October Blog

​🎃Happy October!🎃

​There are many reasons for Dagger and I to be happy.
​First and foremost, Dagger and I are still giving DogVinci Workshops, painting and making a difference in the world. That alone makes me very happy.

On October 20, 2019, Dagger will be the guest of honor at the AKC Museum of the Dog. He will be doing painting demonstrations for the visitors and meeting & greeting everyone that comes to their library from 11AM-1PM.
​That's happiness personified😁

To add to this happiness...October is full of National Days to celebrate. There's National Black Dog Day; National Name Your Car Day; National Inner Beauty Day; National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work/School Day; Columbus Day; National Make a Dog's Day Day; National Pumpkin Day and Halloween!!!!🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃 AND many more!!

I love National Days.  I feel that National Days help us center on positive events. It's fun to learn about all sorts of things and causes that effect our lives.
​I especially love the ones that include dogs in them🐶 As I've mentioned in my previous Blogs, education is key to all that we do in life. The National Day's also help to educate us about various events that happen in the USA🇺🇸and throughout the world 🌎 That makes my heart sign and Dagger's tail wag ❤️🐶

The other thing I love about October is everything pumpkin, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie...all things pumpkin. For years now, I've been adding Farmers Market Organic Pumpkin puree to all of our dogs meals. It comes in a container. I add a table spoon to eat meal.  Just make sure that it's NOT Pumpkin Pie puree which actually has added spices and sugar in its ingredients. Pumpkin puree has added nutrients and aids in a dogs digestive system. Never give your dogs raw or uncooked pumpkin and pumpkins that have rotted.

And finally...
​HALLOWEEN!!!

Super Dog Dagger DogVinci

Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated each year on October 31.  I love to see the little trick or treaters all dressed up in their favorite super hero or character costumes. However, Halloween can be a dangerous and stressful time when it comes to our pets. In our home we've learned over the years that we've had to resort to an alternative plan with the constant door bell ringing and possibility of one of our dogs escaping. Believe it or not, that mild manner, gentle dog Dagger is an alarm barker. Multiply that by two other alarm barking dogs and it can be a recipe for a stress filled time. So, what we do is place a decorated table on the front stoop of the house with a big plastic pumpkin filled with the most popular candy and a sign asking the trick or treaters "On their honor... to take one." This has been so successful for us.  

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While preparing this blog I came across PETMD's "10 easy tips to skip the stress and keep your pets safe this Halloween." I found them very helpful...
​I hope you do too🎃
1. Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets.All forms of chocolate—especially baking or dark chocolate—can be dangerous, even lethal, for dogs and cats. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning may include vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and seizures. Halloween candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can also be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar and subsequent loss of coordination and seizures. “Xylitol ingestion can also cause liver failure in dogs, even if they don’t develop symptoms associated with low blood sugar,” adds Dr. Jennifer Coates, veterinary advisor with petMD. And while xylitol toxicity in cats has yet to be established, it's better to be safe than sorry.

2. Don't leave pets out in the yard on Halloween.Vicious pranksters have been known to tease, injure, steal, and even kill pets on Halloween night. Inexcusable? Yes! But preventable nonetheless. Black cats are especially at risk from pranks or other cruelty-related incidents. In fact, many shelters do not adopt out black cats during the month of October as a safety precaution. Make sure your black cats are safely housed indoors around Halloween. 

3. Keep pets confined and away from the door. Indoors is certainly better than outdoors on Halloween, but your door will be constantly opening and closing, and strangers will be on your doorstep dressed in unusual costumes. This, of course, can be scary for our furry friends, which can result in escape attempts or unexpected aggression. Putting your dog or cat in a secure crate or room away from the front door will reduce stress and prevent them from darting outside into the night…a night when no one wants to be searching for a lost loved one. 

4. Keep glow sticks away from pets. While glow sticks can help keep people safe on Halloween night, they can add some unwanted drama to the holiday if a pet chews one open. “Thankfully, the liquid inside glow sticks is non-toxic, so it won’t actually make pets sick,” Coates says, “but it does taste awful.” Pets who get into a glow stick may drool, paw at their mouth, become agitated, and sometimes even vomit. Coates recommends that if your pet does chew on a glow stick, “offer some fresh water or a small meal to help clear the material out of the mouth.”

5. Keep Halloween plants such as pumpkins and corn out of reach. While small amounts of corn and pumpkin can be fed safely to many pets, ingesting uncooked, potentially moldy Halloween pumpkins or corn displays can cause big problems. Gastrointestinal upset is a possibility whenever pets eat something they aren’t used to, and intestinal blockage can occur if large pieces are swallowed. Coates adds that “some types of mold produce mycotoxins that can cause neurologic problems in dogs and cats.” So, keep the pumpkins and corn stalks away from your pets. And speaking of pumpkins…

6. Don't keep lit pumpkins around pets. If you are using candles to light your jack-o-lanterns or other Halloween decorations, make sure to place them well out of reach of your pets. Should they get too close, they run the risk of burning themselves or causing a fire.

7. Keep electric and battery-powered Halloween decorations out of reach. Electric and battery-powered Halloween decorations are certainly safer than open candles, but they still can present a risk to pets. Pets who chew on electrical cords can receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock or burn. Batteries may cause chemical burns when chewed open or gastrointestinal blockage if swallowed. Shards of glass or plastic can cause lacerations anywhere on the body or, if swallowed, within the gastrointestinal tract.

8. Don't dress your pet in a costume unless you know they'll love it. If you do decide that Fido or Kitty needs a costume, make sure it isn't dangerous or simply annoying to your pet. Costumes should not restrict movement, hearing, eyesight, or the ability to breathe. Coates warns that pets who are wearing a costume should always be supervised by a responsible adult so that if something goes wrong, it can be addressed right away.
 
9. Try on pet costumes before the big night.Don’t wait until Halloween night to put your pet in a costume for the first time. “Any time you want to introduce your pet to something new, it’s best to go slowly,” Coates says. Get your pet costumes early, and put them on for short periods of time (and piece by piece, if possible). “Make it a positive experience by offering lots of praise and treats,” Coates adds. If at any time, your pet seems distressed or develops skin problems from contact with a costume, consider letting him go in his “birthday suit.” A festive bandana may be a good compromise.

​10. IDs, please! If your dog or cat should escape and become lost, having the proper identification will increase the chances that he or she will be returned. Collars and tags are ideal if a Good Samaritan is able to collect your wayward pet, but microchips offer permanent identification should the collar or tag fall off. Just make sure the information is up-to-date. Use Halloween as a yearly reminder to double check your address and phone number on tags and with the company who supports pet microchips."
Taken from: https://www.petmd.com/dog/seasonal/evr_multi_halloween_safety_tips

Whatever you do...enjoy the month of October.
Be safe and Be well 😁🎃😘
Happy Tails to you.
xoxo Yvonne