Interesting Pins on Pinterest this week

So far here are some of the interesting pins that I have found this week


PetsWeekly Pocket Guide to pet food labels

Sleep cycles & a calculator that tells you the best times to fall asleep depending on what time you need to wake up in the morning.

How to Watermark Photos {without Photoshop}


Allergies in dogs and how to provide relief DISCLOSURE SOME LINKS INCLUDED IN THIS POST MAY BE AFFILIATE LINKS FOR WHICH I MAY RECEIVE A COMMISSION WHEN YOU CLICK THROUGH THE LINK.

Allergies in Pets & How to Provide Relief

Pets typically suffer from 2 types of allergies: food and environmental. If you have a pet that only gets itchy at certain times of the year, chances are your pet suffers from seasonal/environmental allergies. But if its constant that means the dog typically suffers from food or environmental allergies (something constant in the environment). Please note, I am not a vet, just a pet owner that has done a lot of research on allergies.

Read more about pet allergies here - Article by Dr. Becker

If you live somewhere like I do, where I don't ever experience a hard freeze, it could be that the environmental allergies are just building and building and causing problems year round.

It is important to note, while humans typically show symptoms of allergies in their respiratory system, dogs do not. It typically shows up in skin inflammation and/or irritation. A good place to look is the paws and the ears. My dog Harley suffers from allergies and he would spend HOURS licking his paws and scratching his ears :( It was heartbreaking.

You can give dogs steroid shots, but they basically are a cover up to the allergy problem, they aren't really solving anything. Not only that, but they decrease the immune system of the dog, which you don't want either. I don't want to have a dog on Benadryl or some other medicine for the rest of his life unless absolutely necessary or having to give him steroid shots all the time. I only give him steroid shots when during the spring time when the pollen increases drastically and it's the best thing I can do for him. So I have been searching for more holistic methods.

Find a holistic vet here

Another sign of allergies is the ear scratching (as mentioned earlier) I can't really find or get a good photo of ears affected by allergies. Sorry :( But a good sign is if the ears are inflamed and have a discharge. I clean Harley's ears out with a mix of half apple cider vinegar and half warm water. DO NOT USE FULL STRENGTH APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!!! It burns if you use it full strength, pour it on a cut... you'll understand. But seriously, this is the best ear cleaner I have EVER used and it's much cheaper than the ear cleaners you can get in the store.

Here are some other ways you can help your pet out

• Bathe them frequently (I give mine a bath once a week) If you are using topical flea medicines make sure you get a soap and detergent free shampoo and wait a few days before and after applying the flea meds to bathe them. Also, make sure you use an grain free/oatmeal free shampoo. Check out my other post on products and shampoos here. 

• After bathing you can use a vinegar rinse, 1 gallon of water with a cup of regular white vinegar. 
• You can soak their feet in an apple cider vinegar and water mix (I would do half and half) 
• You can also spray them down with apple cider vinegar and water mix (I would do half and half) 
• Try a grain free food - I personally use Nature's Variety Instinct, it is grain free and gluten free. 

Supplement with Omega 3 fatty acids - they decrease inflammation. I supplement with raw sardines. I order my sardines here, I could get them frozen from my local Asian market, but they weren't that great and teh fish I get from this online store are AMAZING. They are great looking fish and I order 12lbs at a time and put them in my freezer. Read more about Sardines here - Sardines: A Super Hero food for Dogs. If you feed the canned sardines try and get the ones packed in water and low sodium.

Coconut Oil - get Extra Virgin Coconut oil. This helps reduce the production of yeast, which is what you see build up in the ears and paws. You can find it at your local grocery store, most of them, or a natural foods store. Tropical Traditions has some great coconut oil, all different varieties and they always have amazing specials, I prefer the coconut oil from Tropical Traditions because it they have so much more than just coconut oil and their packaging and shipping packaging is AMAZING. Or vitacost (get $10 for signing up). It's really fairly cheap from Vitacost and they are always running specials.

• Also, try avoid feeding food that contain wheat, corn, and soy. 
• Wash your food bowls often to avoid mold growth and bacterial growth. Use stainless steel bowls. Personally I use plastic bowls and I sanitize them with a little bit of bleach and hot water, just rinse them and afterwards make sure they dry completely. 
• Replace your air filter often - this will benefit both you and the dog. I had one of those "permanent" air filters and I threw it away and replaced with an allergen filter, don't buy the cheap filters, it's worth the extra money to buy the better quality filters. 
• Wash their bedding and your bedding frequently as well as vacuum and sweep & mop often. Read about deals going on now with Dyson Animal Vacuums. You can go to Amazon and get a factory reconditioned Dyson Animal DC28 for just $309.99, normally $649 so it's 52% off! 

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Summertime Safety/Heat Safety Information for your Pets

Since the temperatures have been so hot recently I figured now would be a good time to spread information and awareness about the dangers of the heat and what can be done to keep your four legged friends safe. Remember that older, obese or short-nosed dogs (Pugs, Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Pekingese, Boxers, Shih Tzus, and French Bulldogs) are less tolerant of heat.

See my other posts about Summertime Safety and Dog Left in Hot Car Dies.

Hot Asphalt and even hot sand! If you have a repeated need to walk your dog over hot surfaces, you may want to invest in some dog booties.

Signs of Heat Exhaustion!

Hot car safety!

Heat safety scale

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RECALL ALERT: Pedigree Wet Dog Food Limited Recall

While I am not a fan of Pedigree, I know some people do feed it so I want to make sure people are aware of this.


Check these sites out and find out what your dog food is rated:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/


Pedigree has announced a limited recall of Pedigree Wet Dog food.

Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of a limited range of three varieties of PEDIGREE® weight management canned dog food products due to a potential choking risk.

Affected product may contain small pieces of blue plastic, which entered the food during the production process. The source of the plastic has been identified and the issue resolved. We encourage consumers who have purchased affected product to discard the food or return it to the retailer for a full refund or exchange. While a small number of consumers have reported finding the plastic pieces, we have not received any reports of injury or illness associated with the affected product. The lot codes indicated below should not be sold or consumed.

Affected product was distributed to retail customers throughout the United States. Mars Petcare US is working with all of our distributors and retail customers to ensure that the recalled products are no longer sold and are removed from inventory.

Recalled Pet Food Only cans of PEDIGREE® weight management canned dog food varieties with the production codes shown below are included in this voluntary recall. Each product will have a lot code printed on the end of the can that begins with 209, 210, 211 or 212 and a Best Before date that falls between 2/24/2014 and 3/23/2014.

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Winn-Dixie to fill pet prescriptions

Winn-Dixie to fill pet prescriptions

What: Winn-Dixie can now accept and fill all pet medications currently available in the market. Prescriptions are available for Winn-Dixie pharmacy fulfillment by dropping them off or having them called in by a veterinarian. Most crossover prescriptions — human generics also used for pets — are filled in the same day, the company said in a press release, and special compounds typically only within 24 to 48 hours. Pet prescriptions fulfilled by Winn-Dixie will also include personalized instructions similar to when human prescriptions are filled and delivered.

Even better: Many pet medications can be compounded with special flavors, such as bacon,  so they are easier to give to Fido or Whiskers.

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Dog left in hot car dies

So, a friend of mine posted this story on facebook earlier. Dog left in hot car on Wednesday dies.  But I had to go out and run some errands so the blog posting had to wait.  


My first reaction when I initially saw just the title was"How sad for the dog" then it was "How stupid can you be?"  Then I thought about it a little bit longer and my reaction was still, "Really, how stupid are people?"  I mean, would they want to be left in a hot car with no air conditioning or anything?  My guess is no, they probably would not enjoy it.  Would they leave their kids in the car?  Most likely not, well... I mean, they left the dog but I seriously hope they don't leave their kids in the car.


The article states that they didn't know that the car was going to get hot so quick.  I highly doubt that they didn't know that.  You can leave your car for a minute, come back, and it will be blistering hot.  Even though I know that from my experiences in Florida, I have been in other states as well and the same thing happens.  This isn't rocket science.


I sincerely hope that they do not get another animal.  While this is a tragic situation, I hope it spreads awareness so other animals do not have to suffer like this one did.


Here are some images to spread awareness on the situation.
Hot oven, hot car... same thing

Printable graphic on how long it takes a car to get hot

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Summertime dog safety tips

Some tips to help you and your dogs have an enjoyable and safe summertime

Found HERE

Summer is finally upon us, and with that comes the need for us to pay attention to the heat for both us, and our four legged friends:

1. Check the pavement for temperature with the palm of your hand. If after 10 seconds your hand is scorching then so too will dog paws. Use dog shoes to prevent the pads on their paws from burning and blistering.

2. Never leave your puppy in the car unattended. Temperatures rise 20 degrees in 10 minutes. The glass on car windows acts as a magnifier of the sun. In several states it is “against the law” to leave a dog unattended in extreme temperatures.

3. Watch for snakes. They like to curl up in hoses on the ground and inside empty plant pots. Do not allow a curious dog to stick its nose in brush or explore holes in the ground. Keep your dog’s head up when walking.

4. Puppies and dogs will play endlessly if you allow them, but please do not allow your canine friends endless amounts of play time (in any weather, but particularly the summer). Maximum playtime should be 10-15 minutes since they can easily exhaust themselves and get heat stroke; the younger pups can cause damage to their growing limbs. Walk with your canine friends in the early morning or late evening when the temperature is cooler and always have water for you and your canine friends.

5. Pool time. Your dog should not drink pool water as it can upset its digestive tract and even be dangerous if it is salt water that is ingested. Also, your dog should not wear a nylon collar during swim time. The nylon holds moisture and can cause hot spots. As with playtime, time in the pool should be limited. Please make sure the dog is dried completely with a towel, especially Golden Retrievers as they tend to hold moisture around the neck area with their feathering and heavy coat.

6. Hair length. Please do not cut the hair on your dogs during the summer; their fur protects them from the sun as it does the cold. If you must, please leave at least one inch length since shaving them to their skin can cause them to get sunburn.


Have a safe and fun summer!

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