4 Important Ways to Keep Your Pets Safe This Spring
18 Feb

4 Important Ways to Keep Your Pets Safe This Spring

After months of chilly weather, the arrival of spring fills our world with blossoms, foliage, and Easter celebrations. In a perfect world, we could move from season to season without worrying that our habits – and Mother Nature’s – could be putting our pets at risk. As you begin to welcome warmer weather and more time outdoors, take care to protect your pets to ensure they enjoy the season, too.

Save Easter Treats for Your Two-Legged Friends

If your family celebrates Easter with chocolatey goodies, be sure to keep them far away from your fur babies. Chocolate is toxic for both dogs and cats, as is coffee because of the theobromine and caffeine in cacao seeds. Be mindful not to hide candy-filled plastic eggs in your yard or home. Pets are especially adept at sniffing out anything new in their surroundings, so if you notice your pet vomiting, panting, drinking profusely, or having diarrhea, contact your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at once. Their hotline is available 24/7 year-round. Tip: Pick up stray pieces of plastic Easter basket grass quickly. Cats have a tendency to swallow it, which can lead to a digestive blockage, dehydration, and vomiting.

Opt for Silk Spring Flowers

As beautiful as spring blossoms are, the ones we associate most closely with spring – daffodils, crocus, tulips, and lilies – are some of the most poisonous to our pets. From vomiting and diarrhea to severe dehydration and kidney damage, the bulbs, stems, petals, and pollen pose a very real threat to cats and dogs. Choose floral arrangements made with silk flowers instead and keep your pets away from flower beds when blossoms abound.

Reduce Springtime Allergies with Regular Grooming

As much as we enjoy the longer, warmer days in springtime, seasonal allergies come with the territory. Increases in pollen can affect your pets as well, but regular grooming can make them more comfortable while reducing the amount of allergens they carry on their coat and into your home. Brush your dog’s coat daily, especially if it’s long. Our double-sided Dog Brush has long pins to separate matted hair as well as a soft boar bristle head that distributes oils along the hair shaft to keep it looking shiny. Every four to six weeks, bathe your pup with a Delicate Dog Shampoo. Acca Kappa’s shampoo contains bamboo extract to help remove tangles as well as rice proteins and linseed oil to nourish your dog’s skin and hair simultaneously.

Plan for Your Pet’s Safe Return

No one wants to think about a pet going missing, but when the weather warms up, and we spend more time outdoors, your pet is more likely to take a walkabout and inadvertently wander too far from home. Make sure you microchip your pet and have a current identification tag on the collar. If somebody disappears, the likelihood of a safe return depends on someone being able to contact you immediately. And be sure to update your pet’s tag if you move or get a new cell phone number. According to American Humane, “10 million pets are lost” in any given year, and “only 15 percent of dogs and 2 percent of cats in shelters without ID tags or microchips are reunited with their owners.” For less than $100, a microchip can greatly improve your chances of getting your pets back if they wander off while enjoying the bounty of spring. Ask your veterinarian about low-cost microchipping today.

Success! The product was added to your cart.

The product was added to your wishlist.