5 Pet Friendly Ways To Go Green

With Earth Day approaching again, it’s time to reconsider and revamp your green practices. As a proud pet parent, you may be wondering how you can get your furry friend involved in supporting the environment.

In honor of Earth Day, Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM, shares her best tips with us:

The Scoop on Poop- Use biodegradable bags when cleaning up after your dog. A regular plastic bag can take decades to decompose; whereas a biodegradable bag will begin to breakdown in just a couple of months. For cats, consider using an environmentally friendly litter such as one that is plant based or made from recycled newspaper.

Feeding Close to Nature- Dr. Carol is a major advocate of feeding your pet an organic, home-cooked meal. All natural meals benefit your pet’s health in exactly the same way that it benefits yours. The environment and your pet’s health will benefit from cutting out kibble all together. A homemade diet decreases personal cost, wasteful production of packaging materials and harmful chemical processing, while increasing your pet’s overall nutrition and the environment’s well-being.

Recycled Toys- There are now numerous companies that make pet toys and bedding from recycled materials and sustainable fibers. Also consider making homemade toys from old socks, water bottles, and ropes. You can make your own bedding from old pillows, blankets and towels.

Water Conservation- Instead of letting the water run during bath-time, consider purchasing a handheld attachment that you can turn off when not in use. This will reduce the amount of water being used. Using warm water, as opposed to hot, saves energy, and using phosphate/chemical-free grooming products can make the dirty water going down the drain more environmentally friendly.

Spay and Neuter- Pet overpopulation is a major problem for the environment on numerous levels. Always consider adoption first. Because of pet overpopulation, resources are tremendously strained to care for all of the pets both inside and out of shelters (feeding, medical care, waste management, etc.) and to handle the alarming number of pets who must be euthanized on a daily basis.

Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM is an author and world-renowned integrative veterinarian of twenty plus years. The first veterinarian in the U.S. to be certified as a Diplomat of the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine for humans, Dr. Carol has applied her knowledge in the field to pioneer the exploration of new therapies for the treatment and prevention of age-related degenerative disease as well as promotion of optimum health and performance for pets.

10 Strangest Items Swallowed By Dogs

My mother’s Schnauzer mix, Sha Sha, eats just about anything. I didn’t quite believe just how often she would quickly snap up everything in her sight until a few weeks ago when she swallowed a quarter and a nickel in the blink of an eye. The vet advised my mother to watch her for the next few days as the coins would likely pass. It’s a very common issue among dog owners and it doesn’t only happen with puppies. The majority of dogs do grow out of the need to eat inedible objects. It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what a puppy would eat so it’s best to be vigilant about where you dog is allowed to freely roam. Many dogs and puppies have been known to swallow seemingly unsuitable items, which you might not find in any way enticing or preferable, but they do. Check out this list of the strangest things swallowed by dogs as witnessed by the ASPCA :

Keep Your Dog Safe With These Holiday Safety Tips!

‘Tis the season for putting up decorations and eating delicious holiday treats, but that also means pets could be getting into serious trouble! Trupanion , a leading provider of medical insurance for cats and dogs, sees a 10% increase in foreign body ingestion claims and a 24% increase in toxicity claims during the holiday months each year. But you can keep your pets safe this holiday season with the below tips from Dr. Sarah Nold:

10 Most Common Medical Conditions That Send Dogs to the Vet

No one likes going to the vet, especially our dogs. Like many others, my dogs can sense when they are going way before we get there. They get nervous and hyper. Some dogs whimper endlessly at the vet’s office while countless others have fear-induced accidents right in the office. While regular check-ups and vaccinations are a necessary evil, we can try our best to keep our pups in optimal health thus avoiding another dreaded trip. Veterinary Pet Insurance compiled a list of the 10 most common medical conditions that send dogs to the vet. Some are unavoidable while others may be caught early on. Dr. Carol McConnell, DVM points out that many of the conditions that most regularly require vet visits “can be stopped early or successfully managed in partnership with a veterinarian. To prevent some of the discomfort that so many pets experience from common diseases, the place to start would be by checking them regularly for developing problems.” Check out the full list here at Babb

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