Keep watch of your pets in winter
Today’s Happy Wag column is all about common household items that can be toxic to pets.
The one I felt was most timely was mentioning that lilies can be very detrimental to a cat’s health. I happen to love lilies and I am pretty sure a stargazer or two has graced the center of my dining room table in bouquets, especially in the spring. Since we all know I can’t keep Thai off that table no matter how many times I blog about it (it’s like he doesn’t even READ this blog) I will be sure to keep those out of the house.
One thing I didn’t mention that would have been very timely today is the ice repellents and salt that many of us use on snowy days like this. Needless to say, your pet could get sick eating that stuff, but it’s also not good for their foot pads. Be sure to wipe down their feet if they happen to walk in anything other than snow. My dogs happen to love a good rub down after they come in from a romp in the snow, so this one is easy for me.
And by the way, Roanokers, I know the bad weather is an inconvenience, broken limbs are dangerous and power outages are a lousy way to spend the day, but you gotta admit that this town sure looks good in snow.





Snow has a way of making anything look pretty. We generally avoid the salt and I just make sure to shovel or sweep the snow off the decks as soon as I can, including clearing a path to connect the front deck with the back deck, and all the things the outdoor cats have, like their insulated houses, heated water bowl, and their food shelter.