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Separation anxiety. Such a tough thing and it affects both cats and dogs. While we hear about it more often with dogs; cats display separation anxiety but in different, more subtle ways. For example, they may not be eating as much as normal, sleeping more than normal, hiding more. When you return, they may be glued to your side and snuggle more than usual.
With dogs, it’s usually more obvious that they’re anxious. They may pace, whine, bark, howl, tear things up, urinate or defecate in the house when they were once perfectly housetrained, they may shake or hide, pant when not hot or yawn even though they aren’t tired. With life starting to return to “normal” and working in the office seems like it’s making a return, our pets will see this as an unwelcome change to their new routines. Our pets are more used to us being home for days on end, vs pre-pandemic when they may have been alone for 8+ hours a day. Remember from a pets point of view, a year is a very long time. Some suggestions for easing your pet into your new routine. Start slowly. Before jumping into a new routine where you and/or the whole family is gone for hours a day, start by leaving for 1-2 hours per day. Then gradually start to increase the time from, 2-3 hours, then 3-4 hours and so on. This will give your pet the chance to adapt to the new schedule and get used to being alone again. If your pet is still struggling, we recommend trying some CBD to calm their anxiety. Consider getting Adpatil for your dog and/or Feliway for your cat to ease anxiety. You can have both in your home if you have both cats and dogs. Cats cannot smell the dog pheromones and dogs cannot smell the cat pheromones. Also, try leaving safe chew toys with your pet. Interactive food puzzles, calming music or the TV on. Practice crate training again for your dog. Consider hiring a professional dog walker to come in midday to take your dog out for a walk and tire him out so he sleeps most of the time you’re gone. We also recommend these tips if you’re planning on a vacation. If your pet gets stressed just by seeing your suitcase, long before your trip, just bring out your suitcase for a few hours and put it away. Then take it out again for maybe a day, put some clothes in it and put it away again. By doing this, your pet won’t automatically associate the suitcase with you leaving. Also, reward your pet with a treat if they see the suitcase or if they hop in it. Again, associating it with good things will help your pet alleviate their anxieties. Given the past year we’ve all had, I’m positive we’ve all felt a sense of anxiety at one point or another. And knowing how we feel about anxiety, we should do all we can to help alleviate our pet’s anxieties. As hard as it is for us humans, it’s even more difficult for pets since they have even less control over their own lives. I hope these tips help you and your furry family members navigate this crazy life. https://www.cesarsway.com/dealing-with-dog-separation-anxiety/
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Easter is on Sunday (4/4/2021), so hard to believe! But with Easter comes it’s own share of pet safety concerns. From chocolate bunnies, to Easter basket grass, to family members not keeping doors closed, to Easter lilies, there are a few things to keep in mind this weekend.
Chocolate bunnies, plastic Easter eggs, candy, etc: Chocolate should not be ingested by any pet as it is toxic and requires an immediate vet visit. Do not offer your pet any Easter candy, no human candy is safe for pets as they contain fake colors, sugars and other chemicals that are dangerous to pets if ingested. Easter Dinner: While a few bites of lean ham/meat (no fat) or plain green beans/veggies are ok, everything else should not be given to your pet. Onions, garlic, grapes are all toxic to pets, fatty foods can lead to gastrointestinal issues and pancreatitis. Avoid salty foods as well. Easter Basket Grass: Jenn has personal experience with this one. Her childhood cat decided to eat the plastic Easter grass in her basket. This landed him at the emergency vet overnight while they worked to get him to pass it. Paper grass is a safer option, but even so, if your pet eats too much, it could cause a blockage and a visit to the emergency vet. So be mindful of your child’s Easter basket, and make sure it’s kept out of the reach of pets. Family/friends gathering: If you’re having family and friends over for Easter this year, be sure to remind your guests to keep doors and gates closed so your pet does not escape. If your pet is feeling nervous about seeing a bunch of people after a year of really only seeing you and your immediate family (and possibly your dog walker), put your pet in a quiet room or in their crate for the duration of the gathering. Give them a safe bone or chew toy to keep them busy. Also play relaxing music or put on doggy/kitty TV for them. Easter lilies: NO! These are not to be brought into your home if you have pets, no exceptions! All parts of the plant are toxic and absolutely deadly to cats. If you like the look of lilies, get a fake plant. The life of your pet is not worth a pretty flower. Alcohol: NO! While it may seem cute to see your pup drink some beer or wine from your glass, it is not ok. Alcohol is very toxic to pets and just a little bit can lead to kidney failure. While all these things need to be considered during Easter, we want you to enjoy the holiday with your family/friends and your pets as well. Happy Easter to those who celebrate and make it a safe one for you, your family and your pets. I must admit it took me some time to decide on what my first actual pet wellness blog post should be, then I read an article in an older issue of Pet Sitter's World, about household hazards for indoor pets and a light bulb went off in my head. Currently, we’re still in the throes of the pandemic lockdowns here in California and we’re being told that chemicals like lysol and clorox are the best at killing the nasty COVID virus. While that is true, there is also a real danger when using those products around our pets. See what most don’t realize is the surface needs to be wet for 30 seconds to 2 minutes to kill the virus. Honestly, that is an eternity when it comes to keeping pets off of a surface! Seriously, sit there for 2 minutes and do nothing. The chemical in products like lysol and pine sol, or other products with -sol at the end are made from phenol which is very toxic to dogs and cats, cats being especially sensitive to it. At Jenn’s Pet TLC, we are using alcohol wipes to disinfect because they are much less toxic and the surface dries much quicker than a lysol or clorox wipe. And please, please DO NOT do what that new lysol commercial is doing and spray the dog bed, cat bed or any surface your pet sleeps on with the disinfectant spray, I have half a mind to write to them to tell them how dangerous that is! The article from PSW recommends using Simple Green, which I agree is a very good product and it’s safe for the environment as well. For disinfecting we recommend alcohol wipes, vinegar based products or hydrogen peroxide based products. Be careful even with products labeled “natural” they can still contain ingredients dangerous to pets. “Natural” is a non-regulated term and really anyone can use it on their products. If you suspect your pet has gotten into something toxic take them to the vet immediately. You can also call the ASPCA poison control hotline 888-426-4435, but be aware that a fee applies.
Other household hazards can include plants like poinsettias and lilies which are the biggest dangers. There are others, but your best bet is to only keep pet friendly plants like wheatgrass, honeysuckle, catnip and some ferns like the Boston fern in your home. Click here for a link from Better Homes and Gardens on 15 Pet Friendly plants. In addition to plants, some foods and medications are dangerous. Avoid feeding grapes and raisins as they can cause kidney failure. Xylitol is a must to keep away as this is very deadly. Don’t feed garlic or onions or any seasoned meats/food to your pet. Other things like macadamia nuts, dairy (fed as a treat or pill masker is ok), yeast dough, chocolate, coffee, alcohol and chives. Aspirin and Tylenol must be kept from dogs and cats, but with cats it's especially deadly. Be careful when using essential oils as some pets are more sensitive than others. ALWAYS use a brand that you know is a good quality like DoTerra, YoungLiving or Arbonne and ALWAYS allow your pet to exit the room where the oils are being used. Unless given the ok by a vet, do not put essential oils on your pet. Our pets are like perpetual toddlers, if they can get into trouble they will and it just takes a little effort to make sure your home is safe for your indoor pet. Remember, they are there 24/7; even you are not home that much (even in a pandemic). If you’d like to read the full article in PSW it is linked here. Any questions or comments, please drop one below. Well I guess I should start somewhere and the best place to start is the beginning.
Hello, my name is Jenn Hodge, CPPS (that's Certified Professional Pet Sitter), and I have a passion for pets. Since 2009, I've had my own professional pet sitting and dog walking business. Over the years, I've noticed that many clients have questions and concerns about their pets' overall health and wellness. When I started looking into the pet food industry as a whole, I discovered lots of confusion, misinformation --and few easy answers for the average pet parent. Not only that, but the overall health of our pets has been deteriorating over the years with various chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, joint pain, etc. It breaks my heart to see these pets hurting and sick and their pet parents without any good answers. While I'm not a vet, I am working on my Pet Nutrition Certification and you're here to witness my journey as I study pet nutrition and overall pet wellness. Together we'll discover how to help your pet live their best life possible with proper nutrition, a cat or dog friendly home environment, great tips and more! I will always encourage you to have a conversation with your vet before trying anything new, but I also encourage you to find a holistic vet or a vet that practices both natural and traditional medicine. Just as with human doctors, one vet cannot know all the answers nor do they all have one collective opinion. So welcome to my journey to help pet parents (that's you!) discover how to help their pets live their best lives. This is going to be fun!! |
AuthorMy name is Jenn Hodge, CPPS. I've been a professional pet sitter since 2009 and I have a passion for helping your pets live their best life! I have 2 adorable and sassy cats, 1 horse and a fish tank with guppies and an aquatic frog. My husband, Ryan Hodge, CPPS and author, also works in my pet business. Archives
October 2024
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