PetLvr.com - [The Blog]

Every pet owner should know by now that dogs and cats can’t have chocolate and shouldn’t eat any sort of candy. However, that doesn’t mean they have to miss out entirely on Halloween! Some fall treats are great for pets.

Pumpkin

More →

Okay, I’ll admit that I’m a huge cat lover. I put up with a lot from these furry four-legged purr machines, but the one thing that drives me crazy is the frequent up-chucking. Yuck. I think almost every one of my cats has puked at one time or another. And I’ve had a lot of cats. One time, I had 14, mostly kittens from a failed attempt at breeding polydactyls (extra toes), but we won’t get into that.

Anyway, apparently a cat’s digestive tract is susceptible to regurgitation - evacuating the stomach quickly after consumption. Cat’s also frequently cough up hairballs, but I’m talking about that disgusting process of scarfing down their food and then promptly vomiting it back up, usually on or under the furniture. I think they really enjoy finding the most difficult locations to puke up their dinner, but I digress. Over the years I’ve found out that some degree of regurgitation is actually a normal, albeit annoying, action in cats. It’s most likely to protect them from ingesting poison or spoiled food.

More →

No matter how much you love your pet, chances are, you hate shedding. Unless you own a non-shedding breed like a Standard Poodle, there’s also a good chance shedding is a fact of life. However, sometimes a pet develops a shedding problem that defies logic and the vacuum cleaner. If your pet is dropping hair like it’s going out of style, you may need to take some extra steps to keep a little more hair on the dog or the groomer’s floor, rather than on your dry-clean only pants.

1. Rule out a Health Problem

More →

Because my other job is with a social networking site, the term “Power User” has crept into my vocabulary. A Power User is an individual who doesn’t just use a particular website or application, but uses it in ways and to an extent that the average user doesn’t even consider. Think of people with hundreds of thousands of Myspace friends, or the users who don’t just use Facebook, but write and distribute applications for it just for fun. Those are Power Users.

I realized recently that Power Users have an equivalent in the pet world. An average user can use and enjoy a website like Myspace, but a Power User delves into every nook and cranny of the application and makes it a passion. Similarly, an average owner can certainly provide great care for a pet, but there is a class of pet owners I’ll call Power Pawrents® who go above and beyond and make pet ownership central to their lives and identities.

More →

For dogs with allergies, exposure to even a small amount of a food or environmental allergen can mean days of itching miserably, sneezing, and even outbreaks of hives or skin sores. Some dogs who have allergies can manage them with diet and lifestyle changes, but others need regular injections for life, and treatment with a steroid like prednisone during particularly problematic times. In rare cases, a dog can develop an allergy severe enough to be life-threatening.

So, it follows that where allergies in dogs are concerned, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you make allergy prevention a priority from day one, you can reduce your dog’s chance of developing allergies later in life. More →

Looking After Your Dog, Part Ten - Health Problems

By Niall Kennedy

Dogs can be inflicted with ailments, which can prove fatal if not apprehended early and treated in an appropriate manner. As far as canine health care is concerned, you need to have a proactive approach. You must look for ominous signs, which indicate that the dog’s health is probably deteriorating. Timely care and treatment can save your dog from the fangs of death. Preventive health care is crucial in order to avoid any grave health disorders.

Fortunately, the advances in veterinary science have led to a significant reduction in the occurrence and effects of several dog diseases. Common viral diseases in dogs include rabies, parvovirus, hepatitis, parainfluenza, distemper and coronavirus among others. Bacterial ailments may include leptospirosis, Lyme disease, and a type of kennel cough. However, all these perilous diseases can be prevented through discreet vaccination of pets.

More →

Looking After Your Dog, Part Six - Dog Health Insurance

By Niall Kennedy

Pet health insurance is not a novel idea by any means. The concept has been around for 15-20 years. Many people believe that having medical insurance for a pet is not justified, and is rather something that depicts indulgence. However, the truth is that pet health insurance has nothing to do with being lavish. It purely depends on how much you care for your pet. It is the question of whether you consider your pet a part of your family, and therefore, would want to have it insured.

Pet health insurance plans take several aspects into consideration before awarding an insurance cover. The decision may be based on several considerations - species, age, pre-existing health conditions and lifestyle of the pet (i.e. a docile one compared to one of a sports dog). A few of the pet insurance companies don’t have an age limit. However, it’s easier to get pet health insurance if your pet isn’t too old. Therefore, insurance schemes typically start off at an early age of around 6 weeks for a dog.

More →

Internal Parasites of the Horse

By Randall Holman

Internal parasites are a threat to the health of horses and may cause irreparable damage. Parasites are small organisms living a portion of their life cycle within the internal organs, body cavities and tissues inside the horse. There are more than 150 internal parasites; however, only a few commonly cause significant health problems.

The common class of internal parasites causing health problems for horses is nematodes such as large and small strongyles, ascarids, and tapeworms. Other less harmful parasites like pinworms and botfly larvae are also typically considered when applying parasite control.

More →

Cat Litter Box Health Considerations

by RC Wellborn

Cats are the most popular pets in the United States. According to the latest version of the U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook (2002 Edition) there were almost 70 Million pet cats in the United States. Why are cats so popular? There are as many answers to this question as there are cat owners, but the low health risks cats pose to their owners is certainly near the top of this list. Even though the potential health risks cats pose to people are small, it is important that cat owners are aware of these risks and understand how to reduce them.

The majority of all risks stemming from cat ownership are associated with the cat litter box and/or cat feces. There are two categories of risks. The first category contains health risks posed by bacteria and parasites to both cat owners and their cats. The second category contains injuries resulting from an automatic litter box or self cleaning litter box.

More →

Obtaining A Diagnosis For Dog and Cat Diseases at ThePetCenter.com.

What’s The Diagnosis?

More →