Tending To The Fireplace

A fireplace is a wonderful addition to any home. If you already have a fireplace, then you know that there are several benefits, such as keeping the home warm without raising the cost of the electric bill and enjoying a cozy atmosphere while sitting with family and friends. There are a few accessories that you will want to have for the fireplace in order to maintain the fire safely and to keep the area around the fire clean. There are also a few antique fireplace accessories that make the area appear charming instead of plain and simple.

A mesh screen is something that you'll want to have to keep the embers inside instead of popping out onto the floor. You can get an ordinary screen that simply does its job, or you can find screens with intricate designs in the mesh material and along the sides to give a beautiful look. Tools to clean the ash from inside the fireplace are also necessary. If there are a lot of ashes in the fireplace, it can sometimes make it difficult to light the logs. The ash can also begin to filter through the air into the home, making it difficult to breathe. Ash also gets into the chimney, which can begin to block the flow of smoke out of the home.

Instead of going outside to get logs to put in the fireplace, consider creating a space inside the wall beside the fireplace making it easy to simply reach over and grab them when they are needed. When it comes to the screen on the fireplace, you want to look at a ceramic material or even glass. There are glass screens that are heat resistant, and they will trap air better than a mesh screen would. However, you need to have a few brushes beside the fireplace to keep the screens clean so that you can monitor the fire as it burns and to keep the beautiful design on the screen while the fire is burning and when it's out. If you don't have a lot of money to spend on the tools and items that are needed, simply get a small shovel and a piece of mesh material that you can position in front of the fire until you can upgrade.

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Keeping Your Dogs Nourished and Happy

Dogs can be just like family members to many of us. We would never want to knowingly or unknowingly feed them anything that would cause harm. This is why it's important to think twice before you feed your dog any leftovers from your plate or any other source not intended for dogs. Fido may be man's best friend but he's still not a man. Many of the foods that are healthy for us are dangerous for our canine friends to consume because biologically man and his canine friend are very different from each other.

Can my dog eat what I eat?

Many seemingly harmless foods that are healthy and enjoyable for us to eat present many problems for our furry friends. For example, chocolate is a delicious desert that we consume with our only worry being whether or not a moments splurge will create excess weight gain. However chocolate can be quite unhealthy and unsafe for a dog. Chocolate over-stimulates a dog's nervous system and heart. The consequences of eating chocolate can wreak havoc on a poor dog's system. The symptoms include increased thirst and urination, restlessness, vomiting, and even death.

Dangerous Foods for Dogs

It's been a popular myth that cats and even dogs can drink milk. Unfortunately, dogs lack enough of an important enzyme called lactase to digest lactose found in dairy products. Allowing your dog to drink milk creates stomach upset, diarrhea and even food allergies. Raw meat is no good either. Raw meat presents an equally dangerous dilemma by introducing the possibility of transmitting bacteria like E. Coli. Although bones are good for the dental health of a dog by removing plaque, reducing bad breath and stimulating the gums, it is suggested that actual bones be substituted with nylon based or rawhide bones. Bones can splinter and cause choking, intestinal blockage, or rips in your dog's digestive tract. Become familiar with foods that are safe to offer your dog before feeding him or her.

No Alcohol for Spot 

You might think Spot will be the life of the party if he has a little bit of your Bud Light. However, keep the cocktails away from Spot because just a few sips of alcohol could lead to alcohol poisoning, coma or even death. Less extreme symptoms may include vomiting, tiredness, breathing problems, tremors, depression of the central nervous system, and coordination problems. If your dog accidentally drinks an alcoholic beverage contact your vet immediately. Along those same lines, keep your dogs away from hazardous liquids. For example, while you are looking for someone to perform generator repairs houston tx, when the repairman arrives, make sure that your dog is kept far away from any harmful fumes or chemicals.

There are plenty of safe food choices and alternatives when it comes to nourishing our animals. A little bit of research is all you need to approach the task of feeding your dog. The natural goal for most pet lovers is to focus on keeping dogs happy, healthy, and safe. It's easy to take for granted what we feed our pets when we're not aware of how fatal foods that we eat can be when fed to our pets. However, rest assured that there are safer food choices when it comes to feeding our beloved dogs.

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