4 Halloween Treats You Can Make For Your Dog

The holidays are starting folks, and it starts with Halloween. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Whether you are trick-or-treating this year or just staying home, you can still celebrate! I have already bought candy for all the two-legged children walking the neighborhood. Candy is delicious, but it is not the best for our health. It's definitely not healthy for your dog. Below, I have gathered a few recipes for your beloved canine in lieu of store bought candy. But before you get cooking, please read these safety tips for animals on Halloween:

1. Keep human candy away from pets. A lot of the candy given to humans can be toxic to your pet, only give your furry family member treats that are made for dogs.
2. Don't keep lit pumpkins around your pets unsupervised.
3. Keep wires and electrical cords out of reach from chewing mouths.
4. Don't dress your pet up in a costume unless they are comfortable being in a costume.
5. Don't leave your dog out in the yard on Halloween. It can be a scary night even for canines!
6. Keep your cat indoors to keep them safe from pranks and cruelty-related incidents.
7. Letting your dog chew on pumpkins and corn stalks may cause GI upset. 

In addition, you can read here for the ultimate holiday tips for keeping your dog stress-free. For me, October marks the start of minimizing the stress and chaos of all holidays. Let's face it, October through December is pretty much of frenzied blur of one holiday after another and your canine's mental health gets lost in all of it. It's best to start preparing now.

And now for the recipes! The links are below the beautiful images in the captions section. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Biscuits by Bark City!

These are for humans and dogs! Hotdog mummies by Frugal Coupon Living.

Mummy bones pumpkin peanut butter dog treats by The Cottage Market.

Pumpkin and Cheese Dog Treats by Kol's Notes.

Happy Halloween!🎃

Disaster Preparedness for Pet Owners

Emergencies are a type of event that you don't know you are going to have until you are having it. Some emergencies require a brief absence from your home, other emergencies require permanent evacuation. Your four-legged companion is part of your family. If you have family evacuation plans in place for your two-legged family members, shouldn't you also have them for your four-legged?

It's always a good idea to have plans in place well before you actually have an emergency. Here are a few things you should think about while you a planning out your emergency protocol:

• Rescue Alert Sticker: These are those little stickers on your front door that tell emergency workers how many pets you have, what they look like, their names and your veterinarian's phone number. You can get a FREE sticker here. 
• Evacuation Plan: If you are not safe in your house, your pets aren't either! Please make sure you don't just leave them behind to fend for themselves. Develop a plan that also includes a way for your pets to evacuate.
• Designated Caregiver: In the event that something happens to you, there should be a designated caregiver for your pet. This should be someone you trust that knows precisely the medical needs and diet of your pet. They should also know how to take care of the specific breed of your dog and temperament. Talk to this person about the logistics of what needs to be done way before there is an emergency. You many want to print out instructions to give to them for future reference. If there is an emergency, you will not have time to be explaining Fido's daily care. This person should have a key to your house in case something happens and you cannot be at your house to give your dog to them. 
• Safe Haven: In addition to the evacuation plan, you need a place for your pets to stay while you are evacuated. Ideas: Friends or relatives, a boarding kennel, ask your local animal shelter if they have emergency shelter or foster care options and have a list of local hotels that accept pets. Again, have these places written down with contact numbers well ahead of an actual emergency. 
• First Aid Kit: Click here to get the long list of things to include in your first aid kit! Have two First Aid kits prepared. One for home and one for the car.
• Geographical Considerations: Think about the area in which you live and what kinds of things happen: Earthquakes? Tornadoes? Flooding? Then ask yourself the question: Do you have a safe place for your dog to go in the event of these natural disasters. Areas include: basements, laundry rooms, high shelving or roof areas for floods. In addition, if there is a long period of time in which you will have no water, do you have water stored for you and Fido? Do you have food for all-legged family members?

We never like to think about the "what ifs", but we also need to be well prepared just in case. It's a good idea to plan out these things in the present rather than just saying, "Oh, I'll do it next week". Because, we all know how that goes!  Having a plan in place greatly reduces the stress in the time of an actually emergency.

Degenerative Joint Disease in Canines

Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) is also known as Osteoarthritis. It is the progressive and permanent long-term deterioration of the cartilage surrounding the joints.  DJD is the #1 cause of chronic pain affecting one in five adult dogs.

 

For more information on DJD, please see these links:

• Canine Arthritis Treatment, The Whole Dog Journal, http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/10_3/features/Canine-Arthritis_15910-1.html 
• Vet Advice: Relieving Your Dog's Arthritis, The Bark, http://thebark.com/content/vet-advice-relieving-your-dogs-arthritis
• 10 Ways to Help an Arthritic Dog, Vet Street, http://www.vetstreet.com/care/10-ways-to-help-an-arthritic-dog  
• How to Treat Arthritis in Dogs: Glucosamine, Chondroitin Sulfate, Steroids and NSAIDS, PetMD, http://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/evr_dg_remedies_for_arthritis_in_dogs#

How to Tell If Your Dog is Anxious

Dogs do not speak human. I have written about anthropomorphizing your pet and as I said in that blog post, there are dangers in assuming you know what your pet is feeling. BUT, dogs do feel pain, sadness, happiness and even fear. Fear is the basis of anxiety whether it is a warranted fear or not, it elicits humans and dogs into the instinctual drive of either freezing, fighting or flight. Causes of anxiety in dogs can vary, it can be from an illness, aging, a terrible experience or even being unsocialized as a puppy. Regardless of the cause, it is up to us pet parents to recognize our dog's language on when it is frightened:

Mild Cues That Often Go Unnoticed

• Hiding or seeking solitude
• Seeking comfort from favorite guardian. Ex: Jumping up into a lap or leaning against legs.
• Shaking or panting. Keep in mind that normal panting happens when a dog is hot or has just exercised. If your dog is excessively panting for no reason, they are probably anxious.
• Excessive licking or chewing. This one you need to rule out allergies before jumping right into anxiety.

More Blatant Cues That Often Mean Your Dog is Having a Panic Attack

• Excessive barking and howling.
• Aggression towards another pet, you or someone else (that's the fight instinct triggering).
• Trying to escape
• Excessive pacing 
• Excretion in inappropriate places when potty trained
• Destruction that is not related to being a puppy or juvenile dog

If you notice any of these symptoms in your dog, the first and foremost thing is to go to your veterinarian to rule out a health issue. If it is indeed anxiety, there are many things you can do. After ruling out health issues, you need to identify what is causing the anxiety. Once you have the trigger identified, you can start a desensitization program with controlled exposure and giving rewards for positive behavior. This kind of program is best developed and implemented with a dog behaviorist expert. If done improperly, you could risk your dog's anxiety becoming worse. Veterinarians can also recommend medication or supplements to help with the anxiety. Most importantly, do not leave your dog's anxiety untreated. A dog's anxiety can escalate if left untreated. Your dog can end up in a dangerous situation or cause itself harm. In addition, do not scold or praise your dog when they are having a panic attack. You must remain calm and stable even when your furry companion is not.