Warning – Heatstroke Can Be Hazardous to Your Pet’s Health!

adminArticles Leave a Comment

Although it may occur at any time of the year, heatstroke is particularly prevalent as the weather turns warmer.

Heatstroke occurs when the environment becomes too hot and too humid for your pet’s natural temperature-control mechanisms to work. Our pets rely on panting and sweating to maintain their normal body temperatures. However, unlike people, dogs and cats only possess efficient sweat glands on the pads of their feet. That’s why although you may not feel over-heated; you must pay special attention to your pet. If you don’t, the result could be deadly.

The best treatment of heatstroke is its prevention in the first place. Never keep you pet unattended in a car. Even if the temperature is moderate outside and the windows are open, our cars can heat up like ovens. Never keep your pet closed-up in a pen or kennel without shade, adequate ventilation, or water. Remember, the sun moves as the day progresses, so an area that was shaded in the morning may be full sun later in the day. And use common sense when exercising your pet – exercise elevates your pet’s body temperature.

Just as with people, use special care with younger or older pets – they tend to be more sensitive. And pets with “pushed-in” noses, such as Persian cats, pugs and bull dogs, are particularly prone to heatstroke. The anatomical structure of their noses and throats decreases air flow – thereby inhibiting the natural cooling process.

Here are some symptoms of heatstroke:

  1. Excessive panting.
  2. Vomiting and diarrhea.
  3. Elevated body temperature.
  4. Hot, dry skin.
  5. Pale lips and gums.
  6. Collapse and coma.

If you suspect your pet is suffering from heatstroke, you must take immediate action by doing the following:

  1. Remove the stricken pet from the hot environment to a shady, cool place.
  2. Lower your pet’s body temperature with cold water.
  3. If at all possible, place him in front of a fan to speed-up the cooling process.
  4. Gently massage his legs and body.
  5. If your pet is conscious, let him drink small amounts of water and wash his mouth with cool water to help the cooling process.
  6. GET YOUR PET TO THE VET IMMIDEIATLEY.

Guest Post on Harambe the Gorilla

JulieArticles

CINCINNATI — Tragic news as Harambe the gorilla was shot dead after he was seemingly protecting a young boy who crawled under a railing at the Cincinnati Zoo and ultimately fell into a moat within the gorilla’s enclosure. Harambe, the endangered lowland gorilla who turned 17-years-old yesterday, fell victim to the shooting. He was killed by the zoo’s animal response team 10 minutes after the incident. Although two other …

Teaching Kitty To Come When Called

adminArticles Leave a Comment

Dogs come when they’re called. So of course Kitty can be taught the same thing. Cats are bright enough to learn most basic instructions. It just takes practice, perseverance, and an ounce of know-how. Because a cat who comes when called is a foreign concept to many owners (most everyone has been indoctrinated into thinking cats can’t be taught to come on command), I’ve put together ten easy steps for teaching our favorite furballs this very important response.

WARREN ECKSTEIN’S 10 EASY STEPS TO TEACHING KITTY TO COME WHEN CALLED

  1. Use Kitty’s name to help grab her attention. “Kitty come.”
  2. Use Kitty’s name only for positive things.
  3. Never call Kitty for something unpleasant or negative. If you’re going to give her medicine, you should go to her.
  4. During the initial training, it will help if you practice from floor level so Kitty can make better eye contact with you.
  5. EACH AND EVERY TIME Kitty comes to you, praise her to the hilt. Don’t be lazy about the positive reinforcement.
  6. Only use the come command when you’re in a position to follow it through if Kitty doesn’t come. There’s nothing worse than letting Kitty know she can pick and choose when she wants to listen to you.
  7. Talk to the other members of the family. Be sure they’re not running around all day long calling her then ignoring her is she doesn’t respond (or worse, if she does). Nothing will ruin your chances of success more than inconsistency within the family.
  8. Don’t have Kitty participate in ten minutes of practice lessons in which all you do is repeat the same thing. It’s boring and bound to turn her off.
  9. Instead, call her once or twice half a dozen times during the day. Practice a little bit here and there.
  10. If Kitty doesn’t come right away and you’ve spent way too much time cajoling her into the response, be sure to praise her when she finally decides to mosey on over. You may find this awfully hard to do after you’ve been coaxing the furry darling for fifteen minutes, but it’s the end response she’ll remember. Don’t blow it by not pouring on the praise. Bang on your pillow afterward if you must, but don’t take it out on Kitty.

STEP 5 CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD

All ten steps are important. Ignore any one of them and you’ll reduce your chance of success by 10 percent. Ignore several of them and the risk factor for noncompliance shoots up proportionately. However, if I had to narrow in on any step that can really make a big difference, it’s step 5. Each and every time she comes to you, don’t get lazy. Praise her to the hilt.

If Kitty believes that each time she comes to you fabulous things will happen, just watch how quickly she bounds right over you. That’s the deal you have to make with yourself and with her. You must stop whatever you’re doing and fuss over her like nothing she’s seen before. Praise her like crazy and, if she’s friendly enough, kiss and hug her and give her a little kitty massage. Try some scratching behind the ears. Every now and then give Kitty a little piece of her all time favorite food. (Not too often, though. We don’t want Kitty to become dependent on a food reward for her response. That’s how you turn into one of those nutty people who have to run around the neighborhood shaking a box of cat food in order to get Kitty back in the house.) Let her think she just won the 50 million dollar lottery. Get the idea? Go overboard. Fuss, fuss, fuss all over her. When you’re finished and you think you’ve done enough, just think of my nagging voice saying, “That’s not enough. Do more, more, more.”

Go to the extremes, and of course Kitty will want to come to you. Why shouldn’t she? You’re the most interesting and best deal in town. One quick word of caution – no matter how quickly Kitty responds to come when called, never allow her off leash when she’s outdoors. It only takes one time for her not hearing you to be run down by a car or truck.

Is Your Pet Talking To You and What Are They Saying?

adminArticles

IS YOUR PET TALKING TO YOU

AND WHAT ARE THEY SAYING

By Warren Eckstein

Vocalizations are a very important part of animal communication and their language. A barking dog may be protecting the house, alert to some intruder or visitor, or he may be fearful. Listen to the sounds your pet makes in different circumstances. His “normal” bark shows that he’s alert; a high-pitched, shrill bark usually indicates fear. Growling in a deep-pitched tone may be a demonstration of dominance or a power struggle with another dog or a human. A yelping dog is undoubtedly in pain or shock-maybe he’s been hurt or it could be he just wants to eliminate. A squeal may show happiness or a pleasant surprise.

A howl is a dog’s or cat’s way of saying he’s lonely. It’s also a rallying call, as if to tell other pets or people where he is or that something is wrong. Some animals howl when they hear something they don’t like, such as a siren or a thunderstorm or the Harley next door.

A sigh is generally a sound of pleasure. Your pet may sigh before circling and lying down, or when you scratch his head or stomach. He may also sigh after giving up, such as after a period of howling, just because he realizes no one’s coming, and the display of noise isn’t doing a bit of good.

Cats vocalize, too. They purr contentedly, they squeak or yowl in annoyance, they meow to let you know where they are or to indicate that they’ve just awakened from a comfortable nap. They often make an instinctive clicking sound in the back of their throat when they spot a bird or other prey. Listen to all of the sounds your pet makes. It will help you recognize his moods and physical condition and make you aware of any changes that might occur in his behavior and health patterns.

When you understand your pets vocalizations, you have an invaluable tool at your disposal. You will always know when things are out of kilter in any way.

Don’t Treat Your Pet Like An Animal

JulieArticles, Blog

Does your Burmese cat or your German Shepherd have one little behavior pattern, one small quirk that really annoys you? Does your dog dive under the couch every time there’s a thun­derstorm? Does your cat howl every night at 3 A.M.? What is it that makes your pet act the way he does? Some people seem to enjoy the fact …

The Nondemanding Relationship

JulieArticles, Blog

Ever since man first decided to take a wild animal into his cave, he’s held a variety of expectations for his companion’s behavior. Early on, the pet was supposed to guard the territory, to hunt and assist in battle, and eventually to become a good friend. Now, however, people still want pets for many of the same reasons – for …

FEEDING WINTER BIRDS

JulieArticles

HOW TO TURN YOUR YARD INTO A DINER One of my family’s biggest pleasures during the cold, gray days of winter is watching our feathered friends congregate at our bird feeder.  Watching sparrows, doves, cardinals, nut hatches and the occasional rarer species dine together in harmony reinforces my belief that people should take a few lessons from the animals when …

Housebreaking Regression

JulieArticles

What if suddenly, for no apparent reason, perfectly housebroken Fido starts having “accidents” in your home?  Every dog is entitled to an accident once in awhile (especially if you were not able to get him out for his walk on time).  However, if Fido’s elimination habits suddenly change, it’s important that you take him to the vet for a check-up. …

Cheering Up Charley

JulieArticles, Blog

No one could figure out what was the matter with little Charley. There was a notable loss of appetite, he was sleeping for longer periods of time and the pet looked restless. Charley’s owners, thinking he must be ill, had a little Basset hound checked by the vet. All the test results came back negative. Another month went by and …

Best Pet Insurance for 2015 – ConsumerAffairs

JulieArticles

Edit: There is an updated, comprehensive Pet Insurance Guide for 2017 available here.   When it comes to pet insurance, many pet owners aren’t sure if they really need it. We created this simple quiz to help consumers learn if pet insurance could be right for them. Pet insurance helps pet owners pay the cost of medical expenses if the pet becomes ill …