FasTags » Feature Articles

Halloween Safety Tips for You and Your Pet

FasTags® Staff — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:08:46 +0000

Ten Halloween Safety Tips courtesy of Camp Bow Wow and FasTags®

Tula the Tulip, a simple and comfortable dog costume. Photo courtesy of Dee Monstah

Fido may look adorable in his new superhero costume, but that cape won’t necessarily keep him out of harm’s way. Dressing up your pet for Halloween can be harmful. Costumes should not constrict the animal’s movement, hearing or sight, or impede their ability to breathe, bark or meow. Also, it may be helpful to try on costumes before the big night. If your pet seems distressed or shows abnormal behavior, don’t bother.

FasTags adds that simple is best. Remember that it’s a dog or cat that you’re putting in a costume, not a stuffed animal.
Before you and Fido participate in any Halloween activities, take a closer look at his costume and make sure it does not have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he could choke on. Also, watch out for ill-fitting outfits which can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury.
Putting make-up or face paint on your pet can be harmful. Paints could potentially irritate their skin, or may be eaten. Even make-up that is non-toxic could cause stomachaches or worse.
Candy bags are strictly for the enjoyment of trick-or-treaters, not your pet. Chocolate in all forms, especially dark or baking chocolate, can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Give your pooch their own Halloween candy by treating them to their favorite doggy snack. If you do suspect that your pet has ingested something toxic, please call your veterinarian or your local control center immediately.
Keep an eye out for decorative edible items like Halloween pumpkins and candy corn, when participating in this year’s festivities with your pet. While these are considered to be relatively nontoxic, they can be harmful, causing stomach upset in pets who nibble on them.
Do not take your pets trick or treating. It’s possible that your dog could get spooked by a ghost or goblin and a dog bite or fight could occur.

FasTags® also recommends that you make sure your dog is wearing a collar tag in addition to any microchips. If you dog is lost, many times local citizens don’t think to take them into a vet to be scanned for identification.
It is also a good idea to keep a leash handy if you are handing out candy and your dog is on the lively side. It’s easier to control them with the leash, than with your hip at the crack of your front door.
If you use a cage for your dog or cat during the evening events, be sure to take off all collars and tags before putting them inside to avoid the possibility of choking or other injuries.
Use common sense, take a few extra precautions to be safe, and have fun on you Halloween hauntings.

Power Outtage Thursday 11-18

FasTags® Staff — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 02:38:17 +0000

Hi Everyone. We’ve been informed that there will be a power outtage in our area for most or all of Thursday, November 18th, 2010. We’re very sorry that we will be unreachable by our standard phone number and fax, since no power means no phones, fax, or Internet. Hopefully, if you are trying to reach us, you will pop on here and find our note. If so, you can reach Roy at roy.fastags@gmail.com or by phone at 714-365-9530 and he will be able to assist you with pretty much anything that you need. Thanks so much for understanding.

Moving News

FasTags® Staff — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:18:01 +0000

Please bear with us. We are in the process of moving, so things will be a little bumpy for a few days. Our phone lines are being transferred today (September 27, 2010) but for some reason our outgoing lines had to be transferred before they could be assigned to their new incoming lines. Go figure… So it may be difficult to contact us today. Hopefully it will be sorted out by the end of the day. If you would like to send us something today, email is the best choice…. at least that way, it won’t be lost.
Thanks for understanding.

Canine Influenza (H3N8) DOG FLU

FasTags® Staff — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:39:14 +0000

History: First isolated at the University of Florida in 2004. It has since spread to over 30 states including Texas and is growing. All dogs are at risk.

Morbidity and Mortality: Up to 80% of exposed dogs contract the disease and exhibit clinical symptoms of fever, cough and runny nose. Reports of 1% – 5% of infected victims die from related hemorrhagic pneumonia. Because this is a brand new virus there is no inherent immunity in the pet dog population.

How does dog flu spread? Canine influenza virus is spread by direct contact with respiratory secretions from infected dogs, by contra contaminated objects and by people moving between infected and uninfected dogs. Dogs are shedding the virus before they exhibit clinical symptoms.

What should dog owners do? Have your dog vaccinated immediately by your veterinarian or attend a low-cost vaccination clinic at the Humane Society. A new Canine Influenza Vaccine H3N8 killed virus was released in April 2009. Protocol is a two shot series two weeks apart and then annual boosters. There have been no reported side effects.

Cost: Being that this is a new vaccine it is relatively expensive compared to other vaccines. Local veterinarians are charging $25 – $50 per vaccination, two shot series $50-$100.

Hacker Attack Damaged Our Store

FasTags® Staff — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:13:57 +0000

The hacker attack that went after our server damaged our store to the point that it was safer to remove the program from the server and protect our other sites, than to leave it up and try to debug it. It’s going to take me a few days to either debug the program or build a new store, which is what I’m leaning towards, so please bear with us.

In the meantime, please fax your orders to 714-633-0158, or give us a call at 714-633-0100. Thanks so much for your patience.

We were hacked…

FasTags® Staff — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:43:13 +0000

We were just the victim of a vicious hack on our server. We’re working hard to get everything back to normal. Sorry for the inconvenience. Please feel free to call Roy at the office. 714-633-0100

I’m up to my armpits in code and locked in my tower until everything is back to normal.

FasTags partners with city to promote Census 2010

FasTags® Staff — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:36:00 +0000

FasTags was selected by the U.S. Census Bureau and the city of Goodyear, Arizona, as a great give-away to promote the 2010 Census.

These fun and durable ID tags are custom designed and include strong co-branding messages that promote participation in the Census, the vibrant community of Goodyear, and the exciting events hosted or sponsored by the city.

City of Goodyear - Census 2010 Package

The cost of the tags is paid for through the U.S. Census MicroPurchase Partnership Program, which provides up to $2,999 to buy items to distribute at events sponsored by cities, counties, NGOs, community organizations, faith-based groups and others. There is no limit on the number of separate requests that can be made by various departments, groups, or activity leaders within a single organization. Goodyear, for example, submitted a dozen micropurchase applications, which were all approved by that city’s regional Census representative.

“We wanted something different from the ordinary give-aways like pens and sticky-notes,” said Nora Fascenelli, public information officer for the city of Goodyear. “FasTags were perfect because the vendor was able to do a custom co-branded design with Goodyear’s logo and the Census logo. There are inserts than can be printed with whatever message we want. The tags pack flat and are super lightweight to carry to event venues.”

FasTags come individually packaged. Write a name and contact info on the shrinkable, high-tech plastic, pop it in the oven for a few minutes, and tag everything from school backpacks, gym bags, and computer bags to mp3 players, digital cameras, and even the family pet. The tags start out as a nice, large surface upon which information can be easily written. After just five minutes in the oven, the tag shrinks into a lightweight, durable tag small enough for today’s compact electronics, yet big enough to be easily spotted on any airport’s luggage carousel.

Vendors are paid by credit card, directly by Census officials. That means no waiting for invoices to clear and no procurement hassles.

For more information, contact FasTags toll-free at 866-412-6860 or by email at cynthia@fastags.com. To learn more about partnering opportunities and the 2010 Census, visit http://2010.census.gov/partner

Special QuickBooks Credit Card Processing Deal

FasTags® Staff — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:38:25 +0000

If you are thinking about processing credit cards for the first time, just setting up your first business, or looking to process credit cards through a different credit card gateway, you way want to take a look at Intuit Payment Solutions, the makers of QuickBooks. They have a special deal that we can offer to our customers and friends that may make it especially interesting.

Intuit Payment Solutions allows you to process payments directly through your Quickbooks program, which makes life especially easy. You don’t have to fill out anything by hand, the computer will process everything and record the payments directly into your Quickbooks program. It’s so easy to use!

By mentioning FasTags, you can save on your set-up fees and more!

Simply call 1-800-601-3751 and give them the following information:

Our Company: Project FasTags, Inc
My name: Cynthia Kirkeby
Our phone number: 714-633-0100

This will give you some serious savings:

No set-up fees
No application fees
AND not service fees for 2 months!

Don’t delay, start saving money and selling with the help of QuickBook’s Intuit Merchant Services now.

How to Feed and Care for Orphaned Kittens

FasTags® Staff — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:36:32 +0000

photo courtesy of Mitch Diatz - CC 2.0

Over the last 15 years, I have raised nine orphaned kittens. Four of them were two weeks old when their mother was killed; three others were only hours old when their mother died; two more kittens fell out of the nest in our barn when they were only a day old. Raising motherless kittens is not a difficult process, but it does require patience, time and plenty of TLC.

Here are some tips to help you raise your orphaned kittens:

Make a nest.

Normally, a mother cat spends many hours a day in the nest with her kittens, which helps her babies stay warm. Keeping the kittens warm is important because if they’re not warm enough, they won’t want to eat, and in fact, all of their bodily functions will slow down.

To keep your orphaned kittens warm, make a nest in a small box and line it with towels or old t-shirts or sweatshirts to help the babies conserve their body heat. Put a towel over the box to keep out the light. Female cats choose nests that are dark. If you don’t have a heat lamp, use a small 40-watt desk lamp and place it several feet above the box to help keep the kittens warm.

If the box is big enough, you can also use a jug or another large container filled with hot water to keep the babies warm. Place the jug in the box and then make a nest with towels beside it. Refill the jug when it cools off. You can use a quart jar as a “hot water bottle” too except that a quart jar cools off very quickly.

Use an eyedropper or a syringe to feed the kittens.The first time I raised orphaned kittens, I discovered that the small nursing bottles available at vet clinics were too big. The kittens couldn’t get their mouths around the nipples. So, at first, for newborn kittens, I used an eyedropper. As the kittens grew bigger, a syringe worked very well, the kind of syringe for giving injections (without the needle of course!). I started out with the 3 cc size and used larger syringes when the kittens grew bigger. The tip of a syringe is about the size of a cat’s nipple, and my kittens eventually sucked hard enough on the end of the syringe to draw the plunger down by themselves. Check with your vet clinic to see if any used syringes are available or to see if you can buy new syringes from the clinic.

A word of caution: Whether you’re feeding with an eyedropper or a syringe, be careful to give only a few drops at a time. My veterinarian told me that if the kittens were given too much formula at once (more than they could swallow), they might inhale it. Inhaling formula will make your kittens much more susceptible to pneumonia.

Along the way, I have also discovered that it is best to feed the kittens as much as they want to eat. They will settle down and sleep until the next feeding if they are getting enough to eat. Tiny kittens will start out taking maybe 1 CC at a time. As they grow bigger, they will eat around 12 CCs at a time (usually in several different helpings).

Kittens learn very quickly that food comes from the syringe you hold in your hand. If you are having trouble getting them to take the formula from the syringe, let nuzzle in the palm of your hand for a few seconds or let them suck on your fingers. Then introduce the syringe and let them suck on it while you very slowly press the plunger down.

Feed the kittens KMR or kitty formula that you have mixed yourself.KMR, the canned cat milk replacer, is available at most vet clinics in either a premixed or dry form. It is specifically formulated for kittens to provide all the nutrients they need. Follow the directions on the label. The amount to feed is determined by body weight. My newborn kittens weighed three ounces each, and for the first several days, they only needed a half an eyedropper of KMR at a time.

My vet clinic also gave me a recipe for “kitten formula.” After the first can of KMR, this is what all of my kittens have been raised on.

Here is the recipe for Kitten Formula

1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt

Mix in a blender and mix it up far enough in advance so the bubbles will have time to dissipate.
Warm over medium heat. Heat the formula so it feels slightly warm to the touch. All of my kittens have refused to swallow the formula if it was too cold or too warm. The same was true for KMR.

Feed your kittens on a regular schedule three times a day.Mother cats nurse their kittens every couple of hours. The veterinarian I consulted cautioned me not to feed them that often. “They won’t eat well and you’ll get frustrated and they’ll get frustrated and it will be harder on everybody,” he said. He was right. Feeding the kittens three times per day worked out very well.

Groom your kittens with a warm, wet washcloth and help them to empty their bladders and their bowels.Young kittens are unable to empty their bladders or move their bowels, so you’ll have to help them. Use a warm, wet washcloth and wipe under their tails until they have emptied their bladders and/or moved their bowels. Be prepared to use as many as four washcloths for each kitten. If they only have to empty their bladders, you won’t need that many. If they have to empty their bowels, look out — it could get messy! Smaller washcloths that you can wring out with one hand while you hold onto a squirming kitten with the other work best. I put the washcloths in a pail of warm water and put the pail where I can reach it easily.

Young kittens also do not know how to groom themselves, and after a day or two of eating kitten formula, they become sticky from the formula that inevitably dribbles down their chins. From time to time, use a warm, wet washcloth to wipe off the formula, but be careful not to get the kittens TOO wet or it will be hard for them to stay warm.

Provide a litter pan when they’re four weeks old.Cats have a strong instinct to use material that they can scratch around in when they have to empty their bladders and move their bowels. By the time the kittens are four weeks old, they will already be thinking in this direction and providing them with a litter pan will help them get the idea. You might still have to assist them with a washcloth for a while, but it won’t be long before they are using the litter pan.

Kitty litter in an aluminum pie plate works well to start out. As the kittens grow bigger, use a bigger container for a litter box.

Start feeding solid food when the kittens are about six weeks old.Kittens that are raised by their mothers probably will start eating sooner than six weeks, but you will be able to provide more milk than their mothers would have available.

When your kittens have gotten their teeth, you can begin feeding them solid food. If you want to feed dry food, a good quality kitten chow will work fine. Kitten chow has all of the nutrients and protein that they need to keep growing. Kitten chow also is made in tiny kitten-bite-sized pieces. To tempt their appetites and to give them a “treat,” you can also try a little canned kitty food. Be sure to provide fresh water for your kittens to drink, as well. And until the kittens are eating solid food regularly, supplement their caloric intake with kitten formula. By this time, you won’t have to feed them with a syringe. You can put the formula into a small saucer, and once they discover where it is and what it is, they will drink by themselves.

Be prepared to be surprised and amazed by your kitten.

Kittens grow very quickly, and on some days, you will think they are growing right before your very eyes.
Kittens get their eyes open when they’re about 10 days old.
They will start purring when they are as young as 6 days old.
Kittens will start other “kitty behaviors” such as shaking their heads, attempting to groom and lifting a hind food to scratch behind their ears when they are between two to three weeks old.
Young kittens will sometimes get the hiccups (!) while you are feeding them.
Young kittens are like baby humans, in a way. Their days consist of eating, sleeping and emptying their bowels and bladders. After the kittens have gotten enough to eat and have had their bodily functions taken care of, when you put them back in the “nest,” they will sleep or rest quietly until you are ready to feed them again. If they are restless and crying and meowing, they might need a little more to eat, or they might have to empty their bladders or move their bowels, or they might feel cold.
As the kittens grow older, they will be awake for longer periods of time and will eventually start playing with each other.
By the time the kittens are four weeks old, you will most likely have to move them into a bigger box, if not sooner, because the first one will be too small and they will know how to get out on their own!

If you have any questions concerning the raising of orphaned kittens, you can e-mail me at bigpines@ruralroute2.com

LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books: *Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)* (trade paperback) and *Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Oral Histories)* (e-book; 66 pages). To read sample chapters and to sign up for the FREE! monthly newsletter, Rural Route 2 News & Updates, visit — http://ruralroute2.com

The Dharma of an Introverted Dog

FasTags® Staff — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:28:17 +0000

One of our best kept secrets as introverts is that often our pets mean more to us than some of the people in our lives. Pets can be the perfect companion for an introvert and I don’t think we should apologize for this. Pets are quiet, like us. They enjoy curling up with us for a good read by the fire. They’re always enthusiastic and available for a walk in the park or a hike in the woods. And they can go for long periods of time without verbal communication!

Chocolate Lab courtesy of Jen and a camera/flickr

Pets can be deeply meaningful as well. Phyllis explains how a chocolate Labrador retriever named Ygraine helped her through the worst time in her life. This is called dharma, because a dog’s dharma is to be a loving companion to a person.

Phylllis is an introverted classical pianist from Pittsburgh. In her later years, she has also become a coach and counselor. After the tragic death of her 21-year-old son, Phylllis was unable to bear the company of human beings and took great solace in Ygraine’s love and understanding. Ygraine is her Chocolate Lab.

Phyllis begins, “It is very hard to lose a child. To lose a child at the age of 21, they say, is the worst thing that can happen. That, among other words spoken to me over the course of my grieving, made it through the fog as “meant well” but words were of little use or comfort.

“Though I’m a coach and counselor, I speak in the first person, because it’s different for each grieving parent and a situation where you are inevitably alone. You walk under a different sun. I happened to be living alone at the time.

“The pain is so different from anything else, and so visceral, one of the things I had to deal with was terror at ever loving like that again in the face of loss. Yes, even at the ripe old age of 52. I didn’t want to ever care like that again. My willingness to connect with people was tenuous.

“My therapist helped me because he didn’t demand words. My sister helped me because she didn’t demand words and because we go way back. . . . I was between the living and the dead.

“And then Ygraine helped me.

“My surviving son gave me Ygraine. Chocolate Labs, as they say, are really people. They’re just the right size, and they are very one-person dogs. My son had her perfectly trained and actually offered me either of his Labs, Bailey or Milo. Bailey came first. When I would cry, Bailey would force her head into my lap, just push and push, and insinuate her way in. This didn’t work for me. It was “too much.” I then had to care about her, as much as I did about myself, because of her giving, and I couldn’t tolerate that at the time.

“Milo came second. She was the second dog in my son’s household, and acted like the second dog. She was shy and quiet and kind of puzzled about things. I really think she’s an introvert like me. She was used to Bailey doing the interpreting of “people language.” If you told her to “sit,” she would look over at Bailey to see what that meant. They thought she was ‘quirky,’ and preferred her less. Sometimes human introverts get the same reaction, I think!

Sleeping Chocolate Lab courtesy of Nick M/Flickr CC 2.0

“I immediately renamed her “Ygraine,” and let her stay with me. She was just “around”, in an unobtrusive sort of way. She needed to be tended to a little, just enough – - her food and water, daily walks, and letting her in and out. She moved with me. If I was working, she slept in her bed on the side of the office. When I went to bed, she went to bed. If I forgot her feeding time, she leapt up on the back of my chair and ‘told me.’ If I was staying up late, or all night, she would go on and go to bed. She kept decent life-rhythms. She knew how to be a dog, though I had momentarily forgotten how to be a person. That’s stabilizing.

“I’m an intellectual; I like to know what’s going on. I’d read a beautiful book called ‘A General Theory of Love,’ that talked about how we mammals (dogs, cats and people) operate on an open-loop feedback system. We cannot regulate our life forces alone; we need each other. It’s not good to live alone; in fact it’s quite detrimental to your health. This can be hard for an introvert at any time, but especially at a time like this. You need a mammal around to look into their sentient eyes and see life, and orient to it. That’s the scientific explanation.

“The personal explanation is that it was comforting to have a quiet, undemanding sentient presence in the house when I could not tolerate having a person around. I knew I could meet the rudimentary needs of an animal, though not the more complex needs of a person, while I licked my own wounds. Dogs don’t care about words. She didn’t ask me to comment upon my condition or to tell her how I was doing, or what it’s like to lose a son, or even what I planned to do that day. We were together and in the moment. Neither of us had plans for the future.

“Ygraine is a huntress who is often attacked by her prey. One night she was crying in pain, suddenly, and I saw her groin was swollen and she couldn’t move. Some creature had bitten her. She weighs 65 lbs. and I couldn’t lift her. I pushed her over blankets and tried to pull her across the floor, but that didn’t work. It was 3 a.m. and she needed to get to the vet.

“Finally, in desperation, I looked into her eyes and told her, wordlessly, “Ygraine I want to help you and I cannot do this. You must get to the car so I can take care of you.” Silently she got up and got herself outside and up into the car. Even though it was excruciatingly painful, she didn’t even whimper. When we got to the vet’s she wouldn’t move, and when the man came out to lift her out of the car, she cried.

“She became “my” dog almost immediately and stuck by my side if we went for a walk, or if a repairman came in.

“Best of all, when I went to visit my son and brought her along, he told me how she had thrived and blossomed under my care, how she had come into her own and was a different dog.

“Your job, as a parent, is to keep your child alive. If nothing else, you should be able to keep your child alive. When they die, you have failed. This feeling is primordial and has nothing to do with intellect or explanation. Ygraine restored my faith in my ability to nurture life. She was faithful to dog dharma, as one of my clients told me, living her purpose of being a loving companion. And a more extroverted dog would have been just impossible. I loved Ygraine most of all because she was an introvert like me.