More Pets go Missing on Independence Day than ANY other day of the year!  July 5th is THE BUSIEST shelter holiday of the year.  What can you do to keep your dog safe?  Here are some great tips:

• Make sure your dog is wearing current ID complete with phone number
• Start taking your dog out ON LEASH for all potty breaks, when startled many dogs will bolt through an electronic fence, or jump a fence they have never tried to jump before
• Don’t shoot fireworks off with your dog outside with you
• Set up a safe place for your dog to be during the height of fireworks noise:  In a crate in the lowest level and most interior room of the house works best. (another great reason to crate train)
• Set up either a tv or radio as background noise to help cover outside noise
• Change the bulk of your outside exercise time to be early morning where fireworks are the least likely to be set off, physical exercise can also make anxiety more manageable
• Have a fan blowing directly into your dog’s crate, the white noise as well as the air current can help block fireworks noise as well as be soothing
• Pre-freeze a high value Kong as chewing can be a great stress reliever
• Lavender Essential Oils can be put on the inside of ear flaps, sprayed onto fan blades, or diffused into the room to help calm your dog
• Consider boarding your dog over the holiday weekend, many boarding facilities have sound-proofing so THEY are good neighbors but that helps muffle fireworks noise

Red White and Blue Kong Recipe

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter

Plain Greek Yogurt (can sub beef broth)

Strawberries

Blueberries

Mix Peanut Butter with Strawberries so stick to bottom of kong

Layer Greek Yogurt

Mix Peanut Butter with Blueberries to stick to top of Kong

Freeze

This week is the last holiday of the year.   If you have made it through 2014 without incident it’s easy to get lax and not think about accidents.  And if it’s been several years since you have had an accidents, or any near misses, it’s easy to believe it could never happen to you.  But New Year’s Eve is a very risky holiday for a whole LIST of reasons:  no accidents this year makes it easy to get lazy on safety, in addition to lots of holiday foods, many of which are NOT safe for our dogs you add in alcohol—which is not only toxic to dogs but causes humans to have poor judgement, and like 4rth of July, New Year’s Eve often involves fireworks.  So what are some things that you can do to make sure you end the year on a HAPPY note?  If you’re hosting a New Year’s Eve party make sure you have an escape plan for your dog.  New Year’s Eve parties tend to start early & run long, so there is a lot of time for something to go wrong.  Consider letting your dog join the beginning of the party if they are a social butterfly, & then gracefully retire halfway through the final festivities of the year.  Dogs get tired when up past their bedtime the same way people do—and a cranky puppy that has been kept up too late is more likely to have a Cranky Canine Incident

DOOR TRAFFIC: Not only do you have the traffic of guests coming & going, but most often you have a lot of door traffic at the height of the party as people head outside at midnight to light fireworks & pop champagne bottles.  If you are going in & out of the front door, or have a backyard that isn’t fenced, consider having your dog on-leash as guests arrive or gated away from the door.  And putting your dog away as 2014 ticks through its final minutes will also ensure their safety.  

BOOZE:  Many holiday parties are heavy on the alcohol, & often include champagne at the ball drop.  Alcohol is toxic for dogs & often drinks get set down & left unattended…which opens up the opportunity for a dog to sample.  Spilled drinks are often a party problem & it’s  very easy for your dog to beat the clean-up crew & lap up the spilled liquor.  You also need to know your guests.  Not all people MAKE GOOD DECISIONS sober, let alone when intoxicated…so if you have people that may think it’s funny ha-ha to get the dog trashed you may want to save your dog by keeping them separate.  As people drink often the horse de’ voures get set down & left, leaving chocolate & candies where a dog can have access to them as well.  All of which can at worst lead to a trip to the emergency vet, & at best make your New Year’s Day clean-up much worse.

FIREWORKS:  Like 4th of July many towns allow fireworks which can wreck havoc on many dogs’ nerves.  If you have a dog that doesn’t’ enjoy Independence Day have a plan for the midnight hour.  A crate in an interior room complete with some kind of white noise:  a fan, a radio, a tv can all help drown out fireworks noise.   Chewing reduces stress, so prepping your dog’s favorite kong, or buying a new favorite chew toy for end of year festivities is also a great plan.  A big workout earlier in the day can also help your dog be fast asleep by midnight.   Wishing everyone a safe & happy New Year!!

The week of Christmas is always VERY busy with gathering of family & loved ones, opening of gifts, eating of holiday goodies, & a change of the regular schedule as many people have extended time off work for the holidays.  Don’t get so caught up in the festivities that you forget about keeping your dog safe.  Most vet clinics are closed as well, so an accident this time of year becomes even more expensive as the only medical attention available is an emergency clinic.  The vast majority of holiday accidents can be prevented entirely with some simple management & planning ahead.

Whether you are traveling to someone else’s house or staying home for the holidays make sure your dog is wearing current ID on their collar that is easily visible should they should take leave the house or yard.  It’s very easy to dogs to slip out the front door as guests are coming & going, especially when they are carrying in gifts or food, so make sure when you are expecting arrival of guests to put your dog in a safe back room or crate to prevent them from slipping out the front door.  If your dog isn’t typically a big “door darter” have your dog wear their leash IN the house as added safety measure, you can either have someone hold the other end of the leash or just allow them to drag the leash, which will give you more of a chance to grab the leash should they decide to try to slip out the door.  I also like to set out a dish of dog treats so guests can feed my dogs when they are making GOOD decisions, like lying on their pillow, or for kids to have structured games to “play” with my dogs (like demo-ing all the party tricks they know).  While there are lots of dogs who love a good party, even the best dogs can get overwhelmed with all the people in the house, so make sure they have a save quiet place to retreat from the festivities when they need some alone time.

 

If your dog is dressing up for the party & holiday pictures  make sure to take antlers & Santa hats OFF post-pictures to prevent injury.  And be sure to inspect jingle bell collars closely for loose jingles that could become ingested.  I don’t remember a single Christmas where we didn’t have at least ONE spilled drink, so take precautions to remove your dog while everyone is enjoying traditional egg nog, or a hot toddy to prevent them from ingesting alcohol.  Candles & potpourri containers can also get tipped over, so it’s a good idea to choose flame less canals as well as avoid liquid potpourri.  Take care that your dog does not have unsupervised access to the Christmas tree.  Even if you haven’t had any “fainting tree” issues this season both imitation and real tree needles are dangerous if ingested.  Sometimes all those presents UNDER the tree are too much temptation & every year I hear upset owners complain that their dogs “opened” all the presents for them before Christmas morning—sometimes damaging the actual gifts in the process!  And even after the presents HAVE been opened, make sure the clean up all wrapping so your dog doesn’t ingest:  shiny ribbon, wrapping paper, or tiny pieces of kids toys, all of which can cause intestinal blockage.

 

Many of our family holiday foods are toxic to dogs including:  nuts, fatty foods, sage, bread dough, onions, grapes, & Chocolate to name a few.  So if your dog is mingling with your guests make sure to pay attention where THEY are leaving their plates.  And consider restricting access to your kitchen trash can if you aren’t going to take it straight out to the dumpster as the “throw aways” may be too tempting for your dog to resist.

An Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure.  So consider utilizing your crate, or at very least a back room, in part of your Management Plan this week.  All dogs enjoy getting a break from the hub-bub!  And there are LOTS of ways to make your dog’s crate FUN!  I am including a festive Christmas Kong recipe  Home For The Holidays, because not only is a kong good mental stimulation chewing is a good stress reliever.  In the crate is the best place to give these high value chew toys—it prevents any mis-communication on whether or not your dog is expected to share with the guests.  If your dog is REALLY good at emptying their Kong you can also freeze them for added effort.  Exercise should also be an important part of the Management Plan, & “The dogs need a walk” also gives YOU a good excuse to slip out for some quiet time to de-stress & reset.

 

Wishing all the Moosekateers a peaceful & happiest of holidays!

While there are LOTS of our festive foods that are NOT good for your dog to eat there are plenty that are just fine for your dog to share!  Thanksgiving tends to be a very busy day, & a busy weekend.  So whether your dog doesn’t deal well with the extra holiday traffic & needs a different activity to keep them occupied, or your dog is a social butterfly excited to see your extra guests here are some ways to help include your dog in your Thanksgiving meal.  

I am NOT a fan of my kitchen & avoid it at all costs, so here are my lazy-ways of using Turkey-Day foods to fill my dogs kongs: 

PUMPKIN KONG:  Mix canned pumpkin, olive oil, & oats in a bowl.  Fill kong & freeze 

VEGGIE KONG:  Mix green beans, broth from cooked turkey, & sweet potatoes in a bowl.  Fill kong & freeze 

TURKEY KONG:  Mix shredded or ground turkey (cooked), honey,  & sweet potato (cooked & skinned) in a bowl.  Fill kong & freeze  

For those of you who are “more Martha” than I here are some other fun sounding recipes!! But remember, if you are going to make dog treats for your guests to hand out to your dog you need to scale back on regularly scheduled meals.  We don’t want fat fidos.

Leftover Turkey Dinner Dog Biscuits – Click here for full instructions

Homemade Pumpkin Dog Biscuits –  Click here for full instructions

Irresistible Pumpkin Cheesecake Dog Treat – Click here for full instructions

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