Indoor Air Pollution and Pets: The Dangers

Cute Dog Pampering our fur babies matters. Devoted owners would do anything to ensure their ‘best friend’ is content, and more importantly, healthy. However, there is one aspect that many pet owners overlook – the air quality inside their home. According to the World Health Organization, 4.3 million people die from indoor air pollution per year. Granted, many of these people live in developing countries where the practice of cooking over open fires, for example, is common, but even in the US indoor, air pollution has become a significant problem. Let’s take a look at indoor air pollution and how it can affect you and your furry friends.

Indoor Air Pollution: Causes and Impact

Indoor air pollution can impact your health significantly. Short term effects include irritated eyes and sinuses and similar symptoms to allergies or the common cold. If you live or work in an environment with low air quality long term however, the results can be more serious including chronic and dangerous conditions. Although the main causes of indoor air pollution are smoke (including tobacco), household products and poor ventilation, unfortunately pets can cause indoor air pollution as well. This is mostly due to pet dander. Dander is similar to humans but for pets and millions of animal owners are allergic to it without even realizing. To limit the harm, ensure your home is adequately ventilated and cleaned regularly and keep pets away from beds and soft furnishings.
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Using Treats to Teach Your Dog to Be Safe in the Garden

Happy Dog We all love to pamper our pets whether it’s through spending quality time with them by keeping them active or feeding them delicious treats for rewarding good behavior. Giving our pooches treats is more than expressing our love to them or making them feel special, it’s also an important aspect for dog training too.

When we think about creating a dog friendly garden, we usually think about in terms of worrying about if our dogs will do damage to our flowers or eating toxic plants. By training our dogs to be safe in our gardens, we’re not only letting them have the space to explore the outdoors but encouraging positive reinforcement at the same time so you and your dog can share the space together. The idea isn’t to confine your dog but to ensure they’re happy to play in a designated area.

Think about space

Wherever you choose to have your dog’s play area, ensure the space has enough shady and sunny spots and different sections so your dog can have its own places to hide, explore and play. If your dog does love to dig, consider hiding an assortment of treats around the area where you want them to dig to encourage them to do so only in those places.

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Wildlife and Pets: Protecting Your Animals From Outdoor Threats

Many of us are too young to remember the Hitchcock horror classic, The Birds, when flocks of psychotic flying predators began randomly attacking people in a small, northern California town. While this example is pure fiction, in real life birds can be particularly problematic, causing some homeowners and some businesses to hire professionals to remove them from their premises.

Flock of Birds

While our so-called feathered friends can cause structural damage, annoying noises and carry a number of different diseases, larger predatory species are capable of carrying off a kitten, cat or small dog. Depending on where you live, these smaller pets are better off left indoors during daylight hours.

What are some other ways our pets could be at risk from wildlife when they’re outdoors and how can we protect them from these threats? Here are some tips for keeping our companion animals safe from the dangers some types of wildlife can present:

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Keep Your Pets Safe During A Natural Disaster or Emergency

It is something no pet parent wants to think about. The stuff of nightmares, even. A natural disaster can strike at any time without fair warning. Tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and even volcano eruptions can take us by surprise. These deadly situations are just as dangerous for our pets as they are for us. Are you truly prepared to keep your furbabies safe?

Emergency Kit

An emergency kit can sometimes mean the different between life or death when disaster strikes. If you make your own, you will have the supplies necessary for your individual situation and animals. A kit would contain everything in a first aid kit and more. A travel sewing kit, a foldable plastic sack for drinking water, a foldable dish for water for your pets, and much more. You can include canned dog food and an extra leash, poop pick up bags, and any medications your dog may need. From injuries to basic needs, you and your pets can be taken care of with a well thought out emergency kit.

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