Cat Food Recall

For those of you who may not have heard, there is a recall on certain types of Iams canned cat and kitten food.

The details are as follows:

On June 9, Iams (a Proctor & Gamble company) recalled Iams ProActive Health canned Cat and Kitten Food, all varieties of 3 ounce and 5.5 ounce cans, with "09/2011" and "06/2012" date stamps on the bottom of the can. The recall applies to North America. The problem is a deficiency in vitamin B1 (Thiamine).
Cats who have been fed these foods exclusively should be watched for symptoms that include decreased appetite, vomiting, and possible dizziness. If your cat shows these symptoms, call or visit your veterinarian immediately. Cats with a mixed diet - for example, who regularly get dry cat food, or another type of canned - are probably getting the vitamin from the other food. It's a good idea for cat owners to return recalled food anyway.
Stores should accept returns of this food for a full refund. For a complete information, visit the FDA recall page or the Proctor & Gamble (Iams' parent company) page.

Thiamine is an extremely important vitamin for cats and dogs. It has been linked to a healthy immune system and proper functioning of the nervous system. As always with pet health, if you see your cat showing any of the signs listed above CALL YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY.

"She...is leaving"

After 4 years in charge of the shelter our Administrator, Tracy Smythe, is moving on to new challenges. All the staff wish her well and would like to thank her for her dedicated work on behalf of the animals.

Garage Sale A Success

The shelter's garage sale ran last weekend and raised over $4,000!

Thanks to all those who donated items as well those as those people who bought stuff from us.

Special thanks goes out to our amazing volunteers who organised the sale. It took weeks of planning to achieve the sale together with a lot of work.

A Healthy Canine Mind In A Healthy Canine Body

Well, summer is just about here (risk of frost tonight excepted) and the shelter is preparing for some upgrades.

We are having a fence installed in our dog yard at the shelter, this extra fence will increase the canine capacity of our yard. Not all dogs get along with each other and so when dogs are out for exercise we have to to find the appropriate mix of pooches. The end result is that some dogs end up spending yard time on their own. When the solo mutts are outside we can't let any other dogs out. Our new fence will effectively double available dog space and so allow for all our dogs to have more time running around in the fresh air.

Even though all the dogs get the best of care in the shelter they still have to spend a lot of time in their pens. All of our dogs look forward to their walks and yard time and when our upgrades are complete, their wait will be shorter. Sanus canine mens in a sanus canine somes, which requires plenty of outdoor canine activity.

This project would not be possible without some help, in this case the help has come from Yukon Energy which has donated $5,000 to the shelter for this project. Many thanks to Yukon Energy for their help which will greatly increase the canine hwyl at the shelter . This is genuinely one of those cases where the phrase "We couldn't have done it without you," applies.

Trevor Update

As those of you who live in the territory may be aware, there was another court hearing regarding Trevor the dog on 26th May. The result of that is a court hearing on 5th July. We have a potential foster home for Trevor outside Whitehorse and the Society will be holding meetings with the City in the next few weeks to discuss the matter before the court date. The City has indicated that they want to work on ironing out any problems and both sides will be working hard to resolve the situation to Trevor's advantage.
The judge has indicated that he wishes to see the matter resolved either way in the near future and we are hopeful that Trevor can be homed and continue his rehabilitation.

On a lighter note, Dogtown - The Trial of Trevor had its first performance at Whitehorse's Guild Hall recently. Written by local playwright Ross Ness, the play was performed to positive audience reaction. Ross is currently at work on a full length version of the play. It is hoped that Trevor will be able to make a public appearance on stage when the play is completed and receives its premiere.

Another helpful Yukoner!

10 year old Alanna Tochacek has been going around her neighbourhood collecting donations of food and blankets for the shelter. She also has plans to involve her school in doing more for us. Also Alanna chose to spend part of her weekend spending some quality time with our cats.

Many thanks to Alanna and good luck with the future collecting!

Spring has sprung, well today anyway

Plants are growing, being planted and gardeners are preparing fertilizer for their gardens. This can be a dangerous time for dogs.

Plants such as crocus, tulips, daffodils and lily of the valley contain toxins that are harmful to dogs if the bulbs are chewed.

Fertilizers that include cocoa mulch, blood & bone meal, disulfoton and any organophosphates are also very hazardous to dogs. The same goes for many herbicides and pesticides. Anything lying on the surface or even in loose soil can get on dog's fur and later be ingested.

Raised beds are a good idea for dog owners who are also gardeners and if you must fertilize your lawn or garden then either use a pet-friendly product or keep your pet away from the garden.

Your local garden centre will have access to all the information as to what plants and products are safe to use around dogs.

Combing and brushing and combing and.......

'Tis the season for shedding. All those of us who have dogs know that around this time there's plenty of excess hair lying around. What do you do apart from compost it? You could help the Gulf of Mexico.

It's true, booms made of old nylons and hair can soak up amazing amounts of oil. An organization called Matter of Trust is collecting hair and nylon stockings to make booms. Any hair will work, human, dog, cat or polar bear. (The shelter does not advocate travelling to the Arctic to comb polar bears. Any polar bear hair is collected at your own risk.)

You can drop off the hair at Kutters, 309 Wood Street in a plastic garbage bag. They are also accepting old nylons for the booms.

The BBC's website has an interesting article in their magazine regarding this, http://www.bbc.co.uk/

More Thanks

Aimery Barrault had a birthday and donated money to us, thanks Aimery.

Oscar Sawicki collected $20 at his 9th birthday and donated it to the shelter. Thanks to Oscar.



Yukon Engineering Services held a fundraiser barbecue on 7th May.

They managed to raise a massive $2,020 for the shelter as well as making some really good burgers. The staff and animals at the shelter extend their thanks to YES. As we have said before, it is due to great Yukoners like the staff at YES and all those who donated money that we can keep the shelter open.

Thanks also to the Kindergarten class of Whitehorse Elementary School. They baked some dog biscuits, which our dogs love, and coloured some drawings which are now adorning our entrance.

A little known danger

These little plastic tags are a common sight holding together bags of bread and bagels. They can be a danger to dogs, cats and even children if they should be eaten. The hooks can latch on to the walls of the stomach or intestines and perforate them.

That requires emergency treatment from the vet and could be fatal. When you throw out the plastic garbage, make sure your animals do not have access to it.