Mad About Pets!

From DCHS:

A New Program to “Help Keep Pets in Their Homes”

Click to donate!

Hard economic times may result in tough choices regarding family pets for households struggling to stretch their limited resources. Families faced with the choice of purchasing pet food or providing for their family’s needs may have to make the heartbreaking decision to give up their pet. At a time when unconditional love from a pet is needed the most, some families need to make this tragic decision. Pets may be given to relatives or friends, surrendered to Dane County Humane Society or, sadly in some cases, abandoned.

To help families keep their pets at home, Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) is partnering with Community Action Coalition for South Central WI, Inc. (CAC) to supply pet food and cat litter to participating Dane County food pantries. CAC will facilitate the delivery and pickup of donation barrels with businesses participating in pet food drives. DCHS, acting as the county pet food bank administrator, will coordinate pet food drives, solicit business and private contributions, warehouse the donations and deliver them to food pantries with the aid of DCHS volunteers.

How Can You Help?

1. Donate pet food (dry or canned) or cat litter (clumping or clay) - bags 10 pounds or less to participating businesses between December 12 and 18. Click here to see a list of participating businesses. Click here to download a list of participating businesses.

2. Host a drive to collect pet food and cat litter in your business, school or organization. Contact DCHS for details.

3. Make a monetary donation to DCHS for food pantry food and litter. Checks should be made out to Dane County Humane Society, and include instructions to apply your donation to the “Help Keep Pets in Their Home” program. You can also donate online (include "Help Keep Pets in Their Homes" in the comment box).

What is our Goal?

With your help Dane County Humane Society and Community Action Coalition for South Central WI, Inc. want to support struggling families and prevent them from making the terrible decision to give up a loving pet when the family is faced with severely limited resources. Your donations will decrease the number of pets separated from their families - where their love, loyalty and enthusiasm for life are needed the most.

For More Information:

Contact: Patty Zehl, Volunteer Coordinator with Dane County Humane Society

Mail monetary donations to:

Attention: Patty Zehl
Dane County Humane Society
5132 Voges Road
Madison, WI 53718

DJ Cat busting out some dope tunes

Many thanks to my friend Maureen for pointing out this adorable cat scratcher from SUCK UK! The record is a cardboard scratcher, and it actually moves/spins when your cat uses it. You can customize it with the included kitty DJ stickers. Now you just have to convince your kitty to wear headphones...

Cat Scratch DJ is available for purchase from ThinkGeek for $34.99.

Also check out SUCK UK's foldable cat play houses.

Dane County Humane Society's (DCHS) Animal Medical Services (AMS) provides outstanding medical attention and care to all of the homeless animals that come through their doors. Occasionally, an animal needs special care, and DCHS is there for them! A small, female Maltese mix, now named Sheba, arrived as a stray at DCHS at the end of September. Sheba was severely matted and was exhibiting strange behaviors that were very worrisome to the shelter medical and care staff.

Upon observation, DCHS’s Animal Medical Services thought that Sheba’s behavior, coupled with her high white blood cell count and the fact that she was an intact female, may be because of a medical condition, pyometra (infected uterus), which is treated by a spay surgery. Sheba received the much-needed surgery, but struggled with recovery and had the staff worried about her well-being. She slowly improved, but continued to exude behaviors that were concerning.

After several blood tests, the shelter veterinarians suspected that she had a congenital liver problem. They decided to send Sheba to the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, where their suspicions were confirmed with a CT scan. Sheba was diagnosed with an extrahepatic portosystemic shunt, which is amenable to surgical correction. The shunt is producing a buildup of toxic ammonia in her blood thus causing the behavioral changes, urinary problems, and general malaise. Sheba also has kidney stones that will hopefully dissolve with the help of a specific diet and surgical repair. Surgery will be scheduled as soon as possible, but in the meantime Sheba is on several medications to help her feel better. DCHS hopes to give Sheba the chance to be a happy, healthy dog in a loving home, but they need your help!

Sheba needs your help!

To make a contribution:

Select "Donate to: Help Me Heal" when donating online. You can also mail or drop off your donation at Dane County Humane Society's main shelter (5132 Voges Road, Madison WI 53718). When donating online, please state “Sheba Surgery” in the comment section.

Please help DCHS continue to help animals like Sheba heal. DCHS depends on your kindhearted donations to make miracles happen.