Foster care for cats and dogs – Pet tip 132

For many animal lovers, the idea of fostering a pet can be scary. To take on all of the responsibility, put in all of the work and time and energy and love, just to have to say goodbye—it can be …

Dogs in their golden years – elderly dogs – pet tip 141

Congratulations! Your dog has reached its golden years! After all those years of romping around, giving you love and giving you a hard time, it is now time for your dog to slow down the pace a little bit. This …

Tip 65 – Cat games – playing with your cat

Unlike most domestic dogs that get at least one or two walks a day, some good petting and attention, most house cats are under stimulated. They stay inside all day long (read the advantages here) and do almost nothing except …

FIV – Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

We are all familiar with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in people. HIV suppresses the immune system of affected individuals and results in a chronic illness that eventually progresses to AIDS, a fatal …

Intervertebral Disc Disease – IVDD in Dogs

Do you have a Dachshund, Beagle, Shi Tzu, Lhasa Apso, or Pekingese? These, and other breeds of dogs are at a higher risk of developing a back problem called “intervertebral disc disease” (IVDD). Animals with IVDD show back or neck pain and tend to have trouble walking and doing normal daily activities. The signs of IVDD can be gradual or can be so sudden that your dog may go from being normal to being unable to walk within one day.

When you run your hand over your dog’s back, you should be able to feel the spine which is a long bony structure running from the back of the head all the way to the tip of the tail.

Tip 53 – Dog sticks its head out the car window – Car travel with your dog.

Many people travel with their dogs in the car and we often see dogs with their heads sticking out the window. Although the dog does enjoy this, it is not recommended at all. Passing cars or busses can approach too …

What is a Dog Whisperer – Pet tip 215

These days you hear a lot about the term ‘dog whisperer’ and most people associate the term with one particular dog trainer, Cesar Milan. Many people think that he created the term when in fact this is false. The term dog whisperer is actually a term borrowed from horse training, where certain trainers or horse whisperers seemed to be able to get horses to calm down and accept training or accept a rider on their backs. Their methods were often ‘quiet’ (as opposed to more traditional punitive techniques) to an observer as these trainers seemed to get results from quiet whispers. These days though, the term has been diluted and many people use the term loosely.

Bored Dogs and Cats – Pet tip 196

Even though many pet owners realize that they aren’t spending enough time with their pets, and that their pets are becoming bored, some pet owners are at a loss as to how to rectify the situation. If your cat or …

Fever in cats and dogs

Fever in Dogs – Cats – Pet tip 212

When it comes to determining if your cat or dog is sick, one of the key things to check for is fever. Although it’s simple to determine if your pet has …

Acupuncture for Pets

Veterinary Acupuncture

Despite the fact many of its practices are thousands of years old, Eastern, or non-traditional, medicine is becoming more popular today than ever. Acupuncture is one specialized facet of non-traditional medicine that not only entered the mainstream; it’s …