Cool facts about cats and dogs.

Cats are capable of producing around 100 different vocalizations, dogs about 10.

A dog's sense of smell is one hundred thousand times more sensitive than ours.

Hunting is not an natural instinct in cats, they must be taught.

Dog's only sweat glands are between the pads of their paws.

How to remove skunk smell from your dog.

If  your dog happens to come across a skunk and decides to investigate, more than likely it will be sprayed.  Once you have smelt a skunk, you will always know the smell.  This smell lingers forever! It used to be thought that pouring tomato juice on your pet will rid them of the smell.  Not true.  It just makes a big smelly mess!

Here is how to rid your dog of a skunk smell.  Mix together a 32 ounce bottle of hydrogen peroxide with 1/4 cup of baking soda and 2 tsp. of liquid dish soap.  Wet your pet down and apply the mixture. Be careful not to get solution in your pets eyes.  Try to rub in and let sit for as long as possible, 5 to 10 minutes.  (We know this is not likely :)  Rinse. Hopefully you won't have to repeat.

This is always an adventure.  Good luck!

Senior Pet Care

At 12 years old my dog, Tommy is a senior. The little white hairs on his face showed up years ago. He is slower, stiffer and sleeps a lot more.  We have had many good memories and will hopefully have many more.  At the age of 7, cats and dogs are generally considered geriatric.  Larger dogs at the age of 6.  These seniors can develop many of the same problems older humans do, such as cancer, senility and arthritis.

Some considerations when caring for an elderly pet would be a possible increase in vet care, diet change to more easily digestible foods and weight control.  Interestingly weight gain in dogs increases their health risk, whereas weight loss increases health risk in cats.

As caregivers for senior pets, we need to continue to try and keep them active, however limited. Mental stimulation through different activities and games increases their mental well being.  And of course love.

Here is to many more happy years with your senior pet.

Summer heat and your Pet.

We have been experiencing a heatwave with temperatures reaching unbearable highs.  This is the time we need to be extra careful with our pets.  We should know the signs of heat stroke, excess panting, clumsiness and even collapse.  We have to be careful that we are not exercising them too much when it is hot outside and of course we all know you don't leave a pet in a vehicle.

Did you also know that walking your dog on asphalt can also be dangerous as the surface heats the dog's body temperature up quicker than if on grass and it can burn their paws?  A quick test is if you cannot hold the back of your hand on the surface for more than 5 seconds it too hot for your pet to walk on.

Another danger, mostly with cats, is falling out of windows known as High Rise Syndrome.  With windows open to try to get cool air cats may lean against the screen and if not secured properly end up falling out ending in injury and death.

Lets take extra precautions to ensure our pets safety this summer,

Spotting Aggression in Dogs.

Sometimes dog behavior might be hard to interpret.  The dog is wagging his tail, is he happy or nervous?  Aggressive or passive?  Here are some tips on spotting aggression in a dog:

• The dog's tail is wagging slowly and is straight up in the air.  The dog may also appear stiff when moving.  This can be a sign of a very territorial dog.  It is important not to run, in fact stay as still as possible.  Let the dog walk around you, don't make eye contact sudden moves or noises.  Hopefully he will just move on.  If you find yourself in his space by accident slowly back away until you are in a safe place away from his territory.
• The dog's tail wags between his hindquarters.  He may crouch close to the ground.  This is a sign of a nervous dog.  They can be unpredictable and could react with aggression in response to your actions.  Sudden movements, mostly toward the dog, can cause a anxious dog to react in fear.  It is best to leave this type of dog alone.  Most will avoid you.  
• Lastly, if the dog's tail is stiff, his lips are drawn back,teeth showing and the hair on his back is standing up.......Stop, drop your eyes to the ground, and very, very slowly inch backward until you can get away!

One last piece of information....more people get bit by small dogs than large: just because they're small doesn't mean they won't be aggressive.  :)  Watch your fingers.

Interesting Facts of Pet Ownership in Canada

According to a report published by Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development in 2014, 57% of households in Canada have a pet or pets.  There are more cat owners than dogs, with 37% of people being a cat owner and 32% a dog owner. Seventy five percent of pet ownership is by people between the ages of 45 to 54.  Interestingly if these people have children between the ages of 3 and 5, they are more likely to own a cat, whereas if they have children between the ages of 12 and 17 they are more likely to own a dog.

We at Executive Pets love animals, so we can't agree more with the 86% of dog owners and 89% of cat owners that say owning a pet is a great benefit to their physical and mental health.

For the full report; Consumer Corner:  Canadian Pet Market Outlook, 2014 go to http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/sis14914g