition to overpopulation, some pets are put down due to expensive vet bills their owners can’t afford.

“Euthanasia of pets for other than humane reasons can be avoided,” explains Dr. Jack Stephens, founder of Pets Best Insurance. “This is why I started pet health insurance (in the US) nearly 30 years ago… as a veterinarian I hated euthanizing pets due to economics.”

In addition to helping cover vet bills due to accidents and illnesses, many pet insurance wellness plans offer spay/neuter coverage to help control pet populations. It’s a one-two punch against the leading factors contributing to euthanasia.

For more information about pet insurance, visit www.petsbest.com.

Illinois Governor signs law to protect pet health

Posted on: July 26th, 2010 by

A healthy black and white dog looks upward.
Animal proponent Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill into law last week that will help guard pets from harm’s way.

Quinn gave the go ahead Thursday to pass a statewide bill that requires the addition of a bitter flavor to antifreeze and engine coolant, the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to the source, the bitter additive is meant to ensure pet health isn’t compromised. Both antifreeze and engine coolant have a sweet taste that animals and children can be attracted to.

The news provider reports that around 90,000 animals are poisoned each year by the liquids.

“As a pet owner, I know first-hand how important it is to protect these furry family members,” Governor Quinn said in a press release last week.

According to the Daily Chronicle, the legislation passed unanimously in the Illinois General Assembly and will go into effect July 1, 2011.

“These new laws help pet owners fulfill our responsibility to keep pets safe from harm and will prevent avoidable tragedies,” the Governor said of the pet health measure.

Pet insurance company gives a hand to animals in need

Posted on: July 19th, 2010 by

Pets Best Insurance gathered pet supplies for a week before shipping them off to animals in need.
Due to the oil spill, shelters in Erica Callais’ area have seen a 20% increase in pets because owners can no longer afford to care for them.

“Three hundred and fifty three cats and dogs are euthanized everyday (in Louisiana). It would be a dream to get that number to zero,” Callais said.

Callais, the founder and director of Pet Education Project—a non-profit organization that aims to educate the youth of America in humane animal treatment, reached out to Pets Best Insurance with a simple request—to help animals that have been affected by the oil spill in Louisiana.

Considering the pet insurance company is comprised of animal lovers, it was no surprise they jumped at the opportunity.

Callais said she started the organization in March 2009, and that thus far, has spoken to over 5,000 students at various schools and 3,000 members of the public on the importance of spaying and neutering and other pet health related issues.

“Education is key to changing anything in a society that’s not working,” Callais said.

Since school is out for the summer, Callais said instead of talking to students, the organization’s focus has shifted to helping pets who have been affected by the recent oil spill.

“A lot of families have to choose between putting food on their tables or [feeding] their pets,” she said.

Callais said she decided to start a drive that has since grown into a nationwide outreach for pet food and supplies.

“This weekend we will be delivering and distributing to Grand Isle and Golden Meadow, LA,” she said, adding that the organization has collected a total of 3,500 pounds of food and about 300 pounds of pet supplies and other pet health related items.

Pets Best Insurance held a weeklong drive at their office and shipped off two boxes of pet supplies to the animals in need.

“I hope that the donations keep coming in,” Callais said. “Our drive is going until July 31st. This is going to be a very long period of financial need for these families.”

For more information on donating pet supplies to Pet Education Project visit www.peteducationproject.org or visit Callais’ blog www.eatgumbolivelonger.com.

City could ban animal sales to protect pet health

Posted on: July 13th, 2010 by

A sad looking brown dog sits in a cage.
San Francisco, the city named after the patron saint of animals, is rallying efforts to make it illegal to sell animals “great and small.”

According to USA Today, the idea of criminalizing the sale of gerbils, turtles and puppies, (and everything in between) is gathering steam in the Bay Area.

USA Today reports that the issue initially arose as a means to ensure dog and cat health care wasn’t compromised in puppy and kitten mills, and to lessen the flow of unwanted pets landing in shelters after owners grew tired of their purchases.

“What started out as a proposal to outlaw puppy and kitten mills is extending to the sale of just about every animal that might end up in a shelter,” the news source reports.

According to the site, Philip Gerrie, of the San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare, suggested adding the idea to the commission’s agenda as a means to advocate for pet health.

The proposal gathered further interest after Gerrie’s idea was swept up by media outlets, and The San Francisco Chronicle ran the story with the controversial headline: “Sell a guinea pig, go to jail.”

At the commission’s Thursday meeting, the usual handful of attendees turned into a standing-room-only gathering with pet store owners, rescue groups and pet owners all trying to get a word in about animal sales, pet health, and over population of shelters USA Today reports.

“The commission, overwhelmed with varying opinions, voted not to vote, tabling the debate until at least another month,” the source reports.

PetSafe pulls dangerous merchandise off shelves

Posted on: July 1st, 2010 by

A blue-eyed cat sits in a white pet bed.
Pet health and safety may be at risk for pets that use the “Heated Wellness Sleepers” pet beds distributed by PetSafe.

According to UPI.com, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of the Radio Systems Corp. power adapters used in the heated pet beds due to possible electrical malfunction.

UPI.com reports that about 20,000 adapters were imported from China and sold with the PetSafe heated beds and that some of the heated bed adapters could malfunction.

The Pet Product News website stated that the PetSafe Heated Wellness Sleeper can be a hazard to both human and pet health.

UPI.com reported several incidents of the connectors melting, while The Pet Product News website states that the beds were recalled because they “pose a fire risk.”

“When the adaptor is removed from the bed, it can cause arcing between the coil spring covering the electrical wire and the metal connector,” which the site says can potentially cause fire or burn risks, to pets or their owners.

Petsafe distributed the heated pet beds in hunter green, sand, military blue, and sand and khaki, some with a PetSafe logo stitched on the front.

Pet Product News reports that consumers who purchased the PetSafe Heated Wellness Sleepers “are urged to stop using the product immediately and call Radio Systems Corp.’s customer care” to avoid pet health and safety issues.

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