Natural Pet Health

Caring for common pet health ailments

While we’d all love to turn back the clock and have our pets puppies and kittens again (fully potty-trained, of course!), unfortunately, they too must deal with the same aging process that we experience. However, there are common conditions that you can help control by implementing preventative health care measures.

In addition, addressing slight problems right away can lead to reduced costs in long-term care, as many diseases are potentially preventable. As diseases advance, the cost of treatment also increases. Therefore, early detection and regular maintenance can go a long way to building a strong foundation for your pet’s health.

Arthritis

Signs to watch for: A decline in energy levels, stiffness, and/or difficulty rising.

Why it’s important: Pain can decrease your pet’s mobility as well as cause changes in conduct—leading to potentialy uncharacteristic “snappy” behavior. Thus, managing your pet’s pain levels is very important not only for his or her comfort, but your safety (and those around you).

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Kennel cough in dogs is as common as common cold in humans. If you have ever consulted a specialist before boarding your dog in a kennel, you would probably remember that you were advised to get your dog vaccinated.

Kennel cough is a highly contagious disease that can infect an entire kennel in a matter of days. Dogs can pick up infection from other places like dog shows, training classes, veterinarian clinics or from stray dogs when you take him out for a walk.

Kennel cough in canines is caused by bacteria or viruses or a combination of both. The most common infectious agents are bordetella bronchiseptica (bacteria) and parainfluenza and adenovirus (viruses). Besides, other pathogenic agents like mycoplasma may also cause kennel cough in dogs.

Mycoplasmas are small parasitic bacteria that can survive without oxygen and cause pneumonia as well as infections of the urinary tract. The initial symptoms of dry cough in puppies and adult dogs surface after the incubation period of the agent causing the infection has been completed. This ranges from three to seven days.

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Arrange your puppy training to be easier and more enjoyable by comprehending that your puppy is making an effort to connect with you in further ways than barking or wiggling his tail. Keep in mind, your puppy also tries to communicate with his ears, paws, tail, mouth and more and your puppy teaching and day to day life with your dog will be to a large extent more enjoyable.

Here are a few guidelines to some fundamental body language of your dog and its meaning:

Dominant – You will come across that a dominant dog will have the ears directly up or frontward, its mouth a little open or closed, its eyes wide open or looking intently, its body standing rigid and tall with hackles perhaps lifted up, and its tail out from the body rigid or plumped up. A low down and aggressive bark can frequently be anticipated.

Friendly - A friendly dog has upraised ears, open and watchful eyes, a calm mouth, the whole rear end or tail wagging, and perhaps whining, yelping or giving out small barking sounds.

Playful - A bended over pose with the tail wagging implies, “come, let us play.”

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Is your ferret ill? While some illnesses are common to ferrets, and are fatal, not all illnesses that your ferret may get are fatal. He may have even caught something from you!

Yes, it’s true; ferrets are subject to our germs, unlike dogs and cats. If you are down with the flu, it is perfectly acceptable for your dog or cat to lie in bed with you and help comfort you – but if you have a ferret, you need to either quarantine yourself – or quarantine the ferret! If you don’t, not only will he be suffering with the flu, but he will also spread the flu bug back to you while you are caring for him! The same is true with the common cold – your ferret can catch it, and give the germs back to you as well.

Sometimes, a ferret may get a parasite that will cause diarrhea or vomiting. While anytime your ferret shows signs of diarrhea or vomiting, he should be checked out by the veterinarian, most illnesses that cause this will pass with time. The important thing is that you keep a close eye on him and make sure that he is getting plenty of fluids.

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While your pet may initiate certain behaviors regarding eating habits and exercise, through the evolution of domestication, many of these normal processes fall under the influence of our hands. Therefore, making just a few tweaks in routine may greatly benefit your pet’s overall health and well-being.

There is much that can be done to support a healthy immune system in pets. Here are a few tips:

• Avoid exposure to toxins and chemicals as much as possible.
• Don’t expose your pet to second hand cigarette smoke.
• Give your pet a healthy varied diet – making sure to include lots of raw meat, fresh vegetables and fruit.
• Use natural remedies known to support immune system functioning –Echinacea, astragalus, goldenseal, elder and garlic have played a significant role in maintaining a healthy immune system.
• Ginseng is most suited for improving liver function, regenerating liver cells and ensuring general immunity against disease.
• As always, lots of exercise - the benefits are multiple both for you and your pet!
• Use Immunity & Liver Support™ capsules to boost your pet’s immune functioning and resistance against disease and infection.

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So, you’ve decided to get a pet.

But you don’t know what kind yet.

You leave the comfort of your home sweet home and go to the local pet shop.  After looking at several types of dogs, cats, birds, and even fish, you suddenly realize that you want something out of the ordinary; something that would definitely turn heads.  

You look around, wary that you might not find the perfect pet, when suddenly you chance upon a tank or two of very green lizards with dewlaps hanging from their chins.  Some are just hatchlings, while others look somewhat old.  You get excited and want to know what the animals are.  You ask the clerk or pet shop owner about them.  He/she tells you.

He/she also gives other interesting information, like the reptiles came from Peru, Surinam, Honduras, Columbia, or Mexico; there are more than 700 species of these animals; or the lizards are called “Bamboo Chicken” in some places.

You listen more and nod your head in agreement while telling yourself that you must get this animal for a pet.  At long last, you tell yourself.  You’ve found the pet of your dreams – the iguana.

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As a pet owners, we come to expect mishaps now and then—a wetting accident after being left alone too long, changed behavior in a new environment, stomach upset after a new food—but sometimes, unavoidable and seemingly inexplicable triggers can send even the most composed animal into a frenzy.

For instance, many animals experience anxiety during thunderstorms and fireworks. Animals may cower, hide under the bed, tremble, or exhibit nervous behavior. However, sometimes the response can be disproportionate to the situation or result from an unlikely trigger such as beeping from an electronic device, a hair dryer, or a vacuum cleaner.

Veterinary behaviorists estimate that up to 20 percent of dog owners (and an imprecise but similar estimation for cats) seek professional help for their pet’s severe noise phobias. Extreme animal behaviors may include self-mutilation, indoor defecation, and/or damage to furniture or surroundings.

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While your pet may initiate certain behaviors regarding eating habits and exercise, through the evolution of domestication, many of these normal processes fall under the influence of our hands. Therefore, making just a few tweaks in routine may greatly benefit your pet’s overall health and well-being.

• Do not change diet suddenly, but slowly introduce fresh, raw and unprocessed food into your pet’s daily diet, while reducing commercial foods and foods with little nutritious value.

• Keep diet varied and interesting, but watch out for foods that your pet may be allergic to.

• Regular exercise helps to build up a healthy appetite and gets all organs in the body functioning well. It also helps to relieve stress and contributes to a healthy, happy pet!

• Animals need time outdoors where they can naturally seek out herbs that will help them maintain the health of their digestive system. All carnivorous animals, including dogs and cats, will naturally induce vomiting from time to time as a cleansing process to get rid of excess bile, mucus and other impurities. They do this by eating plants which will induce purging. This is healthy and animals should not be reprimanded for it!

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From kids to seniors, pet ownership benefits abound

According to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, 63% of U.S. households own a pet, which equates to 71.1 millions homes. But do you occasionally take your cuddly companion for granted? Chances are, work, family, and other obligations interfere with time spent enjoying simple pleasures with your pooch or kitty… but taking a moment to appreciate their benefits to our lives is worth doing now and then.

Most pets’ demands are quite small, requiring basics like food, shelter, veterinary care, and companionship. Compared to the immense health benefits they bring to us—including emotional support, lowered blood pressure and stress levels, and unconditional affection and friendship, it’s no wonder we grow attached.

There’s no doubt that pets live for the moment, coping with life’s ups and downs and then dismissing them. The innocence and trust of a companion pet help us to be less cynical. This positive attitude is particularly important for the elderly.

According to a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, caring for a dog or cat also serves as a buffer against isolation, depression, and loneliness in elderly people.

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Theories to explain this unusual behavior

While it may be alarming to see Fido or Fluffy nibbling on the front lawn or a houseplant, it shouldn’t be a cause for concern unless the grass or plant was recently treated with pesticide, fertilizer, or another poisonous chemical. Both dogs and cats from time to time may take an interest in grass or similar substances, each for different purposes that can actually benefit their bodies.

Dogs tend to self-medicate their bodies and regulate behavior through occasional ingestion of plants, as the diets they often receive in captivity are vastly different than what they would eat in the wild. Dogs are not simply carnivorous, and can be often seen hunting for roots and fruits. Since dogs evolved from wolves, in the wild, wolves and dogs may eat an herbivore prey that they have killed, and often first go for the stomach area of the carcass where they will find roots, leaves and berries.

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