Unruly dogs “My dog is crazy” – Calm your dog down – Pet tip 213

Dogs can get really rambunctious or unruly when they are at home and this is especially true of puppies and breeds with high exercise requirements. The second they see you or someone else that they want to play with, they may want to interact with you by jumping on you or running back and forth all over the house. It sure is cute when they are little baby-puppies and it sure gets annoying as they get older and the novelty wears off. Rambunctious dog behaviour can lead to broken lamps or dishes, uncontrollable running, loads of barking, jumping on you or the kids and general chaos that you will want to control.

First Aid for Cats and Dogs – Vital Signs

First aid for pets
By Chantale Robinson
Biologist Veterinary Technician

Vital Signs of Cats and Dogs

Recognizing the normal and abnormal vital signs of dogs and cats is the first step in evaluating if an animal is sick and requires …

April: 2009

Pets.ca – Monthly pet newsletter – April 2009

Dear Petlover,

Hi there it’s Marko, one of the owners/administrators on Pets.ca and this is our first spring newsletter of 2009 so Happy Spring; it’s been a long cold winter for many …

Tip – 11 – Cats and Strangers

Cats and strangers in the house

Why do cats tend to gravitate toward those people that don’t like cats?
This is a common occurrence at house parties. A group of friends gather together at a house that has a cat. …

False Pregnancy in Dogs – Pet tip 223

Female dogs get pregnant when they go into heat and mate with a male dog. Most female dogs have two periods of heat (Estrus) each year and this is when mating is possible. It stands to reason that if the …

Catnip and cats

Catnip is a plant with pretty coloured flowers at the tip and heart shaped leaves on a thick stem and contains a chemical ingredient that often has a stimulating effect on cats. In this article, we will discuss the possible effects it can have on your cat, and common questions you may have regarding catnip.

How Does Catnip Work?

Catnip contains chemicals that trigger a behavioural response in cats when they breathe it in. What is this behavioural response? Well, let’s use an example that I’m sure we’ve all been exposed to. The smell of delicious freshly baked cookies comes wafting to your nostrils, this triggers you to salivate, so you to walk to the kitchen and cannot help eating the cookies.

Carrot Apple Oatmeal Flax Cookies

Dog treat recipe – Carrot Apple Oatmeal Flax- 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.…

Carrot Apple Oatmeal Flax Cookies

Issue 4: March 2003

Welcome to our third issue of the pets.ca newsletter. As with previous issues, we welcome your feedback and your suggestions. We want to know what interests you, and how you feel about all things pet related. Please send your comments …

Hydration in cats – Getting cats to drink more water – Pet tip 116

What do you do if you do not think your cat is getting enough water to drink? You have the water dish filled, but your cat has been turning up its nose at it. The cat can be a very …

Dog Tails – Why Dogs Wag their Tails

“….In some ways, tail-wagging serves the same functions as our human smile, polite greeting, or nod of recognition. Smiles are social signals, and human beings seem to reserve most of their smiles for social situations, where somebody is around to see them. Sometimes, vicarious social situations, as when watching television or occasionally when thinking about somebody special, can trigger a smile. For dogs, the tail wag seems to have the same properties. A dog will wag its tail for a person or another dog. It may wag its tail for a cat, horse, mouse, or perhaps even a butterfly. But when the dog is by itself, it will not wag its tail to any lifeless thing. If you put a bowl of food down, the dog will wag its tail to express its gratitude to you. In contrast, when the dog walks into a room and finds its bowl full, it will approach and eat the food just as happily, but with no tail-wagging other than perhaps a slight excitement tremor. This is one indication that tail-wagging is meant as communication or language. In the same way that we don’t talk to walls, dogs don’t wag their tails to things that are not apparently alive and socially responsive.

A dog’s tail speaks volumes about his mental state, his social position, and his intentions. How the tail came to be a communication device is an interesting story.