Kids that Want a Dog- Pet tip 185

This scenario gets played out time and time again throughout households in North America and the rest of the world. One or more of the kids want a puppy or a dog and parents have mixed emotions about the whole …

Dog Tricks – Dog Training Level 2

Once you’ve mastered basic dog tricks (people call them dog tricks but many of these are part of obedience training) such as “sit” and ‘”lie down” you can easily move onto other dog tricks. Some dog tricks are really just for fun and for bonding with your dog, but other dog tricks are really important. These ‘tricks’ can save your dog from injury or worse.

COME

Another extremely important command is the ‘come’ command. It is most important when you want your dog to come to you in case of an emergency, like before he/she runs onto a dangerous road. You want your dog to come to you under any circumstance, so it is important to associate the ‘come’ command with positive rewards and use it in as many situations as possible. For example, use the command to call the dog while he/she is playing in the dog park. Instead of using the come command only to end the play session, reward the dog and then allow him/her to return to his/her friends. The dog will then realize that by coming to you, his/her play session will not necessarily end.

Kidney Failure in Cats

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is a progressive and irreversible deterioration of kidney function. It is one of the most common health problems affecting cats, and is a leading cause of death in elderly felines. There are a number of different …

Dog Diarrhea – Cat Diarrhea

Diarrhea – cats and dogs that have diarrhea – Answered by Dr. Goldberg

Diarrhea – cats and dogs – General rule of thumb

When should you be concerned about a dog that has diarrhea? With any blood or mucous, there …

Tip – 24 – Picking up a cat – How to pick up and hold a cat or kitten

In general it is best for humans not to pick up kittens before they are 2 weeks old. From 2 – 4 weeks old only brief handling is recommended, as this often puts stress on the cat and the mother. …

Acne in Cats – Feline Acne – Pet tip 192

Although many cat owners are surprised when they hear the diagnosis, it’s true; cats can get acne and the condition is aptly called feline acne. Cat owners usually notice that something is going on when they notice small back-heads or …

Should I Clip My Bird’s Wings

Are you a new bird owner? Perhaps you are unsure about what kind of regular care your bird will need. Of course you need to feed and love it, but did you know that many bird owners choose to have their bird’s wings clipped? Wing clipping is one of the most controversial topics in pet bird ownership. In this article, we will discuss how wing clipping is done and what information you need to know before making this decision.

Although the thought of clipping a pet bird’s wings is horrendous to some bird owners, clipping is a very common procedure done to pet birds. It is done to prevent the bird from flying away and from flying into harmful household objects like windows and ceiling fans.  The idea behind wing clipping is to cut the “primary feathers”. Primary feathers are the long feathers that are closer to the wing tip. These feathers are very important for the bird’s ability to fly and to steer while flying. Some people will clip (cut) only one wing. When this is done, it is believed that the bird will not be able to fly, but will instead float down to the ground in a spiral.

Spaying – Neutering Cats and Dogs

Early spays and neuters is the sterilization of puppies or kittens at 6 to 14 weeks of age, before they are sexually mature. The traditional age for spaying and neutering is 6 to 7 months of age. The concept of …

Digestion and Vomiting in Cats and Dogs

In a normal, healthy animal, it takes about 7-10 hours for a meal to be completely digested and absorbed. The beginning of this process starts when you see your dog or cat enjoying their meal. After being chewed a few …

Pet Rats and Tumors

As pets, rats can be a great alternative to owning dogs or cats. However, they are not without their own set of health problems, one of the most common of which is tumors.

Before we start talking about the different …