Great news! Some of us are starting the journey back to a new normal! Some of use are still “at home” and need some new entertainment and knowledge. So, for our households, we have come up with another fun, therapeutic game for all of us to play. This month it is a word jumble. There are 25 words involved, that run vertically, horizontally, diagonally and sometimes a letter is used in more than one word. Don’t forget we are still running a coloring for cookies contest. The details are on our Fun and Useful Webpage as well as our new Word Jumble!  Have fun!

Spring is here and that means ticks, fleas and other biting insects. We hope to be, and/or are, outside and need to protect our woofie friends as best we can. There are so many choices in ingredients and application methods it is hard to know what to choose!

There are 2 basic application methods whether you choose a chemical or an all-natural product. The first method is consumable. The edible medications include a chemical which poison any bugs that bite your pet. The edible all natural versions are said to repel the bugs and keep them from biting. The second way to apply bug repellents is to apply product to the skin or fur of the pet. These application forms come in the forms of dusts, shampoos, sprays, wipes and collars. The all- natural versions include essential oils and a carrier oil.

Some things to keep in mind, regardless of which type of bug repellent you choose. Read the label and make sure you are using the product on the appropriate age, weight, size and species of animal. Never use something meant for a dog on a cat, and vice versa. The chemical permethrin, a common ingredient in tick-prevention products for dogs, is highly toxic to cats. If you have a dog and a cat, and the cat regularly licks or grooms the dog, avoid using permethrin on your dog, says Lori Bierbrier, D.V.M., medical director for the community medicine program at the ASPCA. Watch pets closely the first time you use any new tick-prevention method, to make sure they don’t experience skin irritation, excessive salivating, tremors, or another worrying reaction. If they do, call your vet right away, even if the product applied was “all natural”. Never use products meant for humans, such as insect repellents that contain the chemical deet on your pets.

If you want to use an "all natural" product, keep in mind just because it is all natural doesn’t mean it is safe for all animals. Some essential oils such as oil of cinnamon, citrus, pennyroyal, peppermint, pine, sweet birch, tea tree (melaleuca), wintergreen, along with some others are poisonous to pets. These oils are toxic whether ingested by mouth or spread on the skin. Make sure you investigate the ingredients of each product you want to use.

Reduce the need for any bug repellent for your dog by staying out of tall grasses and bushy areas. This is the type of environment ticks thrive in. And mosquitoes are most prevalent at dusk. Keep your yard mowed, remove piles of leaves and brush. If you can avoid these areas and time of day, your need for bug repellents won’t go away, but should at least be reduced. And less of anything that may effect the health of our pets is good!