April is Pet First Aid Awareness Month

April 1, 2011

As a pet owner, pet sitter, and volunteer in dog rescue, I’ve seen my share of emergencies with animals. I had taken pet first aid ten years ago and promptly forgot everything I learned. I promised myself to assemble a pet first aid kit and didn’t. Finally I decided the best way to learn it [...]

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Jones Natural Pig Ear Recall

March 24, 2011

An astute reader spotted this recall and sent it to me, suggesting it needed wider distribution. I agree. I haven’t seen it on other blogs or recall lists, so here you go. On March 8, 2011, Jones Natural Chews Company voluntarily recalled 2,705 boxes of Pig Ears that were potentially contaminated with Salmonella.  Pets that [...]

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Do Animals Feel Empathy?

March 13, 2011

Ask almost any dog owner if their pet can feel empathy, and you’ll hear a resounding, “Yes!”  Cats can be a little more surrupticious about it, but who hasn’t had a cat climb up in their lap and purr away their tears? Even city chicken owners would argue their feathered friends have feelings. For all of us [...]

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Wackiest Pet Names for 2010

March 11, 2011

Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) has put out its third annual list of favorite pet names. For the list, trot on over to the VPI website at http://www.petinsurance.com/healthzone/pet-articles. Imagine the fun the VPI staff had on their follow-up assignment, finding the fifty quirkiest pet names from the 450,000 client database. Take a look, and let us know if your pet [...]

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Deadly Disease Kills Two Dogs in One Community — Contagious to Humans

February 27, 2011

 I’m taking the liberty of copying an article directly from the West Seattle blog because it is so imporant to pet owners everywhere.  Losing a pet to an avoidable illness is heartbreaking, but if that loss can educate other people, the life is not lost in vain. Here is one pet owner’s tragic story. Peg Prideaux of [...]

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Packing List for Boarding a Dog

February 15, 2011

I’m always a big fan of the cartoon website, Draw the Dog (www.drawthedog.com), but as a pet sitter who has occasionally seen similar behavior from clients, today’s cartoon gave me an extra chuckle. Owners of Draw the Dog describe the above cartoon as inspired by Stuart Asher, who works in a boarding kennel. Stuart wrote, [...]

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February is Pet Dental Month

February 4, 2011

You’ve probably heard this from me before, but it’s worth repeating. Dental care is one of the most important forms of health care you can provide for your pets. Yes, annual dental cleanings and exams are expensive, but they can save your pets’ lives. They can be mitigated by regularly brushing your pets’ teeth, but that [...]

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Gender and Group Identity: Who Is My Pet?

January 15, 2011

Have you ever tried wondered whether you have a flock, a herd, a bevy, or a flerd? Don’t know what your male or female ferret’s correct label is? Here is a list of common pets and what they are called by gender and group.

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Melt Ice Without Harming Your Pets

December 31, 2010

Ice melting products can harm your pets, children and your property. Many safer alternatives to the old rock salt and chloride-based ice melt products exist for those who want to protect their families and homes.

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Could You Put a Price on Your Pet’s Life?

December 8, 2010

Little in the realm of pet guardianship is more heart-wrenching than facing a decision about whether our beloved pet lives or dies because we can or can’t afford lifesaving treatment.  Dr. Patty Khuly who writes the Fully Vetted blog for www.PetMed.com wrote an article today about this issue. How much would you pay to save [...]

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November is Adopt-a-Senior-Pet-Month

November 19, 2010

As my regular readers know, senior pets are my achilles heel. I can’t resist them, whether as pet sitting clients or as members of my own family. The orphans seem to find me long before I have a chance to go looking for them.  They are such a joy to live with, mellow, well-behaved, and [...]

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Deciding When to Let Your Pet Go

November 17, 2010

As I grappled with the impossible decision that all pet owners face, I searched for something that would make the decision clearer. My 15 year old beagle mix, Ernie, had been failing all year from an illness no one could quite pin down. As he wobbled through his last days in September, we realized it [...]

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Need Help With a Disabled Pet?

October 27, 2010

There’s a new kid in town and she has filled a very important gap in the world of animal rescue. Her name is Céline Higgins. She is in vet school at the University of Georgia, and she noticed, like many of us in rescue, that there were no easy resources for helping disabled pets get adopted. Unlike [...]

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Behind the Scenes in Pet Sitting©

October 25, 2010

This post could be a whole book, but I’ll start with just a couple of situations that clients might never imagine we would run into.  First is that line we pet sitters often hear that guarantees Murphy and his Law will be visiting the job: “My pets are so simple, all you need to do is  put down some [...]

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Signs of Pain in Cats

October 18, 2010

Any cat owner will tell you cats hide their pain, maybe even better than dogs do.  My Pewter showed no hint of discomfort until five days before I had to let her go for pancreatic cancer. She must have been hurting for a long time. Sure, cats will let you know if you run over their tail with [...]

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Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall

October 11, 2010

Blue Buffalo joins the ranks of other premium pet food companies in recalling certain of its products. They are voluntarily recalling specific batches of their Wilderness Chicken-Dog, Basics Salmon-Dog, and Large Breed Adult Dog foods.  Here’s what they had to say about the recall: We came to this conclusion after discovering that our ingredient supplier [...]

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Shattered Lives

October 1, 2010

This post is in memory of a precious little dog named Zero, whose life was cut much too short this morning. I tell this story not to bring you down, as it inevitably will, but as an important reminder of two critical factors that could have prevented the tragedy. My new 80 pound Great Pyrenes [...]

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Draw the Dog

September 20, 2010

If you haven’t discovered Draw the Dog’s website you’re missing out on a daily smile. If you’ve ever shared your home with a dog, you’ll resonate with most of these cartoons, and part of the fun is watching them take shape before your eyes. Here’s a sample (scroll down if you don’t see anything happening): [...]

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Do Animals Grieve the Loss of a Loved One?

August 27, 2010

I have long been convinced that animals grieve when a loved one disappears from their life. Think of how deeply we mourn the loss of our pets. It only stands to reason that other sentient beings would experience a similar emotion when they lose a loved one. Some people chide me for anthropomorphizing — attributing [...]

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1 in 5 Drive with Dog in Their Lap

August 22, 2010

Is petting your dog in the car as dangerous as texting on a cell phone? That might be a little tricky to answer. However, AAA and Kurgo have just released results of a study showing the risky behaviors some of us engage in with our pets while driving.  I’m chagrinned to admit that I’m one of [...]

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