The Importance of Heartworm Prevention in Dogs and Cats

An ounce of prevention really can save your pet’s life when it comes to this parasite. The heartworm is one diagnosis no pet owner wants to hear, and far too many dogs in shelters and rescues are suffering from. Not only is it an incredibly dangerous organism that causes serious damage to your dog or cat’s body, but it is also preventable.

Heartworms are transmitted through mosquito bites. The mosquito can bite one infected animal then bite your pet, thus infected them, too. Your pet can be tested for heartworms through a regular blood test. Your dog or cat just gets a small amount of blood taken by a veterinarian and tested for heartworm larvae. These tiny worms live in the animal’s blood stream until they mature. As adults, they travel to the heart which is when the problem becomes more complicated.

Continue Reading→

Common Knee Problems in Dogs

Imagine you are at the park throwing the ball for your dog, or jogging next to your canine companion. Is he moving his hind quarters freely, easily and comfortably? Stiffness, swelling, favoring and soreness are all common signs of knee problems, and can happen at any age, size or breed of dog. Catching the symptoms the moment you notice them can help your dog have a faster and more complete recovery or healing process from the two most common knee problems; luxating patella and torn or ruptured cranial cruciate ligament.

What is Luxating Patella?

Have you ever had a dislocated joint? Humans often times, at one point in their life, will dislocate their shoulder or a digit. A dog’s luxating patella is a fancy way of saying dislocated knee cap! Caused often from trauma directly to the dog’s knee or genetic predisposition, any breed can be susceptible to the condition. Some breeds, specifically small breeds like Pomeranians and Chihuahuas are more likely to find themselves favoring a back leg.

Continue Reading→

Popular Names for Dogs and Cats

Have you ever met a friend’s pet with the same name as your own furry friend’s name? It is possible that you have fallen into the trend of naming your dog or cat one of the most popular pet names. Setting the trend for our canine and feline best friends can come from a variety of places, but most stem from pop-culture icons, scrumptious foods or individual traits. Find out if your pet fits the A-list of popular dog and cat names!

Dog Names

Dogs have been man’s, and woman’s best friend for millennia. Choosing a name for them does more than just give a dog his label, it tells quite a bit about your own personality, likes and ideas. When you introduce your dog to strangers, friends, families and strangers during your walks together you are also telling those people a bit about yourself, all because of your dog’s name! This can spark new friendships and bonds.

Continue Reading→

How to Improve Your Pet Photography

Beautiful Kitty Cat As a pet parent, you are adore your furry friends, so what better way of capturing their unique character, then through some pet portraits. Professional Pet Photographers aren’t always feasible, particularly if you have a pet who is not comfortable around new people. As such, below are a few helpful tips and tricks to ensure you can still capture some great pet photos.

Ensure your pet is comfortable with your camera – You camera is a new object, that your pet will most likely want to inspect. It will make new sounds, and a lot of pets may be intimidated with it being pointed towards them, especially if you have a DSLR. Before you start taking your photos, allow some time for your pet to get used to the cameras presence, which will ensure some relaxed photos.

Continue Reading→

How to Plan the Perfect Birthday Party for Your Cat

Your Cat Deserves the Perfect Birthday Party

If you have a pet in your life it can be a real blessing in so many ways. A pet brings joy to a home. It can make you laugh when you’re sad or comfort you when you’re stressed out.

Visit Pampered Paw Gifts to Find the Perfect Birthday Gifts and Treats for Your Cat

Cats make excellent friends and companions. Having a cat for a pet can brighten a person’s emotional and mental state. A cat lover cannot stay in a bad mood for long, especially if a silky, soft cat jumps in their lap and begins to purr.

Because cats are a special part of a cat owner’s life, they should be showered with affection. No better way to shower your cat with affection than to throw it a birthday party, which can be great fun for you and for your other friends who have cats. Even though your cat doesn’t know it’s their birthday, they will have lots of feline fun playing with other cats and getting some new toys and special treats.

Continue Reading→

Best Toys for Keeping Your Cat Engaged

Most indoor cats tend to be under-active. Like people, cats also benefit mentally and physically from keeping fit and active. Exercise is essential because it relieves any stress or boredom your cat may be experiencing, improves its circulation, builds muscle tone, and prevents or alleviates behavioral problems.

Keeping your feline friend engaged with cat toys is easy if you remember to offer them a variety of toys. Of course, like most cats, your cat probably has a favorite toy. However, you can keep them happy by replacing any worn out or old toys with new ones.

An Essential Cat Toy

A toy that all cats love is a scratching post, which is essential to their physical and mental health. Cats need a scratching post for several reasons. They need to stretch their muscles, which they accomplish by hooking onto surfaces to properly extend their arms, back, and shoulder muscles.

Continue Reading→

Why Enroll My Puppy in Training Classes?

Dog On Leash Do you have a puppy and are worried they might get out of control at some point? You should consider having them trained. In fact, the earlier the training starts the better it is for the puppy.

Having your puppy attend group classes is a good way to teach your dog how to respond to commands, basic obedience and manners. These classes give you an opportunity to learn how to handle your dog around other people, around other dogs, and in any environment where you need the most control.

A high number of people who own dogs are opting to enroll their dogs in training classes other than training them at home as there are many behavioral and social benefits that are associated to these training programs.

Benefits of Puppy Training Classes

Continue Reading→

Your Dog and Other Pets; Introductions

Whether you just got a new dog and you are trying to figure out the safest way to introduce him to the household cat, or you need to help your dog get along with a new bunny, some training and introductions are definitely in order! It does not matter what species of animal you are trying to help your dog become accustomed to, be it a hamster, ferret or pet iguana, knowing your dog is the very first step. If it is a new dog, you both will be in for a learning curve, as the dog’s prey drive and his previous socialization are truly being put to the test!

Prey Drive

Prey drive is the instinctual urge to chase, kill and eat a prey animal. All carnivores have prey drive, as it helped them survive through being adequate hunters. We see this in cats who play with toys and in wild wolves who hunt down rabbits. We even see this in dogs, though it often transfers itself into ball drive. Ball drive is virtually the same thing as prey drive, but the animal feels compelled to chase and catch a ball instead of a small animal.

Continue Reading→

Are You Unintentionally Scaring Your Dog?

As a dog owner, you feel compelled to provide a loving and safe environment for your best furry friend. You want him to trust you, follow your leadership and be a happy, healthy companion for as long as he is with you on this planet. While your intentions may be the most noble, you may be unintentionally scaring your dog with your own body language and mannerisms. These are things all humans do without really thinking about it, but forget that dogs are not humans and will read us differently than we read each others’ body language. These insights into your own behavior around your dog and easy tips to change them can make your dog more comfortable, trusting and help build a stronger bond with you.

The Lean Over

Small dogs, big dogs, and those in between can all suffer from the intimation that comes when a human leans over to greet him. The lean over would do the same to us humans if someone else much larger than us did the same thing. Most people do this even to small children, but a dog does not have that understanding that human leaning over to say hello means no harm.

Continue Reading→

I Just Got a Puppy! When Does Training Start?

You just brought home your first puppy, and you cannot wait to get started building the bond that will last a lifetime with your new canine companion. Whether your new little one came from a shelter, rescue or reputable breeder you should have already done as much reading about the care, training and needs of a puppy and be prepared for messes, injuries, illnesses and lots of frustration! Meanwhile, you may be wondering just when do you start training him? Considering his entire world was just turned upside down after taking him from his mother, litter mates and humans he knew to bring him into a strange place with strange people, new sounds and smells. The short answer is immediately. Your training starts the moment the puppy officially belongs to you!

On The Ride Home

If you are using a vehicle to bring your newest family member home, he should be riding comfortably in a crate or carrier of an appropriate size. He should be able to stand up, turn around and lay down on a soft bed or blanket. Making this space as comfortable as possible is a big first step, so be sure to provide a special chew toy during the ride home.

Continue Reading→