Natural Pet Health

Cats are playful animals. If you are planning to get one, you should know the basics about house cat care.

The moment the cat is brought into the house, you should give it his or her own room for the time being with food, water and a bed. If it has not yet been toilet trained, you should start teaching it so there are no stains in the carpet.

Teaching the cat how to use the litter box can initially be done by carrying it to the box when nature calls. When you see the cat is able to do it, praise and reward your pet so they know that this is the right to do.

The exact dimension of the litter box depends on the size of the cat. This must be cleaned naturally using soap and water not disinfectant.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

A lot of people would like to know the answer to the question whether dogs can get common colds like humans or not. Dogs do develop symptoms like a runny dog nose, Sneezing and cough.

Although all the above mentioned symptoms sound like the common cold in humans, most of the time the condition that is diagnosed is a viral, bacterial or fungal infection in the canine respiratory system. Symptoms resembling common cold should not be shrugged away even though some of the conditions are self limiting and go away on their own.

Sometimes these symptoms, especially if accompanied by fever, can be indicative of serious ailments like the highly infectious dog flu (canine influenza virus) or Canine Distemper. These ailments can eventually lead to pneumonia if not treated.

Some of the symptoms of canine cold may include:
-    Chronic cough.
-    Hacking cough that throws up phlegm.
-    Yellowish green nasal discharge.
-    Loss of appetite.
-    Watery Eyes.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

If Cancer was treatable with conventional Cancer therapies it would have ceased to be a dreaded disease. The fact, however, is that Cancer is as frightening today as it was when it first became known to medical science.

The irony is that patients are compelled to submit to therapies that we know are not extremely efficient. In addition, conventional cancer therapies for canines are tantamount to poisoning your dog. These conventional therapies are as fearful as the disease itself. To make matters worse there is no true freedom of choice because alternative therapies are denied approval due to lack of institutional support.

The fact sheet of cancer in dogs is that Canine Cancer is basically a disease that has been created due to prolonged captivity. Domestic dogs live much longer than they otherwise would if left in the wild. While advancement in medical science has increased the life expectancy of our pets, we have failed miserably to protect them from the abuses of technological advancement.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

If you are a dog lover, you may feel that one dog is not enough. However, before you add a second dog to your household, there are a few important points you should consider.

First, you may want to consider your dog’s nature. If your beloved pet is a bit of a bully and the new dog isn’t submissive, there are going to be some major battles before they sort out which dog is in charge. Sometimes, two dogs are equally dominant and these battles flare up again and again.

By the time you visit your veterinarian for the fourth or fifth time to have their battle scars treated, you may be regretting the purchase of a second dog.

If your dog is very submissive, you may also have problems, as the new dog could bully your first dog and make his life miserable. Hopefully, you have a dog that does not lean too far in either direction.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Tracheobronchitis or Kennel Cough in canines is mostly caused by exposure to an infected dog or dogs. It is characterized by Inflammation of the respiratory tract, which causes symptoms like a dry cough, Sneezing, snorting, and sometimes nasal discharge.

The infection usually occurs in crowded places where infected dogs may be present.

Unless it is a severe condition, Kennel Cough in dogs is a self limiting condition and the symptoms tend to disappear within a fortnight. However, it is better to take preventive measures since Kennel Cough can lead to serious conditions like pneumonia.

Although a bit impractical, the best prevention is to limit exposure to other dogs that may be infected. The next best option is Vaccination.

If your dog has been vaccinated with a standard 5-way or 7-way vaccine there are chances that he is already protected from several viral agents such as parainfulenza and adenovirus, the common viruses causing kennel cough.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Colds are bothersome both for humans and cats but Cat Colds are different from common colds, the characteristically seasonal illness that humans experience.

The difference lies in the fact that common colds are not dangerous for humans but they can prove to be the harbinger of serious infections in cats.

If the cold has been caused due to a virus that is producing cold-like symptoms of Watery Eyes and nose, Sneezing and coughing, then the only care that you can provide for your cat is to symptomatic treatment as there is no drug that is effective against viruses.

The infectious viral agent must live its course for the infection to disappear. The rule of the thumb to distinguish between viral and Bacterial Infections is that the nasal discharge in the latter is thick, opaque and yellowish green in color.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

A vast majority of dogs can be put under anesthesia safely for dental cleaning but that does not mean that anesthetizing a dog, or for that matter does not carry any risk.

At the same time it is also equally dangerous to let plaque and tartar accumulate on teeth and gums. Build up of tartar is responsible for simple symptoms like Bad Breath to serious dental diseases including Gingivitis and periodontitis.

Cleaning dog teeth is an essential part of dog grooming and your pet’s teeth should ideally be cleaned daily if you want to avoid any dental complications. There is a huge range of products, manual as well as electric, that is available in the market that you can use to clean your dogs’ teeth at home.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

It may be hard for a pet owner to notice a pet cat getting older. Outside, pet cats may show the same things- playing with Toys around the home, taking naps sprawled on a favorite spot inside the home, snuggle up with you on the sofa. But inside, it might be a whole different thing.  And health care for cats as they get older may change a little bit.

When caring for an Aging cat, there are some things that a concerned pet owner should know about. When a cat approaches somewhere between the ages of eight or 12 years, this is the equivalent of a human being approaching middle age. This will be the time that your cat may be needing a bit of extra attention.

Most veterinarians generally estimate that cats start their geriatric years when they reach 12 years. This will be the time that caring for your cat would have to change to accommodate the needs that Aging brings.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Like other domesticated animals, your guinea pig needs exercise to help keep him strong, and to help keep his weight under control. Unfortunately, your guinea pig may not be getting the exercise that he needs in order to remain in good health.

The first problem is typically that the guinea pig does not have ample room in his pen. You could literally fill his pen with hundreds of dollars of Toys, but he still won’t get proper exercise. What he needs is space. He should have plenty of space to run around.

A popular activity among guinea pigs is running as fast as they can around the interior walls of the pen. If there are too many Toys or other items in the way, he is prevented from doing this.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

by By Pamela Nations-Weissman (Courtesy of Mountain Rose Herbs)

Many people do not realize that there are numerous herbal and Homeopathic Remedies that can save them thousands of dollars on their veterinary bills. This is not to say that I feel that traditional veterinary procedures are not important. In fact, I believe in achieving balance in all areas of life, including working hand in hand - or should I say hand in paw - with your veterinarian.

The point is that by expanding our knowledge of simple herbal and Homeopathic Remedies and knowing when and how to use them properly, we can save money, time and avoid the unnecessary Stress that countless trips to the vet’s office can cause to our sensitive pets.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!