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Being a loving dog owner, I’m always on the search for new toys to keep Stanley busy while we are away. We’ve tried everything from deer antlers to Benebones (which are great, BTW), but I was intrigued when I came across this DIY dog toy.
This definitely shows some great promise, plus it’s pretty cheap to make.
What you need:
Three plastic bottles
Metal pole
Wood pole
Scrap wood
Four screws
Wood glue
Drill
Steps:
Create a stand using two pieces of wood on the side and one on the bottom.
Attach the wood pole at the top to serve as the carrier.
Drill holes through the bottles and insert the metal pole through them and then secure the pole to the stand.
Put some dog food into the bottles and you are good to go.
If you are seeking other fun ways to keep your pooch busy that are a bit less DIY, then you might want to consider a trip to your local pet store. After all, dogs require a certain level of mental stimulation throughout the day and having fun toys on hand is one way to ensure they get their daily dose. This is especially important if they will be at home without human interaction for several hours at a time.
Store bought tools to keep your dog entertained include the popular KONG toys, which can be filled with treats or peanut butter, as well as safe chews, like the Nylabone. Some dogs even love puzzles — yes, you read that correctly! — like the Nina Ottosson puzzle toys.
Your furry family member might also love a classic ball, more specifically one that also does a little good like the Project Play Wunderball. Made from 100 percent natural rubber, the super-durable ball is not only safe for your dog, but also the environment.
Plus, the ball’s irregular surface helps to massage your dog’s teeth and gums, and then there is, perhaps, the best part yet — for every ball purchased, the company iHeartDogs donates the a ball to a shelter dog in need of a little love (and play).
Soldier Hannah Foraker came home for Christmas after being away at basic training for three months, and when she arrived at her home she was treated to quite the welcome. …
Like me not wanting to leave the warm comfort of my bed or a child refusing to leave the cereal aisle until she gets her frosted puffs, this dog doesn’t want to leave the park.
Posted by wipandco in 2013, this golden retriever loves the fresh air so much that he’s mastered the art of playing dead.
By this point, most of us know that chocolate can be fatal for our furry friends, but there are a host of other foods your dog should never be eating. Some of them may surprise you. Keep in mind that canine digestive systems are significantly less developed than human ones and rather ill-equipped to process certain modern foods.
There’s a reason dogs eat the same food every day: it contains all their necessary nutrients, and human food can actually cause health problems past an upset stomach. While human food in general won’t poison your dog, every pooch is different and just because one loves steak it doesn’t mean another will be able to handle it as well. Additionally, small dogs tend to have more sensitive stomachs than large ones.
The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine recently compiled a list of the top people foods and ingredients that you should never feed your dog.
1. Chives, Garlic and Onions
These staple veggies — as well as garlic powder and onion powder — and any foods seasoned with them are not good for dogs. They have been associated with a disorder called hemolytic anemia, says Martine Hartogensis, the deputy director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine, which can damage a dog’s red blood cells.
If your pup eats garlic or onion, here are the symptoms to look out for: disorientation, fatigue and listlessness, rapid heartbeat and darkened urine or vomiting as the disease progresses.
While it’s common knowledge that dogs are not picky eaters, they should not be fed any human food that you wouldn’t eat yourself, including moldy bread. Anything with mold on it or that smells questionable should go straight into the trash and protected from your dog. The FDA says that if you keep a compost heap, your pup should not be able to dig around in it for rotten scraps.
Extremely fatty foods like fried chicken or french fries are very toxic to dogs, FDA veterinarian Carmela Stamper, D.V.M. says. Eating fried foods can cause pancreatitis, which in turn can cause damage to your pet’s other intestines. This can be life-threatening. If you’re worried that Fluffy got into the curly fries, take her to the vet ASAP, as pancreatitis can cause extreme vomiting and requires immediate emergency care.
This is a puzzler for vets. They’re not sure what it is in grapes that makes dogs so sick, but there is a strong correlation between grapes and kidney failure in the species. This also includes raisins and dried currants, which are even more dangerous because the dried fruit is more concentrated. Also, the smaller the dog, the fewer grapes it takes to make one very sick.
If your dog eats a grape, even one, watch for signs of kidney failure. Symptoms include: diarrhea and vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, low urine output and weakness, according to the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Dogs seem to be the only animal around that simply can’t tolerate macadamia nuts, and again, vets just aren’t sure why.
While it’s unlikely you’ll leave these expensive nuts lying around (and a dog would have to eat a good number of them to get sick), results can be very serious. Symptoms include depression, fever, muscle weakness and vomiting. Really, you should never feed your dog nuts of any kind, says Hartogensis, but especially not macadamia nuts.
Just like humans, dogs shouldn’t eat too much salt. In fact, foods with excessive sodium levels can cause sodium ion poisoning. While a singular pretzel or potato chip isn’t cause for the emergency room, dogs have been known to devour entire bags of snack food if they have the chance (who hasn’t?).
Symptoms include depression, diarrhea, high fever, excessive thirst, kidney damage, seizures and vomiting. Make sure Mr. Woofers has a full water bowl all the time, but especially if he’s snuck a salty snack.
This is a low-calorie sugar substitute frequently added to a number of processed foods and other products like gum, breath mints and toothpaste. Even just a small amount of xylitol can cause a huge spike in a dog’s insulin levels, which could cause dangerously low blood sugar levels later on.
“Even just a few pieces of gum can be pretty toxic,” says Hartogensis. Little dogs are especially vulnerable to xylitol poisoning, so make sure to keep gum and mints well out of reach. Symptoms of xylitol poisoning initially include vomiting, and can later progress to fainting, seizures, staggering and weakness.
Pet photographer Grace Chon took to the Internet to share an absolutely adorable series titled, “HAIRY,” and you’d better be glad she did. The photos …
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Everyone love to splurge on frozen treats like ice cream to cool off on a warmer day. But what about our furry four-footed friends? Do they have to make do with their usual bowl of crunchy kibble? I think not.
It turns out that you can make safe, healthy watermelon, coconut water and honey treats for your pups at home. They won’t take very long to create, and we guarantee they will smell a lot better than usual dog food!
But first, an introduction: Meet Shelby, Memphis and Oakley, the Siberian Huskies of YouTube channel Gone to the Snow Dogs, along with their humans, who created this recipe.
This recipe is super-easy and involves supplies you probably already have in your home. You only need a blender, ice cube tray and a handful of ingredients.
They’re called “man’s best friend” for a reason. A dog’s loyalty to his human is one of the inviolate rules of the universe. And so it is with former Marine Robert Kugler and his sweet dog, Bella.
Kugler adopted his canine pal nine years ago and found out last year that she had cancer. So he decided to pack Bella and a bunch of gear into his SUV and travel the country with her, to give her the trip of a lifetime, while she had the time left to take it.
The Nebraska-based Kugler and his co-pilot have visited many spots so far: Chicago, Cleveland, the Adirondack Mountains in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Florida. They may soon head west to Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks.
The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any …
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