Safety Tip for Halloween

 

Happy Halloween!

Halloween night falling on a Saturday is a kids dream.  Dress up, stay up late and go door-to-door trick-or-treating gathering candy- sounds fun, but not for all family members. Doorbells often trigger dogs to bark and get overly stimulated.  Kids yelling Trick-or-Treat in crazy looking costumes can be scary.  Dogs don't know what day it is, or why this crazy activity keeps occuring.

The door opening and closing constantly is an opportunity for escape.  Luckily, although the dogs don't know what to expect, we do.  We can keep our pets (cats too) safe by closing them a room away from the door.  I am a fan of crates.  I choose to crate my dogs during prime trick-or-treat time.  They seem much calmer in their crates and they don't bark when the doorbell rings and I know they won't destroy anything while they are stressed and unsupervised.  

Bowls of candy waiting for kids near the door can be raided by pets.   We like candy- and they like candy.  It's bad for us, but it is Really bad for them.  Sugar can cause painful gas and diarrhea.  Sugar-free candies can be even worse.  A common sugar substitute is Xylitol which can cause a rapid, sever drop in blood sugar, causing seizures and possibly causing the inability to to walk. Xylitol can cause severe liver damage or death.  If you have sugar free candy containing Xylitol and you think your pet has ingested it, head to the animal hospital.  

Most people have heard that chocolate is dangerous.  It contains methylxanthines which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, or much more serious rapid or irregular heart rates, tremors and even seizures. Trick-or-Treaters often eat candy while out and sometimes throw candy wrappers on the ground or drop candy without knowing it.   Pay attention to what your dog may find on the ground.  It is best to take the dog out earlier, before the festivities begin. 

Key Takeaways:

* Sugar, Xylitol- containing candies, and chocolate all cause stomach upsets or much worse.  

* frequent doorbell ringing, visitors in costume yelling, can increase stress in pets.

* Keep your pets in a safe inside in a secure location away from the front door

* While walking outside after Halloween pay attention to what your dog may find on the ground. 

Not as many kids go door to door anymore, but some still do and some neighborhoods get more trick-or-treaters than others.   If you live in one of these neighborhoods, keep your pets safe and have fun.  

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 

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New GCh. Acadia Trusted Opinion, FDC

 Tristan was Best of Breed on Thursday and Friday to finish the Grand Championship.   Mike and I had other plans for the weekend, so it was nice he accomplished my goal during the week.  

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Acadia Isle of Pines Embers A Glow "Mia" wins Best of Breed for a major

Acadia Isle of Pines Embers A Glow is a Ch. Acadia All A Glow (Granby) daughter.  Her call name is 
 Mia and she co-owned with Marcia.  Today Mia was Winners Bitch and Best of Breed over 4 specials for a major.  She has 7 points with a major.  

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Ch. Acadia Trusted Opinion, FDC

 Tristan today.   Fall is just too beautiful not to take some pictures.   We took this in our front yard.

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Blue Chevy Astro Van (2004-2026)

 When I lived in Tucson in the 1990's I traveled to the shows by myself.  There was a wonderful group of sheltie people from Phoenix who all traveled together.  They welcomed me into their circle and I loved this group.  Many of them had RV's and would stay at the show grounds.  I had a Honda Civic hatchback which could fit 3 shelties and my stuff.  I stayed in hotels, but would set up with the Phoenix group.

Moving from PA to ID- PA Plates: Acadia

At the time, the Phoenix group were mostly couples in which showing dogs was the hobby of the women and the men enjoyed the camping, the comradery, cars, and being helpful and fun, and yes, sometimes showing.  One time my civic developed a flat tire and these guys changed my tire as I prepared and showed my dogs and they got it patched and ready to go by the time I was ready to drive back to the hotel.   This whole group made dog shows fun.  

When I was ready for a new vehicle they strongly recommended the Chevy Astro Van.  It was a popular dog show vehicle and I listen.  I got my first Astro in Arizona.   It was a gray rear wheel drive (RWD), which was fine in sunny and dry Tucson.   I did agree it was just what I needed.   That van moved to Pennsylvania with us, but being RWD, I found myself "sledding" down icy hills and needed to get a different Astro.  I did have it for many years and I have a funny story about that gray Astro which I will tell in a different post.  I don't think I have any pictures of that van, which is too bad.  

Chevy made an all-wheel drive (AWD), which was perfect for my needs.  I got this (2004) van in August 2005 for $17,500 and it had 16,293 miles.  It took me to shows all over the mid-Atlantic.  Every time I got in it, I was heading to a dog show, which is exactly where I wanted to be and the association made me happy to drive it.  This van was heavy and safe, easy to drive, and had all the room I needed.  It loved to drive on the highway, and I loved to drive it. 

It made the move to Idaho with us (photo on the road is from that move) and then it traveled all around the Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon to dog shows.   Idaho was not very good to this van as I didn't get to as many shows, most of the driving was not highway as we think of it here in the east and the van was not as happy on those roads, it lived in our workshop which had mice, and those mice did damage including peeing on the carpets (a smell I never could really get out) and nesting material would come out of the air conditioning vents.  One trip it broke down (a hose blew- I bet it was the mice), not far from home, but far enough it required friends to come rescue us and the dogs.  The mechanic tried to tell me that they couldn't get the part for it because of its age and Chevy no longer made the Astro.   Mike saved the day by finding the part at a junk yard.  

Moving from PA to ID

After that experience I decided I needed a "parts van" and purchased a 2003 Astro just to ensure the blue 2004 would never be "unrepairable" again.  Hindsight- that was a waste of money.  We never needed any parts from it and when we moved to Connecticut, the blue van made the move, and the "parts van" ended up back at the Pennsylvania farm-  not a very convenient place if a part was needed. It's still drivable. 

I had a really hard time with smell from the mice and found myself not wanting to drive the van. I tried scrubbing the carpets- but Wow, the smell was relentless. Of course I had so many positive associations with this van.  Over the 21 years I had it, it transported many generations to shows.  It transported my most important dogs. It was a staple and it took me a while to mentally divest myself.   As you can tell from this overly long post about a van, I still love that van and everything it meant.  

This week, I donated it to charity.  I hope that it still had enough value to contribute to a cause I care about.  Thank you Chevy for a great Astro Van.   

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Happy 250th Birthday America

 Thank you Bunny Guido for a beautiful picture of Skye celebrating a huge milestone in our nations history.  Surprisingly it was quiet last night.  I expected there to be fireworks since it was a Friday night, but thankfully there were only a few random ones.   Tonight will be different.  

I am staying home and my dogs will be safe in their crates with a fan and a radio.  The shades have been drawn all day in an effort to keep the house a bit cooler and assist the air conditioner, but they will be down tonight to keep the light flashes to a minimum.    If you are going to a celebration tonight, leave your dog at home and safely inside.  Do not leave them outside even if you yard if fenced.  Frightened dogs may dig or climb out.   Hopefully your dog is microchipped which may help should they become lost.   

Tonight will not just be a lot more fireworks than normal, it is also hotter than normal.   Crating your dog is the safest thing, but put a fan in the room to help cool them and also to provide a consistent noise which will help dampen the boom of fireworks.

Stay safe and Happy 4th of July! 

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Safety Tip: How to Handle the Heat. And Happy 4th of July

Tomorrow I will write about the challenges of the 4th of July.  These past few days, heat has been a big news story.   Of course NEVER, NEVER, EVER leave a pet, child, or any living thing, in vehicle unattended.  The main recommendation is to stay indoors, use air conditioning, and stay hydrated.    For those without air conditioning, the recommendation is to find a cooling center.    Of course we know that wildlife don't have these options and most will survive this discomfort.  When hot days come gradually, it is easier to acclimate, but when they come on suddenly, the health risks are much greater.   Air movement, shade, water are the keys to survival.   

Even with air conditioning, stagnant air can feel hotter.  Air circulation helps the skin dissipate the heat.  Many animals sweat and air movement helps to wick that sweat away or cool it, but dogs don't sweat, they pant.  Fans are still valuable, even in air conditioned spaces.  Some people shave their dogs thinking that a shorter hair cut will help keep them cool, but long coats can act as a buffer zone between the hot air and the skin.     The temperature of the top of the coat is much hotter than at the skin level.  I don't recommend shaving, but I do recommend fans!

Water should be available and cool so that it assists with cooling the core body temperature.  Like people, dogs also need electrolytes.  If you feel your dog is becoming dehydrates, you may want to provide some electrolytes in the form of Pedialyte unflavored.  

Be Very Careful walking dogs on pavement or asphalt.  Driveways, Sidewalks, parking lots all retain heat for a significantly longer period of time than the air temperature and in full sun they can get hot enough to burn the feet.  Even mulch gets really hot so stay on the grass as much as possible when going outside to potty.  

Not all shade is the same.  Natural shade such as trees are much cooler- mostly because of the air flow and the movement of the leaves which assists with air movement.   Tents, shade cloths, other man-made shade certainly is better than no shade, but sometimes fans are also needed to assist with air flow.  There are many good portable, battery operated fans on the market for such occasions.  

A dog's normal temperature is between 99 degrees to 102.5   You can take the temperature using a rectal thermometer,  If your dog begins to hyperventilate, it is a sign they are not able to dissipate enough heat to regulate their body.  They should be offered additional water, wet them down, and increase the air flow around them.  Most of the time that will be sufficient.  If your dog is confused, weak, has dry gums, they might be experiencing heat stress.   

Body temperatures above 105 degrees Fahrenheit is dangerous and can be life threating.  Most dogs won't experience this sort of distress in a normal environment, however, Heat Stroke can occur VERY quickly in vehicles and other closed environments.  

How to Cool a Heat Stressed Dog

1. Apply ice or cool packs to the a) armpits  b) groin area c)the neck

2. Increase the air movement by fanning, blowing, or better yet, move to an air conditioned area or use fans

3. Immerse the dog in tepid (not really cold) water bath, or pour cool water in the armpits, groin area, and over the neck

4. Seek Veterinary assistance  

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