PET SAFETY AND DOG PROOFING ESSENTIALS
• Secure an ID tag (which you will receive from TLC upon placing your first order) to a buckle collar, and keep that collar on the dog at all times. Keep it "2- fingers" snug and check the fit regularly; don't risk your dog's life to a loose collar.
• Always walk your dog on a leash for his own safety and everyone else's. Voice control is useless when your dog decides to chase a squirrel, knock down a child, or fight with another dog.
• Don't leave your dog unattended in a car - especially in hot weather. Even with the windows open, a car can heat up like an oven in minutes. Hundreds of animals die in cars each year.
• Make sure your dog always has free access to water - inside the house and out.
• Before you let your dog in a yard, make sure the fence is secure. And keep watch! Unattended dogs can eventually dig under or climb/jump over fences, get injured or disturb neighbours.
• Keep your pets off the grass if you've just applied weed killer. They may lick their paws and get ill.
• Avoid heatstroke: don't leave your dog outside for long periods on a hot day. When outside, a dog must always have a shady shelter and access to water.
• Don't chain up dogs. Chains and ropes cause injuries, and a chained dog cannot protect himself from stray animals. Chaining creates frustration that leads to aggression and other behavioural problems.
• Antifreeze kills - and unfortunately its taste appeals to pets. Tightly close and store all containers away from pets, and watch for puddles when you're walking your dog.
• Do not transport your dog in the back of a pickup truck. Hundreds of dogs die each year from falling out of trucks. Also, dogs get head and eye injuries from sticking heads out car windows.
• Shield electrical wires and plug outlets in your home. Don't leave coins, clips, etc. on the floor.
• Store cleaning products high or behind latched doors. Equip cabinet doors with child-proof latches.
• Don't let pets drink from a toilet that has freshener in the tank or bowl. The chemicals are toxic. • Bones, especially those that splinter easily, can lodge in the dog's throat or stomach and cause fatal punctures. Give your dog rubber bones instead.
• Even a small amount of chocolate can poison and kill your dog. Keep it away from your dog. Unless prescribed by your vet, don't give human medications like aspirin to your dog.
• Identify and move toxic plants out of reach. According to the National Animal Poison Control Center and other sources, some toxic plants include:
Aloe Vera Amaryllis Apple seeds Apricot pit Asparagus fern Avocado - fruit and pit Azalea Baby's breath Bird of Paradise Bittersweet Boxwood Buckeye Caladium Calla Lily Carnation Chinaberry Tree Chinese evergreen Clematis Cordatum Corn plant Cornstalk Plant Croton Cycads Cyclamen Daffodil Dieffenbachia & Dumb cane Dracaena Dragon tree Easter Lily Elephant Ears English Ivy Fiddle-leaf fig Foxglove (Digitalis) Geranium Ivy - Branching, Devil's, English, German, Glacier, Needlepoint Hibiscus Holly Hurricane Plant Hyacinth bulbs Hydrangea Nightshade Oleander Onion Indian Rubber Plant Jerusalem Cherry Kalanchoe (Panda Bear Plant) Lily of the Valley & other lily plants Marijuana Mistletoe Morning Glory Narcissus Peach (pits and wilting leaves) Philodendron (entire plant) Plumosa Fern Poinsetta (low toxicity) Poison Ivy Poison Oak Primrose (Primula) Rhododendron Sago Palm Schefflera Taro Vine Tomato Plant (all parts except ripe fruit) Wisteria seeds Yew
• Fences. Check carefully for gaps, loose boards or bent bottom edges. Fix problems immediately. Move any wood piles away from the fence. Can your dog jump, climb, or dig under the fence? Or break through the pickets? If there's a way to escape, a dog will find it - either to chase other animals, go after passers-by or to look for company. So don't leave your dog in the yard unattended.
• Electric/invisible fences. Convenient - but risky. The shocks can be unhealthy. When the power fails, your dog may run off - subjecting the dog to injury...and subjecting you to a liability claim. Also, many dogs would rather be shocked than miss the chance to chase a squirrel (and they soon learn the shock stops after passing the barrier). Electric fences do not keep animal or human intruders out. • Gate latches. Can someone enter your yard or release your dog? Can your dog open the latch?
• Screen doors. A dog can easily kick open or tear through screen doors.
• Doggie doors. Block the door when you are not at home or cannot supervise your dog.
• Block open stairs/railings using baby or puppy gates. Cold weather tips: Dogs can get frostbite, so don't stay outside long on cold days. Rock salt can damage paw pads and ice melt can be toxic; when pets lick their paws, they can get ill. After walks, remove ice balls between the toes and wipe feet with a damp towel.
Home Cure: After a bout of diarrhoea, make some rice, adding extra water. Stop cooking before all of the water gets absorbed into the rice. Skim the starchy water off the top, and feed that liquid to your dog. Pumpkin Pie Filling (unsweetened) can also help to restore your pup's stomach. A tablespoon in their food can do wonders.