Day #7 of Helpful Tips For You And Your Pet – First Aid For Your Pet

Day #7 of Helpful Tips For You And Your Pet – First Aid For Your Pet

At least once in your pet’s life, he or she is going to become ill, or have a run in with something dangerous.  We’d like to provide some helpful First Aid Tips for your pet.  This might be helpful to print out and post on your refrigerator or inside a kitchen cabinet to have for reference.

Day #7: First Aid For Your Pet

Before we share these tips with you, you should always consult your veterinarian should anything harmful happen to your pet!  He or she knows what is the absolute best for your pet and no shortcuts should be taken for your furry friend’s health.

However, we do have some suggestions and tips that can help calm your pet before your need to take him to the vet should he run into any of these scenarios.

–Cuts, bites, puncture wounds, etc. should be gently cleaned with warm water.

-If you think your pet may be experiencing heat stroke, move your pet to a cool and quiet area offering plenty of water.  Symptoms include uncontrollable panting, collapse, blank stare and sometimes unconsciousness.  Remember to never leave your pet in a parked car when it is warm out!!!

-If your pet experiences a car accident, he or she will probably be in shock.  Keep him quiet, warm and stop any bleeding that may happen.  Immediately take your pet to the vet using a blanket or board to get him there.

-Pets can often get stung by a bee or wasp.  If you see the stinger, take it out.  Then wrap the affected area with a cool damp cloth.  Usually your pet will recover somewhat quickly from a bee/wasp sting but if he doesn’t, call your vet immediately.

-If your pet has been burned, apply cold water to the affected area and call your vet.

-If you think your pet may be been poisoned, CALL YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY!  Your vet will be able to coach you over the phone while you get your pet ready to visit the vet.  Try to find out what poison your pet ingested, how much was ingested, when it was ingested and so forth.  The ASPCA has a 24 hour Animal Poison Control line you can call at (888) 426-4435.

–If your pet seems to be experiencing eye problems, consult your vet.  There may be something lodged deep into your pets eye that needs to be removed by a veterinarian.  The sooner you visit the vet the better – eyes are extremely delicate in animals too and you don’t want your pet losing his eye or going blind.

Day #6 of Helpful Tips For You And Your Pet – Is Your Dog Suitable for Pet Therapy?

Although studies have shown pets help us lead healthier and happier lives, anyone who has a pet probably already knows this.  Have you ever thought about bringing this joy you experience with your pet to someone else in need?  Pet Therapy is very common in convalescent homes as well as children’s hospitals, centers for youths in distress and more.

Day #6: Is Your Dog Suitable for Pet Therapy?

If you are interested in having your pet be a Therapy Pet, there are a few things you should first consider.  Not every pet is suitable for therapy and there are many volunteer organizations that will screen both the volunteers and the pets.  Your future therapy pet should include these qualities:

-Your therapy pet should love attention from anyone.  Plain and simple, he or she should simply love being around people and the attention they provide.

-Make sure your pet gets along with other pets.  He or she needs to be well socialized and able to tolerate other dogs, cats and even rabbits.

-Your pet must be well mannered and know basic commands such as sit, stay, down and come.  They should most importantly know the word “no”.

-Making sure your pet responds okay to loud, strange or sudden noises and all types of handling is key to making sure your pet is ready to be a therapy pet.

Your pet will go through a screening process to ensure he or she is ready to be a therapy pet.  Pets have a calming and loving quality about them that others in a tumultuous state of life can benefit from.  Check your local organizations to see if your pet should be a Therapy Pet.

Day #5: How To Avoid Jealous Pets

Day #5 of Helpful Tips For You And Your Pet

Check out our Helpful Tips For You and Your Pet.  Today we are talking about Jealousy with new and resident pets.  We have previously touched on bringing new pets home and the steps you take to introduce them to new pets.  Now we will be discussing dealing with jealous pets and the best way to go about making sure everyone is happy!

Day #5: How To Avoid Jealous Pets

You have brought a new addition to your family, a cute little fluffy puppy.  However, your older dog isn’t so sure he is OK with this new “friend” and decides he doesn’t want to have anything to do with you,  your family and the new pet.  What should you do?

-Continue to give large amounts of attention to your first pet(s).  While it is easy to get caught up in the cuteness of your new addition, your current pets will feel put out and naturally will become jealous.  Make sure you spend a lot of time reassuring them they are still very special to you and still a part of the family.

-Don’t force the new and existing pet together.  As we discussed previously last week, you need to give your new and old pets their time to get used to each other.  Make sure you allow them to gain confidence to decide when they’d like to face their new housemates.

-Separate your pets when feeding.  Use separate food and water bowls and keep them separated while eating, feeding them both at the same time.

-Lastly, make sure to always keep an eye on them until you are fully confident they will get along.  Remember this takes time and being patient is important.  When you leave the house, keep dogs in separate rooms so they cannot interact without your supervision.

Check back for more helpful pet tips to come!

Day #4 of Helpful Tips For You And Your Pet

Day #4 of Helpful Tips For You And Your Pet

Yesterday we discussed the steps you should take when bringing home a new pet.  If you have existing pets already, there are some additional steps to be taken to make sure everyone gets along together when they meet.

Day #4: Introducing New Pets To Existing Pets

Your pets’ personalities will determine whether or not the new pet will get along with the older one.  When a new pet is brought home, sometimes the older pet views him/her as a threat and this is only natural.  Expect a few scuffles at first to let them determine who is the boss and determine their place in the pack.  Of course you will want to supervise these initial meetings but do not interrupt them if there is no danger of injury.

-Keep your pets separated until you are absolutely sure they will get along.  Only allow them to interact with your supervision.  Depending on their reactions to each other, it may take hours, days, weeks or even months for your pets to finally adjust to each other.

-Keep the introductions indoors and controlled.  Especially if you are introducing a dog and cat, make sure the dog is on a leash to avoid chasing or cornering the cat.  This could be incredibly terrifying for the cat and you will prolong your process of eventually being able to tolerate each other.

-Like above, keep cat and dog introductions controlled.  However you do not want to hold a cat in your arms when introducing him/her to a new pet.  A frightened and nervous cat is likely to scratch you and cause more stressful commotion.

-Make sure you allow your pet to familiarize itself with his/her new home.  Allow him to explore and sniff out different areas of your home.

-Always provide separate water and feeding bowls.  This allows your pet to calmly eat and drink without feeling the need to fight for their food.  Also, make sure cats have separate litter boxes as well.

-Dogs and cats are able to live in harmony with caged animals but precautions must be taken when initially introducing them.  Cats are agile and placing a cage high up on a shelf doesn’t guaranteed your caged pet will stay safe.

-Pets need to meet each other on their own time.  Don’t force them together, they will adjust at their own pace.

Check back for more helpful pet tips to come!

Day #2 of Helpful Tips For You And Your Pet

We are happy to announce Day #2 of our helpful pet owning tips.  Each day we will have a new helpful tip for you and your pet to keep in mind.

Day #2: Spay Or Neuter Your Pet – Various Health Benefits

Question, would you kill a happy, healthy, loving pet?  If you answered “no”, they spaying or neutering your pet is unquestionably essential.

Spaying and Neutering surgeries are safe when done by a qualified veterinarian.  Believe it or not, when your pet is spayed or neutered, there are various health benefits as well.  Below are some of the benefits a spayed or neutered animal will experience.

Benefits of Spaying Female Pets:

– Reduce or eliminate possibility of disease in the reproductive system.

– Eliminate sexual discomfort, distress or distraction making your pet happier and more content.

– Prevents pregnancy and the many complications arising from pregnancy and delivery.

– No more heat cycle.  You will no longer have to listen to the sounds of your female cat in heat while she is trying to get out and find a mate.

– Prevents unwelcome males from trying to seek out your female pet in heat.

– Reduces the urge to roam.  It is much less likely you will lose your pet, less likely to contract a disease, get in a fight, get injured or become a victim to cruelty, poison or traffic.

Benefits of Neutering Male Pets:

– Eliminate sexual discomfort, distress or distraction making your pet happier and more content.

– Helps prevent the distracting destructive behavior associated with a male’s efforts to get out and find a mate.

– Reduces the urge to roam.  It is much less likely you will lose your pet, less likely to contract a disease, get in a fight, get injured or become a victim to cruelty, poison or traffic.

– Eliminates testicular tumors and reduces prostate gland problems.

– In cats, neutering stops or reduces marking behavior, also known as territorial spraying of urine.

– Reduces the urge to fight.

Of course overall, the main reason to spay or neuter is to reduce the amount of animals that are euthanized due to overpopulation.  Please, spay and neuter your pets!

Day #1 of Helpful Tips For You And Your Pet

This week and next, we are going to be sharing some Helpful Tips for you and your pet.  Each day we will have a new helpful tip for you and your pet to keep in mind.

Day #1: Protect Your Pet From Everyday Household Dangers

Just like you’d baby proof your house, keeping common household items out of reach from your pets will help protect them from danger.  Rodent poisons and insecticides are the most common sources of domesticated animal poisoning.  The following is a list of potentially toxic poisons that should at least be kept out of reach of your pets, it not completely avoided at all:

• Fertilizer and Plant Food – These are easily accessible and fatal to a pet allowed in the yard unsupervised.
• Cedar and soft wood shavings – Keep small animals such as hamsters and gerbils away from these as they emit toxic and potentially fatal fumes.
• Antifreeze – One teaspoon can kill a seven pound cat.  With its sweet taste, animals are naturally attracted to antifreeze even when consumed in small quantities.  Antifreeze with propylene glycol is available and is safe for animals if ingested in small amounts.
• Chocolate – This is poisonous to dogs, cats and ferrets even when a small amount is consumed.
• De-icing salts – These salts used to melt snow and ice can irritate your pet’s paws and are especially poisonous if licked off.  Ensure your pet’s paws are washed and dried as soon as your pet comes in from the snow.
• Nonstick cooking fumes – Fumes from self-cleaning ovens and nonstick cooking surfaces can be deadly to birds.  Make sure birds are kept away from the kitchen and use caution when using any pump or aerosol spray around birds.
• Painkillers – Aspirin, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen and many other types of pills can be toxic to animals.  Ensure you keep medication containers and tubes out of reach of pets so they can not be chewed through and ingested.  Also make sure to find and dispose of any dropped pills.
• Chicken Bones – These can easily shatter and choke a cat or dog.  We also have a list of other plants and food items to keep away from your pets listed here.
• Rawhide Chews – While these are made especially for dogs, make sure to supervise your dog while he/she chews the rawhide treat as they can pose a serious choking hazard.

Of course, if you feel your pet has been poisoned, bring him in to your Veterinarian as soon as possible or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center’s 24 hour hotline at 888-426-4435.

Stay tuned this week to learn about more helpful pet tips!

Clear The Air Donating $1 For Each New Facebook Fan To The San Diego Humane Society

Please remember to share with others on Facebook that we are donating $1 for each new Facebook Fan that “likes” our page (Clear the Air) to the San Diego Humane Society for the month of January. It is such an easy way to raise money for animals looking for a Forever Home!!

Fun Dog Facts

Did you know these Fun Dog Facts?

Dogs are amazing animals and companions.  Read up on these great Dog Facts we came across:

• A dog’s heart beats between 70 and 120 times a minute, compared with a human heart which beats 70 to 80 times a minute.
• A dog’s normal body temperature is 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
• A female carries her young about 60 days before the puppies are born.
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the smallest dog on record was a Yorkshire Terrier in Great Britain who, at the age of 2, weighed just 4 ounces.
• The longest lived dog, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was an Australian Cattle Dog, named Bluey, who lived to be 29.
• An adult dog has 42 teeth.
• It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to our vision at dusk.
• If never spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate, and their puppies could produce over 66,000 dogs in 6 years!
• The only sweat glands a dog has are between the paw pads.
• In 1957, Laika became the first living being in space via an earth satellite
• The world’s smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever.
• A dog’s smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than that of a human’s
• Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill.
• Dogs’ sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than a human’s
• More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog.
• Dogs don’t like rain because the sound is amplified and hurts their very sensitive ears.
• The ten most popular dogs (AKC, 2007) are in order:
  Labrador Retriever, Yorkshire Terrier, German Shepherd,
  Golden Retriever, Beagle, Boxer, Dachshund, Poodle,
  Shih Tzu, and Bulldog.
• Dogs were the first animals domesticated by people.
• A greyhound can run as fast as 45 miles an hour.
• Spaying/neutering your dog before the age of 6 months can help prevent cancer in your dog.
• Puppies acquire a full mouth of permanent teeth between four and seven months old.
• Small dogs live the longest. Toy breeds live up to 16 years or more. Larger dogs average is 7 – 12 years. Veterinary medicine have extended this estimate by about three years. However, some breeds, such as Tibetan terrier live as long as twenty years.
• Eighty percent of dog owners buy their dog a present for holidays and birthdays. More than half of them sign letters and cards from themselves and their pets.
• The dog name “Fido” is from Latin and means “fidelity.”
• The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world.
• Most pet owners (94 percent) say their pet makes them smile more than once a day.
• Dogs are mentioned 14 times in the Bible.
• It has been established that people who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.
• All dogs can be traced back 40 million years ago to a weasel-like animal called the Miacis which dwelled in trees and dens. The Miacis later evolved into the Tomarctus,a direct forbearer of the genus Canis, which includes the wolf and jackal as well as the dog.
• Seventy percent of people sign their pet’s name on greeting cards and 58 percent include their pets in family and holiday portraits, according to a survey done by the American Animal Hospital Association.
• A dog’s whiskers are touch-sensitive hairs called vibrissae. They are found on the muzzle, above the eyes and below the jaws, and can actually sense tiny changes in airflow.
• The origin of amputating a dog’s tail may go back to the Roman writer Lucius Columella’s (A.D. 4-70) assertion that tail docking prevented rabies.
• Dogs can smell about 1,000 times better than humans. While humans have 5 million smell-detecting cells, dogs have more than 220 million. The part of the brain that interprets smell is also four times larger in dogs than in humans.

Do you love animals but for one reason or another cannot have one for yourself?

Do you love animals but for one reason or another cannot have one for yourself?  There are many options to consider that will be able to bring you closer to furry friends and satisfy that basic need to connect with animals.

You may not be permitted to have animals at your apartment or house you rent, health issues may stop an animals from living with you or you may have such a demanding work schedule that having an animal would not be feasible.  Whatever the issue may be, there are solutions.

Volunteering at your local Humane Society is a great way to spend time with animals, especially those in need that are waiting for their forever home.  Check with your neighboring Humane Society to see if you can start volunteering; they usually have various programs for a wide array of animals with a temporary home.  This also helps the animals connect with people more often and prepare them for human contact with their forever home.

Help your neighbor or friend.  If you know that one person that certain someone that doesn’t have time for their pet, make an effort to walk their dog every day or visit their cat and play with him or her.  This will not only make the pet owner feel less guilty, but will also bring enormous joy to their pets, instead of being stuck at home alone.  Walking your neighbor’s dog will not only provide a break in the day for the dog alone at home, but will help you get exercise as well.

Volunteer to pet sit for someone when they go on vacation.  You can have your animal fix for a couple weeks and then when their owners come home, you are back to only worrying about just yourself.  The pet owners will feel comfortable knowing you are taking care of their pets and the pets will have someone to occupy them and help avoid missing their owners.

Our last suggestion is to visit a dog park.  If you are allergic to animals, this is a good solution.  You can simply sit on a bench in the dog park and watch the dogs playing with each other.  A lot of dog parks are operated and managed by volunteers.  Volunteering at your dog park can help give you your animal fix.

Great and SO TRUE!