19 Holiday Tips to Keep Your Pet Safe and Happy

December 10th, 2012

Cat sitting under a lit Christmas TreeThe end of the calendar year brings many celebrations; filled with food, decoration and joy. We are busy planning events with our friends and family, and our pets want to join in on the fun. All the extra hustle and bustle this time of year can make it difficult to watch out for the safety of your pets. Here are a few things to keep in mind for a happy and safe home this holiday season.

Food

Food is a central part of any festivities. Family and guests are more than happy to prepare amazing cuisine, decorating many a holiday spread. Be mindful that classic holiday treats could pose a danger to your pets.

  • When teflon-coated pans are heated, they release a chemical into the air that is lethal to pet birds. If a guest brings a food item that they want to warm up on the stove, check to make sure it is not a teflon pan. If it is, transfer it to a safe pan that does not have teflon.
  • Bones from ham, beef, turkey, goose and fish should not be given to a dog for chewing. The bones can shatter into fragments, which can tear your animal’s esophagus or other parts of the digestive track.
  • Keep an eye out for dropped food; your pets will, so you should too. Instruct your guests to not feed any pets roaming for a table scrap. Your pet has dietary needs that your guests are not aware of, and certain foods may make your pet sick.
  • Other foods are toxic to pets. Onions cause intestinal problems and a fast heart rate. Grapes and raisins cause kidney problems in cats and dogs. Chocolate causes vomiting and diarrhea. Macadamia nuts can affect the nervous system in dogs. Avocados are toxic to most pets, including reptiles. These foods in more severe cases require veterinary care as ingestion can be fatal. Point out to guests these foods to help with quick pickups.
  • Alcohol is also very poisonous for your pet, just a few ounces can be lethal.
  • Remove all additional risk for dangerous foods by securing the garbage. Secure the top, or place the refuse in another room to ensure your pet is not tempted.

Plants

Freshly cut evergreens are popular holiday decorations, but they have special concerns for your pets.

  • Christmas trees in general are not poisonous to dogs and cats, but they can be a tempting play-thing. Try to have other toys available to engage your pet and avoid the tree. Secure your tree so it cannot topple over from an adventurous tree climber.
  • Keep pets away from the tree water. The tree might have been treated with fertilizers, which can taint the tree water. Also, stagnant water can have other bacteria that is bad for your pet . Placing a screen around the tree water basin helps keep out the curious, like cats and ferrets.
  • Plants like mistletoe, holly, and poinsettias contain toxins that are harmful to your pets. They can cause blistering, upset stomachs, nausea, seizures and even death. Keep them out of your pet’s reach, or even better, don’t bring them into your home.
  • Other plants that are brought into the home need to be checked. Many flowers have toxins that are bad for your pets. Lilies are especially toxic to cats, so if you have a cat do not keep lilies in the house.

White dog wearing santa hatDecor & Gifts

Be festive and be merry with your decor! Though also be mindful to keep your pet safe.

  • Don’t let low-hanging ornaments tempt your pets. Keep breakable ornaments high on trees and keep the tree a no-play area. If you put ornaments on lower branches, make them metal or plastic, so your pet is not as apt to break or harm themselves with them. Skip the tinsel too. Tinsel is bright and sparkly and stringy, a perfect toy for any cat. If ingested, it can block their digestive track, needing surgery save your pet’s life.
  • On presents under the tree, do not use string or other curly ribbons; these can tempt a curious pet into playing or eating, causing a digestive block.
  • It is also a good idea to not place gifts that are food items under the tree. Dogs have an acute sense of smell, and their curiosity may get the better of them resulting in eating something they should not.
  • Christmas lights and other electrical decorations are a tempting new treat for chewing to many pets. Any type of decoration that has electrical cords needs to be placed out of a pet’s reach so they do not chew or ingest it.
  • Candles are a popular way to decorate this time of year. Keep candles out of the way of pets; they can burn themselves, or knock them over and cause a fire.
  • The fireplace also has similar concerns. Make sure your pet keeping warm is a safe distance from the fire, so an errant spark cannot burn them.

Celebrations in the Home

If you are hosting any gatherings in your home, we know you are keeping an eye on the comfort of your guests. Keep an eye on your pet’s comfort too.

  • Make a spot in your home that is away from the festivities. Some pets will prefer to stay there the entire time, or take little breaks from the event. Make sure they have access to food, water and a couple toys in this space.
  • If your pet has little issue mingling with the guests, let them enjoy the fun. Keep an eye on them to see if they are getting overwhelmed by the people, or pestered by a guest who does not understand your pet’s non-verbal cues.

During this busy season, be sure your pets continue receiving the same amount of attention and care they are accustomed to. We hope these tips are helpful in ensuring a fun and safe holiday for you and your pets. Pet World wishes you the best this holiday season!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Facts of the Week | No Comments »

Shelter Dogs Get their License… to Drive?!

December 7th, 2012

Shelter Dog Drives a Modified CarSit, shake, and… drive? You might question that these three commands belong together, but they do. The Auckland SPCA of New Zealand wanted to promote the amazing potential and intelligence of dogs in their shelter. They decided to really put the pedal to the metal and train the dogs to drive a car.

Dog trainers who normally work behind the cameras on movie sets set up shop behind the wheel. With their training expertise, they designed a program for a trio of canines from the Auckland SPCA shelter. Just like other pet shelters’ residents, these dogs have a varied past. The first dog is Monty, who was surrendered by an owner who couldn’t control him. Ginny was a rescue from abusive household. Finally, there is Porter, who was found as a stray on the streets.

Trainers utilized clicker training to get the dogs performing very basic tasks, like placing their paw on a certain spot. This certain spot later turned into gear-shifters, accelerators and steering wheels. Trainers built upon these basic commands to perform driving tasks, like placing the car in drive. The team had top-notch equipment as well: a car specially modified with special levers for canine control. After 8 weeks of intense training every day, the dogs are ready for their driving debut. They will put it in gear for a live broadcast on New Zealand TV.

Pet World will keep you updated on their driving exploits. Like our Facebook page for updates on this great story!

Tags:
Posted in Pet Showcase | No Comments »

Men, Ferrets, and Pants — The Sport of Ferret-Legging

November 23rd, 2012

A Ferret pausing for a Picture

Ferret owners know their fun-loving pets well. They have a boisterous need for exploration and play, and their desire for borrowing. Humans are very well known wanting to broadcast their endurance in feats of physical and mental will. Ferrets and tests of endurance come together in a unique sport not for the faint-of-heart; it’s called ferret-legging.

The event is simple. A man wears a pair of loose-fitting pants, with the pant legs tied snugly at his ankles. Before competition begins, the chosen ferrets must be healthy to participate and have all teeth and claws in-tact. The ferret is placed in the trousers or each competitor and it wanders without restriction. To the ferret, it’s a new place to climb and explore.

The waist is sealed with a belt or held tight, and the battle of endurance begins. The stakes in this match are even higher as the competitor must be sober, and not allowed to wear any undergarments. No harm is allowed to come to the ferret, after all, it’s just doing what ferrets do. Competitors hang onto their belts to release the ferret when they can’t take it anymore. Whoever keeps the ferret in their trousers the longest is declared the winner.

Ferret-legging is a very niche sport, so it’s not too easy to find a competition nearby. Ferret-legging was popularized by coal-miners during the ’70s in Yorkshire England. Events sprung up throughout England, but then waned into the ’80s. In the United States and Canada you may find one as part of a Celtic fair. Such events are run with the help of a local ferret organization, and raise money for good local causes.

Tags:
Posted in Pet Showcase | No Comments »

End Envy—Keeping Peace in Multiple Dog Homes

November 19th, 2012

Two Golden Retreivers relaxing on the floorEnvy is an emotion more attributed to humans, but researchers are finding that this trait can be found in other animals, especially those that work in a cooperative unit. Many dog owners would use envy or jealousy to describe their dog’s behavior, and scientists in Austria wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Do Dogs Feel Inequity?

The scientists set up an experiment with over 40 pairs of dogs and tested them in a variety of situations. The basic setup was two dogs sitting next to each other. One dog was asked to shake; it was rewarded with a treat. The second pooch was also asked to shake, but it was not given a treat. Over the course of time, the unrewarded dog took longer and longer to perform the trick, until it stopped interacting with the researcher and laid down.

There were some variations of the test done. Sometimes the unrewarded dog was given occasional treats. In this case, the dog would perform the trick for much longer compared to no reward at all. Also, when the dog was alone and not rewarded for the trick, he would perform the trick for much longer than when next to a dog receiving treats. Scientists concluded dogs were aware that the same effort didn’t get the same reward, leading to disinterested and rebellious behavior.

If dogs feel they are not rewarded for their efforts, they will look for outlets to vent their frustration. They may do this by not listening to commands, initiating squabbles with other family dogs, or even get aggressive with a human family member. So what are some ways to keep envy from rearing its ugly emotions in your multiple-dog home?

Keeping a Happy Multiple-Dog Home

Your first thought might be to treat the dogs equally. That is not the solution. Trainers tell owners to treat dogs fairly doesn’t mean to treat them the same. A 5-year old dog has different abilities compared to a 15-week old dog. Introduce and reinforce training that is appropriate for the abilities and age of the dog. Your dogs also have difference in behaviors you need to encourage or avoid. If one dog has earned a privilege, like sitting on furniture, do not take it away. Find ways to restrict the other dog who has not earned the privilege from this undesired activity.

To help keep your training on point with your pets, find ways to train them one-on-one. Find a room in your home or a yard or park where you and one of the dogs can work together. This is also a chance to lavish some good praise for this dog and keep them happy with their place in the home.

Another dynamic to consider is that dogs are a pack animal. The instincts of packs in the wild is to have one dominant dog, the alpha dog, lead the pack. This dog has the first pick for many things, like food, treats, and affection. Some behaviors associated with an alpha dog include: always wins tug-o-war, may steal or guard toys from other dogs, and pushes to be first in and out the door. The beta dogs in multiple dog homes exhibit behaviors like: looking away from the stares of other dogs, giving up toys and sleeping areas, and rolling on their back to expose their belly.

The main thing to remember with how the dogs arrange their pack order is that you cannot affect it. You can affect the relationship the dog has with you, but you can only reinforce how the pack interacts with one another. Reinforcing the hierarchy the pack has chosen will instill comfort with the dogs, as they’ll feel secure in their place. For instance if the dogs all perform a command, reward the alpha dog first with affection. Reward the next dog with just as much praise, and go through the order of your pack.

Once you acclimate with the needs of each dog, and reinforce their place in your home, your family will be a jealousy-free zone. Need some ideas on training to keep up-to-date with your dog? Check out our blogs on Teach Your Dog or Puppy Basic Commands and Essential Dog Games and Training.

Tags:
Posted in Facts of the Week | No Comments »

Why are goldfish orange? The surprising story!

November 16th, 2012

Orange goldfish swimming in front of rockGoldfish were one of the first domesticated fish; their domestication began over 1000 years ago in China. It was the decisions of these early breeders and enthusiasts that created the pet we see today!

Goldfish come from a member of the carp family, and were bred in small ponds. As more generations came, a color mutation became apparent. The fish were seen in new colors of yellow (sometimes called gold). Although harder to produce a dominant gene, other colors like red and orange soon appeared.

During the Song Dynasty (around 960–1279), the government banned ordinary citizens from owning and breeding the yellow variety of goldfish. In China, the imperial color is yellow, so only the imperial family could keep it! The commoners still loved their goldfish, and continued to breed the colors they had. Orange became the most popular color of goldfish coloration.

Tags:
Posted in Pet Showcase | No Comments »

« Previous Articles
More Recent Articles »