Pet Auto Safety

I had a chance to visit New York City for the first time last year. Since I couldn’t take my dogs on that trip, I thought I would share a blog post about pet friendly New York by our favorite Beagle, Maggie, at WagTheDogUK.

Here are some photos of dogs that I took while I was in Manhattan.

Lots of open space in Central Park. There is no designated off-leash area but there are off-leash times.

If you think New York is too crowded to have two big dogs, you’re wrong. These two pups enjoy it here.

Early AM, lots of people headed to Central Park to walk their dogs.

In the fast paced life, you can take your dog for a walk, stop at an outdoor cafe for a quick breakfast, and take care of business on your cell phone all at the same time.

The biggest dog in New York is Balto. I love this statue!

Maya Wearing a Cooling Dog Collar

I love playing outside with my dogs, Maya and Pierson. And my dogs enjoy being outside. But the weather is warming up amazingly fast so I need to be aware of the effect that heat may have on my dogs. After doing a little research, here are some things I’ve found to help my dogs with pet safety under the sun.

PREVENTION
The best way to avoid heat exhaustion or a heat stroke is to take preventative action.

* Don’t leave your dog in the car!
* Don’t leave your dog outside without shade and cool water.
* Be careful about overdoing the play, walks, and runs.
* Take cool-down breaks.
* Avoid concrete. Dark pavements get very hot.
* Use a cooling harness, cooling dog collar, or a cooling mat.
* Make sure your dog is able to pant (no muzzles).

SYMPTOMS
Sometimes we get so carried away with our fun, we may not be aware that heat exhaustion is coming on. Here are some things to look out for:

* Excessive and/or heavy panting.
* Excessive drool.
* Bright red tongue.
* Lack of coordination, disorientation, and/or unable to stand.
* Vomiting.
* Diarrhea.

The above symptoms are the beginning stages of heat exhaustion. If left unnoticed or disregarded, the symptoms could progress into a deadly heat stroke. Your dog could collapse and go into shock or have seizures. Get them to the veterinarian immediately.

TREATMENT
For mild symptoms, get your dog cooled down by trying some of the following methods.

* Move inside to the a/c.
* Move your dog to the shade.
* Allow your dog to lie down in cool water (not ice water).
* Hose your dog down in cool water.
* Put your wet dog in front of a fan.
* Put cool water on his feet.
* Allow him to drink cool water; or if he won’t, put cool water on his tongue.
* Give him ice cubes to lick.
* Put ice packs on his groin area.

If the symptoms of heat exhaustion do not go away within 10 minutes or so, take them to the veterinarian.  You may even want to call your veterinarian while you are trying to cool your dog down. Your vet can give you more ideas and can advise you on whether you need to bring your dog in.

Remember, prevention is the best remedy. Be aware of the signs so that you can treat your dog before the symptoms get deadly. And be aware when you see other dogs. Someone else at the park may not know to look out for heat exhaustion in their dog and may miss the signs. You could help prevent a disaster.

The beautiful weather we have been having lately really makes me want to go to the beach. I’ve been to the west coast and to beaches in Texas, but never to the east coast. There are a lot of nice beaches to the east. But one that stands out as a great vacation spot is Key West in Florida.
According to US News Travel, the best time to visit Key West is between March and May. The weather is relatively mild and it is the off-travel season, which makes hotel rates and other attractions less expensive. So what is there to do in Key West? Lots!
The first thing you need when visiting Key West is pet friendly accommodations. Choose between dog friendly hotels, vacation homes, or RV parks. Be sure to call your stay of choice in advance to verify their pet friendly regulations. Some may charge extra fees or have weight limits.
You can’t go to the Florida Keys without doing a little snorkeling, boating, or fishing. Thankfully, some boat tours are pet friendly! Check out this cool video from Lazy Dog Outfitters:

After a day of boating, do some leisurely shopping along Duval Street. Many of the shops are pet friendly. Have lunch at an outdoor cafe such as Louie’s Backyard. Louie’s Backyard is right on the beach. And next to it is a dog beach! Check out this video:

Still want more stuff to do? Go visit the Key West Tropical Forest and Garden. Then visit the pet friendly Key West Aquarium. I’ve called them and confirmed that friendly dogs on leashes are more than welcome to visit the aquarium. Here is a video of the things you can see there:

Other attractions include the Dry Tortugas National Park and the Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. Another dog park is the Higgs Beach dog park. And other dog friendly outdoor restaurants include the Six-Toed Cat, Harpoon Harry’s, Old Town Mexican Cafe, and Dante’s.
Our two primary resources for this edition of Pet Travel Destination Tuesday is DogFriendly.com and GoPetFriendlyBlog.com. Have you been to Key West? I bet you have much better photos than we do. Please feel free to share and tell us your favorite pet travel distnation. And don’t forget, wherever you travel with your pet be sure they travel safe!

Imagine your best little friend riding at your side without being a distraction. The window is down, the breeze is flowing in, and your dog’s nose is to the wind. If you have a pet 30 pounds or less, then he can greatly benefit from a pet carseat. Safety is an obvious benefit and there are two aspects of safety to consider. Plus, there are two other benefits of dog car seats.

SAFETY
The first safety aspect of a pet carseat is that your dog is tethered in and can’t distract the driver. The second aspect is that since your dog is tethered in, he won’t fly forward into the dash or onto the floor in a sudden stop.

Most dog car seats come with a tether. The tether is to be attached to your pet’s harness, not his collar. For ultimate safety, use a dog car harness in conjunction with the safety seat instead of a regular walking harness.

The Sleepypods do not have tethers but this is because your dog (or even your cat) is enclosed inside of it. This pet carseat is then secured in the vehicle with the safety belt of the vehicle. Sleepypods have also had crash testing.

Important note regarding pets riding in the front:  Front passenger side airbags are not safe for dogs. Some airbags are designed to always deploy in the event of a front or rear end car accident while others will not deploy if there is not enough weight in the seat. So be sure to check your vehicle specifications regarding how the airbags work.

COMFORT
With all the turning and stopping you have to do, wouldn’t it be a more comfortable ride for your little dog if he didn’t have to continuously brace himself? Imagine making a quick stop, and instead of your pet sliding off onto the floor, he slides forward into the partition of his safety seat instead. The Snoozer and Lookouts have the most cushioning.

GIVE A BOOST
Some pet safety booster seats allow your furry friend to look out the car window. Sometimes, being able to see out the window can help with car sickness. Looking out the window is also a fun activity. Keep your pal entertained so that he doesn’t pester you.

Most dog car seats are for small dogs, 30 pounds and under. But there is at least one for larger dogs and that is the Full Bench Lookout Perch from Snoozer. Snoozer has a number of other different styles for smaller dogs, including the Lookout series and console seats. Sleepypods are for smaller dogs and even cats. There is also the Skybox and other booster seats from Kurgo. Check them all out and keep your best friend safe in the car.

Our contest winner for the month of April has shared a photo of her Dachshund dog Daffy with her new prize.

Daffy the Dachshund in her new Thundershirt!

Isn’t Daffy absolutely adorable!?! I just love that look on her face. It’s like she’s saying, “You seriously expect me to wear this… in public?” LOL!

The prize was actually a Bergan pet car barrier, but we saw in the comments that Daffy’s mom Amy made and thought perhaps she could use another prize instead. In Amy’s comments, she said her dogs rode in crates and that they bark and whine in the car. Since they are already riding safely in crates and can’t get to the front seats, what use is a pet car barrier? Perhaps the Thundershirt will help keep her dogs calm and quiet when they ride in the car.

Important note:  Our winner Amy did not ask us to exchange the prize. It was an offer that we made. In general, the prize in the contest is the one that is given away. It is solely at our discretion to offer an exchange for another product of comparable value. This month’s contest giveaway will likely be a dog car harness. If there is a different prize that you’d like to win, please let us know in comments here. We will be hosting the giveaway soon, so stop by again soon!

For other great pet photos, visit the blog hop below. Be sure to specifically check out the one of Pierson’s New Agility Kit. That’s my boy and he is showing off his new agility skills.

Thanks to Midwest Pet Bloggers on Facebook, our next pet travel destination is in Wisconsin. It was a tossup between Milwaukee and Madison, but since they are only an hour-and-a-half drive apart from each other, why not talk about both?

Both cities have a number of pet friendly hotels. Be sure to call the hotel you’re considering in advance to make sure they take all sized pets and whether or not they charge extra fees for pets. Some dog friendly hotels are friendlier than others.

I love nature walks and there are a number of state parks near Madison and Milwaukee. There is the Lake Kegonsa state park, Blue Mound state park, Governor Nelson state park, and, one that I find interesting for historical reasons, Aztalan state park. Aztalan state park features an earthwork mound constructed by the Mississippian culture about 900 years ago. More in Wikipedia.

Pets on leashes are welcome to the Wisconsin state parks. But if you prefer your dog be allowed to run off-leash, Madison has several off-leash dog parks. Milwaukee has a few too, but Madison seems to rule as far as off-leash dog parks go. There is the Brittingham dog park, Quann dog park, Token Creek pet exercise area, Viking park pet exercise area, Sun Prairie pet exercise area, Sycamore dog park, and still more in Madison. Milwaukee has Muttland Meadows, Brookfield dog park, and a couple of others.

After all that walking around, you’re going to want to stop for a bite to eat. how about stopping by a restaurant with an outdoor patio? Some of these restaurants with outdoor patios are pet friendly. A few in Madison are the Mermaid Cafe, Capital Brewery, Marigold Kitchen, and Hawk’s Bar and Grill. A few in Milwaukee are the Apollo Cafe, Beans & Barley, Crazy Water, Mimma’s, Brewed Cafe, The Palomino, Milwaukee Waterfront Deli, and the Community Bark Dog Wash & Coffee Bar. These are just a few. You can find more on the resource links listed below.

After a nice lunch break, you can do more sightseeing. Visit the capitol building in Madison. The grounds are pet friendly so long as you pick up after your pet and make sure he stays on a leash. There is also a pet friendly botanical garden at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In Milwaukee, there are a few pet friendly boat rentals and tours. Check out Blue Max Charters, Milwaukee Boat Line, and Juneau Park Paddleboats. You can also walk along the Milwaukee Riverwalk.

Not all the places in this video are pet friendly. But as you can see, there is a lot to do here! Neither you nor your dog will get bored. I’ve only listed a few things. But you can find more fun dog friendly things to do with your best friend by checking out DogFriendly.com and BringFido.com. Also, check out a review of Milwaukee from Ty and Buster from GoPetFriendly.com. Remember, wherever you travel with your pet, be sure to travel safe and use a dog car safety device.

“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.

This is our first Follow Up Friday blog hop. It has been an interesting week for us so I thought we would share what’s going on.

It’s a good thing Pierson hasn’t lost his winter coat yet, because it’s snowing in May!

Snow in May
It has been a strange week for weather. It was in the 80s Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday was in the 70s. Then Thursday it snowed! Poor Maya & Pierson don’t know whether to shed or grow more fur.

“Please let me wake up from this strange dream of snow in May.”

Canine Epilepsy
Pierson had a second seizure on Wednesday, May 1st. His first seizure was on January 10th of this year. Thankfully, his seizures were very short and don’t seem to happen often. The vet took some tests and was unable to determine the cause. This is a good thing, the vet says. It’s not head trauma, it’s not poison, and his blood tests came out normal. So he is just one of those dogs that have seizures. Seeing my pretty boy Pierson having a seizure is a scary thing, but seizures won’t shorten his life or lessen his quality of life. It is believed that dogs feel no pain during a seizure. And he gets back to his bouncy self within moments after the seizure.

Tomorrow for Pet Safety Saturday, I’m going to provide a link to an article I wrote in January about Pierson’s canine epilepsy. Be sure to stop by tomorrow.

Contest Winner
On a lighter note, Amy B. won the Bergan pet travel barrier. Congratulations Amy!

We will be holding another contest this month so stay tuned. What would you like to see in May’s giveaway contest?

Sharing Pet Safety Photos
You saw the Golden Doodle Spud’s photo earlier this week in his new Bergan dog car harness. Now we’ve seen a photo of another Doodle named Goldie wearing the Kurgo Tru-Fit pet car harness. We haven’t gotten permission to share the photo on our blog, but you can see it on DoodleKisses.

If you have photos of your dog riding in the car, share them with us. We’d love to post them here.

Teaching Pierson to Speak
I taught Pierson to speak last week. It was so easy that he learned it in one day. Two factors made it easy for him to learn: 1) Aussies are natural barkers, and 2) Aussies are super smart. I will hopefully have a video on American Dog Blog soon.

Check out more dog blog posts on the Follow Up Friday blog hop below:

I want to share a short tale about a cute GoldenDoodle named Spud. Spud’s mom had purchased a dog car harness from another company and had a scary experience with it. The tether broke when she stopped suddenly. Poor Spud could have been hurt. Obviously, Spud needed a better pet seat belt so we sent Spud’s mom the safety tested Bergan brand. Here is the photo she took of Spud wearing it. Isn’t he adorable!

Spud is a regular at www.DoodleKisses.com. Here is a direct link to the article that Spud’s mom wrote on Doodle Kisses about her pet seat belt experience – DoodleKisses.

Here is Spud running around with a ball. I just love how cute his ears are when they’re airborne like that.

Spud’s floppy ears are so cute!

Not all dog car harness brands are created equally. A few have not even had testing. For tested brands, consider the Bergan brand like the one Spud is wearing. Also consider PetBuckle, Kurgo Tru-Fit with enhanced strength, and the Roadie Ruff Rider. We have these available on the Dog Seat Belts page of our retail site. Spud’s new Bergan harness and tether has been safety tested to withstand 2,500 pounds of force.

For more Wordless Wednesday pet photos, check out the blog hop below:

I am so glad spring is finally here! This warmer weather makes me think about vacationing again. And you know, I have to take Maya and Pierson wherever I go. This means looking for a friendly pet travel destination. This week I am looking at Charleston, South Carolina.

After a little research, I found a number of pet friendly places in Charleston. Firstly, there are several dog friendly hotels. The ones I would consider include La Quinta, Red Roof Inn, and Hampton Inn. There are also places for RVing and camping. If my dogs and I get hungry, we can eat on an outdoor patio at the Dog and Duck Food and Spirits, DIG in the Park, Firehouse Subs, and Danielle Island Grille.

I’ve covered the most important aspects of travel – lodging and eating. What about fun stuff? I like gardens and Charleston has quite a few dog friendly gardens. There is the Battery and White Point Gardens, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, and the Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens. Dogs are allowed on leashes but be aware that they probably are not allowed inside any of the buildings.

To get around, there are a couple of pet friendly carriage tours and other tours. Charleston even sports a pet friendly kayak rental. Let’s not forget about the dog friendly beaches and a number of off-leash dog parks in Charleston. Here are a super cute video of a dog having fun at the beach.

And check out these dogs having fun at the James Island County Dog Park.

Doesn’t Charleston, South Carolina look like fun? Have you been here with your dog? We’d love to hear about your experience. If you haven’t gone and decide to go, be sure your dog rides safe in the car with a dog seat belt or pet car seat.

(Our primary resource for these pet friendly activities comes from DogFriendly.com.)