Keep Your Pets Safe This Halloween

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Halloween can be a stressful time for your pets.  Strangers dressed up in costumes knocking on the door, yelling Trick or treat can really cause your pets to get stressed out.  Here are some things you can do to keep your pets safe this Halloween.

·         Pet Halloween Costumes – Yes they are adorable to look at, but they can be extremely hazardous.  Be sure to watch out for any outfits that have rubber bands on them, because they can cause gastrointestinal blockage if digested.  Also be careful of costumes with bandanas, or anything that ties around your pet’s neck in case of choking.  Try to avoid ribbons and bows as they also can cause chocking, and can be very dangerous if swallowed.  There are many pet Halloween costumes to choose from, so keep your pets safe by examining the outfit you choose. Do not buy an outfit with zippers, because you can catch skin and fur, and badly injure your pet. Just because it looks cute on the shelf, does not mean it will be safe for your pet.  Examine it and be sure it’s 100% safe before purchasing your pets Halloween costume.  If you have sewing talent, the best way to avoid dangerous materials is to make your own pet Halloween costume. This way you will know exactly what to put on it to keep it as safe as possible.

 

·         Keep your pets inside on Mischief night and Halloween – The day before Halloween is known as Mischief night.  This is the night where kids play tricks, make trouble, and roam the streets.  This goes along with the history of Halloween and how some people use animal sacrifices on this night.  It is always best to keep your pets indoors on these nights just in case someone wants to cause trouble.  Halloween night is also an important night to keep your pets indoors.  You have ghost, and goblins roaming the streets looking for candy, and a child may give your pet some, just trying to be nice.  In reality, this could be fatal to your pet, not to mention all the screaming kids will scare them.  Keep your animals in a safe room where they will feel comfortable. 

 

·         Halloween Candy – Dogs are not designed to eat the same foods that we do.  During Halloween it’s absolutely critical that you keep your pets away from candy and especially chocolate.  Dogs love the taste of sweet things, and they will go out of their way to find and eat large quantities of candy without regard as to the effects. The hazardous material in chocolate is called “Theobromine”.  This chemical causes vomiting, diarrhea, fast breathing, seizures, and can even cause death. Even in small quantities chocolate can be lethal.  This is why it is important for you to keep your Halloween candy up high, and when trick or treaters come, put your dog in another room.  This way if a child drops some candy on the floor, the dog will not be the first to find it. Putting them in another room can also help them to not get to hyper when kids ring your door bell.

If you are cautious of potential dangers, then Halloween can be fun for you and your pets.  Look at your pets Halloween costumes to be sure there is no danger, keep your pets inside on Mischief and Halloween night, and please beware of candy that your pets can get into.  If you avoid these things, then you are sure to have a stress free pet for Halloween.

Preventing Toxoplasmosis While Pet Sitting And Pregnant!

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Last Thanksgiving and Christmas rush season one of my pet sitters was 8-9 months pregnant.  During her pregnancy she expressed some concerns about cleaning litter boxes for our cat clients as she was worried about Toxoplasmosis.  She continued to pet sit but researched the disease and took precautions to protect herself while sitting.  As most of our clients have indoor only cats it was less of a risk - but if you find yourself pregnant and pet sitting it’s always better to be safe than sorry!  Here is some more info about the disease and some tips safe sitting:

Toxoplasmosis is a parasite infection that can be transmitted through infected cat feces or in soil where cats have defecated.  Although felines are the natural host of this parasite, some birds can carry it as well.  It reproduces in their intestines.   A cat can become infected by eating prey that has it, eating undercooked meat, or eating other cat’s feces that has the parasite.  Toxoplasmosis is generally mild in a healthy, non pregnant person.  It may cause some flu like symptoms, and should clear up fairly quickly.  You may not even know you have contracted the parasite.  If you are pregnant, however, it is important for you to protect yourself from coming in contact with this parasite.  It is known to infect the placenta, and the baby.  It can have devastating effects on you, and your unborn child.  It can cause brain damage, effect the heart and lungs, cause stillbirth, miscarriage, death after birth, long term damages, slow brain development, structural and neurological problems, Cerebral palsy and Epilepsy.

Cat feces and litter boxes are the main source of Toxoplasmosis, but this does not mean you need to give your kitty cat a new home.  It just means you should take some extra precautions.  Here is a list of ways to avoid Toxoplasmosis while pregnant:

§         Avoid public sand boxes

§         Keep your sand box covered at home

§         Have someone else change the litter box until your baby is born

§         Keep cat from jumping onto the kitchen counters

§         Feed cat only store bought cat food

§         Never feed raw or undercooked meat to your cat

§         Keep your cat indoors

§         Wash your hands after playing or touching any cats

§         Keep cat away from dinner table while eating

§         When gardening, wear mask and gloves

Here are some signs to look for:

§         Swollen lymph nodes

§         Muscle pain

§         Fatigue

§         Severe Headaches

§         Fever

§         Rash

§         Sore throat

 

If you feel you may have contracted Toxoplasmosis, it is vital that you see a doctor right away.  A blood test will show if you have been exposed.  Then medicine will be proscribed.

Since you will be exposed to cats while pet sitting, I feel it is important to address this issue and make you aware of it.  If you are pregnant while pet sitting a cat, just remember to be careful and take measures to avoid being exposed, until your baby is born.

Take some time to educate your clients about the disease if you know they have cats and are expecting or trying to have children.

Top 6 Pet First Aid Tips for Pet Sitters

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On my free call this week Therese Kopiwoda shared 6 great first aid tips for pet sitters:

1) Go to a pet first aid class so that you have the skills and knowledge to be able to react quickly and correctly in a pet emergency

2) Get a first aid kit and carry it with you in your car.  It is best to put together your own kit so that you can customize it to the type of pets you care for and you know what you have in you kit

3) Make sure that you know where your clients pet records are located. Get all new clients to alert their vet that they will be having a pet sitter care for the pets and ask that they have a credit card on file with their vet

4) Know where you clients vets are so that in an emergency you can get to the vet quickly. After your inital interview take the time to print a map and file with the client contract

5) Know the location of the nearest emergency vet clinic. Find out their hours and if they have a vet on staff during operating hours or if the vet will be called in only if needed

6) If you are caring for large dogs make sure you have a way to transport them to the vet. Have another person that you can call to help you or have a guerney in your vehicle. If you are caring for cats make sure you know where clients carriers are located

To find out about pet first aid classes in your area visit http://www.pettech.net and find a local instructor.

Therese also shared with us on the call the 5 most common pet emergencies and how to react given any of these situations.  We discussed some real life incidents that we have had on the job as pet sitters and as pet owners.  She also shared the best way to use your pet first aid certification to gain more credibility as a pet sitters and to differentiate your pet sitting business from your competitors.

The full recording of our call is available to members of the Pet Sitting Success Circle.  To join and get more details visit http://www.petbusinesssuccesscircle.com.  It’s only a $7 investment to join for the first month and try out all the member benefits including more than 11 past call recordings, free reports, and our mastermind groups.

Keep an eye out right here at Working with Pets for an announcement about our August call. 

If you have any other tips that you want to share or any experiences where you have had to use pet first aid please join the discussion and leave a comment!

 

Warning - Cocoa Mulch Poisonous For Dogs and Cats

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Please tell every dog or cat owner you know. Even if  you don’t have a pet, please pass this to those  who do.

Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab  mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from  Target to use in their garden. They loved  the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep  cats away from their garden. Their dog Calypso decided that the mulch smelled good enough to  eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a  few times which was typical when she eats  something new but wasn’t acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk . Half way through the  walk, she had a seizure and died instantly

Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the  label, upon further investigation on the  company’s website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs and cats.

Cocoa  Mulch  is manufactured by Hershey’s, and they claim  that ‘It is true that studies have shown that  50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer  physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending  on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won’t eat it.’

This  Snopes site gives the following information: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.snopes.com%2Fcritters%2Fcrusader%2Fcocoamulch.asp

Cocoa  Mulch,  which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman’s Garden  Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient  called ‘ Theobromine’ . It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths  already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks.  Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark  or baker’s chocolate which is toxic to dogs.  Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound  similar in effects to caffeine and  theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal  quantity of garden mulch made from cacao  bean shells developed severe convulsions  and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells  revealed the presence of lethal amounts of  theobromine.

Avoid the Top 12 Holiday Pet Hazards

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Quick Tip ThursdayThe holidays are a time to get together with family and celebrate, enjoy plenty of good food, and each others company. Unfortunately veterinarians are kept busy at this time of year as the holidays bring many potential hazards for our pets. Take the precautions below to ensure that all of the members of your family have happy and safe holidays.

 

Avoiding the Hazards of the Christmas Tree

1)      If you bring a live tree into your home make sure that you cover the water in the base so that your pets cannot drink. The pine sap and chemical additives used to extend tree life are dangerous if ingested.  Clean up fallen pine needles frequently as these can be toxic if swallowed.

2)     Secure your tree so that it won’t fall if curious cats climb the branches.

3)     Clean up all ribbons, and tinsel, and keep these decorations high enough that they are out of reach as they can block intestines if they are eaten by your pets. 

4)     If you cats are attracted by the sparkle of glass ornaments keep them high on the tree out of reach.

5)     Purchase pet safe extension cords or spray cords with bitter apple to stop pets chewing them.

6)     Keep gifts containing food off the floor so that pets won’t be tempted to break into them.

7)     Turn tree lights off when you are away from home as playful cats can entangle themselves in the cords and risk electrocution

 

Avoiding Food and Plant Hazards

 

8.     Lilies, poinsettias, holly, and mistletoe leaves and berries can cause poisoning, vomiting, or diarrhea. Keep out of reach of your pets.

9)     Don’t be tempted to feed your pets table scraps as high fat or high sugar foods can cause gastro-enteritis. Don’t let pets eat chocolate, or foods containing garlic or onions, coffee, and definitely don’t feed them alcohol. Educate your guests to be sure they keep these poisons out of reach of your pets.

 

Holiday Common Sense Tips

 

10) Burning great smelling candles is popular during the holidays. Keep open flames away from areas where curious kitty can reach. Cats brushing against candles can set their fur on fire.

11)  Minimize stress on your pets by giving them a quiet area of the house when large groups friends or family visit your home.

12)  Don’t give pets as holiday gifts. If you want a great gift for an animal lover give them pet toys, pet supplies, or gift certificates to pet stores.

 

Following these tips will ensure that you have a safe and joyful holiday with your family – furry and otherwise!

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