Featured Articles
Dogs – Cats – Noses and Sickness – Pet tip 226
When it comes to determining if our pet cats or pet dogs are sick we often try to gauge their levels of health through quick checks. A quick check might involve running your hands along your pet’s body with gentle …
Dangers of “Free to Good Home” ads
You see them everywhere you turn, in the newspapers, on grocery store bulletin boards, and in a cardboard box at stores. Animals that are “Free to a good home”. Often these animals are puppies and kittens from irresponsible owners, cats and dogs that are no longer wanted, and of course the occasional good samaritan that found a lost dog or cat that they are unable to keep.
Placing a “free to good home” ad is down right dangerous. Often people known as “bouchers” (French for butchers) search the newspapers, the Internet, and bulletin boards for free animals, only to turn around and sell them to research laboratories, to illegally train fighting, hunting, and guard dogs, to sacrifice in cult rituals, and other cruel purposes. Yes this is indeed true, and it doesn’t just happen in the big cities. I am extremely offended by anyone who would want to get rid of their own animal, and even more offended by anyone who would allow their own animal to become pregnant. Remember pets are for life, and you permitted your animal to have puppies and kittens by not spaying, and by not keeping them indoors/supervised. However, if you are going to do this, I feel it needs to be done correctly.
Basic Learning Theory and Dogs
Before taking on the rewarding task of training your pet, it might be a good idea to learn about how dogs (and any other animal, including ourselves) actually learn. Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are two terms you may have come across. They are two of the most important concepts governing learning.
Classical conditioning was made famous by the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov and his dogs. Perhaps you have heard of the experiments he conducted, which eventually got the dogs salivating and drooling simply at the sound of a ringing bell, because they were expecting food. How classical conditioning works is that a neutral stimulus, such as a bell, is paired with giving food. Eventually, after a number of pairings the animal mentally associates the bell with the food.
Dog Noses – Tip 92
Has your dog ever sniffed the air or ground and then seemed to follow some predetermined path you can’t see? Your dog’s sense of smell is one of the primary senses he/she uses. The anatomy of the nose and the …
Diabetic Ketoacidosis in cats and dogs
Over the last few days the signs have been getting worse. Your pet isn’t doing well; it is depressed, isn’t eating, and may even be vomiting. You thought it would get better, but it hasn’t and in fact your pet …
Dog and Cat Skin Lumps
Evaluating and treating dog and cat skin lumps – Dr. M. Slome DVM
Skin lumps are one of the most common conditions that Veterinarians are faced with on a day to day basis.
A general approach to lumps is to …
Tip 58 – Eye cleaning – cats and dogs
It’s normal to have some dirt buildup in the corners of your cat’s or dog’s eyes. It is the body’s natural defense to gather all dust particles that the eye comes in contact with and push them toward the corners …
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Tip 89 – Cat carriers – transporting cats
A cat carrier is one of the essential items that every cat owner must have. Cat carriers are portable cages that are used to transport cats. Whenever you leave your house with your cat to bring it ANYWHERE, they should …
