A few days ago, I brought home a Christmas gift in a big brown paper bag a friend of mine gave me. After taking out the gift, I left the paper bag on the floor -- I didn't give it much thought. My cat showed some curiosity toward the bag, but I didn't give him much attention because I thought paper wouldn't cause harm to cats...boy, was I wrong! I could hear the cat investigating the bag. Then, suddenly, the cat freaked out and started to run around the house like crazy. He had the twine handle part caught around his neck and went bonkers. The naughty cat must've put his head through the handle and couldn't get his head back out, so he panicked. Everything turned out to be all right and the cat calmed down after he was freed, but it was a good lesson for me to learn: you must be careful every time you bring back home something new to your pets. Your precious pets can get into it and cause trouble if they are not supervised.

One of the HealthPetNet's free newsletters talks about holiday survival guide for pets. They list many tips (and they are all so important!). Just to name a few:

• There are many shiny playthings on Christmas trees that can provide eternal amusement for your pets, so try to use unbreakable ornaments. Also, make them more inaccessible to your pets. Put glass lights in the deeper parts of the tree. If your pet is fond of chewing on electrical wire, rub petroleum jelly and hot sauce on the wire so that your pet won't later earn the nickname Don King.


• Beware of strings, tinsel...anything long and thin. Dogs and cats just love to eat these objects, which can twist their way through the GI tract, resulting in grave consequences.


• Keep away any essential oils that you may get as gifts such as lavender and eucalyptus. They can be toxic to dogs and almost certainly to cats. It is essential that you keep the oils out of harms reach.


• Over the holidays, we tend to clean and get headaches more than usual. What do these two things have in common? Bleaches, chemical household cleaners, oven cleaners and pain medications can be really harmful to our pets. For example, if a cat walks on a just bleached floor and later licks his paws, he can experience a bad reaction. Furthermore, pain medications can look strangely like pet treats, so be careful.


• Avoid giving chicken bones, raw or cooked. They can splinter and get caught in the throat.

I hope you will spend wonderful holiday seasons with your family and your pets!

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Nature is wise.

In winter, cold weather really gets to me when I walk my dog. If you are a dog owner, how do you keep yourself warm while you walk your dog (or dogs)?

When a friend and I were walking our dogs in a park in one winter day, I noticed that the friend started complaining how hot and even sweaty she felt, while I was freezing to death. Soon I found out that she was wearing a 100% wool sweater. Meanwhile, I was wearing a sweater made of synthetic material.

I looked all over the stores for sweaters made of 100% wool. I was surprised to find out that most of the modern sweaters are made of synthetic materials. After dragging my feet around for a while, I found a sweater made of natural wool fibers.

I tried wearing both kinds of sweaters to compare - wool and synthetic. I immediately noticed the difference. I'm surprised how different they feel when you actually wear them. Wool sweaters definitely keep me warm. What amazes me is that both materials - wool and synthetic - look the same, and sometimes synthetic materials feel even softer (not scratchy like some wool materials).

According to Stitch'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook (Yes, I'm a knitter...Actually I became a knitter recently -- out of desperation. I found it easier to find wool yarn than to find wool sweaters!), the characteristics of natural animal fibers and synthetic man-made fibers are as follows:


Natural fabric made from animal fibers:

• Insulate, keeping you warm when it's cold outside and cool when it's hot.
  
• Absorb moisture. A wool sweater or hat can absorb up to one-third its weight in water.
  
• Vary in warmth. Some animal fibers are warmer than others (the fiber from alpaca, a llama-like animal, is exceptionally warm), but even seemingly weightless fibers, like mohair, can knit up into an airy sweater that's as warm as a heavy down coat.

Man-made fibers

• Are essentially plastic. For example, fibers such as acrylic, are petroleum-based.
  
• Are cheap, and easy to wash and dry. (I suppose this is an advantage over natural fibers!)
  
• Aren't typically warm.
  
• Aren't very absorbent.

I became a fan of wool sweaters (and socks and mittens, too). I wear a wool sweater under a coat when I walk my dog in cold days. Every time I see dogs such as Siberian Huskies romping in the snow, I'm impressed by nature, which came up with the idea of providing these animals with layers of fur to protect them from harsh cold weather and to keep them warm in winter!

It's winter time. My dog and cat are comfortable inside. They especially enjoy the spots in the room where they can bask in abundant sunshine coming through the windows. My pets look really happy when they are in the sun during cold winter days. Watching the content faces of my pets makes my day. Whatever reasons there are, I can't help imagining that sufficient amounts of sunshine are benefiting my pets physically and mentally.

When I was working in the cosmetic industry years ago, I was constantly bombarded by information insisting that sunlight causes skin damage and premature aging. A lot of products were sunscreen-based -- I was told the sunlight was bad. I became so afraid of sun damage on my skin at some point that I started to avoid walking under the sun completely! I'm sure the information I received about the damages the sunlight can cause to your skin was true. It's common knowledge that too much sun exposure can increase your chances for skin cancer.

However, moderate amounts of sun exposure are good for the body. (Too much or too little is bad...).

Sunshine stimulates the production of vitamin D in our bodies. According to Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats by Shawn Messonnier, D.V.M., vitamin D is "needed for proper absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestinal tract. It is needed for normal growth and development of bones and teeth, protects against muscle weakness, and regulates the heart."

However, recent studies indicate that dogs and cats can't synthesize vitamin D like we humans do. Dogs and cats have low levels of vitamin D activation by UV-B light due to low levels of vitamin D in the skin. They obtain vitamin D through food. It may be important to feed your dogs and cats nutritionally balanced food. (Too much vitamin D or too little vitamin D should be avoided).

Science may reveal more health effects of sunshine on animals in the future. In the meanwhile, I let my cat and dog get the best spot in the house where they can enjoy the scarce sunshine in winter. After all they are my pampered pets. That's their privilege, they say...

I have been interested in silent dog whistles all my life. But since I don't hunt animals with my dog, I didn't see the need for one. Still, I've always been curious about how the dog whistle works. For example, I wondered if it was really "silent"...

When my husband and I stopped at a pet shop the other day, I finally succumbed to my curiosity and bought the cheapest silent dog whistle at the store. I got very excited and immediately opened the package and tried blowing the whistle. My first impression was that the whistle isn't really "silent", though of course it doesn't produce a loud sound like an ordinary whistle. At home, I tried blowing the whistle many times by adjusting the sound, while watching my dog's reaction. Her ears often perked up, but I couldn't tell if the dog was just reacting to the new gadget I got, or if she actually heard the sound that we humans can't detect. I went to another room and tried blowing the dog whistle, but I still couldn't tell.

Dogs can hear sounds that we humans can't. Dogs' hearing range is 40 to 46,000 Hz. The human hearing range is 20 to 20,000Hz. (Cats perceive frequencies from 100 to 32,000Hz. Bats and rodents can perceive frequencies up to 150,000Hz !).

Why do dogs hear high frequency sound? High frequency sounds travel farther than lower frequency sounds. One theory is that the ability to catch high frequency sounds (such as howling or the sounds of other animals) enable dogs (or wolves) to locate their own species or prey efficiently in the wild. In this sense, silent dog whistles make more sense than using your own voice (which is lower frequency) to call your dogs' attention from a long distance in the open field, especially in hunting where not speaking too loudly is important.

I tried the dog whistle again. This time I chose time when my dog was taking a nap. I asked my husband to watch the dog's reaction as I went to another room. I adjusted the whistle's frequency as I blew it for a while. When I came back to the room and asked my husband how the dog reacted. He said she didn't move an inch. I feel like I may have to be patient and keep practicing for a while, maybe in the open field next time...

I'm sure every pet owner has something for their pets that they can't live without. I have many things I can't live without for my pets, especially for my dog. One of them is Soothing Mist.

Soothing Mist is a product of HealthyPetNet, a holistic pet food company. All their products are formulated by Dr. Jane Bicks, a nationally recognized holistic veterinarian, including Soothing Mist. This holistic product, with the combination of special herbs and other ingredients, soothes and conditions pets' irritated skin. I like Soothing Mist for my dog.

This summer my husband and I went camping with our dog. When we came back from camping, I saw many tiny rashes all over my dog's skin. We went deep into the woods and the dog must've touched some mildly poisonous plants. The skin condition of my dog wasn't bad enough to go see a veterinarian. I used Soothing Mist on her. I kept using the mist for about a month or so until the dog's skin healed on its own. My dog got through the month with the help of Soothing Mist.

This product turned out to be a great help. Since then, I keep the product within my reach so that wherever I see the dog's irritated skin I can use it quickly.


P.S. - Soothing Mist is not medicine, so please don't get confused with medical products. It is an herbal spray. I like the product because it is mild on the skin and soothing. It is great for your pets' temporary skin irritations. If you suspect your pets have ongoing skin problems, you should take them to your veterinarian and get proper diagnosis for your pets' skin conditions.

I have a laid-back dog. She is typically not interested in chasing balls or running around the park with other dogs (except when she sees a squirrel, in which case she runs like a cheetah.) Instead, my dog loves lying around in the sun. I'm happy I have such a calm dog, who doesn't destroy my furniture and such. I'm NOT happy, though, when I think of my dog not getting enough regular exercise to build strong body muscles -- especially along her back. (My dog is a dachshund, which is a breed notorious for having back problems).

When we think of losing weight (either in the case of our pets or ourselves), we tend to only focus on losing fat in the body. Losing fat is important, but building muscles is also vital if you want yourself or your pets to achieve optimum health in the long run.

Muscles are attached to bones or internal organs and blood vessels, and are responsible for movement. Nearly all movement in the body is the result of muscle contraction. Without muscles, animals could not walk, run, eat or even digest food!

There are many benefits of body muscles. To name a few:

• Increase metabolic rate and burn excess fat stored in the body -- making muscles helpful in any weight loss program.
  
• Maintain body temperature.
  
• Help blood circulate in the body.
  
• Help increase bone density and create stronger bones.
  
• Contribute to joint stability.
  
• Prevent (or keep to a minimum) injuries in daily activities.
  
• Aid in building a stronger and healthier body.

I've learned how muscles play important roles in the body. For the past four years, I've been working on increasing my muscle mass to maintain health, good posture, and to avoid back and neck pains. I feel the same way about my dog (and the cat, too). I do my best to encourage my pets to exercise and build stronger muscles. And last but not least, I make sure I give my pets premium pet foods containing good sources of protein (important in building muscles!) as an ingredient.

A big holiday season is coming up! You may be starting to make a list of holiday gift ideas for your family members. Please don't forget about your pets! --- they don't want to miss out on this special occasion of the year!

HealthyPetNet offers holiday gift baskets for your beloved pets.

-For dogs-

A cuddly and super soft plush animal toy that squeaks...either a reindeer, floppy eared dog or teddy bear, all absolutely adorable and all super snuggly. Plus, a very generous assortment of delicious and healthy treats just waiting to delight your dog's taste buds! Including:

• Wholesome Hearts Low Fat Treats
  
• Gourmet Dental Treats
  
• Antioxidant Health Bars (deliciously nutritious)
  
• 2 Porkhide Dog Bones
  
• 1 Dental Chew
  
• 1 Porky Puff Dog Chew

For a sample photo and the price of Dog Gift Basket, click here.


-For cats-

A delightful variety of playful toys that will keep your furry feline happily occupied during the holidays.
The toys include a whimsical Whisker Holiday Mouse filled with catnip, a soft Chenille Ball, a Catnip Pillow just waiting to be swiped and batted around and a Faux Fur Holiday Mouse to chase. For the proud cat parent, we included an adorable hand-painted cat photo frame, and last but not least, we included a bag of Purr-fectly Natural Gourmet Cat Treats (Hairball Formula).

For a sample photo and the price of Cat Gift Basket, click here.


The toys and treats are nestled in a lovely reusable holiday painted basket and it is beautifully packaged with a colorful ribbon and a cute gift card that you can personalize. (Basket design may vary.) LIMITED QUANTITY, so please hurry!

Also, if you have friends who love their pets, these holiday gift baskets can be a great idea, too. Pet lovers like us always want to include their pets in their gift giving list.

I hope you and your precious pets will enjoy this coming holiday season!