Featured Articles
Journey Through Grief
Following are the general steps of grieving, which have been abbreviated for easy reference. We recommend that you copy and paste or print this page out. You may find it helpful in realizing that grief is a perfectly normal human …
Regurgitation and Vomiting Differences in Dogs and Cats
Most pet owners have seen it; your cat or dog hunches up, starts to make retching noises, and then brings up an amount of material. But is it vomit or regurgitation? This may seem like a trivial difference, but in fact it is not. Knowing whether the material is vomit or regurgitation tells your vet where the material is coming from, and also what may be the cause of the problem. Regurgitation is defined as the passive, retrograde movement of ingested material, usually before it reaches the stomach.
The regurgitated material is often expelled with minimal or no signs of nausea, distress or retching. In fact, the animal may show some surprise as it goes through the act, because it was not expecting it! Material originates from the oral cavity, pharynx or esophagus. Regurgitation often occurs immediately after eating food, but can also occur hours afterwards.
Cat Jumps off Building
Currently, there has been no specific group of researchers that have determined by controlled experimentation exactly which heights cats can fall from before death is almost absolute. Mainly, this is because it would be completely inhumane to systematically throw cats …
Barley Apple Cinnamon Cookies
Dog treat recipe – Barley Apple Cinnamon Cookies – From Better Food for Dogs
NB: This recipe is for doggie treats. It should not constitute the primary diet of your dog, and is not suitable for cats.…
Barley Apple Cinnamon
Cleaning Your Cat’s Eyes – Pet tip 219
When it comes to eye cleaning, most cats are good at cleaning their own eyes when they get dirty. Many cats have some blackish dirt buildup in the corners of their eyes. This is the result of dust particles and …
Congestive Heart Failure in Dogs
You’ve always known that your dog has heart problems. But lately it’s been more tired and doesn’t seem to be able to exercise as long. Perhaps you even notice some coughing. So you bring your dog into the veterinary clinic, …
Puppy Discipline – Punishing a Puppy – Pet tip 173
Getting a new puppy is incredibly exciting for the whole family. Puppies are so cute and so playful that everyone in the family tends to want to play with it and wants it to really blend. There is so much …
Dog Jumps on Counter – Pet tip 204
There’s a really cute anonymous quote that says “never trust a dog to watch your food”. This advice should be well heeded because even though we trust dogs to protect us and warn us when trouble is near, most untrained …
Communication with your Deaf Dog
Communicating with your deaf dog is a step above regular dog training in that everything is done in complete silence. Fortunately, besides its sense of smell, a dog’s world is based largely on subtle (and some not so subtle) body language so it is inherent in your dog to take cues from your behavior. These cues include facial expressions, body posture, and changes in body movement.
The most important thing to communicate to your deaf dog is a sense of peace. Since your deaf dog compensates by taking cues from the behavior of humans and animals around him/her, he/she looks to you as a leader and guide to show him/her how to react in situations. The easiest way to tell your dog to be calm is to project that attitude yourself by mimicking calm body language that is universal to dogs. This body language includes yawning, having your eyes half-closed and blinking slowly, slow breathing, looking away and pretending to be day-dreaming, and relaxing the muscles in your body. The body language you do not want to project is fast and shallow breathing, open-mouthed breathing, wide-eyed stares, tense muscles in your body, fast movements, or shaking. Even your facial expressions are important. As your dog gets to know you better, he/she will soon learn all your facial expressions, so be careful what you project. In general, it’s always best to adopt a positive and calm attitude regardless if you have a deaf dog or not! Yet it is even more critical to have such a personality because your dog’s emotions will be based off your emotions.
