Do I have a story for you. I asked Kevin (our loyal employee here at All Kreatures) to write his story about him and his best friend Maris.  It is one of those stories that brightens your day and give you that tickle that so many dogs look forward to every day.  Take it from here Kevin.

In July, 2010 I lost my best friend (my dog, Yogi).  After his passing I wanted a companion for my other dog, Bucky.  I knew it had to be a golden retriever, because of their loyalty to humans and it is all I ever owned.  Fortunately, I work at All Kreatures Pet Care and we board goldens for the rescue group, Adopt-A-Golden of Knoxville.  On a beautiful summer day Memphis (a rescue golden retriever) walked into All Kreatures and came straight over to me. You could say it was love at first sight!  I found out he had heartworms and I shyed away.  After consulting numerous vets, they had assured me he would be okay with proper treatment.  I was still a little wary and I held off adopting him.  It was not until I heard that a family was thinking of adopting Memphis that I hurried and took the opportunity to adopt him first.   Memphis soon became Maris (family tradition to name our dogs after Yankees baseball players). I am a proud “Dad” of two golden retrievers (and they get along perfectly)! Maris just had his six month checkup for heartworm and he is healthy/happy with his new family.

Mosquito - photo courtesy of Bing images

 

Sam the Bird, here!  I’m tapping out the third installment in our ongoing series for protecting your pets in warm weather.  Today’s post is going to focus on a pesky creature that makes everyone – humans and animals alike – miserable in summer months.  The mosquito can, and does, attack all of us.  Yes, these nasty little critters will even torment horses and birds.

Mosquitoes

Your pet needs mosquito repellant just as much as your kids do. Mosquitoes are more than irritants – they carry and spread disease, and they will bite your pet. The most serious disease carried by mosquitoes is actually a parasite – heartworms. Heartworms are transmitted by infected mosquitoes, and they can be fatal.

Preventing Mosquito Bites: There are some steps you can take to reduce the chances of your pet being bitten by mosquitoes.

• Keep pet indoors during prime mosquito hours (usually early evening)
• Eliminate standing water around your home to avoid attracting egg-laying mosquitoes
• Use area mosquito repellants like citronella candles and zappers

In addition, be certain that you treat your pet with heartworm preventative regularly. Speak with your veterinarian about the best heartworm preventatives, and other routines that can help keep your pet healthy and happy all summer long.

Remember, at All Kreatures Pet Care, we take care of your pets with the same care that you give them at home.  We make sure to have you fill out a comprehensive list of information about your pet’s medical needs, and we administer those meds according to your directions. 

Have you visited us lately?  Maybe you’re new to the area and looking for pet daycare, boarding and grooming services?  Give us a call at 865-675-0799 to schedule a FREE Facilities Tour of Knoxville’s Premier Pet Care and Boarding Facility.

All Kreatures Pet Care – Family Owned for the Best Experience for Your Pet

Tick - photo courtesy of Bing images

Sam the Bird, here!  From my perch inside the air conditioned comfort of All Kreatures Pet Care, I can see that the weather here in East Tennessee is continuing to warm up.  Today I’ll be continuing our blog series on pet care in warm weather months, and this post will focus on another nasty critter – ticks.  This photo to the left gives you a basic image of what they look like under magnification.  With the advent of warm weather, most peoples’ pets will be in and out of the house, running around in yards, fields and woods where ticks are prevalent.

The tick is another bloodsucker (like fleas) that likes to attach itself to animals. Ticks live in woodsy and field areas, and find their meals by sensing heat. When something with warm-blood passes by, a tick will cling to clothing or hair and eventually find its way to a body area with little hair. Once there, it inserts its mouth parts into the skin and begins feeding. It will not let go until it has had a full meal. At that point, it withdraws its mouth parts, drops off the body and crawls off to lay its eggs. As disturbing as that sounds, the real danger of ticks is that they are notorious carriers of disease.

Tick on a pet

 

While the majority of tick bites are not diseased, the chance is always there. In addition, tick bites are painful and itchy and can become infected.

Treatment of Ticks: The best treatment is prevention, of course. There are tick preventives on the market that do an excellent job of keeping ticks off your pets. In addition, you should make a practice of checking your pets from nose to tail-tip for ticks whenever they spend time outdoors.

Tick Removal: If a tick does manage to sink its teeth into your pet, it should be carefully removed with tweezers and the spot dabbed with rubbing alcohol.

As unpleasant a visual topic as this series addresses, we feel it is important for pet owners to know how to spot, treat and prevent fleas, ticks and other common pests that exist in warm weather months.  The next installment in this ongoing series will address mosquitoes; yes, your pets are affected by them! 

Another important tip is an obvious one, and that is keeping your pet well groomed.  Regular bathing and grooming ensures that fleas and ticks are spotted and treated in a timely manner, protecting your pet’s health.  All Kreatures Pet Care offers comprehensive grooming services, taking care of a time consuming chore for you!

Remember, All Kreatures Pet Care is Knoxville’s premier pet boarding facility – give us a call to schedule a FREE tour of our facilities!  865-675-0799

All Kreatures Pet Care – Family Owned for the Best Experience for Your Pet

Flea prevention tips

Sam the Bird here, everyone!  We at All Kreatures hope that all our friends had a wonderful, safe and happy Easter weekend!  Now that we’re moving into warmer weather months in East Tennessee, and from my bird’s eye view (ha!) from my cage at All Kreatures Pet Care, everything is blooming and getting green outside.  My buddy, Jeff and I were talking about one of the most important pet care issues today, and I wanted to go over some simple tips to help your pets stay comfortable in the warm weather months.

Fleas, ticks and mosquitos accompany warm weather, as do bees and ants - they’re the nasty little critters that can not only make your pets miserable, but they also carry some equally nasty diseases.

This post, I’m going to talk about fleas – how to spot them, prevent them, and treat against them.

Flea on pet

Fleas:

 

 

The most common pet parasites are fleas, and their most active season in the Northern Hemisphere is summer – or more specifically, April through August. Fleas can make your dog or cat thoroughly miserable, and extremely ill. These tiny parasites feed on your pet’s blood and lay eggs in the animal’s skin. This can lead to tapeworm. An allergic pet can become even more ill, developing scabs and sores, and losing their hair. Even worse, if the fleas manage to infest your carpets or your pet’s sleeping area, it can be almost impossible to get rid of them.

Fortunately, it is far easier to prevent a flea infestation than it is to cure one. It just takes vigilance and routine. There are dozens of flea preventatives on the market, from flea collars to flea dips and baths. Most only need to be applied once a month and will be effective in keeping fleas off your dog or cat for up to thirty days.

Flea bites on a dog's skin

How to spot fleas: The most common hint that your pet has picked up fleas is scratching. Flea bites are intensely itchy, and your pet will scratch and claw at the bitten area to get rid of the itch. You can also look for black specks in and around your pet’s bedding area. Flea dirt looks like little black flecks, but if you rub it with a damp paper towel, you will see a red smear. You may also notice bald spots where your pet has bitten away the hair to get at the intense irritation.

Complications from flea bites: Fleas sometimes carry tapeworm eggs. Once inside your pet’s body, tapeworms can cause malnutrition, vomiting, diarrhea and pure misery. They can eventually kill your pet. Other complications include hair loss, hot spots and weepy sores.

How to Treat Fleas: Prevention is the key, but if your pet does manage to pick up fleas, a veterinarian is your best resource. There are flea dips and baths that will kill fleas, as well as sprays that will get rid of their eggs and friends in bedding and around your home.

Next week, we’ll talk about ticks and prevention methods for them.

Betty Charlton, Jeff Charlton, Gracelyn Charlton

Hi everyone, Sam the Bird here!  If you’re a regular customer at All Kreatures Pet Care, then you already recognize that guy in the middle of the photograph here.  To those of you who may be new to All Kreatures, that guy is my best buddy, Jeff Charlton.  He is the Owner-Manager and  driving force at All Kreatures, so as I was hopping up to the keyboard today to tap out a blog post, my birdy brain thought it only appropriate that I share some fun info and introduce Jeff to everyone. 

If you’ve met Jeff in person, then you’re aware that he’s one of the most high energy, positive guys around.  Jeff has been here at All Kreatures Pet Care from Day One, for the past 16 years.  Jeff’s background has always been in general management. He started out during his college years working in Niagara Falls in Buffalo, New York in a management training program for a baseball franchise.  The Charlton family had owned some other local businesses, and when Jeff graduated from college, the decision was made to create a family owned, premier pet care facility in Knoxville.  All Kreatures was the result of their combined vision, and our facility opened in November 1995.

So, how does Jeff maintain that incredible energy of his?  I know, I’m amazed at him sometimes, too!  Jeff has always been athletic, and he began running at the age of 16, clocking an average of 45-50 miles per week.  He is currently a half-marathon (13.1 miles) runner, and is working to transition to full marathon (26.2 miles) running.  Jeff began racing for his fraternity in college, and in 2005 he got involved in competitive racing.  In 2007, he started the All Kreatures Racing Team, which consists of an average of 10 people most of the year, and can increase to 20 people during summer months.  The All Kreatures Racing Team travels just about every month for destination races for team competitions.  Jeff is interested in getting more involved in team relay racing.  Running is one of the key elements in keeping fit for Jeff, and is also a vital stress relief source. 

Jeff  has two beautiful daughters, Gracelyn (whom you see in the photo above) who will be seven years old in May, and Shaelyn who is 2 years old.  They have four Papillon dogs and 1 Labrador mix dog at home.  Here at All Kreatures, Jeff is the defacto Dad to me, Sam the Bird, and to BP the calico cat, as well as Jinxie and Jazzie, the two black and white cats you see frequently in the lobby area of our facility. 

The majority of the time, when you walk into All Kreatures Pet Care, you’ll see Jeff at the front desk area.  He is involved in practically every facet of running our business, and his energy and enthusiasm know no limits.  If you’ve seen the photos of me here on our blog or on our Facebook Fan Page, I’m perching on Jeff’s shoulder.  He and I hang out often & discuss all the important details of running a family business.  Jeff is the ultimate guy, as far as I’m concerned!  He keeps my cage clean, he keeps me fed and happy, and he takes the best care possible of every pet that walks into our facility.  You have to be a high energy type of person to attend to the endless details involved in running a business like All Kreatures, and we’re all fortunate to have Jeff at the helm.  I thought it only fitting that I shine a spotlight on Jeff here on the All Kreatures blog. 

If you haven’t been to our facility, give us a call at 865-675-0799 to schedule a FREE Facility Tour!  I can guarantee you’ll be impressed with the amenities and services we offer to you and your pets.

All Kreatures Pet Care – Family Owned for the Best Experience for Your Pet

Photo time at All Kreatures!

I have a question for you:  When was the last time you had some really nice photographs taken of your pet?  Or of you and your family, or friends, for that matter?  Has it been a while?

Okay, perhaps that was more than one question.  The reason I’m asking is that I’ve been a very busy bird (Sam the bird, that is) at All Kreatures Pet Care lately – I’ve been planning our first Spring Photo Event for you!

On Saturday, April 23rd, from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, All Kreatures, in collaboration with ALM Photo, Adopt-a-Golden Knoxville and the Siberian Husky Club of Middle Tennessee will be hosting our first Spring Photo Event! 

ALM Photo will be offering mini-photo sessions that will give you 5-10 photos of your pet, or whomever you choose to bring to the photo session.  The affordable session fee of $25 is being generously donated to one of our favorite charities, Adopt-a-Golden Knoxville.  You can book your mini-photo session appointment in person at our front desk, or by calling us at 865-675-0799.  Our appointment sheet is booking up fast, so call soon to lock your appointment in! 

We will also have Patty Van Sicken of the Siberian Husky Club of Middle Tennessee present at this event to administer the CGC – Canine Good Citizen – Test to your dogs.  This is a ten step test to prove obedience skills and will result in a certificate being awarded by the AKC (American Kennel Club). 

In addition to this wonderful photo event, we are going to be holding a drawing for a FREE 16 x 20 Photo to Canvas print.  You are automatically eligible for this drawing if you book and appointment and show up on April 23rd.  The value of this beautiful Photo to Canvas print is $395, and it gives you the most beautiful presentation of your favorite photograph from your mini-photo session.  The Photo to Canvas looks and feels exactly like a canvas painting and is professionally stretched just like a real painting would be.  One lucky customer is going to win this valuable prize, and it could be YOU! 

We look forward to seeing everyone on April 23rd for this first in a series of fun seasonal events at All Kreatures Pet Care.  If you would love a professionally executed photograph of your beloved pet(s), then give us a call and book your photo session now!  If you don’t own a pet and would still like to take advantage of this wonderful mini-photo session pricing, we’re happy to schedule your appointment!  Family at All Kreatures usually includes pets, as the photo above indicates, but we’re also happy to see people booking appointments who don’t own pets.  The sitting fee proceeds to Adopt-a-Golden Knoxville will give money to a great cause, and all of you will benefit by getting some wonderful photographs of your favorite humans and fur kids.  Call us today at 865-675-0799 to book your photo session!

All Kreatures Pet Care – Family Owned for the Best Experience for Your Pet

Spring Precautions

Ahh-CHOO!  Oh, pardon me….sometimes a bird just has to sneeze.  No, that picture isn’t of me – I’m Sam, the Bird.  I thought the photo matched the time of year, though.  We’re in the beginning of April, and spring has definitely sprung in East Tennessee!  From my cage in the lobby of All Kreatures Pet Care, I can see the trees and plants blooming in our parking lot.  The air is full of tons of floaty pollen, isn’t it?!

I decided to talk about some Sprint Pet Care Tips for this blog post.  With the advent of all things blooming, there are a couple of things to keep in mind for your pet’s safety.

For starters, you might consider not cultivating or removing certain types of plants around your pet. Spring and summer are high seasons for flowers to bloom. As much as we may enjoy having a beautiful garden decorating our homes, we should be aware of the potential risks they pose to our pets.  Daffodils and tulip bulbs, common to most gardens, are poisonous to cats and dogs. Signs of poisoning include diarrhea, vomiting, staggering, foaming of the mouth, disorientation, unconsciousness and coma due to respiratory failure; your veterinarian should treat these symptoms immediately, as they could cause death. Toxins contained in daffodils include alkaloids, such as galanthamine and lycorine, for which there is no specific antidote. 

It’s not always the plant stalk or petals that are poisonous; other parts such as seeds or roots can also contain harmful toxins. Some examples include the foliage of English ivy, Morning Glory seeds, green berries from yellow sage and iris bulbs.

Another smart seasonal thing is to make sure your pets are protected with flea, tick and heartworm treatments and are up-to-date on vaccinations. Keep a file with your pet’s medical information and keep track of necessary follow-wp shots and appointments.

Just like humans, your pets have allergies too! If you notice obvious signs of allergies like swollen eyes, frequent scratching, fur/skin conditions or sneezing, you may want to take your pet to the vet to explore those allergy symptoms.

Your pets are part of your family, and you want all the valuable information you can get your hands on that will ensure their health and well being.  As the offical Mascot of All Kreatures Pet Care, I do my best to offer helpful tips and advice that will make your life easier and your pet happier.

All Kreatures Pet Care – Family Owned for the Best Experience for Your Pet

Sam the Bird, sharing handy tips & fun facts

Sam the bird, here!  Today, I felt like talking about some interesting pet facts.  I’m going to fly around All Kreatures Pet Care (when no one is looking, just between you and I, I manage to get around that whole facility!) and gather up fun tips and factoids to share with you every couple of weeks here on my blog.  Pet owners are pet lovers, after all, and I think you’ll all enjoy some the the things I talk about.

Interesting Cat Info:  If you’re a cat owner, have you ever wondered why your pet prefers to eat from a plate or a gradually sloped bowl with no vertical sides?  It’s those amazing whiskers!  More than twice as thick as ordinary hairs, a cat’s whiskers are packed with nerve endings that provide extraordinarily detailed information about their surroundings.  Your cat uses it’s whiskers to gauge air movements and pressure as well as the size and shape of any object close by.  But those same whiskers can also be a bother to your cat, especially if they try to eat from a bowl.  Whiskers touching the sides of a bowl transfer irritating sensations to their kitty brain, making it difficult to continue eating.

To avoid irritation at mealtime for your cat, try feeding them from a flat plate or an elevated, gradually sloped bowl with no vertical sides.  Your cat will be less jumpy and distracted at mealtime as a result.

Speaking of cats, stay tuned for a future blog post on several of our resident cats!  If you bring your pet to All Kreatures regularly, you’ll recognize Jinxie and Jazzie, our two black and white female cats, as they hang out in the lobby fairly often.  I’ll be sharing more about them in a future blog article. 

I’ll also do monthly Tips and Fun Facts posts on all sorts of pet care, so make sure to check my blog regularly!  In the meantime, if you’ve never visited All Kreatures before, call us at 865-675-0799 to schedule a FREE tour of our facilities!

All Kreatures Pet Care – Family Owned for the Best Experience for Your Pet

All Kreatures Pet Care, Knoxville, Tennessee

If you’re a pet owner, then you’re a special kind of person.  Your pets mean the world to you, and you’re concerned with giving the best care available.  All Kreatures Pet Care is Knoxville, Tennessee’s premier indoor pet care complex. 

Conveniently located in West Knoxville, off of Lovell Road on Outlet Drive, we are within an easy 20 – 30 minute drive (sometimes less!) for most Knoxvillians.  While many people are fortunate to have fenced in property that allows their pet to stay outside while they’re at work, a lot of pet owners prefer the daycare and boarding options that we provide.  All Kreatures represents the very best in pet care.  Our primary concerns are cleanliness, safety and specialized attention to your pets.

 Additionally, our location is convenient to both the interstate and to the majority of West Knoxville hotels.  We recognize that many people travel with their pets and feel more comfortable boarding their pet overnight or for an extended vacation timeframe.  All Kreatures is here for daycare and boarding needs for your cats, dogs and exotic pets.  We also offer a full service grooming shop, playtime, nature walks and kitty kuddles so that your pet receives the best care possible during their stay at All Kreatures.

All Kreatures is Owner-Managed.  We consider our company to be family oriented, family committed and promise that your pet will receive the same attention that we would expect if we boarded our own pets.

We are here in your own back yard, ready to offer you the ultimate experience in boarding, daycare and grooming for your pets.  If you’ve never visited All Kreatures, call us at 865-675-0799 to schedule your FREE facilities tour!  We guarantee you’ll be impressed with what you see and we look forward to meeting you.

All Kreatures Pet Care – Family Owned for the Best Experience for Your Pet

Memphis - Adopt a Golden Knoxville

Welcome to All Kreatures Pet Care’s blog page! We hope all our friends and customers will enjoy visiting here to learn about our upcoming events, seasonal sales, fun pet friendly tips and more.  If you’re here reading this post, we’re pretty sure you’re a pet lover.  We decided to launch our blog by sharing one of our favorite charities, Adopt a Golden Knoxville. The photo to the left is of a beautiful Golden named Memphis.  Memphis is a young dog who was surrendered to Adopt a Golden Knoxville by his owners because he was stricken with heart worms.

This diagnosis usually strikes cold fear into the hearts of all pet owners. The good news is that this diagnosis is no longer an automatic death sentence for your pet.  With early diagnosis and proper care and treatment, your pet can completely recover from this malady and go on to live a full, happy, healthy and productive life.  Being the pet lovers we are at All Kreatures, when we learned about Memphis, we decided to foster him and give him a second chance at life.  Isn’t he a beautiful dog?!  All Goldens tend to be gorgeous animals, but Betty thought that Memphis was everything that personifies the Golden Retriever breed.  He has a warm, happy personality in addition to his pretty Golden features. 

If you’re curious about heart worms, here is a short informational list:

• Heartworm is caused by a parasite that is transmitted to your pet via a mosquito bite.
• Heartworm can be deadly if left untreated.
• On the other hand, heartworm is also highly preventable.
• Heartworm tends to be seasonal and more common in areas where mosquitoes are prevalent.
• Preventative care for heartworm is available in injectable and oral medications.
• The initial symptom of heartworm is coughing.
• Be sure to consult your vet for the best preventative measure for your pet regarding this disease.

We’re happy to say that Memphis’s heartworm disease was caught in an early stage and is fully treatable.  Betty will be giving him lots of attention and care to ensure that he makes it through the full treatment stage with flying colors.

Adopt a Golden Knoxville is a very worthy charity, and we encourage all our friends to visit their website and learn how you can help out by volunteering, donating and adopting some wonderful pets.  Memphis is just one happy face here in Knoxville waiting for a family to bring him home.  We will be posting occasional updates on our All Kreatures Facebook page to let you know how Memphis is doing throughout his treatment!  If you’re not already a fan of our Facebook page, take a moment to visit and Like us!  We look forward to sharing many more heartwarming stories with you here at our new blog and we also hope to see you and your pet at All Kreatures Pet Care and Boarding in the near future!

UPDATE:  April, 2011 – We are so happy to report the news that Memphis was adopted!  His new owner is one our employees at All Kreatures, Kevin Carraher.  Kevin is our Kennel Manager and after being around Memphis for a while, he decided he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take him home.  Kevin is a huge baseball fan, so all his pets are named after Yankee baseball legends.  As a result, Memphis’s name has been changed to Maris, after the great Roger Maris.

All Kreatures Pet Care – Family Owned for the Best Experience for Your Pet