Super Bowl Sunday Is This Weekend!! Tips to Keep Your Pet Safe From Yelling Fans!

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Super Bowl Sunday Is This Weekend!! Tips to Keep Your Pet Safe From Yelling Fans!

Super Bowl Sunday has become an unofficial American holiday, with millions of people watching one football game.  It’s a great time of the year for friends, family, sport, laughs, food and cheers.  While you may be enjoying the big game, your poor and confused pet will be taking the backlash of your excitement.  Here are some tips from animal behaviorist Dr. Debra Horwitz and Dr. Marty Becker to help with your frightened pet.

Don’t Forget Your Pets Needs

Even though the Super Bowl is on, your pet still needs his everyday care.  This includes bathroom breaks, social needs, and food. 

Keep The Food Away

Greasy football food is bad for your pets stomach.  Especially chicken wings, which could cause your furry friend to choke.

 

Pause and Pet

It’s a good idea to show some love to your pet, especially at times when visitors jump up and down in excitement.

 

Quiet Place

If your pet is starting to get anxious, it may be time for you to find them a quiet place to spend the rest of the game.  A quiet bedroom will help calm them down and give you some relief as well.

Have fun this year’s Super Bowl, but don’t forget to give your pets some attention.  For more information and updates please LIKE our Facebook page!

Tips For Leaving Your Pets Home Alone!

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As a pet owner, emergencies tend to happen at the worst times, forcing you to leave your pet home alone.  It can be scary knowing that your furry friend is roaming the house all alone, possibly getting into trouble.  Here’s some great tips on how to leave your pets home alone with peace of mind! 

Keep them busy - Leave out several toys as well as food bowl.  Toys and food are great ways to keep your pet occupied.  The more time our furry friends spend doing things, the less time they’ll spend in trouble.

Exercise them before you leave - You and your pet will benefit from some physical activity before you leave for an extended period of time.  This is another factor that will tire them out, leaving them less time for getting into trouble.

Keep dangerous items away - Make sure the house is cleaned of items that may be dangerous to your pet.  Also, safely secure any items that are delicate and can be easily broken.  Pets have a tendency to be clumsy, so pet proof your house to protect you and your pet.

Confine your pet - It’s best to confine your pet to a small portion of the home so that they can’t get into too much trouble.  In that area, leave them an area to sleep, toys to play, and wee wee pads just in case.

Leave without creating a scene - Pets are keen on sensing how you feel, so before you leave try and remain calm.  It’s best to leave without saying much to your pet.  This will help reduce separation anxiety and keep your pet calm throughout your time gone.

Finally, make sure you give your loveable pet some attention when you arrive home.  Everyone knows pets love the undivided attention you give them so they know you’re taking care of them. 

What are some methods you use when leaving your pet home alone for extended periods of time?  Let us know on our Facebook page,LINKED HERE!

What's Your Pets Favorite Play Toy? Check out AllPet.com's great selection of Pet Toys!!

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Allpet.com offers over 5,000 pet supply products for your aquarium, birds, cats, dogs, reptiles and small pets!  All orders are fulfilled from our large 83,000 square foot warehouse. Having such a large facility allows us to sell quality pet supplies at even greater discounted prices!  Most orders ship the same day they are ordered.  Below is a selection of some of our most popular pet toys!  Some dogs like squeaky toys, other like something to gnaw on.  What kind of toys does your pet loving to play with?

Best Pet Supplies Cat Tunnel

Booda Fresh N Floss Bone

Marshalls Small Animal Chew Toy with Apple

A E Cage Petite Learning Blocks Toy

Coastal Vinyl Bone

 Let us know on our Facebook page what toy is your pets favorite!  You can find our Facebook page LINKED HERE!

Hilarious Canine Christmas Carols!

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If you're looking for a great laugh, watch these canine Christmas carols! Let us know what you think on our Facebook page, linked HERE! 

Pets and The Presidential Debate!

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As we all know the two top presidential candidates, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, have been debating important topics such as Obamacare, foreign policy and Romney’s tax plan.  Although these issues are vital and need to be discussed, I believe that our nation’s companion animal crisis should be addressed as well. 

According to American Pet Product Association’s National Pet Owners Survey of 2011, over 62% of all 

American households include at least one pet.  In 2011 Americans spent over 51 billion dollars on our pets, the highest recorded expenditures ever, even in the face of recession.  This shows how much Americans love their companion animals.  Despite this fact the truth is that between 5-7 million animals enter animal shelters and around 3-4 million of them are killed because of lack of space or become unadoptable.  This is an issue that needs to be addressed and steps need to be taken to ensure that this unfortunate statistic is altered.  The two candidates are debating cutting the funding for Big Bird, while governments in every city and county in the nation pour tax dollars into the rounding up, housing and eventual killing of innocent animals.  Almost every state is operating at a deficit, which creates a drain of the federal government.  This calls for a need to reevaluate and responsibly reallocate our resources properly. 

Although all companion-animal laws are enacted at the state and local level, it is important for each candidate to voice their opinions on this pressing topic.  Both candidates own, or have owned companion animals, which is why they should address an issue that they share with more than half the nation.  On behalf of the millions of Americans and the millions of animals that will not survive their time in shelter this year I urge the leaders of this nation to propose a solution or at least address the issue.  

National Pet Wellness Month!

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October is National Pet Wellness Month, this is a great time to remind pet owner of the benefits of preventive care.  Preventive care is the easiest way to ensure that your pet lives a longer healthier life.  The American Veterinary Medical Association is sponsoring the National Pet Wellness Month as a campaign to educate the American public on better ways to keep their pets healthy.  Dr. Barry Kellogg, the senior veterinary adviser for Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, offers pet owners the following tips to help care for your pet’s responsibility. 

Every pet should visit a veterinarian at least once a year.  Annual exams are a great opportunity to check on the overall health of your pet, while also reviewing vaccination status and program that are most appropriate for each individual pet.  Spaying and neutering can prevent many complications in a pet’s health, as well as curb the overpopulation pets reducing the amount of unwanted pets.  These procedures can be performed as early as 8-12 weeks of age.  Keeping your pet healthy starts with maintaining there weight.  It has been determined that 53% of dogs and 55% of cats are overweight, and prevention is much easier than loosing the weight in the long run.  A balanced diet can be easily maintained through commercial packaged pet foods.  

It can be hard for pets to chew and digest food if dental care is not maintained.  It can also lead to kidney problems especially in older animals, you can help by feeding them quality proteins and avoiding red meats also increase the water intake.  This will decrease the workload on the kidneys and help prevent diseases and health issues.

National Pet Wellness Month is meant to educate and spread the word about preventative care for your pets.  It is easier to take steps to avoid complications with your pet’s health, than it is to try to cure these problems after they occur.  You can use these tips to help you pet live a long, healthy and happy life.  

Do Your Pets Celebrate Halloween?

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Seven years ago, Sue Subkow, a dog lover, set up a Halloween party for a group of fifteen dogs.  Half of the dogs were dressed up and half were not. A year later the size doubled and Subkow started handing out awards for the best costumes.  Today this Halloween party for dogs now consists have over a thousand dogs and about eighty of them dress up for the occasion!

Over the past several years, the popularity for dog Halloween costumes has risen.  In 2010, the American Pet Products Association said that nine percent of dog owners have purchased a Halloween costume for their dog.  Subkow isn't the only person who arranges Halloween gatherings for dogs and their owners.  In Highland Virginia, people gather with the local fire fighters from station 19 to throw a pet Halloween party.  

The fire fighters use it as an easy way to get involved with the community and build relationships with the citizens they protect.  The real allure of this party is gathering with other enthusiastic pet owners that understand the bond you share with you pet.  It is also a fun way to get kids together and participate in activities with their pets and friends.  

So, try a Halloween pet party with your friends this month it could be a lot of fun! 

New Fish Owner Tips!

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So you’re ready to enter the world of fish by becoming a fish keeper? Great! Let’s get started.

First of all, thrown out the picture in your head of a single fish floating around in one of those little bowls! You’re going to need at least a 20-gallon tank. While a 10-gallon tank may seem like it will be easier since it is smaller, it actually is harder to maintain a healthy tank if it has a small amount of water. Plus, you want to keep your fish happy with a decent amount of living space.

Now that you have your tank, you’re going to need to fill it up and make it a happy habitual place for your fish. Adding gravel, rocks, wood and other decorations (plants or a pirate ship maybe?) will give your tank, not only a great look or theme, but hiding spots for your fish when they need some alone time.

Your tank is going to need a proper filtration system, a heater (depending on the fish you choose to keep), food, a light and cover, as well as test kits and chemicals. Be sure to speak with your local aquarist for more information on how you should set up your tank and what you need to purchase.

Once you get your aquarium up and running, there are some general care and maintenance tasks you need to complete daily, weekly and monthly. Let’s go over them…

Daily:

Feeding – Feed your fish multiple times in small quantities. You don’t want excess food to sink to the bottom of the tank and reduce the water quality.

Lights – Cycle 12 hours of lights on and off.

Water Temperature – Make sure the water is at a constant temperature. A liquid crystal thermometer 

Weekly: 

Replace Water – Remove and replace several gallons of water to keep the tank clean from too much chemical build up.

Test the Water – Test the water quality with a test kit, to ensure that all levels are safe for your fish.

Remove Algae – Scrape off the algae that builds up on your tank.

Monthly: 

Clean Your Filter – Clean your filter or replace charcoal and filter pads, depending on the type of filter your tank has.

Plant Maintenance – Cut and prune your plants if you have them.

It’s your job as a fish keeper to keep your fish live and well and following the above recommendations will help you to do just that. For more information, see this article from ASPCA! 

Remember, if you need any supplies for your aquarium, visit allpet.com!