Fleas in the Winter?

In the northeast, we are having one of the warmest winters that we've had in a long time. It's nice to have such mild weather, but one thing that my owner didn't think about was the fact that the fleas and ticks are living longer than they usually do. In fact, we stopped doing my flea treatments, and now we are trying to get rid of fleas that are in the house.

This is not fun for any of us. But it's a good reminder that just because the calendar says it's winter in the northern states, it doesn't mean that the fleas are gone unless you have really had a good prolonged hard freeze which we have not. It's a lesson learned the hard way.

Wish us well in ridding ourselves of the fleas naturally. We will be back to let you know what works, and our progress.

Antifreeze Can Kill a Dog

A few weeks ago it was time to check the cars to see if they had enough antifreeze in them. This is something that people put in cars so that the liquid that circulates around the engine doesn't freeze.

It's great for cars, but terrible for dogs like me. I heard that about 3 Tablespoons could be enough to kill a 20 lb. dog, imagine what it could do to a little 7 lb. dog like me! It has a sweet taste, so we are tempted to lick it....that includes licking it off our paws if our owners don't keep us from stepping in it. Then we get very very sick and if it's too much, may become so sick that we die.

It attacks our nervous systems and kidneys, and we act like we're drunk within 1/2 hours to up to 12 hours depending upon how much we get into our systems. If we don't get treated in 3-8 hours, it may be fatal.

We just wanted to share that today since it's the time of the year, especially around here, when everyone is making sure that they have enough antifreeze in their cars, and if they put it into their cars themselves, there's just a chance of it spilling on the ground, and a dog finding it or walking in it and then licking either the puddle of it or licking it off their feet.

Dog Care During Winter and Christmas

I've left my owner inside typing (lucky owner) while I'm outside barking because we hear guns going off in the woods....it's hunting season!  We feel sorry for the deer and other animals that are being hunted, which is kind of strange, because both my owner and I like eating meat. 

It made me think of pet safety...around here small dogs have to be careful not only of hunters if we decide to wander off in the woods, but also of bears in the summer, and other animals....even dogs....that are bigger than us.

We have done some posts in the past about pet safety in the winter and during the holidays, and thought we'd give you links to them to save my owner a little typing...the information is important and the same whether it was typed in 2008 or now:

Pet Safety During the Holidays

Keeping Outdoor Dogs Warm

Shopping for Dog Christmas Gifts

We'll be back to add more links, I know we have some, we just have to find them.

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, and wishing you a happy Christmas season!