Almost last-minute Boo-day safety reminder

With Halloween just around the corner — Eeek! It's Saturday! — here's a reminder of some basic pet safety tips.

From the Chicago Daily Herald:

• To avoid stress, with the door bell ringing constantly, find your pet a quiet place in the house.
• If the weather is nice, give the treats outdoors. Again avoiding the doorbell.
• No chocolate for Fido.
• Keep lit candles well away from your pets.
• Make sure pets have current identification tags. You never know when they might slip out when the door is open.

Have fun on Halloween.

Safety first

With the long (for some people) holiday weekend approaching, it's time to review some travel tips if you plan on taking Fido along for the ride. There will also be a reminder about the Fourth of July madness that is fireworks.

An article in the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star discusses keeping your dog safe and comfortable on a trip and provides suggestions from the American Kennel Club.

• Practice for long trips by taking your dog on short ones.

• Collar + cell phone number = Smart thing. Also take a picture of your dog with you.

• Secure your dog in a crate, carrier or harness that attaches to the seat belt. .

• Do not let your dog stick his head out the car window. Eye and ear injuries are possible.

• Stop regularly to allow your dog to relieve himself and take a drink.

• Do not ever leave your pet unattended in the car on hot days.

The article also has some tips on flying with your pet, also from the AKC.

• • • • •

Fireworks in Dutchess County start Friday, so consider that a heads up if your dog, or any pet, is frightened by loud, sudden noises that gradually grow louder then stop for a moment and then all hell breaks loose in an ear-shattering, bone shaking cacophony of diabolical sounds. Then the eerie quiet. There's got to be more. More! So I can't relax. Must pant. And pace.

You think I'm making that up? Kate dictated that paragraph.

So again here are some tips for keeping your pet safe during fireworks from the Humane Society of the United States. For the complete list, click the link.

• Keep your pets indoors at home in a sheltered, quiet area.

• Never leave pets outside unattended, even in a fenced yard or on a chain.

• Make sure your pets are wearing identification tags so that if they do become lost, they can be returned promptly.

Someday you'll need this information

Since summer began yesterday (I know, I know, stop laughing), it's time for a reminder about the special needs pets have during the warmer months (I said, stop laughing).

Here is information from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. And if it weren't for mosquitoes the size of Volkswagens, I'd move to Minnesota, because it's probably warmer there than it is here.

• If your pet is kept outdoors, make sure he has a shaded place and plenty of fresh water to drink.

• Never keep your pet in a car, especially in direct sun, on a summer day. Even with the windows slightly open, the temperature inside the car can soar to 120 degrees or more within minutes. These conditions can kill a pet in less than 10 minutes.

• When you exercise with your dog in the summer, stop and let him drink frequently.

So, in the meantime, have fun dodging the rain drops. And remember these tips when the heat and humidity finally show up.

Winter weather tips for your pets

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has some suggestions on how to keep your companion animals safe and healthy during the winter.

A complete list can be found here.

Among the hints are:

• Keep your kitty inside. Outside, cats can freeze, become lost or be stolen, injured or killed.

• Never let your dog off the leash in snow or on ice, especially during a snowstorm. They can lose their scent and easily become lost.

• Wipe off your dog's legs and stomach when she comes in out of the sleet, snow or ice. Your dog can ingest salt, antifreeze or other dangerous chemicals while licking its paws, and the paw pads can also bleed from snow or encrusted ice.

Final 4th tips for pets

This picture show the way Kate will not be Friday night if there are fireworks within her hearing distance.

As a final reminder that fireworks and pets do not mix, here are some tips on Fourth of July safety for your companion animals.

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

From the Los Angeles Daily News.

To sum up, don't take your pet with you to a fireworks display. Make sure pets are securely inside during fireworks, perhaps in a safe room with a radio or television playing to mask any outside sounds.

Just in case they do escape, make sure they have proper identification on them and you have a recent picture.

And if they have an accident because of the noise and bright lights, give them a break and don't scold them. They were scared.

Fireworks, heat can affects pets

Unless your calendar is broken you probably are aware that Friday is the Fourth of July.

And that means fireworks.

As much fun as they are for us to watch, for pets, fireworks are not so much fun.

Here's a link to a post from last year that I wrote about keeping your pets safe during the holiday celebrations.

Some highlights: Keep the pets at home, don't leave them unattended in a backyard and don't let them stay in the car.

Happy, but safe, holidays for pets

This time of year, with all the festivities and decorations, it is important to keep in mind how pets figure into all of this.

Safety is utmost, especially with tinsel, ornaments and lights — not to mention food and treats that are fine for humans but bad for pets.

Martha Stewart's Marc Marrone has some suggestions, as does the Humane Society of the United States.

A couple of hints from the Humane Society:

* Decorations such as tinsel, glass ornaments and garlands can easily attract pets, but are dangerous choking hazards. Electric decorations such as stringed lights can give your pets a shock should they chew on the wires. Keep decorations out of their reach.

* The unusual commotion of the holiday season can be stressful on animals as well as humans. Put your pets in a quiet room or quiet area of the house when guests are visiting.

* Certain plants such as Mistletoe berries, and the leaves, stem and flowers of the Poinsettia can be dangerous to pets. Be sure to keep these plants well out of the reach of animals in your home, or consider using artificial versions.

Photo by Karl Rabe/Poughkeepsie Journal file

Keep your pets safe today

It's the creepiest day of the year: Halloween.

So remember, when you are having ghouls and goblins come to your house, to keep your pets safe and secure.

Here's a link to a previous blog entry with some hints.

Boo.

Keeping pets safe during Halloween

While all the humans are having fun on Halloween, make sure that the critters in your lives are safe.

The American Kennel Club eNewsletter has a few suggestions about the holiday, in particular if you dress up your pets.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also has some tips about Halloween safety for your pets.

Some hints:

Chocolate and sweets are no-nos, as we all know. But it is suggested that the dog is walked early, while it is still light. In the dark, your dog might find candy and other goodies on the street or ground.

Make sure pets are safe and secure in a room where it can't get out the door when trick or treaters stop by.

Don't leave your pets unattended outside Halloween night, even behind a fence.

Make sure your dog or cat has proper identification.

Fireworks holiday reminder

As much fun as it is for us to watch fireworks, for pets? Not so much.

Here's a link to a recent post I wrote about keeping your pets safe during the Fourth of July holiday celebrations.

Some highlights: Keep the pets at home (more secure that way), don't leave them unattended in a backyard (might try to escape from the noise) and don't let them stay in the car (residual heat = bad).

Just a friendly reminder, that's all.