Tag Archive for: holiday

Jerky Treats Your Dog and Cat Will Love

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Jerky Treats Your Dog and Cat Will Love Header

One Ingredient Chicken Jerky

These yummy chicken jerky treats make special and healthy snacks for your cat and dog.

Ingredients:

  • 1lb deboned, chicken breasts

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 175-180℉ or the lowest temperature setting.
  2. Lightly grease a baking sheet with a slight edge. You can use parchment paper to help with cleanup.
  3. Slice chicken breasts into ¼-inch thick strips.
  4. Place sliced chicken breasts onto the prepared baking sheet leaving about ½-inch between slices.
  5. Bake for two hours. If the slices are not dry, continue baking until they appear very dry.
  6. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container once cool.

If the slices are too long for your cat you can break them into smaller pieces. You can also slice the jerky treats for smaller dogs as well. This means the jerky will last even longer!

One Ingredient Chicken Jerky Recipe Card

Chicken Jerky

Here is another version of the above chicken jerky treats for cats and dogs. Try both and see which one you like the most!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
  2. Wash the chicken breasts with water and slice into 1/4 inch strips.
  3. Place the chicken strips in an single, even layer on a baking sheet, leave a small amount of space between each strip.
  4. Bake until the chicken strips are dehydrated, about 2 hours.

Check that the strips are done by cutting one open. There should be no uncooked parts and there should not be any moisture inside. Store the jerky in sealed containers for about a week or longer in the refrigerator.

Christmas Chicken Jerky Recipe Card

Did you try this recipe? Let us know @WetNosesPetSitting or #WetNosesPetSitting and while you’re at it, try another one of our cat treat recipes or how about our peanut butter molasses dog treats?

Fireworks Pet Safety Tips Header

Fireworks Pet Safety Tips

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Fireworks Pet Safety Tips Header

Pet Fireworks Safety Tips

Holidays like the 4th of July, New Year, and others are great fun with lots of fireworks but are maybe not as fun for our pets. If you want to keep your dogs and cats happy and healthy, here are all your Fireworks Pet Safety Tips!

1. Fireworks are fun for us, but are scary for pets!

We might love the pretty lights but for many dogs and cats, fireworks can feel like the end of the world. If you keep that in mind it can make it easier to plan for your pets.

2. Make sure all tags and microchips are up-to-date.

If you have moved recently then your information might be out of date. Making sure it is all current will be a life-saver if one of your pets gets out.

3. Have a current picture of your pets, just in case.

If your pet is picked up by animal control you might need to prove ownership. Or if you need to make flyers you will need a current, clear picture ready to go.

4. Set up a safe and quiet place at home.

If your pet does get nervous with the loud noises, it helps to have a quiet area for them to rest. This is also helpful during any festivities like parties and barbecues.

5. Make sure all windows and doors are closed.

If your dog or cat were to get really nervous, jumping out an open window can look like an easy escape. Even screens might not stop a determined pet, so be safe and keep them securely latched.

6. Do not let dogs out loose in the yard.

Your dog may never have shown an interest in jumping a fence before, but scary noises can push a dog to new limits. I have even heard of dogs that jumped the fence while their person was in the yard with them, so be overly cautious.

7. Try calming items like music and ThunderShirts.

For pets that are extra nervous, you can try all sorts of calming items. Loud music that drowns out the sound of the fireworks may help and so may calming music for dogs. So can ThunderShirts, essential oils, and CBD oil (check with experts on these first as some can be toxic to pets).

Fireworks Pet Safety Tips Infographic

 

Be safe and have fun this holiday!

Book Early For Wet Noses Pet Sitting Holiday Services

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December is a busy time for a lot of us. Between holiday parties and visiting family, you’re often away from home for hours, if not days at a time. In fact, according to The American Pet Products Association (APPA), pet ownership is at an all-time high, with 66% of U.S. households—or 86.9 million homes have one or more pets. And more than two-thirds of those homes will need to find reliable pet care for the holiday season. That’s why it’s important to book early for any holiday services you need during the bustling holiday season.

Make sure to book Wet Noses Pet Sitting early to make sure your pet gets the best care.

It is important to call for an appointment as soon as you possible. Our schedules fill up incredibly fast during the month of December. We are licensed, insured and bonded, with highly trained pet sitters that will keep your pets happy and healthy while you’re away.

As Patti J. Moran, PSI founder and president states, “just finding a pet sitter in an online directory—or even on a nationally-publicized site—doesn’t ensure that person is a legitimate, qualified pet-sitting business,” Moran explains. “Anyone can post a profile advertising pet-sitting services, so it’s important for pet owners to take a closer look to ensure they are hiring a ‘real pet sitter’ to care for their pets.”

Why Hire a Pet Sitter for the Holidays?

Christmas decorations make the home more hazardous, so even if you’re away from home for a few hours, your pet can find all sorts of trouble to get into.

  • Trips to visit family
  • Long days shopping
  • Holiday parties

The holiday season is undoubtedly a time full of activity. From shopping to parties and quality time catching up with family, we spend most of December celebrating and spending time with our loved ones. But that doesn’t mean we should leave our furry family members at home to fend for themselves.

Book today to make sure your pet has a safe and happy holiday season too!

 

 

Holiday Pet Dangers

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The holidays are a crazy time for us and an even crazier time for our pets!  At Wet Noses Pet Sitting we love your pets like our own. We want to be sure they are as safe as possible this holiday season.  Read up on our list of holiday pet dangers, be safe and enjoy your holiday season without any pet emergencies!pet dangers

 

Family and friends coming in the house

The holidays are a wonderful time to visits with our friends and family but this can cause stress for some pets.  If your pet does not do well with large groups of strangers, let your pets have a nice break in a quiet place with a healthy treat.  Even pets that love company can take advantage of the situation by running out an open door or stealing non-pet friendly foods from guests.  Make sure your guests know what is ok for Fido and let Fido take a nap when needed.

 

Tinsel and ornaments

As cute as it is to watch your kitten climb the Christmas tree, keep an eye out for ornaments that can be eaten or easily broken.  If you have a curious cat, forgo the tinsel for the year.  Cats love to chew on string-like items and due to the barbs on their tongues they cannot always spit them out, forcing them to swallow that shiny piece of trouble.  If you have a dog that likes to play with ornaments, put them a little higher on the tree.

 

Food items

We humans love our holiday treats and we want our pets to enjoy the holiday cheer as much as we do.  Be sure to give treats in moderation and avoid these dangerous yummy items:

  • Chocolate – Chocolate, especially baking chocolate is trouble for all pets.  Something to keep in mind is that all animals handle chocolate differently so if your pet gets some call your emergency clinic for advice.
  • Fat and bones – What dog does not dream about stealing the turkey off the counter?  Cooked bones are huge problems for pets as the bones can splinter and the fragments can puncture your pet’s insides.  Fat and grease can cause terrible digestion problems and in large quantities can require hospitalization.  If you would not eat it, neither should your pet.
  • Bread dough – Baking is wonderful but bread dough contains yeast with can expand in a pup’s stomach, causing all sorts of trouble.
  • Grapes and raisins – Raisins are often included in holiday baking and many pet owners do not know that grapes and raisins are just as toxic as chocolate.  Even though they seem healthy, get a good dog bone instead.

 

Holiday plants

We do love our beautiful holiday plants but be wary of leaving accessible to your pets.  Holly, mistletoe and poinsettias are particularly dangerous and tend to be front and center in our holiday decorations.  Even my cat, who never eats my plants (and we have many, many plants in our house) took a second look at the poinsettia I brought in.  Sometimes moving a plant or bringing in a new one can peak the interest of the most disinterested plant. So, when bringing home these favorites keep an eye on your pets and move the plants out of reach. Read about more plans that are poisonous to pets.

 

Garbage

What more do I need to say?  All sorts of bad things go in the trash and your dog is just waiting for you to get distracted and set down the trash bag.  Party time!  Make sure all trash is secured and make sure it makes it outside to the bin! Any cooked bones should be put right outside to eliminate any risk.

Candles

My cat is notorious for melting her whiskers on candles as soon as my back is turned.  Now that she is older, candles are only burned in locations where she cannot reach when we are in the room.  Keep in mind candles often smell like candy and cookies and can entice your pet to take a quick peek at the flame. This can easily turn into melted whiskers, a flame burn or even worse, a wax burn.

 

Wrapping paper and ribbons

Ribbons are favorites toys for cats as long as they do not swallow them.  If you are unsure if your dog will behave, keep the presents tucked away when unsupervised.  Make sure your kitty will not chew the ribbons off the packages!

Keep these holiday pet dangers in mind and enjoy your holiday season.  No one wants to take a trip the emergency clinic over the holiday season. If you have concerns about something your pet has gotten into, do not hesitate to call them or take a trip into the vet if needed.

 

We love the clinics listed below for 24/7 emergencies and we know you will too.

Fort Collins Veterinary Emergency Clinic – 816 South Lemay Avenue, near Lemay and Riverside in Fort Collins – (970) 484-8080
Four Seasons Veterinary Specialists – 4120 Clydesdale Pkwy, just south of Centerra – (970) 800-1106

 

Happy Holidays!

Do You Charge Extra for Holidays?

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Q: Do you charge extra for holidays?

A: This question is easy! We do not charge extra for holidays. That is our gift to you!

Many companies charge extra for holidays. Some charge more just for the day while others charge more for the entire week. Truth be told, we used to charge extra. We found that it made us feel crummy so we did away with it. We know that the holidays can be a costly time, with buying presents and travel expenses. We do not want to make it worse by charging you extra for holidays.

What about your pet sitter?

Since we do not charge extra for the holidays, your sitter does not make more than they would on a normal day. Our wonderful sitters give up their time with family and friends to make sure your pets are getting the best care possible while you are gone. Should you be feeling generous, feel free to tip your sitters extra for working during the holidays!

As always, thank you for supporting your local small business during the holiday season!

Holiday Pet Dangers

Planning on traveling for the holidays? Learn how to travel safely with cats on our blog.