Pet Grooming Orange County

Preparing for the Holidays

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Twinkling lights and decorations will soon fill the walls of every store. This is the time of year when many of us begin shifting our attention to the holidays. This is a favorite time of year for people everywhere. While you might be ready to begin decorating for the holidays, it’s important to consider your pet. Many decorations are dangerous to pets and should always be kept out of reach.

String Lights

Electric lights look beautiful on a tree or decorating your home. However, these lights can pose a serious risk to pets. Pets can chew on cords, leading to electric shock. They can also become tangled, unable to break free. Cats are generally more susceptible to injury from cords, but dogs might be injured as well. It’s important to keep cords well out of reach of pets.

Glass Ornaments

Glass ornaments look a lot like your dog’s favorite ball.  Unfortunately, when chewed, glass ornaments shatter into sharp pieces. If ingested, these pieces can pose a choking hazard and can cause serious injury to the digestive tract. Broken ornaments also pose a risk to other pets and family members who might unknowingly step on pieces of glass. If you must use glass ornaments, make sure that they are kept out of reach of your pet.

Holiday Plants

Poinsettias might look pretty in your home, but these plants are poisonous to pets. When ingested, poinsettias cause serious gastrointestinal distress. Other poisonous plants include holly and mistletoe. It’s important to ensure that pets are not able to access these plants.

Imitation Snow/Tree Flocking

Imitation snow produces a snow-like appearance on Christmas trees. The substance used to create this appearance is dangerous to pets. Dogs often chew on Christmas tree branches. If flocking is used, it will be ingested.

Edible Ornaments

Ornaments and decorations made from food might look cute on your tree or around your home, but they pose a serious risk to pets. The sugar content in candy canes is unhealthy and the glue and other elements used to preserve and hang edible ornaments can be toxic.

Claws N Paws Day Spa hopes that you and your furry friends have a safe and happy holiday season.

Should Your Dog Be Allowed in Your Pool?

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Should Your Dog Be Allowed in Your Pool?

Temperatures have been at an all time high in Southern California. If you are one of many lucky Orange County residents with access to a swimming pool, you might have wondered whether or not your dog would enjoy going for a swim.

Swimming is excellent exercise for both people and dogs, and it can provide a welcome relief from the scorching heat. Before allowing your dog in your swimming pool, there are a few things you need to consider.

Safety

Pets and wild animals can easily fall into your swimming pool. Once inside, they might not be able to find a way out. Unfortunately, animals die in backyard swimming pools all the time. It’s crucial that your pet is not permitted alone around your pool.

Safety gates and fences provide an effective way to keep animals from entering your pool without permission.

Cleanliness

No matter how clean you think your dog might be, they will still bring about three times more dirt and bacteria into your pool than the average person. When dogs swim, they leave behind fecal matter, insects, body oils, hair, and more. Unless you have an industrial strength filter, this contamination can stay in your pool for a very long time.

Contamination in your pool increases the chance of spreading disease. Contaminated water can lead to diarrhea as well as infections of the skin, ears, and upper respiratory tract. If you allow your dog to swim in your pool, you will need to add more sanitizer than usual.

Rinse

It’s a good idea to rinse your dog after they’ve been swimming in your pool. Just like humans, the chemicals used to keep your pool clean can irritate your dog’s skin and eyes. After swimming, gently rinse your dog with clean, fresh water.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers dog and cat grooming at our full service grooming salon in Fountain Valley, California. Our groomers can help keep your pet clean and comfortable this summer. Our services include bathing, brushing, and summer haircuts. Please call 714-962-1005 to set up a grooming appointment today.

 

 

Protecting Our Pets From Coyotes

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Protecting Our Pets From Coyotes

Our pets rely on us to keep them safe throughout the year. During the winter, coyotes pose the greatest threat to our pets. Coyotes are forced into our neighborhoods as we use up more and more of their land. They have just as much right to be here as you and I. While you cannot make coyotes go away, it’s up to you to do all that you can to protect your pets.

Coyote Mating Season

Coyote mating season typically lasts from late February to early March. During this time, male coyotes can become more aggressive. Coyotes can breed with unspayed and unneutered pets. Unspayed dogs will attract male coyotes when they are in season. Similarly, male dogs can be attracted to the scent of female coyotes in season. It’s not uncommon for male dogs to be lured away by the scent of a female coyote only to be killed by her male companions.

Coyote Habits

Coyotes are extremely smart. They learn the activities and schedules of people quickly and easily. If you let your dog out at the same time every evening, any coyotes in your neighborhood probably know what time that occurs. They will also know when you walk your pet, especially if your pet is walked off leash. Once they’ve become accustomed to your activities, it makes it easy for them to move in and make a meal of your pet.

Protecting Your Pets

It’s a good idea to change your schedule every now and then. Make sure that you keep your pet close and leashed at all times. Unattended pets should be kept indoors or fully enclosed, especially at night. Check your yard for wildlife before allowing pets to go outside. Do not ever feed coyotes and keep food dishes inside at all times.

If you spot a coyote, it’s important to let them know that you don’t want them near your pets. Keep noisemakers on hand or clap your hands to scare them away. If you spot coyotes in your yard, try banging pots and pans together. The more noise the better. If you find yourself in close proximity to a coyote you will need to make yourself appear as large as possible. Coyotes are generally very shy so this isn’t likely to happen.

Claws N Paws understands how important it is to keep your pets safe. We hope this information has been helpful.

Spending the Holidays With Your Pet

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Spending the Holidays With Your Pet

When you think about spending the holidays with your pet, you likely consider what you’ll give them under the tree. However, there is far more to the holidays than giving gifts. This time of year presents a number of challenges for our faithful companions. It’s up to you to make sure they stay happy, healthy and stress-free throughout the holidays.

Decorations

Most of us decorate our homes for the holidays. From the tree to the tableware, there’s so much to consider. When decorating your home, make sure you think about the safety of your pets.

Twinkling lights and brightly colored ornaments are often tempting to pets. Anything that could break or pose a choking hazard should be kept far away from them. Live trees can cause an allergic reaction and respiratory distress in both pets and people. Make sure that your pet is not allergic before setting up a live tree in your home. If you still aren’t sure, it might be best to stick with an artificial tree.

Traditional holiday plants like mistletoe, holly and poinsettias are all toxic for pets. Candles pose a danger as well. Keep lit candles in an area where pets are not able to access them or knock them down.

Gifts

When choosing gifts for your pet, select toys and treats that cannot be broken into small pieces. Anything with small parts or strings should be avoided. Check the ingredients in treats to make sure they won’t cause an allergic reaction.

Avoiding Stress

The holidays can be an extremely stressful time for both people and their pets. Pets often pick-up on our emotions. If you are worried about the holidays, your pet might become anxious or upset. The hustle and bustle of the holidays might be stressful for pets as well.

Make sure you provide your pet with lots of reassurance this holiday season. Give them a quiet room to escape to if the festivities become more than they can handle.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers holiday grooming for dogs and cats in Orange County, California. We also offer mobile grooming services. Please call 714-962-1005 to schedule a holiday grooming appointment.

Understanding the Importance of Micro-chipping Your Pet

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Understanding the Importance of Micro-chipping Your Pet

Every day, hundreds of pets go missing. If you browse Craigslist you’re sure to find tons of lost and found ads. It doesn’t matter how safe you think your pets are; accidents happen all the time. Dogs, cats and small animals can all escape. Unfortunately, many of these pets never find their way home.

What happens to lost pets?

Most lost pets will get picked up by animal control or helpful citizens. These people always try to find the pet’s owner. The first step is having them scanned for a microchip at a veterinarian’s office or at the shelter. If no chip is found, then the pet goes into a database or waits at the shelter for their family. Families that find pets will usually post ads on Craigslist or other social media websites.

With so many options, it can be difficult to know exactly where to start when trying to find your pet. The best way to prevent the heartache of losing your companion is by having them micro-chipped. This simple procedure takes only seconds but could mean the difference between being reunited with your furry friend and never seeing them again.

Micro-chipping your pet

Your veterinarian can quickly and easily insert a microchip in the loose skin between the shoulder blades. This procedure requires no anesthesia is very similar to getting a vaccine. The microchip is registered with you and your pet’s information. Unlike collars and ID tags, a microchip provides a permanent ID that can never fall off or become lost.

Microchips do not require batteries or charging, and they are not tracking devices. When a microchip scanner is passed over them, they emit just enough power to transmit a unique identification number to the scanner. The number gets called into a pet registry service who contacts the person registered to your pet’s microchip.

It is extremely important for you to activate your pet’s microchip. This is not automatically done by your vet. If you are unsure how to activate it, ask your vet for details. If you move at any point during your pet’s life, you will need to update your information with the microchip company!

Every pet should be micro-chipped

Claws N Paws Day Spa strongly encourages everyone to have their pet micro-chipped. We’ve seen numerous pets safely reunited with their families. Unfortunately, we’ve known many more that never were. It’s been our experience that micro-chipped pets stand a much better chance of being found.

For more information, or to schedule a grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005.