How Much Should I Be Feeding My Pet?

If pets could talk, would they tell you when they’re full? They’re certainly good at letting you know when they’re hungry, despite the lack of a spoken language that we can translate. Sometimes it seems that if they could, our pets would just keep on eating – and you certainly don’t want that.

There is advice on how much to feed your pet almost anywhere you look. From the side of the bag of food, to running an online search, everyone has an opinion. The reality is, none of those answers are likely the right one for you and your pet, mostly because your pet is an individual, and any firm instructions you follow for the well-being of your pet should be provided by a professional veterinarian.

However, there are some tips, many of which can bring up the right questions to ask your vet:

· You’ve likely seen the effects of an all junk food diet, and many of the inexpensive pet food options are just that, junk food. Look for “nutritionally balanced” options that are void of fillers and byproducts.  Ask your vet for the brands that they find to be the best. Should you give your pets treats for obedience or a job well done? Consider the ingredients of those treats, and the frequency at which they’re given, just as you would their food.

· Measure portions, and be consistent with those measurements. A pet will generally adjust to how much food it is given.

· Always provide a means for your pet to access fresh water (no, an open toilet bowl doesn’t count). Fresh water means that nothing is mixed into it, and that it is placed in a clean container.

· Staying fit requires two main ingredients, a healthy, balanced diet, and plenty of daily exercise. Those very same requirements go for your pets as well. If you don’t have time to provide the proper amount of recommended exercise, consider hiring a dog walker or pet sitter.

· Have your pet weighed during your regular vet check-ups, and keep track of that weight. Discuss fluctuations with your vet, and be prepared to increase or decrease the amount of food you give your pet accordingly.

· Your pet is unique, just like us, what it takes to maintain their health will change over time. Always be sure to ask your vet how to adjust your pet’s diet where your pet’s age is concerned.

What To Look For In A Great Pet Sitter Or Dog Walker

For many families in the United States, a pet – be it a dog, cat, rabbit, reptile, fish or ferret – is an adored part of the family. As such, many families work hard to find a reliable and caring person to care for their pets when the family is away. This can be a daunting task, but can be made much easier if you know what to look for.

Here are some traits and requirements that any professional pet sitter should possess:

Genuine Animal Lover: This is the most basic trait you should look for in a quality pet sitter or dog walker. Have a potential sitter meet with you and your pets, ensure that the sitter gets along with your pets, and that your pets reciprocate in kind.

Professionalism: Any service provider should present and represent themselves in a professional manner, all that much more when they’re being considered for taking care of a member of your family.

Licensed, Bonded and Insured: Any worthwhile individual doing pet sitting should at a minimum be properly trained on how to care for pets. They should also be bonded and insured, this will give you peace of mind where your home and personal belongings are concerned.

Reliability: A proven and traceable track record for reliability is a must. When you’re leaving your pet in somebody else’s care, you want to know for certain that they will show up on time to get the job done. A network of reliable backup sitters should also be available in the event your selected sitter cannot perform their duties.

Communicative: A great pet sitter will have a means of keeping in touch with you while you’re away, and will find pleasure in providing you with updates on how your pet is doing. They should also provide you with details as to how they will be caring for your pet, and ask you lots of questions concerning your pet, such as needs, behavior, likes, dislikes, quirks, etc. They should also provide you with a final report on how the care went while you were away.

By following these guidelines, you and your pet will likely have a great experience. For more information about our top rated professional pet sitting and dog walking services, visit us on the web at www.fetchpetcare.com.

The Process And Importance Of Proper Litter Box Cleaning

Whether you’ve owned cats all your life, or are bringing a kitty into your home for the first time, you’re likely aware of an interesting cat quirk; they prefer to be clean.

Cats and their penchant for cleanliness isn’t a phenomenon associated with domestication. It’s an instinctual trait, something that has been passed down through the millennia. Cats keep themselves clean, not to look adorable while trying to get to those “hard to reach” spots, but to remove unwanted scents associated with food, companions, and surroundings. It’s an instinct associated with keeping a low profile where potential predators are involved.

Fortunately for cat owners, this instinct means that cats prefer to leave waste in an environment where it can be covered and hidden. Enter the litter box. Yes, I know what you may be thinking: cleaning the litter box can be a real pain. But when you consider kitty’s desire to be clean and their sense of security, you can begin to appreciate the importance of cleaning the litter box often, and cleaning it well.

Litter boxes should be cleaned at least twice daily if you own 1-2 cats, preferably immediately after use, as far as kitty is concerned. More cats means cleaning the box more often, or having multiple boxes and cleaning all of those just as often. With cleaning frequency in mind, it’s important that you make arrangements while you’re away, such as hiring a pet sitter to visit kitty on a regular basis, and ensure the litter box is cleaned properly and with regularity.

Speaking of proper cleaning, here are some essential tips that you should always practice, and also share with anyone providing pet sitting and cat care while you are away:

· Cats will dig a space in which to leave their waste, and then cover that space with surrounding litter, so scraping the surface won’t do. Digging out the poop and clumps and sifting is essential.

· Tilting the litter box from side to side is a great way to move un-clumped litter, and can make finding missed clumps a whole lot easier

· Cleaning frequently, especially immediately after kitty uses the litter box, reduces smell, waste of litter, and greatly reduces the risk of kitty looking elsewhere for a clean spot to go.

· Waste retrieved from the litter box should immediately be disposed of, preferably outside of the home.

· Depending on the number of cats using any one litter box, frequent dumping of unused litter and disinfection of the box itself should be common practice. Removing the waste is a daily job, keeping the box smelling clean and free of bacteria should be done on a weekly basis when 1-2 cats use the box, more frequently if you have more cats than that.

· Keep the litter box in an inconspicuous space. This is just a courtesy for kitty, as they like their privacy just as much as we do.

Fetch! Pet Care featured in Memphis Business Journal

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in the Memphis Business Journal in an article titled, "Fetch! Pet Care looking for Memphis site." In the article, Paul Mann discusses the future development plans for Fetch! Pet Care in Memphis, and how the brand will expand throughout the territory and state. He explains the Fetch! Pet Care opportunities for the area, and why the pet care industry has continuously grown and has been so successful even in today’s tough economic times, allowing their brand to become a top leader in the industry.  Click here for the entire article or begin below.

Fetch! Pet Care looking for Memphis site

By: Alan Howell

Paul Mann has Memphis in his cross hairs and he’s ready to pull the trigger on establishing his Dayton, Ohio-based pet care franchise in the heart of the Mid-South.

“We’ve had great success in Nashville for the last four or five years and in neighboring markets, as well,” Mann says. “We’re excited to come to Memphis.”

Mann plans to have at least one Fetch! Pet Care location in the Bluff City by mid-2013 and says the local market should support another two or three. He is looking at Bartlett, Germantown, West Memphis and Downtown.

(Read More)

While You Were Out

It's sad to think the pets that bring us so much happiness could ever feel blue. However, Veterinarian clinics report that approximately 14% of dogs seen are suspected to suffer from separation anxiety. Since canines are naturally social animals, it's no surprise that many develop increased attachment behavior to their human family members.The onset of these problems often coincide when there is a dramatic change in the amount of time the owner spends with a pet. Symptoms of separation anxiety can include increased activities like restlessness, pacing, and whining when the owner is not present. Depression and physiological changes such as panting or even vomiting can occur. But short of never leaving your pet's side, how can you avoid increased anxieties in your furry friend?

Professionals report that medications should only be used in extreme cases, and there are many things owners can do to avoid serious situations. Ignoring attention seeking behaviors such as whining and nudging during training is important. Certain departure cues such as picking up keys and purses, or putting on coats and shoes should also be kept as low key as possible or even done in a different room until a pet is desensitized to these cues. Creating a big to-do when leaving a dog at home is common in humans, but this can increase the likeliness of anxieties in pets. 

Upon returning, you of course want to play with your dog immediately, but it can be very helpful to wait until your pet has calmed down a bit to begin playtime. 

Leaving your pets behind isn't easy for anyone whether it be an hour or a day, but creating and maintaining a normal and low-key routine can make it easier on everyone. That's why Fetch! Pet Care focuses on maintaining an animal's routine through scheduled walks and in-home sitting instead of boarding an animal while the owner is away. Keeping a pet in its home environment under supervision is much more beneficial in avoiding separation anxiety. So the next time you take a trip, consider Fetch! pet sitting as a benefit to your emotional animals. 

Fetch! Pet Care Featured in Entrepreneur Magazine

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in Entrepreneur Magazine in an article titled, "Disaster Response," that is running in the March 2013 issue.

The article, which leads with Fetch! Pet Care, talks about how businesses rose to the challenge and helped provide above and beyond services in their communities hard hit by Hurricane Sandy. As a local businessowner wanting to help, Ed and Janice talked about their story housing their customer’s pets at their own home so the pet’s owners could seek shelter for themselves, mostly in hotels not allowing pets. The article also talks about how Ed conserved much-needed gas for the community by bicycling to customer’s homes to make sure they were OK and to ensure their pets were serviced as well. Overall, this showed how amazing Fetch owners stepped up and made a difference in assisting their customers during this disaster. This was a great story to be told!

To view a PDF of the full article, click HERE or begin reading below:

Disaster Response

By: Jason Daley

The dogs started arriving the morning after the storm. As people awoke to the reality that their homes were flooded, or damaged by high winds, or that the electricity wouldn't be turned back on anytime soon, they began dropping off their pets at Ed and Janice Saxton's home before seeking out that rare hotel with a vacancy. 

Soon the Saxtons, owners of a Fetch! Pet Care franchise and one of the lucky families in Bergen County, N.J. that didn't lose power during the Superstorm Sandy, were sheltering nine dogs. 

At one point, Ed remembers, there were six pups crowded onto the foot of their bed. "I don't think anybody could have prepared for what the hell happened," he says. "It was brutal for a lot of families. Our inconvenience was insignificant compared to what happened to other people."

Fetch! Featured on The Urban Mutt

Fetch! Pet Care Chicago was featured on an episode of the web series The Urban Mutt.

In the video, Urban Mutt host Chad takes his dog Guinness to the Wicker Dog Park in Chicago, IL. In the video, Fetch! Chicago representatives speak about the history of the franchise and its fast paced growth, including over 20,000 clients, along with many services offered from hotel to in-home sitting. An important focus of the video is the fact that keeping the pets in their routine is of the utmost importance, from a routine sitter and walker to anti-kennel boarding that doesn't remove the dog from the comfort of its own home. And not just dogs! Cats, rabbits, ferrets and guinea pigs are all taken care of by this diverse staff.

The real stars of the video? The pets! You'll be able to see a group of dogs who are a part of Fetch!'s group exercise that allows social dogs to get interaction with other furry friends - a great change from the solitary walks many dogs may be accustomed to.

A wonderful job done by the team at Fetch! Pet Care Chicago, and many thanks to Chad and the Urban Mutt team for their wonderful interview. To view the video click HERE or view it below: