Fitting Memorial For Your Pet

Fitting Memorial For Your Pet
To many loving pet owners losing a pet is like losing a member of the family. Many pets are loyal friends and companions and offer their owners unconditional love and comfort that is almost impossible to get from a human. Grieving for the loss of a friend or family member is expected and understood and yet many feel that they are not allowed to mourn when their pet passes on. Often they fear being ridiculed or mocked if they allow their distress to be visible and yet they can be closer to their pet than any human they know.

Pet cemeteries are becoming more common and offer pet owners a place to lay their pet to rest and somewhere to go to mourn and remember them. Others prefer to scatter ashes in their pet?s favorite place or to keep them close to hand as a reminder. Until recently, these options have been the most common but even so they remain rare. However, as with most things, the Internet is opening up a range of new opportunities.

For pet owners who are unable to retain their pet?s ashes, or who do not wish to do so, there is still a place where they can remember their pets and give and receive comfort to others who have lost their pets. Pet cemeteries are few and far between and so this virtual graveyard allows everyone to gather together regardless of their location, mobility, age or gender. In Memory of Pets was set up in 1997 after the website host, John Mingo, lost his beloved dog, Candy. The site has many options for pet lovers both to celebrate their lives and also to offer support to others who are grieving their own losses.

The site has a section for tributes, poems and such like and also gives you the opportunity to light a candle in memory of your pet. This is done with an online ceremony and allows you to submit a photo of your pet. This then remains on the site permanently so that you can find and view the candle and remember your pet at any time that you wish to do so.

For those who have experienced the pain of losing a pet in the past, this site offers a real opportunity to share the grief and openly mourn their passing. No longer is it an embarrassment to grieve your pet?s death from anywhere in the world.

The author is a regular contributor to <a href="http://www.annspetsupplies.com">Ann's Pet Supplies</a> where more information about pet supplies and pet products are freely available.

Protect Your Pets Health With Home Cooking
My Lhasa Apso Gallagher came to me completely hairless except for the hair on his head. He looked so bad that the humane society scheduled him to be euthanized, luckily he was saved by a local rescue group. His hair loss was due to lack of care and nutrition from his time spent on the streets. I was able to see past Gallagher’s condition when I looked into his big brown eyes that were calling for me to save him. I immediately secured the services of a holistic veterinarian. Over a six month period we tried every specialty food product available on the market. Some were quite awful, mushy fish and potatoes being high on the list. No matter what I did Gallagher always had this smell of fish about him. Out of complete frustration I told the vet that I had to take matters into my own hands. The Vet was very helpful in telling me what not to feed the Lhasa breed. Of course I did do some further research as I didn’t want to jeopardize Gallagher’s heath in any way. It took another three months before I actually started to see a nice coat of hair covering his body. After experimenting with several food combinations I settled on chicken, fresh cat fish, some beef and occasionaly turkey. Unfortunately Gallgher has an aversion to rice, so he’s just a meat and poulty guy. It’s now eight years since Gallagher came into my life. He along with his sisters Fanny and Kiki are still eating home cooked meals. I truly believe this is the natural and healthy way to feed my pets. As a testament to this belief all of my pets have been quite healthy throughout their lives. I am also so grateful that I didn’t have to be concerned with all the pet food scares going on these days. I know that I’m doing the cooking and all my dogs are quite happy, healthy and satisfied. Whenever I take Gallagher to the groomer I am reminded of his early days in my life and I can clearly see the black leather skin on his hairless body. All it took was a little home cooking to restore Gallagher’s dignity and health.

Pet Eye Health — What to Look For
Keeping eyes healthy is important both for pets and humans. The area around the eyes as well as the eyes themselves is a very sensitive area. The cleaner this area is kept the more likely an animal’s eye will stay healthy. Your pet’s eyes are crucial to their safety and well-being. There are many substances and conditions that can threaten your pet’s eye health and understanding the signs of certain problems can help you anticipate and treat these problems before they permanently affect your pet’s vision. Red Eyes Red eyes can signal many different inflammatory conditions and infectious diseases ranging from conjunctivitis to glaucoma. The most common conditions associated with your pet’s red eyes are below. Conjunctivitis Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eye. It’s the most common eye disease in all domestic animals, and it has a number of causes. Conjunctivitis might be caused by a viral or bacterial infection, by a parasite (like ticks) and by allergies. Ticks in particular can transmit a number of parasites that can cause conjunctivitis. Treatment for conjunctivitis includes keeping the eye clean and eliminating the cause of the inflammation. Dogs with allergies and purebred cats are most prone to conjunctivitis. Keratitis Keratitis causes superficial blood vessels and pigmentation on the eye. It can decrease vision if left untreated. It is a common eye disorder, especially among German shepherds, and the redness is often accompanied by a thick, ropy mucous discharge from the eyes. In severe and chronic cases, the eye surface becomes infiltrated with blood vessels, and may harden because of long term irritation. There may also be ulceration of the eye tissue due to keratitis. Treatment of keratitis includes tear stimulants and anti-inflammatory medicines. Eye ulcers may require surgical repair. Most external eye diseases are treated with antibacterial eye drops that must be applied several times a day. Newer technologies that treat eye infections in dogs include a bioadhesive ophthalmic drug insert which can be placed in the eye to avoid the daily treatment and make compliance with treatment easier. Cherry Eye Cherry Eye is a prolapse of the gland of the third eyelid. It is most common among young dogs, especially Pekingese, bulldogs, beagles and cocker spaniels. The gland becomes infected, irritated and inflamed. Treatment for cherry eye is surgical replacement of the gland. Scleritis Scleritis is inflammation of the opaque white outer coat enclosing the eyeball. It may result from parasitic disease like Lyme disease or toxoplasmosis. Untreated, it can result in the loss of the eye. The red area around the eye may develop suddenly, and is usually hard, lumpy and immovable. Treatment of scleritis is often topical steroids. Uveitis Uveitis is inflammation of the uveal tract or tear ducts. It usually results from an underlying disease. Your pet may show signs of eye pain, overflowing tears, sensitivity to light, eyelid spasms and small pupils. Left untreated, it can damage vision and lead to glaucoma. It can also be the first symptom of a more serious, life-threatening disease. Treatment for uveitis is dependent on the underlying cause. Glaucoma Glaucoma is an elevation of pressure in the eyeball. Just like in humans, glaucoma can lead to irreversible blindness. Signs of glaucoma include large pupils, cloudy pupils and redness. Treatment for acute glaucoma should be started immediately and should be directed toward rapidly reducing the pressure before permanent damage occurs. Breeds most prone to glaucoma are American cocker spaniels, bassets, wire fox terriers, Boston terriers, Siberian huskies, cairn terriers, chow chows, Norwegian elk hounds and miniature poodles. Cataracts Cataracts are white spots in the lenses of the eye that impair vision and cause blindness. Cataracts may be genetic, or they may be caused by diabetes mellitus, or by infections like canine herpes, canine parovirus-2 and canine adenovirus-1. They may also be caused by injury to the eye, poor nutrition, radiation therapy or toxins. Treatment of cataracts is surgical removal if they significantly impair vision. There are a number of breeds that may inherit a tendency to develop cataracts. They include Miniature Schnauzer, Boston Terrier, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Siberian Husky, American Cocker Spaniel, Old English sheepdog, Standard Poodle, Welsh Springer Spaniel and German Shepherd Dog. Bleeding in the eye Bleeding in the eye is usually the result of injury or inflammation. Treatment for the condition depends on the cause. Herpes viral conjunctivitis Herpes viral conjunctivitis is extremely common in young kittens, especially those who are dealing with other stresses to their system like fleas, environmental cold and poor nutrition. Outdoor kittens, feral kittens and kittens in shelters are especially prone to feline conjunctivitis. Watery eyes Watery eyes have many causes. One of the more common is entropion, a condition where the lashes turn inward. The treatment is to clean the eyes carefully with a wet cotton pad and remove any debris from the corner of the eye. The tendency to watery eyes caused by hair and lashes in the eye can best be treated by keeping the top knot tidy in breads with top knots. Trichiasis Trichiasis is a condition that causes some lashes to grow inward and rub on the surface of the eye. It can eventually cause scarring of the cornea and lead to vision loss. Treatment for trichiasis is surgical removal of the abnormal lashes. Jaundice Jaundice is yellowness in the whites of the eyes. There are many causes for jaundice, and your pet should be seen by a vet to determine the underlying cause. Some possible causes include hepatitis, urinary tract infections, pancreatitis, gallstones, anemia, medications and viral infections. Treatment depends on the underlying cause of the disease.

Brian Jenkins is a freelance writer who often writes about topics pertaining to the care of pets and health options for pets such as <a href="http://www.vetrxdirect.com/">Pet Meds</a>

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