 That little unassuming food bowl in the corner of the kitchen that your dog or cat eats out of may be doing more harm than you think. Every day you feed your pet and place that food in a bowl. But are you handling the food properly? When was the last time you cleaned that bowl? Mishandling pet food and food bowls can lead to bacterial contamination–and both could harm pets and their people.
Why It’s Important Taking care of your pet’s food dish as well as the way you handle the food is an important step in keeping the whole household healthy. A recent study reported by CNN reveals that found that pet food dishes ranked highly among the most contaminated household objects and may even have bacterial loads close to those of toilets! A dirty pet food dish could breed bacteria like E.coli and Salmonella, which could lead to diarrhea and other health-related issues. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Animal Health Literacy Campaign notes that if food is left in pet bowls too long, microbes could develop and lead to illness in those who come in contact with it. To help minimize risks, it recommends washing and drying pet dishes, scoops and storage containers prior to refiling them. Taking precautions like these can help keep everyone healthy. Check Out These Resources Visit our Care Corner web page for more information on the best way to handle your pet’s food and dishes. What You Can Do To Help Phinney’s believes in keeping people and their beloved pets together. We do this by extending a helping hand to pet parents in need when these emergency vet visits become too costly for some to afford. Ways you can help include donating to Phinney’s or volunteering. And, anyone in need of help in caring for their pets can visit our Get Help page for more information.
0 Comments
 Rachel Geller (pictured here with Rosie) shines a light on why cats do what they do and is available free of charge to help address cat behavioral issues! We’re purring with excitement over this news!
Dr. Rachel Geller, who is dedicated to promoting the prevention of cat surrenders and abandonment by helping people navigate their cats’ behavioral challenges, recently reached out to Phinney’s to let us know she’s available to provide free cat behavior counseling to those in Massachusetts and all around the world! Rogue peeing, yowling, aggressive biting and/or scratching are some of the most common issues pet parents with cats may have to deal with. If a medical issue isn’t at the root of the behavior, chances are your cat is trying to tell you something. And that’s where Rachel, the author of Saving the World, One Cat at a Time: What I Know About Cats - And Why You Should Know It, Too, comes in. Rachel was recently featured on WBZ News Radio where she provided tips on how to better understand cats, and we’ve updated Phinney's Get Help page with Rachel’s contact information, so if you or someone you know is struggling with cat-related behavioral issues, Rachel may be able to help. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Rachel for all she does to help cat parents better understand what their cats are trying to tell them, so they can respond in a way that can lead to positive results. For pet parents who are struggling with their cats’ behavioral issues and think there’s no other option but to surrender their pet, Phinney’s wants you to know that there is tremendous hope—and help—out there. P.S. You can also connect with Rachel on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.  Volunteering is a heart-warming way to support Phinney's mission! Hi everyone!
Volunteering for Phinney's can be a super gratifying way to hone your professional skills and pursue your personal interests all for the love of people and pets! And right now we've got several open positions in the areas of:
Table Event Coordinators – Do you like reconnaisance missions and project management?! We're looking for volunteers to take the lead on researching and identifying events for Phinney's to participate in, such as recruiting fairs, festivals, large-scale nonprofit events like pet walks, etc. In this role, you'll recruit and coordinate other volunteers to work our exhibit tables, order supplies and make sure we create the necessary marketing materials for a given event, supervise the packing up and return of materials ahead of the next event, deposit donations, and make monthly reports to the Fundraising Committee on table event progress and results. We also need people to staff our tables! Phinney's Calendar Coordinators – We may have an opportunity to make a 2023 calendar to raise funds for Phinney's. Those interested in being a calendar coordinator would be responsible for requesting donations to a group of donors (via email) who would buy a Calendar page, following up on their answers, collecting pictures of their pets (each month would be a different pet), or arranging for volunteer photographers to go take pictures at donor's homes, arranging the design of the calendar, arranging printing and collecting incoming funds. This project would start in July and the calendar would need to be ready by the end of November. Senior Client Coordinators – We are looking for volunteers to assign incoming requests from low-income pet parents in need to our group of Client Coordinators (and anyone with previous client coordinator experience is strongly urged to apply)! This role requires availability to check emails and texts at least once a day and the ability to discern which Client Coordinator is most suitable for each case. Those in this role should also be available to help them solve cases and be there to help when they can't finish a case on their own. If you're interested but don't yet have experience as a client coordinator, we still urge you to reach out because we could train you to become a client coordinator to get some experience under your belt so you could later apply for this more senior role! Godparents Program Writers – We are looking for volunteers with a love of wordsmithing and a knack for interviewing to call our Godpet parents and interview them, collect pictures, and write stories, so we can update their profiles on our website. Check out our Godpet profiles to get a better sense of the type of writing style this job entails. Associate PR/Press Relations Managers – Do you know any assignment editors, radio and/or TV producers, reporters, other local media professionals or social media influencers? If so, we'd love to talk to you! We are looking for volunteers with radio, TV, social media, and newspaper contacts here in Massachusetts to help our PR Manager with pitching story ideas about Phinney's to area editors, producers, and reporters. Data Analyst – We are looking for data analytics professionals who enjoy analyzing and reporting on web, email and social media performance who can advise us on what we’re doing well and how we can improve engagement. Video Producers – We are looking for volunteers who know how to create, edit, and publish videos so we can use video as a regular means for telling stories about the good Phinney's does and sharing tips that appeal to pet parents. Volunteer Relations Coordinators – If you've got great people skills, enthusiasm and a genuine desire to understand our volunteers' needs this position may be right for you! Volunteer relations coordinators regularly call and/or email our volunteers to help them find their perfect spot within our organization and build and foster relationships with them. Thanks for taking the time to read through our open volunteer positions! If you have questions, please email us at info@phinneys.org. We look forward to connecting with you and having you as part of our life-saving team!  Stop by Phinney's tent to say hello and to check out the cool stuff we'll be selling to benefit Phinney's pets! We'll be at Save a Dog's Paws in the Park fundraiser May 15 at Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury.
There will be games for doggies, including agility try-outs, a group walk, and more than 60 vendors and exhibitors, including Phinney's, with everyone there to lend a helping hand to homeless dogs in need. We hope you'll stop by Phinney's tent to say hello to our dedicated volunteers. We'll also have some fabulous pet-themed wares for sale, including greeting cards and Cheengoo dog leashes and collars--woof!--and all of those proceeds will go to help keep Phinney's people and pets together. So, who's ready to join us for what promises to be a wagtastic time?!  Let's give Nova the Cat, who has diabetes, a big round of APPLAWSE for losing a whopping 6 pounds! Irene, who is elderly and lives on a fixed income, absolutely adores her 8-year-old cat, Nova, who has diabetes. And Irene is dedicated to making her fur baby’s health a top priority. She's made great strides to keep Nova's chronic care costs down by asking local shelters for donated syringes and by keeping in-home supplies for monitoring Nova's blood glucose levels. But Irene recently found herself in a predicament because she didn’t know how she would pay for emergency diabetes-related treatment Nova needed. She reached out to Phinney's, and we're so glad we were able to help. Nova got the emergency care she needed, and the vet reported that she's lost 6 pounds, an important accomplishment because weight management can be a successful way to lessen the effects of diabetes in pets. Way to go Nova and Irene! There are many other pets like Nova who have chronic conditions, and with your continued help Phinney's can make sure their pet parents don't have to worry about how they'll pay for their ongoing vet care and supplies. Weight Management Matters Managing a pet’s weight can be extremely difficult. Our fur babies can’t tell us if we are under or over feeding them. It’s hard to tell what the proper amount of food to give each pet is, since it depends on many things, from age and breed, to activity level. Weight management is extremely important however, because having an overweight or underweight pet can lead to further health problems. Obesity leads to diabetes and heart disease, while being underweight leads to overall fatigue from lack of nutrients, and lower quality of life or emotional distress. Visit Phinney’s Care Corner for more information.  Phinney’s will be at Paws in the Park on May 15! The event takes place rain or shine from 10 am to 3 pm at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn (72 Wayside Inn Road in Sudbury), and we hope you’ll stop by Phinney’s table to say hello to our dedicated volunteers if you’re able to attend.
Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-12, and free for kids under age 5, and proceeds benefit Save a Dog, a Sudbury-based nonprofit committed to rescuing and rehoming abandoned dogs. A 1-mile group walk will take place at 11 am, and if you have a dog who likes being around other dogs and people, they can come, too, on a non-retractable leash, woof! In addition to the walk, there are several other activities that will be going on, including:
Food and Other Exhibitors We hope to see you at Paws in the Park 2022! We’re looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and sharing information about how Phinney’s helps people address veterinary and other pet needs when they can’t afford it – all while supporting the good work Save a Dog does in sheltering and placing dogs (and cats, too!) into loving homes.  Kermit, who has a feeding tube, is back home, and we're glad his new heating pad is keeping him warm while he continues on the road to recovery! When a pet is sick, it can be so stressful for the pet and their person, especially when they can't afford the diagnostics to figure out what's wrong.
That's precisely what happened for Kermit the Cat and his mom. Kermit couldn't poop, and Phinney's helped pay the initial vet bill to avert the crisis and find the cause of the problem. The poor little guy, who is only 4 years old, was in rough shape. The vet suspected an upper respiratory infection may be the culprit and stated Kermit's condition may have been aggravated by a severe case of pancreatitis. The good news is he's back home and stable for now, with a feeding tube to give him the nutrients he needs to recover. To date, the generous support of concerned donors has meant Phinney's was able to cover $3,000 of the vet costs for Kermit. But Kermit will continue to need our help. Would you consider making a donation today? It's tax deductible! Kermit's mom, who even started her own GoFundMe page and has raised over $300 to help Kermit, would be so appreciative. And we would be, too! Any issue with his feeding tube could mean a bill of around $1,000 or more, and he will need more treatment, so whatever you can give will make a difference for the better for Kermit. Fingers crossed and thank you! More than half of the pets in America are overweight, and many of them are severely obese. The extra pounds your pet is carrying can make him very sick and even shorten his life. Because of obesity, your pet may develop diabetes, arthritis and many other chronic health issues that cause pain and disease, or require taking medications. That will make your pet more uncomfortable and make it harder for you to afford his care. It could even make it impossible for you to care for your pet, as you may need to give injections and pills regularly. Your pet may refuse medications, or you may not be able to do it. Pet food is expensive. You may be paying a lot of extra money to overfeed your pet, or burdening Phinney’s Friends with unnecessary purchases. Of course you don’t want your pet to lead a less healthy life. Act now! Start a new chapter in your pet’s life! 1. Don’t let yourself be fooled by the looks Many of us believe we know, and we actually don’t. We see so many overweight pets nowadays that we look at a healthy pet and think she is too thin. Then we look at an obese pet and think she is fine. Yes, it’s more common to see a heavy animal than a healthy one! 2. Take a close look at your pet Now that you know you shouldn’t be fooled by what you see everyday, take a good look at your pet. You should be able to see your pet’s waist tuck in just behind the ribs, but not see the ribs easily. The following pictures show the ideal, healthy shape of a dog and a cat. Ideal, healthy shape:  And here is how they look when they are overweight:  And here are a dog and a cat who are too thin:  3. Gently feel the side of your pet’s body When you touch your pet, the ribs shouldn’t show a lot, but you should be able to feel them easily. That’s a normal, healthy weight. If you can’t feel the ribs easily, your pet is too heavy. 4. Check the amount you are feeding Get the bags and cans of food you are feeding your pet and take a look at the feeding chart. Compare it to your pet’s weight. Don’t know your pet’s weight? Call your vet clinic and find out. They always weigh your pet unless you get a house call visit. The following charts show the recommended amount of calories to feed your pet, and the caloric content in cups or cans of common dog and cat foods.   Note: only large breed cats are healthy at higher weights, of 15 to 20 lbs.  Now, do you feel you have a better idea if your pet is a healthy weight?
If you need help, leave us a message to Phinney’s at 617.203.2053 or reach out to us online. We may be able to help you tackle this problem.  The world is starting to get back to a “new normal.” Many people have resumed working outside of their homes and are starting to go out and socialize more. This transition, while a welcome change for many, can be hard for pets who most likely have gotten used to (and loved!) having their people around more. The new separation may cause some anxiety in pets, but there are ways to help lessen the impact.
Why It’s Important When a pet gets anxious this can lead to some poor behavior and potentially a decline in health, too. For example, dogs might start chewing, licking, panting, or pacing to excess, having accidents inside the house, or excessively barking, and cats might have accidents outside their litter box or start meowing incessantly. And, anxiety and stress in pets can even contribute to bouts with overeating, diarrhea, vomiting, and other health issues – for example, bladder stones or crystals and heart disease. Fortunately, there are things you can do to help your pet be more comfortable – and hopefully stay healthy – when your routine changes. Here are some simple things to try for keeping pet behavior and health in check:
Check Out These Resources Visit our Care Corner web page for more information on how to help ease your pet’s anxiety. What You Can Do To Help Phinney’s believes in keeping people and their beloved pets together. We do this by extending a helping hand to pet parents in need when these emergency vet visits become too costly for some to afford. Ways you can help include donating to Phinney’s or volunteering. And, anyone in need of help in caring for their pets can visit our Get Help page for more information.  Having a disaster response plan that addresses pets' needs is a labor of love. No one wants to imagine a time when they’ll be uprooted, their homes destroyed, and their lives potentially changed forever. But for the people of Ukraine, that reality is playing out in unimaginable ways.
The media is now flooded with images of people carrying their pets in carriers or in their arms, hiding in underground bomb shelters with their cats and dogs, and traversing war-torn areas to evacuate with their pets in tow. These images are a confirmation of the unbreakable bonds people and their pets share. And they are also a reminder that we all should be as prepared as we can be to care for our pets if a man-made or natural disaster strikes. “Our pets have our hearts, and they are our family. And as their caregivers, we have a duty to safeguard their well-being,” says Phinney’s President, Morgan Ritz. “We realize this is a tough topic, but we also recognize that it’s necessary to be ready for emergencies. When we think about the unconditional love our pets give us and how much they rely on us, we see how important it is to protect them,” adds Morgan. To help pet parents, we’ve developed this infographic below, which includes some emergency preparedness planning tips. And for additional resources on how to keep all the members of your family (including the furry, scaly, winged, and amphibious members) as safe as possible if a disaster happens, visit Bark Tweet Meow. |
RSS Feed
|
Phinney's is an all-volunteer registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps low-income people keep their pets. U.S. federal tax ID 94-3475924. All content on this website is the property of Phinney's Friends, Inc. unless otherwise noted. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
PO Box 425, Lincoln, MA 01773
Phone: 617-203-2053 Fax: 617-979-8705 |
