PetLvr.com - [The Blog]

Adrenal Disease

One of the most common conditions to occur in ferrets is adrenal disease. Growths or enlargement of the adrenal gland typically requires surgery. External signs are a loss of hair, usually starting at the tail and working forward. Sometimes the back of the neck loses hair. In some cases, the vulva of females becomes enlarged. Left untreated, it’s fatal. Prospects for recovery when caught early are very good, though.

ADV

More →

With the large number of homeless and feral cats in the world, it is no wonder that people are beginning to realize the importance of neutering their cats. After all, since cats can reproduce several times a year and mature quickly, just two feral cats can quickly become twenty.

These feral cats are often actually unaltered pet cats that were released by owners who no longer could care for them. A colony of feral cats can spread diseases to pet cats and dogs in the area. Even when the cats are fairly healthy, they are often infested with fleas. When female cats are in heat, the colony can literally keep people up all night with their fighting and crying. Hungry cats will raid the trashcan and playful kittens will destroy shrubbery and soil lawn furniture.

More →

When you are caring for your horse, one of your most important responsibilities will be feeding him properly. Overfeeding grain to a horse can lead to a serious case of gas colic, which is an illness caused by a horse’s inability to burp. Gases develop in the horse’s digestive tract and cause the horse to suffer from severe abdominal pain.

One of the most important ways to avoid colic is to feed your horse regularly. Horses should have three meals a day instead of one large meal. Each meal should include plenty of fiber, so plan to stock up on good quality hay. Also, plan to change the water bucket at each feeding. If your horse is very active or pregnant, you may also be feeding your horse grain or pelleted feed.

More →

One of the most important things you can do for your cat is to be sure its health is protected. Cat vaccinations can protect your cat from many common cat ailments.

You should begin vaccinating your kitten when he is six to eight weeks old. Before this time, his mother’s antibodies have been protecting him from many of the diseases that vaccinations protect against. However, now that he is weaned, he will need to develop his own antibodies.

On your kitten’s first veterinarian visit, your veterinarian will give him a physical examination. He should also complete a fecal exam to be sure your kitten doesn’t have worms. Before your veterinarian vaccinates your kitten, he should do a blood test to be sure the kitten is not already infected with Feline Leukemia. He may also test for Feline Infectious Peritonitis. The tests do not take long. Your veterinarian will have preliminary results in minutes. If your kitten is not already infected with one of these diseases, your veterinarian will give your kitten his first Feline Leukemia and FIP vaccines if he is at risk for these diseases. An only cat who never leaves his home may not need these two vaccines and your veterinarian may recommend against giving them.

More →

While caring for a sick pet can be a little tricky, caring for sick birds is extremely difficult. By the time many bird owners realize their pets are sick, the birds are seriously ill. If your bird is sick, you should contact your avian vet immediately. However, reaching your vet when you recognize your bird is sick is not always possible. What do you do to help your bird until you can get him to the vet’s office?

The first thing you should do for your sick bird is to warm him up. A grow light for plants is an ideal heat source. Aim the light so that your bird is able to move away from it if he gets too hot. If your bird is sitting on the bottom of his cage and is unable to sit on his perch, you may want to move him into hospital cage for added warmth and safety.

More →

The goldfish is probably one of the easiest fish species to care for. These fish can live for up to 50 years if they are well taken care of.

The first thing you should consider when you are caring for your goldfish is the aquarium. You should buy a tank that has 10 gallons of water for each goldfish. Keep in mind that the fish will eventually grow. The larger the tank, the better the environment will be for your fish, since a larger tank has a greater surface area. This large surface area allows for plenty of oxygen for the goldfish in the tank.

Goldfish are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals. You can buy food specifically made for goldfish at your local pet store. They can also eat frozen foods, just make sure you thaw them out before feeding the goldfish. Goldfish tend to constantly graze on food because they like to eat a lot, but be careful not to overfeed them.

More →

For most cat owners, one of the biggest drawbacks of owning a cat is the dreaded cat litter box. Few people like to clean litter boxes. After all, they aren’t just smelly. Litter can be quite dusty and people that change litter boxes are more susceptible to some cat diseases that can be caught by humans than people that do not change their cats’ litter boxes.

* Hooded Litter Box

More →

If your tank walls are so covered in green gunk that you can’t see your fish, it may be time to remove the algae from your tank. While algae can help keep your fish alive and healthy since it helps provide oxygen and can consume some of the excess nutrients in the tank, a little algae can go a long way.

Too much algae can cause the tank to be so dirty that you can’t enjoy the beauty of your fish. If the algae is extremely thick, you may even miss the fact that one of your fish is not doing well because you literally cannot see it.

More →

Building a whelping box helps you prepare for dog birth. At least 4′ wide by 6′ long by 1′ high, will give the dam a place to feel comfortable and enclosed and keep newborn pups from wandering the first two weeks. Lining the bottom with newspapers over plastic will make for easy cleanup.

About 12-24 hours prior to birth, the female will become restless and frequently trot around, licking her vulva and looking to you for guidance. Be prepared to give some by memorizing the following helpful hints.

More →

So, you have a new kitten. You can just dump some cat food in a bowl and get on with your life, right? Well, there’s a bit more to the process than this. To keep your kitten healthy, you will need to be sure that you meet all of his nutritional needs.

For the first few weeks of his life, your kitten received all of his nutrition from his mother. As he reached four to six weeks of age, the breeder probably began supplementing the mother cat’s milk with canned kitten food or with hard kitten chow moistened with water. By the time your kitten reached eight weeks of age, he was weaned and eating a diet of kitten food. Your breeder should have given you some of the food your kitten was eating or at least the name of the kitten chow.
If you want to change the kitten chow brand that your kitten is eating, you should still buy a small bag of the brand he is currently eating so that you can mix it with the new food. This way your kitten will be able to gradually adjust to the new food without upsetting his digestion.

More →