Vacationing and Traveling With Your Pet

Taking your dog with you on vacation or just traveling with them for the holidays means taking a few extra steps to ensure their safety and comfort.  If you are like me, you may have already started a list to remind yourself of what you need to do or buy before you leave. You can avoid rushing around last minute right before the trip and possibly forgetting something crucial if you take some steps now to plan for your travels. One of the most important items to start planning for may be where do you house your beloved dog while you are away.

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Training For Emergencies

You may be out on a hike with your dogs and you notice they are limping or have inured themselves jumping off a rock.  You might be at the beach and your dog gets overcome with heat exhaustion.  Do you know what to do in case of an emergency?  Do you know how to safely carry your dog?

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Fire Season Preparedness and Your Dogs

October in San Diego County has become a season of its own even though we do not have all of the color changes that residents of northern California or folks back East may have. We know it as the season for Santa Ana winds and the Fire Season. That brings to mind what we are all thinking now as fire season is upon us; do I have everything ready and know where everything is if we have to evacuate quickly due to fires? However, have you all been thinking; do I have everything my dog (or pet) needs or will need if we have to evacuate quickly?

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Canine First Aid Kit

Over the years, I have put together a first aid kit based on what I have seen in others and what I have used myself.  This content list will give you a place to start and hopefully give you some ideas for your own canine first aid kit.  Always check with your veterinarian before administering any medications (DO NOT give your dog Tylenol or Advil or Aleve!) AND if you have questions about how to help your dog when you are out and about ask before you leave for your trip!

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Dog Grooming Tips & Tools

Brushing, bathing, cleaning ears, trimming nails – so many grooming tools and products for so many different types of dogs! Here are some helpful tips and tools to make your dog grooming day easier for you and your dog. .

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San Diego Rattlesnakes

There is nothing more scary while hiking on a trail with your dog than hearing that very specific hissing sound of a rattlesnake.  Rattlesnakes are not limited, however, to the trails and wilderness.  You can encounter them right in your own backyard or alongside your house here in San Diego County.  Learn how to protect yourself and your dog from these amazing creatures.

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San Diego Coyotes

Yip, Yip, Yip, Yip and a few yodels are the sounds that you will be hearing more often around the trails and neighborhoods here in your neighborhood as young coyotes start emerging from their dens to start hunting with their families

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Nutrition

We’re all accustomed to reading our own food labels but how many of you have read your dog’s food labels?  Can you decipher what’s in them?  Let’s look at a couple.

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How To Recognize Heat Exhaustion or Stroke in Your Dog

When the heat is upon us and you start planning vacations, weekend getaways or just some fun hikes with your dogs, take the extra steps to keep your dog . You may be able to recognize the dangers of heat exhaustion or heat stroke in humans (i.e.: headache, dizziness, fatigue, disorientation, hot DRY skin, rapid heartbeat) but how do you recognize it in dogs?

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Fun Facts About Fido

Here are some fun facts about dogs how your new puppy is developing and growing and how dogs sense the world!

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Stuffing Kong Toys

Why stuff a Kong?

  • Some dogs are just not motivated to eat their meal in a bowl.
  • Some dogs may have separation anxiety and the stuffed toys help keep them distracted.
  • Some dogs may eat too quickly or more quickly than other pets in the household.
  • Some dogs like the idea of the “hunt”.

What ever the reason for your dog, the result is almost always the same: they love it!

What do I stuff with and how do I stuff?

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What Are All of These Vaccinations For?

You have your new puppy and now are on your way to the veterinarian.  Be prepared to ask questions about what is the right course of vaccinations for your puppy.

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Other Medications and Conditions

I always get asked about flea and tick medications.  It is definitely a personal choice on what to use and you should spend some time researching what is best for your puppy/dog.

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Heat Cycles in Dogs 

If you have a female puppy and wanted to go through one heat cycle first before spaying her, here is some information on what the cycle is all about and what to look for to tell if she is really in heat.

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