Search Results for: blog heatstroke in pets

Caring for Pets in Cold Weather

In June I posted about the dangers of heatstroke for animals. Now that we’ve entered the opposite extreme of seasonal weather, I’d like to take a look at ways to keep our pets safe when it’s cold outside. The ASPCA has a list of several things to remember when looking after pets in the winter. Just as leaving a dog in the car is dangerous in the heat the same is true in the cold. Especially when it isn’t sunny outside, cars trap the cold and can drop to dangerous freezing temperatures. If you must leave your pet in the … Continue reading →

Heatstroke in Pets

With the approach of summer, we pet owners need to start thinking about how our animal family members might be affected by the heat. Pets that go outside, particularly dogs and cats, face danger from heatstroke. In fact, even when an animal isn’t technically outdoors it can still get heatstroke if left in the car. I admit I’ve been guilty once or twice of leaving my dog in the car for “just a few minutes” in fair weather. Here’s the thing: according to a Stanford University study, a parked car on a sunny 70-degree day can reach dangerous internal temperatures. … Continue reading →

Fourth of July Pet Safety

On Friday one of the DJ’s for my local radio station mentioned upcoming Fourth of July celebrations, and she warned dog owners about fireworks. She said that she sees more fliers go up for missing dogs on July 5 than just about any other day of the year, all because of the fireworks noise. It’s something that never occurred to me, but it makes a lot of sense. Depending on where you live and how loud noise from fireworks might be in your yard, Independence Day, while fun for us humans, could prove frightening for our pets. If you keep … Continue reading →

Summer Grooming Tips

Today I saw this picture of a fake cat made out of the fur of the real cat it sat beside. The picture really drove it home, as if the hardwood floors I have all over my house hadn’t already: summer is here, and that means so is grooming season. I hate grooming. It’s always just such a trial in my house. But I’m cheap so I hate paying for it more, and because none of my animals do much more try to walk away a little and guilt me a lot for brushing them, I don’t have a great … Continue reading →

Animal Relocation Initiative

My dog Chihiro was born in Arkansas. It might have been a bit of a head-scratcher how a young puppy made it across several states in order to be adopted from a shelter in the Washington, DC area before she turned four months old. I wasn’t perplexed, however, because before I even found my dog I was already familiar with the concept of rescue transport. When I lived in Baltimore I roomed for a while with a friend who loves Dachshunds. She adores the breed so much that she’s very active with the Coast to Coast Dachshund rescue group. One … Continue reading →

Police Dogs in Danger

I love watching working animals. As hard as it might be for me to remain professional around a seeing-eye dog, for example, who shouldn’t be petted while it works, I love to observe the first-hand proof of the deep bond that can exist between humans and animals. Pets are such multi-faceted friends and family members, keeping us company and aiding us in real ways as we go through life. That’s why I’m so horrified to read a story on Yahoo! News about the New Orleans Police Department closing their K-9 unit. The dogs didn’t do anything wrong. It was their … Continue reading →

Warm Weather Car Safety

Depending on where you live, winter can be long, depressing, and, let’s face it, cold. When warm weather arrives, many of us can hardly wait to get outside. There are parks to visit, playgrounds to explore, and beaches to comb. And yet, with all the fun surrounding warm-weather outings, some precautions need to be taken when traveling with a baby. Before you even place your child in the car, check the car seat, especially any metal buckles or other metal parts. These can get extremely hot during a warm day, especially if they are in the direct sunlight. The last … Continue reading →

Eating Out with Dogs

On Sunday I was supposed to attend a fundraising party for a rescue located north of Washington, DC. At the last minute the party organizers had to reschedule it, so I found myself with the afternoon now free. I still wanted to see a friend I was going to meet at the party, but now we had to find somewhere new to go where we could also bring Chihiro, whom I had with me. We decided to go to Great Sage, a restaurant specializing in organic green cuisine. I’m always up for something new, and I liked the idea of … Continue reading →

Vacation Gadgets for Your Pet

With the summer travel season now upon us, many of us face questions about what to do with our pets when we go on vacation. Those of us who decide to bring our pets along on our trips, though glad to have our furry friends with us, then face further complications of keeping our pets situated and happy with the limited resources we have away from home. At the recent Global Pet Expo in Orlando, pet-minded inventors introduced a number of new gadgets designed to make vacationing easier for all members of the family, both two-and-four-legged. MSNBC reports the highlights. … Continue reading →

Flea Bombing

Flea bombing: every pet owner probably has to do it at least once. No matter how many flea collars we put on our animals, medication we apply to the backs of their necks, or generally how cautious we are, those little bugs just seem to find ways past our defenses on occasion. Flea bombing, or flea fogging as it’s often called now, can be complicated and stressful. We recently had to go through it in our house, so I thought I’d detail the process to provide help or reference for others. Everyone, human and animal, needs to vacate the premises … Continue reading →