A Review of Cat Fancy Magazine
July 31, 2008
Occasionally, some of us get to do work that is totally fun and such is the case with my assignment to review Cat Fancy Magazine. My own two Bengal cats volunteered to assist with my research but in the end both of them were found sleeping on the job.
A recent issue of Cat Fancy Magazine estimated that, based on the latest surveys, there are approximately 90 million cats in the United States. Thus, it is indeed fortunate for those of us who own these ‘purrfect’ animals to have Cat Fancy Magazine available as our own resource. Every issue of this magazine contains delightful sections such as: Purrs and Hisses (letters from readers), the Cat Calendar (who, what, when, where), In the Mews, What’s New Pussycat, and other zany sections that make reading each issue a pure pleasure. One of my favorite browse sections of the magazine is the Breeder Directory. It contains about twenty pages of information organized by breed to help anyone quickly find additional resources of interest. The Cat Clinic ? Ask the Vet section of Cat Fancy Magazine contains very important and helpful tips regarding the health of your pet.
Ticks On Your Dog: What to Do?
July 30, 2008
Once though of as a mere harmless but annoying pest, ticks are of growing concern for their Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease-carrying ability. Learn the facts, and keep your dog tick and disease-free.
Ticks are a despicable lot of parasitic bloodsuckers. They bide their time in wooded areas, stay close to ground level and wait for an unsuspecting mammal to shuffle on by so they can descend upon him and sink those nasty little teeth in for a long meal of blood, blood and more blood. Once a tick has embedded itself into your dog, it will hang on indefinitely, taking in copious amounts of blood until it is bloated and gorged. If you find a corn kernel-like object hanging from your dog’s ear or elsewhere on his body that turns out to have legs, it’s probably a tick that’s been feasting for hours. Remove it immediately, check your dog thoroughly for more ticks, and then call your veterinarian for further direction and advice.
Check Your Dog Regularly for Ticks
The Dreaded Vet Visit: 5 Ways to Comfort Your Dog
July 29, 2008
Uh-oh, it’s that time again. The dreaded vet visit, and Barkley will be whimpering all the way. It’s days like this when you wish your dog understood English, so you could tell him, “Hey, even though scary people in white lab coats are sticking needles in you and shaving you in weird places, it’s going to be okay. I’m here for you, buddy.”
But since you can’t offer your dog peace of mind with comforting words on the day of his Hated Trip to the Vet’s Office, you can at least offer him some familiar comforts. Here are five ways to bring back the love in those fearful doggy eyes and keep that stubby tail wagging.
1. Take your fella out for an extra long walk. If a scheduled vet visit means you can’t promise him a nice afternoon, at least give him an enjoyable morning of being out and about in the great outdoors. Fill his doggy mind with happy memories of blue skies, open roads, cool breezes and chipmunk chasing. He’ll soon forget all about those frightening yowls he heard from the cat carrier at the vet’s office!
Garbage-Raiding Dogs: One Simple Solution to the Problem
July 28, 2008
Got a mischevious mutt on your hands? Then you may know this scenario. You walk in the door and your pal greets you with elated tail wagging, wiggling and sloppy doggy kisses. Then suddenly, he’s overcome with a guilty look and it’s off to cower behind the couch. Uh-oh. You know what this means. Sure enough, a telltale trail of eggshells, coffee grinds, grease stains and tattered wrappers leads you to the scene of the crime: the kitchen. Your dog’s done it again, raided the garbage.
You’ve tried whacking him, you’ve tried gating him, you’ve put him in dog house solitary for a few hours as punishment. Still, no matter how much you holler and scold, your dog’s still up to his no-good hijinks with that darned kitchen trash pail every time you leave the house. What’s a frustrated dog owner to do?
First of all, let’s think about who we’re dealing with here. It’s a DOG. He might be your lovable pal, and at times he seems smarter than your husband, but the truth is, here’s an animal that’s at least two steps down on the food chain. Just remembering that fact alone may help you realize that your dog does not have advanced reasoning capacity.
Choose a Vet Who Cares About Your Pet!
July 28, 2008
Lots of folks are picky about their vet, and for good reason. You don’t want some insensitive clod messing around with your precious pooch, especially if he or she is in a fragile state due to illness or injury. It goes without saying that your vet should be a certified expert in the field of animal medicine. But it’s also just as important to find a veterinarian who truly loves animals, and who will be sensitive to the needs of both you and your dog. If you feel unsure about your vet for any reason, it’s worth investigating your options to find a new vet who you really like!
What should you look for when choosing a vet?
1. Someone who is understanding, yet impartial. There will be times in your pet’s life where you’ll have to make tough and costly decisions on his behalf. Your vet should be an understanding pillar of strength and support; someone who can empathise during such trying times, without pushing you into anything you’re not ready for or comfortable with.
2. A vet who practices preventive medicine. The best veterinarians practice and encourage preventive medicine… routine checkups, treatments and follow-ups that can nip a small health problem in the bud before it becomes a big (and expensive) one down the road.
Does Your Dog Need Puppy Prozac?
July 27, 2008
Is your dog up to dirty no good again? Did he eat your socks? Knock your drink off the coffee table? Chew through your favorite vintage record album? Should you invest in Doggy Prozac? Should you think about dropping him off at the local pound?
Goodness no. There’s a reason why your dog’s been behaving badly. It could be that he’s not getting enough attention.
Remember when he was just a little pup? Oh, you couldn’t wait to get home from work each day, so you could tumble around on the rug together, go for a jog around town on a sunny day, show him off to cute girls at the mall.
Now what’s he get? A five-minute bathroom break with just enough time to get a quick sniff of the front lawn… with you yelling “Baxter, get in here!” at him the whole time? That’s no fun! If you were Baxter, how would you feel if you waited around all day for your pal to get home, and then when your pal finally showed up all he did was crack open a beer and throw himself on the couch?
Ear Mites in Dogs: Quite Earritating
July 26, 2008
Does your dog have that sheepish look? It could be that he’s embarrassed of his ear mite problem! All this time you thought he just had a bad case of ear wax like your Uncle Henry, when really he’s been suffering from an annoying condition that’s itching like mad… not to mention, making him wildly unpopular with the other dogs in the neighborhood! Pretty earritating.
Lots of dogs pick up ear mites, so tell your pup that it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Ear mites are easily transmitted from animal to animal. Your dog may have contracted them from just about anywhere… another dog in the household, the family cat, or even that Weimeraner he was cavorting with in the dog park last week.
If you think your dog may have somehow picked up ear mites, be on the lookout for the following symptoms:
- Scratching - Pawing at the ears - Redness and irritation - Thick, black earwax
The Truth About Dog Food
July 25, 2008
These days, it’s hard to know what decisions are the best ones for our beloved pets. So much information, so many conflicting theories and opinions! When it comes to dog food, is wetter better? Or should you give dry a try?
In this article, I’m not going to tell you what to feed your dog. That’s something that should be decided on by you, and based on the recommendation of your vet. But it helps to know the facts before making a decision, and here are some things you may not have known about what’s really in that can of mutt meal or bag of kibble.
1. Dog food was invented to make use of “food waste” that’s deemed unfit for humans. Back in the old days, dogs ate the same things that humans ate: meat, vegetables and grains from the family meals. Then came food processing plants, and a set of FDA standards that had to be met for human consumption. When the government realized the amount of grain and meat that was being wasted in these processing plants, they decided to package it in cans and bags and market it as “Dog Food.” Advertising did a great job of telling the public, “This is the ideal diet for your dog!”
Choosing Between Dog Training Schools and Animal Behavior Specialists
July 24, 2008
If you are having behavioral issues with your dog that you cannot seem to resolve on your own, getting professional help is an excellent idea. However, there are two different kinds of professionals that can help you with your situation: a Dog Training School, and an Animal Behavior Specialist. Which one is right for you and your pet?
The answer to this question lies in whether or not the behavior that the dog is exhibiting is normal, or explainable. For instance, if a dog is threatened in a violent manner (horrible to think about, but it does happen), then it would be appropriate for the dog to bite in retaliation. However, if a dog starts biting you after you feed him a treat, this isn’t as easily explained. In this second situation, you’d want to access an Animal Behavior Specialist to get some help, instead of one of the many readily available Dog Training Schools.
Most behavioral issues with dogs are related to pet owners who aren’t aware as to how to manage their dogs. For instance, jumping on people or things, pulling on their leash, not listening or responding to commands or eliminating in the home are all management issues. These can normally be treated with obedience training through a Dog Training School.
The Right Way to Use Electronic Dog Training Collars
July 23, 2008
As with every training tool used to modify a behavior in your pet, electronic dog training collars need to be used correctly in order to be effective.
Some dog owners buy an electronic dog training collar because their pooch doesn’t follow orders consistently, or at all. As soon as they get home, they strap it on, expecting some sort of miracle. And when doggie decides to do something special, like growl at another dog, his owner zaps the animal.
However, with no conditioning, the dog won’t know what to do, and will immediately be scared. What he’ll learn from this process is not to stop growling, but instead, how to avoid the pain. Quickly he’ll figure out one of probably three different methods of avoidance:
? RUN as far and as fast as he can, until the zapping stops;
? FREEZE and do nothing until the zapping stops; or
? FIND his owner.
None of these three responses to the electronic dog training collar, however, teach the dog anything new. If anything, they reinforce more bad behavior: if he RUNS, or FREEZES, he learns an avoidance technique of the pain, but doesn’t change the behavior, or he FINDS his owner, and starts to associate safety with the owner’s presence, and loses his independence.
