Thanksgiving is almost here! You can almost smell the tasty food and delicious treats cooking away. During this festive time it’s not out of the ordinary for people to become a little overly generous, which means that dogs and cats get their share of table food scraps. Although the look on their face will tell you otherwise, tossing some turkey or stuffing to your pet can lead to injury or illness for them. So this Thanksgiving, try to resist the temptation of sharing too much holiday cheer with your four-legged family members.

Here are some tips to keep your pets safe this Thanksgiving:

• Maintain your pet’s regular meal and exercise schedule. A disruption in his dietary routine can cause stomach upset, diarrhea and vomiting.

• Provide your pets with a quiet retreat just in case the holiday festivities become too much for them. Watch their behavior to make sure they are not stressed.

• Poultry bones can easily splinter and can lacerate your pet’s mouth or throat or obstruct your pet’s insides.

• Fatty, rich, or new types of foods can give your pet pancreatitis or gastroenteritis, two medical conditions that can be very painful and even life threatening.

• Chocolate has the potential to be fatal to your dog or cat, so place those sweets well out of reach.

• Make sure your pet always has fresh water. When there are more people in the house, there’s more chance to bump into the water bowl, leaving your pet’s water bowl dry.

• Keep garbage securely closed. If your pet gets into it, he may think he’s hit the jackpot, but all he’ll be winning are health problems that can range from gas to vomiting to diarrhea.

For even more information on how to keep your pets safe visit, http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/thanksgiving-safety-tips.html. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

The holidays are almost here! For a lot of people that means traveling. If you plan on flying with your pet this year, here’s a list of some of the most pet-friendly airlines of 2009. Your pet will thank you!

Continental

The airline’s PetSafe program has a 24-hour Live Animal Help Desk that tracks your pet from origin to destination. It’s more expensive than other airlines, but your pet will travel in climate-controlled vehicles for connections and you’ll even earn extra miles. The airline also allows small pets to be carried in the cabin on most domestic flights for $125 each way.

JetBlue Airways

JetBlue launched JetPaws last summer, providing passengers pet carrier bag tag, two TrueBlue points each way, a welcome e-mail and pet-travel guide, all for no additional cost. But like almost every other airline, they have raised their in-cabin pet charge. One-way fees range from $75-$100.

Airtran

Airtran is currently the least expensive airline to fly with your small pet: just $69 each way. They only allow small pets that can travel in the cabin, so if you have a larger breed that needs to be checked-in, this airline isn’t for you.

American Airlines

The airline has assisted transporting animals from popular zoos in cargo. Although they allow a limited number of pets in the cabin, they ask passengers traveling with pets to make special notes for their animals flying in cargo and promise to abide by all requests.

United Airlines

They accept small cats, dogs and birds in the cabin; rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs as checked baggage and other animals including parrots, cockatiels and ferrets in United Cargo. Shipping by cargo is for items, like some pets, that you can’t check as baggage.

For more information about these airlines and their pet policies, click on the airline name above.

While some pets often become excited at the prospect of riding in a car, others don’t take so kindly to the idea. But sometimes it’s necessary to take you dog or cat with you – to the vet, for instance, or maybe on vacation.

Most of the time, travel anxiety in pets occurs because of a prior bad experience, such as an accident, being left in a hot car, or simply never being exposed to car travel. Also, it’s quite possible that your dog or cat simply doesn’t like being confined in such a small space or the feeling of movement.

Because travel anxiety can be so distressing for your pet, it’s a good idea to take the necessary steps to make traveling more bearable and stress free. Bringing them on car rides from an early age will help them to get use to traveling in a moving vehicle.

If your pet has an overwhelming fear of traveling in a car, hold them in a stationary vehicle with all the doors open, while petting them gently. Coaxing them into the car with their favorite treats may also help, as will playing with or feeding them near the car.

Here are some more quick tips on easing travel anxiety:

· Make sure your car is always well ventilated and never leave your pet in a car during warm weather.

· Take a waterproof blanket or training pads to place on the backseat of your car to prevent accidents.

· Give your pet special treats, take along their favorite toy or blanket to help them feel more secure when traveling.

· Consider giving your pet a supplement to calm their nerves. Travel Calm by Vet’s Best is an all-natural formula that really helps ease the stress and tension from traveling.

Far too many service men and women return home from war with lingering effects that make the challenges of every day life difficult to cope with. These brave individuals have answered their nation’s call and now man’s best friend is answering theirs.

Across the country, psychiatric service dogs providing companionship and relief for veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, with profound results. These dogs can sense when a person with PTSD is escalating and signal, making it possible of the person to manage and even prevent the escalation. According to a survey by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research program, 82% of patients with PTSD who were assigned a dog had decreased symptoms and 40% decreased their medication.

Dogs have helped soldiers on the battlefield as well. Dubbed the K9 Corp, they have served bravely alongside soldiers since World War I. One of the most famous war dogs was Chips, a German Sheppard mix, whose story was told in the 1993 Disney movie “Chips the War Dog.” The most decorated dog from WWII, Chips was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart after attacking a pillbox containing an enemy machine gun crew in Sicily. He seized one man and forced the entire crew to surrender.

Whether dogs are helping veterans or are veterans themselves, they definitely deserve to be recognized this Veteran’s Day.

To find out more about psychiatric service dogs, visit www.psychdog.org/veterans.html or if you’d like to read about other war dogs like Chips, visit www.eagleid.com/veterans/dogs.htm