Looking After Your Dog, Part Eleven - Older Dogs

Looking After Your Dog, Part Eleven - Older Dogs
The advances in medicine and veterinarian competence have significantly improved the life expectancy of pets. And this entails a rather new aspect in canine care - how to care for older dogs. Since the life expectancy of dogs is typically 15-20 years, the transition from one life stage to another appears rather rapid to humans. You must recognize the signs of your dog getting old so that you can provide it the much needed extra care. As with humans, aging in pets is a gradual process. It entails a gradual deterioration of organs, waning of sensory perception, and flagging of energy and strength. However, with a few precautionary measures and adjustments, you can keep your dog happy in the last years of its life. The first signs of aging may appear at different times for different breeds. It also varies from one dog to another. A strong, healthy dog will probably age later than a dog that has constantly suffered from various ailments early in its life. The first sign of aging is a gradual decrease in the activity level, depicting loss of strength and energy. Older dogs have a tendency to sleep longer than usual and depict a loss of excitement for a long stroll or other fun games and activities. Hearing impairment and a reduced visual acuity are a result of aging. Skin and coat, which once used to be lustrous and shiny, looks pale and rigid in older dogs. Oil producing sebaceous glands are weakened. Non-malignant tumors may appear under the skin, which are noticed when you rub your hand through your dog s skin. The organs in older dogs lose their efficacy and the immune system is unable to ward off bacteria and viruses. Although aging is an inevitable process, dog owners can delay its deteriorating effects through discreet canine care. Periodic visits to the veterinarian and administration of vaccines can help prevent common diseases. Annual checkups for intestinal parasites need be done. A nutritious diet is essential at all stages of a dog s life. Therefore, you must purchase the best dog food available even if your dog has grown old. Exercise is a must for dogs. Dogs with a protruding belly are more likely to fall ill and suffer the consequences of aging much earlier than a slim and active dog. Therefore, take your dog for a casual stroll and make it do a few exercises. This would help it stay agile and in shape even in the later years of its life. There are many products now available that will help your dog, and you, enjoy her senior years.Niall Kennedy is a lifelong dog lover and has worked in several pet sanctuaries. Best Pet Health Information is a resource that brings you <a href="http://www.best-pet-health.info">health information for older dogs</a>. http://www.Best-Pet-Health.info. Dog News Center - <a href="http://www.dognewscenter.com">Dog Article Directory</a> - Submit Your Articles Now Copyright Best-Pet-Health.info All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.
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How To Have A Happy Cat
Do you like to learn about new and interesting things? If so, this article will be right up your alley! A healthy animal makes for a happy pet. If you are a cat owner and you want to make your pet happy, you need to make sure that your cat is groomed properly, fed on time and is given enough love and attention. Here are some tips on how you can have a healthy and happy cat: 1. Take care of your cat’s health. As a pet owner, it is your responsibility to make sure that your cat is healthy and free from diseases that may even be transmitted to humans. Visit the veterinarian if you notice that your cat has become lethargic or less active than usual. If you see them ’shedding’ excessively or has something unusual on their coat, immediately consult a professional. Your cat might have a skin disease, or this could be a symptom of a sickness that you do not know about. 2. Groom your cat properly. Cats are in the habit of grooming themselves. You will often see them using their tongue to clean their coat. In spite of this, you should still do your part in grooming your cat if you want to keep them really clean. Brush your cat’s fur regularly. There are several short-haired cats that need minimal brushing. For this, you can use a comb with soft bristles. There are also cat breeds which have long, silky furs and this variety needs a much longer grooming time. Use a wide-toothed comb initially then brush up with a fine toothed one afterwards. You can also use talcum powder in order to separate the hair strands. Make sure that you brush with gentle strokes so that their skin will not be hurt or scratched. Cats are also not that fond of taking a bath. But there are times when your cat would need bathing. This is when they have accumulated a lot of dirt on the skin and coat. Bathing will help eliminate ticks and lice. Also, there might be substances that could cling on the fur which can be poisonous and it is important for them to bathe. When bathing your pet, use a shampoo that is specially made for cats. Prepare the following before bathing: -a small tub or sink -slip-proof mat -water spray attachment -clean, dry towels -shampoo -comb Adjust the water temperature, then place your cat in the small tub or sink before filling it up with water. It is better to attach a sprayer in the faucet rather than pouring water directly onto its body. Apply a liberal amount of shampoo on the cat’s body, and try to avoid the face, especially the eyes and ears. After rinsing, towel them dry and comb the coat. Bathing time should build trust and create some quality time between you and your pet cat. This should prevent your cat from making much of a fuss the next time it needs a bath. Another part of grooming is keeping the eyes, teeth and ears clean. Also remember to keep the paws clean and the nails trimmed. Go to a pet store and you are sure to find products specially made to clean these parts. You can also look for a nail trimmer specifically designed to use on your pet cat. Ask a professional groomer or a veterinarian so that you can learn how to properly clean your cat’s eyes, ears, teeth and nails. 3. Feed them on time. Another aspect of keeping your cat happy and healthy is by feeding them well and on time. Your feline friends can learn how to “stick” to a schedule with your guidance and training. Make time in your busy day to feed them. You can learn which variety of cat food they prefer by serving different brands and variants. Along with cat food, you should give them plenty of clean water to drink. If you have a lot of pet cats, give them individual feeding plates. If there is just one dish, other cats might not be fed well because dominant felines will take the most part of the food that you serve. 4. Shower them with love and attention. By giving your cats your undivided attention while grooming and feeding them, you are already showering them with love and attention. In addition to this, make their play time a lot more fun by appreciating the things that they do.By following these tips, you are sure to have a healthy cat and be a contented owner. When we learn, we continue on a path of growth. Therefore, learning about this subject has already helped you more than you know. Ken Charnely is webmaster at two of Internet's popular article directories. For more articles on this topic and for free content for your website visit <a href="http://www.articleteller.com/">ArticleTeller.com</a> and <a href="http://www.contentwow.com/">ContentWOW.com</a>
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Human and Animal Kingdoms
Animals typically don’t re-incarnate in the same sense that we do. Because we have an egoic level that animals don’t have, we can have repeated earth lives. Animals have, rather, an astral aspect, which dissipates into the general pool of astrality. This particular difference could well be shifting now, as the forces of spiritual evolution continue to play on all four kingdoms of life on Earth. One constant, however, is that animals and humans do not “inter-carnate.” Each kingdom keeps to itself. Another important difference between animals and humans is entailed in how animals tend to be specialists, while humans are the generalists. Every animal has either an ability or knowledge, or understanding, in a specialized area, that transcends a human capacity. A horse can out-run us. Birds can fly. Fish can breath under water, and so on. Humans, however, are the generalists. Humanity is able to address many of its lesser abilities by creative invention. We can make things that run faster than horses, or construct a craft that can fly. Although most animals may not yet reincarnate in the same sense as humans, they are still able to devise plans for their incarnations on a soul level, make choices, seek to learn and unfold specific lessons, and set out to accomplish spiritual goals. However, they do so via their group soul aspect, the over-lighting ego of the species, or one of several groupings within a species, more so than on an individual basis. The Spirit of the Bison, for example, is orchestrating plans on this level. (see the Earth Vision article The Return of Bison and Wolf for more on this. The naturo-human interchange is designed for teaching and learning - as a two way street. Ourselves and beings in nature are at once students and teachers of each other. As presented in The Spiritual Ecology of Evolution, we owe a dept to the animals, who have gone before us to help us find our way. This is what comprises the deeper basis in the impulse for stewardship, our responsibility to the animals. Some of the questions that proceed from this article are - do animals inter-carnate among themselves, that is, one species to another? And, in that animals are spiritually evolving, and therefore becoming more egoic, to what extent are some animals at this time actually reincarnating in the classical sense? And, in what ways is the nature-human relationship evolving? The Insight21/Earth Vision projects will be delving into these questions further, and will also be inviting input from readers who may have some experience and/or references toward this end. Further Resources The Return of Bison and Wolf - from the Earth Vision project — www.evsite.net The Spiritual Ecology of Evolution - from Insight21 - www.insight21.net J Graf is the coordinator of Earth Vision and Insight21 - doorways for the 21st Century - at http://www.evsite.net and http://www.insight21.net
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