Basic
Pet Care Tips
Annual visit to your veterinarian is a minimum. This will allow maintaining your pets vaccination status as well as allowing your veterinarian to examine your pet to detect any health problems early before they become possibly life threatening, or expensive to treat.
Heartworm. Having your pet checked for heartworm and then maintaining them on preventative will prevent having to put your pet through heartworm treatments.
Fleas. Using topical flea treatments will prevent skin problems as well as lessen the probability of your pet picking up intestinal parasites such as tapeworms.
Provide shelter for your animal if it is an outdoor pet. Your pet should be able to get out of the wind, rain, and direct sunlight year round. This does not necessarily mean having a dog house, but something with multiple sides and a roof. Some type of loose bedding that your pet can form around him/her is important in the winter months.
For additional
information, click on the links below.
Cats
Advantages to Neutering the Male Cat
Advantages to Neutering the Male Cat
There are many good reasons, besides population control, for neutering or castrating a male cat that are both medically and behaviorally justifiable.
Behavioral advantages include decreasing the male cats aggressive predisposition. The hormone testosterone has a great affect on the male cats aggressive behavior, thus removing the source of this hormone will make the male cat a better pet in most instances.
Another reason is the behavior of male cats to spray, which is a normal sexual behavior in the unneutered male cat. Castration may not control this behavior totally, but it will greatly lessen this behavior especially if done before the cat reaches sexual maturity at six(6) to eight(8) months of age.
Lastly, neutering will decrease a cat’s urge to roam. This behavior is generally associated with the male cats reacting to a female cat in heat. Females emit pheromones, chemical attractants, into the air that can travel great distances. The unaltered male will seek out the female thus causing the cat to roam great distances.
Medical advantages really are related to the behavioral activity of the male cat. Aggressive behavior leads to cats fighting and the wounds attributed to this becoming infected and developing into abscesses which require medical intervention.
In addition, the male cat roaming in search of females in heat may subject them to being injured during their search.
It is recommended that neutering be done before the cat reaches sexual maturity, 6-8 months of age. Depending on your veterinarian this can be performed as early as 8 weeks of age without any effects on growth and development of the cat. Neutering of your male kitten will make for a better pet and will help you avoid medical and behavioral problems during the majority of your pets lifetime.
Vaccinating your puppy is very important in protecting your pet from contracting diseases such as distemper, parvo virus, and other diseases that are transmissible between dogs. It is important to understand how a puppy is protected from diseases.
The newborn puppy is not naturally protected, or immune, to diseases. However, it can acquire some antibody protection from its mother’s blood as it passes through the placenta. In addition to this source, the newborn puppy can obtain antibodies via the mother’s first milk. Antibodies are passed to the puppy when they nurse from their mother during the first 36-48 hours after birth. This antibody rich milk is referred to as “colostrum”. These antibodies derived from the blood and colostrum are called “maternal antibodies”. It is key to a newborn puppy receiving antibodies from its mother that the mother’s vaccinations to these diseases are kept current. If this is not done then there are no maternal antibodies to pass on to the newborn puppy, thus leaving him unprotected against these diseases. These maternal antibodies eventually lose their effectiveness, at this point vaccinating the puppy will allow formation of his own antibodies.
The maternal antibodies begin to drop off at approximately 6-8 weeks of age, thus this is the point to begin vaccinating your puppy. Due to the presence of maternal antibodies in your puppy, and due to the fact that there is no way to tell when a puppy’s immune system is fully functional and capable of producing enough antibodies to protect it from disease, it is necessary to vaccinate your puppy several times between 8 and 16 weeks of age. It is generally recommended that after initial vaccination at 7-9 weeks of age two (2) additional boosters should be given at approximately 3-4 week intervals, some veterinarians may recommend three boosters. If there disease problems in your community it is sometimes best to administer the additional booster. After this three shot series, or four, is completed annual re-vaccination would be required to insure your pet’s continued protection.
The most common group of diseases vaccinated for include distemper, canine adenovirus-2 (hepatitis and respiratory disease), and canine parvo virus-2. Some would also recommend that Leptospirosis and Coronavirus should be considered part of this core group. Other diseases that can be vaccinated for, but are not considered “core” vaccines, are Parainfluenza and Bordatella bronchiseptica (both attributed to causing “Kennel Cough”), and Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease). To decide what is best for your puppy and your situation consult with your veterinarian and have him set up a schedule that is best for your pet.
Heat stroke, or sun stroke in the dog is a condition in which the body temperature becomes elevated beyond 105 Degrees Fahrenheit. When the environmental temperature exceeds the normal body temperature of the dog, 101.5 degrees, heat tends to be absorbed by the dog. People control body heat by sweating, which as it evaporates cools the body. The dog’s method of reducing body temperature involves air passing into the nasal cavity and out the oral cavity and is exaggerated by panting. Breeds of dogs that have shortened noses (Boxers, Pekingese, Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, etc.) are placed at greater risk because they have less surface available for heat exchange. In addition, those dogs that have heart or respiratory problems, or are over weight, also are at greater risk. Ventilation also plays an important role in cooling the dog.
The clinical signs of heat stroke progress from extreme panting to profuse salivation and/or vomiting. The animal will become weak and disoriented. If the body temperature elevates high enough seizures may occur. If the body temperature elevates above 109 Degrees recovery from heat stroke is unlikely.
If these symptoms are recognized cooling the animal immediately is a necessity. Placing the dog in a cool water bath, or hosing it down with a garden hose should be accomplished. Also, if the condition is severe placing ice bags on the head and neck as well as the groin area will aid in bringing the body temperature down. The head and neck are very important since the brain contains the temperature regulation center for the rest of the body and if it becomes damaged the effects will be permanent.
The best method of avoiding heat stroke is preventing your pet from overheating. Providing plenty of clean, cool, fresh water at all times. Freezing a bowl of water and placing it out to slowly melt is an excellent idea. Provide shade from direct sunlight. If housed in a kennel insure that there is adequate ventilation, or air movement. Avoid exercise in hot weather. Providing a hard plastic wading pool for your dog to take a dip in is also a good idea. Avoid leaving your pet in your parked vehicle. Even if you crack your windows the temperature inside a vehicle on a hot summer day can rise to 140-160 Degrees in a very short period of time.
Remember heat stroke in a dog is a life threatening situation that can occur in a relatively short period of time. Protect your pet!
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A Common, Canine, Communication, Behavior Problem
Barking is a normal communication behavior in the dog. There are five (5) main classes of sounds that dogs make: howls, growls, grunts, whines, and barks.
Howling generally is a reaction to an external stimuli such as a siren. Growling is used to threaten, warn, in defense, in aggression, and to show dominance. Grunts are the equivalent to contented sighs in people. Whines, or whimpers are used to greet, show submissiveness, show frustration, show pain, to obtain attention, and sometimes in defense. Barking is used to alert or warn, to defend territory, to seek attention or play, to show excitement, as a response to being startled, and because they are lonely, anxious, or teased.
Characteristics of a “barker” are difficult to determine, but there are some breeds that are more prone to bark then others. For example, beagles, terriers, and some herding breeds tend to bark more then other breeds. Some general principles for controlling undesirable barking are as follows:
A dog must be obedient and relaxed in order to resolve a nuisance barking problem, therefore if a dog is trained to obey some basic commands it is much easier to modify barking behavior.
Shouting “No” generally only will make things worse, dogs generally perceive this as barking.
Pick a one word command “Stop”, or “Enough” as the command for the behavior you wish to modify. Use the same tone of voice when using this command, shouting or yelling the command should be avoided.
Be patient with your dog, as well as yourself. Changing your dogs behavior may be a slow process.
Reward your dog for good behavior. Treats in conjunction with praise initially will usually work well, eventually using just praise to gain the desired effect.
Do not hug your dog, talk soothingly or otherwise play into your dogs barking this will only reinforce the barking behavior.
Control the situation. Set up situations to use as training. Practice in short, frequent sessions of 5-10 minutes.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to seek expert assistance in gaining the ability to train your dog to do what you want it to do.
Alert/Warning barkers may require modifying the stimuli that initiate the barking. If dogs bark at the mailman as he approaches then see him leave after barking this will only reinforce this type of barking. Sometimes providing physical barriers to prevent the dog seeing the mailman may curtail this type of behavior. The first step in making the correction requires that you do not reward the dog for this type of behavior. This is where training your dog to respond to a command “Enough” comes into play. This signals the dog that you are in command and that barking further is not warranted.
To teach this type of command requires setting up a situation in which your puppy/dog will bark. After one or two barks distract the dog’s attention to
you (make a sound, a metal can with stones in it that you can shake would work). If the dog stops barking immediately say “Enough” and reward her with a treat and praise. If the dog doesn’t stop barking hold the treat in front of her nose until she does stop barking, wait a second or two, say “Enough”, wait a few more seconds and if she remains quiet give her the treat and praise. Timing is critical, she must be quiet when rewarded or she will think she is being rewarded for barking.
Fear barkers are dogs that initially bark as an alert or warning behavior, but then progress to a bark that is fear based. If a dog is barking out of fear an owner’s job is to teach the dog to be obedient so that he defers to your cues and relaxes. Training the dog to accept an “Enough” command will allow him to relax because he has deferred to your command.
Attention seeking barkers sometimes require remote correction due to the fact that if they receive immediate attention when barking it will only reinforce the behavior. Using a distraction to startle the dog while barking then substituting something such as a toy, or taking him on a walk will curb this behavior. Remember to make him stop barking before you provide the substitution.
Bored barkers generally require exercise, or activities to deal with the boredom. Toys such as “Kongs” and “Buster Cubes” that can be filled with treats can get your dog’s brain and body working. A tired dog is less likely to bark.
Lonely/Anxious barkers may be showing symptoms of what is called “separation anxiety”. This can be a difficult and time consuming process in dealing with this type of barker. This requires getting the dog to relax when you leave. Start out by leaving, or acting like your leaving, and return before the dog begins barking. Each successive time try to extend the time you leave the dog before returning to him. In this way he is being rewarded for being quiet. In this process you can never go too slow, but you can easily go to fast. If you have habits of doing certain things just before leaving this may tip the dog that you are leaving, therefore try to do different things before leaving. Don’t allow the dog to hear you pick up the car keys just before you walk out the door every time, that will only trigger his anxiety. When you're gone try to provide a comfortable environment for your dog. Toys, or leaving a radio playing may help in dealing with this situation. Exercising your dog shortly before you leave will also aid in relaxing him while your gone. Never punish this type of dog upon returning or you may just create more anxiety that will be related to your leaving. Finally, if this problem is severe medication may be required. You need to discuss this with your veterinarian.
These are some basic tips for use in dealing with your barking dog. If you have further questions feel free to submit them.
Worms and Your Pet
Intestinal parasite, worms, can rob your pet of valuable nutrients found in the diet you feed your pet causing poor
hair coat, weight loss, and lack of energy.
Roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms are the most common intestinal worms found in dogs and cats.
Symptomology can include, besides poor
hair coat, weight loss, and lack of energy, loose unformed stools, or mucous covered stools.
The adult roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm are rarely found in the stool of your pet. However, eggs shed by the adult worm can be detected in the stool of your pet. Tapeworms, both adult and egg packets, can be seen in the stool. The adult is generally found as a flat, white, segmented worm, the egg packets resemble a grain of white rice. If you take a fresh stool sample to your local veterinarian can detect or confirm this by performing a “fecal flotation” which will allow him to detect the eggs shed in the stool and based on this prescribe the appropriate medication(s) to treat your pet. In addition to these parasites there are others that are not worms that can create problems for your pet.
Coccidia and giardia are two other intestinal parasites that can cause similar symptomology to that of intestinal worms. These also can be detected by performing a fecal flotation. If these are detected, your veterinarian can prescribe medications to remedy this problem.
Checking your pet in this manner for intestinal parasites should be done, at a minimum, annually. If your pet’s
hair coat becomes dull, loses weight over a period of time even though he has been eating well, or is not its usual energetic self then a check for intestinal parasites should be done more often. Puppies and kittens should be wormed every two weeks until 8-10 weeks of age.
There are medications that can be purchased from your local veterinarian that can be given to your pet monthly so that your pet is maintained free from these types of intestinal parasite problems.
