Hello all, Helpful Hank Here. Welcome to Helpful Hanks Guide to a happy pet.
In the coming weeks and months, we will be talking about the ones who never judge us and always love us. Our pets, whether you have a cat or dog, a lizard, fish or bird.
Our current menagerie consists of three dogs and a dove. Over the years, my husband and I have had Labs, cockers, shelties, boxers, cockatiels, doves, chickens and more.
We all love our pets. We pamper them, dress them up, give them space to run and feed them well. We make sure that they are healthy and happy. This blog will be about just that, the things that make our pets Healthy and Happy.
In our household, our pets are pretty spoiled. I avoid feeding our dog’s table scrapes. In general, they are not good for them. I do however, scramble and extra egg on Saturday mornings for the three of them to split, and have with their dog food. I also believe that different dogs react differently to different food just as humans do. However, we do know certain things are bad for our dogs and cats and we have to be aware of those things.
I was always taught that a little bacon grease in a dog’s food is good for his or her coat. However, what about the fat content? A boxer my partner had until he passed of old age would get into any box or bag of chocolate even if hidden. If he could reach it, he was going to eat it. He never showed any signs of health problems because of it. We know it’s bad for them. My Sheltie Corgi mix loves corn bread, and he seems no worse for the ware. What we have to understand is this.
Yes, there are human foods that are dangerous for our pets. We must be aware of them and avoid them but we also have to be reasonable about it. We can’t always prevent our furry little friends from getting into types of food that may tickle there taste buds but are bad for them. They can be fast sometimes (Our lab is proof of that.) What we can do is provide them with food that is good for them and give them regular snacks so they aren’t feeling hungry all the time. We must also avoid feeding our pets from the table. I try and feed our dogs when we are about to sit down to our meal. We eat inside they eat outside (except for the corgi who is finicky but doesn’t beg from the table like the cocker and lab do (both of which, are fast eaters.)
By feeding them just before we sit down to dinner they have a regular feeding time (I do the same in the morning.) and are busy eating their food while we are eating ours. We have a yard so they can just run, play, relax and, take a potty break after they eat and before they come back in which is after we are done eating our meal.
Here is another tip. If you are going out to dinner feed and let them go to the bathroom before you leave for dinner. If you are going to a pet friendly place (as we often do), they will be much better behaved whether left at home or taken with.
Below are two lists. The first list is 10 things never to feed your dog the second is 10 things not to feed your cat.
10 Bad food for your Dog and why
Chocolate: It contains methylxanthine alkaloids,
(Especial Bakers Chocolate) poison to dogs
Raw Onions and Garlic It contains sulfoxides and disulfides,
which affect the red blood cells.
Raw onions can send dogs into
liver failure.
Green Tomatoes potatoes and They contain solanine, which can
Rhubarb. cause gastrointestinal problems
as well as problems with their
central nervous system. As well as
heart failure
Avocado and persimmons These can cause fluid in the lungs
and are very toxic to dogs.
Grapes and Raisins Just a few can cause kidney failure
Nuts Nut’s known to be toxic are walnuts
and macadamia nuts.
Fruit Pits Peach, Nectarine, Apricot and, others
are very toxic to dogs. And can get
lodged in their throats
Bones Beef, Chicken, Pork, Lamb, Fish
All of these can splinter and lodged
In your dogs throat and intestines
Causing bleeding and other damage
Mushrooms Toxic, Toxic, Fatal! Need I say more
Bread made with yeast It can still rise in their stomachs
Baking Soda and Powder because of the yeast and cause
gastrointestinal problems for them
they can all lead to seizures, heart
problems and have symptoms that are
not immediately seen.
10 Bad food for your Cat and why
1. Baby Food Could lead to anemia
2. Chocolate Contains theobromine. Which
is poison to cats and can cause
abnormal heart rate and
seizures.
3. Coffee and teas There's no antidote 8 teaspoons
can be fatal to your cat or dog.
4. Grapes and Raisins These can cause kidney failure
just as they do in dogs
5. Onions and Garlic They can cause damage to the
red blood cell causing anemia.
6. Unripe Tomatoes They have Solanine which can
feline friends from nausea to
hallucinations and, paralysis
even death.
7. Bread with Yeast As with dogs it can rise in their
stomach’s causing gastrointestinal
problems.
8. Spinach Which contains small amounts of
calcium oxalates which can cause
kidney stones to develop
9. Tuna fish Tuna meant for human consumption is
harmful to cats. The feline heart
requires an amino acid called Taurine
which, is added to canned cat food with
tuna but not in the tuna fish we as
humans eat..
10. Nuts Nut’s can cause a chocking hazard
For cat’s and some are toxic.
Here are five ways to make your dog smile
Ear Rubs: With a half fist rubbing your dogs ears at the base near
the top of their head will surely put a smile on their
faces
Inner ear rub: Using the same technique as about repeat the process
Against the cartilage sticking out at the entrance to
their ear. You’ll know their happy as the tilt their head
Into the rub.
Dog scratch fever At the end of your dogs rib cage, use your finger tips to scratch their side and watch as they get that happy leg in motion.
Neck scratch Right under their chin and down below collar line
scratch your dog with your finger tips and watch
as they raise their head up as if to say more please.
Thumb Brow Take your thumbs and placing them at the top of their
Brows drawing your thumbs backwards creating a
gentle massaging motion that may put your furry
friend to sleep or at least make their eyes roll back
in pure pleasure.
Well folks, that’s about all for now. Until next time keep your pets safe happy and healthy. Remember for all your pet sitting need you can contact Desert Pet Sitting at 760-864-1122 or reach us on the web at www.desertpetsitting.com Oh, and keep an eye out for our newest blog page here at Desert Pet Sitting “Treasured Memories” a place to share pictures and memories of treasured pet we want to remember. As always, I enjoy hearing from reader with questions and comments or contributions to the blog
-Helpful Hank
You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, Tips and, Deals at: askhelpfulhank@gmail.com Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All list compiled from various sources
All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Helpful Hanks Scary Tail: Guide to a Happy Pet
Hello All, Helpful Hank Here with another installment of Guide to a happy pet.
Recently I started reading (a short read but a good one.) Men and their dogs by Atria Books. It is just a little coffee table book with pictures of famous men and their dogs with a one or two paragraph on them. It has some interesting insights and tales. It features such legendary men as Clark Gabel, Sir Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming as well as people like will Smith and Mark Wahlberg and Others. It is a great little book to have. Another great little book to have is 97 ways to make your dog smile by Workman Publishers, a book I reference often.
The other day I was talking with my best friend, I had mentioned to her that I wanted to dedicate part of my new blog post to tips on keeping your cat safe. She said the best way to keep them safe is to mind after them.
She said her biggest complaint is that one of her neighbors, (she lives in a four-plex and they all face inward towards a common area.) who has Maincoons, keeps them outside a great deal of the time. They go around harassing the other cats and using people planted pots and doorsteps as litter boxes. She lives up against a mountain and it isn’t just irresponsible of the neighbors to leave their cats out it is dangerous. Her neighbors found out the hard way when one of the Maincoons was found dead on the trail behind the property. We are trusted with keeping our pets safe and we have to be aware of the dangers that can befall them. Things like anti-freeze which can end up the in the water in the gutters and can poison them. You should never let them drink water from the street. For those of you who take your dogs to the beach avoid letting them drink the salt water as it can give them an upset stomach and make them vomit.
Halloweener Dog
People like to dress their pets up on Halloween. Some tolerate it some like our Sheltie -Corgi becomes like stone The minute the minute a hat is put on his head and gives us the glare. My Cocker could care less as is with our Lab.
Many of us like to go to different Halloween parties and some parties like the one on Arenas street or the Doggie costume competition at city hall. Here are some tips to keep your pet safe on Halloween. As I said earlier, some pets like to wear costumes some don’t. If you are going to put a costume on your pet, make sure that it doesn’t make them to hot or is to confining. For pets that won’t wear costumes try a Halloween themed scarf or if they are willing one of those bobbly headbands. Try putting it at the back of their neck instead of on their heads they may tolerate that more.
Glow stick (they have them at Michaels Art Supply.) are a great way to make your pet more visible when walking in crowds.
Dogs love sweets and will get at them the first chance that they can. Chocolate can be deadly to them. Keep those bags of trick or treating candy away from your pets as, not only is the chocolate dangerous but foil wrappers can get lodged in their throats and intestinal systems causing them problems.
Scary Tails
If you have large dogs you should put pumpkins up where their tails cannot reach them and knock them over and the candles can start a fire. Your best bet is to use battery operated candles they are much safer as they won’t start fires when knocked over.
If you have an indoor costume party and your pet isn’t real people friendly, then provide them with a quite safe place that they can hang out during the party. If you have pets that are people friendly, you should make sure that food is out of reach because hunger comes first with pets so if they can reach it they will try it at minimum and quit possibly each at much of it as they can. My Cocker started to go after a carrot cake we had for a party that was on they edge of a table we caught him just in time. I suggest that you place some bowls upside down on a table and cover the table with fabric letting it drape down between and around the bowls and then place your dishes on the covered bowls to raise them up keeping it towards the center of the table. This will keep both their tails and noses out of the food.
A Well Lit Pup
When my husband is home we walk the dogs downtown quit frequently. About two years ago, we were walking the dogs at village Fest and down by the Hyatt they was a gentleman who was selling all kinds of different object that lit up. He happens to have collars and leashes so we bought a leash and three collars to try them out. They worked well. In addition, they had replaceable batteries (he even gave us extra batteries.) Over time, we bought more collars and when people would ask we would always tell them where we got them and send business his way. Unfortunately, he is no longer there, fortunately, you can still get these collars and leashes at the manufactures site Visiglo although here they seem to deal more with larger quantity purchases. You can also purchase them at Keep Doggie Safe as well. The prices run from approximately $15.00 on up to about $20.00 for the Visaglo collars.
Their Happy Spot
We all love to see our pets happy and we love it when they smile. All I have to do is say you want to go for a walk and my sheltie’s starts to jump and dance and smile. He has certain areas that I rub (the under ear base) that make him smile. What is it that you do for your pet that puts a smile on their face?
Greeting from the dog and I
We love our pets and we think of them as our little four legged children. It is amazing how close we become with them. They are part of the family we include them in many of our activities. We enjoy making them smile. I know that I myself fall into each of these categories I have spoken to my dogs on the phone, I have signed their names to cards and they are always in the Christmas portrait. Have you ever done any of these things? 70% of us sign our dogs’ names to greeting cards when signing our own. 33% of us talk to our dogs on the phone and 50% of us include our pets in family and Holiday portraits.
Well that’s about all this time around folks. Remember keep your pets safe on Halloween. Like New Years and The Fourth of July, Halloween can be a scary time for our pets, especially if you have a black cat. The doorbelling ringing of trick or treater’s can create upset pets. Keep them indoors in a closed room if need be. Have a Happy Halloween and an Awesome All Saints Day (Nov 1st)
Until next time, I’m Helpful Hank, asking, what have you done to make your pet smile today?
You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, and Tips and, Deals at: askhelpfulhank@gmail.com Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009
All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow
Recently I started reading (a short read but a good one.) Men and their dogs by Atria Books. It is just a little coffee table book with pictures of famous men and their dogs with a one or two paragraph on them. It has some interesting insights and tales. It features such legendary men as Clark Gabel, Sir Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming as well as people like will Smith and Mark Wahlberg and Others. It is a great little book to have. Another great little book to have is 97 ways to make your dog smile by Workman Publishers, a book I reference often.
The other day I was talking with my best friend, I had mentioned to her that I wanted to dedicate part of my new blog post to tips on keeping your cat safe. She said the best way to keep them safe is to mind after them.
She said her biggest complaint is that one of her neighbors, (she lives in a four-plex and they all face inward towards a common area.) who has Maincoons, keeps them outside a great deal of the time. They go around harassing the other cats and using people planted pots and doorsteps as litter boxes. She lives up against a mountain and it isn’t just irresponsible of the neighbors to leave their cats out it is dangerous. Her neighbors found out the hard way when one of the Maincoons was found dead on the trail behind the property. We are trusted with keeping our pets safe and we have to be aware of the dangers that can befall them. Things like anti-freeze which can end up the in the water in the gutters and can poison them. You should never let them drink water from the street. For those of you who take your dogs to the beach avoid letting them drink the salt water as it can give them an upset stomach and make them vomit.
Halloweener Dog
People like to dress their pets up on Halloween. Some tolerate it some like our Sheltie -Corgi becomes like stone The minute the minute a hat is put on his head and gives us the glare. My Cocker could care less as is with our Lab.
Many of us like to go to different Halloween parties and some parties like the one on Arenas street or the Doggie costume competition at city hall. Here are some tips to keep your pet safe on Halloween. As I said earlier, some pets like to wear costumes some don’t. If you are going to put a costume on your pet, make sure that it doesn’t make them to hot or is to confining. For pets that won’t wear costumes try a Halloween themed scarf or if they are willing one of those bobbly headbands. Try putting it at the back of their neck instead of on their heads they may tolerate that more.
Glow stick (they have them at Michaels Art Supply.) are a great way to make your pet more visible when walking in crowds.
Dogs love sweets and will get at them the first chance that they can. Chocolate can be deadly to them. Keep those bags of trick or treating candy away from your pets as, not only is the chocolate dangerous but foil wrappers can get lodged in their throats and intestinal systems causing them problems.
Scary Tails
If you have large dogs you should put pumpkins up where their tails cannot reach them and knock them over and the candles can start a fire. Your best bet is to use battery operated candles they are much safer as they won’t start fires when knocked over.
If you have an indoor costume party and your pet isn’t real people friendly, then provide them with a quite safe place that they can hang out during the party. If you have pets that are people friendly, you should make sure that food is out of reach because hunger comes first with pets so if they can reach it they will try it at minimum and quit possibly each at much of it as they can. My Cocker started to go after a carrot cake we had for a party that was on they edge of a table we caught him just in time. I suggest that you place some bowls upside down on a table and cover the table with fabric letting it drape down between and around the bowls and then place your dishes on the covered bowls to raise them up keeping it towards the center of the table. This will keep both their tails and noses out of the food.
A Well Lit Pup
When my husband is home we walk the dogs downtown quit frequently. About two years ago, we were walking the dogs at village Fest and down by the Hyatt they was a gentleman who was selling all kinds of different object that lit up. He happens to have collars and leashes so we bought a leash and three collars to try them out. They worked well. In addition, they had replaceable batteries (he even gave us extra batteries.) Over time, we bought more collars and when people would ask we would always tell them where we got them and send business his way. Unfortunately, he is no longer there, fortunately, you can still get these collars and leashes at the manufactures site Visiglo although here they seem to deal more with larger quantity purchases. You can also purchase them at Keep Doggie Safe as well. The prices run from approximately $15.00 on up to about $20.00 for the Visaglo collars.
Their Happy Spot
We all love to see our pets happy and we love it when they smile. All I have to do is say you want to go for a walk and my sheltie’s starts to jump and dance and smile. He has certain areas that I rub (the under ear base) that make him smile. What is it that you do for your pet that puts a smile on their face?
Greeting from the dog and I
We love our pets and we think of them as our little four legged children. It is amazing how close we become with them. They are part of the family we include them in many of our activities. We enjoy making them smile. I know that I myself fall into each of these categories I have spoken to my dogs on the phone, I have signed their names to cards and they are always in the Christmas portrait. Have you ever done any of these things? 70% of us sign our dogs’ names to greeting cards when signing our own. 33% of us talk to our dogs on the phone and 50% of us include our pets in family and Holiday portraits.
Well that’s about all this time around folks. Remember keep your pets safe on Halloween. Like New Years and The Fourth of July, Halloween can be a scary time for our pets, especially if you have a black cat. The doorbelling ringing of trick or treater’s can create upset pets. Keep them indoors in a closed room if need be. Have a Happy Halloween and an Awesome All Saints Day (Nov 1st)
Until next time, I’m Helpful Hank, asking, what have you done to make your pet smile today?
You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, and Tips and, Deals at: askhelpfulhank@gmail.com Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009
All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow
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