Don’t miss out on this budget friendly opportunity to dress your pets this Halloween! All Dog Halloween Costumes & Pet Halloween Merchandise is 20% off for one week only. Sale ends October 26th.

Halloween is just around the corner but there’s still time left! (Especially if you select the Priority 2-3 business day option which is only around $5-6)!  We ship out of New York and when placed prior to 8pm Eastern time, your order will ship the  following morning!  (Orders placed after 8pm, will ship the following business day after that).

Pet Costumes as low as $10! Halloween Dog Toys & Accessories as low as $4.00! Don’t miss your chance! Stop in to PetKaboodle.com and place your order today before it’s too late.

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Time is running out to get your costumes online! Don’t miss your opportunity to include your pet in this year’s festivities with fun Halloween items and costumes.  From now until Saturday, October 15th, ALL Halloween items are on sale! Costumes are going fast, so don’t delay! Get yours today before they’re all gone!

Here’s a small selection of Halloween items that are available.
To view all Halloween Items, simply click the link at the bottom of this page.
Enjoy & Happy Shopping!

Starting at $12.34!

Starting at $12.34!

Starting at $12.34!

Starting at $5.69!

See All Halloween Items & Costumes!

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Hello again everyone,

Happy Cyber-Monday!

As the holidays are now upon us, we are all going through some major changes.  Schedules become tighter as holiday parties or travel come up.  The houses have lots of decorations, gifts, food, etc.  Not to mention a major change in the weather.

Although all pets are affected by all of this, it causes a tremendous amount of stress on pet birds.  Pet birds of all kinds are prey animals (unlike a dog, or a cat).  They have adapted over time to be scared of things they don’t understand, especially change, as it tends to signal danger in their native environments.  Some birds can become so stressed that major problems can develop such as night frights, feather plucking, and illness.

I have learned after a few years that we need to be extra mindful of our pet birds during these times.  Some things I recommend would be:  Take care not to make any major changes to the birds environment without also calming them down.  When we put up decorations, we leave the birds in their cages so they don’t get too stressed.  Their cages are their safe zones and they can watch the “danger” from a safe distance.  Once the decorating is complete, we take them out slowly, watching their body language for stress, and allow them to get used to the changes in their world.

I have also learned that night lights are very helpful (especially with cockatiels) and make sure that a night light is within a close enough distance that a shadow from a Christmas tree (for example) doesn’t startle her in the middle of the night.

It is also very important that you try and keep a regular schedule for them when it comes to food and attention.  If you need to attend parties, that is fine and good, but try to compensate your pets with extra TLC the next night.  Another way you can help them stick to their regular schedule is with a light timer.

And speaking of lights, as the weather changes, you should try to keep your birds to as normal as a schedule as possible to prevent hormonal changes that can make your birds, well, hormonal.  Timed lights, Heated perches, infra-red heating panels, and UV lamps are all good ideas which will allow your birds to stay roughly the same temperature and have them get the same length of daylight regardless of where you live, how you set the thermostat, or what time you come home.

For more ideas or products, please, as always, feel free to e-mail me directly at:  chirpperch@petkaboodle.com.

Thanks, and have a Happy and Healthy holiday season!

-Jim

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Christmas is just around the corner and puppy sales are climbing. Every year puppies are purchased as gifts for the holidays. But is this such a good idea?  That depends.   The absolute most important thing to do before even considering the gift of a puppy is to do your research!  Read books and gain as much knowledge as you can on puppy care as well as the breed you are considering to get. Different breeds, have different needs. Getting a pet “out of the blue” is a very bad idea if you have no idea what to expect.  Before purchasing a puppy for a gift, you must consider many things first.

First thing is first.   A pet is a responsibility of the entire household.  A dog is not “one persons dog”. Giving the gift of a puppy means giving a gift to the whole family.  Dogs function as part of a pack.  You are their leader and they will look to their family for guidance. It is up to all members of the family to properly guide them into a social, loving  pet.

Second, puppies are a HUGE responsibility. They require alot of time and patience to grow into a loving family member. They are not simply stuffed animals that you can put aside when you’ve had enough playtime. Puppies need to be trained. While this can be frustrating, puppy training requires time,  patience and consistency. Expect mistakes and accidents! They are learning the ropes of life and they will make mistakes along the way.  It is up to you to help them learn.  With proper guidance and training, they will learn the rules of your household and obey them.  On average, it takes about 2-3 weeks to house train a dog.  All dogs are different so some may learn quicker, yet some can take much longer.  Now, this is just the “going potty” bit. They still need to learn dog behavior training. This is something that they must be taught throughout life, not just when they are puppies.

The average life expectancy of a North American or European dog is 12.8 years. Some dogs have even been reported as living 25-28 years.  That’s a long time! So another thing to consider is the commitment.  One must be committed to years of giving love, training and care to this animal.  Always remember that this is a living breathing animal and not just an object that can be thrown away or pushed aside.  All dogs are trainable. Some may just take more patience than others.  A major factor contributing to overcrowded animal shelters are owners who did not realize how large the commitment is when getting a dog. Now, these poor animals are sentenced to a life behind bars for as long as it takes for someone to find them a new home. Some aren’t so lucky and will be euthanized in a high-kill shelter before even being given that chance.

Finally, another major factor we would like to mention is the cost of owning a dog.   The lifetime cost of an an average healthy dog can range from about $7,000.00 – $12,000.00. That’s some serious cash!  Any medical emergencies or illnesses can greatly increase this amount as well as the level of comfort you prefer to lavish upon your dog such as posh pet supplies. Plus, long haired dogs tend to cost more because of dog grooming costs. It is recommended that dogs should be groomed every 4-6 weeks. Longer haired dogs and more complex coats, like poodles, may require professional grooming more frequently. Depending on your dog’s size, this can cost anywhere from $50-$90 per grooming. Puppies generally cost more to take care of their first year due to high training and the myriad of vaccinations they must receive to prevent problems in the future.

So, in conclusion, if you have seriously considered all of the costs and commitment and can afford the time and money to take care of this pet, then the gift of a puppy may be a very rewarding gift for the whole family.  All of the patience, time and yes, frustrations, at the start is definitely worth the love, loyalty and companionship of a dog.  So be smart, do your research and be absolutely positive that you, and your family can take care of this pet.

Oh yea, and don’t forget to visit PetKaboodle.com for all of your new puppy supplies.

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Welcome to the first of what we hope to be a long series of week in review!

Each week we’ll try and take the most interesting/funny/odd pet stories we’ve heard that week, coupled with any exciting PetKaboodle.com news from the week  and bring them all together in one place!

Let’s get started:

Hot Diggity Dog!! On Monday the 23rd our Halloween costumes and toys arrived!  Best part?  They are ALL on sale until September 5, 2010!

Check them out:

Shop dog Halloween items

Shop cat Halloween items

Monday also marked the start of our first annual Halloween Pet Photo Contest!  Winner receives a $25 gift certificate to PetKaboodle.com and gets their pets photo displayed on our homepage!

Wednesday someone decided it would be a good idea to throw out a cat!  Good thing the owners found her!

Fortunately Thursday brought one of the funniest videos we’ve seen in a long time!

click to read more…

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This Christmas I learned a couple of important pieces of information through a series of rather unfortunate circumstances that I felt I needed to share with you. This information may save you some time and money, and at it may even save your pets life!

My wife and I hosted Christmas this year for our family and friends and it just so happens that (while many cats will run off and hide when guests arrive) our cat, Kiwi, LOVES people and parties. This is normally great fun for both us and her, except that this year it allowed her to be the first one to dig into some of the bags of gifts people brought us. One of the bags contained a Poinsettia and unfortunately Kiwi discovered it before us. By the time we found out, she had already eaten about 3 petals and chewed on a couple others!

Although we were pretty sure that Poinsettia weren’t deadly, we weren’t sure how bad they were or weren’t so we called a local pet emergency center who told us to bring her in because they would need to induce vomiting. After rushing Kiwi to the emergency room they admitted her and took her off into the back. We learned shortly after that they didn’t have a toxicologist and that we would need to call the ASPCA poison control hot-line. In the meantime, the emergency clinic gave Kiwi something to induce vomiting. It was apparently also a painkiller and we were told that she may be tired and out of it for a little while. The person who answered the ASPCA hot-line was incredibly nice and helpful and essentially said that unless the cat had eaten something along the lines of an entire Poinsettia, she should be fine. You may see her foaming at the mouth after about an hour but this is a sign that she is nauseated. The verdict being that she will be fine and that you don’t really need to do anything except potentially give her something to settle her stomach. The vet than gave us back our cat, now slightly doped up from the painkiller, and a large bill – as was expected for using an emergency clinic after hours.

We ended up paying for both the emergency room visit and the phone call to the ASPCA. On top of that since the cat was now slightly drugged and we didn’t know if she would be vomiting around out house, we kept her in the basement which caused her to miss the festivities which she usually loves to be a part of. But we learned some valuable lessons that I would like to share.

1. Keep the number for the ASPCA poison control center handy – (888) 426-4435. They charge a $60 consultation fee, but it may spare you an even more costly trip to the emergency room, or if emergency care is still required the toxicologist at the ASPCA will be able to instruct your vet on how to handle the specific poison.
2. The ASPCA maintains a list of poisonous plants and what can be expected from/what to do about each. That list is located here: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/ and we suggest bookmaking it.
3. The person from the ASPCA made special mention that one of the most toxic plants to pets are Lilies. Please do not keep Lilies in your house.
4. If you suspect your pet has been poisoned, it is likely better to call the ASPCA poison control center before contacting your vet. Please note: If your animal is having seizures, losing consciousness, is unconscious or is having difficulty breathing, telephone ahead and bring your pet immediately to your local veterinarian or emergency veterinary clinic. If necessary, he or she may call the Animal Poison Control Center (APCC).
5. Here is how you can expect the ASPCA poison control center call to work:
   1. When you call you should have the following things ready
      (Taken directly from http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/what-to-do-if-your-pet-is-poisoned.html):
      • The species, breed, age, sex, weight and number of animals involved
      • The animal’s symptoms
      • Information regarding the exposure, including the agent (if known), the amount of the agent involved and the time elapsed since the time of exposure.
      • Have the product container/packaging available for reference.
   2. They will advise you on how to handle the situation. They will give you a case reference number and a follow-up phone number. This information can be given to the vet for them to follow up on your call and allow the APCC to guide the vet on proper treatment.

Although everything ended ok with our cat involving the Poinsettia, please do not take this article as medical advice. If your pet consumes Poinsettia, we encourage you to call the ASPCA poison control center as the quantity, plant type, breed, etc. could change the outcome of this and we are not toxicologists.

If we had started with a call to the APCC both Kiwi and I would have been able to enjoy our friends and family on Christmas instead of sitting at an emergency vet for three hours and spending a ton of money in the process.

And whatever happened to Kiwi? She’s fine; actually she was fine the whole time – never started foaming, never vomited – even after being given something to induce vomiting; never showed any signs of discomfort. She did end up a little out of it from the injection of pain killer but still enjoyed posing for her Christmas photo:

Hopefully my story can help someone else save their pet or at the very least save some panic, money and time!

Best Regards,

Brian Riley

President

PetKaboodle, Inc.

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If you happen to live on the west coast, chances are you’re stumbled upon CityDog Magazine, and if you happen to pick up their Holiday 2009 edition you may discover a familiar company graces their pages.  That’s right, CityDog Magazine has contacted us to feature some of our holiday dog toys, holiday dog cloths and holiday grooming products!

These include:

Our gingerbread men	Our EastSide Collection Argyle Sweaters
Our Menorah Squeaky Toys	Our Christmas Rope Chew Toys
Our Naughty/Nice Tugs	Our Gingerbread Shampoo

Thank you so much to Brandie, Wendy and all of our new friends over at CityDog Magazine!!

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Halloween Already?!

That’s right, you heard us correctly! Our new Halloween costumes are here! Shop early to save big! From now until September 8th, enjoy 20% off ALL Halloween merchandise! Brand new styles for every type of pet personality! From soft plush costumes to spooky fun toys, be among the first to see what this year’s Halloween trends are all about at PetKaboodle.com!

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