Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” ~Robin Williams

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”  ~Robin Williams  Do you love spring?  How I love spring the air is fresh note I do not suffer from allergies. The earth is coming to life again after a winter of hibernation.  The sun rises earlier in the morning and sets later in the day.  The idea of spending more time outside playing fetch with my dog. The Winga by Kurgo is a fun way to play with my dog. He loves to catch the frisbee and return it to me.  Does your labradoodle, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd like to play fetch with a frisbee? The Winga allows you to throw the frisbee farther and is the right size.  www.funlovingepts.com carries the Kurgo Winga. It takes the place of a chuck it no sticky drooling mess.

Where do you like to play with your Rottweiler, Great Dane, Springer Spaniel, Labrador, Yorkie? Do you like the beach? Some of my favorite beaches are the Singing beach in Manchester, MA , Cape Cod National parks, Rye Beach in New Hampshire, San Diego Beaches.  Where do you take your Golden Retriever to play?  If you do not live or vacation near a beach a nice field or dog park is also fun to take your furry friend  (Chihuahua, Beagle, boxer, pug, poodle). The Kurgo Winga is good for throwing the frisbee long distances. If this is not feasible the Humunga Stache is fun to watch your dog carry.  Take a picture of your Cocker Spaniel carrying around what looks like a mustache.

Now to a serious side of walking your Boston Terrier, Great Dane, Toy Poodle, Border Collie out in areas with traffic. Make sure they know how to stay with you and not to run out in the street. The high visibility vest are good for both you and your dog. They even have special sizes for a Grey Hound.  You can pick your favorite color hot pink,     bright safety orange, Bright blue, have matching vests.  This will allow the drivers to see you as you walk. There have been people hit by cars because just as the sun is coming up or going down t hey are blinded and can not see the dog walker walking. I have a friend who lost her dachshund to just this. Someone was racing to Dunkin Donuts and did not see her poor little dog at the end of the leash. She now wears the high visibility vest and stays out-of-the-way of people racing for their coffee at Dunkin Donuts.  Maybe you have seen this happen.   What color do you like?  How do you stay safe when walking your rescue dog?

Additional Winga frisbee's

 

How to chose your dog or cat food

Here at FunLovingpets.com we research the foods and treats we offer to our customers.   FunLovingpetscom started as a result of the large recall of foods that had ingredients from China.  The foods, treats toys and cleaning products funlovingpets.com offers it’s customers are looked at from the eye of the user and pet owner.

What do you look for in the food? A few questions to ask yourself when deciding on food such as California Natural or Innova, Evo, Canine Cavair, SOJOs. 

 Does your cat or dog require a special diet?

How old is your dog or cat?   Here at Funlovingpets.com our dog is young. Do you have a senior dog requiring a Senior dog food such as special diet for senior dogs of Canine Caviar.  Is your cat a kitten or a senior cat do you have many cats. Do they play or just hang out during the day. Innova Cat food has all the nutrition needed without the fillers.  Take a look at the ingredients in the cat food watch out for ash and other fillers. If you feed cat kibble they will need lots of water. If you feed them wet or canned food they will only drink a little water.

How active/ high energy is your dog or cat? Do you have a Greyhound or a Shepard, Golden Retriever, Terrier, Border Collie, Siberian Husky these all need a diet to accommodate their specific high energy needs.  Evo wild nutrition or Karma 98% organic dog food maybe just the right blend for your active dog. 

Does your dog (Golden Retriever, Chihuahua, Shitzu, Yorkies, Great Dane) need one or two ingredient food? As with babies when you are trying to decide if you pet has a food allergy or is sensitive to a certain food you start with one or two food items.  California Natural offers a lamb and rice mix that is very gentle on the dogs stomach. They also have a Herring and sweet potato mix good for the coat. Lots of Omega 3’s. The other option is to cook for your dog. The only problem is you need to have a balanced diet of the proper amount of protein and fat plus vegetables for your dog. http://funlovingpets.com/california-natural-lamb-meal-amp-rice-adult-large-bites-dry-dog-food.html.  If your dog gets lots of gas or upset stomach try a little pumpkin it works great. You only need a few tablespoons depending on the breed of dog or how big of a dog. 

Where do the ingredients come from of the dog food you decide on?  It is important to not only look at where a product is manufactured but where did the ingredients come from. Was the chicken raised in China. Is it wild salmon or farm raised. The sweet potatoes how were they dried? The beef bones or beef in the food where was the cow raised and butchered.  These are very important questions to be asking.  Think in terms of the pollution level in certain countries.

Wild Salmon treats

What will your dog or cat eat?  Do you have a finicky cat or dog? Try getting samples of the foods you are thinking of trying for your dog or cat. It is important to slowly change the food your dog or cat will be eating. They do have sensitive stomachs and will need to be gradually moved to a new food.  Many of the foods come in smaller sizes such as 6.6 pounds or 2 pounds to allow the gradual move to the new food. 

If you have other questions or concerns check in with your veterinarian!

 

Dog walking in the winter

 

Keep your tags close by and easy Wild Salmon treats

Traveling with your pet continued

Image via Wikipedia

How often do you travel with your dog or cat?  Do you travel on a train, plane or car, RV?  Traveling with a pet requires different preparations depending on the type of travel you will be doing , the size of your pet and breed.  If you have a small dog such as a Chihuahua or Shih Tzu, Maltese, small poodles, Italian Greyhounds, Yorkshire Terrier… it can be easier to let them move around or travel under the seat on a plane and train.  Large dogs such as Labadoodles, German Shepherd, Boxer, Bernese Mountain Dogs, English Setter will have to be crated and put in the luggage hold.  If you can there are airlines that are designed for traveling with your dog.  The other consideration is your dog’s breed.  Some breeds are more nervous and can get easily agitated dealing with new and noisy places.  Check with your veterinarian for assistance. 

 Keep in mind the amount of time needed to exercise your dog when traveling.  If traveling by RV or car check out on-line for good dog parks along the way to stop and get out to stretch. This is also beneficial for the driver besides the dog. What a great excuse to meet new people and learn about the area you are traveling through than to walk your dog.  The furry Travelers have a good snack and water bowl for traveling in a car or RV. The food and water can be stored right in the cup holder. (www.funlovingpets.com). Keep your dog restrained in the car or RV, Krugo has a good seat for the small dog and restraints for the larger dog.  The damage and pain that can be inflicted on a dog if they are thrown from the car during an accident or getting something in their eyes when they stick their head out the window.   If you want to be seen by traffic always a good idea check out the high visibility reflective vests for both the dog owner and dog. 

Do you have good tips for traveling with your dog or cat? Which dog parks do you like?

 

Snow and Ice melters

Ice and snow can be fun to look at and play in for both you and your dog.  what fun to throw snowballs up in the air for your dog to catch or for your pet to roll around in just having fun.

The concern comes in when you take your dog for a walk on a salted road and what you have just put down on your driveway and walkway to prevent falls.  Lets look at some of the dangers.

Safe Paw ice melt

The most inexpensive method is salt, rock salt or a sand and salt mix.  Most towns and cities use a salt blend on their roads and parking lots.   Salt or a Salt blend is a natural product coming straight from the ground many times imported from around the world.    Salt removes the ice and snow by lowering the freezing point of the water.

The danger in salt or a salt blend is the way it drys out a dog’s paws and when your dog cleans him or herself they are ingesting salt.  Many times if a dog does not have its paws cleaned or protected from the salt and cold they will crack and can get infected.  Keep your dog’s paws clean and watch for any infection.

Other de-icers to watch for have a fertilizer base such as ammonia or urea these do not work at temperatures below 20 F and for those in areas it gets colder than 20 F these will not work.  The fertilizer based products have a higher concentration or Ammonia and Urea than what you would normally put down for fertilizer, the result being a burnt lawn and runoff in the spring. These create algae bloom in our waterways if there is too much fertilizer in the water.

One safer method is to use a product called Safe Paw it is made up of crystalline amide core infused with special glycols.  It also works by reducing the temperature for which the ice and snow will freeze. It is not a fertilizer base thus it will not create the alage bloom in a run off or over fertilize your lawn. Animals tend not to have any side effects from injestion. 

When taking your pet for a walk on the streets wash their paws off when returning or put boots on their paws to protect them from the salt and ice.  Have fun in the snow with your dog.