Category Archives: Advice, Tips and Tricks

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Pretty Flowers Can Be Pretty Dangerous For Pets

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Spring is here and that means flowers are blooming. Whether it’s perennials blossoming or you or your neighbors are planting some new annuals, you and your pets will probably encounter some flowers at this time of year. In general it’s always best to keep your dogs from eating any type of plants, but now that it’s Spring all the new flowers may smell too interesting for your dogs to ignore. Even if you have no flowers on your own property, you may pass some flowers on a walk in the park or around the neighborhood. So today I’ve put together a list of flowers your pets need to avoid, as they may cause health issues if eaten or even sniffed. Remember to keep your pets from all parts of these plants, as sometimes it’s the stem or leaves that are harmful to pets, not necessarily the flower petals.
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Flowering plants that may be harmful to pets:

  • Lilies of any type
  • Azaleas
  • Crocuses
  • Begonia
  • Buttercup
  • Gardenia
  • Carnations
  • Chrysanthemum
  • Clematis
  • Daffodil
  • Dahlia
  • Daisy
  • Geranium
  • Gladiola
  • Hibiscus
  • Hyacinth
  • Hydrangea
  • Iris
  • Lavender
  • Morning Glory
  • Oleander
  • Peony
  • Rhododendron
  • Tulips
  • Wisteria

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Although the flowers above present potential dangers for your pets, it is possible to have beautiful flowers and keep your pets safe if you plan correctly. As you can see from Sadie’s photos, I do have some of the flowers from the list around my home. But I plant flowers only in the front of my house, where Sadie never goes unattended, without a leash. In the backyard Sadie is free to sniff and play all she wants without worry, as there are no potentially harmful plants at all.

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To learn more about possible health issues and check about the safety of specific plants, go to the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control website.

dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, dogs with flowers, tulips, toxic plants

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

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Lethargic vs Lazy

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In general Sadie is a pretty lazy dog. I would say she spends about 85% of the day sleeping or just lounging around. So I often worried that I wouldn’t be able to tell if Sadie was sick, because one of the first signs of illness in dogs is lethargy. I assumed that lethargic would probably look the same as her normal state of lazy. But I was wrong. When Sadie recently had an allergic reaction and was feeling sick for two days, there was a definite difference between her normally lazy self and the lethargy of a sick dog. So today I thought I’d share some of the subtle differences so that you can tell if your dog is sick or just being lazy.

     One big sign of feeling ill is loss of appetite. No matter how lazy Sadie is feeling, she will always investigate what I’m eating, just in case she may want a bite. But when she was feeling lethargic and sick, she did not even bother to give a sniff towards any food, let alone ask me to share. A lethargic dog will probably not beg for treats or run to the kitchen when you’re cooking.

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     Another sign that Sadie was feeling poorly was her lack of reaction. Normally if someone walks into the room, even when she’s sleeping, she will either pick her head up to see who it is or just wag her tail in acknowledgement that someone is nearby. When Sadie was sick she kept right on sleeping and ignored what everyone else was doing. She didn’t bark when the mailman came. She didn’t run to the door when her Grandparent’s came over. She totally ignored the sound of a car door in front of the house.
     Sadie also exhibited lethargy in the slowness of her actions. When it’s time to go out, Sadie normally runs down the stairs and bolts towards the door. When we come back in, Sadie usually has a burst of energy where she chases me around the living room and wants to play. But when Sadie was not feeling well, she walked around very slowly. She refused to go up and down the stairs and had to be carried. I had to wait by the door for her to catch up with me. And there was definitely no chasing me around, no interest in playing.
     If you are worried your dog isn’t feeling well, look at your dog’s behavior to see if he or she is a acting normally. Does he or she have any of the signs I mentioned above? You can also test your dog to see if he or she is reacting normally, by ringing the doorbell or rustling the food packaging for example. Keep in mind that I’m not a medical professional and I’m simply sharing the signs of illness I personally witnessed in my own dog. If you are at all concerned that your dog may be lethargic or ill, make sure to give your veterinarian a call.

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.
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This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

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Sadie’s Treadmill Alternative

 

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One tool frequently recommended by dog training professionals is the treadmill. Especially useful during the Winter months, you can use a treadmill to make sure your dog gets enough exercise and burns off excess energy, all from the comfort of your own home. The treadmill is also extremely helpful for dog owners with mobility issues, who can’t physically handle the kind of walks and exercise some dog breeds require. But not everyone has the space or money for a treadmill. Sadie has not had a chance to try a treadmill yet, but she’s created her own daily exercise that makes me think of a treadmill every time she does it.
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In these photos and videos, Sadie is playing with one of her little squeaky balls. She likes me to hide the balls so she can try and find them. One place I typically hide her ball is under a pillow. Sadie knows the ball is under the pillow and all she has to do is move the pillow to get it, but Sadie likes to do her treadmill exercise first. Every single time I hide a ball under a pillow, Sadie tries to frantically dig through the pillow to get to the ball. She gets some great exercise, working her little front paws for a few minutes, and when she feels like she’s done that enough, she just pushes the pillow aside and takes her ball. After a few good minutes of squeaking, Sadie will put the ball next to the pillow and stare at me expectantly, ready to start her “treadmill” exercise again.

 

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dogs, designer dogs, yorkipoo, yorkie poo, exercise, treadmill


This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Ruckus the American Eskimo Dog Blog

 


 

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

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Trick or Treat Buddy

 

 

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One of the most important safety rules to follow on Halloween is the buddy system. Always pair up with at least one person and stick with that person at all times, especially when trick or treating. This ensures that no one gets lost or left behind. This helpful system can also be used to make sure your pets have a safe and Happy Halloween. In these photos Sadie is posing with her Halloween buddy. Although Sadie and her buddy will not go out trick or treating together, they will both hang out with me on the front porch to give out the candy.
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Halloween can be a scary time for children and pets alike. There are so many strange sights and sounds and smells. There are costumes and candy everywhere and doorbells ringing constantly. All of these factors add up to a stressful holiday for cats and dogs. Your pets may try to hide, run out the front door, bark obsessively, steal candy, etc. This is when the buddy system comes in handy. Assign a friend, family member, or even yourself the job of being the animal buddy. That person must know where the pets are at all times, making sure all animals are safe and accounted for. For example, when the doorbell rings, the animal buddy can grab the dog or cat to make sure no one escapes through the open door or takes some dropped candy. If you don’t want to miss out on all of the Halloween fun, you can take turns being animal buddy throughout the festivities.
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A trick or treat buddy is absolutely necessary if you will be taking your dog out with you on Halloween. Someone must hold the dog’s leash at all times to keep your pet safe. You never know when a costume or decoration will scare your dog or maybe some excited children will run by and your dog will want to chase them. There may be candy on the ground that you may not notice in the dark, but your dog probably will. If your dog has a buddy, that person will notice your dog’s interest in the candy and can keep your dog away. If no one is really paying attention to your dog, it takes only a second for your dog to chow down on that candy.
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Unfortunately it’s also a concern that your pet could bite or scratch someone on Halloween if not watched carefully. You may have the most friendly pet on the planet that loves all babies, children and adults. But it’s entirely possible that your friendly pet may not feel friendly towards a vampire or a skeleton or a witch. People tend to speak differently in costume and may even smell differently because of heavy makeup, causing confusion and possibly fear in your pet. If your pet has a buddy, he or she can watch your pet’s reaction and remove your pet from the situation if it’s causing too much anxiety.
dogs, designer dogs, yorkipoo, yorkie poo, halloween, trick or treat, buddy system, witch costume, jack-o-lantern

 

So if you want your pets to join in on the Halloween fun, I suggest trying out the buddy system and hopefully everyone will have a safe and Happy Halloween!

 


This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

 

Ruckus the American Eskimo Dog Blog

  This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog. Grab The Badge

 

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My #1 Dog Friendly Dining Tip

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My top tip for dining out with your furry family is:

don’t hesitate to ask.

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My family loves going out to dinner, but we almost never go out anymore because we feel sad having to leave Sadie home alone. So we get excited when we discover a new restaurant that is dog friendly. Sadie loves going out to dinner with us, exploring a new place with exciting new smells. And we love having Sadie as a dinner companion. But it’s hard to find places that allow dogs in my area, even if they have outdoor dining areas. And you can’t necessarily rely on reviews or word of mouth to find out if a restaurant  is dog friendly, because one manager may love having dogs, but if someone else is in charge that day, he or she may be too nervous to allow your dog to stay. So my best piece of advice is don’t hesitate to ask, because what the restaurant staff says may surprise you.

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For example, Sadie and I recently stayed at a dog friendly hotel that had an attached restaurant. The hotel clearly had frequent canine guests, as they had welcome treats and food and water bowls already set up in the rooms. So I assumed it would be an every day request to eat with my dog on the patio of the restaurant. As usual, assuming didn’t work out well. Apparently I am the first person to ever ask to eat there with my dog! The wait staff and kitchen staff had a discussion about my request and decided it was fine with them if the hotel manager approved. So then they had to track down the hotel manager to give permission for me to eat outside with my dog at the dog friendly hotel. Eventually the manger approved and we had a nice dinner on the patio. But the point of my story is that no other dog owner ever thought to ask. Imagine all the other poor doggies left alone in their hotel rooms when they could have been enjoying dinner with the rest of the family. All it took was a simple question.

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This post is part of Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.
Ruckus the American Eskimo Dog Blog

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.
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