Daisy's Day at the Beach

It's always nice to get a little beach time, especially for our four-legged friends! My yellow lab Daisy and I spent a few minutes at the beach this morning in front of the Croatan Surf Club. Check out the video...

Winter Tips for Your Pets

Cold weather affects our pets too ... and older and younger pets are especially sensitive to extreme temperatures.

Here are some tips to keep your pets warm and comfortable during the winter months:

Don't let them eat snow. You still need to provide fresh drinking water for them when they are outdoors. Change the water a few times a day. Don't let the water freeze.  

Look at his paws before your pet comes back into the  house. Remove any ice or snow packed between toes and wipe his paws.

Booties can help protect Benjy's feet from either road salt or the cold or chemicals used to deice roads.  Keep in mind that Princess (your kitty) will probably not let you put booties on her!

The lower humidity and heat from a fireplace can cause dry skin, just like it does for you. To keep your pet comfortable and also help the shedding, brush frequently. This will eliminate dead hair and skin and also stimulate the oil glands.

You stock up before a major snowstorm, right?  Don't forget your pet's essentials too. Canned goods, medications, etc. A pet first aid kit is always a good idea to keep on  hand and these are available at pet supply stores. 

If your pet is outdoors a lot, she may need to eat more than in warmer weather because she is expending more energy in the cold.

Clip the nails and trim any hair on the bottom of feet.  Long nails will interfere with traction on icy patches. Hair can collect snow that turns to ice crystals.

Monday's afternoon temps brought some sunny relief to the north end of Colington Island, as the OBX Beach Boxers (Daisy and Kody) got out for a stroll, but stayed away from the remaining ice & chilly Albemarle Sound!

Arf.......Arf

Daisy & Kody

The OBX Beach Boxers

SPCA Photo Contest

The 6th Annual Outer Banks SPCA Awareness Photo Contest is going on until April 1, 2010.

You can read about the rules and get more information at http://www.pamperedpetsguide.com/.  

The picture does have to be taken on the Outer Banks.

The last shopping weekend before Christmas is upon us ... don't forget to pick up some tasty treats and toys for your four-legged babies! 

Looks like OBX Boxers Daisy and Kody will have plenty under the tree this year, those lucky dogs. :)

Click for a Cause

Please check out these websites below; when you correctly answer a daily trivia question FreeKibble.com will donate food to shelter dogs.  

http://www.freekibble.com/

To do the same thing for shelter cats go to http://www.freekibblekat.com/

Click to Give, The Animal Rescue site, will donate food and care to shelter pets too.  

Keep Holidays Safe for Your Pets

I found this excellent article on the www.TakeYourPet.com newseletter. If you are not a member you should check it out. Very inexpensive and full of useful information about traveling with your pets, places to go, and more.

Membership Information

New plants, decorative lights, candles and colorful ornaments, plus a whole menu of delicious smells - the holidays must be a puzzling yet amazing time of year for pets. But to a curious creature, these good things can be hazardous and painful. Electrocution, intestinal blockage and bleeding, frostbite, cuts, scrapes, burns, and poisonings occur more often during the holidays than any other time of year.

For a safe and happy holiday season, keep these safety tips in mind:

Avoid tinsel and glass ornaments or decorations made from food. Tinsel can cause intestinal blockage; broken glass ornaments can cause cuts or, if eaten, intestinal bleeding; and ornaments made from dried food can be poisonous for pets.

Keep fallen tree needles, real or artificial, cleaned up.

Cover your tree stand so pets cannot drink the water, especially if you add any type of tree preservative.

Unplug lights when you leave home. Pets could get shocked or even electrocuted chewing on cords.

Don't feed pets poultry bones or leave bones uncovered and accessible. They are brittle and breakable and cause intestinal bleeding if eaten.

Don't feed pets holiday foods that are rich and potentially toxic. This list includes chocolate and alcohol, plus foods such as potato latkes, gravies, and poultry skin, which can cause gastrointestinal upset.

Keep poinsettias, mistletoe, and holly out of paws' reach - they're poisonous if eaten.

Place candles out of reach or playful paws and wagging tails.

Watch for flying embers from the fireplace; keep pets from getting too close to burning fires.