The cold weather is already upon us here in the UK and; as well as the usual keeping your pet warm on those ice, chilling walks by providing them with a nice, warm coat, you should also get into the habit of rinsing off your pets paws every time they come back from a walk.
As the roads tend to get icey and frosty at this time of the year, as well the higher potential of snow, the gritters will be out in full force in order to keep our roads clear and safe to drive on. Grit, however (although necessary at this time of year), can be highly lethal to your pet. Dogs and cats will walk through gritted roads when they are out and about during the winter period and, if your pet then licks his paws after his walk, it may just kill him. Consuming rock salt can cause dehydration, liver failure and pancreatitis, while antifreeze (used to defrost windscreens) contains the chemical ethylene glycol, which can be lethal when ingested.
What can we do about this in order to keep our pets safe?
The best thing to do, as stopping walks would be very unfair on your four legged friend, is to rinse off the animals paws every time after a walk. It really is as simple as that.
Cats are a little more tricky as they tend to come and go as they please. If you know your cat walks on streets that will potentially be gritted or where there are a lot of cars parked, the safest option would be to keep him indoors until the weather warms up. He may not be particularly happy about having his outdoor freedom taken away but at least it will potentially save his life! If you do decide to keep your cat indoors, remember that you will need to interact with them much more to keep them well stimulated; and, provide them with plenty of places to climb and scratch so that they are still able to perform all of their natural kitty behaviours!
So, as well as ensuring you keep your pet as warm as possible on those brisk, winter walks also remember to wash his feet down after every walk to ensure he won't end up poisoning himself if he licks his paws. The last thing anyone wants is a loss in the family so close to Christmas!
www.4pawswalkies.co.uk
Thursday 21 November 2013
Sunday 3 November 2013
Coping with fireworks
It’s that time of year again, when the evening sky
gets filled with colourful explosions. Fun for us to watch, but not so fun for our pets.
Fear of loud noises is very common in dogs and cats, which can make fireworks season pretty traumatic for many of them. So, what can we do to help?
There are many ways we can make fireworks season less of a scary thing for our pets. We should provide them with a safe haven that they can go to when feeling nervous. A good example is an open crate, with blankets covering the walls of the crate. We can teach our pets that this is a nice cosy place to be by giving them fun things to do in there (such as a stuffed kong). The safe haven should also be placed in a nice relaxing area of the house, and it is important to not disturb our pets when they are chilling in their dens. So, make sure, if you have children, you teach them to leave your pet alone when he is in his safe place.
There have also been studies showing that the use of D.A.P (Dog Appeasing pheromones) can reduce the signs of anxiety during fireworks. For D.A.P to be effective it is important to introduce it before fireworks season starts and also still give your dog the safe haven to go to.
Keeping the animal’s mind occupied could also benefit some individuals. Giving your pet trick puzzle games with food rewards will occupy their mind from focusing on the loud noises. It is also important to remember not to over coddle your pet when they are feeling anxious. It is OK to offer gentle reassurance, but giving too much attention to the fearful behaviour could cause attention seeking problems, or it could exasperate the fear because by acting differently than normal (I assume you don’t usually over fuss your pet when he’s relaxing in the evening) you are showing your pet that fireworks are strange things, because they make you behave strangely!
If you do have a pet that really does not enjoy the fireworks, please look into a behaviourist (make sure they use up to date methods) to help your pet overcome this problem. They will be able to work alongside you and your pet in a program of desensitisation and counter conditioning.
Remember to keep your pets as safe and happy as possible during this fireworks season!
www.4pawswalkies.co.uk
Fear of loud noises is very common in dogs and cats, which can make fireworks season pretty traumatic for many of them. So, what can we do to help?
There are many ways we can make fireworks season less of a scary thing for our pets. We should provide them with a safe haven that they can go to when feeling nervous. A good example is an open crate, with blankets covering the walls of the crate. We can teach our pets that this is a nice cosy place to be by giving them fun things to do in there (such as a stuffed kong). The safe haven should also be placed in a nice relaxing area of the house, and it is important to not disturb our pets when they are chilling in their dens. So, make sure, if you have children, you teach them to leave your pet alone when he is in his safe place.
There have also been studies showing that the use of D.A.P (Dog Appeasing pheromones) can reduce the signs of anxiety during fireworks. For D.A.P to be effective it is important to introduce it before fireworks season starts and also still give your dog the safe haven to go to.
Keeping the animal’s mind occupied could also benefit some individuals. Giving your pet trick puzzle games with food rewards will occupy their mind from focusing on the loud noises. It is also important to remember not to over coddle your pet when they are feeling anxious. It is OK to offer gentle reassurance, but giving too much attention to the fearful behaviour could cause attention seeking problems, or it could exasperate the fear because by acting differently than normal (I assume you don’t usually over fuss your pet when he’s relaxing in the evening) you are showing your pet that fireworks are strange things, because they make you behave strangely!
If you do have a pet that really does not enjoy the fireworks, please look into a behaviourist (make sure they use up to date methods) to help your pet overcome this problem. They will be able to work alongside you and your pet in a program of desensitisation and counter conditioning.
Remember to keep your pets as safe and happy as possible during this fireworks season!
www.4pawswalkies.co.uk
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