Category: Petcare

The great outdoors is a beautiful place to be, extra wonderful for your furry companion thanks to enhanced sensory organs. 

Activities like a walk in the park or rolling around in the garden is super fun. Your pet gets his exercising in and you get to spend some quality time together. 

However, the great outdoors isn’t all rosy. There are elements that can constitute a danger to your pet, and this article is all about helping you avoid them:

1. Avoid Parasite-Infested Areas 

An area with mosquitoes singing their melodies is a no-no. Avoid areas that generally look unkempt or harbor a body of stagnant water. 

Mosquitoes can transmit heartworms which can result in some lung and heart damage to dogs via a single bite. Hence, avoiding unhygienic locations is essential. 

Finally, a good idea would be to check out these areas on your own before taking your pet there. This way, you can avoid unpleasant surprises. 

2. Keep an Eye On the Weather 

Extreme temperatures can cause problems for your pup, however, you can still brave these conditions. What you would need to do is take some extra precautions. 

On hot days, ensure that your pet doesn’t get overheated. Spend less time outdoors and provide lots of cold water for drinking. If you notice excessive panting, move your pet to a shaded area. 

Going out in the cold depends on your pet’s breed. Larger dogs with thick coats like German Shepherds would tolerate the cold longer than a chihuahua would. However, ensure that they are dressed for the occasion, a jacket would do. 

3. Minimize Contact With Other Animals 

You can only trust the grooming and health status of your pup. Other dogs that you come in contact with may carry parasites, therefore, avoid or limit contact. 

If you’re at a local dog park, keep an eye out so that you can stop skirmishes before they get out of hand. Also, bite wounds are absolutely one of the more common injuries that you should protect your pet from. 

Similarly, wildlife like rabbits and squirrels may carry parasites or contagious diseases. Limit the amount of chasing after these animals that your dog does to reduce chances of infection. 

4. Prepare Supplies 

When you’re headed to the great outdoors with your pooch, ensure that you have the necessary supplies including lots of water, a sturdy leash, and an ID tagged-collar. 

If you’re going in your car or with a backpack, you could keep a mini first aid kit handy as well. This would come in handy in the face of medical emergencies. 

Treats for good behavior is a great call too. 

5. Ensure Vaccinations are Up to Date 

If you intend to spend a lot of time outdoors with your pet, vaccination is a no-brainer. 

A good number of infections can be avoided with a simple vaccine shot. So, ensure that your pup’s vaccination is complete and still effective. 

An essential vaccine is one against rabies. For other beneficial vaccines, have a talk with your veterinarian. 

Puppies, while adorable to a fault, can be quite a handful too. And believe it or not, you do need some parenting skills when it comes to raising your pet. 

There’s always the option of learning on the job, a good choice. Another option is learning ahead about the essential skills that would improve your cohabitation. 

That’s exactly what we’re setting out to detail in this piece. Here are 5 essential pet parenting skills you need to inculcate: 

1. Handling and Training Skills 

Building the right foundation for your relationship with your pet is an essential item on this checklist. For starters, you have to be at ease with working in a hands-on capacity. Physical contact is one of the major building blocks for a loving relationship with your pup. 

To build lasting handling and training skills, you should be familiar with fundamentals like basic obedience techniques, using positive reinforcement, and creating reward systems amongst others. 

You need to be familiar with handling stressful situations too, as pups tend to go rogue sometimes. 

2. Communication Skills  

Effective communication is the holy grail of any relationship, particularly with your pup. You need to ensure that you’re not sending confusing signals, particularly in the early training stages. 

Confusing communication can send your pup into a spiral since he doesn’t know which command to follow. Clear communication begins from using clear verbal communication and extends to even non-verbal communication. 

Using the right tone, watching your pet carefully so that you understand their reactions to your commands, reinforcing the right responses, are proper strategies for great communication. 

3. Observation Skills 

Pets try to communicate with us in various ways, however, there’s a tendency to overlook some of the signs that they give. You always have to keep an eye out for behavioral changes or altered feeding habits — these might imply a developing health problem. 

This would also warrant that you’re privy to basic canine health issues, especially those that are prevalent with your pup breed. Close observation can help to nip potentially major problems in the bud. 

4. Grooming Skills

Outside of the regularly scheduled visits to the vet that would probably consist of a comprehensive checkup and grooming, you should possess some grooming skills yourself. 

As a dog parent, you should be familiar with basics such as trimming nails, removing mats, cleaning ears, and brushing out hair. 

Your pup’s grooming is vital to guarantee that he remains in prime health for a long time. Also, regular grooming can help you detect potential health problems early and deal with them. 

5. Patience 

Less of a skill and more of an attribute, all the same, you would need to hone it as a skill. Pups can be a handful sometimes and these times call for patience and restraint. 

This is an essential quality if you’re going to have an incredible relationship with your pet. 

When your pup disobeys commands or does his business inside the house or chews a hole in one of your favorite socks, remember patience. 

If your dog gets into everything, you’re likely used to putting food items away right after meals and keeping your shoes in the closet.

Did you know there are much more subtle threats to your furry family member you may not even think twice about?

Check out our list to see if you can avoid a trip to the vet by taking care of these risks before they cause a problem.

Wood Chips

Luckily, most puppies chew wood chips because the porous texture feels good on their budding chompers and are not usually interested in having them as an afternoon snack. The real danger here is three-fold: splinters, pesticides, and obstructing their bowels. We know, none of those are appealing. Best to smell the flowers in a grass-lain garden versus on your neighbor’s front lawn (or anywhere that harbors these pesky chippings).

Air fresheners

There is one main concern when it comes to air fresheners: phthalates leaching into the oil and being released into the air.

Phthalates are essentially chemicals used to make plastic and help them keep their shape and contain whatever is inside the product (shampoo, bleach, etc.).

For air fresheners that you plug in the wall, the scented oil that sprays out in a puff is usually heated which warrants a concern of the phthalates in the plastic leaching into the oil and being released in the air that way.

This, combined with the proximity our furry friends have to these devices since they are closer to the ground poses the concern that they may be ingesting these toxins which can harm the respiratory and reproductive systems.

Garbage

The tricky thing about this treat is how garbage is not a constant mix of certain items – it changes for most of us every day. Not to worry; the biggest thing to look out for are any toxic foods (keep reading to see some of the worst), and raw meat (for those not on a raw-only diet) as it poses the risk of E. Coli.

Dogs get into the garbage usually out of hunger or boredom but baby-proofing the top of the garbage can easily combat this!

Toxic Foods

We don’t pour our dogs a cup of coffee every morning (though that scene in Lady and the Tramp is adorable) but did you know caffeine is toxic? Here are some other foods to avoid splitting with your pup:

• Xylitol (often found in peanut butter)
• Grapes (and raisins)
• Macadamia nuts
• Onions
• Garlic
• Avocado
• Caffeine in any form
• Fruit peels/pits/seeds

While technically not food, the kitchen garbage also poses a risk to our pets. Containing rotting or potentially moldy food as well as the debris that food is stored in like chip bags or wrappers, it definitely makes the list of risky things to watch out for.

Other Threats

Try to keep these out of reach of wandering puppy paws too:

• Houseplants
• Medicines
• Cleaning Supplies
• Alcohol

Pups embody the perfect companion. They are loyal, empathetic, loving, and unbelievably selfless. It is no wonder then that they are man’s best friends. 

Now, in addition to these natural attributes of theirs, there are some others that you probably don’t know about. 

Here’s five of them:

1. They Sneeze to Indicate Zero Aggression 

You’ve probably noticed a bit of sneezing going on between pups when they are tangling together. They use these sneezes to communicate the playful nature of their entanglement. 

This helps to prevent things from getting out of hand. It’s really not about dust or pollen in the air. Other interesting signals would include stretching out their paws; if a pup does this to you, it’s an indication of friendliness or invitation to play. 

2. Dogs aren’t Big Huggers 

Hugging or putting your arms around the shoulders of your pet means something altogether different to them. They enjoy other types of physical contact, but hugging is seen as an attempt to dominate. 

You would sometimes notice a pup place his foreleg over the shoulder of another pup. The position is called “standing over” is a form of assertive or superior behavior. 

A better way to show physical affection is scratching behind their ear or rubbing their belly. 

3. Humans and Dogs Share a Similarity In the Locations of the Brain that Responds to Vocalization 

According to researchers at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, the reason why pups can understand your happy sounds is that they have sections in their brain that respond to vocalization. 

This allows your pups to react differently to you based on the various voice tones that you use depending on the emotion that you’re feeling. Furthermore, these regions are located in a similar area to the human brain. 

4. The Wetness of Dogs’ Noses Helps them Absorb Scent Chemicals 

This answers a riddle that has probably crossed your mind several times. Pups have a wet nose because it helps them absorb scent chemicals. 

The nose initially secretes a specific mucus for the sole purpose of absorbing the chemical. Once the mucus has done its work, your pup then licks his nose to ascertain the exact nature of the smell. 

Now the folktales can finally go to rest. 

5. Dogs Can Actually See Colors 

Popular belief is that dogs only see in monochrome and they detect outlines in objects using the difference in brightness. 

However, this is not entirely true. Following the discovery of scientist Jay Neitz that dogs’ eyes possess two cones, researchers at the Russian Academy of Science performed their own experiments. 

They selected eight dogs of different breeds and sizes and tested their eyesight. Using four pieces of paper, all four of different colors, they used this to detect whether dogs identified via brightness or color. 

6 out of the 8 dogs picked based on color 9 or 10 out of 10 total times. 

If there’s one thing that dogs know how to do instinctively, it is playing around in places that are less-than-hygienic. Milo probably just loves digging in mud or splashing around in puddles. This is him playing, so he isn’t thinking about the hygiene implication. Therefore, the onus is on you as a great dog parent to keep his hygiene top-notch at every point in time. 

Here are 5 essentials to help with your pup’s hygiene:: 

1. Clean the Paws

Your pup is constantly roving about and stepping in so many places that it’s hard to keep track. It is therefore not surprising that his paws can pick up various objects like molds, pollen, dust mites, and even pesticides! Dog baths are not a daily affair but cleaning Milo’s paws at least once a day isn’t a bad idea. You can use a rub down or a paw soak depending on your preference. If there’s hair between his toes, trimming and brushing are in order too. 

2. Clean the Toys 

Most, if not all of your pup’s toys go in his mouth, making it an efficient germs transfer pathway. Therefore, cleaning these toys regularly is essential to maintain good hygiene. For starters, you should never use cleaning sprays or disinfectants, this can be toxic for Milo. A safer alternative is soaking the toys in a half water,half vinegar mix for about 30 minutes. Non-soft toys can be cleaned with a water-diluted bleach solution. Toys should be cleaned at least once to twice every month. 

3. Brush the Teeth  

Dental hygiene for your pup goes beyond just maintaining a healthy set of teeth to actually preventing potentially fatal disease(s). Periodontal disease is caused by a buildup of tartar in the teeth, as a result of poor dental care. It can have significant side effects like lethal bacterial infections if left alone without treatment. 

However, brushing your pup’s teeth can help prevent this. So, rule of thumb, when brushing your teeth, remember that Milo’s need brushing too!

4. Clean the Dog Bed 

Your dog’s bed can be a haven for germs and parasites. Ticks, fleas, allergens, an entire parade. Although your pup might not entirely love the entire process of keeping them clean, it is one that you have to do for their sake and yours. 

Beyond keeping your pup clean, you need to ensure that one of their favorite spots is too. A great dog bed should have a removable fabric cover so that you can wash it at least two times a month. If you have a breed that sheds significantly, then vacuuming the dog bed on the regular is in order as well. 

5. Clean the Collars and Harnesses 

After some period of extended use, your pup’s collar can start to smell not-too-great. Collars and harnesses do not require constant maintenance. However, once they start to smell or show dirt, it’s time to wash. You could either use the washing machine or a mix of dog shampoo in hot water. Maintaining your dog’s hygiene is synonymous with maintaining his well-being. You shouldn’t need any convincing since you love your pup! 

Walking your dog every day isn’t just about allowing them to take in the sights outdoors. It is a requirement for their overall health and well-being. Walks present an opportunity for physical exercise which your pet needs, and is pretty good for you too. 

When walking Bella, here are some essential tips to note: 

1. Allow Sniffing!

Our human noses boast of five or six million receptors. But depending on the dog breed, some may have up to 300 million! This goes to show the stark difference and just how important sniffing is to them. It allows your pet to gather information and is necessary for mental stimulation as well. Depriving Bella of exploring an interesting scent is doing her a great disservice. Provided her actions are not disturbing anybody around, give some extra minutes for sniffing. 

2. Don’t Pull On the Leash 

Dogs have a natural reflex called the ‘opposition reflex’ that causes them to go in the opposite direction of a force pulling them. From your pup’s perspective, you walk way too slow for her to spontaneously explore interesting sights and smells, so tugging might happen. To ensure a loose leash always, try changing directions when she’s getting ahead of you, and reward with treats when she catches up. This would encourage a constant loose J-shaped leash. 

3. Favor Alternative Walking Restraints 

Traditional collars are great, but in the long run, they do more harm than good. Avoid using a slip or pinch collar or choke chain on your pup, these can be very dangerous. Instead, a great alternative could be a chest-clip harness or head halter. Your pet may be only acting up because she doesn’t like their collar. Switch things up and see her go from a monster puller to a calm walker on a leash. Also, you could train your pup to walk off-leash, and implement this in areas where it’s safe for her to do so. 

4. Pick Up After Them

Your dog would likely poop during the walk, and you’re supposed to pick up after her. It extends beyond just being a responsible pet owner. Dog poop can be a health hazard to both pets and humans. It may have potentially harmful microorganisms like E. coli, hookworms, roundworms, salmonella, and giardia. These microorganisms can infect other pets and humans and may also permeate the soil and contaminate water bodies. 

5. Arm Yourself With Lots of Water 

For walks beyond half an hour or so, particularly in hot weather, your pet would likely get thirsty. Pups have a harder time regulating their body temperature, unlike us, so they can easily overheat. Although dogs sweat, the thick coat they have makes the cooling down process pretty inefficient. Hence, they do a lot of panting, making them dehydrated rapidly. The water you bring along goes a long way in helping Bella enjoy her walk more. 

Your pup deserves a comfortable private spot to curl up and dream dog dreams. There’s no spot she would be fond of as where she gnaws on her chew toys in peace and complete comfort. This is precisely why you would need to pay extra care when buying your pup a bed. No worries anyway, we’re here to save you the stress of overthinking. 

Here are important features to look out for when buying a dog bed:

1. Size 

You don’t want to buy a bed that ends up being too small for your pup. If anything, a bed with some extra space is ideal. To choose the right bed size, factor in the body size of your dog, and then some more. The bed has to be large enough so that she can lie in all natural positions without discomfort. 

Here’s a rule of thumb to help: ensure that they can curl up comfortably, and also stretch out comfortably. A bed size that allows for this would be ideal. 

2. Durability 

Your pup has her chew toy, yes. But, what’s to say that she wouldn’t extend her chewing to the bed. In the teething stage, it helps to ease the pain. For older dogs, it’s a way to maintain jaw strength and clean their teeth. There might also be factors like boredom, stress or she might be hungry. 

Whatever her reason for chewing, it could be dangerous if your dog can chew up these pieces and they end up in the intestines or stomach. If your pup is a potential chewer, beds with canvas-like fabric and aluminum or PVC pipe material are advisable. 

3. Padding 

A well-padded bed would provide great comfort for your pup. Dogs have bony joints that are not very padded, and this is why you need to pay special care to the bed’s padding. These joints can become pressure points, and prolonged pressure on them can lead to skin wounds, pain, and probably skin damage. These joints are those of the shoulders, elbows, and hips. However, a well-padded surface would supply sufficient comfort for your pup. 

4. Material 

The padding of the bed is important, but one main determining factor of comfort is the material that it is made with. For instance, high-quality memory foam would provide a more comfortable surface relative to polyester filling or loose foam. To test whether the material is great, squeeze the padding, and if you feel your fingers touch, the material might not be ideal. After a while, it would probably wear down as a result of your pooch’s weight and be a source of discomfort to her. 

5. Ease of Cleaning 

To start with, removable, machine-washable covers are an absolute necessity. Your dog’s bed can harbor several germs and parasites, and without a clean bed, you don’t have a clean pup. Ideally, you should take the covers off and wash them once or twice a month. The fabric should also be durable enough to withstand washing multiple times. 

Dogs have a very inquisitive nature and danger is a strange concept. Some strange object? They’re chewing on it already. This makes for a possibility of potential physical harm. Sometimes, minor emergencies might arise and all you need is basic knowledge of pet first aid. 

So, here is some essential pet first aid information that you should know: 

1. Noting the signs

There’s a possibility that you didn’t see what happened, and this is why noting signs is essential. For starters, you have to know your pet’s regular behavior. If he’s acting out of character, then there might be something wrong and you should start probing. Factors like a sudden change in appetite, smell, or behavior can indicate something out of the ordinary. 

Furthermore, a sign like gasping or panting, could imply airway blockage, throwing up could indicate food poisoning, and so on. 

2. Checking For a Pulse 

Just like it is in humans, knowing how to check for a pulse in your pet is essential. The upper third of your pup’s thigh region is the best place to check. Simply curl your hand on the thigh and squeeze gently from underneath. The artery which transports oxygenated blood should be pulsing. 

It is advisable to use any finger apart from the thumb for this because the thumb has a strong pulse too, and may affect the accurate gauging of your pet’s pulse.To get the number of beats per minute, simply time the pulse for 15 seconds and multiply this by 4. 

3. Muzzling Your Pet 

When a dog is frightened or in pain, they might likely bite. Muzzling your pet is something you should be able to do. 

However, if your pet is panting, muzzling is out of the question, since they need that air source. Since he’d most likely be on the floor, gently approach and encourage him to place his nose in the muzzle. Once that’s done, clip the muzzle on and ensure that it is snug. Not too tight, but not so loose that he can pull it off.  

4. Dealing With a Choking Hazard 

A choking hazard can successfully block your pet’s airway and prevent him from breathing easily. Some clear signs of choking or airway obstruction include extreme distress, apparent choking sounds, continuous coughing and he may also rub his face along the ground. 

The easiest way to dislodge a potential choking hazard involves two simple steps:

• Suspend your pet in the air upside down, holding up their back legs. 
• Note the area where the ribs end and the abdomen starts, and then firmly deliver a blow to that area. 
• Repeat that about four times. 

Another method is the Heimlich maneuver. 

5.  Transporting Your Dog 

A major section of pet first aid entails carrying your pup the proper way. When transporting your pup,

• Slide your dominant arm gently underneath your dog’s chest and let it remain between his front lungs. 
• Lift him gently, and let his backside cozy between your arm and body, for extra support. 
• Place your dominant arm behind his back legs, and use your other arm to wrap and support the front of the chest. 

Summer calls for spending a lot of time outdoors. The garden comes alive and everywhere looks so beautiful. There are new smells and you definitely want to give your pup a feel of this “happiest time of the year.” Your pup loves nothing more than playing with his favorite human, and we understand that. 

So, here are 5 game ideas that you can explore in the backyard, the garden, or the park:

1. Frisbee 

This feels like an upgraded version of fetch because Fido would be chasing over longer distances. You know how much he loves to fetch, so you can imagine how much more fun Frisbee would be for him. This game also aids agility and is a great way to exercise. If you’re only just starting out, use a soft disc instead of regular hard plastic frisbees. Fido might get a couple of hits in the face when getting the hang of the game, and a hard frisbee in the face can discourage him from continuing. 

2. Hide and Seek 

Bring Fido’s tracking and sniffing skills to the fore with a game of hide and seek. You could even recruit family members so that it’s a lot more exciting. Hide in a secluded spot and call out to him to find you. The longer it takes, the more exciting it is for him. To increase excitement further, you could have multiple family members calling out at the same time. As he gets better at tracking everybody down, you could raise the bar on the challenge. Let’s see how Fido aces this tracking test. 

3. Tug of War 

The excitement in Fido’s eyes would be almost palpable, and this is a guarantee. Tug of war is one of the games that pups love the most. The main reason, of course, is the fact that you’re trying to get something from them. They have a natural back and forth tugging instinct associated with getting food. Therefore, their natural instincts kick in here. To play, a rugged stuffed toy or strong rope toy works fine. Just ensure that it isn’t fraying so that your pet doesn’t ingest string.  

4. Treasure (Treats) Hunt

This is a great way for your pup to have fun, and be rewarded with his favorite treats at the end. Hide his favorite treats all around the garden, in different locations, and of course, the smelly ones. So, he has to track down all of these treats while the smells pleasantly assault his senses all over the garden. You can change hiding places from time to time while he’s at it, making the game extra fun. 

5. Water Games

A hot day out in the garden goes beautifully with water games. You could use a kiddie pool filled with water and allow your pup to go crazy. If you have a pool, and Fido can swim, this works just fine too. Also, you could visit a pet-friendly beach and watch him splash around in the waves. A game of fetch with a ball would fit in just nicely into the mix too.  

Your fluffy BFF loves your undying attention and love, no doubt about that. But once in a while, it would be nice to spoil them with gifts that show appreciation for  their goofiness and support. Honestly, it’s actually a cute moment of bliss to see Lucky get excited over new toys.  

If you need the inspiration to shop for the special pooch in your life, or even to gift a dog-lover, this ultimate guide will assist you to pick the best. 

Here are 7 cool gifts you can give your dog this season… because you’re a cool parent:

1. Fluffy Blankets

One item we would recommend getting for your fur baby is a fluffy comfy blanket. Every dog likes to curl up in something comfy, so this should be at the top of your list. Make sure you get blankets that are machine washable because…they WILL get dirty. 

2. Smart Dog Collar

Gifting your dog a smart collar will help you monitor your dog’s activity. Some even come with the feature of allowing you to compare it with the other pets in the neighborhood. You can also track down his location through GPS technology and create geo-fences around specific Keep-Out Zones. Hence, you can get alerted when your pup leaves a ‘safe zone’.

3. Grooming Shampoo

Who wouldn’t like their fur looking all silky and shiny? We know your pup would. Treat him to a luxury shampoo and conditioner that not only keeps him clean but leaves him smelling like bursts of sunshine.

4. A Portrait 

Wouldn’t it be incredible to buy your pet a pretty nice portrait? You’re probably thinking that your pup doesn’t have an eye for art. However, it doesn’t have to be Rembrandt. There are a number of various options, and a pretty good idea could be a picture of a dog sipping tea or holding a cigar in a tuxedo. A pretty hilarious image, and fitting gift too!

5. Food Puzzles

Do you want a challenge for your smarty pants pup? Then, a food puzzle is a great gift item for him. Asides from it being fun, it also gives his brain the needed mental stimulation that aids proper behavior. 

The puzzle consists of multiple holding cups that you can place treats into. By nuzzling and pawing at the compartments, your dog can learn how to find and retrieve goodies. Hello, scavenging instincts!

6. Anxiety-Reducing Toys

Whenever your baby is feeling anxious—because of location changes, you’re going to work or loud noises—it’s only natural that you would want to ease his fear immediately. Several toys can self-warm and they mirror an actual human hug, giving your fur baby a sense of safety or being snuggled.

Another example of an anxiety-reducing material is a lickable mat. The continual process of licking a flavored surface releases hormones in your pup’s brain that cause him to relax. It also keeps their attention focused on the task; invariably reducing their stress level.

7. Personalized Pet Bowls

Get gorgeous ceramic bowls that can be customized with the name of your fur baby and designed to your taste.