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Jun 26, 2008 2:45 pm US/Eastern

Carol's Pet Page

by Carol Erickson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― Hello animal lovers! I hope this pet page does a lot for people who care about animals. Right here we can answer your vet questions, help you have a better behaved animal, find your missing pet, allow you to help a local animal in need of help, and find an animal to share your life and home (and a lot of other stuff…just check out the links). Best of all, this is local information for our 3 state region. Check out my blog too… Carol's Barking Blog. By the way, I have a diploma in canine behavioral counseling and am very interested in animal behavior!

On the video side, all the past Ask the Vet segments (seen on TV Sunday mornings during Eyewitness news at 7 with wonderful Dr. Jerry Geffen from Boulevard Animal Hospital on Grant Avenue) and Better Pet Behavior with a fabulous trainer Mary Remer from What a Good Dog in Villanova. All the animal stories we have done are also on this page, along with adoptions.

Also read the Dog Daily and the Cat Daily on the pet page for some great tips and check out Pet Links for ALL SORTS of local pet websites.

Please continue to take good care of your pets by providing them with shelter, food and love. Some tips for cold and hot weather are below. Also, try to do your part for animals that aren't as fortunate as ours are. Encourage neighbors to take good care of the their pets. If necessary, call the local SPCA and contact cruelty officers if an animal is neglected and/or without proper shelter. Dogs require adequate shelter from the elements. IT IS THE LAW. (Cruelty to Animals Law, section 5511(c) of the Pennsylvania Crimes Code. Short chaining is also against the law. Do not fasten a chain to a pole or other object where it can be wrapped around the object. The number to the Pennsylvania SPCA in Philadelphia is 215-426-6300.

If each block in all our cities and towns can make sure that their animals are spayed or neutered, well-housed and treated with love and respect, then we could go a long way in cutting down on animal homelessness and abuse. Be sure you are doing your part. Encourage your block captains to get involved in this.

If you are getting a pet, go to a shelter. Puppy mills that supply many pet stores are a chamber of horrors and buying these puppies encourages more breeding of these animals. Don't breed your own pet. There are too many animals now and no matter how great your pet is, there is no need or excuse for more animals. Check out the characteristics of breeds before you get a dog. Some dogs need a "job" and won't be happy just sitting in the house. In training your pet, remember that it is often easier to change the environment of your house than try to keep your dog out of the garbage. So pick up your shoes and put them away, don't expect your dog to avoid the temptation; put away the garbage cans; install a pet door where you can so your pet can go into a fenced yard; keep any crate time to a minimum – remember in nature, while dogs like dens, their den door isn't locked. Remember that dogs aren't chewing your house up for spite when you leave. They are most probably suffering from separation anxiety and are afraid that you might not come back, so take it easy on them. Low key your arrivals and departures, practice leaving and coming back, don't yell if you find damage as that will just make them more anxious, and check with your vet about getting medication that can help them handle the separation and the behavior modification you will offer them. Also, there is an old saying…a tired dog is a good dog. Make sure your dog gets a lot of exercise that is geared to his kind of fun and his fitness level.

Take some time to go through the pet links on this site and feel free to contact me with some other good sites you would like to share with other animal lovers. Same thing with pet events. This is an interactive page and we update it all the time. Keep a list of emergency vets handy. And don't forget the animals in shelter : see what you can do to help there, if it is volunteering, writing a check, or buying a bag of dog or cat food or supplying a towel.

Most of all, this year and every year, take care of the animals you have and encourage and support others to do the same.

Some tips are below. Take care.

Carol Erickson

Here are some tips that will help save an animal's life:

Protect Dogs From Winter Cold

The information is courtesy of www.unchainyourdog.org.

Thousands of dogs are kept outside year-round, despite weather extremes. Chained and penned dogs are especially vulnerable as they cannot seek out protection from the elements.

It is a common belief that cold weather does not bother dogs. Dogs with a thick undercoat, such as huskies and chows, can tolerate cold weather reasonably well. However, most small dogs and dogs with short to medium-length hair suffer from cold. How can owners protect their dogs in winter?

  • Bring dogs inside when the wind chill is freezing, especially small dogs and short-haired dogs. Dogs can suffer frostbite and hypothermia if left outside in freezing weather.

  • Doghouses should have a flap to keep out cold air. A car mat, a piece of plastic carpet runner, or a piece of carpet are easy solutions for covering the doghouse entrance.

  • Doghouses should be large enough to allow the dog to sit and lie down comfortably, but small enough to hold in his/her body heat.

  • Raise doghouses a few inches off the ground with bricks or concrete blocks to keep out mud, rain and snow.

  • Fill doghouses with hay or cedar shavings to help dogs stay warm. Cedar shavings are preferable to hay as they don't rot as quickly or contain mites. Hay and cedar shavings can be purchased at farm supply and hardware stores. Cedar shavings are also found at discount and pet stores.

  • Outside dogs need more food in the winter, because keeping warm uses calories.

  • Routinely check your pet's water dish to make certain the water is fresh and unfrozen.

  • Antifreeze is a deadly poison, but it has a sweet taste that may attract animals and children. Wipe up spills and store antifreeze out of reach.

    Citizens are encouraged to call their local animal services department to report dogs without shelter or protection from rain, snow and cold weather.



What to do if you see a dog in a parked car on a hot day?

This answer is courtesy of the Main Line Animal Rescue

If you see an animal in a parked car during the summer months, alert the management of the shopping mall or grocery store. If the owner does not return promptly, call the police immediately.

Every summer animals left in parked cars suffer brain damage and die from heatstroke. On a warm day, even with the windows cracked, the temperature in a car can reach 120 degrees in approximately 4 minutes. Dogs and cats can't perspire and can only dispel heat by panting or through the pads of their feet. Never leave a pet in a parked car for any period of time in warm weather.

For that matter, you should never tie out or walk your dog on hot asphalt. If you like to jog with your dog, mornings or evenings are best when the weather and the road surfaces are cooler.

I have compiled a list of sites you might enjoy below.

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