A Taste of Home - November Sanctuary Update - Our Companions Animal Rescue

Hi Everyone!

With Thanksgiving just a few days ago, I’m sure many of you are still working your way through some delicious leftovers. Food can mean so much to us, especially when it is so obviously prepared with care and attention to detail for those we hold dear. Well, the same can often hold true for our furry loved ones. On top of being experts at health care and behavioral training for the residents here at the sanctuary, our staff has developed some impressive culinary skills for the critters we love. I wanted to take this month’s updates to show off some of their specialties.

Kibble in a bowl? How quaint! But that just won’t do for the special needs of the dogs at the sanctuary. So many of the dogs in our care experience a range of health and behavioral concerns that make getting them the nutrition they need, in a way that adds fulfillment and enrichment to their lives, quite the challenge. Luckily, our staff have developed a range of creative culinary tricks to address any concern. For all of those dogs who benefit from slowing down and relaxing while they eat, we have an assortment of “slow feeder” toys that we can use to help them pace themselves (I think I might benefit from something like that myself!). Then, there are dogs who are experiencing a high degree of anxiety in their lives and would like nothing more than food that puts up a little bit of a fight to blow off some steam with. For them, we have tough chews that we can cover with food items, like peanut butter or spray cheese, and even freeze for an extra challenge. Our staff have even recently experimented with soaking carrots in chicken broth and freezing them. Which leads me to the issue of dogs needing to watch their weight. For them, we’ve found that diced carrots, peas, and corn niblets make a great low calories training treat option. And of course, there’s our famous “trail mix,” a combination of kibble and high value treats that we can use for getting our dogs their daily behavior training while still getting them proper nutrition. It’s a cornucopia of canine delights here to feast on!

Dog bones frozen with chicken baby food are a great option for an enriching chew

All of the dogs have certain trail mixes that they take out on activities. Here is Hank and Neo’s GI-friendly mix

Neo, Juno, and Bootz are some of our weight-loss pups who receive frozen veggies as snacks to help keep them slim & trim

Scout’s tuck-in friends know how he loves a frozen slow feeder to keep his energy in check!

Gidget’s tuck-in friends are quite familiar with her nightly pumpkin Kongs!

A frozen Whimzee topped with spray cheese is a great snack for a dog to enjoy in their room

Of course, feeding dogs doesn’t usually present anywhere near the challenges of feeding cats. Balancing what cats need vs. what cats want is a feat every cat owner is all too familiar with. Not to mention the question of whether what a cat wants today is still going to be what they want tomorrow. But our cat staff is up to the challenge. We start off right away with a wide variety of many different flavors and styles of cat food at our disposal. Our cats are also fed several small meals throughout the day, which helps keep their interest piqued in what the latest offering will be. You may have even seen listings we have developed to track what the favorites du jour are for some of our pickiest residents. And then there’s the trial of getting the cats to willingly take their medications. We have a number of cats here that have chronic medical issues that will require daily medication throughout their lives. For them, to avoid the daily stress of pilling, our staff have concocted all manner of pill hiding techniques, from the pill sandwich, having the pill wrapped in a pill pocket sandwiched between two crunchy treats, to the pill sundae, hiding the pill in a dollop of squeeze treat topped with crushed crunchy treat powder. I feel like there should be a reality show for the most creative and successful cat medicating recipes!

The cat food grocery store never wants for variety

Carolyn prepares a special treat concoction for Patches’ daily diabetes medication

And no talk of specialized food prep at the sanctuary would be complete without a look at our salad superstars, the small animals. Lettuce, peppers, watermelon, carrots, apples, they’re all on the menu for our littlest connoisseurs. And it’s not just about pleasing their little pallets. Balancing nutrients like fiber and vitamin C, as well as water intake, is crucial to the long term health of our smallest residents. With the exception of our lone carnivores, the ferrets, all of the small animals get some assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables every day to supplement their pelleted food diets. It is quite the labor of love!

Rosie’s Roundup

Hi Everyone!

Well, now I’m really hungry! Though that’s nothing too unusual. Of course, in addition to all of the great food we get around here, the dogs, cats, and small animals at the Sanctuary are very thankful for you, the amazing volunteers and supporters of Our Companions. The Our Companions Sanctuary is a unique rescue environment. Not only do we take in animals that would often have nowhere else to go, but once they are here, we invest lots of resources to their care and rehabilitation in order to give them the best shot at transitioning to a forever home. And most importantly, we give them limitless time to become the special pet we know they can be. All of this would not be possible without an army of volunteers working day after day to help make this work possible. Thank you one and all for making this vision a reality. No go get yourself some pie! You deserve it!

See you soon!

Rosie

We have a special delivery to announce! Another New England Rescue organization recently found itself inundated with mice in need of good homes. Unfortunately, before they arrived at the rescue, they had not been separated by sex, which meant that all of the females could be potential mommas. We offered to help and took in eight of the females, knowing that the number was bound to increase soon. And sure enough, within the first week had two litters born. Babies and mommas are all doing well and we will keep you posted as they grow and develop.

And of Course…Adoptions!!

It’s been another crazy busy month for adoptions! The biggest news is that we had our first small animal adoptions! The rat trio of Scrappy, Pinky, and Brain all went home together. Then, hamster Ophelia and Snowball found their forever homes as well. Arriving in the small animal cottage were Hoodie, the rabbit, and Cowboy, the guinea pig. The dog team welcomed Frank to our crew. And the action has been flying on the cat side. Scarlet and Sage arrived and then quickly made their way home this month. Long time resident Oliver, super senior Milton, purr machine Toast, and lovable Simba all went home as well. Joining in the cat cottage life this month were Charlie, GeeBee, and Noelle. What a whirlwind November!