MARCH

1. MARCH • We welcome our new Extended hours. We are now open 7am – 5pm every Saturday ---------------------------------------- March is Weight Management Awareness Month! Join in on our “Pet Weight Loss Challenge” Ask your nurse for details

2. Weight Loss Management

3. Understanding Pet Obesity • An estimated 54% of America's cat and dog population is overweight that’s 1 in every 4 animals • That’s 43 million dogs across the U.S that are overweight to obese. • That’s 50 million cats across the U.S that are overweight to obese.

4. So What Can You Do To Help Your Pet? • Feed them their dog/cat food only • Do Not free feed • Exercise your pet with a walk or run • Swimming • Playing with toys • Do not feed table scraps or any people food

5. Agility… • Agility is great exercise for pets!!! • It works them both physically and mentally • Above all they enjoy doing it to them it’s a fun game!

6. Laser Tag • It is great stimulation on body and mind • Keeps cats busy for hours • They don’t even realize they are getting a work out

8. Overweight Vs. Ideal

9. Why Is This So Important? • Being overweight can affect your dog/cat in many ways. • Cats get matted because they can not properly groom themselves and pull on the hair making them very uncomfortable • Dogs have breathing problems • Both dogs/cats get sores on the belly and chest (like bed sores) from the excessive laying and inactivity they do

10. Health Risks Your Pets Face • Osteoarthritis • Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes • High blood pressure • Heart and Respiratory disease • Ligament Tears • Kidney disease • Many forms of cancer • A decrease in life expectancy by as much as 2 years

11. Ready To Start Taking The Right Steps To Getting Your Pet At A Healthy Weight? • Ask your Veterinarian about your pets weight and concerns you might have • Find out what the best plan is for your pet • Start your pet on the road to success • Ask us about the pet weight project and how you and your furry friend can get signed up!

12. For More Helpful Tips Visit These Websites • Hillspet.com Weight Management Control and you can begin the million pound pledge • Purinaone.com • If you have any questions about anything on this slide or want more information please ask any of the staff members and they will be more then happy to help.

13. DOG OF THE WEEK PUG

14. MEET THE BREED • The Pug is well described by the phrase "multum in parvo" which means "a lot of dog in a small space." They are recognized for their even-tempers, playful personalities, and their outgoing, loving dispositions. This square and cobby breed comes in fawn, silver fawn, apricot fawn or black, with a well-defined "mask" on his muzzle. A popular companion dog, the pug also excels in the show ring.

16. HISTORY • The truth of how the Pug came into existence is shrouded in mystery, but he has been true to his breed down through the ages since before 400 B.C. Authorities agree that he is of Oriental origin with some basic similarities to the Pekingese. China is the earliest known source for the breed, where he was the pet of the Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. The breed next appeared in Japan and then in Europe, where it became the favorite for various royal courts. • The Pug became the official dog of the House of Orange after one of the breed saved the life of William, Prince of Orange, by giving alarm at the approach of the Spaniards at Hermingny in 1572. Later when William II landed at Torbay to be crowned King of England, his cortege included Pugs and they became the fashionable breed for generations. • By 1790 the Pug's popularity has spread to France where Josephine, wife of Napoleon, depended on her Pug "Fortune" to carry secret messaged under his collar to her husband while she was impresoned at Les Carmes. • In 1860 British soldiers sacked the Imperial Palace in Peking and dogs of the Pug and Pekingese type were brought back to England. This was the first time since the early 16th century that dogs in any great number had been brought out of China. Black Pugs were imported from China and exhibited for the first time in England in 1886.

18. CHARACTER TRAITS • The Pug’s reason for living is to be near their people and to please them, and their sturdiness makes them a family favorite. They are comfortable in small apartments because they need minimal exercise, but the breed can adapt easily to all situations. The Pug sheds, but its short coat requires little grooming. • Toy Group • Weight: Males 13 - 20 lbs / Females 13 - 18 lbs • Height:  Males 12 - 14 inches / Females 10 - 12 inches • Life Span: about 12 - 15 years • Popularity: Rank 31st

20. DID YOU KNOW • Pugs are highly intelligent and if you talk to them, they will stare at you with their round black eyes and you will feel as if they understand you. • A Pug is an attention seeker. He will obey you and try to please you in order to receive all the lime-light. • They love to sleep too. An average Pug spends about 14 hours of the day snoring. • There was a pug named “ Percy “ in Disney’s “Pocahontas” • The famous movie “ Milo & Otis” … Otis is a Pug!

22. CAT OF THE MONTH Siamese

23. MEET THE BREED • The Siamese is highly intelligent, agile, athletic, and loves to play. Keep his busy brain active with puzzle toys and his body exercised with teaser toys he can chase and a big cat tree he can climb. Never leave him without any form of entertainment, or you will likely come home to find that he has reprogrammed your DVR to record only nature shows or at the very least decided your toilet paper rolls and tissue boxes look better empty. • Do not get a Siamese if living with a chatty busybody would drive you insane. On the other hand, if you enjoy having someone to talk to throughout the day, the Siamese can be your best friend. Just be sure you have time to spend with this demanding and social cat. Siamese do not like being left alone for long periods, and if you work during the day it can be smart to get two of them so they can keep each other company. • Siamese are extremely fond of their people. They like to be “helpful” and will follow you around and supervise your every move. When you are sitting down, a Siamese will be in your lap, and at night he will be in bed with you, probably under the covers with his head on the pillow.

25. HISTORY • The sophisticated Siamese looks dressed for an elegant masquerade ball in pale evening wear with chic black accessories and tanzanite-blue eyes. Cats with light-colored coats set off with black mask, ears, paws and tail have been known in Thailand (formerly Siam) for centuries. Ancient manuscripts depict the cats, but they were not seen in the West until the late nineteenth century, when they were exhibited at the Crystal Palace Cat Show in London. Not everyone appreciated their unusual appearance, but they quickly became fashionable pets. By the turn of the century, if not earlier, they were popular in the United States as well. President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) and his wife Lucy were the recipients of a Siamese cat shipped to them in 1878 by David B. Sickels, a U. S. diplomat stationed at the consulate in Thailand. A letter from Sickels detailing the gift is on file at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, Ohio. • At first, only the cats with seal points—a dark brownish-black—were shown, but blue, chocolate and lilac-point Siamese were soon developed and accepted in the show ring. Today Siamese come in many different point colors and patterns, including tabby points and smoke points. • The Siamese itself is a natural breed, meaning its original pointed pattern was the result of a genetic mutation. The breed has contributed to the creation of many other breeds, including the Balinese, Oriental, the Himalayan division of the Persian, the Tonkinese and the Havana Brown.

26. “Susie”

27. PERSONALITIES & TRAITS • The active and social Siamese is a perfect choice for families with children and cat-friendly dogs. He will play fetch as well as any retriever, learns tricks easily and loves the attention he receives from children who treat him politely and with respect. • Weight: Males 8 - 12 lbs / Females < 8 lbs • Height: 21 - 23 inches • Life Span: 11 – 15 years

29. INTERESTING FACTS • “We are Siamese if you Please…” - “Si” and “Am” Siamese cats from the Disney movie “ The lady and the Tramp”. • “Marcus”, was a Siamese briefly owned by James Dean. He was a gift from Elizabeth Taylor. Marcus was named after James Dean's uncle, Marcus Winslow, who along with his wife took care of Dean after his mother died. • Ling Ling, a Siamese in the American sitcom ”Bewitched”. Ling Ling had a minor role in the series but was mostly remembered for being featured in the episode Ling Ling.

31. DOG OF THE WEEK Löwchen ( LOU-chen)

32. MEET THE BREED • Meaning "little lion" in German, the Löwchen is a small, bright, and lively dog. The breed's trademark is their traditional "lion" trim, where the coat is left natural and untrimmed on the forequarters and clipped close to the skin on the hindquarters. Cuffs of hair around the ankles are left on all four legs and the tail is clipped except for a plume left on the base. All colors and color combinations are acceptable. Today, the Löwchen's agility and quickness make them especially suited for the obedience and agility rings.

34. HISTORY • The Löwchen is thought to be a predominately German breed though its exact origins are unrecorded, and the French and Russians claim to have had a hand in the breed’s development. It can be said with relative certainty that the Löwchen evolved from the ancient Bichon family of dogs, which hails from the Mediterranean, and 16th century German art – including tapestries, paintings, prints and drawings – makes a compelling case that the breed has been known at least since that time. The most famous Löwchen was Bijou, who lived in Weilburg Castle in Germany during the late 18th century. The story goes tells that Bijou, disappointed that his master had left for the hunt without him, attempted to follow his master by jumping from a 60 foot high window into the Lahn River. Depending on who you believe, the jump either ended with Bijou being rewarded with a seat in his master’s saddle or with his untimely death. Regardless, Bijou became legendary, and his likeness still hangs in the castle today. The Löwchen’s numbers began to dwindle during the 19th century, and by the end of World War II the breed was nearly extinct. A Löwchen fancier named Madame Bennert is credited with saving the breed though extensive breeding efforts beginning in 1945. Within a few years, the dog’s numbers began to slowly but steadily grow, and during the late 1960s and early 1970s the breed was introduced to Great Britain and the United States. It remains one of the rarest breeds in the world today.

36. CHARACTER TRAITS • The Löwchen's outgoing and positive attitude make the breed a pleasure to be around. As a companion dog, they are affectionate and like to be with their families. Although smaller in size, they enjoy daily walks or other activity. Their single coat needs a thorough brushing at least weekly to prevent matting and their trim should be freshened every two months. • Non-Sporting Group • Weight: 9 – 18 pounds • Height: 10 – 13 inches • Life Span: 12 – 14 years • Popularity: Rank 154th

38. DID YOU KNOW • The Lowchen used to be particularly popular, especially with the ladies who would use them like hot water bottles. The dog would crawl under the blankets, lying very still next to their owner. Their shaved skin on their little bodies warmed many cold hands or feet. • For many years, they became very rare and weren't heard about very much. When the television show Hart to Hart had a little unclipped Lowchen named Freeway on the show, the Lowchen started becoming very popular again. • The Lowchen dog is infamous for having a great memory, which makes them so easy to train.