W' scons i nWomanTM

Connecting Women in the Greater Madison Area

1:30 p.m., followed by more group play-
time. Group playtime ranks high on the
doggy fun-meter - romping throughout
two acres of woods, climbing in tree-
houses, paddling in dog-size swimming
pools, and playing ball. Most dogs attend
two or three times a It takes a very
in-shape dog to get this much exercise
five days a week. Greg Altman, owner,
reports no separation anxiety. Most dogs
go nuts when they arrive in the morning.
"But yet they're just as happy to see their
owners at the end of the day," he says.
"And most fall asleep as soon as they get
in the car to go home."
Do fun activities with your pet.
have to be
.'" ',-', . :.:'
fancy. happy with plastic
rings from milk carton lids or a paper
sack with a small hole cut in the bottom. .
For more sophisticated felines, most pet
stores sell a wide variety of toys.
Dogs have more options. How about
a romp in the dog park? Visit www.dog-
park.comJprkwi.html for a listing of dog
parks in Wisconsin. On the way home,
stop by Three Dog Bakery and let your
dog pick out their favorite treat. Dogs
give the Pup Tarts, Snickerpoodles, and
Beagle Bagels an enthusiastic tail-wag-
ging stamp of approval. The treats are
healthy, made with all-natural colors, no
salt, no sugar, no animal fat, and carob
instead of chocolate. Or attend one of
the Three Dog Bakery parties with your
pooch - Dogtoberfest on Sept. 29 or
Howloween on Oct. 27, with prizes for
best doggy costume.
Mad City Dog Training offers several
classes purely for fun. In agility class, a
dog learns to negotiate an obstacle course.
In flyball, a relay event, the dog runs
through a series of four hurdles, catches a
ball that pops out of a box, then navigates
the four back to the beginning.
Each of the four dogs on a team takes a
turn, competing one at a time. And for the
people in your dog's life, there's doggy
charm school (aka obedience class). An
eight-week course teaches walking on a
leash, proper greeting etiquette when
meeting people, and coming when called.
(I wish someone would open an obedi-
ence school for cats!)
Ensure a happy home life by con-
SUlting with an animal communicator.
Pets are part of the family too and have
opinions about what's going on in their
environment. Because we don't always
understand what they're saying, they
sometimes resort to undesirable meth-
ods of communicating with us - for cats,
going outside the litterbox, and for dogs,
aggression or excessive barking.
An animal communicator talks to an
animal telepathically through words,
emotions and images'either in person or
remotely. Asia Voight, an animal com-
municator from Stoughton, recently
worked with a very vocal bichon proud
of his barking. She explained his family
'lwanted him to be more discriminating
I
''and bark only for good reasons. Because
animals communicate in pictures,
urged the family to use the command
."mouth closed" instead of "stop bark-
ing," which sent the dog an image of
barking. His family reports he now
barks about 85 percent less .
Leave them well cared for when you
travel. My friend Jen takes her black lab
to her parent's in Green Bay whenever
she and her husband are away from
home. It's a vacation for Maestro, who
gets showered with special attention
from his grandparents. If you don't have
doting parents in the area, consider using
an in-home petsitter . . Services include
fresh food and water, cleaning litterbox-
es, walking the dog, taking in the mail,
and watering plants. Lisa Bach of Wag-
N-Wheel also provides pet transporta-
tion to the vet, the groomers, or the ken-
nel and daily exercise for pet owners
who are too busy or unable to be active.
Dogs boarded at Camp K-9 Pet Care
continued -7
Although it's hard to say "no" to sad eyes and a fong face, pampering your pet
d0es not meari feeding them table scraps or people food. "Animais have different
dietary requirements, than people, so you're short-changing them on vitamins and
minerals if you feed them a lot of table scraps," says Dr. Pam Mache, a vet at Cats
Here Dogs There Veterinary C;linic, 'Cats run an increased risk of urinary tract dis-
ease, and dogs who eat a high-fat 'diet are at risk 'for pancreatitis. Chocolate' is a
no-no - it's toxic to both dogs and cats.
Yearly medical check-ups are important for pets, and as they tpe frequency
of check-ups should increase, Pet. parents should monitor their pet' s a,ppetite,
water consumption and stools. Changes in any of these or a weight loss shpuld
trigger a trip to the vet, to Mache.
Because dental disease left untreated can cause bacterial endocarditis and
abscesses' in the mouth as well as 'liver' and kidney .problems, check-ups' should
include a dental exam. Under general anesthesia, your vet can scale the teeth to
.re,move tartar, P91i.sh the. teeth a fluoride treatment. Mache recommends
. brushing your pet" , ,teeth dental treats to prevent tartar from
building up.
Exercise is as important for .pets as it is for people. Dogs can obviously go for
walks, Dut what about cats? A laser pointer that shines a red dot on the wall or
floor heIps. your cat get its exercise, as does a fishing reel with a toy attached to
the end. For pets \yho haven't been active, Mache recommends starting slowly
and building gradually.
Alternative medtcine for pets is becori;llI1g increasingly popular. Jan Schilling,
DVM, of Lafarge, practices animal acupuncture and veterinary spinal manipulation.
She (ecently treated a dog with severe disc protllems. The owner decide"d to pursue
alternative healing methods because the dog waS getting worse, not better, with con-
ventional treatments. Under her care, the dog heale\i and didn't need surgery.
OCTOBER 2002 Wisconsin Woman 33