January 2024 Wags and Purrs Comfort Corner

January 2024

Wags and Purrs Comfort Corner

Ensuring Pet Travel Safety: Tips for a Secure Journey

When hitting the road with your furry companions, prioritizing pet travel safety is essential. Follow these guidelines for a secure and enjoyable journey.

Always seat your pet in the back of the car to minimize distractions and enhance safety. This practice provides a controlled environment, reducing the chances of unexpected incidents.

Consider using a crate for your pet during car rides. Crates offer a secure space, preventing excessive movement and reducing the risk of injury in case of sudden stops or accidents. They also provide a familiar and comforting space for your pet.

If a crate isn't feasible, secure your pet with a harness and a pet seatbelt. This combination restricts their movement, providing an additional layer of protection and ensuring they stay safely in place, even during sudden maneuvers.

For added security, use a tie-off/knot leash attached to the door of your vehicle. This prevents your pet from jumping out or moving excessively. Cats should be placed in carriers, and stressed cats can benefit from having a cover placed around their carriers and the use of cat pheromone such as Feliway spray to calm them.

Consider taking a pet first aid class to be well-prepared for any unexpected situations. This knowledge can be invaluable in ensuring your pet's well-being in case of an accident or injury, allowing you to respond promptly and appropriately.

Remember that airbags can pose a threat to your pet's safety. Placing them in the back seat minimizes the risk of injury from airbag deployment during an accident.

Prioritizing pet travel safety is a responsibility that comes with being a pet owner. By following these comprehensive guidelines, you can create a secure environment for your pet during car rides, minimizing the risk of accidents and ensuring a safer journey for both you and your furry friend.

Health Tip for the Season

For anxious pet travelers, consult a vet for guidance. To prevent nausea, consider using ginger snaps or vanilla ice cream, but prioritize overall well-being with professional advice. Discuss car sickness in dogs with the vet, particularly in younger dogs due to underdeveloped inner ears or motion sensitivity. Avoid letting them hang out of car windows to prevent injuries from debris. If an older pet experiences car sickness, consider using Feliway, a calming pheromone, for cats, and Bach Rescue Remedy for dogs, adopting a holistic approach under veterinary supervision.

Training Tip for the Season

To help reduce pet anxiety during car travel, gradually introduce them to the car environment by starting with short, non-stressful trips. Use positive reinforcement, bring familiar items, and establish a routine for car rides. Safety is crucial, so use appropriate restraints. Stay calm and create positive associations by occasionally visiting enjoyable destinations. Consistency and patience are key to helping pets become comfortable with car travel over time.

Pet Sitter Tip for the Season

For pet sitters, a crucial tip is to ensure that pets have updated tags with current information, especially for travel. In Pennsylvania, it's important to comply with regulations. Additionally, inform your vet about the pet-sitting arrangement, providing authorization for emergency care handling. This helps ensure the safety and well-being of the pets under the sitter's care.

Featured Product Dog Seat Belt and Harness

Frisco by Chewy offers an adjustable seatbelt tether designed to keep dogs safe during car rides. The tether, equipped with a bungee shock absorber, can be adjusted to the ideal length for the dog. It features two car buckles that can connect to the seatbelt buckle or attach to safety anchors or trunk latches. The included carabiner easily attaches to any dog harness, ensuring a secure connection. The product is crafted with a universal design to fit most vehicles and is part of the Frisco line, designed, tested, and approved by pet experts at Chewy for enhanced safety and enjoyment.

Description credit to https://www.chewy.com/frisco-adjustable-dog-seatbelt-tether/dp/284808.

For more information on the featured product, please visit https://www.chewy.com/frisco-adjustable-dog-seatbelt-tether/dp/284808

The Easy Walk Harness, developed by a veterinary behaviorist in 2004, is a trusted solution for dog owners dealing with pulling issues. Its patented Martingale loop design puts gentle pressure on the dog's shoulders, preventing pulling effectively. Unlike traditional harnesses, it rests across the chest to avoid gagging and choking. The front chest leash attachment offers better control, and quick-snap straps make it easy to put on. With a breathable design and a different color belly strap for simplicity, it provides a comfortable and effective solution for enjoyable walks. The worry-free purchase includes customer support for size adjustments or replacements.

Description credit to https://www.petsafe.com/product/easy-walk-harness/?sku=EWH-HC-M%2FL-BLK

For more information on the featured product, please visit https://www.petsafe.com/product/easy-walk-harness/?sku=EWH-HC-M%2FL-BLK

January Birthdays

These pets will be celebrating a birthday in the month of January!

Siena DeGore

Gus Gettelman

Dottie Gettelman

Ozzy Findlay

Lucy Kirby

Tucker Griffith

Artica Burroughs

Louie Howard

Zhen Zhen Dorherty

Basil Fitchwell

Butterfly Fitchwell

Thor Wheeler-Dubas

Loki Wheeler-Dubas

Max Gardonis

Carter Tomko

Phoebe Smith

Bailey Barsevich

Callie Botts

Karla Rissler

Bella Favocci

Bailey Flynn

Neiko Flynn

Moe Costelnock

Winston Ward

Truman Weber

Scout Botts

Bobi Ruggear

Junebug Manning

Willie G Borrasso

Dunkin Budilovsky

Happy Birthday, all! Paw-ty hard!

Healthy Homemade Treats for the Season

Peanut Butter Dog Bone Treats

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup skim milk

Directions

Mix flour and baking powder. In separate bowl, mix peanut butter and milk. Then add to flour mix. Knead until smooth. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes or use a cookie cutter* and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

*You can roll into balls and flatten with a fork.

Tuna Chips for Cats

Ingredients:

1 12 oz can of tuna
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Grease cookie sheets shape mixture into treats and place on cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.

Barking Truth

Clients, followers and friends have voiced their appreciation of our educational blogs and monthly newsletters and have urged us to release a pet care podcast. We are excited to announce that we have answered the call with Barking Truth, a podcast exposing the truth in the pet industry to keep all pets safe, healthy and well.

We will be releasing a new podcast every Wednesday and hope you can tune in and support pets everywhere by uncovering the truth of pet care.

Be sure to follow us on Anchor, Spotify or your favorite podcast service.

Wags and Purrs Comfort Corner strives to provide educational, informative and fun content to our readers! We love hearing your feedback on our newsletters and blogs and want to know what you, dear reader, would like to see in future newsletters and blogs. Are there topics you are interested in that we haven’t covered or you would like more specific information? Please feel free to let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

Please email suggestions to Jen@comforthomepetservices.com

Check out our latest blog posts

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How to Maintain a Pet's Coat

Build Your Own Pet First Aid Kit