My Dog is Being Sick

By Kathy Davison

1. Signs of Illness

When the puppy or dog is just too good, when suddenly be stops his mischievous ways, we begin to suspect that something is wrong. Maybe he acts sluggish, droops his tail and does not care about cleaning up his dish. Or perhaps he eats as if he were starved, or drinks so much water that he vomits it right up again. His stomach may be bloated.


The stools should be medium brown in colour and well formed. The puppy may defecate 4-5 times a day, the grown dog once; don't worry so long as colour and consistency are right.

If the stools are black, watery or blood- streaked, and there are more movements than usual, then something should be done. In a puppy, the eyes and nose are often first to show oncoming illness. The eyes may weep, possibly with pus collecting at the inner corners.

The nose may discharge either clear water or mucus. He may pant continuously, his breathing may be difficult, his expression strained.Not all of the symptoms will be noticed, of course,when the puppy is getting sick; certain symptoms point to one ailment, others to another. However,they are signs that should be watched for.

Any one of them is enough to tell the owner that something is wrong. Do not wait to see whether the condition will correct itself. The chances are that it won't. Don't experiment with remedies suggested by wellmeaning neighbours. Get the advice of an expert-your veterinarian. Quick action at the first sign of illness is the best short-cut to its cure.

2. The Sick Room

When the dog is ill he needs a room or corner of his Own. Protect him from noise and confusion,and from the Well-meant attentions of children and unthinking adults. He will be comforted by the quiet presence of his owner, but do not talk too much. You'll tire him out.

He needs first of all, peace and quiet. The dog recovering from a serious disease like Distemper, may be thrown into Fits by nothing more than the slam of a door or the shrieks of children playing. Or a frenzy of fear may be caused by the raising of a window shade and the entrance of sudden, stabbing light. Use dark shades, and keep the light fairly dim.

Over one side of his bed throw a blanket to further Shield the light which will pain him if his eyes are affected.

Remove rugs and carpets so the floor can be easily cleaned and cover the floor with newspapers. Arrange for enough air without a draft, and moderate heat that will remain even. Have some water bottles handy in case the patient needs more warmth. A table or a chest for medicine, utensils, everything used in the course of treatment will be helpful. And do not forget a pad upon which you note each dose of medicine and the time of day it was given. Wash all utensils carefully when ever they are used. Wash your hands before and after tending a sick dog.

Knowing what is wrong with your dog and what to do about it is key to not only prolonging your dogs life but having peace of mind as well. Having that information could literally save your dogs life.

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Ways to Locate Pet Grooming Supplies

By Damian Cross

You know you have been putting it off for some time, but your pet needs more than a walk in the park to play pet games and some grooming is in order. However, many pet owners find that they lack the time or money to spend on a professional pet groomer; needless to say they end up not receiving the service they expected in the first place.

With the beginning of the new millennium more and more pet owners are inclined to take care of their pets by themselves. Anyone who wishes to embark themselves in the task of grooming their pet immediately asks himself where to get the grooming supplies. Not just the flimsy plastic brushes, but the sturdy, good quality scissors, trimmers and brushes. Not only will they want to know where to get them, but some guidance is necessary as to the choices to be made. Every species and breed will require different type of tools. This is because of the wide variety of animal coats, thickness and length variations and other factors unique to each creature.

Probably the easiest road to dog grooming utensils for your particular pet can be obtained through your veterinarian. He will not only have quality tools, but will also be able to provide proper guidance as to the tools you need. However, if you are on a tight budget, this may not be the best way to go. The quality and advice provided by the veterinarian comes at a price. He will usually have high grade clippers and trimmers, and choose the proper one for you, but these items carry a hefty price tag. Perhaps you can explain to your veterinarian your needs, in order to get the proper recommendations and buy your tools elsewhere.

If you are confident enough to go about the search on your own, many companies have their complete catalog online. Shopping online is always a good option which will allow you to compare prices and products. Going online has other benefits as well, besides playing pet games; you'll be able to do some research on your particular breed of cat or dog. Sources may come from various articles, eBooks, and pet forums. There are some websites specifically dedicated to pet grooming, offering tips and advice, as well as an online store where you can purchase everything you need. Nowadays, most online store will provide a way for people who have previously bought an item in particular to share his experience with potential customers.

However, personally walking to the pet store has its advantages as well. Nothing beats the experience of holding the item I your hand before you buy it. There are also shipping costs to consider and warranty implications. It is much easier to return an item in your local store than having to ship back and forth. Plus, instead of reading only for the best product choices, you might have the opportunity to speak to someone in person about your pet.

Grooming your pet is no pet game, and should be done responsibly. Take the time to do your research on the grooming tools that best suit your pet friend. The success of your grooming activity will greatly depend on it.

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Reasons Why Finding a Pet Groomer Can Become Difficult

By Damian Cross

Grooming your pet properly is an essential part of owning a pet. Keeping your pet under proper standards of hygiene will result in a cat or dog that is emotionally and physically healthy. Certain activities in the grooming process, such as cutting hair and trimming the nails do not only help your pet look better, but also provide for a healthier lifestyle.

It is a common scenario these days to find that pet owners are often feeling lazy to pick up the brush, or are often postponing the grooming process and only find time to play pet games with their cat or dog. Leaving this task for later will not only make your pet look like a creature from a zombie movie, but could also be the source of all sorts of illnesses and infections. Finding the right person to groom your pet can be rather difficult. Perhaps, somebody who can do the job to your liking is way outside your means. While on the other hand, a cheap groomer may end up not doing the job as he should, and even abuse the animal by not knowing how to handle him properly.

Finding the right groomer is a trial and error process. The first step when trying someone out for the first time is to check his references, verify that this person has actually received some training at handling animals. When your pet is returned to you, make sure to examine him carefully. Not only should you confirm that he has been bathed and trimmed, but also look for signs of improper handling in the neck and legs. Signs to watch out for include red spots in the skin caused by the use of a razor too close to the skin, or bruises in the neck and legs as a result of holding the animal too tight. Another sign of malpractice that borders a little bit in the extreme would be blood present in the paws caused by trimming the nails too short and hurting the cuticle.

If you believe that your pet has been subject to unnecessary pain or abuse, talk to the groomer and ask for an explanation regarding your concern. If the explanation provided does not satisfy you, you could explore other alternatives. Before running off to the authorities, consider consulting your veterinarian, who can properly fill a grievance with the proper animal protection agencies. By taking these steps you would be raising an eye from the authorities towards this person, and possibly preventing others from falling into his hands.

Groomers in general need a license to operate, pretty much the same way you need one to drive a vehicle. The same way your driver's license can be taken away for driving poorly, so can your groomer's license be revoked for mistreatment of animals. You will often find that good pet groomers have special areas of expertise. A good dog groomer for example, will tend not to groom cats and vice versa. Looking for specialized groomers that fit your budget can prove to be a helpful technique.

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Owning Cats Vs Dogs in Cities - The Good and the Bad

By Cynthia Bachman

At first, it might not seem like a very good idea to bring a pet into a city apartment since they are, for the most part, cramped and quite small. Having another living being stay with us in our homes might just clutter it up even more.

It is a fact, though, that having a pet live with us will bring us entertainment, companionship and joy, among other things. That is definitely the reason that there are so many people living in city apartments with pets.

One animal tends to be called better suited for city apartments than others; the pets that people like the best are what that depends on. I will look objectively at this situation by discussing both the pros and cons regarding each animal in that setting.

Let's focus on dogs first. They will always be quite active and incredibly loyal to you, following you everywhere most of the time. Cats, on the other hand, are not going to do that.

When you are just too busy and cannot give them the attention they need, a dog is not going to be the best pet for you. Now, a person who likes to have a friendly companion around who is always there will surely appreciate this with regards to dogs.

Now cats, to the contrary, want to be left alone and do not require as much attention as a dog does. They will want to cuddle with you every so often, but you really don't have to do too much for them.

When it comes to being active, dogs definitely need to get outside a lot during the day. The task of walking a dog will be enjoyed by you if you like to get out in the fresh air.

On the flip side, having an indoor cat means that you won't have to take it outside at all. Just maintain the litter box and you will not have to think about going outside.

When we are talking about life in the city, it does seem like dogs are higher maintenance than cats are. However, numerous people do indeed love dogs.

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The Benefits of Using Specalised Veterinary Pet Food

By Vincenet Violet

People who own pets consider them part of the family. In fact, most people who have a dog or cat consider them almost like their own children. Because of this, they want to ensure they have the best for their pets. They ensure regular veterinary checkups so their pets are healthy. They want to ensure their pet gets plenty of exercise and quality time with their owners.

In addition, they want to ensure they eat a healthy, balanced meal so their nutritional needs are not neglected. Using Royal Canin pet food as part of your pet's diet will help ensure this. They have a wide range of pet food products designed to maximise the health of your pet and they also have a vast store of knowledge regarding different breeds of pet and their needs.

What is Royal Canin?

Royal Canin was established in 1967 with an emphasis on nutrition for dogs and cats. Their developmental team concentrated not on what looked appealing to pet owners, but instead what was best for the pet. They have worked hard to study the nutritional requirements of both dogs and cats but they also take it one step further. In addition to researching nutritional needs of cats and dogs, they delve even further to determine any specific needs based on breed or characteristics of the pet. There are Royal Canin pet food products available for specific breeds, as well as various stages in development of the pet such as young pets through older pets or indoor and outdoor pets.

Why Addressing Specific Nutrition Needs are Important

Just as with people, pets are unique. Each pet has its own set of talents and advantages, as well as issues. There are particular breeds that are prone to specific medical issues that can be addressed with nutrition. Because of this, it is important to feed your pet, food that caters to their strengths and enhances any weaknesses they may have also. For example, puppies, adult dogs and older dogs have different nutritional requirements. A puppy needs food that is easier to digest and enhances their immune system. Adult dogs need food that will keep their energy up and older dogs may need food that assists with prevention of health problems. The same holds true for cats.

Pets may be indoor or outdoor. They may have some health problems. They may be under nourished or overweight. Pets start out as babies with different needs throughout their life span, as they grow to adulthood and then to maturity. It is important to address the specific needs of the dog through each phase of their life and one type of pet food will not be sufficient to address all of these needs.

The Solution for your Pet's Needs

In order to properly maintain the health of your pet, Royal Canin pet food has a solution for each stage of development. They have a full spectrum of both dog and cat foods that will address specific problems, specific breeds and developmental stages in life. Check with your veterinarian regularly on what problems your pet may have that can be addressed with their nutrition and then choose the food that best addresses these issues.

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How to Find Cheap Frontline

By Dave Tee

Frontline plus for Dogs and Cats is by far one of the best possible ways to ensure they stay free of fleas and also ticks, so let's take a look at how to get the best possible prices.

Here are a few great tips to ensure that you pay the absolute minimum price.

Firstly it is always cheaper to buy in as large a quantity as you possibly can. Although you are spending more in one go Frontline is always cheaper the larger the pack that you buy. It makes sense to buy a 12 month supply if at all possible. You save on packaging costs and also on shipping so it is always a much better deal for you.

But the main way to get the best price is to do price comparisons. Shop around and you will be amazed at the difference in cost from one store to the next. You can make some very large savings by checking out many different retailers and buying from the one with the lowest price but also the best customer service. Too many people simply buy only from a regular store that they always use, without checking to ensure that it is not actually better priced somewhere else.

This is the main reason why some sites continue to charge a lot yet still get sales. They rely on us not checking to see where else we could possibly buy from. Tale some time once a year or so to ensure that you are still paying the best price and your time will be rewarded. You could make some large savings and this means that you are much more likely to always use it when your pet needs it and also that you can then keep it in stock for when it may be needed as well. These few tips will help you get the best price Frontline plus possible.

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Crazy Animal Behavior

By Valerie Olmsted

Dog people are often puzzled by cat people and cat people have a hard time understanding why anyone would want a jumping, slobbering, stinky creature sharing such wonderfulness with them. General animal lovers wonder why anyone would question having either as a pet-they realize all pets are wonderful.

First of all, let's consider the reasons many people give for hating cats. The terms sneaky, ferocious, scary, evil, and untrustworthy are often used next to the word 'cat'. Usually the use of such terms comes from a childhood trauma or learned avoidance by association with one who has suffered a trauma. For those who have suffered trauma from dogs, the terms run to rabid, dangerous, fleabag, attack and killer, so cats are not the only animals hated and feared by some people.

In truth, animals are just like people in some regards. When they are frightened or abused, they become ferocious and attack anything that comes near them. If they are trained to be attack animals, all they know is to attack-either on command, or on anyone entering the premises. Animals learn behaviors from their human companions the same way the humans learn from their associations with other humans. The phrase "hanging out with a bad crowd" comes to mind.

Like humans, if animals hang out with people who teach them bad behaviors, they can become just as deranged and awful as humans. Whenever news of a terrible attack on humans surfaces, most of us who practice responsible animal care have a tendency to mutter: "Too bad the animal will be killed because of that-it's not the animal's fault, it's the owner's fault".

Hanging out with humans has created so much trauma to the psyche of animals that it birthed a whole new arena in animal services. Now we have pet psychics, pet detectives, pet psychologists, and pet spas-just to name a few. Volumes have been written about animal psychology and how it has changed due to human involvement (and not usually for the better).

One of the most fascinating angles on animal behavior comes from the Buddhist arena. Buddhists state that everything just wants to live life. As an example, they will point out the effect the intent to kill has on an insect. You can try this out yourself. The next time you see a spider, ant, or whatever kind of insect innocently going by, focus your intention on that particular insect and build up a murderous rage. Decide you are going to kill it, then watch what happens: the insect will get frantic as it is overcome by the fear of being murdered.

For people who think that no creature but man can think, therefore there is no reason to consider the feelings of other creatures, this little experiment can actually open the mind. The truth is, everything that is alive wants to live. Period. Everything that lives is programmed to seek life and avoid death, even viruses and bacteria.

So the next time you think about why animals are going crazy suddenly and doing inexplicable things, realize the answer as to 'why' may be as close as the humans the animal lives with. Kinda makes you go 'hmmmm', doesn't it

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