How to Raise a Pet Raccoon 101

Raccoons are some of the trendiest little critters on Tik Tok right now, and before you call the exterminator for your unwelcome houseguest, you should watch this adorable video. Raising raccoons is someone of a fad right now, with hundreds of people sacrificing countless hours to raise and train baby raccoons to live amongst them in the house. If you ever wanted a pet raccoon, 2022 is the perfect year to give it a shot.

With so many tutorials, guides, and raccoon breeders online, a raccoon may just be the perfect addition to your family. In this video, we will look at some beginner’s notes on to how to raise a raccoon.

First of all, a raccoon requires a ton of patience. You will need to be okay with waking up several times a night for the first few months, as well as adjusting your schedule around your raccoon’s waking hours. You also need to check and make sure that your state allows for you to adopt a raccoon. Several states have laws forbidding residents from having a pet raccoon, so do your research. Additionally, you are going to want to find a local vet that treats raccoons before you get one. Any emergencies shouldn’t be prolonged by confusion on where to go.

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Keep Your Pets Cool and Save Money

It can get extremely hot in the summer time. Not only do we feel the heat, our pets do as well. Some pets such as Huskies are designed to live in colder climates. They may not be used to the heat of summer. Therefore, it is important to have a cool house for them to retreat to.


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Otherwise, they may be more susceptible to heat exhaustion. This is also compounded by the fact that dogs have less sweat glands than humans do. This means less heat being expelled through evaporation of sweat. In this video, you will learn how to keep your air conditioning system running optimally to keep you and your pet cool, while also saving you money.

The first tip is to make sure nothing is partially blocking your air conditioning unit. Sometimes, downed tree branches, dirt, or other debris will block your air conditioning unit which causes it to have to work much harder. This results in a more expensive cost to cool your house and a compressor that is under a lot of stress. The compressor may even fail entirely over time if the debris is not removed. Therefore, check for debris periodically. If you don’t you may find yourself looking for a good HVAC repair company.

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Tips for Calming Your Anxious Dog

Whether you are taking your dog to the animal emergency hospital, or even just for a routine grooming, they may start to shake and whine when you take them towards the building. Some dogs ever get nauseous and vomit from severe anxiety when you take them new places, so it is crucial that you pay careful attention to the warning signs your dog gives of anxiety. In this video, we will look at what truly makes a dog anxious and what you can do to help them while still going about their regular check-ups and groomings.


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First of all, you should expose your puppy to the vet very young. Ask to place them on the scale yourself, to show them that there is nothing to be afraid of. Give them tons of treats and show them that the vet is fun! If you have an older dog, wait for the vet and play with your dog! Make the vet’s office fun, and shower them with love and praise. If you show them that the vet isn’t a scary place, they are much less likely to develop anticipatory anxiety.

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Everything You Need to Know About Boarding Your Dog

We all love our furry friends. We would keep them by our side at all times if we could. However, we have to visit family for the holidays or go on a work trips. Thankfully, you can leave your dog in the hands of trained professionals. Dog boarding is an excellent option to ensure your pet is taken care of while you are away. In this video, you will learn all you need to know about dog boarding.


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The first thing you should determine is what kind of boarding you need. You can either choose kennel boarding or in-home boarding. This all depends on what type of dog you have. For example, puppies are better suited for in-home boarding where they are comfortable. This would be the same with senior dogs that may be overwhelmed by the noise in the kennel. However, you must be comfortable with a dog boarder living in your home while you are away. On the other hand, you could choose kennel boarding. Some kennel boarders even provide dog training during their stay. You should also make sure to provide medical information to your dog boarder as well as any other pertinent information. You can also ask how big your dog’s area will be and if they will be interacting with other dogs. It is also important to ask about what the boarder will be feeding your dog. Lastly, you may want to have your dog stay in the kennel a few days before you leave to make sure they get appropriately acclimated. Hopefully these tips will help you next time you are away from your furry friend.

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Answers to the Most Popular Doggie Daycare FAQs

Whether it’s your first or tenth time leaving your dog home for vacation, you will still worry about them. It’s very important to case your dog boarding company before you leave you best friend there overnight. Different boarding locations provide different services and have different amenities.


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Some may specialize in little dogs, while others have a mix of both small and little. Some are chain locations, and some are one-of-a-kind farm stays. In order to keep you confident in your dog boarding choice, this video gives you answers to many of the most frequently-asked questions regarding dog boarding companies.

A few decisions regarding your dog’s care rely solely on your dog’s personality. For example, some dogs are shy and reserved and prefer to play alone rather than with others. If this is the case, then sending your dog to a crowded doggie day care center all day would probably give them major anxiety and wouldn’t be a preferable option. Quiet dogs like this should be kept in their homes to avoid stress. In 2022, there are several apps that assist in finding in-house pet sitters. Both pet-sitters and dog boarding services are happy to take in your dog, but which will keep your dog happy is a whole separate decision.

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Should You Switch to Pine Pellet Horse Stall Bedding?

What type of horse stall bedding is best? There are a wide range of options including pine pellet horse stall bedding. This video takes you on a review of pine pellet horse stall bedding and how to activate the pellets to prepare the bedding. This step-by-step tutorial will take you through the entire process from how to cut the bags open to how to wet down the pellet while they remain in the bag.


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Having a bedding area in the horse’s stall is important. It provides them with a place to rest and makes cleaning the stall easier. The pellets turn to saw dust over time so after the first initial install, all you have to do is replenish the bedding area about once a week.

This in-depth video shows you how to handle the pellets, even how to get the pellets out of the bag. The presenter shows you how economical this type of bedding can be. It is amazing to watch how much volume can come out of one bag of bedding. Any horse owner would appreciate watching this video. It is chockful of information and shows you exactly what the benefits of pine pellets can be for your stall.
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How Important Is it To Spay and Neuter Your Pets


It’s shocking to hear that around three to four million cats and dogs are being euthanized each year. And they are not just the ones who have incurable diseases or are too old to continue bringing joy to families.

Based on a report by The Humane Society of The United States, the number of cats and dogs who end up getting euthanized even though they are healthy enough to be adopted is around one every 11 seconds. And if you don’t want to add your family pet to the number of euthanized animals, you might want to consider getting a spay and neuter operation for your furry friend.

With about 70,000 dogs and cats born each day, you can just imagine how many end up becoming homeless and getting booked into animal shelters each year. Experts say that the rounding up, housing, and euthanizing of homeless animals amount to over a billion dollars of taxpayers’ money annually.


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In this video by Jackson Galaxy, you’ll discover the importance of a spay and neuter operation.

Many pet owners don’t want their pets to undergo this procedure due to several reasons. Some are afraid that spaying and neutering can put their pets at risk of certain diseases, while others are concerned that their cats will gain weight after the procedure.

Watch the entire video as Jackson addresses all these common misconceptions and more.


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What Happens At a Pet Hospital

It’s best to have a veterinarian or animal hospital before you get a pet. What happens at an animal hospital? South Florida PBS took a tour of Emerald Hills Animal Hospital to find out.

You may need to fill out some paperwork about your pet before you can see a veterinarian. Keep your pet constrained in some way while in the pet hospital waiting room. Dogs should be on leashes or, if they are small enough, in a carrier.


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All other pets should be in carriers.

Pets and their owners then wait in an examination room for the vet. When the vet arrives, the pet is put on a table to help make it easier for the vet to thoroughly examine your pet. Large dogs need to climb onto a table that lifts like an elevator. Many dogs do not like this table, so you may need to hold on while your dog rides up and down.

Pet hospitals have separate rooms for operations. These rooms may also have diagnostic equipment like X-ray machines or ultrasounds. Each animal hospital is set up a little differently. Some animal hospitals offer grooming services like baths and hair and nail clipping.

What Happens When Your Bring Your Dog to the Groomer

Many people envision the job of a dog groomer as one being full of fluffy loving dogs that are grateful for a day of pampering. Who would not love a career where you get to pamper pets and return them to their owners relaxed and renewed? This video from a dog groomer sheds some light on the fact that many people do not realize exactly how hard this job is.

Grooming dogs for a living comes with a range of clean-up duties that no one looks forward to. It also is a dangerous job when the pooch is not fond of being groomed.


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This video is a compilation of many of the “darker sides” of dog grooming that people do not normally think about.

Pet grooming is a tough job and this quick compilation of grooming’s worth moments can really drive home the point about how tough it really is. If you take your groomer for granted you need to watch this video. It will create a new respect for the profession. Before you take your pup to the groomer and assume that it is all rainbows and sunshine take a look at this video and see what a groomer’s day can look like.

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how to keep my dog cool in the heat

Tips For Keeping Your Dog Cool This Summer

I have a dog, and the summer months can be an anxious time. After all, I began wondering how to keep my dog cool in the heat. How is this possible when it’s hot outside? As temperatures rise and days grow shorter, dogs are at risk for heatstroke. Thankfully, I found some simple things that pet owners can do to help their furry friends stay safe in the summertime.

Hydration

Dogs need water to stay healthy in the summer. They cannot sweat as humans do, so they need water to cool down when it is hot outside. How much water your dog needs will vary based on their activity levels, size, the thickness of their coat, and what conditions they’re exposed to during the day.

Whether your beloved dog spends most of its time in your home or outside, provide plenty of water (ideally divided into multiple bowls) to prevent dehydration. When looking for different ways to keep my dog cool in the heat, I increased the amount of water in his current bowl and placed out a few more for good measure.

Consider installing a running water fountain either indoors or outdoors. Make sure your plumbing gets fixed before you do this, as the water running through the fountain may create additional pressure or affect the current pressure your home has.

Multiple Fans

If your neck of the woods stays hot all the time and has no real break from the heat, your dog might not know how to deal with the heat, especially if you’ve just moved there from a different climate. I was fortunate enough to have found this out over my last two years at college, where there is a slight variation in weather from season to season.

Placing multiple fans around my home in safe places was another way I learned how to keep my dog cool in the heat. When you set them up, make sure they’re set up in areas where the dog’s tail or fur won’t become entangled in it and that the fan won’t be knocked over. Multiple fans will circulate the air, which may help cool them off. For those of us worried about our electrical bill, numerous fans can be plugged into power strips and timed to only turn on during extreme heat spells, such as a power-saving mode where the fan will only kick on when needed.

Veterinary Care

When I wondered how to keep my dog cool in the heat, I asked my veterinarian for more tips. I was surprised to learn that animals have a more challenging time staying cool in the summer because they can’t release heat from their bodies like humans. This inability leaves them vulnerable to heatstroke, which is an immediate emergency and requires veterinary care.

Animals need to see their veterinarian during the summer months to be checked for any underlying medical problems and advised on how best to keep cool. Various underlying health conditions can be irritated by hot weather, and your breed may need specialized care to avoid becoming overheated quickly. Other severe medical conditions that can be triggered by excessive heat include heat exhaustion and kidney failure.

Watch for Warning Signs

In addition to the excessive panting and lethargy that may indicate heat exhaustion and already overheated pets, there are some other warning signs that you should watch for if your dog is uncomfortable in the heat. I learned when exploring different ways on how to keep my dog cool in the heat that one sign of a pet that’s about to overheat includes a tongue that’s either bright red or blue-tinged because the blood isn’t getting sufficient oxygen. Excessive drooling is another common sign, as dogs try to cool their bodies through the evaporation of saliva. Teeth chattering, an increase in heart rate and abnormal behavior can also be symptoms as the heat overcomes them.

Time the Exercise

When learning different ways to keep my dog cool in the heat, I realized that the hottest parts of the day vary based on your physical location in the world. If you live closer to the equator or near places that experience high humidity, you may experience more extended periods of the day when the heat is more intense. One way to keep your pet from overheating in these situations is to make sure that you exercise them early in the morning or later at night when it’s cooler. You should also try not to exercise them during the peak hours of the day.

Make Sure Dogs Aren’t Overweight

One of my new colleagues informed me that her pet was overweight, causing him problems with staying cool in hot weather conditions. When looking to keep my dog cool in the heat, I considered my dog’s weight. The excess weight made him hotter when outside playing in the summer heat than other dogs his age who weren’t as heavy. It’s suggested regular exercise along with a diet change to reduce some of this extra weight.

Cooling Pet Clothing

While actively seeking methods on how to keep my dog cool in the heat, I learned about special cooling vests or bandanas. They’re especially helpful if your pup tends to overheat or already has medical concerns. These special cooling vests and bandanas use either water, gel packs, or a chemical reaction to absorb heat from your dog’s body and then release the cool air back into it. They’re designed to operate for several hours before needing to be recharged in some way. Outside of this specially made pet clothing, dogs shouldn’t be dressed too heavily, or their body temperature can increase.

Grooming

Regular grooming, including bathing, and brushing can help your dog’s fur to avoid becoming caked with mud or dirt, which acts as an insulator. If your dog likes to play in the soil and earth, but it’s going to be hot, you must clean your dog regularly. If the coat becomes matted with dried dirt or mud, the dog can become overheated.

Build Adequate Outdoor Shelter

Building an adequate outdoor shelter is perhaps one of the simplest but most important things you can do for your dog if temperatures rise above what they’re accustomed to and provides a cool place for them to rest. I considered precisely doing this for my fur baby when learning how to keep my dog cool in the heat. Everyone’s outdoor situation is different and careful consideration should be given to design and solutions. This type of solution might mean erecting a tarp over their favorite sleeping area, building an air-conditioned kennel, or even covering their kennel with shade cloths or sheets soaked with cold water and then left to evaporate.

  • Place the structure or shelter in an area where there will be shade for most of the day.
  • Build a larger doghouse or a dog run with a roof over it. Consult a qualified residential roofer to help with this if necessary.

Be careful with any do-it-yourself solutions and keep all wires, cords, and electronics out of the weather elements and away from chewing teeth.

Pool Play

Some people’s homes are fortunate enough to have a pool in their backyard. If this is the case, make sure you perform the necessary swimming pool maintenance with keeping in mind that your dog will be floating around. Having your dog in the pool may introduce additional contaminants into the pool, and this might cause other pool repairs.

When I wanted to know how to keep my dog cool in the heat, I took my dog to my friend’s backyard pool, and they informed me that their dogs wanted to be in the pool all the time. They also said that they had to empty the pool, drain it for maintenance once a month, and clean out all the bleach. This information was beneficial because I didn’t realize there could be so many chemicals from the dog’s hair, things shed into the pool, and even peeing in the water, that could increase the need for pool repair and the expense that it comes with.

If you don’t have a pool in your yard or above ground, then consider purchasing a small child-size pool and filling it with water from the hose. Your dog might enjoy getting to play in the water and cooling off. Just be sure that there is no unsupervised interaction with a pool while you are not watching, especially if your dog is not well-trained or isn’t familiar with a pool. Also, make sure there’s nothing dangerous around, such as sharp objects or poisonous plants that could be consumed accidentally.

Air Conditioning

The best way I learned how to help my dog stay cool in the heat is the time-tested usage of air conditioning. Air conditioning can be set slightly higher when you’re gone and cooler when you’re home, but it should still provide a comfortable temperature in your home for your pet at any time of day or night. If you don’t have one, consider getting an HVAC installation completed, giving your home an air conditioning unit. You can do many things to utilize the most efficient use of air conditioning to help keep your dog cooler.

  • Keep the windows closed so the air conditioning can run without competition from the outside air.
  • Have regular maintenance performed on the HVAC system.
  • Replace the filters at least monthly, more during high heat or high pollution seasons.
  • Consider getting an air conditioning system replacement if your current one is outdated or in significant need of repair.

Being a Wet Dog is a Good Thing

In the absence of having air conditioning, extra fans, or a pool to play in, simply getting wet and drying off naturally can help. Wet your dog down with a hose or in the bathtub and let them dry naturally. You’ll want to cover your furniture with protective materials to prevent your dog from wrecking your favorites.

Food Play

Consider giving your dogs cool food and snacks, like ice cubes or frozen yogurt topped with their favorite dog-safe flavorings. When you’re providing extra liquids for your dog, avoid any liquids containing added sugar because sugars remove the protective coating on the tongue and aren’t good for their health.

When exploring different ways on how to keep my dog cool in the heat, I learned that some pets prefer cold drinks over ice cubes or frozen treats because it’s easier on their teeth than chewing ice. Just like some humans choose to drink their water ice-cold, so might your pet. For finicky dogs, some people find it helpful to drop ice cubes in their water bowls, letting the ice melt, and this is enough to encourage their dogs to drink more liquids.

Flooring Awareness

Because dogs can spend a considerable amount of time lying on the floor, be aware that carpet flooring can become uncomfortably warm. Hardwood or tile can provide a cooling effect. If you are thinking about getting rid of your carpets and doing a hardwood floor install anyway, this is a great time to consider it.

Dogs also like being outside on decks. You’ll want to consider the type of deck you have. If it’s wood or outdoor tile, then a shaded area will be all that is needed. If it is a composite material that resembles wood, then it might cause the skin to react like it’s up against plastic in the heat. Consider adding a cooling cot for the dog to sleep on during the warmer months.

There may be other ways you can keep your pet safe this summer, but this list gives a surprisingly good start. Your four-legged friend depends on you to keep them happy and healthy!