Blogging Paws – Pet Health Blog & Lifestyle Information sponsored by CanaCreek.com Canadian Pet Medication

Pet Stress Busters – Newsletter December 2010

It’s almost the big day! Let me guess, traffic is horrible, parking at the malls impossible to find, pushy crowds, the thing that you wanted to buy most is sold out. The Holiday rush can be exhausting and stressful for you, your family and your pets. When things get more stressful than fun, STOP what you’re doing and try one of these:

Sit down, relax and spend a few minutes with your pet cat or dog; some quiet time with your pet can drastically improve your mood. Countless studies have proven that pets (dogs and cats) positively enhance mood in humans. Holding your pet, stroking your pet’s coat, or softly petting will benefit you by steadying breathing, reducing anxiety, and generally lowering blood pressure as well as heart rate. The companionship, interaction and bonding is beneficial for both human and pet.

-OR-

Take a walk or play outside with your pet. If you have a pet dog, take him/her for a walk. A short exercise break is great for stress management in several ways:

1. A change of environment physically removes you from stress aggressors (the pressure of getting everything perfect, the arrangements & decorations, the cooking etc.) and allows you to clear your mind, and focus on relaxing things like the companionship and affection of your pet.

2. Stepping out with your pet will allow you the chance to get away from stale indoor air, and to breathe refreshing clean air.

3. Walking or playing 20-30 minuteswith your pet will give you (andyour pet) the recommended daily dose of cardio exercise to maintain overall health. The exercise break will also help your body release endorphins, chemicals produced by the human body that promotes a feeling of happiness, calm and well being.

4. Feelings of stress that you’ve built up during the Holiday rush may also rub off onto your pet. Getting out for a walk or a game of fetch with your pet will have the same beneficial effects for your pet as well.

Remember these simple tips, and you, your family and pets can feel more Joy together and less stress this Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

P.S. — A reminder that the CanaCreek December 12 Pack Sale is now on!

P.P.S. — The results of the CanaCreek 3rd Annual Pet Photo Contest are out! See this year’s winners, and our special pet slideshow.

Sincerely,

The CanaCreek Team

Send your questions to info@canacreek.com
Visit the Canacreek.com blog site at www.bloggingpaws.com !

LAST CHANCE

to Enter CanaCreek’s 3rd Annual Pet Photo Contest

Have we received your entry yet?
We’ve received a lot of wonderful entries such these ones:

What are YOU waiting for?
LAST CHANCE to enter as our 3rd Annual Pet Photo Contest Closes this Friday December 3rd, 2010.
Send us your Best Pet photos NOW, and you could WIN cool prizes from CanaCreek.com!

Share your favourite photos of your pets with the CanaCreek community now!
Simply click on our photo contest link! Follow the easy instructions to upload & enter your pet photos.

Winners will be announced on the CanaCreek website next week.
Enter the Contest Now!
Good Luck!

Sincerely,

The CanaCreek Team

Send your questions to info@canacreek.com
Visit the Canacreek.com blog site at www.bloggingpaws.com !

CanaCreek Cyber Monday: ONE Day Only Sale!

Get ready to save at CanaCreekPets!

Today only: save $10 off any purchase on CanaCreek – even sale items – of $125 or more; simply type in the coupon code: ‘CYTEN‘ when you check-out. Or with a purchase of $250 or more save $25 off your purchase; simply type the coupon code ‘CYTWF‘.

Cyber Monday comes but once a year, and with all good things they end. Shop CanaCreek NOW!
Go to CanaCreek and enjoy the Biggest Savings on your Pet Supplies this Year!

CanaCreek 3rd Annual Pet Photo Contest Extended to December 3rd 2010!

We hope everyone had a great Thankgiving weekend. It appears that our 3rd Annual Pet Photo contest deadline coincided with a busy family holiday, so by popular demand our 3rd Annual Pet Photo Contest has been extended to Friday December 3rd. Share your favourite photos of your pets with the CanaCreek community for a great chance to win fabulous prizes! Click on our photo contest link! Just follow the simple instructions to upload your pet photos.

HURRY and enter already!

The CanaCreek Pet Photo Contest Closes this Friday December 3rd, 2010.
Winners will be announced on our website the following week! Good Luck!

And Happy Shopping Today at CanaCreek!

Sincerely,

The CanaCreek Team

Send your questions to info@canacreek.com
Visit the Canacreek.com blog site at www.bloggingpaws.com !

Black & White Vision, Symphony of Smells: The Science of Dog Senses.
By. Warren F., for Canacreek.com and Bloggingpaws.com

While humans and dogs are inseparable,they clearly see the world differently. And hear, and definitely smell.

Everyone knows that dogs see in black and white. Or do they? The commonly held belief was that dogs are color blind, but recent research has shown that dogs do see colors,if not the same variety available to the human eye. But dogs are much, much better than humans at detecting motion, which is why they can spot a bird in flight or a running cat, seemingly miles away while, you’re scratching your head looking for the cause of his agitation. They can also see very well in the dark, something humans aren’t very good at. As for visual details, as most dog owners will attest, are some what lacking compared to their human counterparts.

Hearing is another area where dogs excel.Dogs can hear at four times the distance ofa human, and their ears gather much more information within that sound than our ownrather primitive eardrums. But smell is where dogs go so far beyond humans it’s almost supernatural. A dog’s sense of smell is 100,000 times better than that of a human,meaning if you’re making a stew, you smell….stew. Your dog can discern every single ingredient in the stew,and is probably itching to eat all of it at once.

On a more practical level, when you takeyour dog to the park,he’s sniffing the ground in order to check out what’s been there before…and that can include other dogs, squirrels, people and a myriad of other creatures: a symphony for their senses indeed.

SALE ALERT!
Advantage for Dogs is on Sale. Order Now and Save! (expired)

Sincerely,

The CanaCreek Team

Send your questions to info@canacreek.com
Visit the Canacreek.com blog site at www.bloggingpaws.com !

Why Dogs & Cats Circle?
By Warren F. for CanaCreek

We received an interesting question from one of our readers:
JacobF writes: “Why do cats and dogs circle before bed?”

Good question! As many of you may have noticed that your pet will invariably circle around his or her bed/chosen spot before settling down for some rest. Often if you disturb them midway, they tend to start again or even get a bit testy.

It’s a puzzling habit, and there’s no solid explanation for the behaviour, as it is seen in both domesticated cats and dogs and wild varieties. But there are a few theories as to why your kitty or pooch needs to check things out before bagging some Z’s.

One theory is that before domestication, cats and dogs would check out the immediate area to make sure natural foes like snakes or other deadly insects weren’t lying in wait before they laid down to rest. As it seems to be an instinctual behaviour, this explanation makes a lot of sense. (more…)

Here’s a story brought by one of our specialists, Kimberly, partly in response to requests for more cat stories (this means you Ruby).

This is the story of Dewey, an orange tabby cat. On a cold dark winter night in January 1988, a tiny tabby kitten was deposited into the return box of Spencer, Iowa’s public library. The people of the Spencer library decided to adopt the cat for the library, and a contest was held to name him. The winning submission was “Dewey Readmore Books”, or “Dewey” for short, presumably for the Dewey Decimal cataloging system.

Dewey soon became a fixture at the library and settled into his job of animal good will ambassador and companion. (more…)