Pets Lost and Found

Cats are much more independent than dogs and seldom develops separation anxiety, however, it does occur. Separation anxiety in cats are often triggered when the owner is away from the house for extended periods of time, especially if there is a strong bond between owner and cat.

Symptoms would be:

Constant rubbing against you.

Constant meowing unless you pet the cat.

Always wanting to sit on your lap.

Prancing in front of you.

When you go to bed at night the cat would be waiting. It would spend the night on your bed, constantly moving about and snuggling up.

The cat would be very distant to guests and would not like to be touched by them. Would even respond to guests attention by biting and scratching.

When you go away the cat may get into self mutilation activities, like compulsive licking of the same area on the skin, until the hair is gone and the skin raw.

Defecating and urinating in inappropriate places - often on your bed. (Make sure the cat box are kept clean - this may also cause the cat to use other areas as a toilet)

Spraying may occur inside the house.

A cat who tends to bite and scratch when being petted, will become increasingly aggressive.

The best route to take is very similar to desensitizing a dog who suffers from separation anxiety.

Read our article here.

Desensitizing a dog is a long process and requires patience and commitment. It may often be difficult not to give in to the dog’s pleadings. Be strong. Be the Alpha Dog.

• Make sure that the dog is healthy by taking it to the vet for a thorough checkup. (read our article on medical aid for pets)
• Make sure the dog has a very comfortable place to sleep.
• Make sure the dog has good clean healthy meals and fresh water.
• Make sure the dog gets a lot of exercise.
• Revert to initial obedience training, like sit/wait/eat, etc. to re-establish your alpha dog position in the relationship.
• Never, never, never punish or scold the dog for destructive behavior. Research has found that anxiety levels in dogs who expect punishment, increases substantially in the half an hour before the owner is expected back home.

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It is a tragic and ironical fact that pets suffering from separation anxiety often ends up being handed over to shelters or euthanized.

Sometimes destructive behaviour is a result of pure boredom, or even medical problems is mistaken as separation anxiety and then handled inappropriately.

Rule those out first. Take the pet to the vet for a thorough medical check.

Use a video camera to observe the pet’s behaviour after you leave. If the pet acts normally by sleeping a bit, drinking water, eating, playing with a toy etc., and only start with the destructive behaviour an hour or two after you left, it is most likely just boredom or inappropriate behaviour, that can be rectified with training.

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All true human mommies and daddies of cats and dogs will know that there is no greater worry than going on holiday and leaving the animal children at home.

It is impossible to find a kennel and cattery that would cover Mitzi with her “blankie” when she goes to sleep, or to serve Rover and Fifi their decaf in the morning.

We have reverted to doing wild camping, as I can then take all four my dogs with me, and have the peace of mind that I personally take care of them.

Of course, one is not always in the mood for living in a tent, neither does all the seasons allow you to do so. Any information on pets welcome accommodation is a lifesaver.

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When someone decides to get a pet, they very seldom consider the medical expenses that will be incurred through the lifetime of the pet.

A pet will get ill and injuries will occur, just like with a human child.

After all, if you get a pet, you must be prepared to treat such a pet as a member of the family. Nevertheless, in the excitement of getting a new puppy or kitten, the vet’s bills are the last thing anyone wants to think about.

Keep in mind, when you adopt a pet, you are responsible for its well-being. Not only out of the goodness of your heart, but also by law.

Because people do not budget for such occurrences, the pet often suffers excruciating pain without the necessary medical attention.

With animals, a simple thing like getting a few stitches becomes a huge expense, often far more than the average to low income family can afford.

As the pet will not sit still for the cleaning and stitching of a wound, they cannot just receive a local anaesthetic, they have to undergo general anaesthesia.

Therefore, for a large breed dog, such a simple procedure (for humans) can run up close to a R1000-00 and be even more if the wound is infected and the pet has developed a fever. The cost may run closer to R2000-00 if that is the case.

There has been only one medical aid scheme, that I am aware of, in South Africa for a number of years now.

However, in 2007 a new medical aid scheme entered the market – Medipet SA.

After visiting their website, I was very impressed by their simple straightforward rules and their extremely affordable rates. I signed up all four my dogs immediately.

Of course, there is some “no claim rules”, like cleaning of the pets’ teeth and annual vaccinations, which will not be covered. That is a small price to pay for the amazing benefit of R25,000 cover for your pet per year. You get that for the low monthly premiums from R125 and less. They even give discount if you have multiple pets covered. You only pay the first R250 excess per occurrence.

That means that you can now take your pet to the vet without having to worry about the expense.

If your cash flow situation is critical, you can always ask for an arrangement, with the vet, to pay the balance of the bill when the medical aid pays you out. Be responsible and pay the vet. You will need them again and do not want a poor reputation to spoil your chances of top rate medical treatment for your pet.

We normally pay cash at the vet for all treatments and claim the money back afterwards. I have thus far received my refunds within 10 days, each time I claimed.

Visit the site www.medipetsa.co.za today still and make sure you take out medical cover for your pet.

Do not make your pet suffer sickness and injuries, because for the price of four movie tickets, you can get them fully covered.

I teach all my dogs to respond to a simple sports whistle. (Referees whistle, available from any sports outlet) We never use the whistle for normal calling. They were taught that when the whistle goes, it is serious business, it is emergency time, no excuses whatsoever will be accepted and they have to come to us that very instant.

I would start them off as follows: When wanting to close the house for the night, I would allow them to go for a run outside. I will give them time to wander off and then suddenly blow the whistle hard. They would come back the first time because they are curious about the strange noise. Those that do not come right away gets locked out for five or six minutes. Those that do come right away, will get a reward in the form of lavish praise and a small bite of something really special, like a piece of biltong or steak. They very quickly learn to come when the whistle blows. I start cutting down on the treats after a while and increase the praise.

Be inventive in your training and use things that your dog really loves to do or to eat to initially get them to respond to the whistle.

If your dog likes to go for a drive, it is also a good time to use the whistle. Blow on the whistle to call the dog to the car. Let him or her get in right away. It is important that they associate the whistle with pleasant experiences. They need to be happy to respond to the whistle quickly, to ensure the success of this method.

We do a lot of wild camping and all our dogs always goes camping with us. We allow them to roam freely and to come and go as they please. However, when “The Whistle” goes, they drop everything and anything that has caught their fancy and come to us immediately, no matter how far they have wandered off, no questions asked. They run !

Recently, on a camping trip, we made a pee-pee stop in the veldt. Pepper, our Merle Great Dane, suddenly dashed after a small buck that jumped out of the short shrub next to the road. This was on the West Coast, with no fences in sight. Now, I tell you with the buck going at the speed of light and the dog as fast as the buck on those long legs, they were a huge distance from us, before anyone of us could even blink. Luckily, I had “The Whistle” on a string around my neck. The first piercing blow had Pepper stopped in her tracks. She came back instantly, although very disappointed. We made her instant obedience a pleasure by praising and giving her one of our sandwiches. She will certainly be obedient again the next time around. All this happened so fast, that the other three dogs did not even realize that Pepper was chasing something.

A few years ago, Caesar Zandberg, a safari tourist operator, lost his dog in a similar occurrence. His dog chased after a herd of Springbok in the Kaokoveld in the North Western parts of Namibia. He radioed for assistance from other operators and people living in the area. They hounded all the villages, kraals and settlements for weeks. The dog was completely lost. He and his wife were devastated. The dog was their only “child”.

I always like to keep my blog post focused on the positive side of being a pet owner, but from time to time I need a bit of a ‘reality check’ and bring to your attention the uglier side of pet owners. In the process of setting up Pets Lost and Found I was warned about criminal activity that is affecting pet owners today.

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A pet mostly goes missing from its own homes or owners cars.

Dogs, in most instances, can be kept safe by ensuring that you have adequate fencing around your property.

Cats are more difficult, as they can easily scale any standard domestic fence. If you can afford it, have a cat wire installed along the top of your fence. This gives of a mild shock and teaches the cat that it is not a good idea to cross the fence. In most of the major cities, some electric fencing companies will install the wire at a very reasonable cost and hire the transformer to you. You only need to hire the transformer until the cat no longer shows interest in trying to get over the fence.

If you are moving to a new home, keep your cat indoors until it is settled.
Spayed and neutered cats are less inclined to roam.

Get a decent fitting pet collar with a pet tag. Have your name and your phone number inscribed on the tag. Alternatively use the contact details of a tracking company instead of your own information.
Always replace collars with tags immediately after a bath. You pet should never be without it. Most dogs goes a bit hyper after a bath and may make a dash through an open gate.

Have you pet micro chipped and/or tattooed.

Update your detail with the chipping and/or tattooing companies at least once a year.
Take clear photographs of the pet from the front, back, both sides from a standing position and frontal shot in a sitting position.

Keep notes of any unusual markings. In times of stress, one tends to forget these things.
Teach children, gardeners, domestic servants to keep gates and doors that open out into the street, closed at all times.
Pets often get lost when builders or gardening services are working on your premises. Take special precautions at times like these to protect your pet.

Your dog should be taken for regular walks (on a leash), to familiarize them with their area. It would then be possible for them to find their own way home, should they accidentally get out into the street.

Never walk your dog in an area that is unfamiliar to them, without a leash. Even in secluded areas where there is no risk of them getting run over by a car. If they bolt for any reason, they would not know how to find you. A squirrel or something equally tempting may suddenly appear.

If driving with pets in the car, take care every time you stop somewhere, to make sure all pets are secure and will not jump out and run the minute you open the door. They can be run over or lost very easily if that happens. Ideally, they should get in the car with the leash already hooked onto the collar or harness.

That way you can make a quick grab if one of them tries to take a change at charging at someone in the street or gets frightened by noisy traffic.

Loosing a pet is an extremely traumatic experience. Unfortunately as pet owners it is inevitable that we would have to go through this once. Being a pet owner for as long as I can remember, I thought I would share with you my advice when looking for a lost cat or dog.

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I often observe a person calling a dog, who ignores them completely.

When the dog eventually picks up the courage to return to its owner, it receives a scolding and often a hiding.

The best way would be to reward the dog when it returns to you. You end up having a happy dog that enjoys coming to you whenever you call it and returns to you instantly.

First, start training in an area where the dog cannot run away, in your own back yard or someone else’s fenced garden and ask a friend along to help you. (Preferably, someone the dog is not too familiar with)

1. Take the dog’s favorite toy and some treats with you.
2. Have your friend hold onto the dog and start moving backwards away from them, while keeping close eye contact with your dog.
3. When you are about two or three meters away, call the dog and dangle the toy and the treat.
4. The friend must hold onto the dog until it really struggles to get to you before letting it go.
5. When it reaches you, it gets lots of hugs and lavish praise and a tit-bit.
6. Repeat this until the dog runs straight to you.
7. Increase the distance between yourself and the dog gradually, as far as the dog can still make proper eye contact with you and observe treat.

When it comes to you without fail, go to a public place like a park and continue the training there. In the beginning, keep the dog on an extendable lead until the dog comes to you every single time.

Carry on with this training without the lead until the dog comes every time it is being called, regardless of where you are.