Natural Pet Health

The condition of the skin and coat is an indicator of the general health of your pet. Other than specific skin conditions like cat dandruff and feline acne or serious immune mediated cat and dog skin problems, internal health issues also reflect on the skin and coat of your pet.

Most of these health conditions lead to canine and feline hair loss. The situation is more challenging if you have a canine pet since most reeds shed hair naturally to a large extent during certain times of the year. Natural hair loss combined with hair loss due to ailments can pose a major problem for pet owners. Cleaning floors, carpets and furniture can become a more arduous task than it already is. Vacuum cleaners are the obvious choice for house cleaning but many times it has been noticed that the cat and dog hair do not get completely sucked up by the machine. Some useful tips for removing pet hair can save you time and money.

With a vacuum cleaner.

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Cortisol is often referred to as a ‘stress hormone’. This is because its secretion by the adrenal glands is related to the stress factor. In addition it also affects blood pressure, blood sugar and is vital to the immunosuppressive actions of the dog’s body. The synthetic form of cortisol, known as hydrocortisone, is used to treat inflammatory diseases, allergic reactions and to supplement deficiencies of the endogenous cortisol.

Levels of cortisol in the body change according to the need of the body. They also vary according to the day-night cycle - the levels are at their peak early in the morning and lowest about 2 to 3 hours after sleep time. Damages to the pituitary or adrenal glands can disturb the production of the hormone to cause conditions like Cushings disease (hyperadrenocorticism) and Addison’s disease that require immediate attention of the dog owners. These glands are the two endocrinal glands that are vital to endogenous production of cortisol in the body.

Although the signs of both are the same, medical experts tend to differentiate Cushings disease in a dog from Cushings syndrome. The former refers specifically to a tumor in the pituitary gland that causes an excess of the hormone, ACTH in the body. Cushings disease in a dog is referred to as secondary hyperadrenocorticism in dogs.

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It’s summertime, and the living isn’t always easy for our animal companions. Dogs and cats can suffer from the same problems that humans do—overheating, dehydration and even sunburn — when the mercury rises. By taking these simple precautions, you can keep your animal companions happy and healthy in the hot weather:

* Exercise your dog in the cool of the early morning or evening—never when it’s extremely hot or humid. Take care not to let your dog stand on hot asphalt, as his sensitive paw pads can easily burn.

* Provide plenty of shade and cool, clean water for animals kept outdoors. And during the hottest part of the day, please bring your cat or dog inside to rest in a cool part of the house.

* Never leave your animal alone in a vehicle. Overheating can be fatal. Even with the doors open, a parked automobile can become a furnace in no time. Parking in the shade offers little protection, as the sun shifts during the day.

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by Tabitha Alterman, Mother Earth News Associate Editor

Winter is a tough time for us all, but it can be especially hard on pets. Here are a few tips for protecting your pets this winter:

* Keep pets indoors as much as possible during cold weather. Like humans, animals can get frostbite.
* If a dog stays outside for the winter, it is important to provide an insulated home. Line the floor with cedar shavings or straw to ensure warmth. Check water often to make sure it has not frozen.
* If your dog begins to shiver when you’re out for a walk, bring it inside immediately.
* Trim the long hair on the bottom of pets’ feet to prevent ice balls from forming.
* Road salt and other de-icing chemicals are damaging to pets’ paws, and can be hazardous if ingested; wash your pets’ paws after being outdoors. Use sand or a nontoxic alternative to salt when dealing with icy sidewalks.
* Antifreeze is a poison, yet its sweet taste unfortunately attracts curious animals. Always clean any spills thoroughly. Or try a safer alternative, such as antifreeze made with propylene glycol.
* Cats and wildlife seek shelter from warmth by crawling into available covered spaces, including vehicles. Banging on the hood of your car before starting the engine should scare out any stowaways.
* Our smaller friends, such as birds, hamsters and guinea pigs, can be chilled if their cages are kept in drafty areas. Keep cages away from doors and windows in winter.

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NEW YORK (AP) — SuNae Martz is a 10-year-old jetsetter who’s crisscrossed the globe more than once. The catch: SuNae is a dog — a fluffy white coton de tulear, to be exact.

Her owner, Gayle Martz, takes her everywhere she flies, from Paris to New York to Los Angeles. But SuNae doesn’t fly in the belly of the plane like common cargo. She’s first class, in the cabin under Martz’s seat.

“I don’t check my jewelry, and SuNae is my most precious jewel,” said Martz, a former flight attendant-turned entrepreneur who created and sells a soft-sided pet carrier, the Sherpa Bag.

SuNae is one of a half-million pets that fly each year, according to statistics complied by the U.S. Department of Transportation. But not all airlines permit pets to fly in the cabin, and other policies vary too.

Some airlines charge to bring pets in the cabin; some don’t. Some airlines restrict the travel of short-nosed animals, like Persian cats and pugs, which have shorter nasal passages that make breathing difficult at higher altitudes. Most also don’t allow pets to travel as cargo in temperatures below 20 degrees and above 85 degrees.

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Pets are fun to play with. Once inside your home, they become members of the family. However, as they are not in their natural habitat, proximity to human population results in infections for which they need cure. The fact that dogs cannot communicate and express the discomfort that they feel when they get sick makes it essential that we make sure that we observe them carefully to be able to spot an impending disease close to onset to be able to tackle it.

In most of the cases pet owners have to go to great length to discover whether the pet they have so lovingly brought up needs medication or is simply behaving as per his nature.

Once it is established that your pet needs medical attention the only recourse that automatically comes to mind is that of consulting a veterinarian. Many times you might perceive that the more you try to suppress an illness by excessive doses of drugs, the more the illness expresses itself with greater vigor. Strong medication often leads to health imbalances and chronic diseases and start affecting vital organ functions.

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Dog collars are one of the few indulgences for a dog lover. Though dog collars are an absolute necessity, they can also be a fashionable extravagance. Dog collars make the dog stand out in the crowd. A unique dog collar can really draw attention to the dog and the owner.

Today, there are many different kinds of dog collars available. They range from simple and practical leather collars to fancy, personalized collars for that unique look.

There are many companies that are designing unique collars for all kinds of dogs. These include nylon collars, cotton collars, metallic collars, leather collars, handmade collars, woven collars, foam collars, gold, silver or platinum collars, beaded collars, stone-studded collars and so on. Based on the purpose, dog collars can be categorized as adjustable collars, washable collars, training collars, no-bark collars, reflective collars, electric collars, waterproof collars, talking collars and others.

Some common designs include plaid, polka dots, python prints, crocodile prints, animal prints, tuxedo style, denim, bandana, mink, bone, bow collar, slide collars, metallic collection, beaded, velvet, and those with unique designs such as MLB, NLF, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Eagles and so on.

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“Come on Marc, it’s time for a hike, or dinner, or a belly rub.” I was constantly on call for Inuk, my companion dog - a huge white malamute - with whom I shared my home for thirteen years. And as he got older it became clear that our lives together would soon be over. The uninhibited and exuberant wagging of his huge tail that cooled me in the summer, occasionally knocked glasses off the table, and told me how happy he was, would soon stop. What should I do - let him live in misery or help him die peacefully and with dignity? It was my call and a hard one at that.

Dogs trust us unconditionally. It’s great to be trusted and loved, and no one does it better than dogs. Inuk was no exception. But along with trust and love come many serious responsibilities and difficult moral choices. I find it easiest to think about dog trust in terms of what they expect from us. They have great faith in us; they expect we’ll always have their best interests in mind, that we’ll care for them and make them as happy as we can. Indeed, we welcome them into our homes as family members, sometimes better.

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Remember: In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less
2. Don’t ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don’t hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don’t smoke or drink
8. Don’t have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don’t want to wear your clothes
10. Don’t need a “gazillion” dollars for college.

And finally,

11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

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To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don’t.
2. If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That’s why they call it “fur”niture. )
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it’s an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn’t speak clearly.

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