Blog – Paw Print

Dog Health

Are Silica Gel Packets Toxic to Dogs?

April 9, 2021

What happens if dogs eat silica gel packets? Are they actually toxic to dogs? Now that my dogs are older, 12 and 5, you would think they’d be past the “eating things they’re not supposed too” stage. You’d be wrong, at least when it comes to Fenrir. He doesn’t so much eat things he’s not supposed too, to be fair. He mostly just chews up, or otherwise destroys things.

Earlier this week, if you can’t already tell by my blog title, Fen’s latest victim was a silica gel packet. You know, those little packets that come inside things you buy that are clearly labeled “Do not eat”.

Post Contents:

1 Well, Dogs Can’t Read.
2 What, Exactly, Is Inside Those Silica Packets?
3 Are Silica Packets Toxic?
4 Believe It Or Not, It’s Not Usually The Silica Beads Themselves That Cause Problems. It’s The Packets They Come In.
5 Watch Out For Potential Symptoms.
6 Fen Is Just Fine After His Silica Mishap!

Well, Dogs Can’t Read.

We had purchased some new pillows that were sealed up in plastic with silica packets inside the packaging. I didn’t notice that one of the silica packets had fallen down in between our couch and the computer desk. Fen didn’t have any trouble finding it, though.

I heard my partner calling me from the other room. I found him down on the floor, picking tiny little balls up off the rug. Oh no…what did Fen get into now!? Luckily silica packets are usually pretty clearly labeled, and Fen didn’t actually eat the packet, he just ripped it open.

Your dog possibly eating something with a bold label stating “Do not eat” is pretty concerning. Fen is just a little thing too. It would take less of a toxic substance to affect him than it would a much bigger dog. Knowing Fen, I was pretty sure his intentions were to destroy the packet and not to actually eat it. But there was no way for me to know for sure whether he had accidentally ingested any of the little silica balls or not.

What, Exactly, Is Inside Those Silica Packets?

Silica gel, in the form of little balls or beads inside silica packets, is silicon dioxide. Silicon dioxide in nature can be found in sand, glass, and quartz. Silica beads are usually clear or white. However, it’s common for the silicon dioxide to be mixed with a moisture indicator that may make the silica appear to be blue, pink, green, or orange.

Silica is commonly used inside product packaging because of its ability to absorb moisture. Each little bead can absorb about 30 percent of its weight in water, essentially helping to protect products from excess moisture and humidity.

Are Silica Packets Toxic?

Good news – silica itself is inert and non-toxic. You can basically think of it as man made sand. Silica absorbs moisture but the beads do not expand in size.

However, that’s not to say silica packets are 100% harmless. If the silica was mixed with a moisture indicator (typically cobalt (II) chloride or Methyl Violet), these ingredients can be problematic in large doses. You also have to pay attention to what type of product the silica packet was inside. If it was something harmless, such as pillows, then you generally don’t have much to worry about. However, if it came into contact with a non-pet friendly item, such as medication, chemicals, toxic food items, etc, then that’s cause for more concern; not because of the silica itself, but because the ingested silica may have contained trace amounts of the product it was packaged with.

In addition, the more silica that was ingested the higher the chance you’ll run into complications. It will heighten your pets exposure to potential toxins contained in the silica (moisture indicators), and potentially dangerous products the silica was packaged with. In large amounts silica can lead to dehydration. Large quantities of ingested foreign objects can also cause obstructions.

Believe It Or Not, It’s Not Usually The Silica Beads Themselves That Cause Problems. It’s The Packets They Come In.

Ingesting the porous packets that contain the silica beads can cause choking, or a blockage of the intestinal tract. Again, the risk level increases if larger amounts of a foreign material are ingested. Generally a single, small silica packet won’t do any major damage to your dog. But if they somehow gets more than one packet, the likelihood of negative symptoms increases.

Watch Out For Potential Symptoms.

Mild GI upset after consuming silica packets is not rare. However, it’s important to monitor your pet. Watch out specifically for symptoms of dehydration and/or intestinal obstructions. These include things like vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, loss of appetite, excess panting, sunken or dry looking eyes, dry gums, and loss of skin elasticity.

It’s important to contact your veterinarian if your dog has eaten a silica packet and displays any symptoms of distress, if the silica gel in question is colored (indicating that it’s not pure silicon dioxide and may contain toxins), or if the silica was packaged inside a potentially dangerous product such as medication.

Fen Is Just Fine After His Silica Mishap!

Silica gel packets are labeled “Do not eat” because they are often included inside food and pill packages. While silicon dioxide itself is not toxic, that doesn’t mean that consuming silica packets is without risks for our pets. It’s important to be vigilant and keep foreign objects away from curious pets.

This is a do as I say, not as I do, type of situation. I’m not convinced that Fenrir ate any of the silica beads he got into. I found the packet torn up on the living room rug. I think he just ripped the packet open. He really enjoys destroying things! Luckily Mr. Fen experienced no ill effects from his escapades. Going forward, I’ll be even more careful to ensure that all packaging makes it to the trash before my little trouble maker gets to it.

Accidents can happen to anyone, though. In the case of any potential medical emergencies, it’s important to stay as calm as possible. If your pet ingests a foreign material and you’re not sure whether or not it’s toxic, call your vet or the Animal Poison Control Hotline as soon as possible. While some commonly ingested foreign objects, like silica, are generally pretty harmless, others can be deadly. How quickly you get your pet the proper treatment can make all the difference.

Pet Tips

Dog Bath Time: How Often Is Too Often?

April 8, 2021

How often do you bathe your dogs? Whenever I see this question asked, answers seem to run the gamut from incredibly often, to barely ever. I have to admit I’ve always erred on the side of bathing my dogs often. For many years I bathed Kitsune every week. He has a lot of allergies, many of which cause him skin irritation. Frequent baths have always gone far when it comes to keeping those types of issues at bay. I also allow my dogs to have pretty much free reign of our home, furniture included. Who wants a dirty dog rolling all over their nice clean sheets?

Mud Season!?

The look on Kit’s face tells you all you need to know about what he thinks of baths!

We finally seem to be at the tail end of ‘mud season’ here in new England. For anyone not familiar, although I guess it’s pretty self explanatory, the aptly named ‘mud season’ occurs around the end of winter/beginning of spring. The snow that piled up all winter starts to melt. The ground begins to thaw, and your yard basically turns into one giant mud pit. If you have dogs, mud season turns your regular cleaning routine into an extreme sport. The less mud you have in your house, the more points you accumulate. But it’s impossible to have a perfect score. It’s never been done before. I’ve spent so much time the past couple of weeks mopping muddy paw prints off my kitchen floor. But I digress…

An Individual Thing…

I know a lot of dog owners are opposed to bathing pets often. I’ve had fellow dog owners lecture me about bathing Kitsune too much. But I’ve talked to others who bathe their furry friends just as often, or even more so, than I do Kitsune. The fact of the matter is that there are no set in stone guidelines for how often dogs should be bathed. How often is too often for your dog can depend on a number of different factors – each dog is an individual!

Bath time for Sir Sheds-A-Lot, aka Fenrir.

Things such as your dogs’ fur type, where you live, what type of activities you and your dog are involved in, human preferences, etc, can all impact how often your furry friend needs to be bathed. Since we moved out of the city, I’ve been able to switch my own dogs from weekly baths to every other week. I guess all the pollution they were exposed too impacted their skin and fur more than I had realized. Kitsune’s skin allergies have also greatly improved since we moved, so I don’t have to bathe him as often because of them. But we do spend a lot more time playing outside now, and I enjoy when the dogs smell fresh and clean instead of like dirt. Bathing them every other week seems to, currently, be the Goldilocks number for us – not too clean, not too dirty, juuuuust right!

This post contains affiliate Amazon Links. If you make a purchase using one of our links, we will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please see our Disclaimer page for more information. Thank you!

The Products You Use Matter!

The biggest argument against bathing dogs super often is that, in some dogs, it can cause skin issues such as irritation and flaking. My dogs have never experienced negative symptoms despite being bathed often, but that’s not to say that weekly (or even every other week) baths would work for every dog. I personally feel that one of the biggest factors you want to take into account if you want to bathe your pet often is what type of shampoo you use.

I’ve always used high quality, detergent/soap free dog shampoos on my own dogs. Soap free shampoos still get your pooch nice and clean, but are less drying and don’t strip away as much of the furs’ natural oils. You don’t want to use human (even baby) shampoo on your dog because of the pH differences. I know Dawn is a popular choice when dealing with fleas. It shouldn’t be used for regular bathing because it’s very drying. High quality dog shampoos may be more expensive than other options, but a little bit goes a long way. A 16oz bottle of dog shampoo lasts each of my dogs a good 6 + months.

So really what you should take from this post is that there really is no concrete number for how often you should bathe your dog. It can depend on a lot of different factors. If, like me, you do decide that you’d like to bathe your pet often, it’s best to use high quality products to avoid drying out your pets fur and skin. What do you think? How often do you bathe your own pet(s)?

Kit’s favorite part of bath day – getting dry again after!!

Pet Products

Mosonth Dog Grooming Clipper Kit Review

February 21, 2021

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all staying safe and warm. Back in April 2020, when many places were experiencing their first Covid quarantine, I posted about the pros and cons of learning to groom your dog(s) at home. I’ve always personally groomed my pets myself. I may not be the best at it, but I’ve found grooming my dogs myself to not only be a great bonding experience, but also a great way to give my dogs regular at home check ups. Despite being a breed that doesn’t typically require haircuts, for a verity of reasons I’ve been trimming Kit’s fur since he was a puppy. For most of that time I’ve been using an Andis 2-speed pet clipper. Over the years, however, our Andis clipper stopped working as well as it used too. I was excited when, recently, a company called Mosonth asked us to review their dog grooming kit.

We received our Mosonth pet grooming kit for free in exchange for our honest review. As always, we strive to share only products we feel will benefit our readers. All opinions expressed are our own.

Contents of the Mosonth Pet Grooming Kit

Over the past 6 months or so, my Andis clippers were working so poorly that I’ve been secretly using my fiance’s hair clippers to groom Kit. Sorry dear, if you read this! But those days are over, thanks to our new Mosonth clippers!

The Mosonth dog grooming clipper kit includes not only the 4-speed, cordless trimmers, but also comes with 4 attachment guard combs (3mm/6mm/9mm/12mm), a stainless steel comb, stainless steel scissors, nail clippers, and a nail file. While the clippers themselves are the star of the show, the other items are great too. The comb is super sturdy and is so high quality that it has quickly become my ‘go to’ comb for brushing Kit. I had no issues using the nail clippers and file to give Fenrir a pawicure. The nail clippers are sharp and work well. The scissors are perfect for touch ups. I personally used them to trim the parts of Kit that I didn’t want to use the clippers on, like his ears and tail. The guard combs clip securely onto the clippers and, in my opinion, are a really important addition to this kit. They allow you to easily trim your pet’s fur without actually shaving them bald.

Pet Clippers Review

The pet clippers themself, though, are the best part of this kit. They are cordless, which is awesome. I was used to using corded pet clippers (ahem…and corded human hair clippers) which meant having to stay close to a power outlet and work around getting tangled up in the cord. This kit comes with a charging base to quickly charge the large capacity lithium batteries. The listing for these clippers say they have a run time of up to 3 hours on a single charge. The motor is pretty quiet, which I know Kit appreciated, and also has 4 speed options. The blade itself features 35 stainless steel teeth, with a ceramic movable blade. There’s a knob on the clippers that lets you select from 4 lengths, from 0.8 to 2mm, and that’s before the addition of the guard combs. The blade is detachable so it can be cleaned or, if needed, replaced. The LCD display on the front of the clippers is super convenient. It displays the battery status, charging status, and speed.

Now that Kitsune is a gentleman of a certain age, I’m extra careful to keep the fur on the bottom of his paws trimmed. Papillons are a bit notorious for their ‘Grinch feet’ and, while fuzzy paws are adorable, I’ve noticed that when Kit’s paw fur gets too long he slips more. I’ve been clipping the fur on his paws and giving him sanitary trims every other week – his fur grows fast! When I received out Mosonth clipper kit, I figured, in the very least, it’d hopefully work well for keeping Kitsune’s paws and privates tidy. I would have been happy with it if that’s all it was good for. Expecting it to do a good job on a whole body trim was a tall order!

These Clippers Delivered!

Last weekend I used them, for the first time, to trim Kit’s fur. Before adding the guard comb they cut through the fur on the bottom of his paws like butter. They worked really well with the guard combs as well.

Some of my favorite features are how quite these clippers are, the fact that they are cordless, the LCD screen and, of course, how well they work. As an amateur when it comes to clipping dog’s fur, I’ve found that often Kit’s hair cuts will look quite choppy for a week or so after his trims. I always thought his haircuts didn’t come out super smooth because I just wasn’t that great at cutting his hair. Our Mosonth clippers made me wonder if maybe it wasn’t me, but the clippers I was using, all along. I think this is the smoothest haircut I’ve given Kit in a really long time!

You know what’s crazy? The Mosonth dog grooming clipper kit is available on Amazon for only $24.99! For that price, whether you’re using it for simple things like paw and sanitary trims, or full body trims, you really can’t go wrong. I know especially during Covid, when getting your dog to a groomer on a regular basis isn’t as easy as it used to be, having something like this at home can be so convenient. I know it has been, so far, for us! Thanks so much for reading. If any of you decide to try out the Mosonth dog grooming clipper kit for yourselves you’ll have to come back and let us know your thoughts!

The Paw Pack, Dog Health

How Smoking Affects Your Pets

February 5, 2021

If any smokers out there are looking for motivation to stop smoking, look no further than your furry friend. Exposure to second hand smoke, and third hand (or environmental tobacco smoke), can be downright deadly for pets. The affects of cigarette exposure are pretty common knowledge. It may seem like common sense that it is just as unhealthy for animals as it is for people.

Did you know that exposure to third hand/environmental smoke, or consuming old cigarette butts, can be just as deadly to pets as inhaling the smoke? The type of cancers that pets are more prone to developing from exposure to tobacco smoke can depend on their anatomy. It may be common to consider the health risks that smoking imposes on more common pets, such as cats and dogs. It’s important to remember that it can negatively impact the health of all types of animals, even the smallest of caged pets.

Post Contents:

1 Many Studies Have Scientifically Demonstrated the Impacts That Exposure to Smoke Can Have On Pets…
2 While Most Studies on Second Hand Smoke and Pets Have Been Done on Cats and Dogs, Exposure to Cigarette Smoke also Impacts Other Companion Animals.
3 The Dangers of Third Hand Smoke
4 Directly Consuming Discarded Cigarettes, Cigars, or Cigarette Butts Can Also Be Deadly to Pets.
5 So How Can You Help to Reduce the Risk of Second or Third Hand Smoke for Your Pet?

Many Studies Have Scientifically Demonstrated the Impacts That Exposure to Smoke Can Have On Pets…

A study done at Tufts University in 2002 concluded that cats who live with smokers develop malignant lymphoma twice as often as cats who live in non-smoking homes. Another study done at Tufts in 2007 linked oral cancer in cats to second hand smoke. The study showed that cats who were exposed to second hand smoke for five years or longer and cats who lived with more than one smoker had even higher cancer rates. Studies done on dogs have shown that long nosed breeds living with smokers are more prone to nasal and sinus tumors, while breeds with medium length muzzles are more prone to lung cancers.

While Most Studies on Second Hand Smoke and Pets Have Been Done on Cats and Dogs, Exposure to Cigarette Smoke also Impacts Other Companion Animals.

Animals confined to smaller spaces, such as a cage or room, often suffer from exposure to smoke because they are unable to escape it. Exposure to cigarette smoke can cause many health complications in pets, as in people, including breathing problems, diarrhea, vomiting, cardiac issues, lymphoma, lung cancer, nasal cancer, and death.

The Dangers of Third Hand Smoke

If you thought that breathing in second hand smoke was the only way that cigarettes can impact pets, think again. Third hand smoke, or particles from smoke that stick to surfaces such as furniture, clothing, and fur, is also dangerous. It’s important to keep in mind that pets are often forced to endure exposure to these toxins more than humans. Most pets are closer to the ground, where third hand smoke can accumulate. Many types of pets also groom themselves, making it common for them to ingest third hand smoke particles.

Directly Consuming Discarded Cigarettes, Cigars, or Cigarette Butts Can Also Be Deadly to Pets.

Depending on the type and size of the pet, ingesting just a single cigarette can be deadly. Drinking dirty water that has been contaminated with nicotine can also cause health issues.

So How Can You Help to Reduce the Risk of Second or Third Hand Smoke for Your Pet?

The best option, of course, for your own health as well as your pets’ , is to quit smoking. Besides that, there are some precautions you can take to help limit your pets exposure:

Only smoke outdoors.
Wash your hands after smoking and, if possible, change your clothes. Smoke particles on your skin and clothing can be carried indoors even if you smoke outdoors.
Make sure to correctly store ashtrays, cigars, cigarettes, and nicotine replacement products (gum, patches, etc). Don’t leave cigarette butts on the ground or anyplace where your pets might come into contact with them.

Do you worry about the impact that exposure to smoke could have on your pet(s)? My partner and I don’t smoke ourselves, but we used to live in an apartment building with neighbors who were heavy smokers. I often worried if exposure to our neighbors’ second/third hand smoke would impact our, or our pets’, health. Thankfully, knock on wood, so far we all seem to have escaped unscathed.

Thanks, as always, for reading! We hope that everyone is staying safe and doing well.

Pet Products

Yaheetech Dog Pen Review 2021

January 15, 2021

Happy Friday (or whatever day it is when you read this)! I hope everyone is having a good week. As I mentioned briefly last week, today I have a really cool product to share! Before we moved (ok, who’s sick of me talking about moving already?) we didn’t have a yard of our own. The apartment building we lived in did have a yard. It was about the size of a postage stamp and shared among all the tenants in the building. We pretty much stopped using it after one of the other tenants’ huge dog tried to attack little Fenrir which, thanks neighbors, caused Fen to develop reactivity issues towards large dogs. But I digress…One of my favorite things about our new house is that we have a yard of our own!

Post Contents:

1 A Portable Fence!?
2 Yaheetech Dog Pen Details…
3 Setting Up Our Yaheetech Pen
4 What Did We Think?

A Portable Fence!?

I’ve always thought it’d be awesome to have a fenced in yard for our dogs. However, we rent the house we’re currently living in, so spending a lot of money to fence in the yard isn’t really an option. When I take Kit and Fen outside to play I either go out with them, keeping Fen on a leash, or put them out on a tie out. The tie out is convenient if I want/need to have my hands free, but it’s annoying sometimes too. It’s hard to play fetch with Fenrir, for example, while he’s on his tie out because he tends to get himself tangled around things a lot. Enter the Yaheetech dog playpen!

…And my pathetic attempt to try to show how awesome it is in less than ideal weather. I’ve been SO excited to share this product here. We received it a few days before Christmas and it’s been sitting, packaged up, in our shed for most of that time because we had a crazy storm and got 4 feet of snow! Quite a bit of the snow has melted since then, but what’s left behind is hard and icy, and doesn’t make for the best, flattest, surface for building a dog pen.

We received our Yaheetech dog playpen for free in exchange for our honest review. As always, we strive to share only products we feel would be of interest to our readers. All opinions expressed are our own.

Yaheetech Dog Pen Details…

Check out the Yaheetech website for much better examples of how awesome this pen can look all set up! It’s super modeler, which is awesome. I received their 16 panel 40 inch playpen. It arrived quickly, packaged in two separate boxes which I appreciated because the boxes were a bit heavy. Once you get it unpacked, however, the panels themselves are lightweight and easy to move. Each panel is separate, then they can be connected together with metal poles, in basically any configuration you want! I decided on the 16 panel dog playpen so that I’d have lots of panels to work with! Our yard is a pretty decent size. I wanted to be able to make a large pen so Fen would have more space to run around and play. I opted for the 40 inch tall playpen, the tallest one Yaheetech offers, because…well, if you’ve ever seen an Alaskan Klee Kai jump you’d understand!

Setting Up Our Yaheetech Pen

I’ll admit I haven’t made a pen with all 16 panels yet, mostly because of the snow and cold, but I did throw together the above pictured 7 panel pen just so I could get an idea of what putting these pens together was like. It’s super easy! I put that 7 panel example pen together on my own in a very short time. I’m confident that, once the snow all melts, I’ll be able to build a really awesome huge pen for Kit and Fen without any difficulty. I’ll be sure to show it off here when that happens!

Until then, another thing I love about this playpen is how easy it is to store! The panels all lie flat. I just tied the stakes together to make sure I don’t loose any of them. Considering how large this pen will be when it’s fully set up, it takes up very little space when it’s put away and stored.

What Did We Think?

The Yaheetech playpen is sold on their website for dogs. I think it’d be really fun for other types of pets as well. I would have loved having something like this back when I had house rabbits. It would have been a perfect way to keep them safely contained for some outside play time.

I really do love this playpen, despite not being able to get a ton of use out of it yet. It’s such an awesome solution for people like me, who has active dogs but can’t put up any kind of permanent fencing. It makes me even more excited than I already was for spring. I really can’t wait to see how much fun Fen has finally having a space where he can run around without his leash.

Fen’s face in that picture is so funny. I tried putting him in the pen for the first time and he was looking at me like “what is this sorcery and why aren’t you holding my leash”! I’ll really have to post again come spring to really show our new playpen off. Until then, if you have the time please swing by and check out Yaheetech! They don’t only sell dog playpens, by the way. They have some other cool pet products like grooming tables, bird cages, and cat trees – plus a lot of awesome home goods like furniture and gardening supplies too. You can use our coupon code – PawPrintPetBlog – to receive a 5% discount on your order!

Pet Tips

Winter Holiday Pet Safety Tips

December 16, 2020

What, if any, winter holidays does your family celebrate? For many, the winter holiday season can be such a fun, joyful time. The name of the game in 2020 seems to be trying to find ways to be merry despite the difficult year we’ve all shared. Being quarantined has, perhaps, given many a new appreciation for their pets. Nothing raises the spirits quite like a snugly, or playful, fuzzy friend. Some animals enjoy the excitement and extra attention around the holidays, while others may prefer if things remained calmer. It’s important to remember that it’s not just humans who can get stressed around the holidays, and some of our favorite holiday traditions may present dangers to our pets. Keep these tips in mind to make sure all members of your family have happy and safe holidays this year.

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. If you purchase an item using our link, we will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please see our Disclaimer page for more information.

Provide your pet with plenty of fresh water. With all the excitement of celebrating with you, your pet is likely to work up a thirst. Always make sure to provide your pet with clean, fresh water.
Don’t overfeed your pet! Tasty foods are a part of many holiday celebrations, but overfeeding you pet can cause upset stomachs, vomiting, and diarrhea. In addition, feeding large amounts of fatty foods can be dangerous to pets. For example, pancreatitis is a painful and potentially dangerous condition that can be caused by a diet too high in fats. While a small amount of table scraps may be okay to offer your pet, don’t overdo it. If you’re celebrating with guests, advise them not to feed your pet, and always avoid foods high in fat, sweets, and cooked bones.
Learn what holiday items may be toxic to pets! It’s important to learn what foods or holiday items (such as plants) are safe for pets, and which aren’t. You don’t want to accidentally expose your pet something that could be dangerous to him/her. What to avoid will depend on what species your pet is, so make sure you do your research and learn what to avoid!
Keep an eye on your decorations! For a playful pet, holiday decorations may be confused as fun new toys. But decorations can be dangerous to your pet. They may be a chocking hazard, or cause impaction if your pet inadvertently swallows them. Some decorations such as glass lights or ornaments could potentially cause injury. Decorating is festive and fun, but keep it safe as well by making sure all decorations are out of your pets reach.
Make sure to secure your garbage can! With things like present wrapping, and food scraps being thrown out, your trash can is likely to be very tempting to your pet. Make sure your can is secured and pet proof.
If you serve alcohol, keep it away from your pets. To most people, keeping food out of their pets reach is common sense. But it’s important to keep an eye on your drinks as well, especially if your drinking something potentially dangerous to pets such as alcohol.
Minimize stress for your pet. The holidays can be stressful for humans and animals alike. Minimizing your pets stress level will go a long way towards making sure your pet is comfortable throughout the holiday season. Maintain your pets regular schedule as closely as possible. Give your pet a ‘safe zone’; a place where they can go to escape the hustle and bustle of the holiday excitement if they need some time to relax.
Make sure your pet is wearing an ID tag! If your pet is a cat or dog, or other uncaged pet, make sure they are wearing their collar and ID tags, and/or that they are microchipped. Especially if you have guests going in and out frequently, your pet may decide to take advantage of an open door. Make sure to tell guests to be careful around the doors, and keep a careful eye on your pet so he/she doesn’t attempt to make an escape.
If you are traveling with your pet, plan in advance! Traveling can be stressful, and you don’t need the added stress of having to prepare for traveling with your pet last minute. Make all travel arrangements and pack for you pet ahead of time to reduce stress on the day you are going to travel. If you are planning to bring your pet to another person’s house to celebrate, make sure they are aware you will have your pet with you and that they remove any potentially dangerous items from areas where your pet can reach. If you are planning on staying in a hotel, plan ahead! Not all hotels accept pets. Some of them that do have restrictions or fees that you should be aware of.
Maintain safety around guests! If you are expecting guests for the holidays, make sure they treat your pet with respect. Be extra careful around children who may not know how to handle your pet properly. Also inform all guests of your house rules regarding pets, including making sure they are aware of what holiday foods shouldn’t be given as treats.
If it’s cold where you’re celebrating, make sure to follow cold weather safety recommendations for your pets!
Be smart about pet gift giving! Some types of pets, especially dogs, have a great time opening their own presents! Make sure to supervise dogs around gifts. Ribbons, bows, and other present decorating items could be dangerous if ingested. Make sure the gifts you pick out for your pets are safe as well as fun!
Don’t give animals as gifts. While giving gifts to your pet is fun, giving pets as gifts isn’t usually a good idea. Pet ownership is a commitment that someone should always enter into willingly and knowingly. If you’d like to buy someone a pet, it’s best to only do so if the receiver knows about and is ready for the new pet ahead of time. Instead of giving a live animal as a gift, a better alternative is to give them supplies for their future new pet. Supplies, gift certificates, and books are good gift ideas that can help a future pet owner become more prepared for their new addition.

I know some of these tips don’t apply as much this year as they would other years. Are hotels even open again yet? I don’t think many people (anyone?) will be sad to see 2020 come to an end.

If you’re celebrating any winter holidays, what are some ways you incorporate your pet in your celebrations? Our little pack celebrates Yule. Kit and Fen especially love opening their Yule presents! Kitsune‘s birthday is also on December 26th, so that’s always something we look forward to celebrating.

Just a heads up, we’ll be taking the week off from blogging next week. I didn’t end up taking any time off from work. I want to spend what free time I have with my family. We’ll be back the week after, though, most likely with a post to celebrate Kit’s 12th birthday! Until then, the Paw Pack sends all our readers warmest wishes for fun, safe, healthy holidays. <3

Dog Health, Pet Products

Paw (and Environmentally) Friendly Alternative to Ice Melt

December 8, 2020

When we still lived in the city, snowy/icy weather always meant it was time to break out my dogs’ boots. Without their boots we would never get far in our walks before the boys would start limping. The large amounts of salt put out by the city/neighbors burned their paws. Now that have more control over what type of products are used, we make sure to use pet friendly products.

Post Contents:

1 Exposure to traditional ice melts, usually made from salts, can injure your furry friend’s feet in a few different ways.
2 Many kinds of ice melts are also bad for the environment.
3 So what are the alternatives to traditional salt based ice melt products?
4 If there’s some reason why you must use salt based ice melters, always follow the directions closely.

Exposure to traditional ice melts, usually made from salts, can injure your furry friend’s feet in a few different ways.

Salt crystals can be irritating if they get caught between doggy toes, and sharp crystals can even cut or puncture pet’s paw pads. Salt is also drying, and can cause the pads of animals’ feet to become dry, cracked, and sore. Exposure to traditional ice melt products can also cause chemical burns on animals feet, skin, mouths, and digestive systems (if they consume any of the product).

Many kinds of ice melts are also bad for the environment.

Ice melt can kill or damage plants. It can be carried in runoff to contaminate local bodies of water. It is damaging to the plants and animals that live there. Even if you don’t have any pets, or care for the environment, ice melt products can also damage lawns, contaminate waterways, and damage asphalt, concrete, wood, rugs and wood floors (if tracked inside).

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So what are the alternatives to traditional salt based ice melt products?

Some companies sell pet and/or environmentally friendly products that do not contain salts. The safest and cheapest alternative is to use sand to create traction on icy areas rather then using products that melt the ice. Sand is much safer for animals, children, and the environment. The ice will melt naturally anyways, or can be chipped away after it’s allowed to soften a bit, and in the meantime covering it with sand makes it safer to walk on.

If there’s some reason why you must use salt based ice melters, always follow the directions closely.

A little bit goes a long way! Applying too much salt not only increases its’ negative impacts on plants and animals. It can also make the product less effective at melting ice. If you, like was once the case with me, can’t control what types of products are used around your home, consider protecting your pet’s paws with booties, or by using paw protecting products such as Musher’s Secret, and always rinse or wipe your pet’s paws and fur off after returning from a winter walk.

My partner and I joke that we now live in the ‘frozen north’. The area we live in now gets quite a bit colder than the city we left. We’ve been dealing with all the fun seasonal stuff like snow, ice, cold, power outages – oh my! The town we live in gets an average of 75 inches of snowfall a year. As you can imagine, we’re getting some experience dealing with cold, icy weather. Thankfully, in the time we’ve been here so far, we’ve had a lot of success keeping the area around our home safe and ice free with all pet/environmentally friendly products. Afterall, keeping ourselves and visitors (aka the UPS person) safe is important, but keeping my pets and the environment healthy and safe is important to me too!

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