Pawsome In Clawson

09/29/2024

Two more babies are left. Contact me for more info ☺️

09/11/2024

08/26/2024

Honey has given birth to another litter of pups.

05/03/2024

Springtime Safety Tips

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Spring has sprung, and with the change of season, our thoughts turn to more time outside with our furry friends, long walks, longer days and activities like spring cleaning, gardening and much-needed home improvement projects. Before you embark on seasonal chores or outdoor revelry, take inventory of potential springtime hazards for your furry friends.

Safe Screening

Many pet parents welcome the breezy days of spring by opening their windows. Unfortunately, they also unknowingly put their pets at risk—especially cats, who are apt to jump or fall through unscreened windows. Be sure to install snug and sturdy screens in all of your windows.

Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is a time-honored tradition in many households but be sure to keep all cleaners and chemicals out of your pets’ way! Almost all cleaning products, even all natural ones, contain chemicals that may be harmful to pets. The key to using them safely is to read and follow label directions for proper use and storage. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) has a full list of poisonous household products so you can be certain of the products you’re bringing into your home.

Home Improvement 101

Products such as paints, mineral spirits and solvents can be toxic to your pets and cause severe irritation or chemical burns. Carefully read all labels to see if the product is safe to use around your furry friends. Also, be cautious of physical hazards, including nails, staples, insulation, blades and power tools. It may be wise to confine your dog or cat to a designated pet-friendly room during home improvement projects.

Let Your Garden Grow—With Care

Fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides keep our plants and lawns healthy and green, but their ingredients may be dangerous to pets. Always store these products in out-of-the-way places and follow label instructions carefully. Many popular springtime plants—including rhododendron and azaleas—are also highly toxic to pets and can prove fatal if eaten. Check out our full list—of toxic and non-toxic plants for your home and garden.

Fleas and Ticks

Pesky parasites like fleas and ticks start appearing during the spring. Make sure your pet is on year-round heartworm preventive medication and follow our guide to prepare for flea and tick season!

Ah-Ah-Achoo!

Like us, pets can be allergic to foods, dust, plants and pollens. Allergic reactions in dogs and cats can cause itching, minor sniffling and sneezing or life-threatening anaphylactic shock to insect bites and stings. If you suspect your pet has a springtime allergy, please visit your veterinarian as soon as possible.

ID Tags

Warmer weather means more trips to the park, longer walks and more chances for your pet to wander off. Make sure your dog or cat has a microchip for identification and wears a tag imprinted with your home address, cell phone and any other relevant contact information.

Easter Treats and Decorations

Keep lilies and candy in check—chocolate goodies are toxic to cats and dogs, and all true lilies can be fatal if ingested by cats. And be mindful, kitties love to nibble on colorful plastic grass, which can lead to an obstructed digestive tract, severe vomiting and dehydration.

Buckle Up!

While most dogs love to feel the wind on their furry faces, allowing them to ride in the beds of pick-up trucks or stick their heads out of moving-car windows is dangerous. Flying debris and insects can cause inner ear or eye injuries and lung infections, and abrupt stops or turns can cause major injury, or worse! Pets riding in cars should always be secured in a crate or wearing a seatbelt harness designed especially for them.

Follow these tips for a happy and healthy spring!

If you think your pet has ingested a toxic substance, contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 immediately.

03/15/2024

This little Teddy Bear needs a good home, she’s full of energy and very loving! She loves to snuggle and loves cuddling, loves belly rubs too! I’m not selling her just want her to have a good home, she’ll be a year old in May.

11/27/2023

How Cold Is Too Cold for Your Dog?

Being outside is great for a dog’s physical and mental health. Walking, running, looking, sniffing, listening, and meeting old or new friends are all activities that help keep dogs happy and healthy. But what should we do when it’s cold outside? When do the risks of spending time outside outweigh its benefits? Let’s look at the dangers associated with cold weather and how we can still safely enjoy the great outdoors with our dogs in the winter.

Dogs Are Individuals

A temperature that feels comfortable to one dog might make another shiver. There are a few variables that affect how dogs respond to the cold.

Coat type

Dogs with thick, double-layered coats tend to be the most cold-tolerant (think Siberian Huskies, Newfoundlands, and Samoyeds). Many of these breeds originated in northern climates and have attributes that allow them to thrive when temperatures drop. However, dogs with exceptionally thin coats, like the Basenji and Xoloitzcuintli, may suffer in the cold and tend to do better when it’s warmer outside.

Coat color

On a clear day, black, brown, or other dark-coated dogs can absorb significant amounts of heat from sunlight, keeping them warmer in comparison to dogs with light-colored coats.

Size

Dogs lose most of their heat through their skin. Small dogs have a larger surface area to volume ratio compared to big dogs, which means, relatively speaking, they have a bigger surface to lose heat through and a smaller area "inside" to hold on to heat. Therefore, small dogs get colder faster than large dogs, all other things being equal.

Weight

Body fat is a good insulator, so thin dogs become cold quickly. However, the health risks of being overweight far outweigh any benefits, so don’t let your dog pack on the pounds in preparation for winter.

Conditioning

We’ve all experienced this one. After the heat of summer, 55 F can feel frigid, but after a long, cold winter, the same temperature can make us break out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Dogs that are used to the cold handle it much better than those that aren’t.

Age and Health

Puppies, canine senior citizens, and dogs with underlying health problems cannot regulate their body temperatures as well as healthy dogs in the prime of their lives. Be sure to protect vulnerable dogs from the cold.

Don’t Just Look at the Temperature

The temperature as it registers on a thermometer isn’t the only environmental factor that affects how dogs feel the cold. Consider other factors, including:

Wind chill

A brisk breeze can cut through a dog’s coat, greatly decreasing its ability to insulate and protect against the cold.

Dampness

Rain, snow, heavy fog, going for a swim—any form of dampness that soaks through the fur can quickly chill a dog even if the air temperature is mild.

Cloud cover

Cloudy days tend to feel colder than sunny days, since dogs can’t soak up the sun and warm themselves.

Activity

If dogs are going to be very active while outside, they may generate enough extra body heat to keep them comfortable even if the temperature is quite low.

Cold-Temperature Guidelines for Dogs

While broad generalizations are difficult, cold should not become a problem for most dogs until the temperature falls below 45 F, at which point some cold-averse dogs might begin to feel uncomfortable. When temperatures drop under 32 F, small breed dogs, dogs with thin coats, or very young, old, or sick dogs could be in danger if they spend too much time outdoors. Once temperatures drop under 20 F, all pet parents need to be aware that their dogs could develop cold-associated health problems like hypothermia or frostbite when outside for extended periods of time.

The best way to monitor your dog when they’re outside in the cold is to keep a close eye on their behavior. If you notice your dog shivering, acting anxious, whining, slowing down, searching out warm locations, or holding up one or more paws, it’s time to head inside and warm up.

Call your veterinarian if you notice any signs of frostbite or hypothermia, including sluggishness, confusion, severe shivering (which may stop as hypothermia progresses), and parts of the body that appear pale and are cool to the touch.

11/10/2023

Hey everyone!
Please please please be reminded that rawhide treats are very dangerous for your pup!

10/12/2023

Very important information regarding sugar free peanut butter and pets

10/08/2023

So It’s Your First Halloween with Your New Pet? Keep These Safety Tips in Mind

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Silly costumes, trick-or-treating, special treats and more? No wonder Halloween is a favorite among many pet parents and their furry friends. If you’re spending your first All Hallows’ Eve with your pet this year, you’re probably extra excited to celebrate together—but you may not be aware of some common hazards you may encounter along the way. Don’t get spooked! Follow these Halloween safety tips for pets to ensure October 31 is full of fun frights (without any serious scares).
pet halloween safety tips

Dress for Success

The number one thing you need for Halloween? Costumes, of course! There are so many different costumes for dogs and for cats—and yes, even other pets too. (This magical getup for a rabbit or chinchilla who’s a unicorn at heart is the perfect example.)

It’s natural to feel giddy at the prospect of pairing your adorable pet with an equally cute costume. But don’t let that excitement distract you from your pet’s wants and needs. Though dogs, cats and even guinea pigs look super cute in costumes, not all pets enjoy wearing them. Your best bet, if your pet has never worn any sort of clothing before, is to start small to see how they react.

“A bow tie, bandana or even a themed collar can be great, low-stress, festive attire,” says Rebecca Lohnes, MS, CDBC, ACCBC, training and behavior manager at Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester in Fairport, New York.

If you go for an all-out costume, buy it early enough to try a few dress rehearsals to help get your pet used to the costume in the days or weeks leading up to Halloween, Lohnes suggests. “Try to place the costume on them in a less restricting way and pair it with treats. Place more elements of the costume on them over the course of a few sessions,” she says.

halloween safety tips for pets

Trick-or-Treat With Caution

Trick-or-treating can present hazards for pets, so keep these Halloween safety tips for pets in mind for all your Halloweens to come.

Mary Molloy, CPDT-KA, owner and head trainer at Nirvana Tails LLC in Queens County, New York, suggests only taking your pet out on trick-or-treat night if you’re confident they can remain calm around strangers and will have good manners. It’s a busy night, after all, so all the people, pets, sniffs and sounds could make them nervous.

Again, pet parents may find a dress rehearsal to be helpful in preparing their pet for the big moment. “Gradual exposure is key,” Molloy says. “Make sure you do a few test runs first, going out at the same time you’ll be trick-or-treating and seeing how they react near a group of strangers.”

Lohnes also advises pet parents to watch for signs of fear or anxiety throughout Halloween night. Humans in costumes can be scary, after all—for people and pets alike. Never force your pet to interact with someone in costume.

“Too often I see folks try to force the animal to interact with a person who they're scared of, which can result in aggression or increased fear,” Lohnes says.

Learn more about safe trick-or-treating tactics.

Guard the Candy

While some candy is more harmful to animals than others, virtually none of it is healthy for pets. That means it’s best to keep all candy safely tucked away for human consumption only. Still, it’s helpful to know which common Halloween candy is toxic to pets. The biggest offenders include:

Chocolate
Caramel apples
Candy corn
Sugar-free candy
Chocolate-covered raisins
Macadamia nuts
Candy wrappers can also cause problems, so be sure to throw them away immediately. If your dog is a trash can explorer, toss them in your outside dumpster or waste receptacle. Here’s what to do if your pet eats a candy wrapper.

If you still want your pet to join in on the fun of having Halloween goodies, why not bake them a special treat? It’s a festive activity you can do together (or at least an activity you can do while your dog or cat sniffs around all the tasty ingredients), and serving up a gourmet pet delicacy like strawberry ghosts or DIY frozen candy corn bones will make you feel like the greatest pet parent on the planet. Hey, you only get one first Halloween with your pet, so make the most of it.

Halloween safety tips for pets
iStock.com/Andrea Obzerova
Beware of Noisy Knocks and Strangers

If you decide to stay home on trick-or-treat night to hand out goodies to the neighborhood, keep in mind that some pets will react loudly and even aggressively to people knocking on the door, ringing the doorbell or walking by your house.

As Halloween approaches, pay attention to how your pet responds to these events. If your pet freaks out every time someone comes to the door, there are a few things Molloy and Lohnes suggest to make Halloween a little easier:

Work with a pet trainer to desensitize your fur baby to the sound of knocking or a doorbell. This kind of training takes time, Molloy says, so it’s best to start a few weeks before Halloween.
Give pets a toy to keep them distracted — like this Halloween-themed spider teaser cat toy or pumpkin dog treat dispenser.
Keep your pet in a different room during the peak hours of trick-or-treating.
Of course, if you suspect your pet will be really stressed out by the trick-or-treaters—or if you share a wall with neighbors who might be bothered by their constant barking—you can always opt out of handing out candy. Simply turn off the lights and hang a sign on your door that says, “Sorry, no trick-or-treaters.” There’s always next year!

Halloween safety tips for pets
Stay In and Chill Out

If more active Halloween activities are simply too stressful for your new pet, there’s no shame in opting for a relaxing night in. We are 100 percent here for spending the night snugging on the couch. And Molloy says keeping Halloween low-key can be an especially great life choice if your new pet hasn’t been with you for long.

“They're still adjusting to their new lives, so you don't want to pile on a whole bunch of new and potentially scary things all at once,” she says. “Cats, in particular, can take months getting used to their new territories.”

Staying home doesn’t mean guaranteed FOMO. There are plenty of ways to celebrate Halloween from the comfort of your sofa! Why not host a virtual Halloween party with your pet, or turn out the lights and watch one of your favorite Halloween movies with pets? For more inspo, check out these other of ways to celebrate a socially distanced Halloween.

Don't Forget to Take Lots of Photos

OK, this isn’t exactly safety advice—but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. However you decide to spend your first Halloween together, remember to snap some shots of your special celebration. You’re going to want to look back on your first Halloween with your new pet—and besides, you know you want to bless your friends’ timelines with pics of your precious pup or kitty.

Rachel Hegarty, an Arlington, Virginia-based photographer and pup mom to Milli the Yorkipoo, says a little planning can go a long way when it comes to pet photos. If it won’t add to your pet’s stress, give them a bath and/or brush their hair to make sure they’re looking their best. Choose a background that will contrast with your pet’s fur, she adds, and for nighttime pics, put a lamp or other source of light behind your pet, in addition to using the flash.

It's also important to take lots—and when we say lots, we mean LOTS—of photos, rapid fire-style, especially if your pet has trouble sitting still, Hegarty adds. Use treats to keep your pet focused, and remember: Patience is the key to a perfect Halloween-themed photoshoot.

You can also follow these tips to capture the perfect selfie with your pet.

Whether you’re out mingling with trick-or-treaters or cozied up with a scary movie at home, this Halloween is one of many firsts new pet parents will remember for years to come. Follow these Halloween safety tips for pets and you’ll not only create some great memories—you’ll build an even stronger bond with your pet that’ll last you long after October 31.

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09/29/2023

Winter Pet Safety Tips

When it comes to winter preparedness, don’t forget your pets.
Exposure to winter’s dry, cold air and chilly rain, sleet and snow can cause chapped paws and itchy, flaking skin, but these aren’t the only discomforts pets can suffer. Winter walks can become dangerous if chemicals from ice-melting agents are licked off of bare paws.

To help prevent cold weather dangers from affecting your pet’s health, please heed the following advice from our experts:

Keep Pets Indoors When Possible
If it’s too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for your pets. Don’t keep your pets outdoors for long periods of time during very cold weather. Short-coated dogs may need a coat or sweater during walks.

Provide Outdoor Shelter for Your Pets
If you have outdoor dogs, make sure they have a dry, draft-free doghouse that:

Is large enough for pets to sit and lie down in, but small enough to retain their body heat.
Has a floor that is elevated a few inches off the ground and is covered with cedar shavings or straw.
Has an entrance that faces away from heavy winds and is covered with a flap of heavy waterproof fabric or heavy plastic.

Care for Your Pet's Feet
Salt and other chemicals used to melt ice and snow can harm your pet’s feet. Gently rub the bottom of your pet’s paws with a damp towel to remove these irritants after a walk, or buy dog boots to prevent paw irritation during winter weather. You should also look for signs that your pet’s feet are uncomfortably cold, which could include them frequently lifting up their paws, whining, or stopping.

Provide Extra Food and Water
Pets that spend time outdoors in the winter use a lot of energy to stay warm. Provide a little extra food and regularly check your pet’s water dish to ensure the water is fresh and not frozen. Use plastic food and water bowls instead of metal to prevent your pet’s tongue from freezing to them.

Use Leashes When Walking Near Water
Keep pets on a leash when walking near frozen bodies of water so they don’t run onto the ice. If a pet falls through the ice, do not go onto the ice to rescue them. If you can’t reach your pet from shore, call 9-1-1 or go for help. See more Ice Safety Tips.

Don't Lock Pets in Cars
Never leave a pet locked inside a car during extremely cold weather. Cars can act like a refrigerator, holding in cold air and putting your pet at risk.

Keep Antifreeze Out of Reach from Pets
Many types of antifreeze have a sweet taste that can attract animals. Keep antifreeze out of reach from your pets and clean up any spills right away to avoid antifreeze poisoning.

Check Your Vehicle Before Starting the Engine
Parked vehicles can attract cats and small wildlife, which may crawl under the hood seeking warmth. Bang on your vehicle’s hood to scare away animals before starting your engine.