Issue 3: January 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 …

Tip – 23 – Dog drinks from toilet cat drinking from the toilet.

Toilet water drinking in cats and dogs.

Many dogs and cats love to drink from the toilet. Thirsty dogs and cats lap up the water with vigor simply because it is cool and accessible. It’s much easier for the pet …

Goldfish

Even though goldfish aren’t the most exciting pets to keep when there are other choices like cats and dogs, goldfish make a great starting pet for kids, especially young kids. Many families go through the dilemma where the kids want …

First Aid for Dogs

First aid for dogs – K-9 FIRST AID

By Adela Morris & Shay Cook

This information is only a guide for giving first aid to a dog. It is not intended to replace veterinary care, but to give FIRST AID …

Hermit Crabs

The hermit crab is a fascinating exotic pet that has gained popularity for being easy to set up and extremely low maintenance. They are hypoallergenic, clean, and generally very quiet. Unlike fish, they can be handled and taken out of …

Fish With Personality

Many people choose an aquarium as an allergen-free, quiet and low-maintenance alternative to other types of pets. In general however, your interaction with the fish is limited to watching them swim around and eat. Fish will even learn to anticipate …

Hot Spots in Dogs

Also known as acute moist dermatitis, pyotraumatic dermatitis, moist eczema or “summer sores,” hot spots are raised, red, wet and oozing wounds on the skin’s surface that are often self-inflicted by a licking or chewing dog. They can appear and …

Cat scans and MRIs

Sometimes it is easy for a veterinarian to figure out what is wrong with your pet by simple observation. Other times blood work is used to pick up problems with the thyroid glands, kidneys, or other organs. Often though, the veterinarian will decide to do further tests such as ultrasound and x-rays to look inside the body. These forms of testing are used very routinely for everything from broken bones to cancer. But what happens if none of these tests result in a diagnosis? The testing we just talked about is used to help us determine what is happening in the body. Sometimes all of the tests are negative or the diagnosis is not specific enough. This is when the veterinarian turns to different options.

The next option might be a CT or MRI scan. Both of these options are only available at specialty practices or veterinary schools. They are very expensive, but on the other hand, they often allow veterinarians to exactly diagnose the problem. In fact, both CT and MRI are so precise that for some problems it is almost as good as looking inside the body! The CT and MRI machines are the same as those used in human hospitals. This article will give you a short introduction to the ideas and science behind these forms of testing. Then we will go through a few situations when CT and MRI are used.

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 …

Tip 71 – Cat purring – Why do cats purr?

Purring is the rhythmic vibrating sound that all cats can produce when they are in a content state. It is an instinctual response in domestic cats that can be seen at the onset of life when the newborn kitten purrs …