Boarding Your Pets Before the Big Move
Boarding Your Pets Before the Big Move
For anyone that has moved with a pet, they understand how hard it can be. Dogs need to be cared for, fed, and walked all the while the move is taking place. Those who are moving feel exhausted and do not put a great deal of effort or emphasis on the basic nurturing necessary for their pet.
How Important is Pet Grooming For Your Pets
Caring for your pet entails more than having food and water. Take grooming; this is an area of pet care that often gets overlooked by many pet owners. Grooming can be easily ignored by many; however, there are really many benefits to it.
Your Pet?s Health ? Protect Your Children
If we had to name two things children want, it could be easily covered under the titles, pets and toys. We all loved toys as children and still love our pets even as adults. Pets play an important role in their owners? lives. Some pets have even been known to save lives and learn to dial 911 in an emergency. As companions, they provide us with warmth and friendship, as well as undying loyalty. Some pets have special training and can assist people with disabilities. Others are great hunters and protectors of our property and our families.
For a child, a pet means even more. For children, a pet represents many things. They learn about relationships, compassion, responsibility, love, and so much more. It is not impossible to raise a child without a pet, but their lives are greatly enhanced if they are allowed to have one.
No one can downplay the significance of owning a pet. The benefits far outweigh the pitfalls. However we have to know how to be safe when choosing a pet ? especially when we have children. Not only do we have to choose the right pet for our family, we also must keep our pets in good health to protect others in our household. And, keeping a pet healthy can be expensive. Certain types of pets require more care than others and you should always consider whether or not you can afford not only the purchase of your pet, but also the ongoing care they will require.
However, your concern for your child?s health is directly related to your concern for their pet?s health. There are diseases that a child or even an adult can contract from pets. Keeping your pet healthy is very important to your child?s health.
Zoonotic diseases or Zoonosis are terms used to describe diseases that can be transferred from animals to humans. Normal contact with an animal or contact with an animal?s bodily fluids can result in the transfer of disease.
I don?t want to scare parents away from getting a pet for their child because as I said, the benefits of owning a pet far outweigh the dangers and drawbacks if you take the necessary precautions. Here are 10 tips you should follow when choosing a pet for your child.
1. Do not buy a pet from disreputable dealers who keep large numbers of animals caged together waiting to be sold.
2. Always check the facilities where the animal was kept while waiting to be sold. If the conditions there are bad, then likely the condition and the care of the animal prior to sale was likely bad also.
3. Find out what care has been provided to the animals, by a licensed Veterinarian, prior to being sold.
4. Read whatever tips you can find about the type of pet you are purchasing for your child. You should know any diseases that type of pet is known to be susceptible to. You should know all about the proper shelter, food, and care your child?s pet will require. Reading up on this prior to purchase is a good idea, so you will know what you are getting into.
5. Clean your pet?s shelter and make sure all feces are removed daily.
6. Make sure you have a qualified Veterinarian examine the pet before you hand it over to your child.
7. Bathe your child?s pet regularly. Keep in mind your child will be in constant contact with their pet. Whatever the pet gets into, your child gets into.
8. Make sure your children get into the habit of washing their hands every time they handle their pet.
9. Stay current with all vaccinations and checkups your Veterinarian recommends. If your pet seems ill, keep your child away from them until you can get them to a Veterinarian.
10. Teach your child how to handle your pet to avoid having it injure your child. Make sure they know not to squeeze it too tightly, pull on its extremities, agitate it, or tease it unnecessarily.
These 10 tips I am providing you are by no means all the things you need to be aware of. Specific types of pets have different rules you need to be aware of about handling and caring for them. You should include your child in the learning process where possible so they understand why those rules are necessary. Read up on the pet you are bringing into your home and spend time discussing your questions and concerns with your veterinarian.
I hope this article has been helpful to you as a parent. Remember, know what you are getting into before you choose a pet for your child. What you don?t know could cost you in more ways than one.
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Health Benefits of Cat Ownership
Health Benefits of Cat Ownership
You love your cats for the companionship that they provide. A sympathetic ear, great listening skills, and boundless affection are all great side benefits of cat ownership, but your cat may actually be doing more for you than you think. Recent studies have shown that keeping pets has a positive impact on your health and well being, especially when that pet is a cat.
General Health Benefits
Studies have proven that having contact with a pet is very calming and soothing, and have backed up this conjecture with medical facts. Vital signs taken after an individual s interaction with a pet show positive effects on the blood pressure, pulse, and breathing frequency, and the results of these tests are surprisingly similar to the body s condition after deep meditation. Some studies have even indicated that having pets reduces stress and results in a lowered risk of heart disease.
Cats and dogs ” but especially cats ” have been used in some hospitals and nursing homes as a kind of therapy for the bedridden and ill. The warmth of their furry bodies and open, purring friendship can drastically influence a person s state of mind for the better. A study conducted in the states of New York, Missouri, and Texas found that nursing homes that allowed pets had lower medication costs than those that didn t.
Lowered stress and increased calmness could be the cause, but studies over the last twenty years have also shown that people who own pets are much healthier than their non-pet owning counterparts; they are often less-prone to minor illnesses like colds and influenza, score better on psychological tests, and claim to feel a greater sense of well-being.
Children and Cats
Adults are not the only ones who benefit from caring for a cat. Children who have participated in the raising of a pet have shown higher self esteem levels, better social skills, and a greater sense of responsibility toward others. For young children and infants, exposure to cats at a young age can also help the child develop resistance to allergens and asthma.
Seniors and Cats
Older adults often lack companionship, social connections and opportunities for recreation during their retirement years. Owning a cat can significantly boost the health and happiness of a senior, giving them a feeling of purpose and the knowledge that they are needed.
Cats are ideal pets for seniors as they are relatively low-maintenance in comparison to dogs. They don t need formal exercise like regular walks, or constant trips to the backyard, since they take care of their own exercise routine during play and confine their bathroom habits to a single area.
Cat ownership has been shown to improve the general health and well-being of men with HIV, reduce the loneliness of single women living by themselves, and even help victims of heart disease recover more quickly after a heart attack. Next time you re cuddling with your cat on the couch, tossing that rubber ball across the linoleum for the sixty-third time, or even cleaning a hairball off the rug, remember that your cat might be doing a lot more for you than you think.
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Purchasing Generic Pet Medication Online
As responsible pet owners, it is our utmost aim to give our pets the best medical attention. However, giving them such can be a real pain to our wallets. Submitting our pets to veterinarians, as well as buying those prescription medications that are apt for their health conditions can be very costly. Well, that won’t be a problem for those with loose budgets. But to those with tight hotspot budgets, then that is a problem. Nevertheless, that is generic pet medication is made for.
Understanding Your Pet’s CBC Blood Test
When you take your pet to the veterinarian for a regular check up or if you are concerned that your pet may be ill, the vet will likely perform a CBC. A CBC, or complete blood count, is used to evaluate the cells that circulate through your pet’s blood. With the help of this test, your vet can find the first indication that your pet may be ill or in need of medical care in some way.
Rabbits Diet: Is your rabbit eating right?
The typical diet for a pet rabbit consists of water, hay, pellets, fresh vegetables, and its own caecal pellets. Fruit and other treats are given only in very limited quantities, as they can cause obesity in a rabbit. Rabbits require a constant water supply as they dehydrate quickly.
Most sources recommend 80% of the diet should be Timothy hay or another grass hay. Too many vegetables in a rabbit’s diet typically leads to diarrhea and other digestive problems.
Pellets
Rabbits are generally fed a pelleted feed available from pet stores, supermarkets, and farm suppliers. Pellets were originally designed for rabbit breeders for the purpose of providing as much food energy and vitamins as inexpensively as possible. This is optimal when the rabbits are being bred for food or for experimentation.
Most sources recommend a minimum of 18% fiber, low protein (14?15%), and less than 1% calcium. Depending on the amount of vegetables available, an adult rabbit should be given between 20 ml to 40 ml per kilogram (? and ? cup of pellets per 6 pounds) body weight daily. Pre-adolescent and adolescent rabbits (7 months and younger) can be given as much pelleted diet as they can consume, although additional vegetables are preferable to additional pellets. An older rabbit (over six years) can be given more pellets if they are having difficulty maintaining a steady body weight. Timothy hay-based pellets are great for rabbits that have stopped growing and do not need to gain weight. Alfalfa-based pellets are best only for young, growing rabbits or older rabbits who are under-weight.
Hay
Hay is essential for the health of all rabbits. A steady supply of hay will help prevent gastrointestinal stasis and other digestive tract problems in rabbits. Additionally, it provides a number of necessary vitamins and minerals at a low food energy cost. Rabbits enjoy chewing on hay, and always having hay available for the rabbit may reduce its tendency to chew on other items. Timothy hay and other grass hays are considered the healthiest to provide the rabbit. As a persistently high blood calcium level can prove harmful to the rabbit, hays such as alfalfa and clover hay should be avoided. Alfalfa is also relatively high in food energy, and a constant diet of it can cause obesity in rabbits.
Treats
Treats are unhealthy in large quantities for rabbits, just as they are for humans. Most treats sold in pet stores are filled with sugar and high food energy carbohydrates. If an owner is determined to feed the rabbit treats, the best treat to provide it with is fruit.
Acceptable fruits (seeds and pits MUST be removed): Banana, Mango, Pineapple, Peach, Apple, Kiwi, Berries, Orange and other citrus fruits.
Pineapple, mango, and papaya all contain a natural enzyme which is thought to reduce hairballs.
Fruits or other treats must be given in moderation, as rabbits easily become overweight and suffer health problems. Their diet should consist of no more than half a tablespoon of fruits or treats per day.
However, fresh fruits should not be given to rabbits under the age of 4 months because their digestive systems are not always developed enough to handle the fruit. It can cause enteritis that causes death within 48 hours.
While a common myth that rabbits should be given lettuce, this is not a good idea because it contains little to no nutritional value for the rabbit and again can cause enteritis which leads to a quick death.
Caecal pellets
Do not be alarmed if you see your rabbit eat some of his feces. These are called cecal pellets, and are a vital part of his diet. Caecal pellets are soft, smelly, clumpy feces, and are a rabbit’s only supply of Vitamin B12. Due to the design of the rabbit’s digestive system, they cannot extract some vitamins and minerals directly from their food. At the end of their digestive system is an area called the caecum where cellulose and other plant fibers are broken down and ferment. After they have been broken down and passed, a rabbit’s digestive system can finally extract the vitamins from them.
Hagar lagarto is a long time Pet lover with many articles and websites on the subject.You can get much more info at <a href=http://pet.freehostia.com>http://pet.freehostia.com</a>
How to Make Your Own Pet Food, and Make Your Pet Love You For It
Many pet stores offer a wide variety of pet foods. But in order to avoid preservatives and chemical agents in your pet’s diet you must try procuring them homemade pet food. The chemical assembly and expiration dates of factory made pet foods can be quite a bother. In order to make custom-made pet food you could make use of meat, green veggies, milk, grains, starch and fruits.
Pet Ownership in College
More and more American college students are becoming pet owners. And while some of them are used to the rigors of pet care, others are starting to realize that their lifestyles are not so pet friendly after all. Due to the extenuating demands of college life, full of exams, term papers, study sessions, and office hours, finding a balance between home life and school life seems a near-impossible task.
Arthritis In Dogs ? What You Can Do To Help Your Dog
Canine Arthritis is a common ailment as dog?s age. It is similar to humans as calcification and inflammation cause joint pain and reduced activity. Some forms of arthritis like Canine Hip Dysplasia can develop early in life due to genetics and diet. Fortunately, arthritis in dogs can be treated.
Treatments for canine arthritis range from natural supplements using chondroitin and glucosamine, to veterinary prescribed drugs such as Rimadyl and Deramaxx. Studies and actual results have shown that natural supplements can be extremely effective in fighting the effects of arthritis in dogs without the potentially dangerous side effects of Rimadyl and Deramaxx. Before deciding which treatment option is best for your dog, you should observe the signs of dog arthritis.
Signs of Dog Arthritis
1. Limping and general reduced activity.
2. Favoring one or both of the front or back limbs.
3. Morning activity or cold weather makes the dog less active.
4. Difficulty rising from a resting position, especially in the morning.
5. Pain to the touch.
6. Reluctance to jump.
If you suspect your dog has arthritis, you should know the different forms or types of arthritis. The most common disorders are listed below.
Types of Dog Arthritis
1. Osteoarthritis ? Also known as canine arthritis or dog arthritis, it is the most common form of arthritis and most easily treated. Develops slowly as the dog ages.
2. Rheumatoid Arthritis - This is an immune mediated disease and can affect the whole body. Several joints can be affected and the lameness can come and go without notice. Considered a more serious condition than dog osteoarthritis.
3. Degenerative Disc Disease - This is where the discs in the vertebrae develop calcification and become rigid. They become less able to withstand compression. This can lead to a severe injury and paralysis if the discs rupture or become herniated.
4. Stifle Joint Disorder - This is a condition in which the knee and joint becomes unstable. This is usually from a stretched or torn ligament. This can also cause the joint cartilage to become damaged and inflamed.
5. Canine Hip Dysplasia - This is caused by looseness in the socket connecting the thighbone and hipbone. This development usually occurs when the dog is young but can develop at any age. A common sign is to hear a clicking sound when the dog walks.
Treatment Options
1. Natural Supplements ? Most natural supplements use chondroitin and/or glucosamine as its primary ingredient. All of the glucosamine forms originate and are extracted from shellfish. Chrondroitin is derived from animal cartilage. Many products like Free and Easy for Dogs use glucosamine and chondroitin and combine additional supplements to provide a synergistic effect. Besides glucosamine and chondroitin, some of the more popular and effective supplements added are msm, ester-c, and hyaluronic acid. Many studies have been done which have proved the effectiveness of these supplements in humans. Dog owners have also reported many positive outcomes for their dogs using these natural supplements.
2. Rimadyl & Deramaxx - These drugs are obtained by prescription only. They are called NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug). Rimadyl was introduced by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in January 1997 to help treat dogs with inflammation and pain associated with surgery or canine arthritis. It is effective but it must be used with caution. Search Google for “What Your Vet May Not Tell You About Rimadyl” for more detailed information. At a minimum, you need to have blood work done to monitor the liver enzymes to ensure your dog doesn’t have a toxic reaction to the drugs.
3. Surgery - Surgery can be an easy decision or a very difficult decision. Often, money is a concern and some surgeries like disc surgery can cost around $3,500. Often, the age of the dog has to be considered when making this decision. And the outlook and prognosis is very important. You do not want the dog to suffer unnecessarily. At the very least, you should only consider surgery after ensuring an accurate diagnosis has been made. This may involve taking x-rays and a myelogram. A myelogram is done by injecting dye in the spinal canal to enable your doctor to detect abnormalities of the spine, spinal cord, or surrounding structures.
Summary - Dog Arthritis can be a very debilitating disease if left untreated. Dog owners should pay close attention to their animals and take prompt action when symptoms are noticed. Often a natural supplement is all that is needed to help your dog. Sometimes more aggressive treatments are needed such as surgery. The most important thing is to notice and diagnose the problem and then decide what treatment is best for your dog.
Copyright ? 2006 William Smith
William F. Smith is the owner of <a href="http://wwww.yourdoghealth.com" title="http://wwww.yourdoghealth.com" target="_blank">http://wwww.yourdoghealth.com</a>, a site started after his beloved Dachshund; Frederick developed Invertebral Disc Disease, and subsequently had back surgery. The site can be viewed at <a href="http://www.yourdoghealth.com" title="http://www.yourdoghealth.com" target="_blank">http://www.yourdoghealth.com</a> and offers a successful alternative to veterinarian prescribed drugs.
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