So many people have pets today and more and more are concerned about the level of care they can provide their pets. In the United States there are over 150 million pets in our care. Two thirds of all homes in the U.S. have a pet which interestingly enough is 2 times the amount that actually have a child.
Pets are family. If you don’t believe that then you probably don’t own one. Over the years we have grown not only more accustomed to having at least one pet but to make sure we treat them like we treat ourselves. One of those big issues is Pet Health Care.
We make sure that from the moment we bring them home they get the same medical preventative care we all consider for ourselves. We start with a routine checkup and make sure they get all their proper vaccinations. Then we start them on a wholesome diet of dry or wet foods, making sure they contain the right mix of vitamins and nutrients.
Let’s face it. We spend hundreds and hundred of dollars on our pets each and every year they are with us. We try and provide the best care we can for our little friends. We pay to groom them, shelter them, take them for checkups, for their Flea and Tick Control, vaccines, toys and a multitude of other services. We do all we can to make them happy.
(more…)
Being a pet owner is one of the most exciting and fun experience one person can have. Studies even show that owning a pet provides great health benefits. People have different reasons why they want to have the most domesticated animals like a dog or a cat. Most seek the loyal companionship, active playfulness, great comfort or unparalleled joy that they give. To reciprocate all these pleasant things that a pet brings, owners must ensure that they are also able to provide for the various needs of their dogs and cats. There is more to their basic needs. They also need love and affection.
There are 4 important aspects that every owner must look at to ensure proper pet care. These requirements can be greatly supported by pet products specifically made for them.
Pet Grooming
What’s the first thing people notice in a pet? Of course, it’s the look.
Every pet must have proper grooming. Good hygiene must be observed. Regular bathing, clean paws or short claws, and well-combed smooth fur are the most common practices of keeping pets clean and pleasant. Dogs are usually taken to groomers for professional service, but for those who are not willing to spend, dog grooming supplies are available. Why not design a personalized groom shop right inside the house? Get a dog tub, dog shampoos and conditioners, paw-dicure set, etc.
(more…)
Why has my pet rabbit has gone from nice to nasty? If you are experiencing this problem, there are several reasons why this might be happening.Lets go over the most common ones and see if that could help you solve it.
* Your rabbit has not been spayed or neutered
If you adopted a baby rabbit,you will soon find out that by the time he get the age of 3 to 5 months old,by means teenagers,there are good chances that you see a big change in his personality.What is happening is the rabbit is getting to the age of reproduction and his under a big hormonal change.
So he might starts to resist being picked up and get territorial.Avoid touching his stuff in his cage when he is inside or you will provoke him.If you have to pick up your rabbit to put him in and out of his cage, it is time to make him a side door and teach him to go in and out by himself.Putting a nice treat inside the cage should do the trick.
(more…)
Part of many cat’s personalities is independence. Since most cats can fend for themselves, are very good hunters, and cautious by nature they may not be very social. Or in pet terms, they just don’t care if you want them to do something; they do what ever they want.
This really irritates some people to no end. They want to have a pet that responds to their directions. For the most part, my advice for those people is to get a dog. But cats can be social or friendly with a little training. I’m not absolutely sure they may really mean it but they will at least act like it.
Two things all animals respond to are food and affection or positive reinforcement. Many animals will not respond to punishment or physical discipline, especially cats. So the best method I’ve found is to bribe them. Many cats who are prone to hissing or even threatening to strangers do so because at one time or another they were mistreated. Cats aren’t very trustworthy to begin with and any memory of a bad situation just confirms their belief that all strangers may pose a threat.
(more…)
As your dog ages, you want to make sure that you can keep him in the peak of health. You know that this means monitoring his diet and keeping an eye on how easily he moves and his energy levels, but did you know that you should also take a look at his eyes? Dry eye is essentially a condition where your dog’s tear glands stop working properly and it is something that is fairly common among older dogs. The issue that arises is that when your dog has dry eye, he is going to prone to chronic and painful eye infections. If the irritation gets bad enough, the cornea can become severely scratched and this in turn can lead to ulceration of the wound and blindness.
How can you spot dry eye in your dog? This is a fairly common issue and happily enough, it can be treated fairly quickly. Dry eye will first make itself known through a thick yellowish discharge instead of the clear or cloudy tears that your dog might shed to get rid of debris. The lack of useful tears can mean that bacterial organisms are going to overgrow on the eye and in many cases, you will find that they are around your dog’s eyes might look crusty or dusty. Do you notice that your dog is “wiping” his eyes on his foreleg or have you noticed that his sight seems to be worse? He might even be blundering into doorways that he was once able to navigate quite easily.
(more…)
Anyone who has ever experienced a middle or inner ear infection knows the pain and uncomfortable feelings associated with it. Now imagine not beginning able to communicate this pain with others. This is exactly how your dog feels when he has an ear infection. The first and often most difficult step in treating a middle or inner ear infection in a dog is identifying the signs and symptoms that indicate that your dog has one. If left untreated, these infections can lead to much worse issues.
The first signs to look for that suggest your dog may be experiencing ear pain are head shaking, scratching at the ear, discharge from the ear, or inflammation of the face and side of the head. Any of these signs may indicate that the dog has an ear infection. Abnormal earwax build up that has a foul odor often indicates that an infection inside the ear is present.
(more…)
Your new, little puppy scampers playfully at your feet. He romps around in the grass giving you insurmountable joy. He is becoming an important part in your family’s life. To keep your puppy happy, healthy and disease-free you will need to give him the appropriate veterinarian health care.
When a puppy is first born he is protected by his mom’s antibodies from her blood and initial milk supply, known as colostrum. The first stage of your puppy’s maternal antibody protection is approximately 2 days. This window of protection will only include those viruses that the mother is protected against and works according to the level of antibodies in the pup’s bloodstream. There may still be a risk for infection if levels are not strong enough at that particular time. There is no rhyme or reason as to how high or low the levels may be even in different puppies of the same litter.
(more…)
Just as with people, man’s best friend can suffer from a variety of sicknesses. It is important to be able to recognize when your dog is sick and the symptoms that may be indicating a typical canine sickness. One common form of aliment that many dogs suffer from is worms. While numerous pet owners take measures to prevent worms in their four legged friends, some find that their pets develop the sickness regardless of their efforts. Dealing with tapeworms in dogs is one common issue that should not go unnoticed.
Tapeworms are flat and segmented worms with a head that has suctions. The worms uses its suction power to attach itself to the animal’s intestine. The worm then feeds off of the nutrients that the dog receives.
Tapeworms are most often noticed in the animal’s feces or near the anus of the animal. An adult tapeworm can grow to be over 20 inches long. However, the segments that come from the worm that are seen usually look like grains of rice. Before drying out, you may see the segments wiggle and move.
(more…)
Many pet owners fear the word worms when they take their dog to the vet or their dog appears to be sick. Many different types of worms exist in the world of canines. Some of them are potentially deadly and even possibly spread to humans. While worms are definitely something to try to prevent in your dog, most types of worms are successfully treated. While ridding your dog of hookworms is not as easy as treating tapeworms, hookworms can usually be dealt with safely in a series of treatments if action is taken quick enough to the infestation time.
Hookworms enter a dog’s system through its skin. Therefore, a dog can get hookworms from simply stepping in areas where infested dogs have infected an area through droppings. Mother dogs can also pass the worm on to their pups. And of course, dogs can contract hookworms from eating or even smelling, the feces of other dogs.
Once infected with hookworms, dogs typically appear to be tired and begin to lose weight. Their gums may not be a healthy shade of pink as normal and they may have diarrhea with blood in it. You may see the dog scratching more than usual from the worms entering the skin. Overall, the dog will not grow as it is expected.
(more…)
Though you might still remember your dog as a bouncing happy puppy, the years have a way of passing and when you are in a place where your dog is older, you need to expect some changes. Dogs age much like humans do and as they get older they are going to be showing it. How can you tell when the years are catching up with your dog and what do you need to be on the look out for? If you are watching your dog closely, you are already taking the most important step. Simply making sure that you know what to expect can make a huge difference in your ability to cope with your dog’s health needs.
The first thing that you might notice is that your dog’s energy is going to decrease and along with that, their metabolism is going to drop. Have you noticed that your dog is simply beginning to prefer sleeping to roaming the house? One issue that you need to keep in mind is that if you feed your dog the same amount of food that he was getting when he was younger and more energetic, you might notice that he starts to gain weight. Weight gain can be a real problem for dogs as they get older, so consider what kind of food you want to feed them. A diet that is higher in fiber and lower in fat is something that can be very beneficial to your dog. If your dog is not eating quite as well as you would like him to, supplements an also be recommended.
(more…)
