Springtime Activities With Your Pup!

Looking for some fun activities to do outside this springtime? Here are some great suggestions:

Go swimming – Many dogs love spending time in the water. This is the perfect activity for a hot spring day. Whether you are near the beach or near a river, you can spend quality time splashing around with your dog. We always recommend having your dog wear a life jacket for his/her protection!

Become running partners – Workouts are a no-brainer. If you love to go out for a run, then you can make your dog to be your running partner also. On the other side, if you have a tough time getting up and going out than you can use your pet friend as a motivation. This will be beneficial for both you and your dog’s health. It doesn’t have to be a run; fast-paced walking is as good, just find some nice shoes for you and a quality harness that it is comfortable for your dog and you are good to go.

Find a new park – Free afternoons or weekends in the spring are meant for exploring. Make a point to divert from your usual route and find a new park full of sticks, trees and grass to explore.

Enjoy date night – If your local bar or favorite restaurant allows it, let your pup tag along for date night and take a seat outside to enjoy the scene. Your dog will be thrilled to keep you company as you eat and won’t need anything more than a fresh bowl of water, and maybe a treat every now and again, to enjoy people watching on the street.

Do some spring cleaning – If you haven’t already started this year’s spring cleaning, take those old raggedy shirts out from the bottom of your dressers and tie them together for a giant tug-toy! Go out and have an epic game of tug-of-war with your pup.

Keep Pets Safe This New Year’s Eve!

New Year’s can be fun for all family members!

Check out some helpful tips from the ASPCA about celebrating New Year’s safely with your pets:

Keep an Eye on the Alcohol (and Other Substances) – New Year’s Eve is a unique holiday, and it’s one time of year when a large number of pets get into alcohol. Alcohol ingestion in pets can lead to depression, unsteady walking, vomiting, and in severe cases, a serious drop in blood pressure and body temperature. Just one mixed drink can be fatal for a small dog. What’s more, pets (dogs in particular) love to sniff out seasonal chocolates that may be filled with alcohol—so be sure to keep any and all alcoholic substances safely out of paws’ reach.

Be careful of fireworks – While the Fourth of July is biggest holiday for fireworks, the APCC does receive a large number of calls about these potentially frightening noisemakers on New Year’s Eve. Not only will you want to ensure that your pet has a safe, comfortable place to find sanctuary away from the booming sounds of fireworks, but you should also remember that dogs will eat anything—even if does not seem like it would taste good! Be sure to monitor poppers, noisemakers and explosives before, during and after displays, and always keep a close eye on your pet to prevent any potential problems.  

Don’t be Taken by Surprise – You may be planning a night out with family and friends to celebrate the oncoming New Year, which means that your pet might be home alone with loud, confusing noises coming from outside. Before you go out, do a quick double check around the house to make sure that all exits are secured, and do what you can to make your pet feel comfortable and safe in your home. Don’t Forget to Have Fun! 

While we want you to be prepared for any potential dangers, we also want to make sure you have fun with your favorite furry friends as you wave goodbye to 2017 and say hello to 2018. Below is a list of activities you can try with your pet for a fun celebration:

• Don your dapper apparel. Dress up with your pet to make for a very Instagram-worthy New Year’s Eve. 
• Cuddle up for a movie marathon. This is the perfect activity for those looking for a comfortable night in. 
• Have a baking party. Invite some of your friends and their furry friends over and have fun baking some pet-friendly treats. 
• Watch the ball drop together! What better way to ring in the New Year than with kisses from your favorite furry friend? 

Stay safe this holiday season, and if you fear that your pet has ingested a potentially dangerous ingredient or object, contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888)-426-4435 right away.

Credit: ASPCA

Holiday Dog Treat Recipes

Want to make your pet something yummy for the Holidays?

Check out these great holiday treat recipe collections for your pets. Want to go above and beyond this holiday season? Why not make up some treats for your local shelter and deliver them this holiday season.

Apple Mint Christmas Dog Bones – Tasty apple treats with mint added to them to freshen breath and add in your pets digestion.

Candy Cane Dog Treats – A couple extra steps to make the candy cane shape, these cute and festive dog treats are sure to be a hit!

Gingerbread Pup Cookies – Super simple recipe that you can double or triple easily for multiple pets or other four legged friends who also deserve a treat! These cookies can even be frosted with yogurt chips.

Nutty Bacon Dog Treats – Who doesn’t love bacon?? We’re sure your pup will love these bacon and peanut butter filled treats. Simple and easy to follow recipe, so make sure to check the out!

Note! Most of these recipes do not contain preservatives so make sure to keep them refrigerated and toss out any old cookies as to not make your pets sick.

Ever Wondered If Dogs Dream?

Have you ever watched your dog while they’re sleeping?

There are certain behaviors that resemble things they might do while they’re awake such as whining, twitching noses, paddling legs and wagging tails.

“According to MIT News, Matthew Wilson, a professor of neuroscience at MIT, and Kenway Louie, a graduate student in 2001,  have studied the relationships between memory, sleep and dreams. They found that when rats were trained to run along a circular track for food rewards, their brains created a distinctive firing pattern of neurons (brain cells). The researchers repeated the brain monitoring while the rats were sleeping. Low and behold, they observed the same signature brain activity pattern associated with running whether the rats were awake or asleep. In fact, the memories played at approximately the same speed during sleep as when the rats were awake” – Pet Health Network

Most human dreams occur in REM sleep. Dogs also experience REM sleep during which their breathing usually becomes irregular and shallow. Muscle twitching is normal during this time and if you look closely at your dog while he is in REM sleep, you will see rapid eye movements behind his eye lids. This is when normal awake behaviors can be observed such as whining, twitching and leg movement.

What do you think your dog dreams about? Comment on our post!

Pets And Fires – Keeping Your Pets Safe

With all the recent fires in California, we wanted to share some tips for keeping your pets safe if evacuation is ever needed.

These tips are from the American Red Cross. Please remember to always have a plan in place for evacuation for you, your family and four legged babies!

In order to help firefighters find your pets, The Red Cross suggests the following:

• Keep pets near entrances when away from home. Keep collars on pets and leashes at the ready in case firefighters need to rescue your pet. When leaving pets home alone, keep them in areas or rooms near entrances where firefighters can easily find them.
• Affix a pet alert window cling and write down the number of pets inside your house and attach the static cling to a front window. This critical information saves rescuers time when locating your pets. Make sure to keep the number of pets listed on them updated.

Listening to evacuation orders is crucial. It is smart to practice what you would do in an evacuation with these helpful tips:

• The best way to protect your pets from the effects of a fire is to include them in your family plan. This includes having their own disaster supplies kit as well as arranging in advance for a safe place for them to stay if you need to leave your home.
• When you practice your escape plan, practice taking your pets with you. Train them to come to you when you call.
• In the event of a disaster, if you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them, too. But remember: never delay escape or endanger yourself or family to rescue a family pet.

Check The American Red Cross for other helpful fire tips.

How To Eliminate Pet Urine and Feces Odors

Do you have pet odors in your home you can’t get rid of?

Cat & dog urine odor is one of the strongest and toughest odors to get rid of. Most products on the market are wet and must come into contact with the urine to remove the odor. This means if you have urine that has soaked into the carpet you must pull up the carpet and pad and soak the carpet, pad and floorboards. What a mess!

With Clear The Air Cat & Dog Urine Odor Eliminator just sprinkle the granules on top of the carpet leave on overnight and vacuum in the morning and the odor is completely eliminated. Works well on all surfaces pulling the odors out of tile and concrete. Will completely eliminate the odors from your liter box, no one will know you have a litter box in the house!

Directions to Eliminate Cat Urine Odors From Litter Box

• Add granules to bottom of litter box, add litter, then add additional granules on top.
• Add 1/2 cup of granules each time litter is changed, scooped or as needed.
• Will prolong the life of your litter.

Directions to Eliminate Urine Odors From Carpets, Wood Floors, Tile, Concrete or Furniture

• Remove feces and excess urine.
• Sprinkle granules over area until dry granules are present on top. Also works well on old dry urine odors.
• Leave down 24 hours then sweep or vacuum.
• Clear The Air pulls odors from carpet, padding, and subfloor.
• Typically one application will eliminate all odors; occasionally a second application is necessary.
• One canister covers 100 square feet.

Directions to Eliminate Pet Odors from Pet, Pet Beds, or Car

• Sprinkle granules directly on pet, gently work into coat. Leave on as long as pet will tolerate.  It is best to do this outside so your pet can shake off the granules.  Repeat as necessary.
• Sprinkle directly on pet beds, leave down 24 hours shake off or vacuum.  Also hang an Odor Eliminator Bag near the pet bed.
• Sprinkle granules on car seats and carpet.  Leave down 24 hours.  Sweep or vacuum.   Leave a couple window cracked for air circulation.  Also add an Odor Eliminator Bag to your car to continue to remove odors

Keeping Your Dog and Cat Active

Are your pets at home alone all day??

While you are at work, your dogs and cats are sitting at home just waiting for you to come home. Some pets may even chew up the furniture just because they are bored. Pets need to be active and need mental stimulation, it is important for their health. You can also help prevent problem behaviors by providing your pets with toys or activities to do while you are gone.

Here are some tips from the ASPCA on how to keep your dog and cat active when you are home and when you aren’t.

How To Safely Travel With Your Pet

Traveling with a pet involves more than just loading the animal in the back seat and motoring off. The ASPCA offers the following tips to help you prepare for a safe and smooth car trip:

• Keep your pets safe and secure in a well-ventilated crate or carrier. There are a variety of wire mesh, hard plastic and soft-sided carriers available. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s large enough for your pet to stand, sit, lie down and turn around in. And P.S., it’s smart to get your pet used to the carrier in the comfort of your home before your trip.
  
• Get your pet geared up for a long trip by taking him on a series of short drives first, gradually lengthening time spent in the car. And please be sure to always secure the crate so it won’t slide or shift in the event of a quick stop.
  
• Your pet’s travel-feeding schedule should start with a light meal three to four hours prior to departure. Don’t feed your furry friend in a moving vehicle—even if it is a long drive.
  
• Never leave your animal alone in a parked vehicle. On a hot day, even with the windows open, a parked automobile can become a furnace in no time, and heatstroke can develop. In cold weather, a car can act as a refrigerator, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to death.
  
• What in your pet’s traveling kit? In addition to travel papers, food, bowl, leash, a waste scoop, plastic bags, grooming supplies, medication and a pet first-aid kit, pack a favorite toy or pillow to give your pet a sense of familiarity.
  
• Make sure your pet has a microchip for identification and wears a collar with a tag imprinted with your home address, as well as a temporary travel tag with your cell phone, destination phone number and any other relevant contact information. Canines should wear flat (never choke!) collars, please.
  
• Don’t allow your pet to ride with his head outside the window. He could be injured by flying objects. And please keep him in the back seat in his crate or with a harness attached to a seat buckle.
  
• Traveling across state lines? Bring along your pet’s rabies vaccination record, as some states requires this proof at certain interstate crossings. While this generally isn’t a problem, it’s always smart to be on the safe side.
  
• When it comes to H2O, we say BYO. Opt for bottled water or tap water stored in plastic jugs. Drinking water from an area he’s not used to could result in tummy upset for your pet.
  
• If you travel frequently with your pet, you may want to invest in rubberized floor liners and waterproof seat covers, available at auto product retailers.

Dogs Or Cats?

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

Clear The Air came across Dr. Mercola’s article about the differences between dogs and cats and we would like to share it with our readers:

• Dogs can be trained quickly, some in a matter of minutes, to obey basic commands like ‘come’ and ‘sit.’
• Most cats are difficult if not impossible to train to respond to directives.
• Cats can be house-trained in an instant as long as they have access to a litter box. There’s really no training to it, in fact. It’s instinct.
• Most dogs take considerably longer to housebreak, and some just never get all the way there. Unlike with Fluffy, housebreaking a pup is usually a hands-on, time intensive project.
• Dogs are social beings. They want to be with their pack, wherever their pack may be.
• Cats are solitary by comparison and their primary attachment (when forced to choose) is to their territory rather than other two or four-legged animals.
• Dogs have 42 teeth.
• Cats have 30.
• Cats can jump and climb, giving them more options when they need to hunt for food, or when they feel threatened.
• Dogs are earthbound, so they need their pack to hunt effectively. And when a threat triggers their fight-or-flight response, they are more likely to react with aggression because their ability to flee from a predator is limited.
• Dogs are scavenging carnivores, which means although they are primarily meat-eaters, if necessary they can survive on plant material alone (remember, surviving is different than thriving).
• Cats are obligate or strict carnivores. Kitties cannot sustain life without eating meat in some form.
• Dogs in the wild catch their prey by running it down. They are long distance runners, not sprinters.
• Cats creep up on their prey and catch it by surprise. They are sprinters, not distance runners.
• Cats cannot be fasted and should not be dieted down too quickly. Kitties don’t efficiently burn fat reserves as an energy source. Instead, without food, their bodies break down non-fatty tissues for energy. This can lead to a life-threatening liver condition called hepatic lipidosis.
• Dogs are much better at using their fat reserves and can tolerate a lack of food for much longer than cats.
• Cats have retractable claws that stay sharp because they are protected inside the toes.
• Dogs claws are always extended and become blunt from constant contact with the ground when they walk.
• A dog’s memory is only about five minutes long.
• Kitties can remember up to 16 hours.

Read entire article about dog and cat differences from Dr. Mercola here.

Dogs In Hot Cars

Urgent Alert – A Note From The ASPCA on leaving pets in your car.

From the ASPCA – Please do not leave your pets in the car! Cars can heat up incredibly fast and are an extremely dangerous place for your pets!

As summer heats up, it’s tempting to bring your pet with you on car rides around town. Sadly, many people believe that cracking a window is enough to keep their dogs cool in the car while they make a quick pit stop—but they couldn’t be more wrong. When it’s 80 degrees outside, your car will be a staggering 114 degrees in less than 30 minutes.

Worse still, dog can’t cool themselves down as easily as people, and once they overheat, they can suffer extensive organ damage or die. That’s why leaving an animal alone in a car is more than just a bad idea, it’s a form of animal cruelty. And since the ASPCA can’t be everywhere at all times, we need YOU to be our eyes and ears on the ground.

To help save animals from dying in hot cars, take the following actions:

• Immediately call animal control or 911 if you see an animal trapped in a hot car. Local law officials have the ability to enter the vehicle and rescue the pet.
• Do not leave until help has arrived.
• Notify the managers of nearby businesses so they can make an urgent announcement.
• Sign our Hot Car Pledge to help save lives this summer and all year long.

We are working hard to spread awareness about the dangers of hot cars, but all too often, the difference between life and death comes down to the actions of individuals like you. We hope you will join our cause by keeping an eye out for dogs in distress, and by making a donation today. Together, we can prevent more tragedies and make this summer our safest season yet.

Read entire article about Dogs In Hot Cars from the ASPCA.