Tips For The Week!

Alison’s Tip

It’s always dangerous to give your pets over the counter human medications.  Although we use MANY of the same drugs that we use for our pets, there are some drugs that are dangerous and toxic to our pets.  Always consult with your veterinarian before giving your pets any medications, even natural over the counter products. The following are drugs that your pet should NEVER give your pet.

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medications

• 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP or Griffonia seed extract): Human dietary supplement; serotonin precursor.
• Acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol®; APAP): Human analgesic/antipyretic.
• Alpha lipoic acid (thioctic acid, ALA): Dietary supplement used to manage diabetes.
• Aspirin (ASA): Toxicity is dose dependent—
• Caffeine (e.g., No-Doze®, also found in analgesics, coffee, energy drinks & gums, foods such as chocolate):
• Dextromethorphan (e.g., Delsym®; Robitussin-DM®): Human cough suppressant.
• Ibuprofen (e.g., Advil®, Motrin®): Human NSAID.
• Imidazolines (e.g., oxymetazoline[Afrin®], tetrahydrozoline[Visine®], naphazoline, tolazoline): Toxic to all pets.
• Iron (Fe): Found in over-the-counter iron supplements, multivitamins, prenatal vitamins, fertilizers, pesticides, one-time use hand warmers or heating pads such as ThermaCare®, and oxygen absorber sachets in food packaging
• Naproxen (Aleve®): Human NSAID. Highly toxic to dogs, cats, and ferrets.
• Permethrin: Topical insecticide. Toxic to cats in concentrated formulas
• Phenazopyridine (Pyridium®; PAP): Human urinary analgesic.
• Phenylephrine (Sudafed-PE®): Human oral decongestant.
• Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed®): Human oral decongestant with sympathomimetic properties.
• Vitamin D (D2, D3; cholecalciferol):

Katie’s Tip

Parents are always asking me for tips and tricks to decrease the amount of time their child spends in front of the screen. There is no magic trick, it is about setting limitations and boundaries. The American Board of Pediatrics recommends that kids under the age of 18 should only have two hours of screen time outside of educational purposes. Zero screen time is recommended for children under the age of two.

• Get yourself organized. I love this app that not only physically limits that amount of time a child can spend online but also tracks what websites and apps they have access to.
• Set boundaries by establishing screen free times. For example, no screen time until all homework is completed. In addition, dinner time should be sacred for family bonding and communication.
• Write out screen time rules and post it to an area where children see on a regular basis such as the refrigerator.
• Establish that screen time is a privilege and not right. It can be taken away if the rules are not followed.
• Create play dates and schedule after school activities, there by decreasing the amount of time spent indoors.

Carrie’s Tip

Trying to get dressed after having a baby is not always a fun experience. You are stressed, sleep deprived and your not comfortable with your body. Since I was mostly concerned with my stomach area, I always looked for tops that were flowy, dark colored, had a peplum style or criss crossed over my bottom area. For me all those features masked my most insecure area. I lived in comfy boyfriend flannels and even wore my skinny maternity jeans until I could git in to my old ones! Here are a few of my favorite styles for after baby dressing.

{floral off the shoulder, black and white plaid flannel, olive blouse, black peplum tee}