Independence Day is right around the corner! There will be barbecues, cookouts, parties, and fireworks! In the midst of the festivities, there will be challenges for new puppy parents. Puppy safety tips can ensure your new fur baby has a great 4th of July. Here’s what you can do to keep your puppy happy and […]
Independence Day is right around the corner! There will be barbecues, cookouts, parties, and fireworks! In the midst of the festivities, there will be challenges for new puppy parents. Puppy safety tips can ensure your new fur baby has a great 4th of July.
Here’s what you can do to keep your puppy happy and safe this holiday.
Sorry to be a party pooper, but we need to be straightforward about this. Puppies were not made for fireworks, sparklers, poppers, and other party noisemakers, and vice versa. If you’re going to a quiet afternoon barbecue, that’s quite a different environment than an after dark fireworks display.
It’s a good idea to know ahead of time that the dynamics and variables of a 4th of July party could change, and before they do, you should head out. A party in the park with friends and family may be fine until noisemakers start going off. At that point, you should bring your puppy home.
Your puppy should be with you at all times. It might even be safest to keep him on a leash or harness. Use your best judgment. Most importantly, keep an eye on your puppy’s demeanor. You don’t want your puppy to get overly excited or anxious. If he displays either reaction, you should take him home.
Next on our list of puppy safety tips has to do with making sure your puppy is calm. If you’re planning on going to a 4th of July party for a few hours, it’s actually a good idea to tire your puppy out with exercise before you go. This can help him to remain calm despite going to a new environment and meeting new people, which would otherwise overly excite him.
We recommend taking your puppy out of a walk, whether around the block or letting him play in the backyard. Give him time and space to run around. You’ll also want to make sure he’s fed and has gone to the bathroom. This way, he’ll be less eager to try foreign food when you aren’t looking.
You’ve probably noticed that your puppy sleeps a lot anyway. Depending on how old he is, it’s quite possible that with adequate exercise before the party, he’ll take a nap shortly after arriving. That’s okay, just let him sleep. If the party gets loud for any reason, that’s an indication it’s time to head out.
Whether or not you attend a daytime Independence Day party, you’ll definitely want to be home with your party before the night time fireworks begin. Fireworks can be very scary for puppies, and due to the highly sensitive hearing that dogs have, the sound of fireworks going off can actually hurt your puppy’s ears. Protecting your puppy from loud noises is our next puppy safety tip for the 4th of July.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to prepare a safe space for your puppy inside your home. Is there a particular room in your home that’s naturally more quiet? You might want to set up your puppy’s crate in the most quiet room. Cover the top of the crate with thick blankets for additional sound proofing.
By creating a safe space inside for your puppy, you’ll be able to prevent anxiety once the fireworks start. Having a safe, quiet room is also a good idea if you’re hosting a party. That way, if your puppy becomes overwhelmed by so many guests, or simply gets over-stimulated or exhausted, you can tuck him into his crate in the safe room.
In general, puppies “investigate” with their mouths by licking, chewing, and even trying to swallow whatever item they happen to be curious about. When a puppy goes unsupervised at a party where a variety of food and beverages are left out, the puppy could ingest something he shouldn’t. Many human foods and ingredients are poisonous to dogs, and could be life threatening to puppies due to their small size. Read through the following list of foods that are poisonous to dogs, and when you’re at your Independence Day party, make sure your puppy doesn’t eat any of these poisons.
Thinking about giving your puppy a bite of your leftover cheeseburger? Think again. A hidden danger inside your Big Mac, salad, or other prepared meals come from the onion family. We’re talking about Amaryllidaceae, namely onions, leeks, garlic, chives, shallots, and other “bulbous, flowering roots.” The onion family, whether dry, raw or cooked, is particularly toxic to dogs and can cause gastrointestinal irritation and red blood cell damage. Signs of illness are not always immediate and can occur up to a few days later.
By now, it’s become common knowledge that chocolate is “bad” for dogs, but it’s important to know why, and what properties within chocolate cause this sweet treat to be fatal in dogs. The chemical property in chocolate that’s poisonous to dogs is called theobromine. There is no chocolate that is “safe” for dogs, not even white chocolate. All chocolate has theobromine. The most dangerous types are dark chocolate and unsweetened baking chocolate. So if you’re thinking about baking some chocolate cookies, be sure to keep a close eye on your puppy! The theobromine in chocolate is a stimulant that can cause heart problems, tremors, seizures, and death in dogs. The warning signs are vomiting and diarrhea.
Dogs love peanut butter. It’s a well known fact that peanut butter is so beloved by puppies and dogs that they’ll do just about anything for a taste. But does that mean that dogs can eat all nuts? The short answer is, no. Though dogs can eat most nuts, there is one that can be fatal if a dog eats it. We’re talking about macadamia nuts. Macadamia nuts contain a toxin that can affect your dog’s muscles and nervous system resulting in weakness, swollen limbs, and panting. Symptoms of macadamia nut exposure in dogs include muscle shakes, vomiting, high temperature, and weakness in their back legs. Do not let your dog eat macadamia nuts, and be sure to keep foods that have macadamia nuts away from your dog.
Even though “corn” itself is not harmful to dogs, we wanted to include “corn on the cob” on this list. Corn on the cob can be hazardous to puppies and dogs mainly because of the shape of this food. The “cob” can be irresistible to dogs, especially puppies who are in their gnawing, chewing, and teething phase. The cob can remind dogs of a bone, but it’s not as sturdy, so when they gnaw on it, it crumbles. These pieces can be fatal if eaten by your dog, because the cob can cause a blockage in your dog’s intestine.
These days, more and more candies, gums, and treats are made with artificial sweeteners, such as Xylitol, in the world’s effort to consume less real sugar and improve overall health. While these artificial sweeteners certainly help people reduce the real sugar they consume, their presence in your home if you have a dog poses a potential hazard. Xylitol can be found in many household foods and products, including toothpaste. If your dog digests one of these sweetened foods or products, they can go into hypoglycaemia which is linked to liver failure and blood clotting disorders. Be extra careful with your puppy if you have gums, foods, and household items with Xylitol.
Alcohol has a huge impact on dogs even in small doses. The drink not only causes intoxication as it does in humans, but it can lead to sickness, diarrhea, and even central nervous system damage. You’re probably thinking that it’s obvious that you shouldn’t give your dog a beer. But it might not be so obvious that your household cleaners contain alcohol, even “pet friendly” and all natural ones. Dogs cannot metabolize alcohol, so beverages, foods, or household products containing different forms of alcohol are unhealthy and can be toxic. Alcohol can also cause lethargy, respiratory depression, and dangerously low body temperature in dogs.
Giving your dog a raw uncooked bone to chew on is great, but avoid cooked bones at all cost. These can easily splinter, and in large quantities can cause constipation or worse, a perforation of the gut which can be fatal. This means that you can’t let your puppy nibble on the leftover chicken bones from your fried chicken or the leftover bones from the rack of lamb you just finished eating.
For ages, it has been a mystery why grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs. But recently, this mystery has been solved. The culprit within grapes and raisins that causes such severe damage to dogs and puppies is a chemical property called “tartaric acid.” Raisins are in many of the foods that we love to eat such as cakes, biscuits, and cereals so it’s not just the raw fruit you should be mindful of. If you’re snacking on a treat that has raisins, you’ll have to make for absolute sure that your puppy doesn’t steal a bite. Both grapes and raisins may cause severe liver damage and kidney failure. Warning signs are vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive thirst, which could be quickly followed by kidney damage and failure if you don’t get your dog to a vet ASAP.
This one should also be a no-brainer along with alcohol, but even though we don’t believe anyone would feed their puppy coffee or caffeine on purpose, we would like to make sure no one accidentally allows their dog to ingest this poison. If you keep coffee beans or coffee grounds at home, then you’ll need to be extra careful that your puppy doesn’t seek it out to taste it. This is especially true if you dispose of coffee grounds in your kitchen trash bin. Make sure those trash lids lock shut. Also, caffeine is in some cold medicines and pain killers, so keep those stowed safely in the medicine cabinet. If you suspect that your dog has ingested caffeine, take him to the vet immediately.
Did you know that most canines are lactose intolerant? It’s true. This can be a confusing topic for people since puppies obviously drink their mothers’ milk during nursing, and adult dogs seem to be fine when they have a lick of ice cream. But neither of these instances should be used to assume that milk and other dairy is fine for dogs to eat. Milk and milk-based products can cause diarrhea and other digestive problems for your dog. Milk and dairy can also trigger food allergies, which can cause them to itch. So, it’s best to keep your furry friend away from these types of food products. Avoiding milk, dairy, and all the human foods on this list is concludes our puppy safety tips!
That wraps up our puppy safety tips for this 4th of July! From everyone at Petland Texas, we wish you a happy, fun, and safe Independence Day!
Petland Texas, located in Houston and Tyler, has purebred puppies for sale near you! We have Golden Retriever puppies for sale in Texas, Pug puppies for sale in Texas, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies for sale in Houston, TX, and every purebred and hypoallergenic hybrid puppy you can think of! Stop by our Texas pet store locations, we hope to see you soon!
