Dot’s Friday Favorites

Good Morning Everyone ! And Welcome to Dot’s Friday pick and it’s all about the Dog Days of Summer ! So we are chatting about how to keep your pets safe this Summer.

Practice basic summer safetyhttps://www.humanesociety.org/resources/keep-pets-safe-heat

• Do not leave pets unsupervised around a pool—not all dogs are good swimmers. Introduce your pets to water gradually and make sure they wear flotation devices when on boats. Rinse your dog off after swimming to remove chlorine or salt from his fur, and try to keep your dog from drinking pool water, which contains chlorine and other chemicals.
• Open unscreened windows pose a real danger to pets, who often fall out of them. Keep all unscreened windows or doors in your home closed, and make sure adjustable screens are tightly secured.

Cats

Move your pet into the shade or an air-conditioned area. Apply ice packs or cold towels to their head, neck and chest or run cool (not cold) water over them. Let them drink small amounts of cool water or lick ice cubes.

Pets can get dehydrated quickly, so give them plenty of fresh, clean water when it’s hot or humid outdoors. Make sure your pets have a shady place to get out of the sun, be careful not to over-exercise them, and keep them indoors when it’s extremely hot.

July 4th BBQ and Fireworks :

Remember that food and drink commonly found at barbeques can be poisonous to pets. Keep alcoholic beverages away from pets, as they can cause intoxication, depression and comas. Similarly, remember that the snacks enjoyed by your human friends should not be a treat for your pet; any change of diet, even for one meal, may give your dog or cat severe digestive ailments. Avoid raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate and products with the sweetener xylitol.

Please leave pets at home when you head out to Fourth of July celebrations, and never use fireworks around pets. Exposure to lit fireworks can potentially result in severe burns or trauma, and even unused fireworks can contain hazardous materials. Many pets are also fearful of loud noises and can become lost, scared or disoriented, so it’s best to keep your little guys safe from the noise in a quiet, sheltered and escape-proof area of your home.

Cooling Cat treats : Dot approved

Tasty Tuna Treats

Open up a can of water-packed tuna and dump it into your food processor. Add a half cup of water then blend until it’s nice and smooth, adding more water as needed to get the desired consistency. Pour the liquid into silicone ice cube trays and freeze for a couple of hours. When the treats are frozen, pop them out of the tray and store in a freezer bag. You can also try this recipe with canned salmon.

Frozen Pate treat

Take a can of your cat’s favorite pate-style wet food and scoop it out into a mixing bowl. Stir in a few of your cat’s favorite soft treats or a sprinkle of dried catnip. Spoon the mixture into small paper cups or into a silicone ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Pop the treats out the tray or peel away the paper to serve the frozen treat.

Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July !!!! Lisa and Dot!