what everyone should know about dogs and daffodils

Severe gastrointestinal disorder, convulsions, shivering, hypotension, dermatitis, muscular tremors, and cardiac arrhythmias. Sounds like a disease, doesn’t it?  Well, your dog could have these symptoms if they eat a daffodil.

Those lovely everyday flowers you have in the vase in your home or around your house can be detrimental, even fatal if your pup decides to nibble on it.

The ASPCA has compiled a list of the most frequently encountered dangerous and toxic plants for pets:

ASPCA’s TOXIC PLANTS LIST

You can also sign up to receive a Pet Safety Pack which includes an Animal Poison Control Center magnet and a pet rescue window decal to alert rescue personnel that pets are inside your home. And best of all, it’s FREE!

So when you’re doing your landscaping, you may want to have a look at the list to be sure you aren’t putting your pup in harms way. But if you think that your pet may have ingested a poisonous substance, contact your local veterinarian or the ASPCA’s 24-hour emergency poison hotline directly at 888.426.4435.

new friends

I’ve always been wary of the mixture of dogs & kids – especially very young kids.  And now we have a pair of both items I found myself warily watching the dogs whenever the girls got within 6 foot of them.  Jess, after an initial bottom-sniffing, I was pleased to find out was a real mother to them & gave out kisses at every opportunity.  Moreover, she let them pet her with no outward signs of panic. 

Henry was somewhat more skittish around them.  If they came near him he would trot away & hide in another room, only coming out when their micro attention spans had switched to destroying another item of furniture or seeing just exactly how far mommy’s patience will stretch.

Recently though, there has been a distinct warming between the two camps up to & including allowing our oldest to hug him without getting that same look in his eyes that Gromit had when confronted with the “wrong trousers” (in fact Henry has many gromit-like qualities…but that’s for another day).  Of course there had to be a reason.  Dogs & over-excited 3 year olds don’t become buddies overnight.  I found the reason to be, of course, food related.  Henry, while never being a glutton, has always had a weakness, shall we say for human food – table scraps & the like that which we’ve always said we would not give.  It turns out that our girls have been “supplying” both dogs with liberal amounts from every meal they have, meaning that in the last month alone Henry has had everything from waffles (& syrup) to pasta, chicken (a favourite), Mac & cheese, oatmeal, tinned peaches, green beans (which he now demands at every meal) & pizza….to our knowledge!

Last weekend I walked into the living room to see Henry lying on the floor with our oldest using him as a pillow while she watched Wonder Pets.  I think we’ll be ok.

help for fast eaters

My Jess is lovely and just LOVES to eat. She hears me in the kitchen no matter where she is in the house. She’s also a FAST eater. For breakfast, she gulps two cups of food in 2.5 minutes - that’s fast. I know that it isn’t good for her and I know there are lots of people with the same issues.

In my research I found a new dog bowl from Dog Pause. It’s really well made - very sturdy plastic with a cute dog in the middle. The food is split into four sections forcing your dog to slow down after each one so we tested it in Henry’s Lab.

Our Lab testers showed this bowl slowed down fast eaters and average of 20-40%. Although we didn’t have as great a success as the dog in the video on their site, It is still an impressive product with good results.

Henry’s Backyard recommend this product especially for those with overweight dogs or dogs with digestive problems. There are now similar bowls on the market but this one is the best we have seen. www.dogpausebowl.com

Henry’s Lab ranking:     

pet sitting services

Summertime is wonderful time for holidays but if your plans don’t include taking your four legged family members, you can ask a neighbor to take care of them or check out a pet-sitting service.

A few questions to ask a pet sitting service to be sure you find a reputable one:
1) The obvious - are they full licensed, bonded and insured?
2) Ask for a minimum of three recent references - and call them.
3) Are they available 24/7 by phone and email? So you can check in on your babies.
4) Do they run criminal background checks & train all pet sitters? Just to be sure.
5) Do they schedule a meet-and-greet with your pet prior to your vacation to establish a comfort level & familiarity?
6) Will the sitter have any trouble walking, playing, feeding, cleaning and so on according to your instructions?
7) Does the service have emergency procedures? Does the sitter have experience with first-aid training or administering medications?
Do they have a backup plan for your sitter if he/she cannot make it for some reason?
9) Is the service a member of the Pet Sitters International or the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters?

Some questions may seem silly and obvious but you really cannot be too careful who you leave your babies with. So go and enjoy your time away with the peace of mind that your pup is being well looked after.

have a puppy? you need a survival kit.

Puppy Survival Kit

Helping you survive those early months with your new puppy.

Starting you and your new puppy off on the right foot can lead to a beautiful friendship. But sometimes, especially during those early months (or years) you may feel like you are just surviving with all the chewing…accidents…jumping, etc.

With this in mind, the Puppy Survival Kit was created to help get you and your pup off to a great start. We searched far and wide and tested out hundreds of products to find just the right ones that are necessary, relevant, helpful or just plain fun.

Because training is the first big challenge, included you will find training treats, training spray and a reference booklet from a leader in behavioral pet issues. For chewing and teething issues, find a durable and fun chew toy and taste deterrent spray. For fun and comfort, your dog will love the squeaky toy. And for the dirty days, you’ll love the fresh smelling shampoo.

The personal items (ie. collar, bowl, bed) have been purposely left out because they are so, well, personal. But enjoy and use everything here - and come back and let us know what you think!

Puppy Survival Kit Includes:

• durable, buoyant, minty and 100% recyclable, dog chew toy
• organic, and convenient, pup treats in a travel tin
• brilliant, chewing deterrent
• scientifically formulated, training spray
• all natural, human grade, training treats
• organic, all natural, soft squeaky toy
• all natural, spa dog shampoo
• booklet on the basics for training your dog

PUPPY SURVIVAL KIT $89.00 (+free shipping!)
(Virginia residents subject to 5% sales tax)

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