Mandi's Pet Care Blog - Professional Pet Sitter

New website!

Amanda — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:37:26 +0000

I’ve moved my website to www.mandispetcare.com !!

So now I OFFICIALLY can’t be confused with Amanda’s Pet Sitting. Give it a little while to have my old domain transfered, and then it will point to the new site, so if for some reason the site is messing up, please email me and mandispetcare@gmail.com to let me know. Thanks!!

Check out my new Calendar of Events page!

Amanda — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:15:28 +0000

Fun things going on in the community. If you have anything to add, let me know!

Calendar of Events

Grapes and Raisins are Toxic for Dogs

Amanda — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:53:43 +0000

I, personally, have know for a little while that raisins and grapes are bad for dogs. But I’ve never known just HOW bad until this weekend after my 7 pound Dachshund ate two boxes. Just a few grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure, and they have been known to be fatal.

I felt stupid at first for not knowing, seeing my life revolves around dogs, but when I brought my dog in to work with me, the veterinarian didn’t even know that raisins and grapes were really THAT bad.

It can take up to 3 days after ingestion for kidney failure to start, so we’ve had my guy on fluids and checking his blood twice a day. So far, so good. If everything looks good tomorrow, he’s in the clear. So far, the only symptoms he’s had are the vomiting on Sunday (a lot of it), vomited once last night, and drinking a lot of water.

Other symptoms would be hyperactivity shortly after consumption, later they would be lethargic, won’t eat, vomiting, diarrhea, drinking a lot of water, then trouble urinating as the kidneys start shutting down.

I’m trying to be optomistic, I can’t lose two dogs in one month. Bama, my Cocker Spaniel, was hit by a car a couple weeks ago, and we had to put him down.

For more information, I found a really great article from the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control called The Wrath of Grapes. Their Animal Poison Control site also has a lot of great information on other common foods, plants, and household items that are dangerous for pets along with a lot more helpful information regarding pets and toxins.

The Animal Poison Control Center is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: 1-888-426-4435. A $60 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card. If you are a member of the new HomeAgain Microchip Program, you can call 1-888-HOMEAGAIN to speak with the Animal Poison Control Center for free.

If you own or plan to own a dog, PLEASE educate yourself on heartworms.

Amanda — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:46:17 +0000

I know I seem to harp on the subject of heartworms a lot, but it is such an important part of owning a dog! Since I have been trying to rehome my Boxer, Gypsy, I have found that so many people know NOTHING about heartworm disease. I’m not going to get into specifics of what people have said, but it blows my mind away that a pet owner or potential pet owner knows or cares so little about the disease.

If you own a dog or plan on getting one, PLEASE educate yourself on heartworm disease, prevention, and treatment.

You can find great information on heartworms at the site for the American Heartworm Society.

Foster and/or forever homes needed!

Amanda — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:19:29 +0000

Please spread the word, I have dogs coming out of the woodworks! Email me or check out my website www.amandaspetsitting.net for info. Not everyone is listed on the site so email me for details!

Pet Care Costs on the Rise!

Amanda — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:22:25 +0000

With gas prices and everything else in this country going up, up, up, it’s sad to say that pet care prices are going up as well. Times are hard with everything going up but our paychecks. We know this. But prices are being raised for us as well! As much as we would be able to care for your pets for free or really cheap, this is how we make OUR living and how WE survive.

Please be patient with your pet care providers. Your veterinarians, their staff, your pet sitters, your dog walkers, your groomers, your pet stores….we can’t help the price increases!!

PLEASE!! Do not let the increased prices convince you to not care for your pets at all. Shop around if you need to, find someone willing to work with you or programs that can help.

Summer Safety Tips

Amanda — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:18:54 +0000

We all love hanging out outdoors during the summertime, but we need to take special precautions when bringing our pets along! They love the outdoors as much as (if not more!) than we do, so don’t let the heat discourage you from outside fun with Fido. The HSUS offers these tips for pet owners to keep their furry friends safe this summer:

Never leave your pet in your car! If you will be running errands that are not pet friendly, leave your pets at home. Read more about the signs of heat stroke.
Want to help educate others about the dangers of leaving pets in hot cars? During the summer months (May through September) The HSUS has educational posters available for purchase ($3 for 10, $5 for 25) that store managers can post inside their windows to remind shoppers that “Leaving Your Pet in a Parked Car Can be a Deadly Mistake”. In addition, 4″ x 9″ two-sided flyers are also available (50 for $3.00). To order please send a check, your mailing address and the number of posters or flyers that you would like to receive to the following address: HSUS/Hot Cars, 2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037. You can also receive a free sample flyer by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the above address.
Don’t ride with your dog in the back of your truck! It is illegal in some states, and very dangerous in all of them.
Summer time is great for gardening, but beware! Plant food, fertilizer, and insecticides can be fatal if your pet ingests them. In addition, more than 700 plants can cause harmful effects in animals.
Keep your pets on heartworm prevention medication. Heartworms, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, are be fatal in both dogs and cats. Read more on heartworms and prevention.
Take precautions with your pool. Do not allow your pets to have free access to your pool. ALWAYS supervise your pets while they swim.
Don’t forget to provide plenty of water and shade.
Fleas are a problem in Mississippi year round, but are especially bad in the summer. Use only flea and tick treatments recommended by your veterinarian. Some over-the-counter flea and tick products can be toxic, even when used according to instructions.

Use sunscreen! Pets can get sunburned too. Apply a pet friendly sunscreen to his or her nose and ear tips.

Have fun and be safe!!!

Dog Rules

Amanda — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:37:36 +0000

Visitors
- Quickly determine which guest is afraid of dogs. Charge across the room, barking loudly and leap playfully on this person. If the human falls down on the floor and starts crying, lick its face and growl gently to show your concern.
Barking
- Because you are a dog, you are expected to bark. So bark — a lot. Your owners will be very happy to hear you protecting their house. Especially late at night while they are sleeping safely in their beds. There is no more secure feeling for a human than to keep waking up in the middle of the night hearing you protective bark, bark, bark…
Licking
- Always take a BIG drink from your water dish immediately before licking your human. Humans prefer clean tongues. Be ready to fetch your human a towel.
Holes
- Rather than digging a BIG hole in the middle of the yard and upsetting your human, dig a lot of smaller holes all over the yard so they won’t notice. If you arrange a little pile of dirt on one side of each hole, maybe they’ll think it’s gophers. There are never enough holes in the ground. Strive daily to do your part to help correct this problem.
Doors
- The area directly in front of a door is always reserved for the family dog to sleep.
The Art Of Sniffing
- Humans like to be sniffed. Everywhere. It is your duty as the family dog to accommodate them.
Dining Etiquette
- Always sit under the table at dinner, especially when there are guests, so you can clean up any food that falls on the floor. It’s also a good time to practice your sniffing.
Housebreaking
- Housebreaking is very important to humans, so break as much of the house as possible.
Going For Walks
- Rules of the road: when out for a walk with your master or mistress, never go to the bathroom on your own lawn.
Couches
- It is perfectly permissible to lie on the new couch after all your humans have gone to bed.
Playing
- If you lose your footing while chasing a ball or stick, aim for the flowerbed to absorb your fall, so you don’t injure yourself.
Chasing Cats
- When chasing cats, make sure you never–quite–catch them. It spoils all the fun.
Chewing
- Make a contribution to the fashion industry… eat a shoe.

Found at http://www.joke-archives.com/dogs/dogrules.html

Name Change!!

Amanda — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:18:33 +0000

I have decided to change the name of my business to Mandi’s Pet Care. There is another “Amanda’s Pet Sitting” in Arizona, and has allegedly ripped some people off. I am in NO WAY associated with this other company, and have decided to change MY company’s name in order to end any confusion.

Thank you, and I’m sorry for any confusion.

Oh, the life of a pet lover…

Amanda — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:37:02 +0000

So here I am, on my computer, 9:30 pm when my neighbors knock on my door. “Is this your kitten?” Nope, not mine. They found him on our porch crying! Poor guy. He looks about 12 weeks old, pure black little male. I had some leftover food from my last foster kitten that I put out for him and some water, but he’s still out there crying. He’s very scared. Its like, they KNOW where to come when they need help. This one’s not coming inside though. Nope, nope. As long as he’s on my porch I’ll continue to feed him until he gets a new home.