Keep your pets safe this holiday season...

Christmas and New Year's – a time when your house is filled with treats, and possibly filled with strangers.

Both can cause your dogs and cats distress.

First, the treats. When company is coming, they're often left in bowls around the house, where an enterprising dog or cat can not only reach them, but devour the whole bowl full if the humans happen to be off in another room. Chocolate can be deadly for dogs, especially small dogs. Rains are also poisonous to dogs.

But poison aside, even sugar cookies can cause digestive distress when eaten in quantities. Keep those treats out of reach when you aren't there to keep an eye on them. AND discourage your visitors from giving in to pets who look at them with soulful eyes, trying to convince them to share.

Then, the strangers. Cats are especially prone to hiding when strangers are in the house, and some may even feel a need to escape to the great outdoors. If your cats – or your dogs – are apt to bolt for an open door, keep them contained.

Pets may not enjoy being confined to a crate or even to a bedroom or laundry room, but it's far better for them to be unhappy for a few hours than to be lost and unhappy for the rest of their lives. And of course, pets who run are apt to be run over by a passing car.

If your critters get upset during the holidays, remember that Feel5ive can help keep them calm, even when things are hectic around the house. Put a few drops in their water bowls throughout the season, so they can enjoy it as much as you do.

One more thing – if you expect fireworks for New Year's Eve and your dogs are afraid of the noise, use our Thunderstorms blend to help them through it. As with the Feel5ive, just add a few drops every time you refresh their water bowls.

Wishing you a memorable and happy holiday season!

Celebrate Safely this Independence Day!

Wishing you a happy and safe Independence Day, celebrating with people you care for. While you're at it, send up some thanks that we do still  have Independence. Our freedom is something to be cherished.

Meanwhile, if you live where you can buy and use your own fireworks, please be careful! Summer is no time to have fire dropping to the ground.

Keep your garden hoses out, and be alert - just in case a neighbor gets silly.

Oh, and please remember to keep your pets indoors. Animal rescues get more lost pet calls on the 5th of July than any other time of year. Some dogs and cats are so terrified of fireworks, gunfire, and thunderstorms that they just start to run, and don't stop. Sometimes they run so hard and so far that they can't find their way home again.

Even when you're keeping them inside, there's no sense in allowing them to suffer from their fear. Especially not when Feel Bach! can help.

If you have our "Thunder Storms" formula, begin giving it in the morning, or even the previous day. If you don't have any, use Feel5ive to help ease the stress your pets may experience this 4th of July.

Best wishes for joy and safety - from the whole Feel Bach! team.

Protect Your Pets this Week-end!

As you get ready to enjoy this holiday week-end, remember that it might not be so enjoyable for your dogs and cats.

The sight, sound, and smell of fireworks can set them into a panic. If left outdoors, they can try to run away from it, and subsequently become lost. When working in animal rescue, I found the week after the 4http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifth to be the most heartbreaking as report after report of lost pets poured http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifin. Sadly, most were never found.

If you know your pet is afraid of thunderstorms and fireworks, you probably have a bottle of Thunderstorms on hand. Be sure to start putting a few drops in your pets’ water bowl now. If you don’t have any, use Feel5ive to help alleviate the fear and stress.

Meanwhile, don’t leave your pets outdoors alone this week-end unless you know the fireworks won’t bother them. (We have one dog who will sleep through them.)

If you’re leaving them home while you go play, make sure they have a safe place to “hide” if things get scary. Some want to be under a bed or in the back corner of a closet. One dog I had thought it was safe behind the toilet!

If you don’t let your dogs in the house, put them in the garage, and create a “Hidey hole” with a large box or by stacking boxes around a corner to create a space just big enough to hide in. Include their favorite blanket and/or something of yours to give them the comfort of your scent.