How to choose cat scratching posts Posted By : Jhoana Cooper

How to choose cat scratching posts Posted By : Jhoana Cooper
Most families have at least a pet in their homes and often, this pet is a cat, since what can be more adorable than a cat that we can spoil when we get home? However, although there are many cat lovers out there, one thing is sure: all cats scratch and as a consequence they end up ruining our furniture, our carpets and other of our belongings. If this is your situation, theres no need to despair because nowadays there is a way to keep your cat from scratching your goods.

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.

Cat Repellant - Keeping Kitty out of Trouble Posted By : Corina Tocco
Whether you own cats or not, you may find yourself in the position where you are looking for a good cat repellant. Unfortunately, cats often get into places where they shouldn’t get into, or cause damage to furniture of gardens simply because of their nature. Though cats are rarely out to cause damage to your property on purpose, the instinct to scratch or to dig in the dirt can cause you some frustration. Though you should be able to find cat repellant at the pet store or in the pet departments of grocery or department stores, you may want to consider a homemade cat repellent.

Hazards of tap water for pets
One question that normally comes in the mind that is, “Is the tap water safe for drinking?” if people are doubtful about the quality of their drinking water then they would not find an appropriate answer to this question. However, speaking about tap water around 80 percent of Americans prefer to drink bottled water than tap water. They usually spend more on buying bottled water to drink but many times still offer tap water to their pets. Does this mean that they are just concerned about their own health and not about their pets? This is actually a serious problem and every pet owner has to take into consideration health concerns about their pets in the same way they take their own.

People should know that carcinogens and toxins may be present in the water they drink. There are many ways in which drinking tap water can be effected such as trace amounts of chlorine, fluoride, lead, radon & arsenic, perchlorate or rocket fuel and bacteria & parasites.

- Chlorine is being added to the drinking water as a pathogen deterrent and bacteria retardant. Chlorine is a chemical which in fact reacts with healthy nutrients to cause cancer in the human body.
- Fluoride is being added to the drinking water in order to prevent cavities and strengthen tooth enamel. However, recent studies have suggested that fluoride can harmfully affect organs and also be carcinogenic.
- Radon & Arsenic are those contaminants which enter the water in numerous ways which include running water from the fields, by the use of herbicides and pesticides and also by industrial pollution.
- Lead is being used to prevent leakage from fixtures and pipes and this is being used for over 100 years by many people.
- Perchlorate or Rocket Fuel is not an innovative caffeine enhanced soft drinks but it is considered as one of the most dangerous chemical that causes thyroid cancer and several other physical problems.
- Parasites and Bacteria normally enter via the ground water supply especially in cases where there is more wastage of water, potholes filled with water or animal waste.

Noticeably, if the drinking water in the house in not safe for human consumption then it will also be inappropriate for pets. Most of the similar diseases and illness caused to humans by toxic taps can also apply to the pets as well. So, in order to avoid these problems one should make use of bottled water which may be cleaner than unregulated tap water. Quite often people buy bottle water from super markets which is in fact tap water and not the spring water or mineral water. so, make sure that the water is coming from the trustworthy source and try to identify the difference between different types of water such as spring water, mineral water or distilled water.

Ensure that your drinking water is always safe get natural <a href="http://www.tranquilwater.com.au">spring water</a> from Tranquil Water (http://www.tranquilwater.com.au) delivered to your home or office. <a href="http://www.tranquilwater.com.au/products.html">Bottled water dispenser</a> available for lease.

Cats Body Language: What Does the Cat Tail Tells Posted By : Jonathan Skinner
Here you can learn about cats body language and the way cats communicate and express emotions using their eyes, ears and tails.

Pet Nutrition and How It Affects Health!
As having written a previous article on what pet foods are comprised, I feel it necessary to relay additional information as to how nutrition affects your pet’s welfare. My previous article can be found on Google under the title: Pet Nutrition and Health-Be Cautious.

Sometimes a pet can give off an unpleasant odor, the source can be elusive as it can be from breath, infections such as ear or toe, or a bad body odor.

We had such an instance with our son’s Black Lab pup named “Bruiser”. Bruiser was being fed a popular (not cheap) puppy chow and appeared healthy and happy. Bruiser produced an odor which when in the same room became a bit obnoxious. Because of my recent research of pet foods we started buying what we considered a very high quality premium food we considered to be of a “Natural” nature. The odor was reduced by a great amount, but not really gone. In my research I found a pet food company that produced also a “Natural” product, but certifies it’s ingredients by a third party to verify the quality and freshness of the raw products.

This food created quite a change in Bruiser, his doggie odor had disappeared and his hair coat had more luster. Bruser apparently felt the nutritional uplift, because he was even more lively as before, but an unanticipated result was the fact he now eats less than before (a reduction of over 30%). This fact makes the cost comprable or more economical than other premium foods.

We recently “Grand Pup” sat for Bruiser when our son was visiting his two sisters out of state for College spring break. Bruiser showed our two mature large dogs a thing or two about being active. His day activity was never ending, but his nights were very quiet for all of us.

We are thoroughly convinced that the questionable raw materials in even premium pet foods have a lot to do with a pet’s welfare and happyness. Referring to my previous article mentioned above, much of the meat type foodstuffs come from rendered carcases. These carcases are classified 4D (dead, dying, diseased or disabled) along with the pharmacuticals and preservatives. In addition the grains and other filler products (one example: Hydrolized feathers considered as crude protein) are legal, but do not create the proper enzyme environment for proper digestion.

Briefly: The above paragraph describes conditions which result in many health related problems and suffering from these improper foods and toxic substances.

Take time to research the materials at:

http://www.notablepets.smmsite.com

Richard Monson is an entrepreneurial spirit with many interests. Pets are continuous companions in his life. Having lived on a farm he has concern for animals and out of necessity has studied animal nutrition and health. His interests in chemistry, physics and biology have provided him with the curiosity to look for answers beyond the usual methods.

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