Just For Pets

As we approach the winter season, taking time before the holiday havoc begins can help alleviate stress for you AND support health in your pet. Start preparing now for the upcoming winter season.
From boosting immunity to ensuring proper housing arrangements for your pet during
seasonal travel, you can ease stressors for yourself as well as help sustain your pet's health.

Both cats and dogs are susceptible to infection, even if they are indoors or concrete potty trained. Fleas are difficult to control because of their reproductive abilities and resilience. One female flea can lay over 2000 eggs in her life span, which means infestation can occur rapidly, and the eggs that are laid can survive for months in the environment, simply awaiting an appropriate host.

With summer quickly catching up with us, we wanted to inform our readers on the added dangers pets face during the hot humid days to come. Personally, I had no idea that heatstroke was such a serious issue, and you don’t have to run your dog in 100 degree weather to risk it happening. Find out more in our feature
articles, which not only address about heatstroke, but many other summertime
struggles your pets face.

With warmer weather just around the corner, now is the best time to take preventative measures against common complaints experienced among pets and owners alike… From aggravated allergies to prickly paws, more time spent outdoors can contribute to seasonal symptoms that can affect your pet’s overall health. Many pets experience disturbances in behavior, skin, and digestive health with increased exposure to grass, insects, and other factors. It is very important to monitor and address these issues, as they can develop into a number of other health-related consequences if left untreated.

Since the late 1800s, the Pekingese and the Chow Chow gained fame in Britain and Europe and paved the way for the rest of the oriental dogs such as the Lhasa Apso, Tibetan Spaniels and Terriers, and the formidable Akita. But none, perhaps, have had the rise to popularity as has the charming little Shih Tzu, which has won the hearts of show and pet owners the world over

As domestication has brought once wild dogs and cats into the household, their eating habits have thus been significantly altered as humans became caretakers. Combined with the health hazards of modern living such as pollution, poor nutrition, stress and unhealthy lifestyles, it is important to recognize how these changes impact their overall health—and to pay particular attention to proper nutrition and diet—which is one factor we greatly control.

Over the centuries, this great big teddy bear dogs main claim to fame has been the miraculous rescuing of victims lost in the European Alps. Ever since Barry, the worlds most famous Saint Bernard, set a record for having saved over forty lives, this dog has been revered by all who appreciate the remarkable ability of these faithful working dogs. The stories of their heroism brings hundreds upon hundreds of tourists annually to the Hospice in Switzerland, the land of their origin.

Of all of the problems that dog owners face with raising a pet, the trouble involved in housebreaking stands out as the most common. In fact, of the tens of thousands of dogs that get trained by professional dog trainers in schools, 80 percent of the owners of these dogs complain of housebreaking difficulties upon enrollment.

No one wants their pets to get sick, especially from the food we give them in an
attempt to keep them happy and healthy. Even though the summer pet food scare was resolved by pulling more than 60 million contaminated products from the shelves, if other pet owners are anything like me they are still very concerned about the pet foods they are buying. We know this situation also raised concerns about quality and safety of production conditions, which are still not up to par by human consumption standards. We know that pet owners still face the problems with low-quality food still being produced and sold in the marketplace. To combat the issue we all have to pay much closer attention to the foods we buy our pets.

Knowledgeable pet owners, when approached by a novice with the question of where to buy a pet, usually recommend buying from a breeder rather than from a pet shop. The advantages of the breeder-bought pet are many, yet the disadvantages of dealing with these breeders are often so discouraging that many prospective buyers resort to purchasing their pets through retail establishments.

Did you know that fleas and ticks may be causing your dog or cat’s skin irritation,
open sores, or even their more serious diseases? It is shocking that many of us
aren’t more aware because nearly 10% of all pets are estimated to have Lyme disease! Once we found this out, we realized how important it is to raise awareness and by
following a few simple suggestions, you can significantly heighten your pet’s
enjoyment of these hot summer days.

While we may be more educated from the pet food scare about what to feed our beloved pets, we still aren’t always sure about how to properly select and give our pets safe, daily nutrition. We also have so many misconceptions about the resilience of pets’ immune systems.
Given the wide range of things that our pets have been seen nibbling on -- from dirty socks to
kitty litter -- there seems to be very little, if any, consequences visible on the outside! But, it is important that we know that isn’t the case... this seemingly indestructible pet can be
harboring many internal issues and symptoms may be disguised for quite some time, sometimes surfacing once the problem has metastasized and too late.

They may not seem delicate but they are, and travel can affect pet health from digestive upset to changes in mood. Take some time to plan for your pet’s comfort; it may be another thing to add to your “to do list” but it will make the trip an easier one for your canine or feline friend.

One of the most active and intelligent of all dog breeds, known as the Poodle, is a well-proportioned animal that carries himself proud and confident. As it struts its stuff down a busy sidewalk with its owner, the Poodle has about him an air of distinction and dignity.

Whatever you are doing right now, put it aside and pay special attention to the following story about a dog named Felix, who fell prey to Pica and almost did not survive. This may or may not be your dog, but you can bet that you will learn enough from Felix to ensure that you keep your pet from the same pain and misery.