Forbes Living Shares Pet Care Money Saving Tips

We love our pets. There is nothing we won’t do for them, including draining our personal financial accounts. Forbes Living takes this opportunity to share how to save money on pet care. (So we can buy them more toys and treats!)

Pet care can be just as expensive as child care. In fact, it is child care except the children have four-legs instead of two, feather, fins and scales. Pet food prices, grooming, insurance routine vet visits and expensive medicine can all add up to a major chunk of money. Many pet owners have felt the pain of dwindling funds as they get and give the very best to their furry kids. 

Below we offer some tips to better manage and hopefully reduce the cost of pet care:

Veterinary care

• Need pet medicine? Ask the vet if it comes in generic form and choose that option.  Research the medicine online first to see if it can be bought online for a lower cost.
• Ask what the cost difference is between in-house lab work or outside labs.
• Ask if samples or manufacturer rebates are available.
• Ask about seasonal discounts or special health care packages such as for senior cats and dogs.
• Look up pet insurance plans and read reviews on petinsurancereview.com ando other sites. Choose the best plan for the animal’s needs.

Pet supplies

• Pet supplies can be bought online also. Pet owners can find almost anything they’re looking for via the Internet and at lower prices than local pet stores.
• Snag local coupons for pet stores like Pet Supermarket. Forbes Living TV sees these in the mail almost every other week.
• Also check online for favorite pet food, treats and supplies coupons.

 Save money on all of the things pets need.

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Forbes Living TV on the Bond Pets and Humans Share

Any pet parent will testify that the bond they share with their four-legged child can be just as strong as one with a human child.  Forbes Living TV learns of a new study which adds validity to that statement.

Japanese researchers observed the interactions of 30 dog owners and their pets.  Canines of many different types were involved in the study, lest anyone think that one breed is more communicative than the other.  The scientists noted that when the human and the canine looked into each other’s eyes, the oxytocin surged in both. They also found that the longer we humans gaze into our dogs (and other animals) eyes, the stronger the surge of the feel good hormone.

We can also apply these new study results to people with service dogs. Service dogs are bred and trained to develop strong and powerful bonds with their owners. For people with PTS, autism and the like, the canines can sense when the person needs assistance.  The surge in oxytocin in both human and dog helps reduce anxiety. The Forbes Living talk show notes that people who bond with their pets, gaze into their eyes and connect on a deeper level, gain more than those who do not.  We are more willing to run through a fire to save the animal, and vice versa.  We feel the same connection to the pet as we would with a human child. That’s how strongly we love our pets. 

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Forbes Living on The Common Foods Which are Bad for Pets

We love our pets so much that some of us let them sit at the table when we eat.  But there are some foods which are dangerous for pets that Forbes Living reviews below.

Never give these foods to cats or dogs because it can be terribly harmful if not fatal:

Avocados: all parts of an avocado, including the pit and skin, contain persin, which is a substance which can produce vomiting and diarrhea in dogs and perhaps cats.

Chocolate: Theobromine, an alkaloid in chocolate does not metabolize in dogs and reach toxic levels which lead to cardiac arrest.  Dogs love sweet stuff. Keep all chocolate locked up high and away from the family pooch.

Onions: Onions and garlic contain sulfoxides and disulfides which can damage red blood cells and lead to anemia in pets.  Onions are worse for pets than garlic.  The sulfoxides and disulfides can damage red blood cells and lead to anemia in pets.  No hamburgers with onions and garlic for the four-legged kids.

Lemons and Limes:  The ASPCS reminds that both of these are bad for dogs and cats. The fruits contain a substance called psoralens, which when combined with the acidity in lemons and limes, can make ingestion dangerous. Also, the essential oil found in lemon peel can be toxic to cats when taken internally, applied to the skin or simply inhaled.

Xylitol: This is a common sweetener in candy, gum and vitamins which is fatal to dogs if they find and eat it. Five grams of it (three pieces of gum) is fatal to dogs. It only takes 15 to 30 minutes before a dog’s insulin levels surge and blood sugar levels drop causing the dog to feel lethargic and losing balance.  Keep food, gum and vitamins out of reach from pets at all times.

Lettuce: Maybe the family feline is a health nut or just likes the fresh, crunchy taste of lettuce. A few small, small pieces is okay but a regular salad every night is hard on the cat’s digestive system. The leafy green (or red) contains enzymes which are not absorbed and digested well. Forbes Living TV suggests growing some cat grass instead since it is healthier for them and more fun to chew on.

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Forbes Living Relays Information about Overweight Pets

There is nothing cute about an obese pet

Just like their human owners, overweight pets suffer from some of the same health issues. Forbes Living takes a look at the biggest health problems an obese pet can suffer.

The majority of American pets are obese according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Fifty-three percent of adult dogs and 55% of adult cats are diagnosed as overweight or obese by their veterinarians.  These beloved family pets can also suffer from crippling arthritis, diabetes, joint soreness and health problems related to the heart. Fat dogs and cats can die from having a stroke.

Forbes Living TV recommends to not feed any pet human food. No matter how much they like it and beg for it, it is usually fatty and contributes to obesity. Visit the veterinarian for healthy feeding guidelines for your animal and to get advice on every day exercise. And if we think about it, an overweight pet will have an overweight person or family taking care of it. Why not get everyone on the same low calorie-low-fat diet plan and add a regular daily walk? The family that get healthy together will more than likely live longer together.

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Forbes Living on Feathered and Four-Legged Weather Forecasters

Golden-winged Warbler - storm forecaster

It has long been said that cats and dogs know when a hurricane is coming.  Birds also can feel a storm approaching before it hits. Forbes Living lets readers know why we need to pay attention to birds and animals.

One of the best early warning systems of approaching bad weather are birds. If they are usually chirping all day and are now nowhere to be seen or heard, chances are a bad storm is on the way. Researchers in Eastern Tennessee were studying some warblers and realized that none were around. They seem to have fled their nests – and for good cause. A supercell of storms was headed in that direction which later spurned 84 tornados in the region. 

This is also the case in tropical locales where hurricanes are common. Birds will disappear and the air is silent. Cats will start to become nervous and dogs may act hyper days before a storm strikes. Forbes Living TV also knows that elephants can sense a water source from more than 150 miles away and head toward it.

Animals have a natural sense and instinct when predicting bad weather or for finding what they need to survive.  We humans should pay more attention to them and not chock up their weird behavior as misbehavior. 

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Forbes Living TV – Love Our Pets – Dogs versus Cats

Let us be clear. We love both the dogs and the cats in our lives. But there is a cool difference in how they take a nice, refreshing drink from the clean water bowl we just put down. Forbes Living TV laps up the difference in dogs and cats.

Researchers from the Fluid Dynamics division of the American Physical Society recently conducted research on how dogs drink water. The cheeks and mouths of cats and dogs are designed as per predatory lifestyle. Cats take a drink of water by touching their tongues to the water’s surface without going deep in it. They suck the water at a speed roughly three feet per second. Just before gravity pulls the water down, felines swallow the water and repeat it. They make a column with their tongues for the water.

Dogs are not as tidy. They also drop their tongues into the water bowl but the movement is quick and abrupt. They splash the water when their tongue hits it.  When a canine pulls its tongue out of the water it is fast and splashy. Dogs force water into their mouths up to eight times of gravity. They are exuberant animals and take a drink they same way. Their mouths are bigger, their tongues are bigger and their actions are bigger.

Forbes Living TV loves both dogs and cats. We can’t resist either one no matter how joyfully messy or fastidious they are when taking a drink of water. It’s what makes them all the more special. Please keep the family pet in mind this holiday season when cooking, baking and decorating. Many of the food we eat and the decorations we use are harmful and some fatal to our beloved four-legged children.

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Forbes Living TV with Family Travel Reminders

Reserve house and pet sitters early for the holidays

Many families will travel out of town for the holidays. Some will take the roads and some will go by air. No matter which way you and your family travel, Forbes Living TV shares some reminders to keep handy.

Who will take care of the house, mail and family pets while you are away? Now is the time to reserve the best caretakers for these valuable assets. Be sure to add some buffer time to the schedule to allow for delayed flights or heavy traffic congestion. Add an extra day to the schedule, if needed. Make a list of what needs to be done daily.

Families who are taking flights out of town should consider downloading movies on tablets or digital devices a week or more before the flight departs. Sometimes the download is slow even on a fast connection.  The same applies for adding apps and especially those related for travel.

If special meals, such as a gluten-free one, are needed for family members, place that request when reserving the flight and seats. If the reservation is already made, call the airline and add the request well in advance of the flight.

Forbes Living TV also suggests checking the baggage restrictions for all connecting flights. Your checked suitcase may be too big and heavy for the regional airline connection to the destination point. Know before you go.

With a little advance planning, a family holiday trip can go smoothly. Why leave some things to chance?

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Forbes Living and the Coming Craze of Membership Dog Parks

There are dog parks and then there are the spiffy membership dog parks. These are cropping across the East Coast and soon may be coming to open green spaces near you. Forbes Living takes a look at what these elite walk and play parks have to offer.

In New York City and a few other places, people are buying unused land and turning it into a great place for dogs to walk, run, play and socialize. For a fee. These are membership only parks where dogs are screened to see if they have been socialized and to see if they are aggressive. Perhaps the pet owners should be screened also.  They are paying the fees – which can be as low as $25 per year to $425 a year – to have a private space where they know the other dogs and pet owners. While some of the parks have steep fees, which cover all of expenses they put into it, like insurance and waste removal, other parks are not charging the pet owners for them.

Forbes Living TV knows that every dog park, whether it is run by the city or privately, will have its share of pet owners who let the dogs run around without any supervision and those who do not pick up after their pets. These members are asked to leave and their membership is revoked. We want to know: would you pay for a private dog park or rather use a free city park?

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Forbes Living – Love Our Pets -- Summer

As hot as it is outside for humans, it can be hotter for our pets. Forbes Living takes time to share some summer tips for those of us with a four legged child. 

Regardless of whatever is posted on the Internet, there are some hard fast rules for summer when it comes to pets. 

Help pets stay cool by letting them come inside the home during the heat of the day. 

Ice is not harmful to a dog so go ahead and drop a cube or two in the water bowl. 

If the dog seems to be having a heat stroke, place ice packs under his or her front shoulders and massage rubbing alcohol into the paws. Rush the animal to the vet for further treatment. 

Forbes Living also suggests walking dogs in the early morning and early evening when it is cooler outside. If mid day walks are needed, make them short and encourage the animal to walk in the grass. 

Dr. Tina Wismer, medical director at the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center, notes that the some animal behaviorists recommend freezing toys or treats for dogs to chew on. It is also noteworthy to know that dog ice cream bars are also a favorite goody in the summer. 

Our pets love to be with us when we are inside and outside. Be sure to keep them safe and healthy with access to fresh clean water all day and a cool place to rest that is out of the sun. 

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