Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 5 minutes When you’re the pet parent of a diabetic pet, the last thing you want is to have them associate their insulin injections with something scary. Some diabetic pets will need insulin every 12 hours for the rest of their lives, and if they don’t get their injections regularly because they’re hiding or trying to bite, […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes I had barely stepped in the house when the client attempted to hand me her puppy. The puppy was clearly terrified, dangling from the woman’s extended arms. I backpedaled right back out the door, “Please don’t give her to me. She’s afraid. This will just make it worse.” But the client, beaming with new puppy […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes When you think of summer, what comes to mind? For me, it has always been beachy weekends and holiday gatherings with family and friends. Even hammock-lounging, agenda-less summer days were associated with blissful tranquility, until, that is, I shared those dog days of summer with my best fur pal Bug. For Bug, summer, specifically the […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes “CAN HE HAVE CHICKEN?” I yelled, projecting over the commotion of the terrier barking and growling at me. He was safely behind a baby gate, something I had arranged ahead of time with my client. This was our first meeting. “SURE!” the client yelled back. I tossed a piece of freeze-dried chicken over the baby […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes When I pull out the vacuum, Mollie disappears. Fortunately, our house is large enough that she has plenty of “safe” places to hide – often the linen closet upstairs or inside a kitchen cabinet. There’s a name for this fear: Zuigerphobia. It’s a specific phobia, which is an irrational, yet excessive fear of a particular […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Horses might be pretty big creatures, but in their minds, they only weigh a few hundred pounds. Before humans started breeding horses to carry and pull heavy loads, equines were much smaller. Scientists believe the first domesticated horse only weighed about half of what today’s horses weigh. But while horses’ bodies have become bigger—making them […]
Reading Time: 5 minutes Many pets are petrified of fireworks. And no wonder: no one tells our best friends that these incredibly loud and sudden and unexplained bangs are supposed to be a celebration, not an attack. For dogs and cats, becoming startled at sudden loud sounds can be a protective response. Who knows what could be making that […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes What is Canine Separation Anxiety? Have you ever come home to find your dog has redecorated your house, chewed on the windowsill, or urinated/defecated on the floor? Or perhaps your neighbor runs out to greet you and tells you your dog has been barking incessantly ever since you left. If so, your dog could have […]
Reading Time: 5 minutes The idea of dressing up your pet may seem silly, eccentric, or just something novel to do for a couple of moments during the holiday season. But putting clothes on your dog or cat, and acclimating them to it, may be useful for a number of reasons. Take, for instance, the situation Paula G. found […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes Do you have a fear of going to the doctor or the dentist? How does that make you feel? Or perhaps you know someone who gets anxious just thinking about going to the doctor or dentist? Your pet may feel the same way about going to the veterinary clinic. If your dog shakes, pants, acts […]