Pet First Aid: Spider Bites

A spider crawled out from underneath the stove last night and chased me around the kitchen. Like the calm, brave person I am, I screamed for the dogs to save me. They sat and watched the show. Their lack of reaction to a spider got me thinking about spider bites. Most spider bites are uncomfortable, but not dangerous — you can treat them pretty much the same way you would treat a bee sting or wasp sting. Relieve the pain and reduce the swelling. Keep an eye out for an infection developing at the bite site. If your pet is … Continue reading

Don’t Step on a Bee Day (Or, In Murphy’s Case, Eat Them)

Today is Don’t Step on a Bee Day. You might recall a blog I wrote called Insect Inspector: Murphy’s “Bumble Rumble”. If not, this was the gist: Murph knows bees as bumbles and takes great pleasure in chasing them. Well, when I stumbled across Don’t Step on a Bee Day while compiling my list of July daily, weekly, and monthly celebrations I laughed and couldn’t help but think of Murphy. I thought I might have to write about it, so I made a note of it on my list of topics and sort of forgot about it. Until today. And … Continue reading

Insect Inspector: Murphy’s “Bumble” Rumble

Ever since he was a pup, Murph’s loved chasing things. When we lived in Florida, he loved nothing better than being let loose through the sliding glass doors to chase the squirrels in the backyard. On walks, he took joy in leaping through the bushes after lizards. When we moved to Nashville we chose a house without either a fenced-in backyard or any trees for squirrels to call home. (After our experiences with the hurricanes in 2004, we’ve been leery of big trees living within striking range of our dwelling. As for the fenced yard, we walk Murph anyway –even … Continue reading

Pet First Aid Awareness Month

April is Pet First Aid Awareness Month. It’s the perfect time of year for it, because the weather’s nicer, we’re outside more –as are our pets most likely–and there’s lots to get into. Some of it can be harmful, even fatal, to your dog or cat, but with awareness you can avoid trouble. Below is a list of some of those things. Where applicable, related Families.com articles are referenced for further information. Dangers Lurking in the Garden Lawn and garden care is on many people’s minds this time of year. If your pet’s going to help you, here’s some things … Continue reading