Archive for the 'Pet Health' Category

Who Makes the Best Dog Food?

And what makes it the best? And is it the best dog food for your dog? I am getting a lot of flack lately about putting my dog on a better diet than dry kibble, specifically Purina's Beneful brand. My vet says it's a good food and my dog likes it, I supplement it with any kind of fruit or vegetable that he likes, which isn't many. But when I go to the local feed store here in my town, there are so many claims of the benefits of this or that dog food, hundreds of fancy labeled bags of dog food, each with it's own story (and a high price to match).

Image via Wikipedia

I even have people tell me they swear by the raw diet or the cooked foods diet. So, my question is, as the proud owner of a former rescue dog, now a healthy & happy 5 year old, 70 lab, how do I keep him that way?

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Does Your Dog Notice a Change in our Climate?

You may have thought that climate change issues were all about the planet and us humans but the lives of our pets are at stake too. Our dogs, cats, birds and other domesticated animals are affected by our changing climate. They depend on us for their very existence and we need to take action on this issue. Species are dying, the ozone is depleting, our polar ice caps are melting and the world is getting to be a hotter place.

Pets Adapt To Global Warming

But there is a limit to their adaptability, for example did you know that dogs and cats are now shedding their fur more, not just because summer is coming either.

There can no longer be a question of IF the climate is changing, it's scientific fact that Our Mother Earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is human caused.  With global warming on the increase, more cars, more industry, more pollution, causing species and their habitats to decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are slim to none. And that puts our pets squarely in the crosshairs of a global warming dilemma that only us humans can do something about.

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How Much is Too Much?

Hard question to answer, especially if you found yourself in a situation similar to mine, that of having owned a dog for one day before he was  stricken with an almost fatal illness. It almost cost him his life and me money I didn't have. That's when you have to look within yourself, you know it's the right thing to do, that of giving a dog or cat a shot at a good life. But if the money isn't there what can you do?

The vet took one look at my dog's condition and his first words were "since you just adopted this dog yesterday, fortunately you have not had a chance to bond with this dog so we will prepare to put him down". I was agast, What was that you just said? 'Doc, this dog had me at woof, do what you need to do to save him.'

This was a question that I was reading about in a waiting room at the dentists office, just a month before I adopted my dog. This guy they were doing a story about had a cat that was blind and needed more work, surgery and care requiring thousands of dollars, all this  on a pet that was already 14 years old. I wondered then what I would do in a situation like that and since I didn't own a dog or a pet then, the clinical decision I arrived at would surprise me later.

He didn't hesitate to do what it took for that cat because #1, he loved it and #2 he could afford it. What about those of us who can't afford it, what would you do?

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According to our friends at Google there were approximately 2.2 million searches in the month of October for the keywords/search terms,  "dog food." Which prompted me to ask, do that many pet dog owners not know what to feed their dog? Are they searching for a better brand of dog food? Are they looking for better prices for dog food? Are dog supplies limited in the place where they live or do they just prefer shopping at an online pet store for their pet food needs? I decided to do a little research and see just what it is that dog owners are looking for in the way of dog food.

2.2 million searches for dog food is a lot of people online during a one-month stretch looking at various brands and types of dog food. I know what my dog likes to eat, don't you? What are all these people looking for? There will be another 2.2 million searches for dog food in November, December, January, February… you get the idea, a LOT of searches for dog food. Just how many kinds of dog food are there? Do dog foods follow any kind of trends? I would like the answers to these questions, not just because I am a curious person or dog lover but because it would help me target my audience and help narrow their search, not just for dog food but for pet supplies in general. I am always searching the top online pet stores for ideas for my own pet store, PetPx. (more…)

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Just For Being A Dog

I live in an heavily forested area in Northern Arizona, lots of animals about such as elk, javalina (wild pigs), and the smaller critters like skunks and such, and even a few rattlesnakes. Usually both animals and humans get along well, mostly by avoiding each other, but every now and then one of our pets gets into trouble with a wild creature.

While visiting the vet recently with Duke, my chocolate lab, getting him his annual rabies booster, we heard the most incredible howling and whimpering noises coming from the back of the vets office, obviously the sounds of a very unhappy dog. It turns out, from what the vets assistant told me, a Jack Russell Terrier, beloved pet of a resident got himself into a tussle with a skunk. The skunk lost the fight and the Jack Russell lost his freedom. (more…)

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