Take a moment and look at your pet. Do they have a waist? Compare them to a photo from January of last year… Does it look like they’ve packed on some “covid LB’s”?

Since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, Viva La Pet, like many business, took a huge hit. Six months and some weeks into the pandemic, as businesses reopen, we at VLP are still experiencing hard times. With most of our clientele working from home, our daily walk services have dropped by a number that’s a bit too daunting to type out and publish in a blog post.

As people begin to venture out a bit more, we have gotten calls from those in our beloved #VLPfam to visit some pets we haven’t seen in months. We’ve been ecstatic to see those wagging tales again! But, (there’s always a but, isn’t there?) we’ve noticed a little change in some pets… their weight.

October 14th is Pet Obesity Awareness Day, so this is a great time to address the “number one health threat that pets face”. We know all pet owners want to provide their pets with their best life, especially our #VLPfam. We’re also learning that working from home doesn't always allow us to give our dogs the 30-120 minutes of daily exercise they require or provide our cats with the 20-60 minutes of daily exercise they need.

Viva La Pet is here to ensure your pets are living their best lives. Contact us today for a customizable exercise visit. We guarantee, with a regular schedule of exercise visits from us, your pets will lose that extra weight and gain more happy years with you.

Zoomies!

Most dog owners know exactly what the zoomies are. One minute your dog is standing next to you nice and quietly; the next Fido is running crazily back and forth at top speed. They may go in circles, jump over things, run into furniture, or chase their tails; and all the while looking as happy as can be.

Zoomies, or what we call them in our home, “pigging”, actually have a formal name Frenetic Random Activity Periods (FRAP). So why do zoomies happen and could they be dangerous?

Many dogs get zoomies after hopping out of the tub, if they've been inside too long, or when they want to play. However, sometimes they happen when a dog is a bit confused or slightly stressed, and they need to burn off excess nervous energy.

Zoomies are considered normal canine activity and watching our pups get the zoomies is doggone fun! They happen more in puppies or younger dogs, but many dogs keep zooming all their lives. If your dog has zoomies all the time, you might want to consider how much exercise your best friend is getting every day. If you feel your dog is zooming due to stress, try and remove the stressor.

That being said, zoomies are not a dangerous activity as long as they take place in a safe spot. Inside a dog could slip on a rug, fall down stairs, or knock over kids or elderly people. Outside it's imperative that your dog is in a fenced-in area away from traffic dangers. If they happen and your dog is unleashed in an open area, don't chase them, that makes them keep zooming. Stay calm and call them (hopefully you are consistently training them to come). Offer them a toy or treat to distract them so you can get them to a safe place to zoom.

Next time your dog gets that explosion of crazy energy, the zoomies, enjoy them, your dog is having a healthy and exhilarating moment.

See a video of “pigging” or more commonly referred to as the “zoomies” below.