Pet Care

"Dental health is a very important part of your pet’s overall health, and dental problems can cause, or be caused by, other health problems," states the American Veterinary Medical Association. "Your pet’s teeth and gums should be checked at least once a year by your veterinarian to check for early signs of a problem and to keep your pet’s mouth healthy."

Just like humans, pets are prone to broken teeth, infections, abscesses and periodontal disease. Some pets are born with bad teeth and may require quick surgery to remove puppy teeth that did not fall out on their own.

A routine dental appointment at a veterinary clinic will include blood work to ensure your pet is able to handle anesthesia, oral X-rays if needed, tooth scaling and scraping to remove plaque and any tarter buildup, and finish with a polish. The procedure takes less then an hour unless multiple teeth need to be extracted.

It's a really good thing my storm-phobic dog can't read Facebook. The "boom" postings would totally send her to the moon and back!

Are you fearful and reactive to thunderstorms? Sometimes we can unknowingly displace our personal fears of storms on our dogs. Dogs read humans' and other animals' body language. Odors can be given off that we do not smell but they do, causing them to react or respond. Some dogs are genetically predisposed to be extremely sensitive and their natural response to fear most times is to flee.

Have you really ever investigated what it says on those little flags that are put on residents' lawns after chemical applications? Or questioned the lingering smell or residue after bug spray inside your home? The consequences of traps and deadly bait?

How long should those flags be displayed? Just what does the real warning to "stay off" mean to people, pets and our environment? Were you crazed by the ants you found in the house and just started spraying or signed up for a service without digging deep into the potential chemical consequences?

Spring brings us pretty flowers, chirping birds, and litters of kittens that come from roaming unneutered cats. Other wildlife comes out of their winter nests to forage for food and mating too. Typically this activity is at a peak in early spring and fall when the weather is warmer.

One of the most active critters that we see or smell the entire spring and summer season is the little black-and-white varmint known as a skunk. They are typically active at dawn and dusk. 

No matter their size, skunks can secrete from their specialized anal sacs for several feet a potent and foul smelling oil that sometimes can be harmful – even deadly – to dogs if the spray gets in their eyes, nose or throat. Skunks have tested positive for rabies in the United States and Canada. This is another well-documented reason why our pets need to be current on immunizations.

The growing popularity of pups participating with biking enthusiasts has evolved into a growing industry in recent years. A variety of smart and safe canine biking accessories, books, websites and even travel destinations are available for the potential barking buddy biker.

Barking bikers of all sizes can now safely join family members and friends on this adventure because of education on precautions to take including the importance of training, conditioning and proper equipment.

Two recent dog incidents prompted me to write this to educate readers about a couple of dog laws that, if not complied with, can lead to health and environmental issues.

Incident number one: A Bay resident found significant bags of dog waste tossed over a bridge and in a creek as he was doing yard maintenance. This prompted the resident to look back on home security footage to witness the repeat offender daily tossing dog-waste-filled bags in the creek. This person was less then two blocks from a park entrance that greets everyone with trash cans.

Incident number two: Bay Village Police received a complaint about an adult walking dogs on a regular basis during the day and repeatedly putting full dog-waste bags in a street sewer.

The Bay Village codified ordinance states: "It shall be the duty of all persons having control of animal to curb such animal and immediately remove all feces and dispose of same in sanitary and safe manner."

According to the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer, just under 1,200 dogs are current on 2019 county dog licenses for both Westlake and Bay Village combined. That is a significant decline from previous years. At this time the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter is monitoring communities that are or have become non-compliant with keeping current licenses on dogs.

However, our dog population has not declined with dogs walking in our communities, visible in our parks, animal hospitals and other professional pet care providers caring for new and multiple pet family members.

Alarming is the frustrating and growing presence of "no tags or collar" in animal facilities and on social media.

Please remember to check gates and fencing as sometimes they are left open or not properly secured by lawn care professionals, heavy winds and other individuals entering the premises. Consider attaching a sign that reads “please close gate.” You can also secure gates with bungee cords (which might be chewed), locks or clips.

This is also a good time to inspect fencing and to insure electronic containment is working properly and to mark it for landscapers.

Check around your fencing for low areas where animals may have dug in or the ground has shifted around your fencing.

The Westlake Recreation Center's Howl at the Moon event is back by popular demand! This year's event will be held on Thursday, June 28, at 7 p.m. Come join us for an evening walk around our trail with your four-legged companions. We will have ice cream, an agility course, Westlake K-9 Unit, and various pet-friendly vendors.

All monetary proceeds are donated to Westlake Animal Shelter. Bring a pet food or treat donation for entry into our raffle. These items will be donated to the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter, who will be on site with adoptable dogs. Admission is a $2 donation per person.

As many Bay Village dog owners are aware, the Bay Village City Council is conducting an overall review of the Chapter 505 ordinances regarding dogs. Consideration is being given to enacting a new classification or classifications of dogs – “nuisance dog” or “potential nuisance dog” – to the existing classifications of “dangerous dog” and “vicious dog.”

The purpose in enacting this new classification is to deter a minor animal incident from escalating to a serious animal incident. In considering this new classification, it is important that the classification be effective, while not overburdening or overly complicated.

Warm spring weather has returned, and soon kittens born to stray and feral cats will be coming out to play in the sun. Many people mistakenly think that such kittens are lost or abandoned, but that is usually not the case. Most of the time the kittens are not in need of rescue; their mother is around and taking good care of them. In fact, trying to rescue “stray” kittens may not be the best thing for them. The best course is to go slow, and try to do no harm.

When you see a kitten, the first thing you need to do is determine the kitten’s age. Alley Cat Allies has useful charts that will help you determine a kitten’s age at alleycatallies.org. A kitten taken from its mother too early will need to be bottle fed, and rescue organizations are overwhelmed. They will not be able to help you with that. Watch the kittens but do not interfere unless you are certain that they are orphaned or abandoned, and unless you are prepared to take responsibility for caring for them yourself. Your veterinarian will be able to help you obtain the necessary supplies and show you what to do. Even with the best care, a kitten separated from its mother too soon may not survive, so do not take this course unless it is absolutely necessary.

On Saturday, Sept. 19, I returned home to find Tess, our rescued Chihuahua, missing. I began calling the local police departments, and was told that she was just reported running along I-90 in Rocky River: our worst nightmare. My husband and I immediately drove to the location, but she was nowhere to be found. We hardly knew where to begin.

We hired an online company to create a lost dog flyer and send out a lost dog Amber Alert by telephone to residents in the area. Flyers would be mailed to all local animal hospitals and shelters. My husband and I walked the neighborhoods around our home in Westlake and put up flyers.

Anny has been missing a few weeks now. Friends of the bay village kennel ask residents to please keep an eye out for her as she has always been an indoor cat. Please call BVPD or her family.

• Long-Haired Tortise-shell/Calico Female
• Indoor/Spayed/Front Declawed
• Squirrel-like, bushy tail
• Lost from Cahoon/Aberdeen 08/06/15
• Loved dearly by whole family (even the dog). Incredibly missed!
• Call/Text (440)213-1017

Friends of the Bay Village Kennel would like to remind residents that with warmer weather, please remember to take the following precautions to keep pets safe.

Do not take pets in the car and leave them with cracked windows even to run a quick errand – leave them at home. Do not leave pets outside without fresh water, food during the day, shade and shelter.

When walking, use soft cloth or leather leashes that correlate to the size of your dog, and pick up and move them to the lawn so bikes and others can pass safely. Pick up that dog waste.

The Friends of the Bay Village Kennel gathered at the kennel June 13 to clean the structure of debris so that it is functional for emergency housing of animals.

Due to the generosity of supporters and community, many items of need were replaced and replenished.

A big thanks to the following volunteers: Ruth and John Glasmire, Nancy Brown, Susan Murnane, Tom and Janet Kauker, and Dennis Driscoll. Thanks also to the Bay Village Fire Department for the fire alarm and to the support of the Bay Village Police Department.

Animal law expert Jeffrey Holland will speak on Tuesday, May 26, 7-9 p.m., at Bay Middle School, 27725 Wolf Road, on Ohio law, especially with regard to animal neglect and animal cruelty. The meeting is free and open to the public. Questions from the audience are encouraged, and Mr. Holland has the experience to address all of your animal law concerns.

Mr. Holland is a partner in the law firm of Holland & Muirden with offices in Sharon Center and Fairlawn. He has prosecuted numerous animal cruelty cases and represented county humane societies in 42 of Ohio’s 88 counties. He has provided various legal services to all kinds of non-profit animal welfare organizations.

I’m a cat person. It’s sort of hard not to be when you’ve raised 71 cats and kittens. My mom, my brother Andrew, my sister Tina and I foster cats and kittens from the Cleveland Animal Protection League (APL). In the past four years, we have fostered 71 cats and kittens in 15 different litters.

My family and I will usually get a litter of kittens and the kittens’ mother three or four times each year. Most of the time, the kittens are under a week old. We keep the kittens until they are about 8 weeks old – old enough to be adopted out through the APL.

During the time that the kittens spend at my house, we name them and expose them to things that will help acclimate the kittens to living in a house, such as loud noises, vacuum cleaners, kids, cars and litter boxes.

On Saturday April 25, the Westshore Regional CERT hosted a free all-day seminar designed to prepare CERT volunteers to safely and effectively interact with animals as part of emergency preparedness. CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. It is a community directed program developed by FEMA to prepare a trained corps of citizen volunteers to assist first responders in meeting the immediate needs of the affected population following a major disaster. Tricia Granfors, Westshore Regional CERT Coordinator, and Dr. Frank Krupka, Avon Lake Animal Clinic, co-taught the course.  

The first line of defense in planning for the care of animals in an emergency situation is for everyone to have a plan for the care or evacuation of their own animals. Because animals other than documented service animals are generally not allowed in evacuation vehicles or emergency shelters, you should plan to include all necessary animal supplies in a “go kit” to take with you when you and your animals evacuate together. The kit should include your animals’ vaccination certificates, necessary medicines, veterinarian contact information, food and water for three days, bowls, collars, leashes, kennels or carriers, bedding, litter box and litter, and toys.

Now that the snow has melted, cats and kittens will come out to enjoy the good weather. Some of the cats will be friendly neighborhood cats out for a stroll. Others may be friendly cats that are lost, stray or abandoned. If you notice a friendly cat in your neighborhood that you don’t know, report it by calling the police department. Someone may be looking for it.

A stray or abandoned friendly cat may be adoptable, but shelters are usually full this time of year. The Cleveland Animal Protective League (APL) does not euthanize cats to make room for new admissions; you can make an appointment for an animal surrender when space becomes available. They will charge a fee.

On Nov. 12, Denise Wering was in the middle of her morning school bus route in Westlake when another driver, Marge Laskowski, radioed that Wering needed to check the back of her bus. The two drivers pulled off of Dover Center Road and found a tail and a paw sticking out of the engine in the back of the bus.

Believing the animal was dead, the drivers tugged on the foot. To their surprise, the foot moved. The two opened the hood on the engine to find a one-year-old cat wedged in the serpentine belt, whimpering. The cat’s right front leg and the back of its neck were stuck.

The Westlake Schools Transportation Department called Westlake Animal Control Officer Jim Wang for help. Officer Wang was able to free the cat from the engine and brought it to Dr. David Love’s Westlake Animal Hospital.

Three darling Bay Village cats came very close to being victims of the bitter early cold snap that hit our area last week.

Because of the rapid response, compassion and warm-hearted residents, each were rescued by different individuals or families in Bay and all ended up in forever homes.

Friends of the Bay Village Kennel would like to remind residents to report animal issues to the Bay Village Police at 871-1234. Please remember to keep all pets safe, have identification and provide shelter and food. If you are aware of an animal that does not have the proper shelter, please contact the police or call Ruth Glasmire, president of Friends of the Bay Village Kennel, at 835-8139 for options on how to make or purchase outside housing for animals.

Coconut oil for my dog or cat? Why yes, absolutely! Coconut oil is primarily comprised of a medium chain fatty acid called lauric acid. This is what is responsible for many of its health benefits.

For pets, lauric acid destroys viruses, bacteria including yeast, fungi and parasites. It acts as an anti-inflammatory agent also, while supporting a healthy immune system. It can kill ear mites and when mixed with honey can help cure tracheobronchitis.

Halloween is here and with it comes the start of the candy-filled holiday season. For the next several months there will be plenty of temptation and opportunities to succumb to giving chocolate to our pets. 

I am sure you have heard not to give pets chocolate, but do you really know why? As a baker of dog treats for my dogs and owner of a dog bakery, I had to learn the facts to educate my customers on the evils of chocolate and wonders of carob. So here is the truth about chocolate.

Last month, a Bay Village police officer asked if I could help a Russell Road resident with a kitten. Responding to its cry, two neighbors pulled a kitten from its hiding place in a cluttered garage, and they didn’t know what to do with it. Bay Village offers no animal control services for cats. 

I took the kitten expecting to quickly place it with a rescue organization, but it is kitten season and all rescues were full. Then the county health department called to ensure that the kitten would be held for 10 days quarantine because the kitten had bitten one of its rescuers. While highly unlikely – the CDC reports only two documented cases of rabies transmission to humans from cats since 1960 – all mammals can contract rabies and it is almost always fatal. However, if the animal is infectious it will become ill or die within 10 days.

The sweet, skinny, young adult black cat pictured here was recently found abandoned on Huntmere Drive in Bay Village. This is one of multiple cats and kittens that the Friends of the Bay Village Kennel are currently assisting. FOBVK reminds residents to advise the Bay Village Police Department of all animal-related issues.

The city's current kennel only houses dogs, which are transported to the Cuyahoga County Dog Kennel if not claimed. Cats and kittens must fend for themselves on the streets of Bay Village. If you are concerned with the safety of Bay Village's pets, please join us to ensure that the city of Bay Village undertakes the construction of a new kennel.

On Aug. 20, I attended a workshop for community cat activists at the Euclid Public Library sponsored by Euclid Beach Feral Cat Project, Waterloo Alley Cat Project, and the Cleveland Animal Protective League. The movie "Ten Lives: A Feral Cat Odyssey" was shown, followed by information about the APL’s expanding Trap Neuter Release (TNR) program in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Leaders of EBFCP and WACP described how they became involved in caring for community cats and demonstrated trapping techniques.

The term community cat represents a continuum that ranges from feral cats to more social un-owned outdoor cats that receive care from a community of people. Feral cats are domestic cats that were born in the wild and cannot be adopted as house pets because they were not socialized to humans as kittens.

Bob Evans restaurant in Westlake will hold a fundraiser for The Cat Crossing on Friday, Sept. 19. On that day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Bob Evans will donate 15 percent of dine-in and carry-out sales to the Cleveland-based nonprofit organization. A copy of the flyer found at catcrossingcleveland.org must be presented at time of payment. Cat Crossing volunteers will be on hand all day to provide information about adopting, donating or volunteering.

When many Bay Village residents were preparing for and finalizing Fourth of July festivities, family, friends and many with compassionate hearts were pounding the pavement in search of a Bay Village beagle named Brutus. 

Brutus has storm and firework phobia like many other animals and his family, the Pullmans, and rescue volunteers knew that time was of the essence since firework displays were set to go off all around the area. Some said prayers to patron saints like St. Francis, St. Christopher and St. Anthony to please keep this little dog safe and bring him home.

The city was plastered with flyers, email blasts, social media and no sightings. The dog's bed and food were left out on the porch with the light on, and still nothing.  

With the warmer weather upon us, perhaps you are thinking about taking your canine companions on a bike ride. Here are some healthy safety tips, links and suggestions for doggie apparatuses for your outing. Riding on the sidewalk is the safest place to be for you and your pooch and the highly recommended turf per safety forces.   
 
Options to consider based on the size, age and type of dog(s) include a bicycle dog leash, bike trailer, or a bike basket.
 
Dog trainer and behavior consultant Susan Sarubin penned an excellent article in Whole Dog Journal about bike riding with your dog.  The in-depth article features information on getting started, equipment for the cyclist and dog, initial training, starting to ride, where to ride and cycling for non-athletes.

According to county records, there are currently 1,075 licensed dogs in Bay Village this year. From April 2013 until April 10, 2014, Bay Village police responded to 692 animal calls. That averages to 58 calls a month. 

Calls for assistance with animals will rise like the temperatures as our four-legged family members are now able to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine and fresh smells. Bay Village police remind residents of the importance of contacting them at 440-871-1234 for any and all animal incidents. It is important and helpful to document this activity and to provide the correct guidance and/or interaction as needed and if available.

Spring is just around the corner and if you have pets who venture outdoors, it is time to start thinking about flea and tick prevention. Until recently, that meant purchasing a chemical flea/tick preventative from your veterinarian. But, just as the over-use of antibiotics has led to strains of bacteria that are resistant to many of the antibiotics in the medical arsenal, the persistent use of pesticides has created fleas that are immune to the effects of nearly every chemical (spot-on treatment) on the market. What can you do? Fortunately, there are many new, safer, natural alternatives.

In 1928, Wanda Gag wrote and illustrated the children’s book, "Millions of Cats," in which an old man goes to find a kitty for his wife and comes across a mountain covered with millions and billions and trillions of cats. It sounds like Bay Village, and the fall kitten season is just beginning. 

This week, a starving adolescent male kitty turned up in Cahoon Ledges, and a mom cat with kittens established her family under the hostas in a garden in central Bay. A second mom cat and litter are living outdoors in downtown Bay. All of the shelters are full.

At about 9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, Nancy Brown, proprietress of Hot Diggity Dog Inc., pet care business, received a phone call from Bay Village policemen. They had found a small pet carrier designed for a single pet in Reese Park stuffed with five cats. It was unclear how long the cats had been in there; they were traumatized and covered with excrement. 

Compassionate people, the police officers did not know what to do. Bay Village abolished its animal control officer two years ago, and police regulations prohibit using the decrepit former city kennel for any purpose other than holding dogs on a short term basis for pick-up by the Cuyahoga County Kennel.

Pet waste left on sidewalks, streets, yards or other open areas is not only unsightly, it is also an environmental pollutant. Waste that is washed away and carried by rainwater into storm drains to nearby rivers, lakes and streams can cause many problems.

The Clean Water Campaign has released information on the harm that is caused to the environment by pet waste:

• Pet waste decays, using up dissolved oxygen and releasing compounds that are harmful to fish and other animals that rely on water.
• Pet waste contains nutrients that can cause excessive algae growth in a water river or lake, upsetting the natural balance.
• Pet waste contributes to bacterial contamination of our rivers, lakes and streams. Pet waste contains harmful bacteria such as E. coli and fecal coliform. Waters that contain a high amount of bacteria such as E. coli are unfit for human contact. A single gram of pet waste contains an average of 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, some of which can cause disease in humans.

Friends of the Bay Village Kennel purchased specialized pet oxygen masks and donated them to the Bay Village Fire Department on March 25.
 
Chief Lyons graciously accepted the brand new and updated accessories, which are now on a fire truck.
 
"We hope we never have to use them, but just like humans, pets can be overcome by smoke and other particulates in a fire.  These are custom made to fit the snout of an animal and give them the correct flow of oxygen similar to what a human might need.  The Bay Village Fire Department is extremely appreciative of this donation."

Bay Village was very blessed to have no loss of life during superstorm Sandy. However, another disaster could strike tomorrow without warning. Are you and your pets prepared?

Other forms of disaster include mudslides, blizzards, broken gas main, building collapse, chemical spill, earthquake, explosion, fire, flood fuel leaks/spills, hurricanes, lightning strikes, tornado, long-term power and water loss, terrorism and more.

Pets, like children and others, do fall into the vulnerable class as they depend on us for their safety. Bay Village has had many warnings to prepare, educate and communicate. Are you ready? Clearly communication failed during Sandy.

Cats are simple creatures, easily amused, and not to be taken seriously. When it comes to entertaining them, well-intentioned cat owners often get distracted by the brightly-colored, jingly toys available in the pet store. A little secret: Those toys are not made to entertain your cat. They are made to entertain you.

Look at them: neon colors, cute designs and pleasantly tinkling bell attachments. Real prey animals consist of dull colors, beady eyes and spine-chilling squeaks and scratches. No one wants to bring that into their home, and they certainly don't want their cat to do so. Fortunately, odds are you already have some delightful cat toy-ready objects lying about your house. Here are five of my own finding, but you are limited only by your own imagination.

Ten thousand years ago, a family welcomed a cat into their home. This first house cat was promptly tossed back outside, upon the missus' viewing the damage done to her newly-upholstered animal hide sofa. From that moment on, mankind has been confronted with a perplexing dilemma: How to have our cats and unspoiled furniture too.

My husband and I were among the most recent additions to this centuries-long struggle this past fall when we adopted an orange tabby, Dash, from a local animal shelter. Within twenty-four hours of coming home, Dash was scratching furniture, carpet and rugs with equal gusto. We attempted to curb this bad habit, but the sprays and strategically placed scratching posts were ineffective. I didn't want to have him declawed, but I didn't want to wrap all my furniture in plastic wrap either. Fortunately I had another trick tucked in my (shredded) sofa cushions: Soft Claws.

Apparently 16 isn’t too old because my dog Nipper, a Border Collie-Husky mix, just turned 16 years old (in human years) in September. That’s 112 in dog years – which may seem old for a dog, but he still runs around the backyard chasing squirrels and our other dogs.

To celebrate his 16th birthday, we invited all of the neighborhood dogs over for a Dog Birthday Party. We invited Ada, Rudy, Daisy, Loudon, Shadow, Buster, Penny and Willis. All the dogs received an invitation to the party. When they arrived, they all received a party hat; but most of their humans wore the party hats because they wouldn’t stay on the dogs.

Sept. 28 was the day that my brother Steven passed away from twin to twin transfusion syndrome 23 years ago. On this day, I was taking a walk with my dog Fluffy and little brother Logan to Porter Creek in Bay Village to skip rocks before we were to go lay daisies down for Steven at the lake. 

There was a hole in the rock wall and I found an abandoned little black poodle shivering and starving within the rock. I took her out and held her. She didn’t bark. She was shocked someone had found her. 

I made the decision to take her to our house. That day, God led me there to rescue this little dog in need of help. I could feel that my brother Steven was congratulating me the whole time. I will never forget that spectacular moment.