I can't recall much time when I didn't share companionship with a dog. In the mid sixties, my Mom's heart was touched by a spunky kitten, and a long line of cats wove their way into my family's lives. Birds, mice and hamsters, and a few reptiles also shared our home when I was a child.  It is in  loving memory of all of them,  thankfulness for all those creatures shared with me, and with gratitude for all the many stories, questions, and laughter and tears shared with friends and  clients that I share the following information.
Our current rescue dog Delilah has some real issues with thunder, gunfire, fireworks, loud wind, and thumping noises.  Well & Good brand Calming aid for dogs has  been very helpful with her. We got ours at Petco.

Feel free to email me with your ideas, contributions, and helpful ideas for the care of the furred, finned, scaled, and feathered ones. If we decide to include it here, you will receive credit. Like this one:

Contest entrant Jeffery G wrote this to us: I'm currently fostering a gerbil and hamster for a service member in Kuwait. It would be nice if your pets section would encourage people to volunteer to foster animals for service members who are being deployed. Many service members have no one to leave their pets with and end up having to leave their beloved pet at a "kill shelter" or have them euthanized.
We had never thought--or heard--of such a thing, but it makes sense. Whatever your feelings about the war(s), animals should not have to suffer. If this is something you can and would like to do to help, Jeffery sent along the following two links:
http://www.netpets.org/netp/foster.php   and  http://www.operationnoblefoster.org/

Pet Books       Hill Woman Catnip Toys       Doggy Distress Pillows     Suggest resources!

The Pet Books link above is a link to a list of books worth reading, borrowing from your library, or seeking 
out to own for your own pet library. Below is a good source of ongoing research and information:

Whole Dog Journal
PO Box 420031, Palms Coast FL 32142-8634  Whole-Dog-Journal.com
This is a monthly publication dedicated to natural dog care and training. It is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in natural dog care. Subjects range from diet and exercise to holistic approaches for current canine diseases, herbs and supplements for dogs, behavioral modification, as well as a wide range of ongoing book and products reviews.

Now for some resources I use and have come to trust:

Prozyme a commercially made enzyme formula for dogs. I had really good experiences with this product after one of my dogs had developed a food allergy. It is available though most mail order pet supply catalogs, in some pet stores, and online.
*** A note about food allergies in dogs. They most often show up as skin ailments, frequently accompanied by "foot chewing". By the time we got our old dog to someone who knew what they were looking at his immune system was so impaired that he developed mange. Once we banished the offending foods
from his diet, he returned to health quickly. Medications may suppress food allergy symptoms, but only dietary changes will end them and restore your dog to health and vigor. This is truly a situation where preventative measures pay off. One ingredient to watch for is soy, which is a major component of many dog foods and dog treats. Another is corn, which happens to be one Chloe is somewhat sensitive to.

Animal Wellness Flower Essences
Available from Green Hope Farms, PO Box 125, Meriden NH 03770. You
may phone them at (607)469-3662 or visit their website at 
http://www.greenhopessences.com
These essences are created with an incredible amount of love and are stabilized
with an herbal vinegar. This makes them easy to use in combination with other
healing methods (like homeopathics). Chloe and a few other dogs I've shared these
essences with will lick them right out of my hand.

Pet's First Aid Kit
It's a good idea to have a first aid kit for your pets. It should contain soft clean 
cotton cloths, your favorite cleansing wash, gauze squares, cotton swabs and balls,
a small pair of scissors for snipping fur away from wounds, tweezers would be good,
and some clean paper towels. Since I have a dog and a cat, here's what else I have 
in mine:
Rescue Remedy - it can be given internally or massaged into the pet's ears when physical or emotional trauma or shock has occurred. Also good for shocked and  traumatized pet owners.
Red Clover Flower Essence - a main ingredient in the Animal Wellness formula that Green Hope makes - it helps create an atmosphere of peacefulness and acceptance (in animals and people).
Vitamin E capsules - great for burns and cleaned up cuts. Be mindful though, many Vitamin E caps come from Soy sources, and that can be bad for pets with soy allergies.
Lavender oil - a drop can be applied straight from the bottle onto a burn or sting to help relieve pain and start the healing process. Also offers soothing aromatherapy.
Tea Tree oil or ointment - used on wounds that need a little extra protection while healing.
Charcoal caps - These can be helpful if your dog has been throwing up due to consumption of the kinds of funky things that some dogs are prone to ingesting. It will help absorb toxins and ease gassiness. It should not be administered if you think poison has been ingested - that requires more serious treatment and you should call your vet immediately.
Web Sites
http://www.petfinders.org is a resource for finding a pet who needs a home.
Many shelters, breed rescue organizations, and individuals who are fostering pets in need of adoption list on this site. You can search for specific breeds, or list an ad  for the pet you are searching for. No resulting spam or pop-ups.
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com Visiting them and clicking in will help them get corporate sponsorship to help feed needy animals. Warning - they will bomb you with pop-ups!

Got information that would be useful? Books, links, formulas, lessons learned for good or ill? Cat info, dog info, even stuff about birds and reptiles. Send them to troll@hillwoman.com and share what you know!

From Time to time I have needed an Animal Communicator. I first met Sally Gewinner at a small event in Fulton. At that time our old kitty Belle was showing some odd behaviors. Sally helped confirm my suspicions and figure out ways to help deal with belle's transition.         Since then I have called upon Sally for help with domestic pets and Wildlife too. Her gentle healing wisdom has always proved supportive of the animals in our care.         Sally still works full time as a teacher, but you can often find her at weekend psychic and holistic fairs in the central NY region. You can email her at sallyg1010@gmail.com or call us for her phone number if you need faster help or an appointment.