Halloween Safety Tips for Fido

Halloween is a fun time of the year. Candy, jack-o-lanterns, candles, costumes, and outings to trick-or-treat are among Halloween celebrations. Unfortunately, parts of the spooktacular festivities can be scary for pets and hazardous to their health. This is why NuVet Labs is proud to re-post this article with updated Halloween safety tips for you to employ to keep your four-legged companion safe and happy this Halloween.

Watch the Candy Bowl

The Pet Poison Helpline experiences a significant increase in the number of calls during this time of year. Many human treats and decorations are very dangerous for your dog. Keep the candy bowl where your dog cannot get at it.

Chocolate is high on the list of culprits that can be harmful to dogs at Halloween. The degree of distress and severity of symptoms varies depending on the type and amount of chocolate ingested. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is for your canine companion. Small amounts of any chocolate may cause stomach issues while large amounts can be fatal. As a result, it should be avoided at all times.

Candy in general is not something your dog should be eating anyway so keep it in a secure location and make sure to explain to children the importance of keeping their trick-or-treating bounty away from Fido.

Sugar free candies and gum that contain the artificial sweetener xylitol are also poisonous to dogs and cats. Xylitol is estimated to be 100 times as toxic as chocolate to dogs, and the number of cases of xylitol poisoning seem to be on the rise. The Pet Poison Helpline recorded about 300 cases of xylitol poisoning in 2009. In 2015, there were over 2,800 cases.

Professional Care

Ingestion of toxic candy and gum is only part of the problem. Most dogs do not take time to unwrap treats before gobbling them. Foil and cellophane wrappers can result in gastrointestinal and bowel obstruction. The condition requires veterinary care that may include surgery to remove an obstruction.

Single serving boxes of raisins are becoming a popular healthy treat to hand out to beggars when they knock on the door. Raisins are healthy for humans, but they can be extremely toxic to pets. Ingestion of grapes and raisins by a pet can quickly turn into a true emergency.

If you suspect that your pet has eaten a toxic or harmful substance contact your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline (800-213-6680) immediately. Pet Poison Helpline is an animal poison control service available throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean for pet owners and veterinary professionals. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for those who require assistance with treating a potentially poisoned pet. Have your credit card handy. There is a $49 per incident fee that covers the initial consultation as well as all follow-up calls associated with the management of the case.

Decoration Safety

Poisonous treats aren’t the only hazard your pet might face at Halloween. Halloween really takes the cake when it comes to decorations. Although these are fun, it is crucial to keep all chords and other electrical parts secure and away from Fido. Real and battery powered candles used to light jack-o-lanterns can also be dangerous. If your pet topples a carved pumpkin with a real candle, he can be singed, receive a serious burn, or cause a fire.

Ingested batteries from flameless candles or flashlights can be corrosive to the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. Any decorations with small pieces that can become unattached should be closely monitored or avoided to prevent your pup from ingesting them. Although pumpkin is generally non-toxic to dogs, it is best to keep them out of your dog’s reach. If ingested, it can cause gastrointestinal distress. If any of the Halloween decorations are ingested, a trip to the veterinarian may be in order.

Make Sure Fido Likes His Costume

Dressing pets in costumes has become popular with some folks. When selecting a costume for your pooch, make sure he likes it too. This means that the costume should be comfortable and allow for a full range of motion. Make sure the pet can breathe easily, see clearly, and that his movement is not restricted. If you notice your dog is uncomfortable or seem stressed out when wearing his outfit – no matter how cute he looks in it – take it off.

Keep Fido in Another Room

To prevent Fido from darting out the door when trick-or-treaters arrive or from getting overly excited with the candy-seeking masses, keep your pooch in a secure room where he can rest comfortably. The constant bell-ringing in addition to the costume wearing traffic may possibly agitate your four-legged friend, which you definitely want to avoid.

Don’t Take Fido Trick-or-Treating

Although it’s a lot of fun for families and children your dog may feel a little differently. With all the excitement and people in the neighborhood Fido may become frightened or anxious when confronted with lots of children and adults – especially ones that are dressed in costumes. Imagine how it might appear to your dog. To make sure everybody is having a good time, keep your pooch inside. If he needs to use the bathroom restrict him to the backyard and on a leash.

If you and your dog do find yourselves outside on Halloween then make sure to increase your pooches visibility. Reflective tape is really helpful. Place some on your dog’s costume or on his collar and leash where it can be seen. While you’re at it, slap some on yourself as well. It can’t hurt.

Keeping Fido Safe

Enjoy your Halloween, but keep your pets safe from traditional Halloween decorations and festivities that may be dangerous for them.

Remember, keeping your four-legged companions safe and happy this Halloween can be easy. Good nutrition can also be simple, which is why so many pet parents have turned to NuVet Plus when providing their pups with superior quality nutrition. Comprised of highest quality ingredients, dogs everywhere are experiencing the benefits of this amazing supplement.

Have you ever worked somewhere or wished that you worked somewhere that dogs or cats were welcome? An article in the Scientific American states that “60% of Americans own a pet.” This is represented in a cultural push towards pet-friendly work environments.

Here at NuVet we love dogs and cats and can easily understand how having your favorite four-legged companion with you at work is a bonus. It’s one of the perks of working at NuVet Labs, as we get to bring our best friend’s to work with us. As we thought about what a great benefit this is, we thought it might be helpful to our readers to share why having pets in the workplace is so great! Keep reading to see what we came up with.

Benefits:

• Dogs lower stress – Studies have shown that having a dog around can lower stress.
• Dogs lower blood pressure – Studies also show that just the simple act of petting a dog can lower blood pressure.
• Provide mental break – Having a dog around can provide a mental break from stressful work moments.
• Provide a physical break – Having your dog with you at work forces you to get up and take them out for bathroom breaks. This provides you with activity and needed circulation.
• Can make you laugh – Let’s face it. Dogs are funny. Who doesn’t need a good laugh every once in awhile, especially at work?
• Can bring co-workers together – Having a dog in the workplace not only creates a sense of community among co-workers – especially fellow dog owners – it also creates harmony.
• Allows your pets to socialize with each other – Why do people take their dogs to obedience classes, dog beaches and parks? Because they are trying to socialize them. Socializing is hugely important to making sure your dog has a nice well-rounded personality. If you can do that at work why not?
• Helps time pass more pleasantly – Having your buddy Fido with you in the workplace helps the time pass more pleasantly.
• Saves money – Having your pooch with you at work helps cut costs. You don’t have to hire a dog walker to take your pup out while you are at work. More importantly, you don’t have to rely on somebody else to take care of your beloved dog.
• Increased productivity – A recent study claims that dogs in the workplace makes employees more productive. The boss will love that!
• No surprises – Because Fido is with you all day, and most likely not bored or lonely, you won’t be walking into any little surprises when you get home from work.

As you can see, there are many positive reasons why a dog in the workplace could be an asset. If you have the choice of bringing your pooch to your place of employment, hopefully this list will help make the decision a bit easier for you!

NuVet Labs is proud to re-post this article to confirm our commitment to pets in the workplace.

Scientists know that dogs and humans are similar in anatomy and physiology, but many are reluctant to believe they share similar traits of emotion and personality. In today’s society, dogs have become regular family members. That means a dog needs to have personality characteristics that fit in well with his owner and other family members. A recent study looked at the relationship of a broad range of personality traits of owners and their dogs to see if they matched up.

Borbála Turcsána,  Friederike Range, Zsófia Virányi, Ádám Miklósi and Enikö Kubinyia, published a study in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, that looked at the similarity between the personalities of owners and their dogs. They used the five basic dimensions of personality that are often referred to as the “Big Five” personality traits. The “Big Five” are most commonly attributed to people to predict behaviors, but this team of researchers used the “Big Five” to look at the similarities between the personalities of owners and their dogs. The “Big Five” are neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness.

Neuroticism is a trait that characterizes a person who is anxious, sensitive and nervous rather than one who is secure and confident. Extraversion describes an individual who is excitable, sociable, and talkative rather than solitary and reserved. Agreeableness is demonstrated by a person who is kind, friendly, and compassionate rather than cold, competitive, and unkind. A person who is conscientious, thoughtful, hard-working, efficient, and organized. He is not easy-going, lazy or careless. Openness is displayed by a person who is imaginative, inventive, and curious, but does not characterize an individual who is consistent and cautious.

The large study comparing dog and owner personalities was a collaboration of researchers from the Eötvös University in Budapest, Hungary and the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Vienna. It involved 389 owners and 518 dogs.

Owners were first asked to complete a questionnaire which measured the “Big Five” personality traits so researchers could establish each owner’s personality type. The owners were then asked to rate the personalities of their dogs using a test developed by Samuel Gosling and collaborators at the University of Texas in Austin. This test is similar to the “Big Five” test used to evaluate the personalities of owners but was specifically designed to measure a dog’s personality.

Researchers compared the personality type of each owner established by the “Big Five” test with the personality characteristic the owner determined for their dog using the modified test. Interestingly, owners saw their dogs had similar personalities to themselves in all five of the personality traits evaluated. The strongest association was noted between the owner’s degree of neuroticism (anxiety) and that of their dog, followed by extraversion (sociability).

However, people have a tendency to see their own beliefs, attitudes, emotions and even personality traits in others. To make sure owners were not projecting their own personality traits onto their dogs, other family members were asked to rate the personality of the dog. Family members rated the dogs the same as their owners in four of the five personality traits. Owners apparently were objective and accurate when evaluating their dogs for these characteristics.

Family members and owners did not agree when evaluating openness (intelligence) in the pets.

The owners apparently projected their own intellectual abilities onto their dogs. Other research indicates that dogs have the intellectual capabilities of a three-year-old child. One wonders if the owners thought their dogs were much brighter than a three-year-old. Perhaps they thought their dogs were the intellectual equivalents of themselves.

Lance Workman, a psychologist at Bath Spa University in the United Kingdom looked deeper into the relationship of dog and owner personalities. In collaboration with the Kennel Club, he prepared an online questionnaire that measured the “Big Five” personality traits in 1,000 owners of purebred dogs.

To keep things simple, they split the dog breeds into the seven Kennel Club categories of gun dogs, hound dogs, pastoral breeds, terriers, toy breeds, utility breeds, and working breeds.

The results revealed correlations between the type of dog and the owner’s personality.  People who owned pastoral (including German Shepherds and collies) or utility breeds (such as a bulldogs) are the most extroverted of any dog owners. Owners of gun dogs (like the Labrador or golden retriever) and toy dogs (like Chihuahuas) were most agreeable. Toy dog owners were also the most open and imaginative bunch. The most emotionally stable people tended to own hounds.

It is clear that dogs do have personalities and exhibit the same characteristics as humans. It also seems evident that people tend to select dogs that complement their own personality traits.

It is a well-known fact that pet parents talk to their dogs. “Come, sit, stay” are common words but more endearing terms like “good dog” and “I love you pup” are often heard. The average pup understands about 165 words, signs, and signals according to Dr. Stanley Coren, best-selling author of many books explaining dog behavior and intelligence and professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia. Dogs can’t communicate in words, but your dog does talk to you.

You know your dog is happy to see you when he runs to greet you at the door. My Mellow nudges me and stares at the cookie jar to tell me she wants a treat. A lethargic walk indicates that your pup is feeling poorly. These messages are easy to read.

A dog uses body language or dog talk to convey his emotions and his intent for action in many situations. His posture, eyes, ears, mouth, hair and tail form a nonverbal communication system that speaks volumes. The different parts of his anatomy move to form syllables in body language words that convey a unified message. Some “words” in a dog’s body language vocabulary can have more than one meaning, so it is necessary to read the entire body to understand what he is saying.

You can tell a lot from a pup’s posture. A happy dog is laid-back posture with his weight evenly balanced on all four feet. His muscles are relaxed, his ears are held in a normal position, and his mouth is closed or slightly open. He casually wags his tail side to side or in a circular motion. He may bounce around inviting you to play. A happy dog is comfortable with his surroundings. He is calm and content.

An angry dog shows aggression by trying to look as large and intimidating as he can. He holds his head high, his ears up and his tail raised and rigid as he stares directly at the animal or person confronting him. He may raise his hackles, bare his teeth, and growl, snarl or bark in low, threatening tones.

Raised hackles doesn’t necessarily mean your dog is mad or afraid—it can mean he’s being extra attentive to a person or situation. Remember to consider the entire context of the circumstances.

A disturbing situation may cause a fearful, shy, or nervous dog to go into avoidance mode. He will attempt to appear as small as possible by cowering or hunching. A lowered head with ears down, eyes wide and tail tucked between his legs are common signs that a dog is in avoidance mode. He is ready to escape the situation by retreating.

Just as a casual broad tail wag at a moderate pace indicates a happy pup that likes you, other wags send other messages. An excited dog makes fast small side-by-side wags. Slow wags with the head lowered means your dog feels insecure or is trying to figure out a situation. Some breeds hold their tail high or curved over the back with short, fast wags to tell you to give them space.

The vocabulary of a dog may not have words, but his body language can speak volumes. A pet parent who is in tune with a dog knows when he is happy, angry, nervous, fearful or sad. How accurately can you read your dog’s body language?