July 1st

By Mutt Mulligan

July 4th Pet Safety Tips

The July Fourth holiday is a great opportunity to spend time in your backyard with your entire family – including Fido. But TurfMutt encourages you to keep these pet safety tips in mind for your Independence Day celebration.

Pet safety tips for July Fourth.

• Do not apply sunscreen or insect repellent to a pet that is not specifically intended for animals. Ingesting theses products can make them sick.
• Keep pets on their normal diet. This means keeping “human food,” including alcoholic beverages, away from your dogs and cats. Older animals, especially, have delicate digestive systems, and even a slight change in diet can wreak havoc. Remember, foods like onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, grapes, raisins, salt and yeast dough are potentially toxic for animals.
• Never use fireworks around pets. Not only is the loud noise traumatic for your dog, exposure to fireworks can also result in severe burns. Also, resist the urge to take your pet to the local fireworks display. Instead, keep your pet safe indoors in a secure, escape-proof area of your home.

Have a happy – and safe – July Fourth!