Have you ever wondered about that bony ridge on the top of your dog’s head? Otherwise known as the “nuchal crest”, this part of the body benefits from a massage now and then, according to 97 Ways to Make a Dog Smile by Jenny Langbehn. Langbehn states that “spiritual scholars postulate that it may be the dog’s antennae for mystical energies, and should be massaged regularly for maximum reception.” Even if this isn’t the case, your dog will appreciate a good head rub.
If using eggs for baking or cooking, think twice before throwing the shells in the garbage. According to “The Concepts of Eggshell Quality” by poultry veterinarian specialists Dr. Gary D. Butcher and Dr. Richard D. Miles, eggshells are packed full of calcium!
In “good quality” eggshells, “About 95% of the dry eggshell is calcium carbonate weighing 5.5 grams. The average eggshell contains about 0.3% phosphorous, 0.3% magnesium, and traces of sodium, potassium, zinc, manganese, iron and copper.” What does this mean? The most nutritious eggshells are from healthy hens. Even factors like the weather can affect egg quality. If it’s too hot, hens take in less feed, which interferes with egg production.
To feed eggshells to your dog, make sure they are finely crushed for easy consumption. Some dogs won’t have a problem eating the eggshells alone, but most will respond more if the shells are mixed in with something tasty, like meat.
This weekend is a busy weekend for celebration, with most people observing Halloween. Whether you are going to parties or bringing kids trick-or-treating, make sure that pets are in a safe place when the action is happening. While throwing a party, crate your pets if possible so guests don’t let them out on accident, or put them in a separate room that guests won’t be in.
When answering the door for trick-or-treaters, the same rule applies, especially since the door will be opening and closing so much! It doesn’t take much for a pet to escape, especially one that is afraid of guests. Not only will being prepared keep your pet safe, it will keep children safe too if your pets do not respond well to kids.
The Honest Kitchen, creators of a healthy dehydrated food for dogs and cats, has a free-book available for download entitled “Feed Your Way to a Healthy Pet.” This book covers what is needed for a healthy diet and includes a diagram on how food affects the body, and a list of ingredients broken down into “good, bad, and ugly.”
Download the e-book here.
We have also added this e-book to our Downloads section.
If you are an avid reader of animal books, consider “shopping” for books by swapping on paperbackswap.com!
How it works: Sign up is free, and you post books that you no longer want or need through your account. When someone requests a book, you mail it out and receive a credit. With that credit, you can “purchase” a book that you want. There is also an option to buy credits.
Here are just some animal books that are currently available on the site (please note that these change rapidly):
A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me by John Katz
The Dogs of Bedlam Farm by John Katz
Amazing Gracie by Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff
KISS Guide to Cat Care by Steve Duno (published by DK books)
Your Older Cat: A Complete Guide to Nutrition, Natural Health Remedies, and Veterinary Care by Susan Easterly
Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote
Eight Weeks to a Healthy Dog by Shawn Messonier
Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Dog Training for Dummies by Jack and Wendy Volhard
A Cat Named Squeeky by Vic Reskovic
Cesar’s Way: The Natural Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems by Melissa Jo Peltier and Cesar Millan
Dachshunds: Barron’s Dog Breed Bibles by D. Caroline Coile, Ph.D.
Choosing a Dog for Dummies by Chris Walkowicz
Senior Dogs for Dummies by Susan McCullough
Rescue Me! by Bardi McLennan
The Dogs Who Found Me: What I’ve Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind by Ken Foster
The Dollar Tree, where everything is a dollar or less, is currently carrying some very handy pet products on their shelves. Some of the items available include lids for canned food like the ones seen above, collapsible fabric water bowls, flashing emergency lights that clip onto collars, and leashes. Some of these items are especially useful and affordable if you are putting together a disaster kit!
The makers of Blue Buffalo dog food have a fun new feature called BLUE Trading Cards. You can upload your pet’s photo and create a virtual trading card to share your dog or cat’s photo with the world. The card is put into a virtual album, where you can view other pets as well. You also have a chance for your pet to be one of the cards of the month, where their story will be shared with many readers!
Another option for the trading cards includes having your cards printed on merchandise, including mugs, t-shirts, and ornaments. There’s also the option to print the trading cards themselves. This would be a fun activity for children to share with their friends, and they could trade cards too!
Head over to https://www.bluebufftradingcards.com to check it out!
Veterinary website DVM360 is a valuable source of information for veterinary practitioners. Their website includes many valuable forms for download with health information pertaining to pets, including these free ID cards. With an ID card, you can store your pet’s information on you at all times, in case of emergency. To download the printable ID cards, click here: IDCard
Do you throw away your peanut butter tubs when they’re almost empty? Most people can’t scrape every bit of peanut butter out of the tub, but if you have a dog, you can turn it into a toy! Many dog owners are fans of the popular Kong toys, and often stuff them with peanut butter. If you don’t have a Kong, you can give your dog what’s left over by removing the lid, and handing over the tub. Your dog will lick the rest of the peanut butter out and see it as a treat and a toy all rolled into one. This is a good way to occasionally keep a high energy dog (like a Border Collie) from being bored, maybe on a rainy day when play time isn’t happening. There are precautions when using this as a treat:
Does your pup need a cool treat on a hot day? If so, you can make an easy and affordable treat/toy for your dog. All you need is a plastic water bottle and water!
Remove any packaging or plastic from the water bottle, and if possible, wash off any glue residue left behind. Thoroughly clean the bottle if using any chemicals to remove the glue. Then, fill up the bottle with water and freeze.
When the water is frozen, give it to your dog to chew on, lick, and play with. The cap can be left on while it is frozen shut, but once the water starts to thaw, it is best to remove the cap to avoid a choking hazard. To make the toy more enticing, use chicken or beef broth instead of water, or create a mixture of the two. Experiment by freezing chunks of meet into the ice.
This can also be used as a puppy teething toy to soothe painful gums.
For best results, supervise your pup while playing with this toy!
