Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 3 minutes Dangling ornaments. Rich food. Brightly blooming plants. Parties. No matter what your species—human, canine or feline—there’s a lot to love about the holidays. But in the wrong hands, er, paws, those same things can cause everything from a bellyache to a bite to a trip to the emergency room. Here are three ways to avoid […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes I couldn’t wait to take Oscar, my new Dalmatian puppy, outside for his first walk around our block. Clipping the leash onto his collar went well but taking a step out the front door to enjoy nature was another story. I never knew that paws had brakes, but he sure applied them in a flash […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes We recognize that veterinarians make positive differences in the lives of our cats and dogs. But veterinary practices couldn’t function as efficiently or effectively without the expertise of compassionate veterinary technicians. To recognize their contributions, the third week of October each year celebrates National Veterinary Technician Week. In another life, I worked as a vet […]
Reading Time: < 1 minutes Sometimes, the best time—or only time—to walk your dog is after dark, but that can be a little scary because your own vision is impaired. Your dog may be more alert than usual, too. The following tips will help make evening walks low in fear, anxiety, and stress for both of you—and ensure that you […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes The retractable leash, also referred to as a flexi lead, can allow dogs to be up to 26 feet ahead of their owners during walks. Proponents say it gives these dogs “freedom” to explore their surroundings. However, many veterinarians, dog trainers, pet sitters and dog walkers say the extendable leads unleash far too many dangers […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Increasingly people are keeping cats indoors only. More than 65 percent of the feline population never goes outside, according to the American Pet Products Association. But that still leaves millions of cats who go outdoors, and cats being cats, some will climb trees in search of the highest vantage point in the neighborhood, to escape […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes In 2014, my husband and I moved cross-country from the Midwest to New England, a trip that involved transporting our five indoor housecats, a newly trapped feral cat, and our older dog. I planned ahead to try to ensure that this trip would be as stress-free as possible for the animals. We had a successful […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Good planning is absolutely necessary when you are traveling with a service dog. Having the proper paperwork, your dog’s regular food, some toys and an extra leash, plus a clear idea about how to divide your time between human-centered and dog-centered activities, will help make the trip as stress free as possible for human and […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes How much does your cat like his carrier? If your cat is like most, the answer is “Not at all!” Most of us drag the carrier out of storage minutes before we need it and wrestle our cats inside. If we are lucky, no one is bleeding and we can still get where we need […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes This month we’ve watched lava flows from Hawaii’s Mt. Kilauea destroy homes and cars. Last month, two tornadoes hit Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the same day. Even if volcanoes don’t erupt down the street from your house and you don’t live in Tornado Alley, natural disasters and emergencies occur somewhere every day. And part of […]