Heartworm testing in dogs – Pet tip 121

Late spring and early summer is when many dogs get tested for heartworm by their veterinarians. Why this time of year? The organism that causes the disease, Dirofilaria immitis, is transmitted by mosquito bites. There are three life stages of …

Tip – 33 – Playing with kittens – biting kittens

There is no debating that new kittens are amongst the most fun creatures that you can play with. They jump, they’re cuddly, frisky and love to nip at your hands. When kittens nip at you it’s cute and it doesn’t …

Dog Tricks – Dog Training Level 2

Once you’ve mastered basic dog tricks (people call them dog tricks but many of these are part of obedience training) such as “sit” and ‘”lie down” you can easily move onto other dog tricks. Some dog tricks are really just for fun and for bonding with your dog, but other dog tricks are really important. These ‘tricks’ can save your dog from injury or worse.

COME

Another extremely important command is the ‘come’ command. It is most important when you want your dog to come to you in case of an emergency, like before he/she runs onto a dangerous road. You want your dog to come to you under any circumstance, so it is important to associate the ‘come’ command with positive rewards and use it in as many situations as possible. For example, use the command to call the dog while he/she is playing in the dog park. Instead of using the come command only to end the play session, reward the dog and then allow him/her to return to his/her friends. The dog will then realize that by coming to you, his/her play session will not necessarily end.

Early Spaying – Neutering in Cats and Dogs – Pet tip 158

Most pet owners are aware that they need to spay or neuter their cats and dogs. They are aware that there is no need for puppies or kittens to have even 1 litter because of the epidemic amounts of dogs …

Birds as Pets

Getting Ready for a New Bird

Whether your knowledge of birds comes from Woody Woodpecker, Tweety or “Polly wanna cracker?”, they make great companions: Some will cuddle with you, others will play and, of course, many will chat. Just keep …

Cat Heart Disease

Cats, as most people know, are extremely stoic animals. It is very rare that a cat will complain about pain or discomfort. This may seem like a desirable trait to some, but in fact, it makes it much more difficult …

Behavior Problems in Dogs

There are many behavioral problems in dogs that leave us wondering: Why are they doing that? What are the causes and what can I do to stop such behavior? Some of the more frequently reported behavioral problems are described below.…

Tip – 21 – Cat scratch disease

Cat scratch disease (CSD) affects humans, not cats.
Cat scratch disease is also known as Cat Scratch Fever and benign lymphoreticulosis. Cat scratch disease is a rare disease that occurs when you are scratched (or in rare cases bitten) by …

Horse Ownership

So you’re thinking about getting a horse. You would like pursue your passion and join the millions of horse lovers across the world. However, like any decision, this one comes with pros and cons. You must be confident that you …

E. Cuniculi in Rabbits

You’ve been noticing it for a few months now. Your bunny just hasn’t been acting like itself. You can’t quite put a finger on it, but it just seems ‘off’ somehow. Then you see a bit of a head tilt, which grows worse with time. Sometimes you catch your bunny stargazing. Then you realize it seems just a bit weaker than usual on its hind legs. It’s not jumping as high and isn’t running to the door to greet you as usual. A few months later it’s practically holding its head to the floor. What could possibly be wrong with it? Is it a brain tumour or some rare bacterial infection?