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FDA Reports of pet illness, deaths related to jerky treats
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Tag Archives: dogs
Halloween Dangers for Your Pet
First section courtesy of Cesar’s Way Magazine.
There are some scary Halloween dangers for your dog that you need to watch out for.
1) Halloween candy can be toxic to your dog.
Don’t let your dog eat Halloween candy. Chocolate is toxic to dogs and tin foil and cellophane wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed. Seal your child’s stash and keep out of reach.
2) Be careful with candles near your dog!
Sometimes a stray tail can knock over a candle-lit pumpkin leading to a fire. Consider using a no flame, no mess alternative to light up your jack-o-lantern.
3) Wires and cords could harm your dog.
Make sure to safely secure all wires and cords from decorative lights and props. Chewing on cords could cause cuts, burns or possibly life-threatening electrical shock.
4) Door bells can be scary for your dog.
All but the most social dogs should be kept away from the front door during peak trick-or-treat hours. All those strangers repeatedly ringing the bell can be very scary and stressful.
5) Keep your dog’s ID on!
Sometimes accidents happen and while you are frequently opening the door for trick-or-treaters your pup may make a run for it. The proper identification can be a lifesaver.
Let’s Not Forget, Too, It’s Black Cat Month
Sadly, shelters have recently seen a trend in the number of black cats that are adopted at this time of year, and then are suddenly returned stating they “just didn’t work out”. Some of these “adopters” just want people to see a black cat in their window for the season, or have a familiar to go with their witch costume. Basically, they think of cats as property and not as fellow beings with feelings.
Many shelters and humane societies refuse to allow adoption of black cats during the month of October, because of fears the animals may be abused. For this reason, we suggest you are particularly careful to watch out for all your cats at this time, not only the black coated fur babies.
Some Notes About Costuming From The ASPCA
Not all pets like costumes, but the few who do seem to love mugging for the camera. Still, if your pet hates a costume, best not to stress them. Festive bandanas are always in season!
If your pet is wearing a costume, make sure it doesn’t constrict movement or impede his ability to breathe, bark or meow. Make sure the outfit does not have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he could choke on. Badly fitting outfits can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury.
If your pet is wearing a costume, make sure it doesn’t constrict movement or impede his ability to breathe, bark or meow. Make sure the outfit does not have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he could choke on. Badly fitting outfits can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury.
Here’s to a fun and safe holiday for you and your pets!
Funny Friday!
http://youtu.be/dz_L9z09_s8
(Racoon dentist?)
http://youtu.be/1A07gDVLe14
(Staff Writer Mirani will love this one.)
PRODUCT REVIEW: Kong vs Kong Wubba
VS 
The Kong Company of Colorado has been in business since the 70’s. The original Kong toy (pictured above on the right) comes in various colors. Kongs can be stuffed with treats and fillers, and even frozen. The current fav filling of our dogs is a liver paste dispensed from a container something like you see for whipped cream for people…although we occasionally put other treats inside. Our greyhound, Seba, loves bouncing the Kong like a ball and chasing after its erratic movements, since it doesn’t roll, like a ball would.
But the Kong is especially suited for our product tester, Castle, who has a nickname around Your Pet Space–El Destructo. That’s why we have another dog that tests small, fluffy toys. Because Castle destroys them in less than 5 minutes–no kidding. Castle had a smaller, blue Kong when she was a puppy. When she chewed through that, we got her the red one (intended for adult dogs). To date (about two years), she has yet to chew through it.
Still, she gets bored with the Kong when it doesn’t have anything in it. She particularly likes to tear apart the edges of things–Seba’s bed, Hoagy’s long ears–so when we saw the Kong Wubba with its long octopus like legs (in the photo upper left), we decided to give it a try. Sure enough, she did tear off the legs over a period of about 5 months–even got the hard rubber balls inside out of the tough, reinforced cover. But then she played with the balls until she lost them somewhere in the back yard. So, in May of this year, happy with the wear compared to other toys, we purchased a replacement.
So the other morning I put Castle in her crate, gave her the Wubba, and went to do something out of the room. As all pet moms can tell you, though, when your furkid is making a sound that means trouble, it gets through even if you are occupied. So when I heard her making a banging noise I came back in and saw this:
Yep, El Destructo strikes again! Good incentive to never leave your dog unattended with any toy. Just glad she didn’t swallow any pieces of rubber. So–final assessment:
Kong Wubba–highly durable, likely to last several months.
Original Kong–indestructible (at least so far). Though I think it might be time to get Castle the black version (for tough chewers).
AND, just in case you have a cat, Kong Co. also makes a line of toys for our feline friends!
Ready to buy some Kong toys? Just click below!
I am Castle, and I approve this message. 
Funny Friday
Sent in by Paige S:
“Texts From Mittens” Is The Best Blog About Text Messages From A Cat Ever
From Jeanne J:
And check this one out:
Have a great day, everyone!
The Do It Yourself Pet Parent
When we first launched, one of our polls revealed that pet owners would like to know how to make their own healthy treats for their fur babies, and also fun, teaching toys. Your Pet Space scoured the web and found the following links:
TOYS
33 Dog Toys You Can Make From Things Around the House
Make Your Own Homemade Rabbit Toys
Cat Toys
Five Cheap Bird Toys You Can Make at Home
And, our fav:
TREATS
Recipe Ideas for Quick and Healthy Homemade Dog Treats
Diabetic Dog Treats
Cat Treats: Homemade Cat Food Recipes
Bird Food and Treat Recipes
Homemade Rat Treats
And our fav:
We would LOVE to have you send in to us your toy ideas and natural recipes for treats or food! Just post on our Facebook page, comment here or e-mail to joy@yourpetspace.info
Joy Jones is a syndicated columnist living with her husband Dave in Anderson, Ohio. When not working on Your Pet Space, she writes a metaphyscial column called The Midwestern Buddhist as well as urban fantasy and humor. You can e-mail her at joy@yourpetspace.info as well as follow her on Facebook or Twitter.
Dog Food Advisor
I once adopted two Basset Hounds – Ziggy and Gushie. Gushie was very laid back, and Ziggy was nervous. Ziggy would devour his dinner as fast as he could, then throw it all up. I tried to slow him down by putting my hand on his back while he was eating. While this did slow him down, it did not stop the regurgitation. My vet said another patient had this problem and switched to Science Diet.
I thought I had been using a top brand, but I gave Science Diet a try and it worked! No more vomiting after dinner.
Time moves on as it does. Ziggy and Gushie passed, and we eventually adopted more dogs.
I started them out on Science Diet, having learned my lesson and was quite happy with it. My Brittany, Castle, is a very high energy dog. I called her my ADD dog. Someone mentioned that ADD children should avoid grain. So I thought I would try that with my dog. I researched dog foods looking for something grain free and high in nutrition. Wow! There is a lot of information available.
Now, I am not going to tell you which food to purchase. You have to make that decision. All dogs have different needs. I look for a food that has a good recall history. I once went to restock only to find my brand had been recalled. I don’t use that brand anymore. Switching brands cold can be hard on a dog’s stomach.
If you do switch food, do it gradually. My opinion is, start with 25% new food mixed with 75% old food. Gradually increase this each day until you are at 100% new food at the end of the week. Some say make the change faster and some will say make the change over a longer period of time. You will know by your dog’s reaction to the new mix if you are moving too fast.
To choose a food, we recommend Dog Food Advisor. Once there, you will find links for wet food also, and other important information. Let me know how it works out for you. I’d love to hear how things are going with your dog!
Dave Jones, our Video Editor, is president of Your Pet Space by day and a professional magician by night. He lives with his wife Joy in Las Cruces, New Mexico, but grew up on a farm with pigs, chickens and cows as well as dogs and cats in Ohio. You can e-mail Dave at dave@yourpetspace.info as well as send him a friend request on Facebook.