City of Pauls Valley Animal Welfare

09/30/2026

Please contact the Pauls Valley Animal Shelter if you recognize this dog.

09/28/2026

09/27/2026

What do puppy formula, almond milk, kitten milk replacer, breastmilk, and whole cow’s milk have in common? They’re terrible for wildlife. BUT they’re commonly given to baby wildlife including baby squirrels by members of the public.

🐿️Feeding an infant squirrel the wrong formula or using the wrong feeding methods can both be death sentences for that infant. Persistent diarrhea, bloat, or constipation caused by improper formulas can cause constant pain and even death in infant squirrels. People chose to keep animals and “try” taking care of these babies rather than getting them to a trained, licensed wildlife rehabilitator. And when they do get to a professional wildlife rehabilitator, often the damage or illness is too severe to reverse.

🐿️One common consequence of improper formula is metabolic bone disease, a lifelong condition that weakens bones and causes painful fractures. Aspiration pneumonia is nearly always the result of “rescuer-fed” baby squirrels resulting from incorrect feeding techniques. This is a serious disease that often results in death.

🐿️While there may be good intentions behind these actions, they cause suffering and cost animals their lives. AI and Internet searches cannot replace a wildlife professional.

🐿️The best thing to do when you find an orphaned squirrel is to follow the steps below:

1) Call WildCare Oklahoma at 405-872-9338. Even if you get our voicemail, instructions on what to do if you find an injured or orphaned squirrel are outlined in our message!
2) Capture the infant squirrel by wearing gardening or small leather gloves and putting a blanket over the baby to lift it into a container.
3) Contain the infant squirrel in a secure tote with airholes, a cat or dog carrier, or even a cardboard box with air holes.
4) Keep the contained baby squirrel in a warm, dark, quiet place to limit stress until you are able to transport.
5) Do not offer any food or any water at any time while the squirrel is in your care!

🐿️It may feel “mean” to not offer wildlife food or water, but you are doing them a bigger favor by not feeding them. An orphaned squirrel with no food or water for a few hours has a much greater chance of making it to adulthood than an orphaned squirrel who was kept by a member of the public and fed kitten replacer milk for a week.

09/25/2026

If this is your cat please contact the Pauls Valley Animal Shelter.

09/25/2026

📚 If you haven’t gathered by now, the theme of this month is TRAINING & STAFF DEVELOPMENT!

Today, September 25, Pauls Valley Animal Welfare will have a late opening at 2:00 PM while our team spends the morning with WildCare Oklahoma for a facility tour, operations overview, and staff/board training.

And this one is especially important for us.

WildCare Oklahoma, located in Slaughtersville, is Oklahoma’s largest licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility and the state’s only wildlife rehabilitation and conservation education center with a full-service medical clinic dedicated to native wildlife. They care for more than 9,500 patients representing over 230 species each year, providing medical treatment and rehabilitation to injured, sick, and orphaned wildlife with the ultimate goal of returning them to the wild.

🐿️🦝🦉 So why does wildlife training matter to an animal shelter?

Because animal welfare doesn’t stop with dogs and cats.

The City Animal Welfare Officers are often the people residents call when they encounter an injured bird, an orphaned squirrel, a displaced opossum, a snake, a turtle hit by a vehicle, or another wild animal in distress. Knowing when an animal actually needs intervention, how to safely handle and contain different species, how to reduce stress, and where that animal needs to go next can make a huge difference for both the animal and the people involved.

WildCare also specializes in helping communities navigate human-wildlife conflicts and educating people about peacefully coexisting with Oklahoma’s native wildlife—knowledge that directly translates into better responses in the field.

We’ve put a major emphasis this month on getting the shelter staff outside our own four walls, learning from organizations that specialize in different areas of animal welfare, and bringing that knowledge back home to Pauls Valley.

Better-trained staff = better decisions, safer responses, and better outcomes for ALL the animals we encounter. ❤️

Thank you for understanding our delayed opening while we invest a few hours in making our team better.

⏰ Late Opening: 2:00 PM
📅 Thursday, September 25, 2026
🐾 Regular operations resume from 2:00–5:00 PM

Learn more about WildCare Oklahoma⁠ and the incredible work they do for wildlife across our state- https://www.wildcareoklahoma.org/

09/24/2026

When is the last time you looked at your dog’s teeth? What you are seeing is only the tip of the iceberg. Dental disease is one of our most common and least treated diseases. What may look like “just dirty teeth” may be hiding severe gingivitis, periodontitis, and serious tooth infections.
So today have a look at those chompers. And come see us if you don’t like what you find. We can help clean those mouths up.

09/21/2026

If either of these kittens are yours, contact Pauls Valley Animal Shelter.

09/17/2026

**OWNER CLAIMED**
Contact the Pauls Valley Animal Shelter if this is your dog

09/16/2026

Pets and even their human friends got a boost last week with the official opening of a food and supplies pantry at Pauls Valley’s dog park.

09/15/2026

**OWNER CLAIMED **

Please contact the Pauls Valley Animal Shelter if this is your dog.