Friends often joke that you treat your dog or cat as though it were your child. Well, when traveling with your pet in a car, that’s just the thing to do.

Dog Hanging Out Of Window

Never Leave Them Alone

Perhaps the most important animal-travel tip is to never leave your pet alone in a parked car. When the outside temperature is 85 degrees Fahrenheit, the interior of a parked car can reach a sizzling 102 degrees in just 10 minutes and 120 degrees within half an hour, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). And that’s even if you leave the windows cracked an inch or two. Such temperatures put your dog or cat at serious risk of death from hyperthermia.

Even if it’s a perfectly comfortable 70 degrees outside, the inside of a parked car can quickly reach 90 degrees — too hot for your furry friend. ASPCA warns that the dangers are not limited to the warmer months: “In cold weather, a car can act as a refrigerator, holding in the cold and causing an animal to freeze to death,” the organization says on its pet insurance web site.

No Roaming

You see it all the time: a dog sticking his head through a moving car’s rolled-down window. The pooch is obviously having the time of his life, but Fido’s fun can be dangerous to his health. Letting your dog ride this way could damage his inner ear and even expose him to lung infections, ASPCA says. Furthermore, he could be struck by flying debris.

Bottom line: don’t give your dog the freedom to stick his head out of the window or otherwise roam in your car, as a moving dog (or cat) can be thrown violently if you have a wreck or suddenly stop your car. Also, a roaming pet can be a dangerous distraction to a driver. A sudden sniff of your ear or lick of your nose can be all it takes to divert your attention from the road for too long. Approximately 30,000 accidents are caused each year by an unrestrained dog sitting in the front seat, according to the American Automobile Association.    ­

ASPCA recommends that you place your dog (or cat) in a “well-ventilated crate or carrier” that gives your pet just enough room to stand up and turn around. Besides limiting a pet’s movements, crates and carriers also provide protection in the event of a crash. For large dogs, a crate may not be an option; in these instances, restrain your dog with a harness that attaches to the car’s seat belts.
A dog car harness is available at DogCatSupply.com Harnesses can limit your pet’s movements and prevent him from suddenly bolting from the vehicle when you open the car door.

Hitting the Road

When taking a road trip with your pet, make sure you have a gallon of cold water with you to keep your dog or cat sufficiently hydrated, ASCPA urges. And be prepared to make regular stops: the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) says you should stop every two to three hours to allow your dog to use the bathroom and get some exercise. AVMA also recommends keeping a familiar blanket or toy by your pet to help it feel more comfortable during the drive.

Before embarking on a long trip, you should take some shorter drives around town with your pet to see how he responds, says Dr. Meg Wright, a veterinarian with the Powers Ferry Animal Hospital in Atlanta. “Is he anxious? Does he get car sick?” she says. “These are things you want to find out. In these cases, your vet may be able to prescribe a light sedative.”

By taking the above steps, you can ensure that car travel with your pet is as safe and enjoyable as possible.

Mark your calendars!

National Take Your Dog to Work Day, a holiday that started in 1999 to celebrate and promote pet adoption, is June 24th, but before you invite your four-legged friend to join your morning commute, take some time to plan and ensure that the day is safe and enjoyable for your dog and your coworkers alike.

Consider your coworkers

Talk to your coworkers before the big day.  Make sure no one near your desk is afraid of or severely allergic to dogs.  Consider your dog’s typical habits, and how they might affect others in your office.  If your Yorkie barks incessantly every time the phone rings at home, he might not make the best officemate.  In this case, it might be more appropriate to bring your dog in for a brief greeting in the morning, and plan to return him back home before any significant workday meetings begin. Does your dog get along well with others?  Be aware of other coworkers who plan to bring their own dogs.  Use your best judgment to decide if your pet will be able to handle the number, breed, and proximity of others in attendance that day.

Practice good office etiquette

No matter how well behaved your pooch is at home, sometimes a complete change of environment can really challenge their attention and memory.  Before the big day, work with Fido’s ability to maintain good manners by practicing simple commands such as sit, stay, and come.  Try out these behaviors at a park or mall area, which offer sufficient distractions to test your dog’s concentration.  Also remember that it is important to keep consistent communication with your dog, even in highly stimulating spaces.

Prepare a dog-friendly space

Bring a sense of familiarity into your office to help this environmental transition.  Pack your pup’s favorite bed, toy, or towel, and plenty of healthy treats. But make sure the treats are not too pungent; biscuits or all-natural fruit-based snacks will have a much more office-friendly aroma than other pepperoni or bacon flavored treats.
Make sure your dog has access to fresh water all day.  Your coworkers will thank you for using a bowl that will not tip over or make noise.  Try a bowl with a non-skid rubber base, and place it far away from foot traffic.
Working with your pet to accommodate individual needs will ensure that your day goes as smoothly as possible.  Whether you plan to bring your pet for a quick tour, or an all-day stay, prepare to be flexible.

Please encourage pet adoption and help our four legged friends with no homes.

Mouthing and nipping are normal puppy behaviors.  Whereas, humans typically initiate physical contact with loved ones or friends via their hands, young dogs will often use their mouths.  Puppies will frequently mouth or nip when they wish to solicit attention or play from littermates or while engaged in play with littermates.  Similarly, puppies will perform mouthing and/or nipping behaviors with human pack members when requesting attention or during play.

However, humans are literally and figuratively more thin-skinned than dogs.  Therefore, especially because deciduous puppy teeth are very sharp, the behavior can be very painful and even mildly injurious to adult owners and children.  Consequently, most pet owners desire that their puppy extinguish mouthing/nipping behavior and instead replace the behavior with an incompatible behavior, such as calmly and quietly sitting, when desirous of attention, affection, or play.

There are a few techniques that may work in accomplishing the initial objective of extinguishing your puppy’s mouthing/nipping behavior:

1. Simply ignore the behavior, even though it may hurt in the interim.
2. Redirect the behavior by gently removing your hand and verbally and physically encouraging your puppy to instead orally interact with a chew item or toy.
3. Walk away from your puppy whenever your puppy begins mouthing.
4. Wear heavy gardening gloves and allow your puppy to mouth, but ignore the behavior (do not provide attention and do not reprimand).  The gloves will eliminate discomfort while you cognitively teach your new pet that mouthing/nipping are unsuccessful methods of accomplishing the puppy’s objectives of obtaining attention or play.
5. Loudly yelp “Ouch” whenever your puppy mouths.  Many puppies will modify their behavior when they observe that it causes pain, rather than results in affection or enjoyable play.  However, some puppies will become excited and energized by your yelp and mouth harder or more frequently.
6. When your puppy mouths/nips, loudly and deeply growl “No” while stiffening, staring at your puppy, and perhaps giving a light “nip” around the scruff with two or three fingers.  This correction method may result in immediate compliance, as the method closely mimics the response a mother dog would likely provide.  However, some puppies may become frightened of you if your response is timed improperly or too harsh.  Moreover, some pups may become combative, whereby they increase the tenacity of their mouthing/nipping behavior.  The success of this method depends on the temperament of the dog and the effectiveness and believability of the owner in administering the communication.   In addition, we never recommend that children implement this method.
7. If your puppy tends to nip your hands, place hot chili paste on your hands, so that the behavior becomes orally uncomfortable for your puppy.  However, please note that some pets may not quickly associate the unpleasant taste with your hands and many will notice the odor of the hot paste and still mouth when your hands are not covered in hot paste.  Furthermore, the method will “sting” you if you have any open wounds on your hands.
8. Incorporate an aversive noise, such as the sound of a shake can (a plastic bottle or can filled with 3 to 7 coins), whenever your puppy mouths.  This method can be highly successful provided you are prepared and consistent- which means every household member needs to be prepared with a shake can and use the can each time the puppy mouths.  However, the method may also have the side effect of making your dog less noise tolerant and more sensitized to unexplained noises, whereby he later exhibits out of context anxiety when hearing an unexplained or unfamiliar noise.
9. Nip back by either pinching his lips or gums or by placing his lip atop his canine tooth and depressing.

The above methods use strategies of redirection, negative punishment, positive punishment, and aversive conditioning to provide multiple options for extinguishing your puppy’s mouthing behavior.  Which method is best depends on the dog and the owner.  Nevertheless, we recommend that you begin by using the least punishing methods (numbers 1 – 4) before employing any methods that incorporate positive punishment or aversive conditioning.  In addition, be prepared, be consistent, and be fair.  Do not upgrade to a harsher method until you have given a gentle method ample time to modify the behavior.

As stated in the second paragraph, to raise the probability of successful behavior modification, we not only need to discourage your puppy’s mouthing/nipping behavior, we also need to concomitantly encourage a replacement oral behavior that satisfies the puppy’s objectives while concurrently pleasing the humans in the household.  There are several methods of accomplishing our second objective.

1. If your puppy enjoys chew items and play toys, keep a toy box accessible, so that after he stops mouthing or even better before he starts mouthing, you can offer him a toy in lieu of or before he starts mouthing/nipping your hands.
2. Do not allow any members of the household to place their hands inside the puppy’s mouth during play.  The puppy should only be allowed to have oral contact with toys.
3. To encourage impulse control and calm behavior, offer toys, attention, affection, and/or play to your puppy when he calmly sits and ignore him when he is rambunctious.  You may even provide an extra reward of praise and a treat when he sits quietly and calmly on his own volition, rather than jumps, mouths, or nips.
4. Employ proactive stimulation (walks, outdoor play on grass, obedience training), so that your puppy is preemptively fatigued and would rather rest than use extreme measures to demand your attention when you later prefer quiet indoor time.

In summary, mouthing and nipping are normal, albeit bothersome, puppy behaviors.  Fortunately, by employing a behavior modification strategy that discourages mouthing and encourages a mutually acceptable replacement behavior we can usually extinguish the behavior and create much happier puppy owners.

It’s Raining Cats and Dogs: First alluded to in poet Jonathan Swift’s 1710 satirical poem, “A Description of a City Shower” in which he denounced the horrid conditions in London society and described how the bodies of cats and dogs would stream down the streets during heavy rains.

The Dog Days of Summer: Ancient Romans noticed the Dog Star, Sirius, appeared in the sky when temperatures reached their peak in late July and early August. They believed that the Dog Star contributed to the heat of the day.

The Cat’s Pajamas: First used around 1920 when pajamas were still a shocking new addition to one’s wardrobe, this phrase is used to describe something that is “great.” Much  like the word “awesome” is used today. Similar expressions originating in the 1920′s include – the bee’s knees, the clam’s garders, the duck’s quack and the tiger’s spots.

Hair of the Dog that Bit You: Ancient folk wisdom taught that the best remedy for a dog bite was to apply hair from the same dog to the wound.

Has the Cat Got Your Tongue: This saying came from the English sailing ship days, and refers to the cat-o-nine tails. If the captain or other officer told someone something in secrecy, he would ‘get the cat’ if he told others. Naturally, if the others wanted to know what had been said, they would ask, “Tell us, or has the cat got your tongue?”

Not that many years ago, the pet food industry became a convenient place for the human food industry to dispose of its waste products, without paying landfill fees. Pet food makers were pleased to have ready supplies of inexpensive ingredients. Owners were happy to buy something to feed their dogs that was so convenient to store and feed. Dogs, as they have been for centuries, were thrilled to get whatever their humans would share with them. The ingredients panel on a bag of dog food was rarely considered.

But today, we’re putting the pieces together: diet affects health.

Hallmarks of quality (what to look for)

• Animal protein at the top of the ingredients list. Ingredients are listed by weight, so ideally a food will have one or two animal proteins in the first few ingredients.
• Named animal protein source – chicken, beef, lamb, and so on. “Meat” is an example of a low-quality protein source of dubious origin. Animal protein “meals” (i.e., “chicken meal”) should also be from named species.
• When a fresh meat appears high on the ingredients list, an animal protein meal in a supporting role, to augment the total protein in the diet. Fresh or frozen meats do not contain enough protein to be used as the sole protein source in a dry food (they contain as much as 65 to 75 percent water and only 15 to 20 percent protein. In contrast, animal protein “meals” – meat, bone, skin, and connective tissue that’s been rendered and dried – contain only about 10 percent moisture, and as much as 65 percent protein.)
• Whole vegetables, fruits, and grains. Fresh, unprocessed food ingredients contain wholesome nutrients in all their naturally complex glory, with their fragile vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants intact. Don’t be alarmed by one or two food fragments, especially if they are low on the ingredients list. But if there are several present in the food, and/or they appear high on the ingredients list, the lower-quality the food.
• Organic ingredients; locally sourced ingredients. Both of these things are better for our planet.

Signs of corners cut (what to look out for)

• Meat by-products or poultry by-products. Higher-value ingredients are processed and stored more carefully (kept clean and cold) than low-value ingredients (such as by-products) by the processors. The expense of whole meats and meat meals doesn’t rule out poor handling and resultant oxidation (rancidity), but it makes it less likely. For these reasons, we suggest avoiding foods that contain by-products or by-product meal.
• Added sweeteners. Sweeteners effectively persuade many dogs to eat foods comprised mainly of grain fragments (and containing little healthy animal protein).
• Artificial preservatives, such as BRA, BHT, and ethoxyquin. Natural preservatives, such as tocopherols (forms of vitamin E), vitamin C, and rosemary extract, can be used instead. Note that natural preservatives do not preserve the food as long as artificial preservatives, so owners should always check the “best by” date on the label and look for relatively fresh products.
• Artificial colors. The color of the food makes no difference to the dog; these nutritionally useless chemicals are used in foods to make them look appealing to you!

Check out the Country Pet Dog Food Selection at Dog Cat Supply Today!  It has all the high quality ingredients you expect for your dog.

At the top of many holiday gift lists each year is a new puppy, dog, kitten or cat.  One great way to celebrate the holidays is to help a furry friend in need.  Pet adoption is affordable and will make such a difference to your family.

If you’re thinking of adopting a pet, animal shelters are a fantastic option.  Before you adopt a pet, please remember that adopting and caring for a companion animal goes far beyond providing food, water and shelter – it is a lifelong commitment to provide exercise, healthy nourishment, attention, and, most importantly, love.

Before adopting a pet this holiday season, please consider the following tips:

Invest time in researching what is the best pet for you and your family.  Talk to family members about what kind of pet they want. Take the opportunity to openly discuss everyone’s likes and dislikes, favorite activities, budget, and time available for pet care. If you have small children, large dogs may be too strong or active.  Evaluate where you live – in an apartment or a home with no yard or in an area with busy traffic, as those types of questions will be a consideration for making your pet choice decision. There are great resources online like petfinder or fetchdog where you can research different breeds and sizes of dogs and cats in your local area, and find a pet that will fit well into your existing family and lifestyle.

If you are getting a pet for your children, do not expect the kiddies to do all the work. Children, no matter how mature, need supervision and help handling the responsibility of a cat or dog. Ultimately, the adult/parent is responsible. Prior to adoption, teach your children about responsible pet ownership, and make sure they are ready for the changes a new pet will bring in to the household.  Learn about pet care, and explain to your children that some dog breeds need to be walked several times a day or daily cleaning of a cat’s litter box will be expected.

Make sure a pet suits your family dynamic, size of home, and your lifestyle. Your personality and lifestyle, along with challenges such as space restrictions and the amount of time your family spends at home should be explored to determine which pet is right for you.

Prior to adoption, have items like natural dog food, dog bowls, leashes, a crate or bed, and all-natural meat treats or vegetable dog treats on-hand.

You will discover that the reward of adoption this holiday season is the feeling you will get from knowing you helped save a life and a new dog or cat that is eternally thankful.

A call to Veterinary Specialty Hospital (VSH) in Sorrento Valley resulted in a mad dash to the emergency room and four days in the intensive-care unit for Zoey, who was lucky to have survived the accident. Poisonous also to cats and children — but especially attractive to dogs — sago palms are responsible for a 70 percent mortality rate or greater in dogs that ingest it, primarily because of liver damage.

Now, Wakabayashi’s mission is to educate people about the dangers of sago palms. (Debbie Wakabayashi is the owner of Salmon Paws animal treats.)

For cats, lilies of many varieties lead toxic plant lists, said Dr. Monica Clare, DVM, an emergency/critical-care specialist at VSH. For those whose cats enjoy eating plants, she advises keeping lilies away because they cause kidney failure and death.

Many other plants are also poisonous to cats and dogs.

Life-saving treatment may be available with a quick trip to the veterinary ER, as happened with Zoey.

Clare said other leading toxic substances for pets include:

• products made with sugar replacement Xylitol, such as sugar-free gum and candy

• snail bait

• (dogs) grapes, raisins and chocolate, which potentially can cause kidney failure

• (cats) antifreeze, which can also cause

kidney failure

• a wide range of human medications which pets play with and ingest.

Clare recommends that pet owners visit the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ poison control center website and familiarize themselves with their lists of toxic household and garden products and plants.

“The quicker they act, the better the prognosis,” Clare said.

If a pet owner suspects their pet has eaten something toxic, Clare recommends calling the ASPCA poison control center at (888) 426-4435, the Pet Poison Helpline at (800) 213-6680 or the VSH at (858) 875-7500 for an opinion about toxicity.

For information about pet poisoning and lists of toxic and non-toxic plants, visit www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/ or www.petpoisonhelpline.com/

Bully Sticks are a healthy alternative to higher fat and caloric treats or chews.  Bully sticks are high in protein and very low in fat and calories.  Additionally, quality bully sticks are generally free from preservatives and harmful chemicals. The best source for bully sticks is from a supplier who purchases bully sticks from vertically integrated processors.  This means processors that produce the product from start to finish.   When this is possible the raw material is made into a finished product with in 24 to 48 hours.  This is important since it reduces the need for freezing and/or chemically rewetting the raw material.  DogCatSupply is one of the oldest suppliers of bully sticks and they have highest standards in the industry.   DogCatSupply  bully sticks are hand selected to insure that all their quality and safety standards are adhere to.  Manufactures are constantly scrutinized to insure that standards are met.  DogCatSupply customers have grown accustomed to the highest quality treats that are safe and healthy for their pets.

For the most in depth bully stick information regarding health benefits and even how they are made go to www.WhatAreBullySticks.com

Bully Sticks or Pizzles are at least 80% protein.  They are also an excellent source of glucosamine and chondroitin.  .  They are rich in protein, vitamins, calcium, and magnesium and are free from hormones and low in…..

Visit www.WhatAreBullySticks.com to learn more!

Bully sticks dog chews are not only highly palatable treats, but they also provide a lot of benefits for dogs. Since bully pizzles are pure beef, they are easily digestible. Natural organic bully sticks offered at our DogCatSupply website do not contain any additives, chemicals, preservatives, antibiotics, hormones or steroids. They are made from cattle that graze on the green fields of South America and North America.  The USA Made Bully Sticks from the USA are the highest quality and have the least odor.  Production under USDA strict specifications ensures the bully sticks are healthy and not contaminated.

When dogs chew on bully sticks, they become wet and chewy and provide a great natural way to clean teeth and massage gums keeping them strong. Bully sticks are a long-lasting treat tha

Usa Made Bully Sticks

t satifies your dogs desire to chew and keeps them busy and occupied.

Bully sticks are a high source of quality protein (not less than 80% of crude protein) and taurine, an amino acid that acts as an enzyme facilitating the flow of vital elements to and from cells and therefore is essential in preventing health disorders.

Try a Bully Stick From Dog Cat Supply and see the quality for yourself.