Bark in the Park Launches Website
You Can Start Raising Money for the Animals Now!

Turn October into "BARKtober!"
Adopt a Shelter Dog or Cat Today!

Adopt a Shelter Dog or Cat Today & Receive:

• Spay or Neuter Surgery
• Avid Microchip with National Registration
• Initial Vaccinations & Flea Treatments
• Paw Partner Membership
• 10% Savings at our Veterinary Medical Centers for the lifetime of your pet
• 10% Savings in our Gift Shops during the first week of adoption

Gear, Clothing and Games!
The Humane Society of Missouri Gift Shops Have it All!

Retractable Lead (Available in Black and Red) D035040  $24.95	Find A Cure Mug (available in both dog and cat) B080125  $6.95
Mutts Are My Favorite Breed Sweatshirt D120022  $25	Pet Detectives Game B060150  $19.95

These items and many more can be found at our Humane Society of Missouri gift shops.
Click here for HSMO gift shop locations.  

Remember: Each time you shop, you are helping homeless animals find new, forever, loving homes!

Have Lunch On Us!
Estate Planning Seminar for Women

RSVP NOW!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007
at 12 Noon
Humane Society of Missouri Headquarters
1201 Macklind Avenue

Please join us for lunch with guest speakers:
 Jill Fivecoat,
Senior Vice President, Northern Trust
and Lisa Adams, Esquire,
Muhm & Reilly, LLC,  for a financial and estate planning seminar for women  
 
 
Please RSVP to Kathy Hacker by October 22 at kathleen.hacker@hsmo.org

For questions, please call 314-951-1542

Old Car Just Sitting in the Garage?
Donate it to Help Animals in Need!

Consider donating your old car to help animals in need! The end of the year is approaching, have you considered making an auto donation?  Donating your car is easy AND you can still take a tax deduction. For more information please visit our website or call 314-951-1519. 

Pet Loss and Human Emotion
You Are Not Alone

Pet loss and human emotion---we see it every day at the Humane Society of Missouri.  Sunrises: the excitement as a new pet is adopted and happily prances off with its new family into a new life.   Sunsets: the good-byes, the tears, the final embraces. Our pets live for a relatively short time.  The death of a pet can cause enormous feelings of sorrow, guilt and loneliness for children and adults alike, whether the end comes through old age, illness, sudden accident or euthanasia.   

The Humane Society of Missouri and Bethesda Hospice Care will host a candlelight vigil in honor of the pets we’ve loved and lost. Monday, December 3 6:00 pm 7:00 pm Carol Gates Throop Park, across from the Humane Society of Missouri, 1201 Macklind Avenue.  Please RSVP to Sarah, 314-471-5316 if you would like to attend.

Pets come to symbolize many things to us. They become our companions, friends, confidantes, playmates—ever faithful, welcoming, patient and unconditionally affectionate. When a pet dies, we expect that others will understand the depth of our loss, even if they do not share our distress. Yet pet owners are often inhibited in their very real grief, even when the pet was a cherished member of the family.   Our grief may be compounded by a lack of apparent understanding from others. This unresponsiveness does not invalidate our feelings, but it makes the healing process more difficult. 

Seeking validation of your pain from people who will understand your loss is one way to begin healing. The Humane Society of Missouri offers a pet loss support group in partnership with Bethesda Hospice Care.  In this type of supportive environment, people are able to talk about their feelings knowing they will be totally understood.  The support group is offered from 4:00-5:30 pm on the first Monday of every month.  For information on pet loss support, please call 314-471-5316 our website.

As you grieve, remember that your life was enhanced by the joy and companionship you shared with your pet during your time together.  Certainly your pet’s life was equally blessed by sharing it with you.

Ask the Vet:
Can I give my pets candy as long as it is not chocolate?
Dr. Suzanne Saueressig, DVM

We recommend you don't give your pet any sweets at all. Any change of diet, even one piece of candy, may give your dog or cat severe stomach problems. It's best to keep your pet on its normal diet. Some ingredients that are used as a sugar substitute can be extremely toxic to your pet. Keep holiday treats away from your pet's paws and follow these helpful tips:

• Halloween treats with chocolate are not appropriate for pets. Depending on the dose ingested, chocolate (bakers, semi sweet, milk and dark) can be potentially poisonous to many animals. In general, the less sweet the chocolate, the more toxic it could be.  In fact, unsweetened baking chocolate contains almost seven times more theobromine as milk chocolate. Vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, hyperactivity and increased thirst, urination and heart rate can be seen with the ingestion of as little as 1/4 ounce of baking chocolate by a 10-pound dog.
  
• Candies and gum containing large amounts of the sweetener xylitol can also be toxic to pets, as ingestions of significant quantities can produce a fairly sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, incoordination and seizures.  Be sure to keep such products well out of the reach of your pets.
  
• Keep your pet on its normal diet.  Any change of diet, even for one meal, may give your dog or cat severe indigestion and diarrhea.  This is particularly true for older animals that have more delicate digestive systems and nutritional requirements.
  
• Keep aluminum foil and cellophane candy wrappers away from pets.  They can cause vomiting and could even produce intestinal blockage. 
  
• Never offer or allow your pets to access alcoholic beverages.  Place unattended drinks where pets cannot reach them.  If ingested, the animal could become very ill and weak and may go into a coma, possibly resulting in death from respiratory failure.
  
• Halloween decorative plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively non-toxic, yet they can potentially cause gastrointestinal upset and may even result in intestinal blockage as well if large pieces are ingested.
  
• Keep wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations out of the reach of your pets.  If chewed, your pet could experience damage to its mouth from shards of glass or plastic, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.
  
• Liquid potpourri, commonly used to add pleasant scent to the home during certain holidays, can be hazardous to pets.  Potentially severe damage to the mouth, skin and eyes could result from exposure to both heated and cool liquid product.

If you suspect your pet may have become exposed to a potentially toxic product or substance, contact your local veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center immediately for assistance or call (888) 426-4435.

Tips provided by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.