Woof-O-Ween – Dog Safety for Pups in the Night

Halloween is a great opportunity for families, friends, and pets to dress up and play pretend in the real world. Whether you’re staying in with your pet and handing out candy or hitting the streets to get all the candy you’ll need for the next year, dog safety is just as important as safety for your kids. Here are some of the best tips to maintain dog safety this October 31st:

 

1. Candies Are Tasty For You, but Bad for Fido

Whether they are chocolates or sugar-free gummies, they are equally unhealthy for your pet and can put your dog at risk. Chocolate is a known substance bad for dogs that may cause rapid breathing, diarrhea, vomiting, increased heartrate, and even seizures. Meanwhile sugar-free candies often have a substance known as xylitol in them which can have the same effects as chocolate. Keep dog safety by keeping the candy for the kids.

 

2.    Make Your Dog Feel Safe at Homecute_halloween_dog_colored_hair

If your home experiences increased traffic on Halloween, you may want to consider how your dog will respond to the sound and where she may go if she’s feeling uneasy. Dog safety doesn’t just take place outside of the home, but it starts with the feeling of fear every time someone rings your doorbell or knocks on the door. You should barricade the door if you fear your dog running every time it makes a sound. Also be sure the candy is out of reach. On the other hand, make sure that your dog has somewhere to escape to that is dark, quiet, and away from the noise.

 

3. Always Supervise Your Pet

Whether someone is shooting off fireworks, egging houses, or just being rowdy tricksters, there is an increased danger to dog safety on Halloween. It’s important to minimize unsupervised outdoor play on regular days, but on nights like this, it’s best to avoid it completely as some pranks can just be downright cruel.

 

4.    Watch Out for Pumpkins, Corn, and Candles

Pumpkins can be particularly tricky for dogs as many treats are made with pumpkin. However, your dog can become ill from eating old pumpkin that’s been sitting outside and may be rotten. Corn is hard for dog’s to digest, and candles are hidden dangers in paper bags or the pumpkins themselves. What makes it worse is that this food can be found laying on the sidewalks, making dog safety just a bit harder, but not impossible.

 

5.    Properly ID Your Dog at All Times

Proper ID badges should always be worn for year ‘round dog safety. It’s particularly important on a night made popular with mischief and constantly opening doors. Before Halloween night, double check that your dog not only has appropriate, readable tags, but that the information contained on them is still accurate. Include pet name and your phone number minimally.

 

6.    Cover Cords and Consider Decoration Dangerspets_halloween_ideas

While most decorations have child warnings on them, they do not necessarily take dog safety into consideration on the label. As fun as cobwebs, skeletons, and an electronic grim reaper can be, also consider where the cords may be lying and whether your dog will get into anything. If your pet is a chewer, you may want to minimize the number of decorations you set up until the chewing has passed. This way you avoid choking hazards, accidental electrocutions, or glass swallowing.

 

7. Dress for Success and Dog Safety

When it comes to costuming your pets, there are a few key tips to keep in mind such as never forcing a dog into anything that makes them uncomfortable or irritable. Consider the weather this time of year. If you live in a hotter or colder climate, dress your pet appropriately. If your dog isn’t used to wearing clothing, try it on and let your pet wear it around enough to get used to it in small doses before the big costume party at the end of the month.

Happy Halloween!

 

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Do Dogs Read Human Emotion?

Pet industry professionals and pet parents have commonly asked whether dogs can read or understand human emotion. It’s incredibly convincing when your dog drops his ears when you’re angry or comes to see you when you’re sad. Your dog also appears to know when you’re playful or happy. Why is that? Are dogs empathetic, can they read human emotion, or are we way off on both accounts?

 

dog servicesDogs Can Read Facial Expressions

In a big step for the pet Industry and understanding dogs, Current Biology posted a study where they presented dogs with photos of parts of human faces. They did not present voices with the images. “We think the dogs in our study could have solved the task only by applying their knowledge of emotional expression in humans to the unfamiliar pictures we presented,” said Corsin Müller from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna.

In another study, individuals presented dogs with two photos of the same person’s entire face. One was angry, one was happy. The scientists covered either the mouth or the eyes one at a time and the dog responded, recognizing the anger or the happiness at a much higher rate than what could be accomplished with random guessing.

 

The Extent Is Not Known at this Time

While studies have been done in the pet industry to further understand dogs’ understanding of human behavior, they have not become advanced yet. The university doing the studies is only recently moving forward with further testing where they will show dogs more pictures, but a larger variety of emotions. As far as this institute is concerned, they have not moved on to testing tonal expressions or a human emotion and dog’s empathy.

 

Final Comments from Müller

“We expect to gain important insights into the extraordinary bond between humans and one of their favorite pets, and into the emotional lives of animals in general.”

 

dog_park_ownersClosing Thoughts

While the pet industry has involved itself greatly in the studies of animal understanding and behavior, we still don’t know everything there is to know about what dogs feel, think, or why the human-dog connection is such a strong one. Even without lab testing, the bond between humans and dogs is obvious. There’s a clear, innate, and intimate connection between humans and dogs which is obvious from the companionship that comes to us naturally.

Further studies are being done in the pet industry to better understand dogs. The University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna and its partners are working hard to better understand dogs, animal emotion, and the bond that we all share.

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Dog Idioms and Where They Came From

Dogs are part of our everyday life and society and they have been for so long, that they’ve even become part of our language. There are a handful of dog idioms that we all use on a day-to-day basis that can be applied to different situations from dog grooming to human problems. Here are some of the most common that we found:

dog groomingHair of the Dog that Bit You

Meaning: Using a remedy that contains a small amount of your ailment.

Nothing to do with dog grooming, this actually started out as a drinking idiom, where one would drink alcohol in order to cure their hangover. It can be dated back to a John Heywood text from 1546. It shifted in time as when people would cut themselves a piece of dog hair and place it over a dog-bite wound in belief that it would help prevent infection. Sometimes this hair would be cooked into an ointment and sometimes it was placed there by itself.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Meaning: Doing something or taking action in a satisfactory situation may case complexities or problems that wouldn’t normally happen.

This very old proverb is recorded as early as the 14th century France. It likely based off the premise that sleeping dogs (just like anyone else) can be startled if they aren’t alert when they are approached. Even the kindest, most friendly of dogs, when startled awake, can snap or bite at the perpetrator of the act. Let sleeping dogs lie is in reference to not disturbing a sleeping, happy dog, especially through surprise because their impulsive action could be unpredictably destructive, regardless of their normal disposition. Likewise, don’t mess with a dog new to dog grooming, ha.

The Tail Wagging the Dog

Meaning: An item of minor importance is dominating a larger situation.

You might find this happening to your dog after a good dog grooming. This expression is assumed to have originated from the United States. The earliest citation of this phrase being used is in a 1872 copy of The Daily Republican. It was used in a piece of fiction where a dim nobleman, twists the phrase around to report how he escaped the attention of a group of prostitutes.

Gone to the Dogs

dog grooming

Meaning: Anything decayed and worthless, not fit for humans. Particularly food.

This phrase can be dated back to a 1775 book known as the London Review of Literature which held the play Germanicus, A Tragedy where it was used in dialogue. Following that, in 18th or 19th century England, horse meat wasn’t considered suitable for humans to eat and would often be sent to the dogs instead. It is assumed that the phrase was preceded by ‘go to pot’, meaning toilet, and this kept the meaning of the phrase the exact same. Quite the opposite of gone to dog grooming.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Meaning: Making a false assumption or mistake in something you want to achieve.

This alludes to when a dog to something like chasing a squirrel up the tree and is so focused on barking at that tree, that he has not noticed the squirrel is not even in that tree anymore. It’s earliest printed record is in James Kirke Paulding’s Westward Ho! from 1832. Shortly after its publication, American citizens took to the phrase like water and populated the country with it. There’s often mud at the feet of those trees which means dog grooming. What happens when you figuratively bark up the wrong tree?

 

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DOG FOOD RECALL – I And Love And You Recalls Dog Treats

I And Love And You dog food brand have recently released this statement recalling 1,299 cases of their Cow-Boom! Strips Beef Gullet treats after a routine sampling at their Colorado factory discovered a salmonella contamination in the treats on July 10th.

Their products and dog food are U.S. made so the contamination is not from outside sources. So far there have been no reports of illness in pets or humans in relation to the contaminated treats. The recall is voluntary. However, beware if you’ve purchased I And Love And You’s following product recently:

 

vlcsnap-2015-09-23-16h37m00s6Cow-Boom! Strips Beef Gullet

 

  • 2.0 oz. bags
  • Lot number: C20130-1994T1 and C20130-2024T1
  • Best by Date: 07/2016
  • UPC: 8 18336 0113 4

The Danger

Dog food contaminated with salmonella is dangerous to humans and animals and can cause serious infections that are sometimes fatal in young children, elderly people, and those with weak immune systems. Those who have handled the product are at risk of salmonella infections if they have not washed their hands. Animals who contract salmonella infections may face the same health risks as humans.

 

Symptoms of a salmonella infection in people include:

 

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea or Bloody Diarrhea
  • Abdominal Cramping
  • Fever

 

Salmonella may rarely result in more serious reactions. Pets infected by salmonella may have the following symptoms:

 

  • Lethargy
  • Diarrhea or Bloody Diarrhea
  • Fever
  • Vomiting

 

While some mild responses to salmonella infection may include:

 

  • Decreased Appetite
  • Fever
  • Abdominal Pain

 

If your dog seems to show any signs of infection, whether mild or severe, should be taken to the vet. Even those with a mild case of salmonella may become carriers and spread the infection to humans and other animals they share living space with. If you or any human in your home experience a strong reaction after handling the dog food, contact your personal doctor immediately just to be sure of your health.

 

If You Made a Purchase of the Dog Food

dog food recallThe company is offering a full refund to customers who have purchased the contaminated product. In order to receive your refund, contact the company’s customer service line at (888) 459-5683, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm (MT) or email them at [email protected]. You may also return the product at the place of purchase to receive a full refund.

 

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