Petango Comes to Aid of Pets Lost in Tuscaloosa Tornado

OAKVILLE, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 12, 2011) - Pethealth Inc. ("Pethealth" or the "Company") (TSX:PTZ) As images of lost pets and pleas for their safe recovery flood the Internet, Pethealth staff are working on the ground and online with the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter ("Metro Shelter") in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to support its rescue efforts and reconnect lost pets with their owners following the violent storms that wreaked havoc across the state and surrounding areas.

On the ground, Jorge Ortega, Emergency Responder and Regional Director, Shelter Outreach at Pethealth, has worked nonstop over the past three days to help Metro Shelter staff organize and generate electronic records for the over 340 stray animals that have entered its facilities since April 27, 2011. In addition to helping them keep track of the animals in their care, he and volunteers have diligently photographed stray pets to provide visual profiles for rescue workers and pet owners searching online.

"The number of animals in need here is overwhelming," says Jorge Ortega. "When we're not working on the administrative tasks of updating profiles and entering pets into the database, we're scanning for microchips, cleaning kennels, facilitating visitors and offering comfort where we can."

Stray pets currently in the care of Metro Shelter staff can now be viewed online at Petango.com on a dedicated page powered by PetPoint, a cloud-based animal management system developed by Pethealth that also drives a real time, live feed of adoptable pets from nearly 1,650 shelters to Petango.com. Through its integration with PetPoint, Petango is uniquely positioned to connect online users with animals in shelters and rescues across North America and in this case, with lost pets recovered from the wreckage left behind by the storms. As a hosted application, PetPoint also offers offsite data storage and wireless access, ensuring organizations like Metro Shelter can continue to manage their operations via portable devices when necessary and in times of crisis.

"After the tornado destroyed parts of Tuscaloosa, one of the first people to reach out to us was a member of Pethealth's Shelter Outreach," says Judy Hill, Director of Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter. "As the devastation was being assessed and animals started pouring into Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter, they were quick to respond with questions about our welfare and how they could help. It was so comforting to have that connection at a time when we were all so vulnerable. The fact that Jorge was able to join us here to help get us caught up on our intakes and lend an extra pair of hands where needed was phenomenal!"

In accordance with yesterday's Advisory Board meeting for City and County officials, by end of this week Metro Shelter will begin transferring stray pets to locations both in and out of state where more room is available. As they prepare for this deadline, PetPoint will assist their ability to coordinate and track the movements of the animals in their system.

"As an organization largely operated by pet owners, our hearts go out to all the families and pets in Alabama and the surrounding areas that lost their homes," says Susan Arts, Vice President of Marketing at Pethealth Inc. "Through our continued support both on the ground and online via Petango.com and our social media channels, we are committed to helping more pets find their families and assisting our partner shelters during this crisis."

As of Tuesday morning, at least 85 lost pets had been reunited with their owners.

If you or someone you know has lost a pet in the Tuscaloosa Area please visit www.Petango.com for a complete listing of animals currently in custody at the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter.

About Petango.com and ThePetangoStore.com

Petango.com is the only adoptable search site that exclusively uses live animal data feeds from nearly 1,650 animal welfare organizations and offers a wide range of content-rich options for potential adopters, shelters and anyone who wants to learn more about pet adoption. It is the one-stop destination for anyone looking to adopt a pet from an animal welfare organization and participate in an interactive, social networking pet lovers' community in North America. ThePetangoStore.com is the place to shop for pets and help save homeless pets with a percentage of every purchase donated back to the animal shelter of the shopper's choice. ThePetangoStore.com offers a full range of discounted pet medications and pet supplies, including brand names such as Frontline, Advantage, Heartgard and K9 Advantix.