Pets Blog

Feeding a dog should be taken with seriousness and a careful eye in reading ingredients and a strong backing of nutrient knowledge. Whatever food is given to the dog will later on manifest itself either through a healthy response of strength and energy or a downward turn of weakness and poor appearance. As people are concerned with what goes into their bodies, the same should carry to their pets. Probably the very basic rule of feeding a dog is “do not feed your dog something you would not eat yourself.” Although it must be kept in mind that not all human foods are good for dogs.

Scanning or going over the small print of ingredients on canned products may be helpful to a certain point but it would even be better to know what should go into a healthy meal. Experts have come to a consensus that the best ratio of food is 40% meats, 50% veggies and 10% carbohydrates or even grains. Meats found in canned goods have already been pre-cooked and contain the protein needed by dogs. One must take note of what brands are certified by the animal health ministry of what should or should not be in dog food. Some cheaper brands may throw chicken beaks into the mix which is considered to be indigestible. Cheaper foods are known to add fillers to give more weight and volume into the cans but these fillers may consist of other foods that dogs may be allergic to such as corn or wheat. Grains are much more preferred due to its optimum fiber content to meet the digestive needs. Again, careful reading of the ingredients is needed for the first items may be meats but if careless owners just toss it in the trolley, they missed the other items that are more fillers.  Read more...

Moving between homes over a long distance is usually testing, but moving long distance with pets is generally even worse. Even though hamsters and rabbits are generally easier to deal with, larger animals like dogs and cats can find moving stressful and upsetting. There are some steps which must be taken when changing homes with animals, for example transport and veterinary services.
An important issue to organise first off is how you will physically transport your pets from your old address to your new home. Obviously this will be dictated by the magnitude of the journey, and also by how you intend to travel. If your new home is located so far from your old address that you will have to fly, you should organise your reservation in good time, especially if you would like to have your pet travel in a seat next to you. Many airlines operate a strict policy on the amount of pets that they will have within the cabin, so you will have to book your places on the flight at an early stage.
Generally only cats and dogs will be permitted within the cabin, but this can vary from airline to airline. It is also likely that they will not allow a pet into the cabin if it is acting aggressively. Normally airlines will not accept pets inside the cabin unless a pet carrier is used. Every airline will have certain limitations to the size of their boxes, you must make sure that your animal can rest comfortably within the case since they will be locked in there until the flight is over. If it happens that your pet is more sizeable than this they will be placed in the luggage compartment in a specially designed crate. The recommended approach is to talk to the airline well in advance of your move and obtain all of the relevant information with them.
In a situation where you are moving long distance with pets and you can travel by car, it is important that you organise your trip well in advance so that it is possible for you to adequately provide for your pets. If your animal is not accustomed to being carried in a vehicle, you should try to get them accustomed to travelling by car by taking them on a few brief drives leading up to the move. Assume that they willagitated at first, until they grow accustomed to the motion of the vehicle. Generally it is advised that all pets travel in special travel cases. This is a sound safety measure, as kennels of this type can be strapped to a seat using a seat belt, which lowers the danger for both the pet and the passengers in the case of an accident.
You should organise a number of rest stops to break up the drive. Allow your pet to move around, feed it, and check that it is in good health. In a situation where you are moving long distance with pets, always ensure that they have enough to drink, especially since your car may be quite warm. Avoid having to travel to a precise schedule, so that you can break from travelling if your pets need to stretch their legs.

This disease is known in the medical world as hyperadrenocorticism, which means an overproduction cortisol in the body. Cortisol is the stress hormone and the disease usually appears in dogs at the age of 6 years or older.

There are certain dog breeds predisposed to this illness. These breeds are: german shepherd, poodles, daschunds, terriers, and golden retrievers.

Types of Cushing’s disease

Cushing’s disease is known in 3 types: pituitary tumor, adrenal tumor, and iatrogenic.

Pituitary tumor – a tumor in the pituitary gland appears and this stimulates the over production of cortisol by the adrenal glands. This type of Cushing’s disease is the most common in canine patients.

Adrenal tumor- the adrenal gland develops a tumor and this breaks the equilibrium and causes big amounts of cortisol to appear. This is not a very common type of Cushing’s in dogs.

Iatrogenic – this type of disease develops when the patient has abused with the use of corticosteroids. The corticosteroids are used to treat different ailments such as arthritis, allergies, and various skin disorders. Because the blood is filled with corticosteroids the adrenal glands doesn’t secrete cortisol and starts to decrease in size.

Clinical symptoms of Cushing’s:

• the dog starts to eat a lot, drink and urinate in big quantities
• it looses fur 
• the belly becomes pot like 
• excessive panting 
• the skin becomes thinner 
• the skin bruises easily 
• the dog is lethargic and weak 
• bladder infections appear

Diagnosis of canine Cushing’s:

In order to detect this illness, the veterinarian has to conduct a physical examination, do blood and urine tests, and also ultrasound and x-ray. Further laboratory tests may be necessary in order to determine the type of Cushing’s disease.  Read more...

Dog is a lovely and faithful animal. The pet seems even more adorable when it behaves gently and to achieve this Dog Training should always be sought from a Professional Dog Behaviorist We often think that we ourself can train our pup or dog. But believe me this is not a child’s , we need a Professional Dog behaviorist or a Dog trainer. Poor dog training makes your dog undisciplined It causes serious nuisance and a destructive effect on the relationship between the dog and its owner.Hence, an effective dog training is paramount for pet’s safety and quality of life of the dog and its owner as well. Would you risk your dog’s life and health by being irresponsible in imparting it a proper Dog Training. So, its better to consult a Professional Dog behaviourist for training purpose.

A Dog behaviourist knows well how to train the dog .An Effective Dog training is compatible.The training is good to be started at an early age i.e when they are still puppies. The Professionals conduct Puppy Training Seminars to train the puppies. It is advisable to let the Dog be trained by one Dog behaviourist only. If the Dog will be exposed to different trainers then this can confuse the Dog and hamper its training process.Effective dog training should be fun. Well, can you imagine how fun it is for an employee or trainer dog training school then that one day he or she must proceed to training dogs for more than 5 dogs per day.  Read more...

Pet Insurance offers coverage of your pet’s medical expenses. You can purchase pet insurance from a veterinarian or from an insurance company. Though pet insurance is a debatable point as many people take it differently it rescues from financial burden by taking care of your pet’s medical expenses when it undergoes any treatment for accidents and illness. Sometimes, pet insurance covers vaccinations and preventive medications also.

Pet insurance is beneficial as medical care for pet is very expensive on occasions like when it falls ill or when an accident occurs. It is a necessary provision for all pets and typically this insurance covers medical expenses for animals like cats and dogs. There are some insurance companies that provide insurance for pets of exotic species also.

Depending on the insurance cost the level of pet insurance coverage varies. There are various pet insurance plans available in the insurance markets that are affordable. The basic coverage starts for a month between and per month and for wider coverage, a higher pet insurance plan can be chosen. Similar to other insurances, pet insurance also looks for pet’s eligibility conditions like the fitness of the pet and its age. A pet insurance is generally meant for young pets and is not offered for older pets. But if you want to avail pet insurance of aged pets the insurance costs will be significantly higher. There are insurance companies that don’t offer pet insurance for dogs which are more than 9 years old.

The pet insurance policy and insurance plan description will provide you all the details of where and how claims can be met. Pet insurance providers have databases in order to avoid false claims and to ensure that only the insured pet is claiming the insurance amount for treatment. A veterinarian provides identification for preventing false claims. Some pet insurance providers offer discount for insuring more than one pet and provide affordable insurance for pets.  Read more...