It’s almost Easter, and signs of Spring will soon be here! For most of us, the Easter holiday brings back many fond memories of chocolate treats, Easter egg hunts, colorful Easter baskets filled with goodies, and bunnies. But if you are a pet owner, please be careful if you have these Easter staples in your house, or in your neighbor’s yard, which can pose danger to the health of your dog or cat.
Continue reading….
(From the Contact Voltage Information Center Website)
“Contact Voltage is electrical current coming from damaged or faulty underground wiring that in turn, energizes nearby objects and surfaces, like sidewalks, street lamps, manhole covers fire hydrants and even puddles.
These surfaces can deliver dangerous or deadly shocks!**
If you feel even the SLIGHTEST shock from an energized surface, call 911, contact your utility company AND
alert your public officials.
Visit the Contact Voltage Information Center Website online to learn more and find out if your utility company is taking proactive measure to address this danger” http://www.contactvoltageinfo.org/
** A few years ago a carriage horse in NYCity was electrocuted to death in the rain, when her metal horseshoes contacted a manhole-type cover under which was a loose, live wire. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/09/nyregion/carriage-horse-is-electrocuted-on-street.html
I recently came across an article on Dogster.com entitled, “Four Loaded Statements that Annoy Fellow Pet Owners,” and the gist of the article centered on how to avoid being a “preachy pet parent.”
The concept hit home, because through our Sunbear Squad Blog tips, we consistently advise animal lovers and pet parents on how to intervene and give advice to others on animal welfare topics. But one thing we have never addressed is how to give that advice. Read the rest of this entry »
With Halloween just a few days away, this classic watch tip bears repeating, as there are always unfortunate incidents linked with this holiday.
Watch for pets out in costumes that constrict, restrict, or impair them in any way. Pets that are stressed out by their costume or the festivities should be removed to a quiet, safe place, and their costumes removed. Set the example by making sure your own pet, if dressed in costume, is outfitted appropriately and is tolerating the ensemble well. Read the rest of this entry »
Do you know someone who is getting ready to add a pet to their household? Has a neighbor been admiring your bond with your dog, and making noises about getting their own? You can be a force of true good by helping them choose the right pet – since many pets surrendered to our shelters end up there because of the poor decision-making when making the initial choice. Use the discussion points below, which focus on dogs, but really many of these criteria can and should be used to discern the appropriate cat to bring home, as well. Read the rest of this entry »
This morning, as I drove to work, I passed a car with a medium-sized dog with at least half of his or her body hanging out a half-open window, completely unrestrained. As the car made a left turn, I watched from my rear-view mirror, worried that the pooch was going to fly out of the window as the vehicle careened around the corner. The dog did not, and I was grateful, but it is an example of the need for pet restraint and/or containment in a vehicle.
Loose Pets in Vehicles Pose Many Risks
There are many dangers in letting pets roam freely in automobiles, to them and to others. The group, Bark Buckle UP, has a detailed and thorough website that includes not only why pets should be safe, but all types of pet travel tips and product reviews. From their site: Read the rest of this entry »
Warm weather is here, bringing increased activity in and around bodies of water; coupled with the common misconceptions that animals inherently know how to swim and that all dogs enjoy being in the water, this increases risk of tragic accidents. Please be sure that you are taking the same care and concern with your pets that you would with small children, as the dangers are quite similar, and please kindly educate any family, neighbors, and friends on the proper pet water safety precautions, as outlined here.
Water Safety Tips for Pets
These tips are geared towards canine care, but could be used with those special felines that are offered closely supervised exposure to the outdoors, as we do not encourage allowing cats to roam freely. Read the rest of this entry »
Here we go again… Diamond is involved in another recall.
Here is the report I just got from the FDA:
04/10/2012 12:30 PM EDTDiamond Pet Foods is voluntarily recalling Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice. This is being done as a precautionary measure, as the product has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. No illnesses have been reported and no other Diamond manufactured products are affected.Here is the complete information from the FDA site:
Rescuing a dog from the street or adopting one from a shelter or rescue organization is a very rewarding experience. Often, rescued dogs may initially be stressed from their prior situation – kennel stress from the pound, anxiety from having lost the only family and routine they know, or sometimes they have been neglected and/or abused in their former lives. This means that more than likely one of the first things you will want to do when they arrive in your home, or need to do in some cases, is reduce their stress and anxiety levels, so that they can successfully and happily acclimate to their new environment and life. There are many different methods that can be utilized to attain this.
Signs of Stress.
First, understand the signs of canine stress. Physiologically, the stress hormones released can cause an elevated heart-rate, dilated pupils, rapid breathing. A dog that is under stress or anxiety may have difficulty learning new behaviors (the stress hormones initiate a “fight or flight” reaction that overtakes them and does not allow for new behaviors to be learned) and may also exhibit behavioral issues because of that stress – lapses in housetraining, reactivity on leash, overly-aggressive barking, snapping, growling, shyness, escaping, destructiveness, to name just a few. Read the rest of this entry »
Adding a new dog to the family, especially when there is already a resident dog or dogs, should be a thoughtful process, and should incorporate several crucial tenets:
Many humans require time and guidance to acclimate to new situations, learn new rules, understand each other’s ways of communicating, and to form bonds…why wouldn’t a new dog require the same kind of courtesies? (When deciding to bring a new dog into the family, proper introductions to a resident dog are a must – please read these tips and make sure your new addition will be compatible with your resident dog). Read the rest of this entry »