Archive for the 'Pet Health' Category

I recently read a story in my hometown newspaper about an airline that is dedicated to flying our pets. Using small airplanes that carry pets only, in the comfort of a climate controlled cabin, and dedicated to easing the stress of flying for animals, this Florida based company, Pet Airways, is seeking to fill a niche created by pet owners who dread having their animals shipped in the cargo hold of a plane.

My Baby Pet thinks this is a great idea and long overdue. Next time your pet has to fly give Pet Airways a try, they are getting good reviews.

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Question is, what do I do about it?

Duke with his girlfriend Mina

Plenty of fresh water, run of the house, toys, Kongs filled with treats. This all helps but my chocolate lab mix is a rescue and he has separation issues. He does best with another dog for a companion but two dogs is something the wife keeps vetoing.

It is some comfort to know that other lab owners have the same concerns. I have seen this same question asked on the web many times. While we are away we fret over what is happening at home. I am fortunate that Duke is not a destructive dog. He is 6 yrs old and full of life as labs are and he gets regular and vigorous exercise. I just know that he is lonely and bored at home alone and I worry about him.

I have video taped him while gone and he paces back and forth climbing up on the kitchen counter so he can look out the windows to the driveway. Up, down, up, down, rarely staying in one place. I can't leave anything on the counters or he will play with it, raw potatoes, cans, paper, etc. Other than that he is great. Maybe all I need is an inexpensive dog sitter!Dog Sitter Directory!

Do dogs like music? Should I leave the TV on? I know he sleeps a lot but other than provide him with a comfortable bed what can I do that will provide him with some entertainment. I rarely leave him for more than four hours at a time but he acts like I have been gone for days when I come home. Any suggestions?

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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 lb 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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