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Health Warning Signals To Watch Out For In Your Puppy

March 21, 2018 by Mandy

Dog owners all over the world would agree that a pet dog is not just a pet; it is also a valued family member, one that stays loyal and loving even in the worst of times. It is heartbreaking to see these faithful animals in distress or pain, which is why every dog owner should know to look out for some telltale signs and symptoms indicating that the dog is sick. Puppies, in particular, are highly susceptible to illness. The most crucial aspect is that your dog or puppy cannot speak out; it is you who have to be proactive enough to understand that your furry friend is in distress.

On catching the slightest glimpse of any health warning sign, take your puppy to a good vet clinic, where you have some of the best veterinarians and vet technicians certified from renowned vet tech schools in California and other cities. To understand that it is time to visit a vet clinic, here are some of the health warning signals to keep track of.

The puppy seems to lack energy

A characteristic which puppies are known for universally is their wagging tails and happy, curious and carefree disposition. Puppies are almost always excited to interact with people, particularly with their caregivers, and if they appear disinterested, it is a sign that they are already sick, or are just coming down with an illness.

Loss of appetite

If the puppy seems reluctant to eat, it might not be just because he or she does not like the food variant provided; the reason may be more serious. Lack of appetite is a serious sign of sickness or possible infection. Potentially dangerous outcomes can be canine distemper and heartworm disease, so the caregiver has to be vigilant on this.

The little dog’s coat is dull

A coat that lacks luster is a sign of a sick pup. If one has been feeding the dog properly and taking good care of the furry animal, the pet’s coat should be sleek and shiny. A dull coat could indicate a minor ailment such as a food allergy, or it could point to serious conditions like kidney disease.

The pup is running a fever

Fevers can be quite commonplace amongst humans, but they are not to be taken lightly in puppies. A fever can be a warning sign for many health problems, and owners should visit vet clinics at once if they find out that their pups are running a fever.

Your pup whimpers frequently

Little pups tend to whimper occasionally for many reasons; they miss their mother and siblings, they want attention. There can, in fact, be a plethora of reasons. However, if the pup is whimpering and whining often, it may be his way of saying that he is not feeling well or is injured. If comforting the animal does not work, veterinary care may be required.

These were only the basic warning signs of sickness. Anyone caring for a pup has to keep an eye out for any unusual symptoms exhibited by the pet so that that necessary medical attention can be provided immediately.

Preparing Your Home for a New Dog

March 15, 2018 by Mandy

It is always an exciting prospect to welcome a new dog into the family. However, it also takes a lot of preparation and commitment in making sure that your home is safe and comfortable for your new pet. There are a few things to take into consideration in preparing your abode for a new four-legged resident, especially for first-time dog owners.

Pet-proof your surroundings. Dogs are just like little children – they are extremely active, curious, and energetic. They explore their surroundings with enthusiasm, sometimes to their detriment. That is why you need to keep them safe by preventing potential hazards and accidents.

Just as you would childproof a home, review your home’s layout and anticipate possible danger zones. These are places where your dog may get stuck or injured, such as doorways and cabinets. Keep fragile items out of reach and stow away poisonous materials and chemicals. If needed, cover electrical outlets and place bump guards on sharp corners.

Prepare your pet’s personal belongings. Welcome your new pet by establishing his own little place within the home. You can choose to give him a soft bed, pillow, or an indoor cage. Of course, don’t forget to get a dog collar and other stuff like their own food bowl, water feeder, toys, etc. A great idea is to personalize these items with their very own name. You’d be surprised just how your dog will take to these things well.

Depending on your dog’s breed and the kind of lifestyle you live, you might also need to get him other accessories like a dog stroller or carrier especially if you plan on going out often. If you are bringing in a puppy, you will need additional items particularly suited for rearing and training him.

Stock up on supplies. Part of your new dog’s personal belongings is a reliable supply of food, snacks, and other consumables such as medicine, vitamins, supplements, and the like. You wouldn’t want to run out of these items in the middle of an emergency. It’s best to stock up on at least a week’s worth of consumables.

To prepare your dog in case of calamities such as earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, and similar disasters, it would be wise to come up with an emergency grab bag that contains essential items and supplies. Include copies of important documents and identification papers, as well as your personal information so that you can be located in case he gets lost.

Keep clean and organized. Sanitized surroundings are beneficial not only for a house’s human occupants but for pets as well. If you are bringing home a dog for the first time, especially a puppy, you will need to step up the cleanliness of your environment. This helps prevent diseases and parasites from afflicting your dog.

Assign a place where all pet-related items can be located and kept, such as a dedicated cupboard in the kitchen or a large, covered bin. Regularly wash and sanitize pet items such as toys, beds, pillows, blankets, and the like. Make sure to housebreak your pet as soon as possible so that he also learns his part in keeping the home clean. If he does pee or poop indoors, clean it up well and immediately – don’t let such waste fester.

New dog, new life

For many, a new dog in the home really means a new lifestyle. It takes adjustment not only on the part of the animal, but mostly on your part as his human. Having a pet is not all fun and games, but also serious dedication to the welfare of your companion. By ensuring that your home is pet-friendly and ready, you will see that your relationship with your dog will deepen and develop into a truly satisfying and fulfilling one.

4 Reasons Why It’s Important to Play With Your Pets After Work

January 5, 2018 by Mandy

Your dogs or cats are happy to see you after a long day of work. For some pets, this part of the day is their favorite time for playing. They’re excited to see you, so it’s a great time to bring out the toys and start having fun. Here are four benefits to playing with your furry best friends after you get home from work.

Burning off energy

Dogs often spend long hours in their crates while you’re away from the house. They haven’t had the opportunity to burn off any of their energy for the day. If you don’t give them a chance to do this, then they may get out their energy through bad behavior.

Try to stick to a regular schedule, so your pets know exactly when playtime starts. It’s okay to take some time to decompress after work, but it’s important to set the appropriate expectations for an excited dog or cat.

Healthy exercise

Exercise is an important part of keeping your best friend around for as long as possible. Highly active dogs need the most exercise, although you don’t want to overlook pets that aren’t as high-energy.

As with humans, the benefits of exercise for your dog or cat include better cardiovascular health, improved metabolism, a healthy appetite and more. Make time for your pet to run around the house or yard once you get in from your commute. If you have a dog park nearby, you can also improve your pet’s socialization skills.

Mental stimulation

Sitting alone in the house all day can get pretty boring. Your pets need mental stimulation through enriching activities and toys. While they may be able to entertain themselves while you’re at work, it’s not as engaging as playing with you.

Try to mix up the play style and toys that you use when you’re having fun with your dog or cat. Cycle new items into the toy box on a regular basis, so your pets are getting new experiences. Older toys can get passed on to friends with pets or to animal shelters. If you have animals that destroy their toys through rough play, try getting toys made of tougher material or subscribing to a pet toy box service that delivers monthly.

Bonding opportunities

You’re one of the most important people in your pets’ lives. You care for them, pick up their poop, keep them fed and love them unconditionally. Playing with your pet gives you a chance to reinforce the bond between you, which is particularly important if you need to give them a pill, like a flea medicine for dogs.

Cats are fairly independent and may act more like they grudgingly tolerate you rather than viewing you as the head of the pack. Dogs, on the other hand, need leadership.

Adding in positive reinforcement during after-work playtime helps strengthen your bond and build trust. It takes time before a dog accepts you as the head of the pack, and a consistent playtime shows your companion that you’re reliable and friendly.

Playtime is more than just a chance for your pets to have fun. They’re improving their health, staying mentally stimulated, developing a closer bond with you, and going through their endless stores of energy. Take a look at your post-work schedule and figure out when you’ll have the time every day to play with your pets.

How to soothe an anxious dog

December 14, 2017 by Mandy

From changes in their environment and separation anxiety, to long car journeys or the sound of fireworks, pets can become distressed and anxious for a wide range of reasons. Dogs in particular are highly sensitive creatures and will often respond to extreme stress by displaying bouts of disturbing or even destructive behavior.

Seeing a cherished pet behaving in this way can be extremely distressing for the owner. Thankfully there are many steps you can take to help reduce the level of anxiety in your dog. Read on to learn more about the symptoms, prevention techniques and options for treatment that can help restore peace of mind for both you and your dog.

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What is making your dog anxious?

The three most common causes of anxiety in dogs are fear, separation and aging. Sources of fear may be obvious, such as the sound of thunder during a storm or explosions from nearby fireworks, but some dogs can also become fearful at the sight of people wearing hats or carrying umbrellas. Your dog may also become extremely anxious during a trip to the vet.

Around 14 per cent of dogs are believed to suffer separation anxiety. If your dog has started destroying the furniture or chewing up shoes, or if your neighbors report long periods of barking or howling during your absence or you return to find your dog has urinated or defecated in your home, this could be the cause. Dogs can also become more anxious as they get older and their mental faculties begin to decline, making it more difficult for them to understand what is going on around them.

Coping strategies

One of the most common ways to treat anxiety is with medication. The over-the-counter antihistamine Benadryl, will make your pooch drowsy so that it can better deal with a stressful situation such as a long car journey, but sedatives are not always the best solution.

In the case of separation anxiety or stress that results from changes in the environment such as moving to a new home, there are several strategies you can employ to help your four-legged friend to cope.

A good starting point is to look into what your dog is eating. If you dog seems hyperactive and behaves as if it has too much excess energy, switching to a high protein but low carbohydrate diet can help. You should also make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise, both indoors and out, and gets to play plenty of games with you and members of your family. The more enjoyment your dog has in all aspects of its life, the less it will focus on the negative emotions that emerge during times of stress.

Dogs love routine and get very flustered if their expectations are not met. Try to take your dog out for walks at roughly the same time each day and establish an order of events for some parts of a pre-walk routine, such as attaching a collar, so that you dog eventually learns that it is only when a collar has been fitted and you reach for you coat that a walk is imminent. This will prevent your dog from getting excited about you putting on your coat, only to realize that you are merely running an errand and leaving your pet at home for a short time.

Pot for pets

If you want try an alternative to traditional sedatives, consider treating your pet using oils that contain CBD, a product derived from marijuana plants. Unlike THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, this substance will no produce any kind of high. CBD is widely used to treat a wide range of common ailments and diseases in humans, but it has also been shown to be equally effective when used with pets.

Pets suffering from separation anxiety, seizures and a range of other conditions may benefit from taking doses of CBD oil which is mixed with olive oil and delivered orally. As with its use in humans, medicinal CBD does not create any of the psychotropic affects usually associated with marijuana, so you never have to worry about your dog having hallucinations or feeling even more anxious as a result of CBD treatment.

Swaddle your dog

The key problem with sedatives is that you have to give them to the dog well in advance of the event for them to be fully effective, and you can’t often predict when a storm is going to arrive, or a firework display is going to begin. If you wait until the noises have started before you deliver the sedative, you may have already missed the window of time during which they would be of benefit to your pet.

Some owners attempt to desensitize their dogs to loud sounds by playing recordings of thunder storms or exploding fireworks over a period of weeks or months, starting with small exposure and rewarding the dog for not showing signs of stress. Although this can work with some dogs, not all will respond to such fake sounds the way they do to real ones.

Though some pets may become used to the sound of the recordings, they will still become stressed and anxious during periods of extreme weather. This is partly because the sound of the recordings come from inside the house, which dogs consider to be a relatively safe environment. When similar sounds are heard emanating from outside the house, stress levels rise once again.

One extremely popular, non-medical treatment for fear-related anxiety is the ThunderShirt, a specially designed garment that wraps tightly around your dog’s torso and, in doing so, provides sensations that lead to a great reduction in anxiety.

The device was invented in 2008 by Phil Blizzard to help his dog, Dosi, who would become highly distressed during thunderstorms. One night, along with his wife Patricia, Phil wrapped a t-shirt around Dosi and then covered this with packing tape to increase the pressure on her torso. Almost immediately, Dosi stopped shaking and lay down. It was the start of a business which now enjoys annual revenues in excess of $15 million.

How Healthy Is Your Cat?

November 8, 2017 by Mandy

You could spend forever worrying about your cat when everything’s fine because they’re such precious animals, but when you know there’s something up with their health, then it can be even worse. It might be that their behavior has changed in some way, and you’re worried about your cat’s mental health, or else it might be that their eating routine has changed. While you can definitely worry too much, you should know what to look out for if you have a real concern. It might be their age that’s causing them to act differently, or their exercise routine, they might have a parasite or pest, it might be their diet, or it could even be an issue related to your cat’s mental health. Read on to get to the bottom of your cat’s behavior and to find out how healthy it is.

Requirements of Kittens and Senior Cats

There’s a lot to do if you’re either about to buy a new kitten or if you’ve just bought one. Firstly, you need to speak to a vet about organizing the correct vaccinations, registering with the vet itself, and it might also be worth thinking about an insurance plan. Then you need to prepare the house, removing anything that might be a hazard to your curious and delicate little kitten. You’ll need to make a start litter box training as well as mediating the new cat’s socialization with any existing cats or pets. If you haven’t done all of these things, then your cat might not be as healthy as it should be.

Senior cats, however, have different requirements. Senior cats need regular check-ups at their registered vets, possibly regular biannual check-ups, and if they do start to develop conditions associated with older cats, then it’s essential that you do all of the research necessary to understand their conditions and what help they need from you. They’ll need feeding smaller meals at more regular intervals, and it’s essential that they have a regular exercise routine – playing is an essential part of an older cat’s life, so you should watch out for signs of inactivity in your animal.

Exercise: Indoor and Outdoor

Your cat’s indoor exercise should consist of lots of playing with toys and running around. If you use toys to play with your cat regularly then you’ll notice roughly how long it takes them to get tired, and you can start to build up its energy levels. This is absolutely essential if your cat stays permanently indoors, but it’s still important if your cat likes to play outside. An outdoor cat will get a lot of its exercise from playing outside, but it can be a worry for pet owners because you may be afraid of accidents occurring when it’s outside. It might be that your cat is being bullied by another cat whenever it goes outside, which can result in stress, physical injuries, and even a sudden loss of appetite to go outside; it could, alternatively, be because you live near a busy street. Running around every corner of the house is a sign of stress in a cat, so it might be worth thinking about how your cat is getting along outside.

Diet, Weight and Overall Health

There are many aspects to your cat’s general health, and although many of these can be identified through regular trips to the vet, it’s always worth knowing what to look out for. A cat’s fur and teeth can both reveal ill health; look out for patchy or thinning fur, especially if your cat seems to be doing it to itself, and any sign of gum disease or painful tooth problems in the animal need to be treated by a vet as soon as possible. Are there any signs of your cat having problems with its eyesight? This should be noticeable if you use toys to play with your cat regularly, and a vet will be able to help you give the right support. Is your cat too over or underweight? Either way, you need to put in place a feeding routine that works for your cat. It might be that your cat doesn’t like dry food, in which case you should look into trying your cat on wet food instead. Research the top best cat food wet, and experiment with different textures and flavors of food until you’ve found one your cat enjoys.

Fleas, Ticks, Worms and a Check-up at the Vet

Fleas are probably the most common, and you shouldn’t let an infestation get out of your control. If you find fleas on your cat, then you need to work out the scale of the infestation to find the right solution. If your whole house is infested, then you’ll need to either use a flea bomb or else get professional help in. One of the many ways your cat can get worms is by licking fleas off its body and eating them, but there are many types of worms that they can catch in all kinds of different ways which all vary in severity. The important thing is that you don’t become complacent about worms – make sure they’re regularly treated against worms, and you can even check at the vets if they are carrying any parasites around with them. Ticks are also common, and like fleas, they can give your cat anemia if they consume too much of your cat’s blood, as well as Lyme disease. If your cat does have ticks, remember not to try removing them with your fingers – you need a tick hook to remove them properly. Your vet will be more than happy to check up on any of these or help you out with an infestation.

Mental Health

Just like humans, cats can have mental health challenges as well, and it’s essential that pet owners have a level of understanding of the issues that could be affecting their cat’s lives. Symptoms of stress, anxiety and discomfort can vary from dramatic vocalizations, pacing, sucking fabric and licking out chunks of their own fur, while the cause of stress might be something simpler. Is there a hierarchy among all of the cats in the household? Is your cat getting enough time to play? Is your cat having a tough time when out the house? All of these issues will need some attention, and it might be worth working out a strategy with your local vet if you’re struggling with any of these problems.