Our new Leather Brothers, Officially Licensed Arkansas Razorback collars and leashes are now in! We have three colors to choose from Red, Metallic Red, and Pink! They come in several different sizes too! From large to small! We got ‘em! Swing by today and check them out!
Pets can sunburn too! Bet you didn’t know that!
The fun-in-the-sun summer months have officially arrived, which can only mean one thing: It’s time to start thinking about sun protection for your pets.
That’s right — furry family members can also suffer from the damaging effects of the sun’s powerful rays.
The Skinny on Sunscreen
The sun gives off different kinds of ultraviolet rays. UVB rays cause sunburns, while UVA rays lead to sun-induced aging and skin cancer.
At the moment, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is in the midst of revising its rules for regulating sunscreen labels, so until those regulations take full effect (it won’t be in time for the 2012 summer season), you need to be a discerning consumer when purchasing the best product for you or your pet.
The type of sunscreen that you want for both you and your pet is the “broad spectrum” variety, which means that it blocks both types of harmful rays.
Pet-Safe Products
That said, not all products are OK to use on a pet.
The thick, white cream that lifeguards slather on their noses contains zinc oxide, a common ingredient in diaper rash ointments. Zinc oxide is effective as a sunscreen for humans, but it’s toxic for dogs. If ingested, it can damage your dog’s delicate red blood cells, causing them to explode. The resulting anemia can be severe and require a blood transfusion.
Bottom line: Never use sunscreens that contain zinc oxide on your dog.
The same goes for cats when it comes to sunscreens that contain salicylates — even a small dose can land your feline in the kitty ICU.
One veterinarian I consulted, who specializes in dermatology, recommends a Bullfrog sunscreen that does not contain octisalate for pet patients at risk of sunburn and skin cancer due to thin coats or pale noses.
Bullfrog contains three broad-spectrum ingredients: oxtinoxate, oxybenzone and titanium dioxide. In other words, no zinc, no salicylates.
Other Sun-Protection Measures
When we go out in the sun, we tend to don hats, sunglasses and special UV-protective clothing.
Your dog can too!
Doggles makes protective eyewear for canines, with a UV-protective coating on shatterproof lenses.
There are also canine rash guard shirts and visors, with UPF 50, that meet the recommendations for good-quality sun protection. Just keep in mind that these products aren’t perfect — if your dog likes to sunbathe on her back, for example, rash guard shirts don’t cover the delicate skin between the hind legs.
For pets who spend ample time outdoors, you can also consider outfitting an exercise pen or a crate with a sunscreen cover, which functions like a beach umbrella and blocks the sun’s rays.
Ultimately, the best protection is sun avoidance. Keeping your dog or cat out of the sun, especially between the peak sun hours of 10:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M., offers the ultimate in foolproof protection.
“Love the animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled” ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Unrestrained pets can cause more than just a distraction; they can cause serious injuries to the driver and passengers. The safety statistics are alarming; according to a study by the American Automobile Association (AAA), a 35 m.p.h. accident can turn a 60-pound pet into a 2,700-pound projectile. And another recent survey suggests that 61 percent of us do not restrain our pets in the car.
It’s time for a serious mind shift among pet owners. Parents don’t let their children travel in the car without a seatbelt or with their head hanging out the window, and pet parents should follow that same rule while traveling with their pets.
Pet Auto Safety: What Distraction?
Chew on this: according to a 2010 study by the Highway Loss Data Institute, distracted driving is the number one cause of driving accidents. This precedes drunk driving, speeding, falling asleep at the wheel and aggressive driving. Distracted driving includes texting, adjusting the GPS, eating and distractions caused by pets.
Interestingly enough, large (more than 50 lbs.) and small dogs (under 20 lbs.) are most likely to travel with their owners. While large dogs often ride in the back seat or cargo area of the vehicle, it is not uncommon for an unrestrained animal—no matter their size— to jump over the seat to get a closer look at the squirrel that just darted across the street or the blonde “Lassie” walking down the sidewalk. You’ll probably agree that 20-50 plus pounds of excited, squirming, and most likely barking canine fun is way more than most people can handle with their hands free, much less with both hands on the steering wheel.
Unrestrained cats will typically try to hide underneath a seat or worse, under the driver’s feet! What could be more distracting than that?
It’s also not uncommon to see cute lap dogs “driving” in the laps of their owners. Some assume that since air bags provide protection for humans, they would provide the same protection for pets traveling in the car. But with air bags deploying at an average speed of 200 m.p.h., what cushions the impact of a crash for a human would be a bone-breaking force for an animal. If a front airbag deploys when you have a pet on your lap, the airbag will almost certainly kill the animal. Also, the force of the bag will push the pet into your abdomen, possibly causing human internal injuries.
When choosing the appropriate pet restraint, pet parents have several options. The right selection depends on the breed and size of your animal as well as the type of vehicle in which you will be traveling. Regardless of which pet restraint you choose, keeping a pet safe in the car, as it is with children, is a matter of properly adjusted safety equipment and positioning in the car.
Pet Auto Safety: Canine Seat Belt Systems
For large or small dogs, one of the safest ways to secure them inside a car is with a canine seat belt system.
Pet Auto Safety: Pet Car Seats
Pet car seats, similar to those used for children, are a viable option for use with smaller dogs.
Pet Autio Safety: Safety Barriers
Vehicle pet barriers are a great way to minimize distraction while you’re driving, keeping you and your pets safe. Most auto pet barriers are adjustable and designed to fit in a variety of vehicles while many are made specifically for hatch back cars, SUVs and mini vans.
Pet Auto Safety: Pet Carriers
Pet carriers are an ideal option for traveling with cats and small dogs because they act not only as a form of protection, but also can provide a reassuring space for the pet within the vehicle.
Pet Auto Safety: Pet Crates
Should you desire the enclosed protection of a pet carrier for your larger dog, a crate may be the most suitable selection.
It is critical that pet owners are aware of and educated about the importance of properly securing pets in a pet crate, by a dog harness connected to a seat belt, or behind a divider to keep the pet in the cargo area of a wagon or SUV.
A note from the author:
I’m so delighted to be part of Toyota’s Pet Expert Team (P.E.T.), a new initiative launched by the automaker earlier this year. Myself and five other pet experts across the U.S. will be working with Toyota to educate pet parents about the importance of restraining pets in vehicles to save lives—both human and animal.
“Toyota is so serious about this cause that we formed a Pet Expert Team (P.E.T.) comprised of leading pet industry experts throughout the country to offer our customers pet travel safety tips and engage the local community to generate awareness surrounding pet automobile safety,” explained Bob Zeinstra, national manager, advertising, Toyota Motor Sales USA.
For our first assignment, Chilly (my one-year-old Labrador mix) and I set out on a holiday road trip last month, traveling from Tampa to Denver and back in our new, pet-friendly Toyota Sequoia, outfitted with multiple Kurgo pet restraint systems. Along the way, we tailgated at rest stops with fellow pet parents, talked about their travel experiences and we taught them how to ride more safely.
Via PetStreet.com
Congratulations New Jersey! And thank you, Governor Christie.
New Jersey is now the only state in the country where driving with pets loose in the car is a violation of animal cruelty law. Drivers who do not secure their pet can face a ticket of $250 to $1,000 and up to six months in jail. Additionally, allowing your pets to hang his head out the window, having him riding in the back of a truck or curling up on the driver’s lap are also ticket-able offenses under the law.
Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) Chairman and Chief Administrator Raymond P. Martinez and Superintendent of the NJ Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJSPCA) Col. Frank Rizzo delivered the “Buckle Up Your Pet” safety message prior to the official start of summer because more people take to the roads with their pets in the warmer weather months.
“You wouldn’t put your child in the car unrestrained so you shouldn’t put your pet in the car unrestrained either,” said Col. Rizzo. “What people come to realize only too late is that animals act like flying missiles in an impact and can not only hurt themselves but hurt their human family members too.”
Recently, I spoke about the dangers of unrestrained pets in cars at the New York International Auto Show at a breakfast hosted by car manufacturer GM/Chevy. Watch here. It seems that lawmakers have also taken notice.
While pets can be a danger in the car, they are also a hazard if they’re not buckled up because an unrestrained pet in an accident can delay emergency workers from acting and can even run away, which could cause another accident.
During the summer months, the NJSPCA Officers will be checking for vehicles traveling to and from the shore areas with dogs hanging their heads out of windows or unleashed dogs traveling in the open back of pick-up trucks.
So, even if you are passing through the Garden State and your pets are not restrained, the po po might git ya! Watch out!
What do you think about the new seat belt laws regarding dogs in New Jersey? Share in a comment.
via PetSide.com
Its Monday again! We hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weekend! But now its time to get back to work!
