Keeping Your Pet Safe in Summertime Heat

In many parts of the country, sweltering summer temperatures routinely top 100 degrees. People and animals get stressed from the heat and it’s important to make an extra effort to keep pets cool, comfortable, and healthy. Dogs get lots of media attention during the Summer, but cats and other creatures (including humans!) are at risk too.


1. Keep your emergency information with you at all times.
When an emergency situation happens, it’s not the time to start frantically searching for your veterinarian’s phone number, or the address of the nearest emergency clinic. Keep important numbers and medical information for your pet up to date and in your wallet or by the phone at all times.


2. Get to know your pet so that you can recognize an emergency.
Learn to take your pet’s pulse, count resting breaths and pants when exercising, and ask your veterinarian how to take your pet’s temperature. Knowing what is normal for your pet will help you recognize an emergency soon enough to take action to minimize danger. Normal temperatures on cats and dogs are around 101 degrees. Anything over 103 is an emergency.


3. Never leave an animal in a parked car
Even when it’s only 80 degrees outside, the inside of a car can heat up to more than 120 degrees in just minutes. And, leaving the windows partially rolled down won’t do the trick. Even if you plan to be in the store for “just a minute,” your pet is at risk of a heat stroke.


4. Keep animals out direct sunlight during the heat of the day, roughly 10 am to 6 pm. Dogs can only regulate their body temperature by panting and by a tiny amount of evaporation of sweat through the pads of their feet. When overheated, heatstroke can occur and lead to brain damage or death. Older, younger, overweight, and snub-nosed breeds such as bulldogs, pugs, Shih Tzu’s, etc. can have an especially difficult time with the heat. Also,
Long-haired breeds may need a summer trim to keep cool. Just remember not to shave the hair too close, creating a risk of sunburn and skin irritation. We humans can pull on a pair of shorts and a tank top, while our dogs or cats are still wearing a full set of furry “coveralls.”
A good rule of thumb is, if you’re uncomfortable, your pet is uncomfortable.


5. Know the signs of heat stroke!
Symptoms of heat stroke in dogs include excessive panting, drooling, rapid pulse and fever. Immediately run cool (not ice cold) water over the animal and wrap with cool towels before transporting your pet to the veterinarian. Try offering your pet ice cubes to lick to begin to re-hydrate. Panting in cats is not normal, and if it lasts more than a few minutes, can be a sign of distress. See number 9, “kitty quirks” for more information on cats and heat stroke.

6. Prevent sunburn
Animals can get sunburned too, especially short-haired dogs, or dogs and cats with pink skin and white hair. Limit your pet’s exposure when the sun is unusually strong, and ask your veterinarian about an appropriate brand of sun block such as a nonirritating zinc oxide, that can be applied to his or her ears and nose 30 minutes before going outside.


7. Always make sure animals have access to fresh water and shade
Try spraying down favorite shaded areas a few times during the day to create an outdoor “evaporative cooling system.” For outdoor dogs: try filling a kiddie pool with water and leaving it in the shade. Just be sure to change the water often to make sure you don’t inadvertently raise a new batch of mosquitoes.


8. Avoid strenuous exercise with your dog on extremely hot days, and do not exercise during the intense, mid-day heat. In hot climates, veterinarians recommend limiting activity to the early morning or late evening, about an hour after the sun has gone down. Be sure to bring along water, make frequent stops to allow your dog to rest and hydrate, and keep activity to 20 minutes or less. Remember that your dogs are eager to please and will keep going until you tell them to stop.


9. Test the heat radiating from the sidewalk or street for you. These hard surfaces absorb and hold heat. If it’s too hot for you to stand on in your bare feet, it will betook hot for the sensitive pads of your pet’s feet as well. And, while it’s never a good idea for pet to ride in the back of an open pickup truck, the same principle applies. Place your hand against the bed of the pickup truck. If the metal surface is too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for your animals.

10. Understand kitty quirks
Cats exhibit many of the same symptoms as dogs when stressed by the heat. Early signs of heat stroke can be panting that lasts more than a few minutes, anxiety and pacing, increased heartbeat, respiratory distress or hyperventilation, lethargy, and an increased body temperature. And, oddly enough, cats affected by heat may actually drink less when they should be drinking more. Add ice cubes to their water bowl, or encourage kitty to drink by dabbing a little water at the corner of his or her mouth.

Come Adopt a Pet, Have Fun & Bring The Kids

8 Days from now is our 1st Edison Pet Adoption Day Event!

If you are in the area, please stop by. This is guaranteed to be fun for everyone,

even if you (like me) can't have another furry pet in your home.

Here's your chance to meet the best of the best NJ has to offer in Pet Care products, and more.

For more details please visit www.K9Confections.com/events.html

Here's our commercial on local cable;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTf4ahugooE&feature=email

How exciting!!! White Lotus Home, Organic Dog Beds!

Our June 28 Adoption Day Event has more fabulous vendors attending!

http://k9confections.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html One of these fabulous businesses is "White Lotus Home"


New to our area, is a wonderful store " White Lotus Home"

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=106439766653&h=RCk-p&u=RAJK3

What we love about White Lotus Home is that their all natural Cotton Pet Beds "are made just like our standard cotton mattresses. They are handcrafted in New Brunswick, NJ and made with love."

To learn more about the company visit their website at http://www.whitelotushome.net/

This Saturday, June 6 they are having their 2nd GREEN PRODUCT EXPO , we'll be there all day. Please come join us!

When: 1-6pm
Where: 431 Raritan Ave. Highland Park, NJ 08904


Want to learn more about our Pet Adoption Day Event? Click here

Or if you're a Facebook fan, become a FAN of K9 Confections, and visit our event link : http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=97923971116#/posted.php?id=97923971116

Praying Mantis'....Your Dog's and Garden's Friend

Here's a great article by Michael Graham Richard about using Praying Mantis' (as a non-toxic Pesticide Alternative) I found online...

"The praying mantis is an excellent general predator to keep pests to a minimum in your garden or yard. It eats aphids, beetles, flies, mosquitos, moths, caterpillars; basically any insect it can catch.


But did you know that you could buy praying mantis eggs and put them to work as a pesticide alternative?

They might not be available everywhere, but a search on the internet should tell you if there are vendors in your area. One example of an online store that carries praying mantis eggs is Costco. The 'egg case' they advertise contains between 40 and 400 eggs!


Since praying mantis are territorial insects, where you put the egg case will likely be the place where most of them will stay when they hatch during summer, so pick a spot carefully.


The lesson here is that it is always better to try to create a natural equilibrium than to spray chemicals that will kill without distinction and might make their way up the food chain (to the birds that eat the insects, for example). Another good trick is to make non-toxic organic 'pesticides' from veggies."


**http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/pesticide-alternative-praying-mantis.html


The product I bought is by a company called "Ladies in Red" Here's their website; http://www.ladiesinred.com/products.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=7&category_id=1&vmcchk=1



If youre like me, I like to make "field trips" with Alexis and go to the gardening store (to learn about different flowers and what their "jobs" are in our garden). In our neighborhood, you can find them at Coppola's, Home Deopt & Lowes.



Praying Mantis' will be one of our gardens' new friends. Since Alexis has such a bad reaction to mosquito bites, I'm looking forward to seeing these beauties hatch and nibble them up!

Chelan County WA Natural Attractions

A new friend of ours, Colleen from the Rocky Reach Cafe introduced us to her dog loving Cafe.

Here's a link to it, but you really need to visit them if you can get out of the heat and escape to the beautiful state of Washington.

http://www.chelanpud.org/visitor-center.html

Here's a short blurb from their website...

"The Rocky Reach Visitor Center is located at the west end of the forebay wall, on the Chelan County side of the Rocky Reach Hydro Project. The center is easily accessible from Highway 97A and offers ample parking for visitors, including recreational vehicles and buses. Those touring the facility will discover an air-conditioned seasonal gift and food service area, restrooms, and balconies that offer panoramic views of the project, the juvenile fish bypass system, the reservoir (Lake Entiat), and the Columbia River.

The Visitor Center's small theater, with a seating capacity of 90, shows movies throughout the day and upon special request. Guided tours are available throughout the season and by special request. Close to 60,000 visitors annually enjoy the hydro project's visitor facilities."

Enjoy your trip!

The generosity of others

WOW. I cant' say I'm surprised, but touched down deep in my soul, yes, that I am.


I've been making phone calls to spread the word about the adoption day event we are hosting for the Edison Animal Shelter. The generosity of our community has warmed my heart for sure.

I'm a big believer of saying thank you, not just in passing, but really meaning it. Taking the time to show your gratitude is important. These are times we should all be grateful for what we have no matter what. There's something comforting about helping a worthy cause. Although we may not be able to help everyone, but knowing we're doing our best is what counts; from where I come from at least. The support of local businesses to spread the word about this event really means alot to us.

We reached out to the township to get this event some exposure. Not for K9Confections, or Harrington Limousine Service, but to do what we can to keep our promise to the dogs and cats at the Animal Shelter.

Before I get too deep, I have to thank my husband Jonathan for his generosity for letting me do my small part to help the animals, without him none of this could happen.

So, Mike D'Amato & Joe Vierno from Edison's Channel 15 interviewed Jonathan and I. Boy was I nervous...(Joe's great at preparing you for the camera by the way). Neither of us are accustomed to seeing ourselves on TV. Maybe I can get a stand-in next time! We were happy to have this beautiful dog "Daisy" to hang out with us while on film, I really hope she gets adopted, she's super sweet!

So here's my HUGE thank you to Mike & Joe for their time.... they're the 1st step in making a difference for the animals.

Then I remembered another dog lover who's a local realtor I met a few years ago, and gave him a call. Not only did he agree to post the event flyer in his office, but he promised to get the fliers distributed locally incorporating his "team" of co-workers. Thanks Rich!

In fairness to everyone who's helped or promised to do so, here's your spotlight:
Rich Tuma from Keller Williams of Metuchen, Steve Kaiser from On The Loose TV, Barkingham Palace of Metuchen, Annies Pet Grooming of Edison, Amboy Animal Hospital of Metuchen, Groomingdales Pet Spa of Colonia, Metuchen Veterninary Hospital.

If you are in the area June 28 please stop by. If your not in NJ, please show your love for the dogs and cats in an Animal Shelter in your community, and adopt one if you can.

Rain Rain Go Away, How do you exercise your Dog on a rainy day?

It's a soggy Saturday morning in NJ. Dutchess looks at me as if she's saying "Mom do I have to go out in this rain?" But of course she does, and after a little nudge, off she goes in the backyard. Upon returning into the house we do our drill. Open door, come, sit, stay, please please stayyy so I can wipe those dirty paws!! Then after a quick sprint around the room she does her "rub" against her bed,circles around and "humph" back to sleep.

They're calling for rain all weekend. So how does your dog get exercise? I am certainly not enthusiastic about sloshing around in the rain. Dutchess does have a cute little yelllow raincoat;( but I dont think she's very happy to be seen in it).

Wish we had one of those doggy treadmills! Sounds to me like it's time for doggy plyometric exercises in the basement...Time to call in our full of energy 6 year old to start the warm up routine.

I'll let you know how it goes.... Happy Saturday!