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Pet Safety - Don't Let Your Dog Ride In An Open Truck Bed. Any sudden start, stop, or turn may toss your pet onto the highway where it can get hit by oncoming traffic. It is estimated that at least 100,000 dogs die this way each year.
- Open truck beds do not provide any protection from the weather. Hot sun can heat the metal floor of a truck bed enough to burn a pet's paw pads. A dog left sitting in the broiling sun without water or shade may suffer from heat stroke before long.
- Do not leash your pet inside the truck bed -- many dogs have been strangled when tossed or bumped over the side of the truck and been left helplessly dangling.
- If your dog must ride in the back of the truck, put the pet inside a crate that will give it some protection from the wind and weather. Tie the crate securely to the walls of the truck bed, so it cannot slide about or be tossed out of the truck.
- Keep Head and Paws Inside the Car. Although most dogs love to stick their heads out open windows, wind can seriously irritate mucous membranes and blow pieces of grit into their eyes. Insects or flying debris can also lodge in the nasal passages or get sucked into the windpipe. It may require veterinary attention to remove the foreign material, which could cause permanent damage.
- Check Your Pet's Collar Regularly. Collars do not expand, but puppies and kittens grow quickly! If not loosened, collars can literally grow right into your pet's neck, creating an excruciating, constant pain.
- Check your pet's collars at least every week until it is full-grown (that can be more than a year for really large breeds of dog). You should be able to easily slip two or three fingers between the pet's collar and their neck.
- It's vital that you put a collar and an ID on your young pet, just in case he slips by you and gets lost. Get tips on choosing a cat collar and choosing dog collar.
- Don't Let Your Cat Play With a String. Although a cat playing with yarn can be cute to watch, it can cause serious problems for the health of your cat!
- Cats have an instinctual desire to stalk anything that moves. They like string, thread, yam, Christmas tree tinsel, ribbon, even shoelaces. This can be great fun to encourage if you supervise their play.
- Keep Your Cat Indoors. Outdoor cats face dozens of dangers, including cars, other cats, and exposure to fleas, ticks, worms, as well as sickness or death from eating spoiled food or household poisons.
- More visits to the veterinarian. Outdoor cats need to see the veterinarian more often than indoor cats, and that means higher vet bills. Fleas, ticks, worms, abscesses, cuts, diarrhea, a dull coat, and weight loss are all signs of trouble and are most often seen in outdoor cats.
- Outdoor cats are more prone to get lost. Not all outdoor cats can find their way home. It just takes one time to get lost.
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