The Importance of Eye Exams for Those with Diabetes
(ARA) - Nearly 23 million Americans are affected by diabetes and, of these people, one-third, or almost 6 million, are unaware that they have the disease. Undiagnosed, diabetes can result in vision impairment, a frequent complication of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and blindness.
An optometrist is an important member of the diabetes health care team. Part of living with diabetes is having a dilated eye examination on at least an annual basis — more often for those people with existing eye issues or more serious retinopathy.
Diabetic retinopathy, a diabetes-related eye disease, is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults 20 to 74 years old. Other vision problems caused by diabetes include: vision changes, glaucoma, and cataracts. Through a comprehensive dilated eye exam, doctors of optometry can look inside the eye and examine blood vessels directly, detecting signs and symptoms of retinopathy.
Prolonged blood sugar elevation damages the delicate blood vessels inside the eye, causing them to leak, bleed and become blocked. Symptoms may include:
* Fluctuating or blurring of vision
* Occasional double vision
* Night vision problems
* Flashers and floaters seen by one or both eyes.
Diabetes and its complications may affect many parts of the eye, resulting in changes in nearsightedness, farsightedness, and premature presbyopia (the inability to focus on close objects that often occurs in the early-to-mid-forties as a natural part of aging).
During a comprehensive eye exam, your doctor of optometry will perform a variety of tests, including looking in your eyes with lights and lenses that magnify the view of the retina, to identify signs of diabetes and other eye-related health problems, because early detection is important. In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, laser therapy may be effective. In more advanced cases, surgery may be required.
Anyone experiencing changes in vision should immediately see an optometrist. Equally important is monitoring and maintaining control of diabetes, including adherence to your primary care physician’s instructions on diet, exercise and medication. By doing so, chances are good that you can enjoy a lifetime of good vision and health.
For more information, visit www.aoa.org.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
RALEIGH - The conservation group American Rivers says the city of Raleigh could cut water use up to 40 percent and save millions of dollars by improving water efficiency.
But a city environmental coordinator says Raleigh has already adopted many of the policies the organization recommends.
American Rivers issued a report Wednesday in which it analyzed how four cities in the Southeast could benefit from water efficiency, as opposed to building new dams and reservoirs. It concluded that Raleigh could save $30 million to $60 million by pursuing efficiency as compared with building dams and reservoirs.
“I don’t know how they developed the numbers,” said Ed Buchan, the city Utilities Department’s environmental coordinator. “We think that a lot of the things we’ve already done have saved us some money.”
Buchan noted, however, that cutting consumption also reduces the city’s revenue from water and sewer charges. And Buchan said that even with efficient use of water, growing communities such as Raleigh must still plan new reservoirs.
Read More:News & Observer
How to Keep Your Family Flu-free
(ARA) - “Sniffle, sniffle, wheeze, wheeze.” These are tell-tale sounds of cold and flu season, which is right around the corner. With a little knowledge and a few smart tips, you and your family may make it through the winter without a single “ah-choo!”
Lifestyle expert Hannah Keeley, author and founder of TotalMom.com, offers the following tips for keeping your family flu-free this winter:
Get your daily dose of healthy food.
Eating raw fruits and vegetables not only helps your digestive health, it also strengthens your immune system. But as any mom can tell you, it’s hard to get your family thrilled about noshing on raw carrots all day. Try fresh or frozen fruit smoothies or offer raw veggie slices served with a zesty dip. Be creative – look for opportunities to slide some sprouts in a sandwich or hide sliced peppers in a wrap. A healthy diet makes for a healthy family.
Wash your hands.
Mothers have been chanting the same mantra for ages, so why mess with a good thing? The simple act of washing hands with good old-fashioned soap and water is, hands down — no pun intended — the best way to prevent the spread of colds and viruses. Make soap easy for children to reach and try paper towels for drying instead of cloth towels, which can harbor germs.
Keep your body moving.
Daily exercise is a great way to strengthen your immune system; and we all know that a strong immune system is key to fighting off potential infections. Even though the cooler winter weather drives us indoors, make time during the day to get up and move. Turn on some music and dance around the house or bundle the kids up and go skating. Find ways to make exercise fun and get the whole family in on the action.
Take a daily multi-vitamin.
Many people suffer from diets that are low in the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to guard against disease. Protect the health of you and your family by taking a daily multi-vitamin. Remind the kids to take their vitamins by making it a part of your family’s morning breakfast routine.
Tell a good joke.
Stress can make the body more susceptible to catching colds and the flu. Fight off stress this season with a little laughter, fun and games. Host a weekly family game night, watch a hilarious family comedy together, or share funny stories around the dinner table. You’re not just strengthening bodies; you’re strengthening your family.
Clean the air.
During the winter, your family is exposed to viruses that circulate in the air they breathe both outside and indoors. While indoors, protect your family by installing a whole-home air filtration system like American Standard AccuClean. Not only does the American Standard AccuClean system remove a whopping 99.98 percent of particles and allergens from indoor air, but according to a recent Harvard University research study, it also removes more than 99 percent of the common flu, or influenza A virus, from your home’s filtered air. It’s an easy way to keep your family breathing clean, comfortable air all year long.
Forget stocking up on the tissues and expensive meds. In just a few simple steps, you can protect your family and look forward to a fun and healthy winter together.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
How to Choose the Right Pet Health Insurance Plan
(ARA) - We all love our pets and for good reason. They provide a great deal of joy in our lives and offer unconditional love. That’s why whether it’s a routine annual exam, ongoing flea and heartworm control, or a medical treatment for cancer, a growing number of pet owners are making a serious commitment to give their pets the best health and preventive care available. But over time, this care can be expensive.
Recent studies show pet owners now spend $24.5 billion a year on veterinary services, over-the-counter drugs and other health supplies for pets. Tremendous advancements in veterinary technology have helped increase the life span of cats and dogs. For example, expensive medical treatments like cat scans, MRIs and chemotherapy — services once only available for people — are now being used to help save the lives of pets.
Pet owners’ beloved four-legged friends can sometimes face unexpected medical emergencies or illnesses, resulting in the difficult decision whether or not to spend thousands of dollars to save the life of their pet. Having pet health insurance helps allow pet owners to decide with their hearts, not their wallets, what’s best for their pets in their time of need.
But with so many plans out there, how do you know which one to choose? Here are some factors to consider:
1. Insure young.
The best time to purchase pet insurance is when the animal is young. Many pet health insurance plans do not cover pre-existing conditions so it is best to insure your pet when it is a puppy or kitten. Insuring early can also provide coverage for certain initial veterinary procedures such as vaccinations and spaying/neutering.
2. What kind of coverage does the plan offer?
There are many different types of pet health insurance policies available. Some policies cover only accidents, some cover accidents and illnesses, while others offer coverage for accidents, illnesses and preventive care. The preventive care coverage can include certain customary annual costs of routine vaccinations, flea and heartworm preventative medications, routine annual physical exams and lab tests, and other preventive care as outlined in the policy.
3. Do I have to pay a deductible?
Just like with human insurance, different plans have different deductibles. PurinaCare pet health insurance, the first pet health insurance under the Purina brand, allows pet owners to choose from four different deductible options: $100, $250, $500 or $1,000. There is a 20-percent co-pay once the annual deductible has been met, and the benefit limit is $20,000 annually.
4. Are certain conditions excluded?
Pet insurance exclusions can vary depending on the policy chosen. Common exclusions include pre-existing medical conditions, cosmetic and elective procedures, fertility and pregnancy.
5. Can I use my own veterinarian?
It depends on the plan. PurinaCare pet health insurance, for example, allows pet owners to take their pet to the veterinarian of their choice, including veterinary specialists such as oncologists, neurologists and allergists, as long as they are licensed in the United States.
“Pet health insurance can help pet owners provide the best care possible for their pets in a time of need. However, less than one percent of pets are currently insured due to a lack of awareness of pet insurance, and dissatisfaction with current plan options. We are excited to use Purina’s pet expertise, innovation, brand trust and experience to deliver simple, comprehensive and easy-to-use pet health insurance that meets the needs of today’s highly involved pet owners,” says David Goodnight, D.V.M., president and chief operating officer of PurinaCare Insurance Services., Inc.
For more information about PurinaCare or to obtain a free, no obligation quote, visit www.purinacare.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Five Tips for Keeping Pets Healthy and Vet Bills Down
(ARA) – When it comes to caring for our pets’ health, most of us don’t bat an eye when it comes to spending money on expensive prescriptions or procedures, even for common health problems like skin allergies, digestive upset and urinary tract infections.
But with the average household owning 1.7 dogs and 2.2 cats, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2007 survey, those visits can add up. Now more than ever, pet owners are seeking out ways to keep their vet bills down while maintaining the health and happiness of their pets.
“We’re all trying to trim daily expenditures to compensate for rising commodity costs, and unnecessary expenses are usually the first to go,” says Dr. Susan Lauten, pet expert and nutrition consultant. “While there may be health problems that require a vet’s treatment, many common pet ailments can be treated and prevented in more cost effective ways.”
Lauten offers five ways to help keep your pet healthy while reducing healthcare costs.
1. Good nutrition is the key to good health. Instead of skimping on your pet food budget, select high quality foods with high levels of meat proteins and whole grains. Healthy pets with strong immune systems, healthy coats and strong teeth are less susceptible to disease.
2. Feeding your pet a variety of foods can minimize the development of food allergies. By providing pets with different proteins and forms, like kibble, canned and raw frozen, the Rotation Diet from Nature’s Variety offers the full spectrum of nutrients cats and dogs need to avoid food-related health problems.
3. Keep your pet clean and parasite-free. Paying extra attention to grooming during the summer months can help avoid skin disease, parasite-related diseases from ticks and fleas, and hot spots.
4. Make sure your pet visits the veterinarian for regular checkups. It’s also important to talk to your veterinarian about the importance of proper nutrition and holistic healthcare options for your special pet.
5. If your pet shows signs of illness, be sure to visit your veterinarian right away. Early detection can reduce the overall cost of treatment.
Lauten stresses the fact that quality pet food should remain a financial priority. “Changing to a low quality food to save money can result in increased food requirements, poor immune health, decreased coat quality and poor skin health,” says Lauten. “In the end, it could result in more vet expenditures and more bills.”
Sage’s Story
Sage was dropped off at the Benicia Vallejo Humane Society in Vallejo, Calif., when she was just a puppy. The underweight Boxer was suffering from severe skin problems, was missing large patches of hair and was in generally poor health. The Director of Human Services, Peter Wilson, was deeply concerned for Sage’s well-being and considered a variety of options for treatment.
“Sage’s skin condition was from a lack of care and possible allergies,” says Wilson. “Nature’s Variety donated product to help with Sage and encouraged us to feed her a Rotation Diet with different forms of kibble, canned and raw frozen food, and different proteins such as chicken and duck.”
The variety of foods in the Rotation Diet provided Sage with more balanced nutrition, which helped to stabilize her health and combat any possible allergies. In a few weeks, Sage’s skin had begun to heal. Sage is now happy, healthy, allergy-free and living with her new adoptive family.
“Sage’s story is a perfect example of the effect a quality diet can have on a pet’s overall health,” says Lauten. “All it took was the implementation of a broader and balanced variety of foods to provide her with the nutrients she needed to get better.”
More Quality Now, Fewer Problems Later
Strong health starts with proper nutrition. Feeding a high-quality Rotation Diet will help keep pets in top condition so they are more resistant to health problems. Adding in exercise and routine check-ups will also ensure your dog or cat maintains optimal wellness.
For more information on the health benefits of balanced, nutritionally complete diets, as well as a feeding guide for determining your pet’s specific needs, visit www.naturesvariety.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Tips for Road Trips With Pets
(ARA) - Bringing the family pet along on a road trip may seem like a good idea – you don’t have to ask friends or family to look after your pet and you can avoid the costs and concerns that go with boarding and kennels. But traveling with pets in the car also brings special challenges that, fortunately, can be met with a bit of forethought and careful preparation of both the vehicle and pet.
According to information from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), which recently teamed with Subaru of America to produce a brochure on pet travel tips, bringing a pet along on a road trip simply involves adapting your routine to the road. All of the things you take into consideration at home – your pet’s health, happiness and safety – should be thoughtfully addressed when traveling with your pet.
Here are 10 helpful tips for road-tripping with pets from the AVMA and Subaru:
* If your pet is not accustomed to car travel, take it for a few short rides before your trip so it will feel confident that a car outing does not necessarily mean a trip to the veterinarian or an unpleasant destination.
* Cats should always be confined to a cage or in a cat carrier to allow them to feel secure and prevent them from crawling under your feet while you are driving.
* Dogs riding in a car should not ride in the passenger seat if it is equipped with an airbag, and should never be allowed to sit on the driver’s lap.
* See your automotive dealer for pet accessories designed specifically to fit your vehicle, such as compartment dividers that separate pets and cargo from the passenger area. Several automobile manufacturers, including Subaru, offer a dog guard/compartment divider that keeps pets safely in the rear cargo area of station wagons, “crossover” vehicles and SUVs.
* Pets should not be allowed to ride with their heads outside car windows. Particles of dirt or other debris can enter the eyes, ears, and nose, causing injury or infection.
* Give small portions of food and water. Plan to stop every two hours for exercise. Remember to include a leash with your pet’s traveling supplies.
* If your dog has a problem with carsickness, your veterinarian can prescribe medication that will help the dog feel comfortable during a long car trip.
* Pack a simple pet first-aid kit that includes assorted bandages, antiseptic cream, an anti-diarrheal medication that is safe for pets (ask your veterinarian to suggest a product), gauze squares, phone numbers for your veterinarian, and a 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital at your destination, as well as a national poison control hotline.
* In addition to a standard identification tag (which should be labeled with your name, home address, and phone number), your pet’s collar should include a travel tag with information on where you are staying while away from home. Should your pet become lost, this will allow you to be contacted locally.
* Perform a daily “health check” on your pet when away from home. In unfamiliar surroundings, your pet’s appetite, energy, and disposition may change. Watch for unusual discharges from the nose and eyes, excessive scratching or biting of any body part, abnormal elimination, or excessive water consumption. Visit a local veterinarian if you are concerned about any physical or behavioral changes.
As you can see, a little planning and a carefully prepared vehicle can make all the difference between a good time had by all and a road trip filled with regret.
To download a color copy of the AVMA/Subaru Traveling With Your Pet brochure, visit
http://www.avma.org/animal_health/brochures/traveling/traveling_brochure.pdf.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Purr-fectly ’Green’ Cat Care Tips
(ARA) – She can jump from the floor to the top of the refrigerator, or bound across your desk without disturbing a single sheet of paper. Your cat personifies the graceful, enviable sure-footedness of her species. But what about her eco-footprint?
With 88 million domesticated cats in the country (according to the National Pet Owners Survey by the American Pet Products Association), the question isn’t just academic. Like their human companions, pets’ modern lifestyles consume natural resources and can contribute to environmental issues like greenhouse gases and the waste stream.
”As consumers and responsible pet owners, we are all looking for ways to care for our pets’ health and their environment,” says Jill Cordes, host of America’s first broadband pet channel www.Petstyle.com. “Many of us are already putting eco-friendly practices into action in our own lives, from buying organic food to shopping with reusable bags and switching to natural household cleaners. Adopting ‘green’ pet care habits is a natural extension of our environmental consciousness.”
You can become a “greener” cat owner with 10 simple steps, Cordes advises:
1. Give them shelter. Overcrowding at animal adoption centers strains resources. You can help ease the problem – and possibly save an animal’s life – by adopting from a shelter rather than buying a cat from a pet store or breeder. You may also save money if you adopt from a shelter where many animals are likely to already be vaccinated, spayed or neutered. Visit www.aspca.com for more information.
2. Use protection. Get your cat spayed or neutered. Unplanned, unwanted ”deliveries” often wind up in shelters, contributing to the overcrowding problem. Plus, spaying and neutering can help reduce your cat’s risk of developing uterine, ovarian, or testicular cancer.
3. Tag, you’re it. Be sure your cat always wears a name tag (or license, if your municipality requires cats to be licensed). If he gets lost, the tag will help any good Samaritan who finds him return him to you. Plus, you’ll conserve the gas you would waste driving around the neighborhood hunting for him, and the paper for those ”missing” posters.
4. Keep it clean – and gentle. Replace traditional pet care and cleaning products that may contain harsh chemicals with gentle, all-natural products.
5. Potty all the time. Choose environmentally friendly cat litter like ARM & HAMMER Essentials Clumping Cat Litter. It’s made with natural biodegradable corn fibers which are sensible for the environment, and absorbs twice the liquid compared to regular clumping clay litter. Plus, the addition of baking soda eliminates odor problems instantly. Visit www.armandhammeressentials.com/litter.aspx to learn more.
6. Food for thought. Just as added hormones or pesticides in your food aren’t good for you, they’re not good for your cat, either. Look for pet food that is natural, organic and FDA-certified.
7. Quench their thirst. Change your pet’s water and food bowl regularly to eliminate potential disease, insect or other pest infestations. Be sure to use filtered tap water rather than bottled water, which weighs on your wallet and the environment.
8. Play ball. Purchase toys made from sustainable fibers or recycled materials, or entertain your cat with homemade toys crafted from recycled materials, like a scratching pole made from old carpeting. And remember, you will always be her favorite – and most eco-friendly – toy.
9. Into the wild … or not. Try to keep your cat inside as much as possible to avoid exposure to injury, illness and predatory wildlife. If your cat craves the outdoors, however, try to keep his outside time supervised in an enclosed area.
10. Purr-tanical gardens. In an enclosed space, plant a small garden in your backyard for your cat and stock it with cat-safe herbs and flowers. Just be sure kitty is always supervised, and stays in her own yard – otherwise you may find yourself having to explain her embarassing visit to your neighbor’s tomato patch.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
(ARA) - As Halloween approaches, the seasonal “to-do” list, typically marked with finding the perfect costume and trick-or-treat route, is a bit more complicated with the growing need to protect the environment and manage household budgets. In preparing for your neighborhood ghosts and goblins, try these easy tips and tricks to “go green,” and spend less on your families’ spook-tacular celebration.
Howl to be Green
Incorporating small changes into your holiday preparation will go a long way to create an eco-friendly Halloween. Whether you’re hosting a party or adding colorful flare to the home or office, take inventory of your decorations and go back to nature by using locally-grown pumpkins, apples or fresh gourds to create tabletop and front porch accents. Organic, pesticide-free produce is widely available at farmers markets, grocery and specialty stores and leaves little waste once the celebration ends.
Also look for ways to “re-use” your Halloween accessories. Cloth or canvas shopping bags and pillowcases are great alternatives to paper, plastic bags and more traditional plastic jack-o-lanterns used by many trick-or-treaters to collect candy. Gather fall-colored scraps of fabric, ribbon, buttons or food coloring and spend the afternoon with the kids decorating a recyclable trick-or-treat bag. Use the custom creation to hand out candy at your door and your house will be the hit of the neighborhood.
Howl to Save
Spend less this Halloween by using old or outgrown clothes, sports equipment or dress-up items to make one-of-a-kind costumes. Unpack your graduation gown and buy a gavel at a thrift or prop store to transform your trick-or-treater into a judge. Dust off a wedding gown or bridesmaid’s dress, polish an old pair of pumps and grab a wig from a costume store and you’ve got a princess. Host a costume trading party and make sure everyone comes with old clothing or accessories to trade. Let the kids use their imaginations and see how many new and different costumes come to life.
You can also save by using recyclable household materials to decorate. Bed sheets hung from the ceiling or tree branches make convincing ghosts, as do balloons covered with a white sheet, tied with a ribbon around the neck and black felt tapped on for eyes. The sheets can be taken down, laundered and returned to the linen closet once Halloween is over.
Howl to Have Fun at Home
Consider baking at home this year to get everyone in the Halloween mood. Find unique recipes for Halloween treats that can be used as decorations or centerpieces before you indulge.
Gather everyone around and make creepy “edible eyeballs” with mini white powdered donuts, Life Savers Gummies, red icing and chocolate chips. Cover the hole in the center of the donut with a thin layer of icing and top with a gummy. Next, dip the bottom of a chocolate chip in icing before layering it on the gummy. Make the eyeball scary by drawing lines from the center of the donut to the outer edge with red icing. Finish the treat by poking each donut with a lollipop stick and arranging them in a bowl of candy corn to make a freaky yet tasty centerpiece.
Howl to Be Safe
Set the seasonal mood by decorating trees and sidewalks with lights and lanterns while making it easier for trick-or-treaters to find their way from door to door. Neat, well-lit landscapes make everyone feel more comfortable and confident.
Another simple way to help ghosts and goblins find their way door to door is to use makeup to finish a costume as an alternative to masks. Face paint makes it much easier for trick-or-treaters to see … especially at night
Chicken lovers push to lift town’s ban on backyard coops
CARY - Why did the chicken cross the road?
Because Cary told it to scram.
That’s a growing joke in urban poultry circles. Long stereotyped for its rule-happy sameness, Cary refuses to allow backyard chicken coops. Too noisy. Too smelly. Too … well, un-Cary.
But the town’s defiance has stirred a grass-roots chicken push; its supporters hope to bust Cary’s reputation as a snooty killjoy.
Check out the new Web site carychickens.com, or the poultry fans flocking on Facebook, the popular Internet social hub.
They point to Raleigh, where chicken coops are common enough that in some neighborhoods you can pass three on a single block, and where the annual Tour d’Coop draws a curious crowd.
Wake Forest just relaxed its poultry rules — letting homeowners keep up to 10 hens — and Durham is pondering the fresh-egg benefits of city chickens.
Cary, like the farmer in the dell’s cheese, stands alone.
“They don’t want to be seen as rednecks,” coop hopeful Michael Manfre said. “I don’t see how that association works, because cities like New York, they also allow chickens.”
In July, Manfre and his wife, Alissa, laid out their chicken plan for the council.
The rules: No roosters. No slaughtering. Permits required.
The perks: Tastier eggs. Locally grown food. Pets that eat bugs.
But the idea died when the council voted down a motion to study the possibility. Cary does allow poultry in its scarce agricultural zones, but council members backed firmly away from putting birds in neighborhood yards.
“Everywhere I went, I had people begging me not to let this happen,” council member Don Frantz said. “Noise, smell, disease, property values. It’s not an urban thing. It’s best left to the country.”
As to Cary’s image, and whether the chicken ban adds to its renown for regulation, Frantz shrugged.
“I guess that’s part of the reason we win so many national awards,” he said.
Chicken supporters in the Triangle and nationwide say most of the fears are misguided.
Having a few chickens in the backyard isn’t any noisier or messier than keeping a pet dog, fans say. Roosters are a different story, but they aren’t asking Cary for anything that crows.
“I’m not a morning person,” Manfre said. “I don’t want to hear them, either.”
Most towns require coops that keep hens from wandering, and any owner will tell you that a coop needs constant cleaning.
Cary leaders warned that for every law-abiding chicken keeper, you’d see two scofflaws. But in Raleigh, longtime chicken owners say they are vigilant.
“All of us are sensible, so they don’t crack down,” said Bev Norwood in the Five Points neighborhood. “We had our chickens for months, and the people whose bedroom window is 20 feet away didn’t even know we had chickens.”
Manfre said it is ironic that Cary would hold up its award-winning status when defending the no-chicken stance.
The town recently ranked 16th on Money magazine’s list of best small cities. Nearly every place that ranked higher — including Fort Collins, Colo., and Round Rock, Texas — permits poultry.
Cary’s council might not fret about how that looks to outsiders, but some residents do.
Read More:News & Observer
Passing the Buck . . . and the Doe and the Fawn
(ARA) - Sipping coffee on your back deck on a beautiful fall morning, you look up and gasp — there in your suburban oasis stands a small herd of deer. For a moment you pause, enchanted. An instant later, as the deer begin to munch on your landscape, you realize they’re just not as awestruck by the encounter as you are.
You don’t have to be a wildlife expert to know that after generations of dwelling in close proximity to humans, modern deer aren’t afraid of us anymore. What’s more, they no longer fear many of the traditional repellents some homeowners still use to protect shrubs, trees and landscaping. So when cool weather comes along and the natural landscape dies, deer have to start foraging for food sources. And they aren’t afraid to walk right into your yard and help themselves to your well-watered, well-established evergreens.
Even just a few deer can cause significant damage to your landscaping. “A single whitetail deer can consume, on average, 8 to 12 pounds of foliage a day,” says James Messina of Messina Wildlife Management. “In many areas of the country, deer overpopulation is a serious problem. With nowhere to go and not much left to eat in the dead of winter, deer can wreak havoc on shrubs, trees and gardens, and destroy new buds and leaves before they have a chance to grow, ruining your prospects for any spring growth.”
Hungry and bold, deer move into residential areas in the winter, and the damage they do in the cold weather will affect your landscape’s health next spring. Traditional animal repellents are also less effective than they were decades ago, Messina notes.
“That’s because those repellents rely on a bad smell — like the stench of a rotting carcass — to fool animals into thinking a predator’s kill is in the area and the predator may be returning for it,” he says. “But the number of predators has actually declined, and deer know it. They’re less afraid of predators, so relying on scare tactics has a greater tendency to fail over time.”
Some wildlife has also built up a resistance to chemical deterrents. Plus, increasingly eco-conscious homeowners prefer not to put potentially harmful chemicals into the environment. Other more lethal alternatives are not only inhumane but illegal in most parts of the country.
More homeowners are turning to organic alternatives, like Deer Stopper, a repellent formulated from plant extracts. This organic option works because it confronts deer by using their natural repulsion to certain plant smells and tastes rather than relying on fear.
“We know that deer will eat over 500 different types of plants,” Messina says. “Normally, they’re quite discriminating. But in fall and winter, when food is harder to find, they become less picky and much more of a threat to suburban landscapes. Still, like many wild animals, deer rely on taste and smell to judge if a food may be harmful to them. If your backyard foliage tastes or smells unpleasant to them, one bite and they’ll move on.”
An effective taste deterrent, Deer Stopper is 100 percent organic and completely safe for use on all types of plants — from vegetables to trees, flowers to shrubs. The Organic Materials Review Institute lists it as approved for use by organic growers. The smell- and taste-based technology also eliminates the need for a foul odor, so Deer Stopper actually smells good to humans. Lightly mist vegetation once a month, even during the cold and snowy winter to keep deer away all season long. To learn more, or to find retail locations, visit www.messinawildlife.com.
“In the early 1900s, there were probably only about half a million deer spread out over the country,” Messina says. “Today, there are more than 15 million. Deer, it turns out, adapt quite well to life in suburbia. Keeping them away from residential and commercial landscaping can help everyone — deer and homeowners — co-exist more happily together.”
Courtesy of ARAcontent
