Why You Should NEVER Leave a Four-Year-Old Alone with a Dog

This article is courtesy of Your Dog Magazine by Tufts University

We have often said that leaving a dog and a child younger than six alone together is not a good idea. That’s true no matter how gentle the dog and no matter how well-behaved the child. A preschooler may not realize she’s hurting the dog if, say, she wants to press her pet’s eyes to see if they’re squidgy. Or she may want to play with the toys of a possessive dog and may misinterpret the animal’s displeasure. A new study only strengthens the case for not leaving small children and dogs to their own devices.

Looking at the responses of about 30 adults and 30 young children, researchers in Finland have found that a 6-year-old can recognize aggression in a dog’s face as well as an adult. A 4-year-old cannot.

Keep in mind that a child may unintentionally provoke a dog in an effort to play with their pet. That’s why, until about the time your youngster enters first grade, it’s so important to be present when she and the dog are together.

Holiday Tips Revisited

Santa is coming!

Judea always loved seeing her stocking hung on the mantle. She anxiously awaited getting her very special treats from Santa.

Shoreline Animal Hospital’s Pet Holiday Safety Tips

The veterinarians at Shoreline Animal Hospital, Dr. Julie Berman, Dr.Michelle West, and Dr. Lynda Perry want to wish all pet owners in Clinton safe and happy holidays. To help ensure the holidays are safe for all pets, they are sharing holiday safety tips to prevent serious illness or injury. 

Oh, Christmas Tree: Securely anchor your Christmas tree to prevent tipping from curious feline family members. If you have a live tree, securing your tree will keep stagnant water from spilling, that could contain fertilizers and bacteria. Wrapped gifts under the tree, such as boxes of chocolate could also be dangerous if Fido follows his nose and opens them on his own, so keep them out of reach until after Santa comes.

Sparkly Tinsel: Kitties can find tinsel and ribbons irresistible to play with and carry in their mouths. Ingestion can lead to bowel obstruction, severe vomiting, dehydration,and could require surgery.

Holiday Treats: Your holiday guests might want to slip treats to your pets, and holiday leftovers might be tempting for Rover to steal. Fatty and spicy foods, bones,raw bread dough, alcoholic beverages, onions/ garlic, chocolate, and grapes are on the please do not feed list! A well-intended treat could trigger GI upset, diarrhea or pancreatitis. Sugar free sweets could contain xylitol that can be lethal to pets. If your guests want to give some extra attention to your pets they can provide a walk or some extra cuddle time.

Nostalgic Snow Globes: Snow globes may contain ethylene glycol, (also found in anti-freeze) which is a highly toxic substance if ingested. If a snow globe is broken the sweet smell can attract a pet to lick it up, leading to potentially fatal intoxication. Please keep all snow globes out of reach of pets.

Open Suitcases: Family pets often like to investigate your visitors’ suitcases. Pets can get into pill vials and weekly pill reminder cases. Please remind your guests to secure all medications in a cabinet and to close their suitcases! 

New Year’s Celebrations: New Year’s Eve noises from poppers to fireworks can be terrifying for pets. Please be sure to provide your pets an escape proof area that is quiet with fresh water and places to snuggle as midnight approaches