The Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park in California has been producing a lot of smoke, blanketing much of Northern Nevada and creating an unhealthy air quality, due to the particulate matter in the air. Recent reports indicate that it may be weeks or months until the fire is controlled and contained. People have the option of wearing breathing masks and avoiding the outdoors, if we so choose; but our pets - not so much! The following pet tips can help your companion animal weather out the the hazy days of fire season!

• Keep pets indoors. If you don't want to go out, or have a sore throat, headache or watery eyes - chances are they do too. Walk them around the inside of the house, or on a treadmill if you have access to one.
  
• Run the AC. It might be a little expensive, but the AC unit helps filter the air coming into your house.
  
• Watch for signs of irritation. The most common health concerns as a side effect of forest fire smoke are inflammation of the eyes and inflammation of the nasal passages. Ocular symptoms include squinting, red coloring or blotching on the whites, discharge coming from the eye and pawing or scratching the eyes or rubbing them on furniture. Respiratory symptoms can include labored, shallow or fast breathing, sneezing, wheezing, abnormal stretching of the neck, nasal discharge, coughing. 
• Watch for signs of smoke inhalation. Smoke inhalation symptoms occur when not enough oxygen reaches the brain, toxins are present in the air or small, fine particulate matter irritating eyes and lungs. Symptoms include: disorientation, fainting,  coma, sleepiness, seizures.
  

Hopefully these pet tips can help you and your pet weather the fire season until we get to the crisp cool air of fall!

We don't always have the choice of taking our pets with us - to work, on vacation, or on an extended hospital stay. Lots of situations are not designed for companion pets to be with us. Picking a pet sitter can be tricky and somewhat anxious! You want to know that your faithful companion is as well cared for as when you are around.

And let's face it, even if you have friends or roommates you feel comfortable asking to take care of your pets, you don't always want to impose on them. That leaves choosing a pet sitter. There are a some questions you should ask when looking at all of your options:

• Is this sitter reputable?
  
• Can they accommodate the dates and times you need care or coverage?
  
• How much experience do they have with different animals, health conditions or varieties of temperments?
  
• Are they licensed and bonded? 
  

If you choose Pet Sitters Plus as your companion pet's caregiver, you know that we bring a depth of experience, training, licensing and safety with us. Your pet will be taken care of to your specifications, whether that is feeding and cleaning up after a cat, walking a dog, or spending some cuddle time with a needy animal. Don't be afraid to be too picky when choosing a pet sitter - this is a member of your family. Make sure it's the kind of care you want.

If you are interested in becoming a pet caregiver or starting your own business as one, you can contact Pet Sitters Plus to find out all you need to know - from forms, to licensing and even to networking and building your client base. Our consultations are one-hour phone consultations for $40. This is one hour that could change your life and have you working for yourself in a very short time!

Cars heat up a lot faster than we think. In the summertime heat, it is NEVER okay to leave your pet unattended in a car - windows cracked or not. Car temperatures can literally be like the inside of an oven, and that's no place you want to leave your pet.

We still have errands to do though. Here are some great alternatives to leaving your pet in a car: 
1) Drive-Thru Only - Convenient and accessible, many businesses offer a drive-thru. Instead of leaving your companion in the car, even for a second, take advantage of the opportunity to let your pet ride in comfort and style.

2) Pet Friendly Shopping - Many businesses are happy to accommodate our companions! When you can, go to businesses that have a pet friendly policy and take them shopping with you.

3) Bring a Friend - Having someone come along while you (or both of you) run errands will give your pet someone to hang out and play with while you're inside.

4) Outdoor Eating - Instead of going into a restaurant to eat, find those with outdoor seating. Shade and a little water dish make this a fun time for everyone!

5) Skip It -  Is your trip to the store really all that important? Can it wait until tomorrow or later on in the day? Let your pet stay at home where its cool and relaxing.

ID tags on collars aren't perfect. We put them on our pets in case of emergencies, but there are problems with that. Some pets are wily and crafty. They don't like their collar and will do anything to get it off! 'Break-away' collars are often ineffective for identifying pets since they will easily get lost. 'Pet-nappers' can easily take off a collar and ID tag. Microchips are an effective solution to those fears.

ID microchips, no bigger than a grain of rice, can be implanted by veterinarians into dogs, cats and even many reptiles. The procedure is relatively non-invasive and takes moments to complete - a lot like getting a shot. The device holds a number that can be scanned; this number correlates to your ownership information in a national database.

For a limited time, Washoe County Regional Animal Services is offering FREE microchipping for your pet. Although the procedure is relatively low-cost to begin with, some of us don't have the extra budget to make it happen. You can find dates and locations of this free service here: http://www.washoecounty.us/animal . 

The hot weather is returning to the Carson Valley and that's a big concern for outdoor pets. As the summer turns up, the mountain air can get sweltering in the daytime heat. Even the shade, what little there is in the high desert, is no refuge for our furry companions.

There are a few things you can do to help out any outdoor pets you might have. For long haired breeds of cats and dogs, one solution is summertime grooming - get them a haircut! But this is only a temporary solution and it doesn't address the problem for their shorter haired cousins.

One ingenious way of keeping your pets cool as a cucumber in the summertime is to invest in a kiddie pool. Yes, the same plastic pools that you can buy at the store. FiIl it up with about 3-4 inches of water to give those pets some relief! Placing it in whatever shade you can muster helps a lot as well. Dogs, and even cats, that don't like the water will get in to cool off when it gets really hot. It also becomes an additional source of water for them if they are feeling parched.

Don't forget to change it every other day or so, to keep the water fresh and clean! They'll thank you for it.

As spring returns, your companion probably wants to get out more. There are a few things to be aware of as the weather warms up. These pet tips should help with your springtime pet care.

• Allergies - Check for watery eyes and sneezing as an early warning sign that your pet may have allergies.
  
• Parasites - After a long winter hibernation, flea, tick and heartworm larvae are back for more. Protect your pets!
  
• Windows - Make sure your screens are secure. Many pets can escape through or be injured while exiting damaged screens as we air out the house.
  
• Easter - Keep your Easter chocolates and Easter grass out of reach! They are a big no-no for both dogs and cats.
  
• Flowers - Budding flowers look great, but many of them do not agree with canine or feline tummies. 
  
• Chemicals - Secure your cleaning products as you refresh your house. Uncapped cleaning agents pose a big health risk to pets.
  
• Automobiles - As the weather warms up, don't forget to crack the window before you head inside the store again!
  

If you started a pet sitting business and need help growing, getting clients, or with the day-to-day work of your business, let's set up a phone consultation! I will share my expertise and experience with you. We will talk for one hour at a time that is convenient for you. The cost is only $40.00. Contact me to set up your appointment.

Pet sitting is big business. According to the ASPCA, there are about 78 million dogs and 86 million cats owned in the United States. Approximately 62% of households have pets in them and these numbers are not on the decline. When owners want to go on vacation or have to leave for business, they don't want to send their companion and friend to a faceless kennel or shelter This is where you can come in! Bringing personal care into their homes through personalized pet care can benefit them and get your own pet sitting business off the ground!

We offer comprehensive service and support for anyone looking to open their own pet sitting business. For new pet caregivers, we can show you the ropes through phone consultations or training programs. The forms available on our website are the same ones we use every day and can you get started today. Our pet sitting business forms include:

• Contracts
• Flyers
• Marketing Brochures
• Policy and Procedures

Personalized pet care is on the move as one of the fastest growing markets in the United States. Don't waste any time and start your own pet sitting business today!  Download our forms or give us a call and get to work for yourself!

Well Dutches is weaned from her puppies, spayed and vaccinated! She is ready for a new forever home! She is approx. 18 months, Terrier Cocker mix. She loves kids and other dogs....a real snuggle bug! She uses her dog door and is a real good girl. She has had if "Ruff" being dumped in a CA high kill shelter major pregnant. Had her puppies her in foster care. Please call me at 775-265-7387 for more information.

KENNEL COUGH! Everyone hates to hear those words, especially kennels, boarding facilities and grooming shops. The main reason I picked this topic was because several days ago I received a call from a lady that told me she was interested in adopting one of the puppies I am fostering. She explained to me that she was a single parent of two children and they had "adopted a sick puppy from a Reno Shelter that had to go back"....I did not ask what Reno Shelter it was, but I did ask what was wrong with the puppy. She said they had had the puppy almost 2 weeks-and her and the children loved him, he was just perfect- then it began to cough and not really eat....they took it to the vet and it was diagnosed with "Bordetella bronchiseptica"(Kennel Cough)...she was upset that the shelter had sold her a sick dog!! 
 So here is where my frustration comes in. In this day of the internet, why do people not educate themselves! Why do we always assume that someone did "something wrong" or tried to "screw us over".... 
I felt bad for her children who fell in love with this dog, just to have it "Returned". and what does that teach our children? Then I felt bad for the puppy. I bet it was sitting at the shelter wondering what it had done wrong? Why did his new family return him?
So I took some time to explain some of the facts about kennel cough to the women and suggested, that not only for the poor puppy but as a good example to her kids, to GO BACK AND GET THAT PUPPY and care for it as your own!! Because it is-YOUR OWN!! Then I decided to post this as well, because maybe others do not understand as well.
Several viruses and bacteria can cause kennel cough. It is usually a mild disease, but the cough may be chronic, lasting for several weeks. The loud cough is usually described as a "goose honk". It is very contagious and can be spread by casual contact such as sniffing while on a walk, playing, sharing bowls etc. The "spores" from the cough can travel-especially in cold weather.....so is seen more in winter. It is also seen more in "groups of dogs" like in kennels, dog parks, groomers etc. The hardest thing is a dog can carry it, spread it and have NO SIGNS OF HAVING IT FOR UP TO 15 days....so what does that mean...??? Well a dog could have it, go to the dog park or kennel or groomer or on a walk or..............and be spreading it and no one knows....then in about 2 weeks, the cough begins and you have to go get antibiotics from the vet.
So you see....the shelter did not KNOWINGLY sell a sick dog. If the family would have just got the medication, gave it and waited a few days, all would be well and there would be one less sick dog at the shelter. To me it is like "The dog flu". Put a group of kids or people together and some get the flu, some do not. If your child got the flu and went to daycare, would we fire the daycare and worse yet RETURN THE CHILD!!
Best advice is to vaccinate your dogs....but-like the flu- the vaccine does not protect against all strains..and after that my advice would be to lighten up!! Life has bumps in the road and well, "STUFF HAPPENS"...relax and enjoy your pet-some times there is no one to blame.....it just is what it is.....