Pet Auto Safety

“I have idiopathic epilepsy (canine epilepsy) and I am still a happy healthy boy… And cute, too.”

If you read yesterday’s post, you know my Aussie mix dog Pierson has recently had another seizure. No worries, though. He is fine. Most dogs that have problems with seizures have what is called idiopathic epilepsy. This sounds terrible, and it can be for a few. But in most cases, it is mild enough and infrequent enough that medication is not even needed. Most dogs with canine epilepsy live long healthy lives.

I’ve never had a dog with seizures before Pierson. But thanks to the internet and all my dog blog friends, I’ve known about canine epilepsy for some time. Because I had foreknowledge, I was able to remain calm when Pierson had his first episode in January. So that you can have foreknowledge too, read through the following facts:

What Can Cause a Seizure in Dogs:

* Brain injury
* Distemper
* Heat stroke
* Vaccines
* Brain tumor
* Poisoning
* Kidney or liver failure
* Low blood sugar
** All these sound scary. But the most common reason for a seizure is idiopathic epilepsy. Idiopathic epilepsy is caused by none of the above. In fact, the cause is not known at all. Veterinarians generally label a dog with seizures as having idiopathic epilepsy when all of the above possible causes for the seizure have been eliminated.

While it may seem frustrating to not know what is causing your dog’s seizure, at least with a diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy you will know your dog wasn’t poisoned and that he doesn’t have a brain injury. It may also help to know that it is unlikely your dog feels any pain while seizing.

What To Do If Your Dog is having a Seizure:

* Move stuff out of the way so your dog doesn’t hurt themselves on something.
* Don’t put anything in your dog’s mouth.
* Try not to touch your dog while he is seizing.
* Remain calm.
* Call your veterinarian.
* Go to the vet after you have called them. Don’t talk on your phone while driving and remember to drive safe.

To read about Pierson’s first seizure, check out this article of Pierson’s Seizure on my American Dog Blog. Click the links in that article for more detailed information about canine epilepsy.

My dog Maya stole tomatoes out of our garden last year. Thank goodness she doesn’t like to eat tulips.

Last year, Maya stole a lot of cherry tomatoes from the garden. I thought it was funny. But later I found out that tomatoes can be bad for dogs. Too much tomato and it could actually be toxic. So this year, we are going to be a bit more careful about our garden. Here are some things to think about:

Cocoa Mulch
If you have dogs, don’t use cocoa mulch in your flower garden. Cocoa mulch contains a chemical in the cocoa called theobromine. This chemical is poisonous do dogs. And because the mulch smells so good, dogs want to eat it.

Pesticides
Before putting any pesticides in your garden, check the label to make sure it is not harmful to pets. Consider natural remedies such as non-toxic soapy water sprayed on your plants.

Fertilizer
As with pesticides, check the label of plant fertilizers to make sure it is not harmful to pets.

Plants that can Cause Allergic Reactions
There are several plants that can make dogs itch or have other allergic reactions. Some of these plants include the purple leaf velvet plant, a male juniper bush, and daylilies.

Plants Toxic to Dogs
The ASPCA has a very comprehensive list of toxic plants. It even has tomatoes on it. There are 392 entries so far. So rather than go through one by one, know what you want to plant and search the list for that specific plant - ASPCS Plants Toxic to Dogs

Compost
It’s no secret that dogs love garbage! Make sure your dogs can’t get into the compost. Even if you are careful about what you put in the compost pile, you really don’t want your dog to eat it. Make sure your compost is out of reach of your dogs.

Fleas and Ticks
Since we have wild rabbits living under our shed, it is likely that they carry fleas and ticks too. So I make sure my dogs are protected.

Put Tools Away
Keep your tools put away so your dog can’t get to them. Not only do you not want them to step on them and cut themselves on sharp edges, but you also don’t want them to chew on them.

The easiest way to keep your dog out of your garden is to prevent him from being able to get into the garden in the first place. This year, I am having a fence put around our vegetable garden. Are you going to plant a flower or vegetable garden this year? What does your dog think about it?

You might think I’m going to talk about a seat belt for dogs or a pet travel crate, but I’m not. Sure, these things most certainly can help, especially for safety, but a dog that doesn’t ride well in the car is not going to do much better in a restraint. They might try to escape the seat belt (and succeed) or they will absolutely hate riding in the carrier. So what is the number one way to help a dog ride well in the car? Training!

In order to ride well in the car, your dog has to learn how to ride well. This takes time and it can be difficult. I should know. I am still working with my crazy Labrador Maya. It is taking me even longer to teach Maya to ride well in the car because I am not consistent. I know that in order to train Maya, I need to work with her nearly every day. If I can just do that, riding with Maya would be so much more pleasant and less distracting.

There are different reasons why dogs don’t ride well in the car. Sometimes they tend to get car sick, like my Pierson. Sometimes they are really nervous about riding in the car. And some, like Maya, just go absolutely bananas in the car. So how does training help a dog ride well in the car? Visit our website for a great article titled, How to Travel with a Dog in a Car.

Thanks for stopping by! Visit us again next Pet Safety Saturday.

How to Get Your Dog to go into the Car Willingly

Cesar makes it look so easy. Doesn’t he always? But how did he do it, really? Many would like to think that he just has a magical touch. But I promise that this probably took a lot longer than his video conveyed. Listed below are our steps on how to get your dog to go into the car.

Before I list those steps, however, let me just point out that these steps are not meant to all be done in a single day. They can be, depending on your dog. Each step can take as long as a few minutes, to a few minutes every day for a week or more. So if your dog has no problem with step 1, you can move on to step 2 right away. But if he hesitates at that step, you may have to spend more time on it. Keep training sessions short and positive, but do it daily as needed until getting your dog to go into the car is easy.

Step 1 – Walk with your dog around the car. Get as close to the car as you can without making your dog uncomfortable. As soon as the dog reacts negatively to the car, back off. Encourage him with soft words, use kissy noises, and feel free to bribe with treats.

Step 2 – When your dog has no trouble going all the way up to the car, allow him to sniff it on his own. Let him investigate.

Step 3 – Open the car door and have your dog approach you while you are standing by the open door. If your dog is intimidated by the open door, squat down and coax him to you. I noticed that when I am down on my dog Pierson’s level, he is more likely to approach me. Use treats to bribe.

Step 4 – After your dog passes step 3 comfortably, sit in the car and coax your dog to you. Over a period of time as your dog gets used to approaching you while you are in the car, move further back inside the car so that your dog has to stretch or step in to reach you. You may use the leash to give a quick and slight tug, but do not pull on the leash.

Step 5 – The very first time your dog gets into the car, celebrate with lots of treats, love, and a happy voice. Repeat the same excitement every time your dog gets in on his own until he is comfortable doing it without coaxing.

Step 6 – By the time your dog is comfortable getting in the car with you, try to coax him inside without you actually being in the car too.

As stated above, some dogs will move through these steps quicker than others. But if you need to take your dog somewhere in the car and he is not through all these steps yet, gently pick him up and put him inside. Give lots of praise. Try to make the car ride as pleasant as possible. Here is a great article we wrote back in August 2010 about how to help your dog learn to enjoy riding in the car – http://www.petautosafetyblog.com/?p=542.

This may seem like a wacky idea from the get-go. Though, if you are already in a blog that talks about everything related to dogs, it must be because you, like me, love your furry friends and take great care of them; and there’s no harm in that! We are used to getting strange looks when we spend a lot of money getting the-best-of-the-best food, toys, snacks for our dogs, and we deal with it because at the end of the day, it’s your dog who is healthy and happy and it comes all comes down to that. That’s how you treat a member of your family, right? And that’s exactly what they are!

So, when it comes to unexpected situations, such as accidents or diseases, you wouldn’t think twice about getting the best care for your pet. However, this may set you way behind when it comes to footing the bill. That’s where dog insurance comes into place.

What is it and how does it work?
It’s the same concept as any regular insurance, where you sign up and pay a monthly fee (maybe every two months, depending on the company), you choose a deductible and you’re covered when/if an unexpected situation demands health care.
You pick a licensed vet, have your dog taken care of without worrying about what’s going to happen next. Then you take the invoice to your insurance carrier and, depending on the deductible you chose before, you will get a refund of between 70% to 100% of the total bill.

What does it cover?
That’s the beauty of it, many things can happen to your dog that you can’t even think of, ranging from a silly house accident, to allergies, poisoning, cancer or any serious illness. Getting a dog insurance allows you to rest assure that you will only have to rush to the vet of your choice and not worry about the bill.

Puppies or Adults?
This is a common question because you tend to compare it with regular insurance or health care, where the age of the person actually counts for the plan they end up getting. However, this is not the case. You can get your puppy insured (from 7 weeks and on) and you can get the same for an adult dog. This is a normal concern for many reasons: for one thing, many adult dog owners are only just now learning about this and want to get it; but also many people adopt rescue dogs that are adults and want to take care of them as well!
A thing to consider though, is that if you have a senior dog, you might want to get a plan that only covers cancer since adult dogs are less exposed to other illnesses and accidents. A puppy that’s only beginning to explore the world should be completely covered!

How much does it cost?
The plans will range according to the company, the deductibles and the coverage, but it won’t go higher than $25 a month. If you really think about it, you can probably fit that into your budget!

About the author:
Eugenia Sincovich is an Argentinean writer that can’t seem to stay in one place! She loves everything that reminds her that she’s alive and does her best to convey those feelings into her texts. She currently writes for iNetGiant.

We have a guest post today from our friend in the UK. Here is some great information about your dog’s food and overall health.

All pet dog owners will clearly tell you of the love and pleasure the dogs give to them and their families. It’s for this reason that these pets deserve various kind of care in return. Many of these pets require such care several times a day, but this should not scare you as with time it becomes part of your familiar routine. The better you care for your pet, the more pleasure you will derive from your relationship.

The same way it is to us, a nutritious, balanced diet is very essential to your dog’s health. You should therefore learn what to feed your pet dog at various stages of its life. Dogs are remarkably able to adopt and survive on a variety of foods. Their digestive system can get nutrients from anything that is edible, unlike cats that needs nutrients found in meat-based diet only. Despite this, you still need to be equipped with various pet dog health tips. To start with, you should know that dogs are naturally meat eaters, therefore making meat protein an important part of a dog’s diet. However, an all-rounded balanced diet for dogs should include protein, fat, carbohydrate, minerals, vitamins, and water.

Fresh, clean water is very important to your pet dog than all other nutrients. Did you know that a dog can go for several days without food, but not without water? This is caused by the fact that 70 percent of a dog’s body is made up of water that is vital for its tissue lubrication and cell function.

In addition to clean water, you need to choose the right food for your pet. The main factors to consider when choosing the right food for your pet dog include a balanced nutrition (that we have mentioned above), taste, calorie level and digestibility. In terms of balanced nutrition, whatever you buy should be marked complete and balanced, to show that it has the right amount of nutrients needed by the dog. Give your dog natural, whole foods. You can also give a small portion of snacks, but avoid garlic, onions, raisins and grapes, which are toxic to dogs.

In addition to feeding your pet dog well, it will also require regular exams. Ensure a veterinarian examines your pet dog at least twice every year. This will ensure that any case of arthritis, heart problem, a toothache, among other conditions can be detected and treated early. Such visits to a veterinarian should also touch on weight control and nutrition, parasite control, vaccination, among other issues. Ensure your dog gets regular vaccinations.

Ensure that you spay and neuter your pet dog early enough. This can be done as early as six weeks of the dog’s age. Spaying and neutering has many benefits. Some of these benefits include lowering the risk of certain cancers, lowering the risk of getting lost as it decreases the tendency to roam, among other benefits. 

Don’t forget to also provide your pet dog an enriched environment. This includes a daily walk. It also means some play time with you to keep the pet’s muscles toned as well as prevent boredom. To know more about health tips for pet dog you can also have live talk with certified veterinary surgeon or pharmacists on websites like Vet Medic and they also have wide range of pet products as well.

This article is paraphrased from an article we wrote on our American Dog Blog. It was a good article and worth repeating. Pets are great, but they may not be the best Christmas gifts. Here is why and what you can do instead of giving a puppy or kitten instead:

Picking out a Pet is a Family Event
If you are considering giving your child or loved one a puppy or kitten for Christmas, consider giving a gift certificate or a promise note instead. This way the entire family can get together and decide which pet is perfect for everyone. If done after Christmas, this will also help all the pets which have ended up in the shelter because they were given as gifts and not wanted. This happens more often than you think so waiting until the entire family is ready and can decide together helps both your family and the pets that found themselves homeless.

Picking out a Pet is a Personal Experience
You wouldn’t go pick out someone else’s wedding dress, would you? The puppy or kitten you think is perfect may not be the ideal pet for the person you are picking it out for. Even if that person described every detail about what they want in a pet, it’s like finding the perfect wedding dress – the right pet is chosen based not just on a description but also on emotion. Also, that person may not really be ready for a pet. By giving a promise note instead, they can choose when the time is most right for them. The holidays are already overwhelming. It might be best not to overwhelm things more with a little fur-ball of mischief.

Give a Stuffed Animal with a Promise Note Instead
If you know for a fact that a certain person really wants a puppy or kitten for Christmas, giving a stuffed one along with a promise note instead is a very creative idea. This allows them to pick out a real live pet themselves and you have still given a gift on that very special day.

Give a Donation in Someone’s Name
Now that you know how many pets are abandoned after the holidays because people weren’t really ready for them, you can give homeless pets and a person you care about a gift by donating in their name to a shelter or rescue group. If someone you know lost a pet recently, giving the gift in their pet’s name is an even better idea.

Promise to Volunteer
If a good friend or family member wants a pet but you are concerned a pet may be too much for them to handle, give the gift of agreeing to volunteer at an animal shelter together. This way, the person can see how much work is involved in caring for a pet. They might discover they don’t really want a puppy or kitten after all, or they might find out they are allergic to animals. Also, if the person doesn’t have time to get together with you, this might be a sign that they wouldn’t have time for a puppy or kitten either.

Please don’t buy a pet for Christmas this year. Consider the above alternatives instead and save one of the animals who were given up because someone wasn’t ready.

It never ceases to amaze me with how many people think it is silly to make your dog wear a seat belt in the car. This has been an especially hot topic lately since New Jersey passed the new law. Many people, including political officials, are calling it stupid. “Absolutely ridiculous…..like NJ doesn’t have other issues to deal with that are more important than SEAT BELTS FOR PETS!” or “Seriously? Do dogs really cause car accidents?” or “For a free country, we sure are losing a lot of freedoms of choice” or “Next thing you know they will make laws requiring us to strap in Kleenex boxes”.

While most people seem to be upset that New Jersey is wasting tax dollars to make such a law, it should be common sense. Unfortunately, many laws are made because people aren’t using common sense. Remember when states started making seat belt laws for people? There were nearly the same arguments. Today, I am going to give you real life examples of why dogs should wear seat belts in the car.

1. Do unrestrained dogs in cars really kill people? The answer is yes. On September 15th of this year in East Brunswick, New Jersey, it is suspected that a dog in the vehicle was a distraction which caused the driver to lose control, crash, kill two pedestrians, and injure three others. TWO people are dead. Read the article HERE.

2. Do car accidents kill dogs? Again, yes. While the answer to this question might seem obvious, consider this relatively minor accident in Lakewood, Washington where the two occupants suffered only minor injuries but the dog died. The Pomeranian was killed when it hit the windshield. This dog could have survived if he had been restrained in a pet car harness or pet carrier. Read the article HERE.

3. What happens to a dog after an accident? Consider the terror a dog feels after the car that it is in goes out of control. The instinct of a dog in a traumatic experience is to run. And if given half they chance, dogs WILL try to run away from the accident – even if it is just a fender-bender. Consider Bella in Clinton, Montana on August 5th of this year. She and her family were in a terrible accident, a fatal accident. Bella survived. But when someone opened the car door, Bella bolted. She was so scared that no amount of calling for her or looking for her would bring her out. She ran and hid for several days, only coming out at dusk or dawn. It took a community coming together and a live trap to capture Bella. She was finally caught on August 31st… 25 days later. Imagine her fate if the community hadn’t helped. Read her story HERE.

All these stories happened within the past couple of months. And these are just a few of the stories we have come across. Multiply these three by at least 10 more recent stories we’ve found. Then multiply that by how many stories we didn’t find and how many stories never made it to the web. I bet the number goes into the hundreds. Then multiply that again by several months and I bet you have well over a thousand per year. Since there is no formal reporting system for dogs in car accidents, this is just a guess.

We all think it will never happen to us. But if it does, let’s be prepared. Consider the many well-tested dog seat belt brands. If you don’t think your dog will tolerate a seat belt, consider training him to get used to it or consider a secured pet crate or pet vehicle barrier. Your pet is family. Treat him/her like family.

I saw this great chart on Facebook and had to share it. I think it came from a similar chart found on PetSavers in New Jersey. Based on our experience with getting into our cars on a relatively warm day, we know it is much hotter inside than outside. And this chart shows us how much hotter it gets and in such a short time. Knowing this, do you really want to leave your dog alone in the car for even five minutes?

Facts
Besides the facts in the chart above, a study by Stanford University shows that even on a day that is only 72 degrees, the inside of a car get as hot as 116 degrees in an hour. Check out their article HERE. (Their numbers in their article is written in Celsius so you will have to convert them to Fahrenheit.)

Another great site for information is called My Dog is Cool. Check it out HERE. This website is dedicated to educating the public about the danger of leaving dogs in cars.

What to do about it
First of all, don’t ever leave your dog alone in the car. Even on cool days, it can get hot in your car. And don’t forget about people being able to steal your dog. Plus, it can also be considered animal cruelty. If you see someone else who has left their dog in the car call the police or animal control. If you don’t have their number on hand, don’t hesitate to call 911. You can also get some really cool fliers that you can put in people’s car. The My Dog is Cool has a great flier that can be easily downloaded. It says, “A hot oven or a hot car, it’s the same thing.” One woman went so far as to break a car window to get the dog out. Her story can be read HERE. This is illegal and thankfully the other party did not press charges.

Another thing you can do is go inside the store where you believe the owner went into and ask the manager to make an announcement over the intercom. Some store managers won’t but it might be worth a try. And it might be worth mentioning that it is against the law to leave an animal alone in the car.

I know you love your dog. But love him by leaving him at home if you plan on going somewhere he can’t go. Please don’t leave him in the car.

The Rumpy Dog Blog inspired this post. Blogging is fun but you’re not going to get many visitors if you don’t participate in social media. If you are on the internet, you have probably heard of social media. Social media includes Facebook, My Space, Linked In, Twitter, and more. It also includes photo sharing sites like Flickr, blogs like the one you are reading now, forums, and so on. Blogging is fun. But posting regularly then marketing it with social media can be very time consuming. If you want to work towards having a popular blog, be sure you are blogging about something you love.

My passion is dogs. Because the retail websites in my company are about dogs and cats, I find that the time I spend on social media is much more fun. Visit my social media sites. Follow my pages, like, add to your circle, subscribe, and join the fun!

If you are a social media junkie and post about pets, add your links in our comments and I will follow you in return.

Our Websites and Blogs:
www.PetAutoSafety.com
www.PetAutoSafetyBlog.com
www.AnimalFigurineStore.com
http://AmericanDogBlog.wordpress.com/
www.NatureByDawn.com
www.InformationWolves.com

Our Social Media Spots:
www.Facebook.com/PetAutoSafety
www.Twitter.com/NatureByDawn
http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturebydawn/
https://plus.google.com/u/0/103225043386550166863/posts
http://pinterest.com/naturebydawn/
http://www.youtube.com/user/naturebydawn/videos

Thanks Rumpy Dog for being an inspiration!