PET CARE N SUPPLIES

Archive for June, 2010

Never feed dog food to a cat. Cats require twice as much protein and B vitamins as do dogs. Cats, unlike dogs, cannot convert certain dietary precursors into necessary amino acids and water soluble vitamins. A cat given dog food over a long period can develop taurine deficiency, vitamin A deficiency, niacin deficiency, retinal degeneration, and other serious or fatal illnesses. Raw fish should not be fed to cats. Raw fish contains an enzyme that destroys vitamin B1, A deficiency of this vitamin results in brain damage. Fish is also deficient in vitamin E and has the potential to transmit diseases.

Specialty foods and even table scraps can be given as treats once or twice a week-but only after the regular diet is eaten. Cooked meats, cottage cheese, cooked vegetables, cooked fish, milk, and yogurt are foods with strong taste appeal that cats seem to enjoy. Only give them in small amounts and do not offer dairy products if your cat appears to be lactose intolerant. Never feed meats exclusively. Treats should never exceed 20 percent of a cat’s total daily food. Cats have highly selective eating habits. The location of the food dish, noise, the presence of other animals, and other threats or distractions can adversely affect how much they are willing to eat. A cat in a boarding facility may go an entire week without eating. Water is a very important nutrient for cats. Always have plenty of fresh water available. Canned food diets are more likely to provide an adequate amount of water than are other types of food.

According to expert Veterinarians and Dog Trainers tempting treats & exercise balls keep the dogs happy and healthy. Pet Toys combats boredom and behavior problems. It encourages the dogs both mentally and physically by appealing to their natural instincts. toys for dogs must be safe for them and should be chosen according to their size, activity level, preferences and the environment around the dog. Their enthusiasm can be a key to how much they liked a particular toy. Be alert enough to keep your dog away from anything that might be ingested and keep things like string, ribbon, rubber bands, children's toys and pantyhose away from their reach and out of their sight.

A dog bone is either a real or toy bone that makes a good dog toy. Some dogs like to bury dog bones in the yard, so they can dig it up and chew on it later. Others want to chew it and carry it around. Dog bones also help getting plaque off of the dog's teeth.

Often, when you throw a stick, and a dog is watching, he will retrieve the stick for you. Repeating the process for several minutes can entertain both dog and dog owner. These stick toys are available in different shapes colours and sizes that attract the dogs.

Balls of all shapes and sizes are great in keeping your dog active and fit. Great way to play and exercise your dog at the same time.

Care has to be taken while buying the toy for your dog. The size of the toy is determined by the size of the dog. Small toys given to big dogs are dangerous as they may swallow it. And the toys should be non-toxic.

There are many toys out there for you and your dog to share. The important thing is to check and see what they’re made of. Test them in the store, see how flexible they are. Don’t bring anything home that contains parts that can be chewed off, or parts that will break over time. A one-piece toy is what you want – one that’s not going to break, or be easily swallowed. And never leave your pooch unattended with any toys he *can* swallow or chew apart, even if you think he won’t.

Some of the well known toys for dogs:

• Bobbins--a round, hollow, spool-shaped, heavy polyethylene play/exercise toy for larger breeds of dogs.
• Boomer Ball--intended for soccer-style play, to encourage healthful exercise as an alternative to destructive chewing, pacing, and other undesirable behaviors plus animal enrichment.
• Extreme Kong: This is marketed as the strongest rubber dog toy in the world. Strong is always good when it comes to an aggressive chewer.

Some toys can serve multiple functions for dogs to interact with, combining common play behaviors into a single toy. Companies such as Dog Nasty produce toys that can adapt to other toys and objects, and be combined by the dog owner to create new toys for dogs to play with. Whereas a hard ball is not well-suited for chewing, and a plush toy is difficult to throw, wrapping the ball in a plush exterior creates a toy that can be thrown and chewed on.

Companies have recognized this trend and have begun marketing low-fat, low-calorie, or low-carb versions of our favorite foods. But with all of this attention to our own health, we may be forgetting the nutrition of our loyal companion pets.

There are many different ways to feed your dog a healthy diet. Sure, pet food companies have created special formulas for overweight, older, or active dogs; but even these blends do not meet the necessary requirements for your pet's health. Common ingredients in these commercial brands include, cornmeal, yellow corn, brewer’s rice and whole grain corn which are high in carbohydrates. The average of most commercial dry pet foods is between 30-70% carbohydrates.

Both dogs and cats are able to convert protein into energy as well as into muscle. Neither species in the wild would have a diet similar to this; both would consume far less than the 30% low-end estimate. Dogs who are overweight are at higher risk for an array of unpleasant conditions, including type II diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic disorders. Excess sugar/carb consumption has been shown to cause obesity as well as many other chronic diseases. The carbs/sugar drive both obesity and disease in canines. In fact, studies have shown that your dog's food may cause illnesses such as skin allergies, stomach problems, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer also.

Experts insist that domestic dog obesity stems from the fact that today’s dogs get less exercise than their ancestors did. Fat dogs eat too much and don’t get enough fiber in their diets . Carbohydrates cannot be good for dogs -- at least not in the quantity eaten today. Diabetes in dogs is best treated by feeding a nutritionally sound diet.

You can also add fresh foods to a commercial diet to improve the overall quality of the diet you feed your dog .Good regulation using this method can be achieved either through use of strictly basal insulin or basal/bolus method. This is highly dependent on the individual animal's metabolism. Owners who want the best for their dogs will take the time and effort to understand carbohydrate metabolism, insulin action, and home glucose testing. It is in this way they can best understand how food and insulin affect their pet.

Some experts claim that the best food for your pet is the food you make yourself. Advocates of a raw food diet recommend feeding your pet fresh meals instead of prepared foods. It is important not to cook the food, but serve it as your pet would find it in the wild. The vegetables should be chopped into very tiny pieces - like he would find it in the gut of his prey - so that your dog's body will be able to process the nutrients. Either way the dog food is best kept as low carbohydrate for the good health of canine.

Cat scratch disease (CSD) is an infrequent self-limiting infectious disease classically characterized by painful regional lymphadenopathy. It also known as "Cat scratch fever," ”Inoculation lymphoreticulosis” and "Subacute regional lymphadenitis" is a usually benign infectious disease caused by the intracellular bacterium Bartonella. The bacteria live in infected cats' saliva but don't make the animals sick; in fact, kittens or cats may carry the bacteria for months. Cat scratch disease, a bacterial infection that causes swelling of the lymph nodes, usually is due to the scratch, lick, or bite of a cat. Fleas spread the bacteria between cats, although there's no evidence that fleas can transmit the disease to humans. You can also get the bacteria in your eyes if you pet a cat that has the bacteria on its fur and then rub your eyes.

Cat-scratch disease is not a severe illness in people who are healthy. But it can be a problem in people who have weak immune systems. These include people who are receiving chemotherapy, those who have diabetes or those who have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

An infection of the lymph nodes also called lymph glands develops, most often in the glands that are near the place where you got the cat scratch or cat bite. This blister or bump is called an inoculation lesion. These lesions are generally not painful and it is most commonly found on the arms and hands, head, or scalp. The lymph nodes may swell to an inch or more in size. The patient may also run a low-grade fever.

It usually takes 3 to 10 days for a blister or small bump to appear at the site of a scratch or bite. Lymph node swelling begins about 1 to 4 weeks later.In most people, cat-scratch disease clears up without treatment. The inoculation lesion where the bacteria entered the body usually takes days to heal. The swollen lymph nodes disappear within 2 to 4 months, although occasionally last much longer. Often, taking a pain reliever and applying heat compresses to the affected area can help relieve pain and discomfort. Antibiotics that kill bacteria may be needed when infected lymph nodes stay painful and swollen for more than 2 or 3 months. If your doctor has prescribed antibiotics, take them on schedule and for as many days as prescribed. If a lymph node is very large or painful, your doctor may drain it to help relieve the pain.

Teaching kids to avoid stray or unfamiliar cats can reduce their exposure to sources of the bacteria. To lower the risk of getting the disease from a family pet or familiar cat, kids should avoid rough play with any pets so they can avoid being scratched or bitten. If your child is scratched by a pet, wash the injured area thoroughly with soap and water. Consulting a doctor in case of high fever is very essential.

Barking is one of many forms of vocal communication for dogs. People are often pleased that their dog barks, because it alerts them to the approach of people to their home or it tells them there's something that the dog wants or needs. However, sometimes a dog's barking can be excessive. Because barking serves a variety of functions, you must identify its cause and your dog's motivation for barking before you can treat a barking problem.

Many owners can identify why their dog is barking just by hearing the specific bark. For instance, a dog's bark sounds different when he wants to play as compared to when he wants to come in from the yard. If you want to reduce your dog's barking, it's crucial to determine why he's barking. It will take some time to teach your dog to bark less. Unfortunately, it's just not realistic to expect a quick fix or to expect that your dog will stop barking altogether. (Would you expect a person to suddenly stop talking altogether?) Your goal should be to decrease, rather than eliminate, the amount of barking. Bear in mind that some dogs are more prone to barking than others. In addition, some breeds are known as “barkers,” and it can be harder to decrease barking in individuals of these breeds.

Territorial Barking

Dogs can bark excessively in response to people, dogs or other animals within or approaching their territories. Your dog's territory includes the area surrounding his home and, eventually, anywhere he has explored or associates strongly with you: your car, the route you take during walks and other places where he spends a lot of time.

Alarm Barking

If your dog barks at any and every noise and sight regardless of the context, he's probably alarm barking. Dogs engaged in alarm barking usually have stiffer body language than dogs barking to greet, and they often move or pounce forward an inch or two with each bark. Alarm barking is different than territorial barking in that a dog might alarm bark at sights or sounds in any location at all, not just when he's defending familiar areas, such as your house, yard or car.

Attention-Seeking Barking

Some dogs bark at people or other animals to gain attention or rewards, like food, toys or play.

Greeting Barking

Your dog might be barking in greeting if he barks when he sees people or other dogs and his body is relaxed, he's excited and his tail is wagging. Dogs who bark when greeting people or other animals might also whine.

Compulsive Barking

Some dogs bark excessively in a repetitive way, like a broken record. These dogs often move repetitively as well. For example, a dog who's compulsively barking might run back and forth along the fence in his yard or pace in his home.

Becoming a good and effective dog trainer is not an easy job. It takes great determination and perseverance to do so. Here are some tips to become a good and effective dog trainer. Here are the seven habits all good dog owners have in common: Patience, Play, Good food, Training, Management, Leadership, and Exercise etc.

Some of the best dog owners I know are the ones who are patient. Having a dog, especially a young one, can be very trying. Dogs live to play. A group of puppies will jump, run, tug, and have a great time together. Playing with your dog is a great way to exercise and bond with your dog so it will also fulfill an important need in your dog.

Not all dog foods are created equal so feeding your dog a good diet is very important. Always look at some of the labels on dog food as some of them are loaded with chemicals, dyes, sugar and low grade products.

All great dog owners spend some time training their dogs and it is the best way to communicate with your dog as your dog has no idea that they are not supposed to pull on leash, to not jump on guests, or to come back when you call them.

Good management skills are very crucial, When a dog is young they usually get into a lot of trouble by chewing, stealing, jumping, etc. so the owner, as the leader and teacher, needs to manage the dog's behavior when they are young so that as the dog gets older and learns how to live with we humans, we do not need to manage as much. Our dogs spend a lot of time waiting around for us. Dogs are extremely social and want to interact with us. Every dog needs two forms of exercise - mental and physical.

Papilloma viruses are small, double-stranded DNA viruses of the Papovaviridae family. Papillomaviridae is an ancient and diverse taxonomic family of non-enveloped DNA viruses, collectively known aspapillomaviruses. Papillomas are benign (non-cancerous) tumors that originate from the squamous (resembling the shape of scale of a fish) epithelial cells. Some mammals have several distinct papilloma viruses—humans have >20; cattle, 6; dogs, 3; and rabbits, 2.

The virus is transmitted by direct contact, fomites, and possibly by insects. The canine papilloma virus is passed to a dog through direct contact with the lesions on an infected dog or through exposure to the virus in the dog's environment. Though the warts are unsightly, they are not usually dangerous to the dog. The virus which causes them is transmissible only to other dogs and is not a threat to people or other types of animals. They should go away on their own as the dog’s immune system matures and generates a response against the papillomavirus. When lesions are multiple, they may be sufficiently characteristic to confirm the diagnosis; however, there are many simulants of warts, and a definitive diagnosis requires identification of the virus.

In dogs, 3 clinical presentations of canine papilloma virus infection have been described.

The first is canine mucous membrane papillomatosis, which primarily affects young dogs. In puppies, papillomas may appear as tufts of cauliflower-like tissue growing on the lips and in the mouth. It is characterized by the presence of multiple warts on oral mucous membranes from lips to (occasionally) the esophagus and on the conjunctival mucous membranes and adjacent haired skin. These papillomas are viral in nature and usually disappear in 2 to 3 months as the puppy's immune system matures.

The second presentation is cutaneous papillomas, which are indistinguishable from the warts that develop on or around mucous membranes. A definitive viral etiology has not been established, and lesions may be confused with cutaneous tags. Clinically, lesions appear as multiple, raised keratin horns.

The third presentation is cutaneous inverted papillomas, which have more in common clinically with intracutaneous cornifying epitheliomas. In this disease of young, mature dogs, lesions most commonly develop on the ventral abdomen where they appear as raised papulonodules with a keratotic center. Infrequently, viral papillomas in dogs may progress to invasive squamous cell carcinomas.

Since the warts will generally disappear by themselves over a period of time, treatment is not necessary most of the time. Castor oil can be applied directly to the warts. It softens the lesions and reduces irritation. Also vitamin E can be applied directly to the dog warts. Regular application (for at least 2 to 3 weeks) can reduce the wart size significantly. However, if the warts are causing eating difficulty, they can be removed either surgically or by cryosurgery (freezing the tissue).