Dog Park Etiquette

As the weather gets warmer, your dog is going to want to leave all the snow in your backyard for the sunny dog park. The dog park is where dogs congregate, exercise and play with other dogs—essentially interacting with other playmates for them. With the wide open green space, come some rules that dog owners should know and abide by.

Please follow all of the rules that are posted at the dog park. The rules are there to help you and your dog. The rules keep you and your dog away from harm and state specific laws that are important, too. If you do not follow the rules, it can lead to you or your dog getting injured or other consequences like the dog park actually getting shut down.

Before visiting the dog park, make sure that your dog is healthy. Just like when humans are sick, contagious and go someplace with a lot of people, they can infect them, too. Fleas can jump from one dog to the next and other health risks and issues are the same way.

Also, be sure to clean up after your dog. It is not only rude, but leaving your dogs droppings can spread illnesses and diseases, also. A golden rule for dog park etiquette is to be sure to clean up after your dog. If you do not you might get fined or banned from the dog park. And no one wants to be given a fine or banned for something as easy as picking up your dogs poop!

While at a dog park, always be sure to keep a close eye on your pup. Dog parks are made for dogs to run freely, and have off leash play. Although, always remember that you are responsible for your dog. When saying you are responsible, you are responsible for all of your dog’s actions. Please make sure that your dog can play nicely with other dogs. If your dog cannot, they should not go to the dog park.

If you have a female dog, and they are in season/in heat, please do not bring them to the dog park. It is very important that only spayed and neutered dogs are recommended.

Center Pet hopes that you and your dogs follow the rules, and have a great time next trip to the dog park!  don’t forget our handy etiquette tips.

Center Pet Wants to Thank YOU!

As the Director of Social Media, and a very happy employee at Center Pet, I love to receive feedback from our loyal fans. The other day, I received an email notification that someone rated us on myFOXdc MojoPages. When I went to visit the Center Pet page, I saw a delightful rating from one of our customers, Shirley. She wrote:

“I've had excellent communication from Center Pet Pharmacy. The prices are lower than a lot of other websites, and they'll call you personally to reassure you that the medication will be sent immediately. I've even had them call me after the meds were shipped to make sure that everything arrived. I would recommend them to anyone who needs meds for their dogs or cats.”

We are all very pleased at Center Pet that we have helped Shirley and all of our other customers with all of their pet medication needs. It makes me smile when I know our customers and their pets are happy and healthy. Center Pet provides a great service to pet lovers. We try and make every step of the hassle of buying pet medications easier, and we even help walk our customers through the process of buying medication from us.

This morning I received another notification that someone else rated us on myFOXdc MojoPages. When I opened that email I was like a child at Christmas time unwrapping presents! It was a short, but sweet rating that was titled “They Care!” This rating was from Darlene and it read:

“Center Pet Pharmacy has a reputation not only for providing excellent service but for caring about the customers - both two-legged and four.”

We are glad to make our customers lives a little bit easier when it comes to purchasing their pet medications. Again, everyone at Center Pet is very thankful for everyone’s ratings on us. We look forward to helping more customers and their pets in the near future! Don’t forget, you can always purchase medication on our website—in the purchase medications section!

Does Your Pet Not Like Taking Pills?

Is your pet not fond of swallowing pills? When you try to give your pet a pill, do they screech and howl to get away from you and the medication? Don’t get upset at the fact that your pet won’t take their medication, because Center Pet has many answers for this and wants to help you and your furry friend!

In most cases, the helpful staff at Center Pet can transform your pet’s pills into a better form for them to take it. We would like to introduce you to Center Pet’s art of compounding. Compounding is the technical and scientific preparation of a custom-made, tailored medication. Center Pet believes that we make your pets medicine better tasting, with our compounding!

Center Pet’s compounders can make the pills into a compounded liquid medication. There are 16 different flavors that can be added to medication for your pet to take it easier and many different forms. A few of those flavors are: tuna, fish chowder, bacon, beef, chicken, and many more!

Center Pet has many other ways to get your pet to take their medicine, too! We can turn medication into tasty chewtabs for your pet’s palatal-pleasure. Or some can even be made into Sterile Ophthalmics and can be put in your pet’s eyes, as eye drops. Last, we make Transdermal Gels, which are medications that are absorbed through the skin into the blood stream.

Center Pet wants to help your pet achieve wellness. Please contact us if we can help your pet to take their medicine by compounding it into something that they love! (888) 260-0801 or email us at customerservice@centerpetpharmacy.com
We are here to help!

What You Shouldn’t Feed Your Cat!

Keeping cats healthy maybe hard, but you can avoid giving them things to make them sick. If your cat is another child to you, you should definitely avoid giving them these types of foods and drugs!

Let’s Start With Drugs and Alcohol- First thing first: Humans and animals, should never do illegal drugs! And it is not funny to get your pet drunk or high. Because when you are feeding your cat these bad things, it can seriously harm them.

Marijuana- Smoking marijuana around your cat, and ingestion of marijuana from your cat can induce vomiting and changes in your cats heart rate.

Tobacco- Tobacco to cats is no good, either. The nicotine can affect your cat’s nervous system and digestive track. The nicotine can speed up your cats heart rate, coma, collapsing and even death.

Alcohol- Not only can alcohol make your cat drunk, but it could lead to coma and death—so don’t try and slip your cat drinks under the table, they’re good with water!

On to Foods That Humans Love to Give Their Cats- Because some humans think that cats love a good fish bone and washing it down with lots of milk.

Fish Bones- Even though cats love fish, the bones can seriously hurt them. The bones can be sharp and they can cut your cats insides, and tear their digestive track.

Milk- Some fully-grown cats can have diarrhea when given hefty quantities of dairy products.

Sugar- If your cats eat a lot of sugar, or sugary foods, it can lead to obesity. Along with obesity, it can also lead to diabetes and dental issues for your cat.

Garlic and Onions- Garlic keeps away the vampires, and it should be kept away from your cat! Garlic and some forms of onions can cause anemia in cats.

Everyone at Center Pet hopes you treat your cat with love and respect. Please feed your cat the proper dietary items and don’t stray too much off the path, because you don’t know what that food could do to your cat!

Ever Been Bitten?

Many dog owners love their dogs like their children, and would never expect them to bite people. What is sweet and kind in one person’s eyes, could be horrifying and scary in another’s. Did you know that 4.6 million people are bitten by dogs every year? The majority of those people who are bit by dogs are children.

Some dogs are bigger and more aggressive than others. Some have also been brought up in more harsh conditions. But any dog can get agitated or frantic around a person, although studies show that most house dogs will never bite a person in their entire life span. But, when dogs do bite people they mostly aim for the face and eyes of a person. Serious injury from man’s best friend can be extremely traumatic.

“A study was done with a selection of 88 dog attacks from 2006-2008 in the United States, with results ranging from recoverable injuries to death” according to a study from edgarsnyder.com (a law firm website). “Of those incidents, it was found that: Pit Bulls, Rottweiler’s, and American Bulldogs were responsible for 77% of all deaths. Pit Bulls were responsible for 59% of all deaths. Pit Bulls killed more adults than children.”

To prevent even more scary statistics, we ask all dog owners to make a promise to follow your states Dog Laws, which also include leash laws. Not only is it not safe for dogs to roam around without a leash on (even if their owner is with them), but there are state laws that prohibit you from doing that. Leash laws basically require dogs to be on a leash when they are off their owners’ property. Although, there are exceptions to this law, like specific parks and designated places that say it is okay to let your pup roam without a leash.

Center Pet wants to see everyone happy, and healthy—including the humans in your pet’s life! Please be sure to coach/train and mingle with many different people with your dog, watch your dog around children, and always follow your state dog and leash laws.

Phot Credit: Photo borrowed from legaljuice.com

A Best Friend to All: Without Discrimination

As dog lovers, we sincerely know that dogs bring many emotions to people. When you are upset about something, your dog will be there to make you happy. Or when you’re celebrating something, they’re there to be joyous with you. Dogs are also very helpful to people for many reasons. And not just for finding a lost turkey bone from Thanksgiving! But for a far better reason, to help people who have disabilities who need assistance.

These loyal companions can help people with disabilities on a daily basis. Kids with autism can benefit hugely from having a dog. Recent studies have shown that families with a child who has autism, who also own a dog, have major positive effects on the family and especially the child with special needs. Dogs can help a child with autism because they can advance social relations with other members of their family, and other members of the neighborhood that they live in.

Dogs sometimes put ease on children with special needs. With children who have autism, it can reduce their anxiety. Dogs can also help in furthering development with motor skills—like walking the dog, talking to the dog, throwing toys and playing catch with the dog. Dogs for Autism (located in the South Carolina) breeds and raises companion and service dogs to help people with Autism. They also have obedience classes for the public’s dogs, too!

Not only can some dogs help with everyday tasks for disabled people like opening doors and turning on lights, but they can even pull a wheelchair, and even can help dress a person. It is truly amazing what dogs can do. Dogs for Disabilities, inc., (located in Illinois) offer aid and assistance with service dogs to physically disabled people. Their main goal for the service dogs is for their owner to achieve independence.

Canine companions can also help and assist veterans who are disabled or have Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. These specially trained dogs make sure that the veteran’s life is made to be how it was before they went into combat. The dogs help the veterans with everyday life. Also, a dog is very helpful for people who just get out of combat because usually when in combat you rarely go anywhere alone—and these doggie companions go everywhere with their owner. If you know a veteran who could benefit from a specially trained dog, please contact Freedom Service dogs, Inc. (located in Colorado)

It’s amazing what one dog can do for humanity. One hundred years ago, people would have never believed that dogs could be so helpful to people with disabilities. We cannot wait to see what technological advances in companionship are to come in the future, in helping and bettering people with disabilities lives forever. "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." --Roger Caras


-->Photo Credit: A special thanks to Dogs Life Magazine for the touching picture!

Doggie Distress

Did you know that your dog can have separation anxiety? When your dog is left at home alone, sometimes they have feelings of suffering and misery. Destroying things like furniture, barking, and going to bathroom inside are all signs of doggie distress. But not to worry, because separation anxiety/related behavior is very common in dogs.

To make sure your furry friend is not too distressed or feeling anxious, you should always make your departures very discreet. Do not make a big deal about leaving your dog, and don’t make a huge deal about saying good-bye—especially if you’ll be back in a few minutes.

If you give your dog something to do when you’re gone, they’ll be distracted from thinking about you while you’re gone. Bones that are stuffed with tasty treats are always a good distraction, or you could leave various treats and toys around the house for them. With these goodies, your dog might not chew up your furniture!

Another option would be taking your pup to a doggie-daycare. Or if you want to be more personal about the situation because doggie-daycare just isn’t your thing, you could bring your dog to a friend’s house while you’re gone. Because with your friend being there acting as a replacement your dogs sense of loneliness and missing you would not be that bad.

Although, if your dog is chewing holes through your walls or doors then your dog has serious separation anxiety. If your dog is at the point where they are injuring themselves, you need to take matters into your own hands and get a specialist for them. Going to a vet for this serious anxiety issue will give you and your pup more and better options—through the medicinal route. Your vet will ensure that they will have a good answer to cure your doggy’s problem.

Everyone at Center Pet hopes that if your dog has symptoms of separation anxiety, they get better with time or seeing the vet. Remember: your pets are your family, too!

Exotic Pets are Becoming Extinct

2011 marked a new year, but it also marked a new law for the people of Oregon. If you live in Oregon, and want to own an exotic pet—it may be too late for that present! Officials from The State Department of Agriculture stated that if you have not owned your exotic pet for at least a year, it could be too late for you too. If your exotic animal does not have a permit, you will not be able to keep them (starting in January 2011).

Once your exotic pet passes away, or you sell it is when the permit is done. Oregon’s exotic animal law entails a permit for: felines that are not native to Oregon—except for domestic cats, nonhuman primates—various forms of monkeys, bears—but not black bears, crocodiles, and non-wolf canines that are natives of Oregon—except for household dogs.

A solution is if you have to give away your exotic friend is to legally sell them to someone not in the state of Oregon. We hope not many people and their pets are affected by this law. The State Department of Agriculture wants to make this change to protect Oregonians from safety and health hazards caused by exotic animals.

Center Pet’s 2011 Resolutions

Everyone makes resolutions for the New Year, but the staff here at Center Pet has all agreed to make their resolutions count this year! We thought that it would be a great idea to let all of our loyal customers and readers know what some of us are thinking for 2011.

Kenny: CEO- “I can just tell that 2011 will be a great year, not just for Center Pet—but for pets all over the United States. I hope that Center Pet can help even more pets that are in need of medicine and love. I hope that we will hold more events like the Photos with Santa event we just had to benefit the Washington Humane Society. With these bonds we’ve created with great charitable organizations, our community of helping pets will grow bigger and stronger.”

Sarah Caroline: Director of Social Media- “As a 20-something woman in the new year of 2011, I’d like to rescue a pet. I know its cliché but, I want to make an animal’s life better—and there’s no better way to do it than rescue one! I have never had a pet before, so I know now it’ll be for the best to help one grow out of a hard time in their life.”

Stavawn: Customer Service Manager- “For me, 2011 will bring change to the way my family lives and operates. I want my daughter to think of animals as friends, and not be scared of them. I will take her to volunteer at a society in the DC area to show her that animals are sweet and we can make a difference in their lives, just as much as they can make a difference in ours.”

Sam: Pharmacy Technician- "I always grew up having pets and when I moved to DC all the way from California, I had to leave my pets back home. For 2011, I am going to adopt three dogs who need a home and give one to my girlfriend to show how much I love her... But the other two will be mine!

The staff at Center Pet wishes you a wonderful 2011, and hopes that you will make a difference in at least one animal’s life this year!