How to Best Care For Animals When The Heat is ON !!!

• Did you know it's is so easy to make Ice cream for your dogs? It really isn't healthy to give dogs alot of sugar on these hot summer days. So when you are having your treat, take your pre-made "doggie ice cream" out of the freezer for them, too!

• First, the ingredients can be anything, leftover meat gravy, soup or ground up pieces of cooked meat, then put your ingredients into a blender with two cups of milk or low fat milk. Blend the ingredients on high speed until frothy, then put into a plastic container and freeze.

• Let freeze for 4-6 hours, then put back into the blender and whip. Add "crunchies" like ground up doggie bones, or treats, or even left-overs from dinner. Store in the freezer until it is hot outside and you want to pamper your Hot Pooch!

Our family cares for five dogs, many rabbits, wild birds, tropical fish, a duck and every little "lost soul" the neighborhood kids find....because of this, we have learned some unique ways to make small animals,...and some larger animals as well, comfortable in the heat of Summer

Here are some of the tricks we use...

Water is important, but water gets hot in hot weather too! To keep your pets refreshed, re-use your recyclable 2-litre plastic bottles before you send them off to the recycle centers. Put tap water two-thirds full into bottles and cap tighty. (Do not over fill bottles or they will crack in the freezer) Stick bottles into the fridge over night, before leaving for work or school,etc., set a bottle into your pets, cage, water bowl or dog house. The pet will be cooled, for example in a rabbit hutch...rabbits will actually huddle next to the bottle during the hot part of the day. Dogs will lick and chew on the bottle, doggie popsicle-style, and if you use the smaller bottles, they fit into a water dish to keep water cold.

Also, freeze a tasty treat in disposable containers, rectangle or square containers are best, the frozen treats pop out more easily. Dogs especially love to chomp on the frozen meal on a hot day. Using these containers can provide Giant ice cubes for watering troughs and large water bowls also.

If you do not have natural shade in your back yard yet, put up a beach umbrella, use a metal umbrella stand to prevent the wind from blowing it over. If you want to make an inexpensive umbrella stand, use any type of deep container, 5-gallon paint bucket, pot from the greenhouse, large crate or wooden box, just about anything that size, fill it with Quikcrete concrete, but put a 2 foot length of 2" PVC pipe or anything like it to create a hole to stick your umbrella pole into, PVC comes in all sizes so make it a tight enough fit. ONE THING YOU MUST REMEMBER IS THAT THE "SUN MOVES DURING THE DAY" AND SHADE WILL BE NEEDED ALL DAY, SO WHERE THE SUN IS SHINING IN THE MORNING IS DIFFERENT THAN WHERE IT WILL BE AT NOON AND AT THREE PM. Your dog or other caged animals will need covering from the hot sun all day. Use your day off to check where to best locate your umbrella for protection at all times of the day by checking how the sun moves through your yard.

Never change a dog or cats' brand of food outright, you need to mix the new brand 1/3 to 2/3 then half and half with the old brand to wean them off, for about a week to help your pet adjust to its' new diet, this prevents diarhea, which can cause dehydration and even death in the hot summer.

Walk dogs every day, in the summer, however, change walking times to the cool of evening or early mornings, it's just as unhealthy for people to walk in the heat, but moving your walk times to cooler times of the day can encourage more regular walks. The stress relief provided to dogs through walking greatly helps their behavior especially during the hot months.

One of my favorites...put a hard plastic kiddy pool in your dogs' space, it is so easy to dump out when the water looks muddy, and it refills quickly. Throw balls or dog toys into the pool so your dogs can retrieve them, which soon becomes a game your pets will play when you are not home! A great cool off trick, and so easy to keep clean!

Wash and dry an old blanket with fabric softener and put it into your pets' doghouse, the fabric softener will clean and soften your pets' fur, if your pet has white fur it even whitens their fur!

Stick peanut butter or soft , canned, dog food into your dogs' toys, stick it into a baggie and freeze. They will keep quiet during the hot hours of the day trying to lick the cool treat out of their toys, this can also work with their favorite bones.

Remember, peanuts and chocolate are toxic to your dogs' liver, so easy on the peanut butter as well.....