Household Dangers for Dogs, Cats

There are many dangers around the household that our pets can encounter. Imagine if your pet drinks from the toilet where you have used self cleaning chemicals! There are unending hazards that the pet could experience. Keeping your pets away from all sorts of household chemicals and other household dangers is a responsibility that few pet owners really understand. Just like you would baby proof a house when you have a small baby crawling around, you also have to take care that your pet doesn’t accidentally electrocute itself, get injured, or swallow poisonous chemicals. Here are some common household dangers for pets which can easily be subverted.

• Shredders: These machines can be especially dangerous if you have small pets around the house. When shredders are not in use, they should ideally be turned off so that their automatic feed buttons cannot be pressed accidentally. The shredding teeth are very sharp and if a small pet nestles near the warm motor, the fur could get caught in the teeth and tear off from the body. When you are not using a shredder, either switch it off or completely unplug it.
• Washers and Dryers: Always keep the lid of any washers and dryers closed so that your pet may not accidentally fall into it. Washers and dryers present one of the biggest household dangers to pets. When your washing machines and dryers are not in use, make sure that they are turned off and that their lids are closed.
• Wire Crates: Wire crates are commonly found in households. However, a pet who is playing within the crate may accidentally get caught in the bars. If the wire is meshed close, a dog tag or a collar may get caught into the mesh and the pet may get suffocated. Do not keep any wire crates strewn around your house unattended. If you keep your pet in a crate, make sure that you remove the collars and tags before you put the animal in.
• Power Outlets and loose wires: One of the biggest household dangers for dogs and cats are loose live wires and power outlets. Power outlets which are within reach of your pets should be covered using safety covers. This ensures that your pet does not electrocute itself. If you have any loose wires around the house, they should be removed or clipped and sheathed so that they are no longer dangerous.
• Chemicals: Household cleaning chemicals, detergents, antifreeze, and other such chemical products that you keep in a closet or your garage, should always be kept away from the reach of your pets. These pose grave household dangers for cats and dogs. If your pet accidentally swallows these chemicals, it could lead to poisoning and eventual death of the pet. It is therefore important to be extremely careful.
• Cat and dog safety at home is in your hands. Make sure that your house is a safe place for your pets to roam around freely.

Selecting Vet

When we choose a doctor that we are going to depend on to take care of our medical complications, we usually put a lot of thought into it. The same goes with identifying the best possible doctor to take care of our near and dear ones. As a result, it is equally important to identify the best and most effective veterinarian to look after our pet canines because of the fact that they are likely to be as much a family member as our siblings, parents or offspring. Most families will readily accept that the household pet is an active member of the family because of the affection and companionship that dogs usually afford their masters. Choosing the best vet for your pet health care can be something as simple as word of mouth. As a few of the dog owners and lovers in your area for their recommendations or experiences when dealing with a few of the local veterinarians in order to be able to make an informed decision.

When choosing a veterinarian, it is important to make it a point to visit the facility in person in order to make sure that the vet takes good dog care that are sent to him or her for care. Making an appointment to visit the clinic will help you get a first hand view on factors such as whether the facility is clean, well organized and comfortable, the kind of equipment present as well as the hospitability of the staff. Moreover, gauging by the size of the staff, one can get a rough idea about the number of clientele that the veterinarian has to deal with – chances are, the more clients the vet has, the more renowned he is. Certain factors such as whether X-rays, blood work, endoscopy, ultrasound or EKGs are performed in house or referred to a specialist will also play a role in how fast your animal is treated when suffering from a severe condition and should be kept in mind when making your final decision. Make sure that the dog first aid services are well organized and, most of all, that any treatment fits into your budget. It also helps to know if the veterinarian provides any discounts when dealing with senior citizen or even with multi pet households. As important it is to choose a vet who you feel is most capable, it is equally important to be able to identify when to let go of the old one. If the veterinarian is not helping the animal substantially, it may be time to look for one that is more effective – being able to make that decision is extremely important for the health care of your pooch.

Pet Travelling Tips

Pet travel safety is extremely essential. This is mainly because one’s pets are unable to take care of themselves so it is the owner’s responsibility to do so. For dog travel safety the main step is to ensure that the heat is kept off. This is important even if the weather is cool outside. Never leave the dog in the car or a closed vehicle by itself with the heat turned on. Even if one leaves a crack open in the window or the weather seems nice outside, it may be enough to kill one’s dog, if the temperature begins to rise. One should always keep one’s dog secured safely. It may nice to have one’s dog sitting in one’s lap for the journey or for the dog to be peering out of the window to catch some breeze, but this can prove to be extremely dangerous not just to the dog but also the driver. This principle holds true even in the case of cat travel safety. Hence always secure one’s dog or cat to the special harness that is available for one’s pets when travelling. Just the way one should never keep one’s child playing in the back seat without a child harness or child seat, similarly one should not keep one’s animals locked up in the car without a dog harness or a cat harness. When travelling one should always ensure that their pets are well hydrated and do not get too thirsty along the way. Make adequate stops to give them plenty of water. One should also make lots of stops along the way to ensure that one’s pet gets to walk and stretch its legs. One can use this time to give the dog or cat some food and some water.

Always keep your pet on a leash when travelling or walking in a new place. This is required even if one’s pet is not used to being put on a leash. There may be open highways nearby or unfamiliar terrain that can be harmful to the animal. If the pet gets lost it may also be very hard to locate again if in unfamiliar territory. One should always put a collar around the dog or cats neck which provides adequate information if the animal gets lost. It should have the owners address information and any other information that is essential for the animal’s safety. When travelling by air, make sure that the pet is kept in an environment that is not too hot or too cold. Sometimes the cargo area of the plane can face extreme climates.

How to Remove Pet Hair:

While nothing beats the joy and exhilaration of playing with a furry four-legged friend, it is annoying to find your beloved pet’s hair in every corner of your house. The hair finds its way deep into carpets, furniture, clothes and even into the car upholstery. Even the most avid pet lovers face this problem on a regular basis. It is also important to groom your pets regularly to reduce the amount of loose hair on them. Here are a few easy and effective common tips to remove pet hair from clothing, carpeting and upholstery.

• Dampen the palm of your hand and wipe the pet hair in a downward motion. The hair will ball up so that you can easily pick it up and throw it in the trash.
• You can also dampen a kitchen sponge and rub your fabric, carpet or upholstery with it. Rub the sponge in a downward motion over your sofa cushion and car upholstery, the fur rolls up into clumps that make it easy to pick them off.
• Use latex gloves while rubbing any surface as the pet hair will stick to it. For increased effectiveness it is recommended to dampen the glove or rubber section of the glove.
• Vacuum carpets and furniture regularly and wash the surface as well as the rugs on which the pets sleep or have contact.
• Use masking tape to remove pet hair from your clothing. It is cost effective and simple to use. Wrap the tape around your hand with the sticky part facing outside and press the tape over the surface where you have pet hair.
• Use rubber brooms on your carpets. The rubber bristles work with static electricity and rolls up the hair in a pile. You can later pick up the rolled hair by hand and throw it away.
• You can also buy a vacuum cleaner that is specifically designed to remove pet hair.
• Sprinkle baking soda over rugs and allow it to sit. This helps loosen the pet hair and then you can vacuum it as usual.
• Other tools which are used to remove pet hair includes rubber rakes, hair removal sponges, pet hair rollers, and pet hair magnets
• There are also lint removal brushes which you can use to remove your pet’s hair.
• Pet hair removal from upholstery is made easier if the upholstery is sprayed with static guards and then followed by vacuuming.
• Keep a grooming mitt by your door so that every time your pet comes home from outside you can give it a quick brushing. This will limit the hair fall that ultimately piles up in your house.

Keeping Pet Safe during Holiday:

Safety of your pets is a concern during holidays. With a little common sense and careful planning, your pet’s holidays can be safe and enjoyable. During the holiday season, particularly at Christmas and Thanksgiving, we do tend to take precautions to keep our homes safe, whether in the context of decorations and appliances we use or if we are out on a holiday. For parents this is something quite routine, as decorations like electric lighting could pose a hazard and it therefore becomes necessary to plan accordingly. The same holds true for pets. Don’t forget that they are as much of a responsibility as kids, as they are your dependents.

Decorating your house is an inalienable feature to most festivities and this can be quite a problem if you have pets. Apart from the fact that they may rip apart some of your favorite decorations, many of these items are hazardous to pets. Paper decorations are quite harmless and the only threat may be to the decorations itself. A lot of the decorations that we use however do contain glass, candles and small parts of plastic, which can be hazardous to your pet. Puppies and kittens are particularly playful and do tend to chew on their toys. There is always the risk of them choking, in addition to which some of the ingredients used may also be toxic.

Lighting is probably the most common feature of any festivity and is probably one of the biggest hazards. Make sure that any lighting is, as far as possible, out of reach of any pets. Also make it a point to unplug any wires when you are not around as a pet chewing on a live wire could not only give it a severe shock, but could also cause a fire. A good way to protect any electrical wiring from pets and vice versa would be to douse the wires with an ingredient like bitter apple. It does taste terrible but is quite harmless if ingested.

Many of us also have guests over a lot of the time during the holidays. Big gatherings may be particularly traumatic to most pets, so if you notice your pet attempting to get away from the commotion and attention, provide it with a quiet and comfortable space for refuge. Although you may love the idea of your pet being the center of attention at a party, your pet may not share your sentiments.

Be careful with foods and diet too, as we do generally pamper our pets with tidbits from our scrumptious festive meals, but these may not always be healthy. Also make sure that any leftovers are disposed of properly. In addition to the risks of certain ingredients, over indulging on rich foods can contribute to obesity. No matter how hung over you may be, make sure that you don’t skip on giving your pet its much needed exercise.

Pet Holiday Care:

The holiday season is the one time of the year when diets and healthy eating are often forgotten. While most people tend to bounce back easily within a few weeks, it is not advisable to subject your pets to the same intense dietary changes as this can have serious repercussions. It is also very important that you do not feed your dog or cat table scraps and leftovers as the spices and condiments used in your dishes are not suitable for animal consumption. It is perfectly natural to want to share the holiday cheer with your pet and you can do it too, but make sure that it is in a way that does not compromise his health. The simplest method to ensure that your pet has a healthy diet plan despite the seasonal festivities is to follow a pet holiday menu.

A pet holiday menu should consist of healthy treats for pet. These treats could include his/her favorite biscuits or choice of meat or treats. A dog holiday menu would include boiled or steamed slices of meat or a change in his type of ready-made food. If your dog is used to dry dog-food, you could give him the wet variety instead. You can also prepare a larger amount of his food in advance. Separate this into small sealed containers and then place these containers in your freezer. As and when you need to feed him/her, you can heat one of the containers and then give him his food. Cats and dogs prefer fresh foods as compared to dry pellets. You can also make a little stock with the bones left over from the chicken or turkey. Do not add salt to the stock and add this stock to his food to enhance its flavor. If you have a cat you can do this with the tails and heads of any fish you have purchased for your own use. Do not give your pet sweets or chocolates as these are definitely not good for them and can even be fatal.

In addition to your pet holiday menu, you can also pamper your pet by spending a little more time playing with them each day. Dogs are especially fond of playtime and if you can extend it by even a few minutes they would be more than happy. You can even buy a couple of toys or a new collar for your pet. A great way to include your pet in the joy of this season is to spend a little extra time fussing over your pet every night, just before you go to bed.

Winter Care for Pets:

Winters are not just hard on us, but on our pets too. Very often we tend to take for granted that our pets are animals that can fend for themselves, and we forget that they are just as accustomed to the warmth and shelter indoors as we are. Although most of our pets are a lot more in tune with nature than we are and are a lot more capable of surviving in a natural habitat, leaving them outdoors in winter does put them at serious risk. There is a lot that you can do however to keep your pet safe during these harsh months.

Here are some specific winter pet health care concerns that you should pay attention to:

• Shelter: Try and keep your pet indoors as far as possible, and if this is not an option then make it a point to provide the animal with a shelter outside of your living space. Their shelter should be at an elevation and with some kind of a door or protected opening, so as to allow easy access for the animal, but protection from elements. There should also be some sort of heating, particularly to ensure the pet has access to drinking water. If the weather conditions are severe however, make it a point to keep your pet indoors.
• Feeding: Pets that spend time outdoors would require a higher caloric intake to keep themselves warm. Feed your pet as per its needs and remember to make adjustments as the weather fluctuates.
• Safety: Many species that are kept as pets and cats in particular, tend to seek out warm places for shelter. Sometimes this can pose risks as they often snuggle up under the hood of a car or near a generator, so make sure you check before using any device that could cause it injury.
• Fire and heating safety: Take precautions when considering heating devices too, as they do tend to attract pets. This means that you need to be on guard as your pet may accidently incur burns or could even knock over the heating device that may pose a fire hazard.
• Age and health considerations: Pets that suffer from any health condition or generally suffer ill health should not be exposed to the weather outside for long and the same caution needs to be exercised with old or young pets.
• Frostbite: Your pets are also susceptible to frostbite, so make sure that any snow or salt is removed when they return from an outdoor excursion. Check for frostbite and apply warm compresses or simply a towel soaked in warm water to thaw out the affected area.

These are just general tips that can help address your winter pet health concerns, but it would be advisable to consult your veterinarian for more advice regarding your specific pet.

Pet Oral Care:

It can definitely be said that with the correct dental care for pets life can be extended by an additional four to five years. However having said that, the importance of getting your pets the appropriate dental care is not well recognized. Statistics have shown that around eighty percent of dogs and approximately seventy percent of cats display some indications of dental problems by the time they reach the age of three. This has been known to lead to even more serious conditions of the heart, kidney or lung. The initial indicator of any dental problem is bad breath.

Periodontal disease is when the gum tissues get infected by bacteria. This occurs when food gets lodged in between the teeth and along the gum line leading to the build up of tartar and plaque. At the initial stage plaque is relatively soft and chewing hard toys or foods along with regular brushing can help remove it. However, if untended, it can lead to more serious problems like inflammation in the gum region, causing the gums to get red, swell up and get painful. It can also cause gingivitis. The next stage is hardening of the plaque into what is known as tartar. Tarter leads to a wedge like formation which separates the gum and the tooth. The final and most advanced stage post this is formation of pus at the tooth’s root causing the tooth to then loosen, the gums to bleed and is accompanied by a lot of pain

When cleaning pet’s teeth with a toothbrush. Pay special attention to the gum line as this is where most infections start off due to food build up. Always use toothpaste that is meant to be used on pets and not human toothpaste, as this can cause your pet an upset stomach. To clean the inner teeth, from above, keep a hold on the pet’s mouth, gently proceed to pull the head back thereby causing the mouth to fall open, enabling you to brush the teeth on both sides easily. The correct method is to keep the tooth and the brush at a forty five degree angle, while moving the brush in a circular motion. Feeding your pets hard biscuits or dry pet food after every meal serves to keep plaque at bay. Remember to pay regular visits to the vet for professional dental advice and care. Also practicing the correct oral hygiene on your pet at home is required.

Daily Pet Care:

Pet day care centers and businesses have gained immense popularity with more and more people owning pets. Pet popularity is soaring be it Labrador retrievers, boxers, or parakeets. Owning a pet day care center can be a fun and a highly remunerative business that involves looking after other people’s pets while they are away at work or on holiday. This is a highly satisfactory and fun filled job for somebody who is an animal lover.

Since the inception of pet daycare businesses, more pet owners now have the freedom to own a pet in spite of having a demanding work schedule that involves travel and late hours. Different pet day care centers can cater to various needs of the owners as well as the pets. There are full day centers, overnight centers, some which cater specifically to a certain kind of pet or others that cater to only larger or smaller breeds respectively. Pet day care comes equipped with all manner of services. These can range from grooming services, housebreaking services and pet spa boutiques. Some also offer training programs like obedience training. Other pet day care centers will offer additional facilities of pick up and drop off services for pets, thus saving the pet owners travel time.  Some pet day care centers had even tied up with corporate companies where the corporate offers its employees the exclusive facilities of a hassle free pet health care.

If you are looking for the ideal pet health care then try asking your veterinarian. You can also get suggestions from other dog owners who can give suitable references. When looking for the ideal pet daycare, it is also essential to take into account the staff to pet ratio, what methods are used to resolve fights amongst pets. Also check the amount of play time the pet gets, how the pets are supervised, the area where the pets are housed etc. It is also imperative to see if the pet center follows some kind of a routine with its meal times, play times or nap times. You can also check on the vaccinations required to be given before sending your pet to the center. It is also advisable to schedule a visit with your pet to the daycare and observe how your pet is handles. When you pick your pet up you can check to see if he shows any kind of stress.  it is important at all times that the environment is a comfortable one for all pets.

Pet Accessory:

If you ever wished you could dress your pet in the latest trendy accessories, there are plenty of options available now. There are certain species and breeds that exude elegance. Take French Poodles for instance. When it comes to dogs, French Poodles are considered most elegant. However, if you have the right accessories to dress up your pet, they can also easily be counted amongst the finest and most fashionable. Pet accessories do not mean diamond studded collars or designer accessories. Anything that you buy for your pet, except for their food is considered an accessory. Fancy chewy toys, warmers, collars, bedding, and clothes are all counted in accessories. Fancy feeding utensils, cages, perches, leash, and some of the other things for the use of your pets are all classified under pet accessories too.

These days, many pet owners treat their pets like their own children. Those who have the ability to spend, pamper their pets with massages, pedicures and manicures, specialized grooming and spa sessions. In fact, you will also be able to see bejeweled pets walking along their equally decked up pet owners. Fashion accessories for pets are easily available nowadays. You can easily get your hands on specialized toys and jewelry for any kind of pet. There are plenty of shops that offer specialized merchandise just for your pet care and grooming. Other specialized shops offer niche services like luxury kennels, pet spas and pet clubs. You can also get a portrait sketched especially for your pet. If you are very attached to your pet and find it extremely difficult to part from your pet while traveling, you can also get special pet purses in which you can carry your pet along with your keys, notebooks, wallet, and make up.

There is a large range of all accessories from which you can conveniently choose. When you’re thinking of pampering your pet, why stop at that? You can also get warm bedding, quilts and pillows to ensure that your pet has a really comfortable time while napping. If you live in cold areas, you will also be able to easily find sweaters, warmers, and caps to keep your pet snug even on the coldest of days. Apart from the accessories for making your dog look good and feel comfortable, there are also other accessories that will help you train your pet more easily. Special collars, feeders, and training tools can also be bought to help train your pet in an easier manner.