Halloween Safety Tips for Pets from @Iams

Did you know Canada..  As if your dog or cat isn’t already cute enough, Halloween is one of the best times of year to dress up your furry friends and include them in the family fun.  Check out our little Bailey in her Butterfly Costume..hehe!

Although dressing up your pets in costumes can be a treat, Halloween can be one of the most dangerous times for animals because they often get excited or spooked from all the noise and visitors. Here are four points to consider for your pet’s safety this October.

Of all candy, chocolate is one of the most toxic for pets – which also happens to be very popular around Halloween. Keep your petsaway from the candy bowl and trick-or-treat bags off the floor to avoid choking hazards. It’s also important to inform your children of how dangerous tasty Jolly Ranchers and Kit-Kat bars can be to their furry friends. If you have this chat in advance, kids might be more cautious and won’t be tempted to share their treats.

If you choose to dress your dog or cat up this year, make sure costumes aren’t too tight. A sailor hat may look cute on your cat’s head but the string attached may be irritating its neck. Just like people, pets need to be able to breathe comfortably and move safely without tripping or being unable to see and hear.

With the door opening and closing all night, animals might take this as an opportunity to run away. Make sure to keep pets in a safe and enclosed area – even turn on a radio or TV to help suppress knocks at the door and outside sounds. If you plan to let your dog or cat in on the excitement, don’t forget they might be frightened by people in costumes. To keep them calm, say things such as “it’s OK” or “don’t be scared” in a soft and sympathetic voice.

Candles and jack-o-lanterns should be kept at a safe distance or up on table tops. The flames or hot wax can cause burns on your pets and even a fire if knocked over. As an alternative, use flashlights and LEDs to safely spook-up your house. If your jack-o-lantern or other decorations has a power cord, make sure your pet can’t chew them.

These simple precautions can make for an enjoyable Halloween for the entire family. For more pet safety tips for your cat and dog all year round, visit the SPCA, OSPCA, Iams or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iams.

Do you dress up your furry friend for the Holidays?  Tweet a pic to @Iams or share your photo on Iams Facebook page!

Iams SO GOOD! Doggie Café #PGmom

Did you know Canada..  Iams SO GOOD! Doggie Café has been traveling across Canada this summer and still has a few stops left!

The first ever Iams SO GOOD! Doggie Café is spreading the real love between pets and their owners and introducing Canadians to the new Iams SO GOOD! dog food.  The Doggie Café is a paw-fect truck filled with Iams SO GOOD! food and fun activities designed specifically for dogs and their owners to enjoy together, including a photo booth, slot machine and sampling stations.

Iams SO GOOD! offers delicious, wholesome nutrition to keep your dog healthy, strong, and playful.  Made with no added sugar, no added dyes and no artificial flavours, you can know you are doing the best for your pet.

We have 2 doggies in our household, Maddie our Boxer/Retriever and Bailey our Shih-Tzu and we do everything we can do make sure they stay healthy and happy.  I never have to worry if they are getting enough love, all 3 of my guys smother the dogs in love every day and the dogs love it.  :)

Here's the rest of the stops for the Iams SO GOOD! Doggie Café that you can check out this month:

• Calgary, AB – September 3 
• Airdrie, AB – September 3 
• Edmonton, AB – September 4 
• Prince George, BC – September 6 
• Kelowna, BC – September 8 
• Vancouver, BC – September 10 
• North Vancouver, BC – September 11

We also have a fun Iams SO GOOD! giveaway to share with our Canadian readers, it includes:
Iams doggie waterpouch, SO GOOD! doggie brush, collapsable travel water bowl, Iams measuring cup, Iams frisbee, two Iams SO GOOD! coupons and Iams pens.

Enter below for your chance to win so you can treat your doggie to Iams SO GOOD!

Giveaway

Northern Biscuit

Did you know Canada..  my doggies, Maddie and Bailey, love to snack, as all doggies do.  We try our best to give them healthy treats but as our dogs like to tell us some of those don't taste so good.  Thanks to Northern Biscuit, we've found a Canadian Made treat that start with fresh foods and simple, honest recipes. No dough risers, no artificial anything.

Baked in small batches, our pups have sampled a few of Northern Biscuit's flavours, including their most patriotic flavour - Canadian Bacon!

Wheat-Free Canadian Bacon uses food-grade Ontario and Quebec Pork, Canadian maple syrup and blueberries for antioxidants. Pumpkin Pie features Pure Ontario pumpkin sprinkled with cinnamon is great to aid digestion and settle upset tummies.

Grain-Free Beef Tripe is Canadian beef tripe mixed with Manitoba-grown potatoes and is gluten free.  So is Grilled Bison, which features Alberta Bison from the ranches of Western Canada also with Manitoba-grown potatoes.

Our Maddie's favourite has been the Beef Tripe, and Bailey, well, she likes everything..haha..  for me, I like that these treats are dry, they don't get all gooey or gross up my carpet.  They actually smell pretty good too and the pups think they smell great!

I love that the ingredients are front and centre on the packaging - how often will you find a company, especially one producing for animals, that are proud of the ingredients they include in their product?!  Wouldn't these biscuits would be perfect for a sweet gift for a doggie friend? :-)

What a great company to support, supporting this Canadian company means you are supporting a whole host of Canadians, from Canadian growers providing their freshest, food-grade meats and vegetables. The packaging (which I think look great by the way) is made from compostable, recyclable, renewable Canadian paper, manufactured only one hour from their bakery.  Folks from Community Living Ontario groups affix the labels to their bags; Northern Biscuit also supports local animal rescue organizations and local environmental initiatives.

Find Northern Biscuit on the web, twitter, facebook and pinterest to keep up to date on their tasty treats!

Canada’s Inaugural National Cupcake Day for SPCAs & Humane Societies

Did you know Canada..  The first-ever National Cupcake Day™ is set for Monday, February 25th and everyone is invited to bake their best cupcakes, host a cupcake party, share cupcakes with family, friends and colleagues, and collect donations all in support of the SPCAs and Humane Societies across Canada. National Cupcake Day™ is designed to help raise much needed funds for all fuzzy friends, big and small, that have been abused, abandoned or in need of help.

“We’re encouraging people to register online at www.nationalcupcakeday.ca and then to bake cupcakes and host a National Cupcake Day™ party on February 25th, with all proceeds going to support the Ontario SPCA and its communities,” explains Marc Ralsky, Director of Community and Donor Development for the Ontario SPCA. “We hope that people will encourage their family and friends to donate online and to support their efforts by attending a local National Cupcake Day™ party, or hosting an event of their own. It’s a fun and easy way to make a life-saving difference in the lives of animals who desperately need our help.”

Your cupcakes will help shelters across Canada give a surrendered cat or dog a new forever home, rescue a neglected or abused animal and give them a second chance at a new life, and provide emergency surgery injured animals.  So get baking, collect some donations and support SPCA’s & Humane Societies in your community.  Visit www.nationalcupcakeday.ca to get started!

How to Select the Best Food for Your Kitten

Iams Home for the Holidays

Did you know Canada..  now in it's 14th year, Iams Home for the Holidays pet adoption drive is  focused on raising awareness of pet adoption while also ensuring proper nutrition for more homeless pets this year.

Running until January 2, 2013, Iams is again working in conjunction with founding partner Helen Woodward Animal Center, the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies and more than 4,000 animal organizations worldwide to encourage pet adoption.

Last year alone, 1.2 million pets were adopted during the holiday campaign and an estimated 5 million meals were donated to pets in need. In Canada alone, over 75,000 animals found forever homes during the campaign.  This warms my heart SO MUCH, as owner of two dogs, I can tell you how much a pet can bring love and joy into a household.

Canadians can participate in the program in more ways than one. Lend a hand by:

Donating through Bags 4 Bowls – For those who are already pet parents, Iams will donate one bowl of food to a participating Iams Home 4 the Holidays animal organization for every specially marked package of Iams pet food purchased during the campaign

Adopting from a local shelter – Every day more and more animals end up in shelters or in rescue care, and more than 25 per cent are pure breeds. This is important to keep in mind when deciding to bring a pet into your life, the animal you’re looking for is probably in your neighbourhood shelter. To find a participating animal shelter or rescue organization near you, visit iams.ca or facebook.com/iams

Volunteering – Shelters need volunteers to do everything from feeding, caring for and keeping rescue animals company, to assisting at events and fundraisers. If you can’t adopt but would still love to help do so as a volunteer

Visiting Facebook.com/iams – Visit the Iams Facebook page and click to “Like” the page or various messages, photos, videos, etc. For each “Like” comment Iams will donate meals to participating animal shelters  

To help bring awareness to this amazing campaign, we are giving away an Iams gift basket valued at $300!!!  The prize pack includes: a Cozy pet bed, Warm fleece throw blanket, Pet food container and scoop, Iams collar and pet brush, Iams pet bandannas, Cat litter pooper scooper and poop bag holders, Water holder fanny pack, clear reusable water bottle and collapsible water dish, Iams pet food coupons ($80 value), Pet holiday stocking, Febreeze for pet odour, and a Swiffer Duster starter kit.  Enter today and please be sure to share Iam's Home for the Holidays Campaign with your network.

Giveaway

Experience the Freshness of Fresh Step Scoopable Cat Litter!

Did you know Canada..  Cats who love their litter boxes are less likely to seek out inappropriate elimination spots in the house. Fresh Step can help with that!  With the secret world of ACTIVATED CARBON, the power to STOP AMMONIA, the beauty of ABSORBENT CLAY and the benefit of PAW-ACTIVATED FRAGRANCE Fresh Step has you covered!

We want you to help your cat learn to love its litter. Here are our tip;

Size:

Cats prefer bigger bathrooms, so purchase the largest litter box you can find or consider using a large plastic storage container instead. Find a box that’s at least twice the length of your cat.
If you started with a small litter box for your small kitten, make sure you upgrade to a larger litter box as your cat grows.

Covered vs. uncovered:

To figure out what box style your cat prefers, offer a covered and uncovered box next to each other. Note which style they use more frequently and retain the box style that your cat prefers.

Location:

Boxes should be easily accessible but not in heavily trafficked zones
Special considerations should be taken into account for young, geriatric and infirm cats—these cats may need boxes in very accessible locations.
Avoid placing litter boxes next to noisy appliances and/or turn off the buzzer functions on those appliances (e.g. washing machines, dryers).
If there are multiple cats in the home, there should be multiple litter boxes in different locations throughout the house.

Litter:

Use litter with a good odour-controlling ingredient such as carbon. Fresh Step® litter products contain a patented carbon odour controlling technology that helps keep the litter box smelling fresh and clean.

We are so excited to share a giveaway with our kitty loving readers!  Enter below for your chance to win a 20LB box of Fresh Step Extreme Odour Control Cat Litter!

Giveaway

Do our pets have Back-to-School Blues?

Did you know Canada..  With the kids returning to school and Mom & Dad at work, pets are adjusting to being alone in the home again. This time of the year can be really hard on your pets.   Iams has some really helpful tips to ensure the transition is as easy as possible.


Skip the production – If your pet is giving you the “sad eyes” as you begin to jingle your keys and head for the door, it will be your natural instinct to shower them with love and affection to pacify their separation anxiety. However, for your pet, this only reinforces their emotional state. Instead of putting on a big show, give your pet a simple “See you later!” The same should be done when you return home.  We have really been working on this when my husband comes home from work, currently the dogs go ballistic!! At first it was a bit funny, but now it's just madness.

Tire them out – Before heading out for the day, ensure you take your dog on a minimum of a half hour walk, depending on the breed. This will help ensure your pets aren’t antsy while alone.  We make sure the dogs are in the backyard long enough in the morning while we are getting ready, then they get their long walk after dinner.

Stimulate the mind – In the morning, instead of feeding your pet from their regular bowl try using interactive food dispensing toys, which can be found in many major pet stores. Your cat or dog will have to try and figure out how to get the food out. This will not only keep them entertained, but will tire them out for the afternoon.  We've done this in the past with peanut butter, will have to look for one again!

Kitty and Doggie Daycare/Walkers – Pet day cares and dog walkers are a great alternative to keeping your pets busy and active. Whether you are hiring a walker or leaving your pet in a care center, you must make sure that you trust the people you are leaving your pet with. Do not be afraid to ask questions, check credentials and references.  I've heard of many people using dog walkers, I think it's a great idea, we used to take our dog to a doggie daycare.

TV and Music – Music helps calm the body and believe it or not that goes for your pets as well. Tune the radio to a classical station and keep the volume low as dogs and cats have very sensitive ears.  We often leave the TV on for background noise, I think it help the dogs not bark at every little noise as well.

Practice Patience – Getting over separation anxiety can be a big hurdle for you and your pet. For a while, your pet will truly believe that you are leaving forever.  With proper pet parent patience, your pet will soon regain the confidence that you will return. Practice makes perfect!  Great tip!

Walks are always great, but do not forgo the most important part of the day for your pet: playtime. Engage together in fun activities when you arrive back home. This will give your pet something fun to look forward to at the end of each day.

Do you have some upset furry friends at home this time of year?

For more pet care tips, remember to visit www.iams.ca or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iams.

Iams Senior Plus Pet Food

Did you know Canada.. Im not sure if I have every properly introduced you to a couple of important family members around here.

(Don't worry, they are best friends, she's not actually eating her head off..lol)

First there is Bailey, our 7 year old shih-tzu that is full of attitude and queen of the house. We also have Maddie, our 1 year old Boxer/Retriever cross. Maddie is the silliest, most loving, big lug of a dog I've ever had. Being allergic to kitties (at the frustration of one of my sons who is dying for a kitty), I've always been a dog person. They are fun, entertaining, supportive, loving, loyal and pains in the butt. ;-)

We have always purchased Iams pet food for our dogs and I am so excited to share with you that Iams is launching its Senior Plus pet food – a unique formula created for pets 11+ small to medium breed and 9+ large breed. To celebrate the launch, Canadians are encouraged to visit www.facebook.com/Iams under “Iams Canada” and create a pet profile for a chance for their senior pet to become the Iams Senior Plus “Pet of the Week” during the month of April - how fun is that?

It is so important to take care of the health of your senior pets, both cats and dogs. With the new Iams Senior Plus they address common senior health issues, including:

* Maintaining muscle mass
* Promoting ideal weight and body condition with a special formula that helps burn fat
* Boosting immune health to healthy adult levels with two times the antioxidants
* Maintaining healthy skin and coat health with Omega 6
* For dogs, helping to reduce tartar build up by up to 55 per cent with HMP (hexametaphosphate)

I love that Iams proactively nourishes your dog to promote 7 signs of healthy vitality.

* Healthy Bones & Joints
* Healthy Immune System
* Healthy Skin & Coat
* Healthy Weight
* Healthy Digestion
* Strong Muscles
* Healthy Heart


Be sure to visit Iams.ca for more information and remember to check out their Facebook page!

Dog, Cat, Bird, Hamster...

Did you know Canada.. according to the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association's Farley Foundation: Children who have pets are more likely to have high self-esteem!

Pet owners are also less likely to suffer from depression, remember, it's not just teens and adults that can suffer from depression, it can affect our children as well.

Mental Health Week is May 7 - 13 this year, CMHA's Mental Health Week is an annual national event that takes place during the first week in May to encourage people from all walks of life to learn, talk, reflect and engage with others on all issues relating to mental health. "Mental Health for All". Now is the time to plan on bringing focus to MHE is your community this May.

Do you have a pet in your house? What do you think about these results?

Animal Planet Virtual Halloween Pet Parade

Did you know Canada.. I'm not sure if I've ever told you about our dogs. We have our "new puppy" (we've had her since March) - Maddie, she's a boxer/retriever cross. We also have our little Bailey, a very small Shih Tzu that my husband and I got when we moved into our first apartment together.  We love our doggies here, I'm so happy the boys have grown up with little Bailey and now have their own big dog to grow up with and be buddies with as they continue to grow.  I think pets are a great part of growing up and give us so many memories, they are always there when you need them most.

This Halloween we are dressing our very cute Bailey in the cutest Animal Planet Butterfly costume and have entered her in the Animal Planet Virtual Halloween Pet Parade!! With antennae, head piece and foam Monarch butterfly wings it's a fun costume for the whole family to enjoy.

Head on over to the Animal Planet Virtual Halloween Pet Parade and vote on your favourites, including our little Bailey!!

Are you dressing up any pets at your house this Halloween??