Thanksgiving Safety Tips from the ASPCA

Dog with pumpkins, gourds and other holiday decor
‘Tis the season for friends, family and holiday feasts—but also for possible distress for our animal companions. Pets won’t be so thankful if they munch on undercooked turkey or a pet-unfriendly floral arrangement, or if they stumble upon an unattended alcoholic drink.
Check out the following tips from ASPCA experts for a fulfilling Thanksgiving that your pets can enjoy, too.
Talkin’ Turkey
If you decide to feed your pet a little nibble of turkey, make sure it’s boneless and well-cooked. Don’t offer her raw or undercooked turkey, which may contain salmonella bacteria.
Sage Advice
Sage can make your Thanksgiving stuffing taste delish, but it and many other herbs contain essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal upset and central nervous system depression to pets if eaten in large quantities. Cats are especially sensitive to the effects of certain essential oils.
No Bread Dough
Don’t spoil your pet’s holiday by giving him raw bread dough. According to ASPCA experts, when raw bread dough is ingested, an animal’s body heat causes the dough to rise in his stomach. As it expands, the pet may experience vomiting, severe abdominal pain and bloating, which could become a life-threatening emergency, requiring surgery.
Don’t Let Them Eat Cake
If you’re baking up Thanksgiving cakes, be sure your pets keep their noses out of the batter, especially if it includes raw eggs—they could contain salmonella bacteria that may lead to food poisoning.
Too Much of a Good Thing
A few small boneless pieces of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie shouldn’t pose a problem. However, don’t allow your pets to overindulge, as they could wind up with a case of stomach upset, diarrhea or even worse—an inflammatory condition of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. In fact, it’s best keep pets on their regular diets during the holidays.
A Feast Fit for a Kong
While the humans are chowing down, give your cat and dog their own little feast. Offer them Nylabones or made-for-pet chew bones. Or stuff their usual dinner—perhaps with a few added tidbits of turkey, vegetables (try sweet potato or green beans) and dribbles of gravy—inside a Kong toy. They’ll be happily occupied for awhile, working hard to extract their dinner from the toy.

Source URL: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/thanksgiving-safety-tips

Winnebago County Community Park Winter south entrance closing

partner_logo_parksandexpocenter_625x625This is the time of year when we need to watch for Winnebago County Community Park to close to road traffic.  I have been advised it will happen Monday December 2nd, unless we get a significant amount of snow, more than a couple of inches.
Best Friends Dog Park DOES remain open all year long.
The SOUTH entrance of Winnebago County Community Park, off of Snell Rd will be closed as of December 2nd.  Also at that time when coming into the park from County Rd Y, you will be able to LEGALLY turn to the left instead of going around the park.  The road to the right will have barricades.  Please do NOT go around them.
Best Friends Dog Park is open all winter long.  Winnebago County Community Park does reserve the right to close the park if they deem it necessary.

Winnebago County Community Park Ski Trail

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From our Friends at Winnebago County Parks Department.
The snow will be here before we know it. Once we obtain an adequate amount of snow fall, the traditional groomed cross country ski trail route in the Winnebago County Park will open for skiers. Here is the map of the route. This map will also be posted out in the park kiosk by the pavilion. Parking is allowed in the lot across the street from the dog park during the winter months and access into the park during the winter months is through the County Rd Y entrance.
Trail status updates for snowmobiling and cross country skiing are posted on the Travel Wisconsin website and we will post trail status changes on this page as well.