Pit Bull Information

By the Positive Pitbull Awareness Society

NOTE: Throughout discussions of the Pit Bull breed, you will notice two words repeated over and over again: Responsible Ownership. With media hysteria and BSL (Breed specific legislation), we good owners, find ourselves endlessly …

Nature vs. Nurture

‘Nature versus Nurture’; almost everyone has heard of this debate. But what does this phrase actually mean? Why should we take into consideration both nature and nurture when choosing a pet? How can we make the most of both categories …

Tip 82 – Dog and cat bites – What to do when dogs or cats get bitten

All animals, whether wild or domestic, bite to defend themselves. When your pet leaves the safety of your home, especially if it is allowed to wander, it is particularly susceptible to this type of injury. It’s important, therefore, to know …

What Drives Your Dog – Pet tip 207

When it comes to understanding dog behaviour in an attempt to modify it for training and/or obedience purposes, we quickly come to the term of a dog’s ‘drive’. What we are referring to here is what motivates a dog. By …

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.

Dog Constipation – Cat Constipation

Constipation – cat constipated dog constipated – Answered by Dr. Slome

Constipation in cats and dogs – General rules of thumb

Let me start by separating both cat and dog conditions since they are very different even though the symptoms …

Euthanasia

These days it is less and less common for a pet to simply ‘die’. With the amazing advances in veterinary medicine, pets are living healthier and longer lives. Veterinarians are able to fix or treat many of the problems that …

Obstructions in Dogs and Cats – Pet tip 194

It doesn’t take much for cats and dogs to end up in surgery when they eat things that they simply should not eat. Although dogs are usually less finicky about the non-food items that they eat, cats are guilty too. …

Egg Binding in Birds

Many sick pet birds look alike. They sit on the bottom of their cages with ruffled feathers and their heads down. This is why it’s so hard to figure out what is wrong with your bird without taking it to the veterinarian. Perhaps you also notice that your bird has a big belly. Perhaps it is a female who has a history of laying eggs but has suddenly stopped laying eggs. Your veterinarian will confirm this problem as “egg-binding”.

Egg-binding is a fairly common issue in certain female birds, such as cockatiels, budgies, and lovebirds. This is because these species tend to constantly lay eggs. If something prevents them from laying the egg, it will get stuck in the belly. When multiple eggs get stuck in the belly, this is called egg-binding.

Top 3 Cat Skin Disorders

There are many different skin disorders that can affect cats and the reasons for them are numerous. This article hopes to briefly outline the top 3 skin disorders that affect cats and these conditions are;

Feline Alopecia: “Alopecia” is simply the technical name for bald spots. A cat suffering form this is itchy, may bite at its hair, and often has behavioural changes too. The cause of alopecia can be anything from a hypersensitivity reaction (such as an ‘allergy’ to fleas, for example), parasites (such as lice or mites), ringworm (which is a fungus) or even psychogenic, where they have a behavioural/psychological disorder and are ripping out their own hair.

Depending on what the cause is, the affected cat will show different symptoms, and thus need different treatments. One great way of finding out what is going on is by doing a skin scraping. To do this, a vet will use a blunt blade that is gently scraped against the skin, while the cat is under sedation.