Ho ho ho furiends! It’s feeling very Christmassy at our house this week. We have decorated our Christmas tree (which Chio has managed to leave intact so far) and we both have our festive reindeer ears. Don’t we look handsome?

The holidays are a time for happiness and fun with friends and family. It’s also a time of food and drink excess, not to mention lots of strange new objects in the house. Some of these new objects can be highly attractive to us pets, and equally dangerous. What may seem harmless to you can be lethal to dogs, cats and other small animals. To keep your pets happy and healthy this year, follow these tips on how to safeguard your pet this holiday season.

Decorations

They look wonderful in the home, but there are a few potential dangers to look out for. We can chew tinsel, confetti and Christmas wrapping paper, leading to a trip to the emergency room. Many decorations can block our intestines. Ornaments and snow globes are very attractive to pets with their glitter and sparkle. Some contain poisons and sharp objects may injure your pets intestines. Clean up any broken ornaments immediately.

Christmas Trees and Plants

It’s happened before and it will surely happen again; the water in the Christmas tree may seem like a new extra drinking bowl. Drinking this water can expose your dog to all kinds of bacteria and fertilizers. Some people also put aspirin in their water. Please do not do this if you have pets!

Christmas plants such as holly, mistletoe. lilies, pine and poinsettias are all potentially poisonous to your pets if eaten. If you do have them in the house, keep well out of reach from your four-legged friends.

Candles and Extension Cords

Puppies love to chew through things! Our friend Teddy the Cavalier chewed through the lead of a laptop within 10 seconds of his mommy opening her gift on Christmas morning. Luckily it was not plugged in.

If you are using extension cords, you can secure them by using duct tape or similar to secure them to the wall or floor. Candles are also attractive to curious pets and we can have our whiskers burnt off in seconds. There is also the danger of knocking them over and causing a fire.

Human Foods

If you want your pet to be part of the festive feast, make sure you are giving us foods designed for pets. Many holiday foods are fatty and too heavy for pets, causing stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Although dogs love pork and bacon, it’s not a good idea to give it to us.

Completely Avoid:

Caffeine - It causes heart problems and vomiting.

Grapes, including raisins - they are poisonous to pets, potentially causing kidney failure.

Chocolate - I know we beg for it, but never give this to your pets. The higher the cocoa content, the more poisonous it is.

Alcohol - Pets can’t process alcohol the way humans do. Even a small amount can make us sick and can lead to coma and even death.

Pet Toys

When choosing a pet for your toy, make sure it’s from a reputable producer and doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals or small objects we might choke on.

Pet Costumes

Yes, I’ll admit it, we can look adorable in costumes! Costumes are fine once your pet is happy to wear them, Make sure they aren’t restricting or too tight and don’t have any bits we might bite off and choke on. If your pet is unhappy about wearing a costume, don’t force it. It will lead to anxiety.

Parties

The holidays are a great time for parties. If your pet is used to a quiet household or does not like visitors, house parties can be very stressful. Make a quiet place for your pet, away from the hustle and bustle. We have a ZenCrate set up in the bedroom so we can hide out if we feel anxious or need a break from people.

If you need to leave your pet at home to see friends and family, pay close attention to safety this time of year. Dogs with separation anxiety may feel particularly upset. Ensure that your dog is in an area that has nothing dangerous that they can chew or swallow. If possible, play calming music or set up a comforting, secure place for them to feel safe in.

Do you have any funny Christmas pet stories? We’d love to hear them! Please comment below. If you would like to keep up to date with my blog you can sign up right on this page. Find me on Facebook at Charger the Guide Dog. Share this article with your friends and family if you find it useful!

Charger

Hello furiends! Today I’m in the lab with dad and were working on getting the ZenCrate ready for launch in the new year!

Big news this week! I’m a movie star. Dad created an animation video, for his product ZenCrate with me as the star. We each go through struggles and have our highs and lows, my struggle has always been thunder and loud noises. In the case of these struggles this invention has helped me to overcome them and essentially made me the star of my own life. The definition of “star” is a fixed, luminous point, that is a definition I haven't always been able to relate to.  Pretty soon, you’ll be able to tell all your friends that you knew me before I was famous, BOL! I don't really want to be famous, I just want to help others star shine brightly like mine is today. 

Everyone who knows me from my blog and Facebook page Charger the Guide Dog, knows that this is my life's mission. There are many dogs like me working on their mission daily, a couple of my favorites include Ricochet the Surfice dog, Norbert and Arbor the GO Vegas dog. It is so rewarding to see others surf the waves of their lives to success. My favorite quote I shared this week is “I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being.” this quote is from Hafiz of Shiraz. This quote has a lot of meaning to me, it says even when we are feeling low our light or star is shining bright. At times we don't have the courage but given work and time we can get to a place where we ourselves can see our star and most importantly feel it.

My New Animated Video

The new video shows me in animation during a thunderstorm. Florida, where we live, seems to have thunder storms way too often in my opinion. As in real life, in the video animation I head into my ZenCrate to hide away from the thunder. The ZenCrate is really clever and knows when I’ve entered which then calms me as it plays soothing music.  It also has special feet that dampen the sound vibrations made from many of my least favorite things such as thunder and fireworks. 

This invention is my favorite product on the market to help me overcome my anxiety. We tried everything, from aromatherapy to Thunder Shirt to long hugs, but nothing worked until dad made me the ZenCrate. He built it through researching and testing advice on dealing with dog anxiety issues. I was Charger the Guinea Pig for a while but hey, he found the right solution. The ZenCrate will be available for all pets with anxiety in early 2016. Dad want’s to get it just right first. Find out more here. So here’s the video you’ve all been waiting for:

Shiba Shake is a cool dog care website I found white pawing through the internet. This blog post tells you how to spot the different dog anxiety problems. All of the suggestions listed are similar to those that dad and I tried and researched when creating the ZenCrate. Some of them, we incorporated into the design.

The ZenCrate is not only for anxious dogs like me. It can also be used like a normal dog crate for training purposes. We could do with an extra one in our house. My brother Chio who is now just over 11 weeks old needs some training. I do love him really, he just wears me out sometimes.

If you would like to see my daily updates and lots of pics of me and my baby brother, head over to Facebook to like my page. I love meeting new friends and hear about other pets with anxiety issues. Do you have a pet with anxiety issues? Feel free to share your stories below. Sign up to my newsletter right on this page!

Charger

Hello friends, thanks for checking out my blog! I’m still getting used to having a baby brother in the house. Chio can be a handful and I’m doing my best to put manners on him, which is not easy. A big bark out to everyone who came over to my Facebook page to say hi. If you haven’t already liked my page Charger the Guide Dog, you can find it here. I’d love to make new interesting friends and feature them in my blog or on my page.

Last week we celebrated Veterans Day and it got me thinking. We never pay much attention to the dogs that work to protect their country. There are also specially trained service dogs that help veterans who have been wounded or suffer from PTSD. As Veterans Day includes K9 veterans, I wanted to dedicate this week’s blog to the dogs of the Armed Forces.

Dogs play a very important role in the US Defense Department, from sniffing out bombs to finding people who are buried alive, to giving comfort to those who have suffered trauma. There are around 1,700 military dogs in service throughout the US Defense Department. I found a few really cool Facebook pages that you might like to check out.

1. Military Working Dogs Facebook page lets you see some of the brave dogs that have served in the US Military. Read their story and how they dedicated their lives to their country.
2. The US Coast Guard also has a Facebook page for their Maritime Safety and Security Team. The K9 members are really popular on this page. They have pictures of dogs in parachutes, I’ll say no more!
3. Americas Vet Dogs is a non-profit organization that runs programs to help provide veterans or active duty members with therapy dogs.

The downside of dogs in the US Military is that they can develop canine PTSD, just like their human counterparts. In 2014, around 5% - 10% of dogs deployed in combat settings shows signs of having canine PTSD. The diagnosis was only confirmed in 2010 so it’s a fairly newly recognized condition. Some veterinarians don’t recognize this behavioral phenomenon at all.

It’s quite sad that the dogs in distress can’t speak up and tell their handlers what they are feeling. Just like regular dogs with anxiety, dogs with canine PTSD can get clingy, timid, aggressive or try to escape or hide. They can even avoid their daily routine tasks. Every dog reacts to stress differently.

What can be done to counteract canine PTSD and help dogs with anxiety? Like regular dogs with anxiety, there are a few options available. Anti-anxiety medication is sometimes given short-term. Dogs work with behaviorists to be desensitized to stressful situations. Counter-conditioning is also used after distressing tasks to reinforce good behavior.

As a dog that suffers with anxiety I know too well that the road to rehabilitation can be long and winding. Dad tried all kinds of treatments with me before building me a ZenCrate to hide out in during thunderstorms. Soon the ZenCrate will be available for other dogs with anxiety issues.

If you liked my blog please share it with your friends. Canine anxiety is an issue that’s often overlooked and I’m on a mission to raise awareness. To find out more about dealing with dog anxiety, you can sign up to my weekly blog post on the right side of this page. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you over at my Facebook page. 

Charger