If you’re an older person and are keen to get yourself a furry companion, then it’s important that you consider a few factors before selecting your pet. For example, will you have the time and energy to exercise your new best friend, even if they only require one or two short walks a day? Can you meet the other needs that your new pet may have, such as grooming and healthcare? If you have an active and busy retirement planned, will you have the time to devote to a pet dog?
It’s long been known that dogs can help to reduce stress levels in humans and encourage us to take more physical exercise and meet new people; dogs aren’t referred to as man’s best friend without good reason. But can a canine companion really help us if we’re mentally unwell?
Dogs can start to cough for a whole host of reasons, some of which are usually minor and will go away on their own, such as if they’ve gulped their water down too quickly or they’re straining on the leash. Some causes of coughing may be more serious though and require urgent medical attention, such as if your pet has a heart defect or problem with their lungs. Here are a few pointers for detecting which type of cough your pet has when you should seek veterinary help and what the treatment might be:
Since dogs are pack animals, they have an instinct to live as part of a group and being alone can feel very unnatural for them. Their lives require order and everyone in the pack must have a place, from the head of the pack to the lowest members of the group. For humans to live alongside dogs in harmony, we must understand the dog’s instinct to have such order and be certain that they know their place within the family. Your pet dog will look to you as his leader, and in fact, most dogs are much more content when they have orders to follow, quickly becoming stressed and miserable when they don’t.
Whether we realise it or not, our pet dogs are continually trying to communicate with us, but it’s not always easy to know what they’re trying to say! Here are a few examples of what your pet may be trying to communicate to you when they do, or act, in a certain way.
While any pet dog has the potential to injure a small child, the risk becomes a little greater when the breed of dog is a large one, and more kids under the age of 14 have been bitten by dogs than in any other age group.
Dogs are amazing creatures and when we refer to them as ‘man’s best friend’, we do so for a variety of reasons, but mainly for their loyalty and their ability to love us humans unconditionally. However, while we love our pet dogs, we may not always love the way they smell. Some dogs are smellier than others, that much is true, but all dogs have a certain aroma that can become overpowering if not tackled with regular bathing, or even with deodorant.
While you may not always know what happened to your rescued pet before you adopted them, there are things that you can do to help them put their best paw forwards towards a new, happy and stress-free life.
It’s important to socialize your puppy, and the sooner you can begin, the better. Puppies are far more likely to be accepting of new experiences such as meeting other dogs and people at this time in their lives, and in most cases, they will be curious and inquisitive rather than frightened. However, it’s important that you are careful when introducing your puppy to other dogs and people since if something traumatic does occur during this early development stage, it could lead to problems that will be difficult to rectify in later life. Here are some simple tips for socializing your pup:
Considering most dogs have a bad relationship with the bath tub, you could be forgiven for wondering if it’s ever necessary to give your dog a stressful, messy bath. However, as much as your four-legged friend may hate getting all soapy and wet, some dogs need at least one bath every 6 months, while others may require more frequent bathing. Here’s a few points to help you decide how often to bathe your canine:
Even if your pet pooch doesn’t go out foraging on walks or playing in the dirt, they will still develop a certain amount of dirt in their ears, and it’s important to know when and how you should clean them:
Does your pet dogs coat shine and feel soft to the touch? A rough, dull coat can be an indicator of several different skin conditions, or of a poor diet, and can have an impact on their health and appearance.
'What's the use of their having names', the gnat said, 'if they won't answer to them? ... Dog. Reintroduction health of bison herds in Yellowstone increasing. ...
While some dogs get super excited at the prospect of getting wet, whether having a bath, going for a swim or playing with a garden hose, others are petrified of water and will do anything to avoid it. One fun thing for dogs and their owners to do together, is to go to the beach or a lake for a dip, but if your pet pooch is frightened of getting into the water, what can you do to help them overcome their fear?
Gone are the days when boarding kennels were the only places that you could safely leave your pet while you’re away, or friends and family were the only people you could find to look after your dog in your absence. Nowadays, professional pet sitters have grown in popularity and there are many of them offering their services all over the country.
It’s not always easy to leave your beloved furry best friend with a dog sitter, even if it’s just for a day or two and finding one that you trust and can rely upon, is often even harder. To help you in your search, here is a list of traits that every pet sitter should possess if they’re going to do a good job of caring your fur-kid:
Preventative measures for your pet’s health are equally as important as they are for humans, if not more so, as our pets can’t communicate any potential health concerns to us. Catching illnesses early on, or better yet, preventing them altogether, will give your pet a happier, healthier and longer life, and so just as we might go for a routine health check-up once a year, so should your beloved pooch.
While having an excitable pooch can be entertaining, and some pet owners encourage the behaviour, it can get out of control and cause conflicts between other pet owners and even friends and family. Here are some tips for helping to calm an excitable pooch:
If you’re sick and tired of your furniture getting all chewed up, finding scratch marks all over the doors, your belongings being destroyed and constant barking, then it could be that your furry friend needs some mental stimulation. Here are some top tips for keeping your pet’s mind busy with minimum effort on your part:
As more cases are reported, the list of foods that can be toxic to our pets continues to grow, but there are some that are more common than others and which can have devastating health repercussions if consumed by our furry best friends:
There are many events or occurrences in life that cause us to freak out, upset us or even induce panic attacks, and many more of us suffer from debilitating mental illnesses. While some of us know how to help heal ourselves in the event of a tragedy, stressful event, or when we’re feeling mentally drained, others simply do not know where to turn, or who to turn to.
In much the same way that we humans suffer with stress related issues, our furry four-legged friends also suffer. However, while we humans can verbally express how we are feeling and can take action to minimize our stress levels, our beloved pets cannot.
When your pet means everything to you, the thought of leaving them in boarding kennels while you’re out of town, can be an upsetting one. Irrespective of how well the kennels are run and maintained, you may not be able to bear the thought of them being left in unfamiliar surroundings.
1. Why is vocabulary development important? What does the research tell us ... decorate, wandered, milliner, arrived, assistants, sighed, eventful, overjoyed ...
(SACS reviewer's comment) 20. IE: What has been learned from commonly cited ... comment) ... (SACS reviewer's comment) 26. Components of Institutional ...
Abraham Lincoln says 'A house divided against itself cannot stand' ... As a result, such facts as period of gestation, weight at birth, complications ...
St. Thomas was one of the worst-hit Caribbean islands by the hurricane. ... Erika. Fabian. Grace. Henri. Isabel. Juan. Kate. Larry. Mindy. Nicholas. Odette ...
... more than one meaning such as 'spread eagle' 'knock it off' or 'cut ... When carrying the person, avoid putting pressure on his or her arms, legs or chest. ...
UNIT 9: DISEASES AND DISORDERS: An infection occurs when living agents enter tissue, multiply there and damage the tissue. The General causative agents for disease ...
Content (focus on healthy lifestyle; if it's good for the heart, it's probably good for mood) ... Lifestyle 3: Sleep. Poor sleep is barometer of depression ...
Your pet dog is probably like a member of the family to you, and so of course you want to spoil them and make them feel loved and content. You might want to buy them all the latest toys, dress them in expensive pet outfits or take them to the grooming parlour once a week. With dogs increasingly seen as extensions of us, it’s easy to see why they are pampered and groomed to meet human standards, whether it’s wholly necessary for their wellbeing, or not. However, for good pet owners, who want to raise balanced, healthy pet dogs, the desire to treat them as we might like ourselves to be treated, should be resisted wherever possible.