It happens every year about this time. We get out the suitcases, start to pack up, and across the room our pets are paying close attention sizing up the situation to determine if they are going with. Then just when they are about to wag their tails, they start worrying if this scene means they are about to be left behind with a dog sitter or taken to a boarding facility. Guilt. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Helpful Information’ Category
Boarding Your Dog During Summer Vacations
Monday, June 1st, 2009Hot Weather is Here! Don’t Let Your Dog Overheat!
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
The temperature is rising, dogs are playing, and suddenly your dog has overdone it and is not feeling well. Dogs will keep on playing and can experience overheating until it is too late to help them. Would you know what signs to watch for when when that hot day of play leads to problems for your pet? Learn more about the how to keep your dog healthy in the heat. (more…)
Evacuating Pets During Emergencies
Monday, May 11th, 2009Save me, I’m scared too! Disaster Preparedness for our pets.
Emergencies can happen at any time. Victims of the recent Santa Barbara fires in California know all too well how they may be required to evacuate and relocate for either the short or long term and at a moment’s notice. For this reason, it is important to plan and be prepared for such an evacuation during an emergency. Preparing for this includes planning how to evacuate pets as well as people. It is important to think ahead and consider everything that is required before you are faced with a critical emergency.
What steps can you take? The ASPCA makes the following recommendations:
First, get a free Pet Safety Pack with a Rescue Sticker. This allows rescuers to see that pets are inside your home (if you are not home and unable to retrieve your pets). Write down the types and number of pets in your household and the the name of your vet including phone number, along with other pertinent information. If you actually are evacuating and taking your pets, write “evacuated” across the stickers. To get a FREE emergency pet pack for your home, refer to the ASPCA website. You may fill out the online order form for the pack which includes a sticker and magnet.
Next, arrange a safe place for your pets. (more…)
Eco Friendly Doggie Poop Bags
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
With Earth Day being celebrated this week, keep in mind that we can help our dogs and cats do their part too! PoopBags.com, a small business based out of Chicago provides a line of biodegradable pet waste products. These pet poop bags meet the ASTM D6400 specification for biodegradability which requires that the material will degrade at a similar rate as an apple would , and that it will leave no large plastic fragments.
PoopBags.com notes that their product is made from a combination of corn and other renewable products, have no chemical additives to enhance decomposition, and biodegrade naturally when exposed to micro-organisms in the soil. They also state that their product “breathes”, allowing heat and moisture to escape. It is this feature that reduces bacterial build-up of collected waste thus reducing odor.
CONSIDER THESE FACTS
- It is estimated that over 4 million tons of dog waste go uncollected annually.
- 25 percent of all pollutants in waterways are attributed to dog waste.
- Plastics are the fourth highest generated waste in the United States. Originating from petroleum, which is non-renewable, plastics do not biodegrade and take thousands of years to break down. A thin plastic bag can sit for 100 years and harm fish and wildlife and plug drainage sewers in cities…along with many other problems. Paper, yard trimmings, and food scraps are the top three categories of generated waste. All of these however, come from renewable sources.
- Plastics are the least recycled with a 6.9% recovery rate. Over 30 million tons of plastic go unrecycled each year.
SOLUTION… (more…)
Seven Things Your Dog Needs You To Do
Thursday, April 16th, 2009Seriously, what would Fido’s all around conclude that effective pet owners have in common? Well, besides an abundance of unconditional love and affection, here are seven things that help put a smile on dogs everywhere:
- Training – How else can your dog learn what they are and are not supposed to do?
- Exercise – Ceaser the Dog Whisperer stresses this point. Dogs get stuck in the “wait” mode – we are busy, we are at work, etc. So why not reward them with some exercise both mental and physical?
- Good food and a consistent feeding schedule. Vets say not to overfeed your pooch. Limit treats. Avoid table scraps!
- Leadership – You are the pack leader. Help to create a regular sleeping, eating, and play schedule when possible. Plan some safe social contact to help socialize your dog.
- Play – Dogs love to play!! Bond with your dog! It only takes a few minutes each day and you both will reap rewards and develop a positive bond.
- Management – Help manage the chewing, jumping, high energy, and anxiety. Start with your pup when they are young.
- Patience – Having a pup or new dog can be a challenge so plan, read-up and know that these little pups will grow up.
Don’t Let Doggy Be an Easter Feaster!
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009Chocolate Easter bunnies smell good, right? Trouble is, they smell even better to your pets, especially dogs.
It is that very keen sense of smell, curiosity, and urge to sniff, search and eat, that can cause a serious trip to the vet’s emergency room hopefully in time to safe their life. Easter is just a few days away and it is a very good preventative measure to remind your family and friends that Easter goodies, chocolate in particular just as with temptations around other holidays, can be very toxic to pets and therefore absolutely must be left way out of reach off-limits.
As it turns out, chocolate is one of the twenty most common poisonings listed by the National Animal Poison Control Center. It is much more common over holidays thanks to open candy dishes, treats, gift baskets and accessible backpacks or even pockets with a candy bar or two left laying about. Remember our dogs’ sense of smell is many times more sensitive than ours and they will find chocolate if it is left out. Having it up on a kitchen table or even if left in a low cabinet without a baby-proof latch is hardly a challenge. Remember, dogs have tunnel vision for that toxic treat. Our vet tells me they do it over and over – they won’t remember how much their tummy hurt the last time they got into mischief like this.
Think about these points when Easter rolls around: (more…)
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