That Pet Blog That Pet Place Pet Blog

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If you’ve recently walked down the dog bowl aisle, you’ll know that there are dozens of different sizes and shapes of dog bowls available to choose from. What you might not know is that the different shapes now available are specifically manufactured to meet the specific needs of different dog breeds and age groups. Here at That Pet Place we’ve put together a handy infographic to help you with choosing the right dog bowl that is the perfect match for your pet! Read More »

My teenie tiny Barret the day we brought him home

If you’ve been a Pet Blog reader for some time now, you know that I treat all of my pets as if they were two-legged family members. They get home cooked meals, birthday parties, and great veterinary care. Each one of them has worked their way deep into my heart, and life without any one of them just wouldn’t be the same. A medical issue has come to a head recently and left me with some very serious topics to consider: How much is too much to spend to extend a loved one’s life, and what is the true cost emotionally, financially and through the suffering of your beloved pets? Read More »

How many times have you wished you could check in on your pets while you’re at work? Check out this infographic on using your home computer and Skype to keep an eye on your mischievous pets while you’re out and about!

All you need is a computer with a web cam set up in the room where your pet spends his day and a Skype account.

Read More »

All responsible dog owners know the laws that we need to follow for our pets. We need to have them vaccinated against deadly diseases, we need to have them licensed and spayed or neutered. We know we have to report dangerous dogs and uphold a leash law where required. Most of us also know that we need to pick up our pet’s waste (even if there is no official law in place).

See, my neighborhood has a bit of a poo problem. Some of my dog-walking neighbors neglect to clean up their pets’ waste, even if the deed has been done in the middle of another neighbor’s yard. I know that this is not a problem exclusive to our neighborhood, or even just our city. However, our homeowner’s association has been petitioned to raise the HOA fees for pet owners and to use the extra money to create and maintain a “dog bathroom area” in the community. The petitioner wants pets to use this central area in the neighborhood to do their business and pet owners somehow need to prevent their pets from eliminating elsewhere. Read More »

We’re in the very early stages of planning an extended vacation…and our regular pet sitter will be on the trip with us! So we’re weighing our options and looking into pet sitters and boarding facilities. But how do you know if they’re reliable, responsible and that your pets will be well cared for?

It’s up to your personal preference whether you’d like a pet sitter or a boarding facility. There are many quality options out there for both venues. A sitter might be a better option if your pet is very uncomfortable outside their regular environments and they might agree to water your plants as well as your pets. Read More »

It’s a good practice to get in the habit of performing monthly quick checkups on your pets in the comfort of your own home. You never know when a lump or other malady might show itself. Getting a “baseline reading” of your pet’s body will help you to detect early on when they might be having issues and let you know when it is time to make an appointment with your veterinarian. This article focuses on determining your pet’s baseline vital signs so that you can determine when something is amiss.

Temperature: Body temperature is measured rectally in pets (yikes). I keep a spare digital thermometer for my dogs and use a healthy coat of Vaseline if I need to take their temperature. It can come in handy when you are trying to diagnose your sick pet. A dog’s temperature is usually between 100-102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Any pet with a temperature under 99 or over 104 should see a vet immediately.

Heart Rate: It is best to get a good reading on heart rate when your pet is calm and relaxed, perhaps after a massage or good belly rub. Find the heartbeat on the left hand side of the ribcage, near where the elbow fits into the chest. Count the number of heartbeats for 15 seconds then multiply this number by 4. This is your pet’s resting heart rate. Dog’s heartbeats will accelerate and decelerate with each breath. This is normal! Your pet’s normal heart rate will depend upon the size of your animal. Larger dogs have slower heart rates than lap dogs.

Respiratory Rate: While your pet is relaxed and calm, maybe even sleeping, it is a good time to determine your pet’s respiratory rate and normal breathing pattern. Avoid measuring this when your dog is panting.  Count the number of times your pet inhales for 1 minute. This is the respiratory rate. Also note if it requires your pet any extra effort to inhale or exhale. This function should be smooth and effortless. If your pet is having difficulties, contact a vet immediately.

Mucous membranes: Your pet’s mucous membranes (read: gums and eyelids) are important in diagnosing problems with oxygenation and blood flow. Normal gum color is pink, but some dogs have pigmented gums (Barret’s are black), and this makes determining if the color is normal difficult. You can  open the eye and gently lift the eyelid to get a good look at the coloring. Any membrane that is pale, white, blue or yellow should be investigated by a veterinarian. While you’re examining the mucous membranes, do a quick test for capillary refill time. This is also a good diagnostic tool to determine if blood and oxygen are flowing normally. Briefly apply pressure to the gums and release. The area should turn pale (where you applied pressure) but will rapidly return to the normal color. This refill time should be no longer than 3 seconds but should also not take less than 1 second.

Hydration: A properly hydrated pet should pass the ‘scruff test’ with flying colors. Gently grab your dog’s scruff (the loose skin on the back of the neck). Release it. The skin should immediately spring back into normal position. If there is a delay, your pet may be dehydrated.

Get into the habit of performing these tests on your pet every few months to keep tabs on their vital signs. I almost forgot the most important part: write down the results and keep them somewhere safe, where you will have access to them in an emergency situation. I use the Pet First Aid app to keep track of my pet’s information (I reviewed this app last year).

The bandaged foot, kept clean and dry.

Barret had spent the evening on my lap, as usual, but I noticed after a bit that he was chewing on one of his paws. I got up to examine it and was shocked to find a red, raw, inflamed toe. Just one toe, and it had to be twice the size of the rest of his toes. It looked painful!

I examined his paw for the source of the discomfort, a cut or scratch, maybe a burr or stone, even a bug bite, but could not find anything. He didn’t seem like he was in pain and was perfectly content to lick on his Lickety Stick while I soaked his foot in warm soapy water and bandaged it up. In every other way he seemed completely normal. I made the decision to keep an eye on it and treat it at home.

Bear’s offending paw. Looks painful!

The next night, he was relaxing on his back while I gave a well-deserved belly rub when I noticed a large lump had formed in his armpit (on the same leg as the swollen toe). Why is it that we find these things after regular vet hours? I hopped on the internet and did some searching. There wasn’t much to go on but I had myself convinced it was a lymph node swollen because of the infection in his toe. The next morning I made an appointment with my regular vet and was fully convinced that I’d leave with a course of antibiotics and instructions to keep the toe clean.

I’m very glad I consulted with my vet, because on further examination my assumption was wrong. The toe was infected, though it was a more severe infection that I had originally thought. It required 2 full courses of antibiotics before it cleared up. The lump on his armpit is another matter entirely. The doc’s conclusion was that it is a cyst with a clearly defined blood supply, but should cause him no problems and doesn’t need to be removed unless it starts to get in his way. Phew!

The moral of the story is that you should always consult your veterinarian rather than making guesses at home. Your kids’ health is at stake! If I hadn’t sought care for Barret’s foot, the infection could have spread and required IV antibiotics or more drastic measures.

Back from the vet with a clean bill of health

Dogs often have lumps and growths all over their bodies and as pet parent’s it is our duty to examine and find these anomalies early, before they get out of hand.  Many lumps and bumps, like Bear’s cyst, are benign and nothing to worry about, but a similar lump might actually be cancerous and require treatment. The earlier you find and treat a problem, the easier it is to manage.

Watch for a future article where I’ll go over a step by step home physical so that we can track the changes in our pets bodies and know when to schedule an appointment with the vet. In the meantime, please share your stories of lumps or bumps that turned out to be nothing or turned out to be problematic. We can learn from each other’s experiences.

-Heather

Good morning, fellow pet lovers!

Welcome to the new ThatPetPlace.com

Sorry for the long hiatus in pet blog posts. We hope to be back on track with our weekly posts soon. Our team had been busy preparing to launch the new ThatPetPlace.com for the last few months and now that we’re live, we’d like to hear your feedback!

Aside from a totally fresh, new look we’ve added several enhancements to our website. First of all, we’ve got a brand new search. Now when you use the search box you can filter your results by category, price, brand, and more! It should be easier than ever to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Next, we’ve added product reviews. Does your dog or cat have a favorite toy or do we carry a product you just can’t live without (for me, it’s the Classic Kong)? Have you purchased a product that didn’t quite live up to your expectations? We want to hear about it, even if you didn’t purchase it from That Pet Place. We want to hear your opinions on the products we carry and your reviews help other pet owners decide what is best for their pets.

Product reviews

Third, you can now schedule an auto-reorder of your pet supplies with one simple click. This service is for you if you purchase the same items from us on a regular basis. While you are checking out, right before you submit your order find the checkbox above the products that reads “Auto-Reorder”. Once that is checked you can select how often you’d like to receive your shipments. You will continue to receive your shipments until you cancel your re-order program, which you can do from your account on the website.

We have lots of other enhancements, too. We are now offering more payment options, e-gift certificates, and our Article Archive has been updated and improved! Log on to ThatPetPlace.com and check it out. Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think of the new and improved That Fish Place – That Pet Place!

90% of pet owners consider their pets part of the family (I can’t imagine it any other way) so it is safe to assume that many of your pets have Christmas gifts under the tree this year.  I thought it would be interesting to find out what the top gifts for pets were this holiday season.

First, a couple of fun pet facts from PetFinder:

Americans spend about $5 billion on holiday presents for their furry friends.

40% of dog owners and 37% of cat owners hang Christmas stockings for their pets.

About one quarter of both dog owners (27%) and cat owners (23%) sign their pet’s name on greeting cards or notes.

64% of surveyed pet owners said they include news about their pet, and 36% include a photograph. in their holiday cards.

About 27% of pet owners claim to have taken their pet to a professional photographer to have a picture taken with family, Santa, or the Easter Bunny.

Read More »

Good Day That Pet Blog Readers!

I created a trivia test on Smarterer.com to test your dog knowledge. It’s free to take the test, but you will need to create an account with them or login with your Facebook information. Are you ready to take the That Pet Blog challenge?

Hint: Most of the answers are found in past blogs

Take the test, see how you score, then you can even add your own questions to the pool! And be sure to let us know how you scored in the comments!

Have fun!

-Heather