Center Pet is Vet-VIPPS Certified!

Congratulations go out to Center Pet, because they are one of 11 pharmacies in the United States with Vet-VIPPS certification! This is a huge accomplishment, and is very meaningful to have Vet-VIPPS certification. The acronym Vet-VIPPS stands for Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites.

The Vet-VIPPS program recognizes, and certifies online pharmacies that dispense prescription medications, and certain devices for animals. However, the animals that Vet-VIPPS certified pharmacies serve are not food producing animals.

Having the Vet-VIPPS Seal on the Center Pet website means that Center Pet has met the terms that Vet-VIPPS set forward. According to the Vet-VIPPS website, “Pharmacies displaying the Vet-VIPPS Seal comply with Vet-VIPPS criteria, which address a customer’s right to privacy, authentication and security of prescription orders, adherence to a recognized quality assurance policy, and provision of meaningful consultation between customers and pharmacists.”

The Vet-VIPPS accreditation process is a very detailed procedure, and not just any pharmacy gets Vet-VIPPS certified. The process included submitting and application, which includes mandatory documentation. Also included was a reviewing Center Pet’s policies and procedures, and an on-site survey, among many other things!

The Vet-VIPPS Seal on the Center Pet website guarantees customers and potential new customers, that they have the highest pharmacy standards. A big congrats again to Center Pet, who fully deserves this honor!



Photo Credit: nabp.net (National Association of Boards of Pharmacy)

Buying a Rabbit for Easter

When thinking about Easter, many people think about springtime candy like Peeps and Cadbury Eggs. But numerous people also consider buying a rabbit for their family for the holiday. Why not? They look cute and cuddly, and seem like sweet animals. However, you need to be sure when purchasing a rabbit you are aware that they are not low maintenance animals. Adopting a rabbit is a commitment and, your family needs to be in it 210 percent!

An uncommon fact is rabbits are very coy creatures. When children are too excited, it will scare the rabbit. They like to be left alone, and if it is quiet they might want to play with children—but only if it the atmosphere is very calm! After having a rabbit for a few weeks, children will realize that their new pet is tranquil and is not like having a dog or cat. This might result in losing interest in the animal.

Rabbits do not enjoy being held in people’s arms. Children always want to pick up their very own Peter-Cotton-Tail, but it may kick and scratch when it is picked up. Rabbits also have very brittle bones, and when they are picked up or played with by someone a little bit too rough, then it can result in injuries and broken bones.

Just like having any other kind of pet, rabbits require human attention. They need exercise and some stimulation outside of their cage, and need their litter changed daily. Having a rabbit is a very big responsibility. If your family is not in it for the right reasons, a rabbit may not be the right pet for you. Families do like adopting rabbits for the Easter Holidays, but need to know the right facts on how to take care of it.

Center Pet wishes that you have a wonderful and “Hoppy” Easter!

How do You Feel about Making Your Pets Celebrate Passover?

It is easy to say that everyone love springtime. The sun is usually shining, and the holidays just keep coming! This week in the Jewish religion is Passover, or also known as “Pesach.” To numerous people, this holiday includes not eating leavened bread for one week. But what does this mean for your pets?

During Passover, people do not eat leavened bread for one week. Matzah is the substitute for humans. Matzah is only made up of flour and water. The other thing about Matzah is, it does not rise like bread, that’s why it is called “unleavened bread.” Matzah is safe for your pets to eat, as well. However, what else can your pets eat that is Kosher for Passover?

Observant pet owners should always check the ingredients of their pet’s food. They should be looking for ingredients such as wheat, rye, oats, and barley. There are some approved dog and cat foods that are Kosher for Passover. Nutro, Evanger’s, Hill’s Science and Prescription Diet, and Friskies are all great companies who have Kosher choices for your pets.

Pet owners could try and make Kosher pet food for their pets with ingredients like vegetables, chicken, Kosher beef, tuna fish, and even rice. Just be sure that there is a lot of protein in the food that you make! Some pets very much enjoy homemade food. Pets also usually like eating some of the scraps from the Passover Sedar, but not too much!
We hope that you and your pets have a lovely Passover week!

Lending a Helping Hand to Japan

Society outreach and helping animals in need is a very important initiative to Center Pet. Due to the tsunami and earthquake in Japan, many animals of the country are suffering. Center Pet wants to make it a prime incentive to help the animals of the distressed country.

Starting this week, Center Pet will be collecting donations for the Japan-based nonprofit organization, HEART- Tokushima. HEART- Tokushima wants to create and maintain a society where animals can live without suffering or cruelty—especially now with the devastation from the earthquake and tsunami. Center Pet will be collecting many items including, used towels, sheets, blankets, cat and dog toys, leads, and carriers. There will be a large donations box at Center Pet, to collect items. People who cannot come to the Center Pet store can always mail Center Pet their goods, if they want to donate to HEART- Tokushima. For more information on the organization HEART- Tokushima, please see their website.

“Our Company wants to help the animals who were debilitated by the natural disasters,” said Kenny Kramm, CEO of Center Pet. “We send our appreciation and applause to those who have provided a great service to Japan, in helping aid the animals and people who live in the country. Center Pet is extremely glad to jump in and help out.”

Another very important nonprofit organization that Center Pet will also be assisting is the World Vets. The World Vets is dedicated to offering help and veterinary aid to various countries. They work with many other advocacy groups, governments, and veterinary professionals. Center Pet will send medications to the World Vets. Center Pet spoke with the World Vets to figure out what medications are required to send. Center Pet hopes to be sending all of the medications that were requested. To find more information on the World Vets, please see their website.

“Knowing that these animals have no place to go home to anymore, absolutely breaks my heart,” said Sarah Kramm, Director of Social Media and Director of Community Outreach at Center Pet. “The two organizations that we are working with are wonderful, and really give assistance to those needy animals in times like this—and in general.”

Everyone at Center Pet is eager to help supply medications, bring in supplies and collect donations for the two organizations! Please feel free to come to Center Pet and drop off supplies, or if you cannot physically get to Washington, DC— you can send Center Pet your donations (4900 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20016.) With these contributions, we are making a difference in the animal’s lives in Japan.

Help the Animals in Japan!

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan was extremely devastating to the natives of the country, and even people who have never been to Japan before. People from all over the world want to help the citizens of Japan, and also help the animals in Japan. If you are interested in helping the animals in Japan, there are many ways to do so!

Many American organizations are reaching out to Japan to help the animals who are in need of assistance and are in much danger. The World Vets are providing veterinary aid to animals around the world. In this case, the World Vets have deployed a first responder team to Japan. The World Vets have joined forces with many other foreign groups, and are working with the US Army veterinary associates who are stationed in Japan. They are also working with Japanese animal charities.

Right now, the World Vets are also collecting donations of medications (vaccinations, de-worming medicines, wound treatments, fluid replacements, cages, etc) and supplies. If you are interested in helping, or donating please see their website. You can send supplies and mediations to their headquarters in Fargo, North Dakota.

PETA is asking people to donate to their Animal Emergency Fund, on their website. This imperative fund allows PETA to provide assistance through rescuers, veterinarians, and experts to animals after natural disasters occur. The Animal Emergency Fund also helps PETA establish a way of offering information on how to protect animals before disasters happen.

The Search Dog Foundation has created six Canine Disaster Search Teams who have been deployed to Japan. They are accepting donations on their website, and are also updating everyone what is going on in Japan day-by-day on their website, too. You can also see videos of the search teams who were deployed to Japan.

There are also many organizations in Japan who are trying to aid the animals, like the Animal Refuge Kansai (ARK). ARK wants to house as many animals as they can— who have been displaced, and are now homeless because of the recent earthquake and tsunami. You can also donate to ARK on their webpage.

Helping Japan is crucial at this point—even animals are helping other animals. Take a peek at this video (from lifewithdogs.tv) about one dog that will not leave his injured dog friend. Please help out our furry friends in Japan, because they are most definitely in need! All donations, no matter large or small—count in saving one animals life.

Spring Holidays and Your Pet!

Plenty of folks have been dressing up their pets to get into the spring holiday spirit for years. With celebrations that are currently going on, Center Pet wants to let everyone know some tips on how to have a safe and fun Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter with their pets.

MARDI GRAS

 

•When bringing your pets to Mardi Gras parades, be sure that your pet is not suffocated by the amount of people that are around. Check that they have enough room to sit or stand, and are not smothered by other people. At the parade, you could ask and see if there is a designated area for pets and their owners to stand and watch. Or you could find your own sort of safe zone, where you and your pet feel comfortable watching the parade.

•Although beads are great for humans to wear, lots of beads around your pet’s neck could be trouble. Yes, they might look adorable; however it is not a good idea. Your pet could trip over the beads and severely hurt themselves, or the beads could weigh their necks down and hurt them that way.

•Moon Pies and other candy-goodies are delicious to eat for Mardi Gras lovers everywhere, except for your pets! Many of the sweet treats are made out of chocolate, and other types of foods that are not good for your pet and can make them severely sick. The chocolate in some cases can not only cause rigorous illness, but it can also lead to tachycardia—an abnormally fast heartbeat. (There is more important information about chocolate in the "Easter" section of this article!)

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

•Please drink responsibly, and do not feed your pet any alcoholic beverages. It is not funny, or fun for them, and can give them alcohol poisoning—which is extremely serious in pets. Giving your pet alcohol can cause diarrhea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, lack of coordination, coma, and more. Pets who consume alcohol also can result in death. If you or a friend happens to spill beer or a mixed drink onto the floor, be sure to clean it up ASAP before your pet gets to it first.

•Make sure your pet is always hydrated. Where ever you go, (party, parade, street fair) please bring some water for them. You can even put a little bit of green food dye into their water, for a festive drink for them!

•We all know that you’d never forget to wear green on St. Patty’s day, so don’t forget to dress your furry friend to impress—in green of course! No one wants their pet to be pinched, so put them in a green shirt or a green collar.

EASTER

•As much as everyone loves opening their Easter baskets and rummaging through the plastic grass and eggs, your pet loves to, too! However, it is not safe for your pet to search through the basket because they could find, and potentially eat candy wrappers and other decorative items like ribbons (which are not edible.) Also, the plastic grass is not digestible for your pets, either. Any of these items (wrappers, ribbons, plastic grass, etc) can get caught in your pet’s digestive system and result in choking or intestinal problems.

•Easter is a holiday that is commonly associated with the Easter Bunny, who brings chocolate! Chocolate is extremely bad for your pet. You can take a look at this wonderful interactive "Chocolate Chart" from National Geographic, to see how many ounces of chocolate your dog can eat and how sick they will get. Scroll to how many pounds your dog weighs to see the effects on your size and type of dog. Just remember, that chocolate is extremely toxic to pets!

•If you are having an Easter egg hunt in your house or in your backyard, please clean up all of the eggs after the hunt is over. If you are using the beautifully dyed, hardboiled eggs, make sure that your pet does not get to them. After finding a rotten, old Easter egg, (days or weeks later) pets still might eat it and become tremendously sick. Try using plastic colorful eggs, but also be cautious of your pet trying to get into those to devour the insides, also!

These springtime holidays are meant for you and your pets to enjoy, and not meant for your pets to get sick. Center Pet hopes that you and your pets have a safe and wonderful Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter!

GDV in Dogs

Gastric Distillation and Volvulus Syndrome is extremely serious in dogs. It can also be known as twisted stomach, or bloat. GDV is a huge problem, in large dogs and is life-threatening. When GDV occurs, the stomach rolls or twists and closes off the area from the esophagus to the intestines.

When your dog has GDV, torsion (another word to describe twisting) closes off the pylorus—which is the opening from your dog’s stomach to their duodenum. The GDV causes your dog’s stomach to turn and twist a lot, and in some scenarios the spleen and major blood vessels will twist too. This will cause tissue damage and loss of blood flow to the stomach and other vital organs. When organs do not get enough blood, shock can occur.

The twisting and turning of the stomach makes it hard for the dog to vomit. And unsuccessful vomiting along with a hardened stomach are symptoms of GDV. Another symptom of GDV is when your dog isn’t feeling or acting normally and if they seem like they’re really anxious about something. If your dog is hunched over, and if you do not hear any stomach noises- like digestive gurgling sounds, you should contact your veterinarian immediately. Within several hours, dogs can die from bloat and GDV. There is treatment for bloat, but with treatments and medication some dogs do still pass away from this syndrome.

Deep-chested dogs are most at risk like German Shepherds, Great Danes, Standard Poodle, and Dobermans. Great Dane come in at number one for being most at risk, followed by Saint Bernard, Weimaraner, and in fourth is the Irish Setter.

To prevent GDV, try and avoid stressful situations for your dog. Exercise with your dog, at least for an hour a day. And make sure that your dog is eating two to three smaller meals a day, instead of one big meal. And do not allow your dog to drink water, or eat fast and excessively, especially after exercising.

If any of these symptoms occur or you believe your dog has GDV, please call your veterinarian immediately.