April is National Pet First Aid Awareness Month!

🆘 Did you know that April is National Pet First Aid Awareness Month?

⁣Though it’s always smart to take your pet to a veterinarian if they need care, a time may come in when you may need to give your furry family member first aid until you can make it to the vet.

🚨 Make sure you’re prepared for an emergency. Prevention is key!⁣

⁣Here’s what you can do this month to prepare:⁣

⁣🐶 Learn CPR for pets. We have a video for this on our website under Blue’s Blog. Consider taking a Red Cross course and downloading a Pet First Aid app on your phone. 

⁣🐱 Take the necessary steps to reduce any choking hazards, poisonous or toxic substances like xylitol and chocolate, and pet suffocation dangers like chip bags, snack bags, and pet food bags within your home.

🐶 Cut up all bags, secure all trash cans, and store chips and snacks in glass bowls or containers instead of bags.⁣

⁣🐱 Have a pet first aid kit fully stocked and easy to access in your home. Include your pet’s vet and medical records, backup medications, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointment, gauze, scissors, medical tape, wet wipes, blanket, travel food bowls, packets of food and water, a flashlight, and an extra leash and poop bags. ⁣

⁣🐶 Learn more about common signs of need for pet first aid including bowel obstruction, choking, suffocation, broken nails, dog or cat bites, abscesses, and poison and toxins ingestion.⁣

⁣Rest easy knowing you’re prepared, if need be, for your pet’s health emergency!

Did you know that these five everyday items can pose a serious suffocation and/or strangulation risk to your cat or dog?

1️⃣ Food bags such as chip bags, snack bags, cereal bags, and pet food bags

2️⃣ Tight spaces such as coolers, dryers, and plastic containers

3️⃣ Collars and leashes

4️⃣ Small items such as balls, chew toys, or rawhides

5️⃣ Cords on blinds and windows

This is why it’s so important to…

✔️ Cut up all bags before disposing of them

✔️ Always keep your pantry door closed

✔️ Safely secure your trash cans

✔️ Use breakaway collars

✔️ Keep lids closed on appliances

✔️ Learn CPR should your pet need help

Visit our Information page on our website to learn more about how to keep your pets safe at home!

Thank you to WTAE-TV for featuring Brian and Holly Best and Prevent Pet Suffocation to help bring awareness to pet suffocation. The Best family share their heartbreaking story of losing their Chocolate Lab puppy, Scout, on New Year’s Day when he suffocated in a chip bag. Spreading awareness is key to preventing pet suffocation, and each media piece and every owner’s story helps us in our mission. To view the interview, click on Press, then Videos in our menu above.

🐶 It’s National Walking the Dog Day!⁣

⁣Will you be taking your pet out for some fresh air and exercise?⁣

⁣It’s good for you and for them!⁣

⁣Get dressed, grab your leash, doggie bags, and some water, and enjoy some time outside with your favorite pup or pups. ☀️⁣

⁣Whether it’s just around the neighborhood, at a local park, or on a nearby beach, make it a point to get out with your dog today!

❤️⁣⁣ Today is National Love Your Pet Day! An entire day to show your beloved pets how much they mean to you!⁣

⁣⁣⁣The top reason people love their pets is because they give them unconditional love.⁣

⁣Looking for ways to give some of that love back to your pet pals? Some ideas to make your pet feel extra special today are:⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣🐶 Taking them on a long outing or walk in the park, woods, or beach.⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣🐱 Arranging a fun playdate with their best fur buddy. ⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣🐶 Buying them a new play toy, leash, collar, or cozy bed. ⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣🐱 Adopting a pet from a shelter or donating your time or items needed to your favorite rescue group.⁣ ⁣⁣

⁣⁣🐶 Practicing SAFETY first by pet-proofing your home against anything that can cause pet suffocation including cutting up all food bags, locking your trash cans, and serving all chips, snacks, and goodies in glass or plastic containers.⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣So, no matter if your favorite pet is a dog, cat, rabbit, bird, hamster, or horse, celebrate them today on National Love Your Pet Day by spoiling them rotten and keeping them safe from pet suffocation. ❤️

🐱 We want to remind you that cats are JUST as vulnerable to pet suffocation as dogs are!⁣

⁣We often hear stories of dogs who have lost their lives to suffocation, but let’s not forget about our feline friends! Their agility allows them to easily jump on food counters, tables, and refrigerators where they have easier access to food bags and containers.  ⁣

⁣Cats are also prone to hiding in enclosed and small places like bins, plastic containers, and washers and dryers. ⁣

⁣So, what can you do?⁣

⁣🐱 Be extra cautious when leaving bags on top of the fridge, in the laundry room or garage, and on countertops and shelves.⁣

⁣🐱 Cut up all bags and dispose of them properly.⁣

⁣🐱 Keep all containers tightly closed and safely out of reach of your pets.⁣

⁣🐱 Always close drawers and appliance lids like washers and dryers.⁣

⁣Cats are quick on their feet, and we have to stay on our toes! Visit our Information Page for more helpful tips and information.

❤️ Happy Valentine’s Day from Prevent Pet Suffocation!

Will you be our Valentine? Today is all about love, so make sure that you’re doing all that you can to keep your furry love bugs safe.⁣

⁣Please help us spread the LOVE around to our beloved pets by helping us with our mission to prevent pet suffocation by donating to our non-profit. All donations go directly to spreading awareness through social media, media interviews, infographics, PSAs, articles, etc.

Our international awareness campaign continues to reach thousands of people daily to alert them to the dangers of pet suffocation and how to prevent it. But we need your help to keep making progress! ⁣

⁣We hope you all have a wonderful, love-filled holiday! And if you’re looking to spread a little more love, click on the Donate button on our HOME PAGE. Any and all help is always appreciated! ❤️

(Photo Credit @jassieandnellie on Instagram)

🚨 It’s important to remove your pup’s collar before crating them! Leaving collars on dogs while they are crated can lead to a serious suffocation and strangulation issue. Laurie Simino shares her story of how she almost lost her Shepherd Mix puppy when Shelly’s collar got caught in the crate. 

“When my girl Shelly was a puppy I put her in the crate. A few minutes later my other dog was frantically barking. I ran to check on them and found Shelly hanging from the top of the crate. She had gotten her collar caught and kept spinning around trying to get unstuck. The collar just got tighter and tighter. Acting like a tourniquet around her neck. I had to cut the collar to get her loose. Even now, two years later I thank God I hadn’t left because if I wouldn’t have found her when I did, she would have strangled herself because I was stupid and didn’t remove her collar!”

Luckily, Shelly (see photo) is thriving thanks to her owner’s quick thinking. It just takes a minute to pop a collar off before crating! 

🏈 Let’s Kick-off Super Bowl Weekend by making our own Football Playbook for our pets! ⁣⁣

⁣⁣Are you prepared to keep your pets safe during the game this weekend? The best Strategy we know is to go on the Offensive and Plan Ahead! ⁣⁣

⁣⁣Before the game starts, have a Huddle with your family and guests to make sure everyone knows to keep an eye on all the pets to protect them from pet suffocation. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣🍿 Hand-Off all the food bags so they can be cut up and disposed of properly. Assign Special Teams to serve all the chips, popcorn, pretzels, cookies, and all the other delicious snacks in plastic or glass bowls instead of in the bags and to keep the trash cans emptied and lids tightly shut. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣Let’s not Fumble on Super Bowl Sunday! The only Sack we want to see is a Quarterback Sack, not a food Sack out.⁣

⁣Help us Tackle pet suffocation by keeping your cats and dogs safe from the suffocation Red Zone.⁣⁣

⁣⁣So, now you can relax and enjoy this Sunday while you Cheer on your favorite team knowing you’re a Team Player! Winning! ⁣⁣

⁣⁣Need more ideas? Visit our “Information” tab to learn more! 🐶🐱

Check out my recent Video Podcast interview on pet suffocation with Corgi Town USA, a resort for pets and their people. I chat with hosts, Candie and Cat, on how Prevent Pet Suffocation started, the risks of pet suffocation, and the easy steps you can take to prevent it. ⁣In 30 short minutes, you can learn a lot about how to prevent pet suffocation and keep your beloved dogs and cats safe.⁣ You will hear many life-saving tips to safeguard your home and protect your pets.⁣

The podcast link is posted on our Press Page under Videos. Worth a listen!