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Hey! Does Your Dog Bite?

April 14, 2021 by Jennifer Houghton Leave a Comment

The answer to that question, I’ve learned the hard way, is always yes! Which isn’t to say that our dogs are out to bite down on any human in sight! Rather, it is something to be especially aware of in the age of pandemic pets.

The second week in April is Dog Bite Prevention Week. So, let’s talk about ways to minimize or prevent a bite wound. 

Dogs have a limited number of mechanisms to communicate to humans when they are uncomfortable. Most of their cues are nonverbal and humans aren’t always well versed in the language. Once they move to growling, the typical follow-up (if that doesn’t work) is a snap or lunge or a bite.  [Read more…] about Hey! Does Your Dog Bite?

Filed Under: Pet Safety Tagged With: American Veterinary Medical Association, canine, chomped, disruption, dog bite, dog bite prevention week, dogs, Floofins & Co., good behavior, healthy, illinois, injured, insurance, language, leash training, march, minimize, National Dog Bite Prevention Coalition, pack adventure walk, pandemic, permission, prevent, restrictions, sick, socializing, stress, vet, wound

Heartworm Awareness Month Arrives

April 7, 2021 by Jennifer Houghton Leave a Comment

Pet parents take all kinds of action to make sure that their pets are well cared for. From comfy beds, to interactive toys, training, and annual trips to the vet, we do most anything to keep our fuzz ball healthy and happy.

Something we may not always think about is heartworm disease. In all likelihood, you probably have your pet on a combination product that covers prevention for fleas, ticks, heart and other parasitic worms. Or do you?

Now is a great time to double check your preventive medication regimen. And while you’re scanning the medicine cabinet, here are a few things to bear in mind. [Read more…] about Heartworm Awareness Month Arrives

Filed Under: Pet Care Tagged With: American Kennel Club, annual, arteries, backyard, fleas, heart, heartworm, inflammation, interactive toys, lungs, medication, mosquitos, parasitic worms, pet parents, prevention, Ticks, Training, vet, veterinarians

Do You Need Pet Insurance For Your Floofin?

September 9, 2020 by Jennifer Houghton Leave a Comment

Like people, your faithful pet will most likely need to see a doctor at some point in their life. If you are lucky, it will be for very routine matters. That will make it relatively easy to calculate how much you will likely need to set aside on an annual basis for your pet’s medical expenses.

However, even the most healthy among us can be unexpectedly hit with an unplanned medical emergency that we did not see coming. It could be an accident, a hidden hereditary flaw, or just the realities of a long life and aging.

So, when you consider the cost of having pet insurance against not having pet insurance, how do you decide?

Let me give you an example of a recent experience I had with my senior dog, Ginger.

Senior Pet Experience

When Ginger, who is currently 10 years old and a rescue of unknown origin, began skipping meals (unheard of) and stumbling periodically on walks, I took her to the vet. For roughly $300 I found out that her physical exam and blood work deemed her to be healthy. The stumbling and legs giving out continued.

At the suggestion of a behaviorist that I worked with to transition a new pup into our home, I took Ginger to a specialist to examine her for physical issues that might not have shown up in blood work. This included a gait analysis; telemedicine visit; and a 30 minute in-person evaluation. Total cost: $276. They recommended X-rays of the spine and pelvis. With the X-rays and a pain medication prescription, I chucked nearly $600 on that visit alone.

Final Results

My dog has arthritis and spinal disc disease. I can run her through one month of rehab for nearly $800 that will include exercises, massage, electrical stimulation, etc. While I am still considering that option, I have to say that pet insurance sounds like a pretty good idea right now. I don’t have any for Ginger, but her new roommate – the puppy Jameson – may end up with some type of insurance to avoid this same situation down the road.

I am fortunate to have had an emergency fund saved up that will cover her expenses. Also, I have a credit card that allows zero percent interest on charges at her normal vet’s office (for a certain number of months for charges over a certain dollar amount).

However, I am not the average person. You’ve probably heard the statistics that the average American doesn’t have $500 on hand for an emergency. I don’t have a spouse, children, or other factors that would turn those dollar values into decisions between my pet’s health and feeding my children or making a car payment to get to work. That makes me extremely lucky. I’m fortunate that the pain medication alone seems to have altered the quality of life for Ginger. She is playing and doing things she hasn’t done recently. Will I need to spend additional funds on her down the road? Most likely.

If your pet is healthy and you wondering what choices you would have made if Ginger were your dog, now might be a good time to examine the costs and coverage of a pet insurance policy. September is Pet Insurance Month. I promise I’ll do the same as I consider what is best for my finances and my new puppy.

Filed Under: Pet Care Tagged With: arthritis, behaviorist, blood work, car payment, children, doctor, emergency fund, evaluation, exercise, funds, gait analysis, Ginger, massage, medical expenses, pain medication, pelvis, pet, pet insurance, Pet Insurance Month, physical exam, prescription, rescue, senior, spinal disc disease, spine, spouse, telemedicine, vet, X-rays

Pet Poison Prevention Week

March 18, 2020 by Jennifer Houghton Leave a Comment

The third week of March has been designated as Pet Poison Prevention Week for over 50 years.

How often do you think about what might be poisonous to your pet? Before you bring them into your home? After they’ve eaten something that has fallen on the floor? Immediately upon reentering the room after leaving a pan of brownies on the stove in what should have been a safe distance to find half the pan eaten and your dog’s guilty grin greeting you?

Let’s take a moment to consider what might cause dire harm or death to your pet upon ingestion and what actions you can or should take if that occurs.

There’s a very handy search engine on https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poisons/. Type in the item ingested and get information on what to do.

Further, Pet Poison Helpline is a 24-hour pet poison control center. There is a fee involved if you use their services. Or, they can help you locate an emergency vet near you.

Their website includes guides on pet safety and how to spot potential poisons in each room of your house and even by holidays.With Easter approaching, you can read about possible poisonings that can occur during that time frame at https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/pet-owners/seasons/easter/.

The top dog poison is chocolate and the top cat poison is lilies. See the complete list by clicking here.

Filed Under: Pet Safety Tagged With: brownies, cat, chocolate, dog, Easter, emergency, fee, holidays, home, ingestion, lilies, Pet Poison Helpline, pet poison prevention week, poisonous, search engine, stove, vet, website

Giving Thanks For Challenging Pets

November 27, 2019 by Jennifer Houghton Leave a Comment

Despite griping about the weather, the challenges at my day job, and the general obstacles that life throws my way (yeah, I’m talking about you chipped-from-a-rock windshield), I’m extremely fortunate. So, when Thanksgiving rolls around, and we as a country pause to count the blessings of our comfortable lives, I probably name off the same general things everyone else does: family, friends, and the abundances in my life. 

But, I gave it some thought and have to admit that I’m not going to do that this year.  This year, I’m giving thanks for the gift of challenging pets.

Everyone who sees my dog, Ginger, tells me how sweet, cute, well-behaved, or any other variety of complimentary adjectives she is. And the pictures of her on social media are along the same ilk. But, you don’t see the moments that try my patience (of which, I will admit, I have very little to being with): [Read more…] about Giving Thanks For Challenging Pets

Filed Under: Dear Floofy Collumn Tagged With: abundances, bear, blessings, cat, challenges, country, dogs, family, friends, Ginger, gloves, home, job, joy, lesson, love, obstacles, pets, sled dog, snacks, social media, tears, Thanksgiving, vet, weather, window, windshield

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