Search Results for: blog pet proofing your home

Why Pets Aren’t Good Presents

This goes without saying, but you can never say it too often because it happens every year: don’t give pets as presents.  If you’re thinking about gifting a pet to someone you love this year, consider very carefully.  Pets are lifelong commitments and responsibilities, not fun presents. Now, I can think of one context in which it could be OK to give a pet for a present: if the person receiving asked for it, knew that’s what they were getting, and understood the responsibilities involved.  That means in most cases, it’s not appropriate to get pets as gifts for children: … Continue reading →

Teething Pets

If you’re thinking of getting or currently own a puppy or kitten three-months-old or younger, then you’re soon in for a somewhat bizarre experience: teething. Puppies begin losing their baby teeth around four or five months old, and kittens also do so around the same time. Though sometimes later; my cat didn’t start teething until six months or so. I said bizarre experience because although it makes perfect sense that pets would lose their baby teeth and grow adult ones just like humans, I didn’t quite anticipate it when first adopting a puppy. I prepared for all the things I … Continue reading →

What to Do If Your Dog Eats Chocolate

Last week I took my cat to the vet for his routine yearly checkup. I thought I might find some inspiration for an article from the trip. I did, but it turns out it’s not about my cat at all. While I was gone with my cat, I forgot to close the door to the pantry. To make a long story short, although we put several safeguards in place to prevent something like this from happening, the dog still got into some chocolate. She’s doing fine, but I thought I would share what we did, and the information we learned … Continue reading →

Tips for Puppy-Proofing Your Home

There’s something irresistible about baby animals, isn’t there? Puppies, kittens, chicks, and more… so innocent, sweet, and cuddly! But for baby animals, some things around your house may be irresistable… and dangerous. It’s best to puppy-proof (or kitten-proof, or whatever animal you have-proof) your home BEFORE the new family member comes home. Even if you don’t get every potential hazard out of the way, you’ll still be ahead of the game! First things first: get a pet’s eye view on the world. That means crouching down — or crawling on your hands and knees — to see what the room … Continue reading →

Protecting Your Home’s Air – Part 2

Yesterday, I talked about how to detect carbon monoxide and radon in your home. I also touched on the point that you shouldn’t let anyone smoke in your home to keep the air quality at its best. After all, on average, we spend more time indoors than out. After you take care of the harmful gases, what else can you do to improve the air quality inside your home? Ventilating the home is very important. Open your windows whenever possible and if you have exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom, use them. Even if you have pollutants in the … Continue reading →

Decorating for an Allergy Free Home

As I get older, my allergies get worse. Elements I used in decorating my home 7 years ago, no longer work for me. In addition, I have noticed that people with asthma who come to my house also have problems. Some might say that I just need to put more effort into cleaning my house, but that is not the problem. The problem is that I have 2 dogs and a cat, and that vaccuming and dusting causes an allergic reaction for me. This means I have alot of changes to make. After spending some time exploring our options, here … Continue reading →

Pets with Noise Phobias

With the Fourth of July on the horizon, this is a good time to take another look at pets with noise phobia. Some veterinarians and behaviorists believe that as many as one out of five dogs suffers from noise phobia. For some pets, reactions to noises can be mild. Perhaps they shake or hide. For others, the reactions can approach full panic. Some pets go into total panic and can hurt themselves trying to escape. Shelters can end up with lots of pets who got spooked and took off during a thunderstorm or the Fourth of July fireworks. Storms and … Continue reading →

Treating Your Home and Yard for Fleas and Ticks

Most of the time, treating your pets for fleas and ticks with a monthly preventative is enough to keep an infestation out of your home and yard. Most of the time. If the critters are out of control, you may have to take action to evict fleas and ticks from your home. This doesn’t mean you should stop the monthly flea and tick preventative for your pets, either! The absolute best way to keep fleas and ticks off your pets (and out of your house) is to use a preventative all year round. In some areas, where winter temperatures drop … Continue reading →

Home Safety: Entertaining Holiday Guests

Safety. It may not be the first thing we think about when entertaining holiday guests. We’re busy getting things ready for the holidays, and preparing the guest room and other spaces to ensure that our guests are happy and comfortable throughout their stay. Whether guests are visiting for the day, or coming for an extended visit, there are a few important things to keep in mind. Dangers Lurking in Luggage Our guests may not have small children or pets in their homes and may not realize that their luggage could be an invitation for kids or pets to explore something … Continue reading →

Top Ten Tips for Puppy Proofing Your Home

Puppies are a lot like babies. They need constant care, attention, and supervision. It’s also a good idea to puppy proof your house before bringing the little darling home. This applies to other pets as well. Pets can be very curious. There are some simple tips you can use to keep your puppy safe: 1) Use outlet covers for low wall outlets, just as you would for a baby. Puppies can get shocked too. 2) Secure extension cords. They can cause tripping hazards and they can also cause items to fall on the puppy if the cord is pulled too … Continue reading →