The human-animal bond is a unique part of many households. The ability to nurture your pet and be nurtured by them on a basis of unconditional love is very appealing and both physiologically and emotionally rewarding for many people. However, this special bond can also be the basis of a myriad of negative medical conditions developing for your beloved pet if appropriate care is not taken.
Bringing a new puppy into your household can be a wonderful adventure and can provide a lot of fun and excitement for the whole family. Whilst many new puppy owners are aware of the need to toilet train and obedience train their new pet, many are unaware of the importance of socialising their puppy whilst it is young. Socialisation of puppies at a young age helps them develop coping mechanisms for being in new situations, develops appropriate behaviours with other dogs and an understanding of human-dog relationships.
Dealing with cat fights is a common experience for many cat owners. Cats fight for many reasons, and whilst some fights are more of a warning with no injuries sustained to either animal, often the cats involved can suffer serious injury requiring prompt veterinary attention and appropriate cat medications.
Some owners may be surprised to learn that although many cat fights are between animals from different households, many are also between cats within the same household and can begin even after a prolonged period of cohabitation.
Heartworm (Dirofilariasis) is a potentially life-threatening disease spread by mosquitoes. Dogs are infected with heartworm when bitten by an infected mosquito. Prevention of heartworm involves a combination of environmental control of mosquitoes, and treatment of your dog to prevent infection developing once bitten by an infected mosquito.
All dogs, regardless of size should be walked regularly. How often depends on the size and temperament of the dog, the level of activity possible in its yard and owner commitments. Walking your dog provides many benefits for your dog. Obviously regular exercise will provide health benefits but it also provides mental and sensory stimulation for your dog. The ability to explore different areas and all the sounds, smells and visual stimuli is a good boredom buster and keeps the dog mentally active. Walks also provide an opportunity for dogs to socialise with other animals and learn appropriate social responses when in the company of other animals. Spending time walking your dog can also enhance the human-animal bond and provide some exercise for the owner.
Flea control for cats requires a strict integrated approach involving treating the affected cat, all in contact animals and the environment. Failure to address all these areas may lead to a failure to achieve adequate flea control for your cat.
Adult fleas are not host specific and therefore live on many different animals. Whilst the adult fleas live on the actual animal feeding on its host’s blood, the eggs fall into the environment where they hatch and develop through several stages into adults ready to re-infest any animals in the area. Figures suggest that only 5% of the potential flea population in an area is comprised of adult fleas on the animal with the remaining 95% represented by the immature forms developing in the environment. Hence the need for an integrated approach to flea control.
Bringing a new puppy into your household is a wondrous and very exciting time in many households. Understanding your new puppy’s needs and how to keep it healthy and encourage good behaviour will make the transition to pet ownership even more enjoyable.
Puppies require regular veterinary visits when first purchased and a myriad of preventative products will be recommended to keep your puppy in top shape. Ensuring your puppy is well looked after from the start will help keep many nasty problems at bay throughout its life.
Your kitten should be taken to a veterinarian for a general health check as soon as possible after purchase. They will be able to attend to any illnesses and advise on long term veterinary requirements for your new pet.
Unfortunately many dog owners are not fully aware of the possibility of their dog suffering from heat stroke under certain environmental or exercise induced situations. Hyperthermia refers to any situation in which the body temperature of the animal is elevated beyond the normal range. Heatstroke, in simple terms, is when the body temperature of the animal is raised to an excessively high level which can induce multi-organ damage and/or failure and occurs “when heat generation exceeds the body's ability to dissipate heat”.
