Happy 4th of July to our all-American cats and dogs! Independence Day is a great time to enjoy some outdoor activities with our favorite furry friends, but be sure to keep your pets safe and protected from the heat. For some tips on how to keep your animals comfortable during fireworks displays, check out Dr. Donna Spector’s blog post on reducing pet anxiety during this time.

Have a great 4th of July weekend!

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Q: We live in an area which is high risk for Lyme Disease. Our dog has been on a major brand tick and flea medication year round. We purchased the medication at our vet. Last week he showed a strong positive test to Lyme disease and is now on an antibiotic. His symptoms were lethargy, fever and limping on right back leg. He is 4 1/2 years old and the breed is Old English Sheepdog.

Could you please suggest some Halo pet products to help during this health crisis?

A: Sorry to hear your guy isn’t feeling so well right now. Has he ever been vaccinated for Lyme disease? Many dogs test strongly positive because of the vaccine and not because of true Lyme disease. Your veterinarian can run a test (called a Western Blot) to make sure that your dog’s symptoms are truly a result of Lyme disease and not another form of inflammatory arthritis.

The Old English Sheepdog is very prone to a condition called immune mediated polyarthritis, and it also can cause lethargy, fever and limping and is treated differently than Lyme disease. Regardless of the cause, there are some Halo Pet Supplements that can help. Dream Coat has omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which help with inflammation and the Hip and Joint Supplement contains glucosamine and chondroitin which can help lubricate his joints to make him more comfortable. The Hip and Joint should be used long term as many patients will have residual arthritis after the infection (Lyme) is over. Hope this helps.

Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.

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The following post comes to us from guest blogger, Cat Sitter in the City. As a New York cat sitter, she writes a semi-daily blog about her experiences working with felines.

When I tell people I am a cat sitter, they always have questions.

What exactly do you do? That’s one of the queries, and people tend to ask it with a quizzical look on their faces.

I explain that most people hire me to make daily one-hour visits during which I feed the cat, clean the cat’s litter box, then play and cuddle with the cat, depending on what the cat wants to do, of course.

Do you really stay the full hour? That’s the question I get the most.

And, yes, I do stay the full hour. I even do sleepovers with some cats.

People are incredulous when I tell them this, and that’s because many people—even some cat owners—assume that cats are solitary creatures that are fine being left alone for days on end with a bowl of water and dry food while they are off on summer vacation sipping margaritas by the pool.

This couldn’t be further from the truth, and I’m not just saying this because I get paid to hang out with other people’s cats. I won’t bore you by citing studies, but do some research, and you’ll find more and more animal experts are declaring that domesticated cats are social—not solitary—animals with a strong need for companionship. As a cat sitter, I have seen first-hand how much felines crave company—oftentimes even more than food.

Take Fonzie. He won’t eat until he has had some lap time. Meanwhile, Pooper Katzenberger wants me to hold her before she chows down.

Other cats, like Juba and Lulu, do beg for food the second I walk in the door, but after they’ve had their fill, they want to be pet and held, and sometimes they get desperate about it.

Even shy and seemingly anti-social cats want some form of closeness. Case in point: Peeper, who, sadly, passed away a few years ago, didn’t want me to pet him when I visited, and he kept his distance. But when I sat on the couch, he sat nearby on the coffee table, and I talked to him, and during our sleepovers, I woke up every night to find him right next to me with his head on the pillow. That said a lot to me.

So, if you are going away even just for a few days this summer, hire a cat sitter to give your cat the companionship he or she needs. And if you can’t afford a cat sitter, ask a friend (make sure it is a friend who loves animals) to visit your cat and stay over a few nights if you are going to be gone for a week or two.

Your cat will appreciate the company and will be less likely to claw up your couch out of distress and loneliness.

To read more from this blogger, visit the Cat Sitter in the City blog.

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The following post comes to us from guest blogger, Barbara, of the Agility Beagle Xsara blog. Xsara regularly competes in Agility trials in her home country, Slovenia, and sometimes abroad.

Getting a dog is easy for some people, but it wasn’t easy for me because my parents didn’t allow one. That’s why it took me 20 years to get my first dog — a beagle, not an easy breed to work with. I have been told many times that working with a dog like Xsara was simply not possible, and that I shouldn’t have high expectations. Luckily, I didn’t listen to any of them, and I really wanted to try working with her anyway.

I admit that training her wasn’t easy and it’s still hard work, but I am proud to say that at four years old she can do pretty much anything a border collie could do – she can run practically any agility course without faults, do hundreds of tricks and impress any obedience judge. We compete on practically every agility trial in our country and sometimes abroad, and she never lets me down; every mistake that happens on course is always my fault.

Xsara is the reason why I believe that any dog can do pretty much anything their handler wants, as long as they are willing to train and work for it. In addition, I strongly believe that work is good for dogs. After all, that is what they were bred for. And I am always amazed by how much dogs actually love to work with us, if the methods of training are dog friendly. Of course, some dogs need more motivation than others, but if the handler can make work interesting enough, there are practically no limitations.

There are so many canine disciplines to choose from, so anyone can find something that suits their personality and that the dog will enjoy. And anybody who has ever seen the enthusiastic look on a working dog’s face will tell you that the training will eventually pay off – big time!

Watch Xsara in action and read more about her at Agility Beagle Xsara.

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It is not uncommon for pets to experience anxiety or fear during the firework celebrations on July 4th. Here are some tips before the fireworks begin:

* Make sure your pet is inside in a safe and secure location so he cannot hurt himself or escape if he panics. Frightened pets are more likely to escape and are at risk of being lost or hit by vehicles. Make sure your pets have appropriate identifying tags and microchips in the event they are lost.

* Turn on the fan, radio or television to create comforting or distracting noise.

* Stay with your pet to provide reassurance and comfort. Do not take anxious pets to parties or gatherings as this can elevate their anxiety. If your dog is afraid of fireworks, he or she is more likely to bite so keep them away from small children or unfamiliar people. Keep a soft muzzle on hand in case you need it.

* Natural calming homeopathic remedies and flower essences may help ease anxiety in some pets.

* If your pet’s anxiety is extreme, talk to your veterinarian about a tranquilizer. There are several prescription products that can be used to “take the edge off” or fully sedate your pet, depending on the situation.

* For the future, consider consulting a behaviorist to help condition your pet to loud noises so they can enjoy the festivities too!

Have a happy and safe July 4th!

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