Holistic Pet Care Articles and Tips

Pets definitely help us live longer and healthier lives. This is especially true of the elderly and those of us who live alone. Pets make wonderful and faithful companions. They are always there for us. However, this relationship can become strained, and sometimes even be broken when someone in the household develops an allergy to a beloved pet.

Studies show that approximately 15% of the population suffers from an allergy to a dog or cat, and about one third of those with an allergy to cats choose to live in a household with a cat despite the allergy. Some allergy suffers live happily with a pet for a year or two before an allergy starts.

There are sometimes long term health ramifications of repeated allergy flair up’s, especially for children. Repeated flair-up’s can cause permanent lung damage in children. This should be carefully and thoroughly discussed with your physician. One of the ways to live happily with an animal you are allergic to is to decrease your exposure to the animal. Keep the animal outside if possible.

If the allergy sufferer only has a mild reaction to the animal there are ways for the two of them to live together in harmony, but it takes work. The animal should not be allowed in the allergy sufferers bedroom or on the bed. Keep the animal off of any upholstered furniture in the house as dander can be transferred to upholstered furniture. Use a room purifier to remove airborne animal dander. Remove carpets from the home if possible and replace with wood floors. Wash area rugs on a regular basis with warm water. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter in order to trap dander. The allergy sufferer should wash his or her face and hands after handling the animal. The animal can be bathed weekly in specially formulated shampoo that removes dander.

In some cases where the above methods and the use of over the counter antihistamines and decongestants do not help, the allergy sufferer may need to seek the help of an allergist. Immunotherapy can be thought of like a vaccination against your allergies. Given on a regular basis as shots, immunotherapy helps your body build up a natural tolerance to specific allergens.

With the use of the above methods you’ll be able to live a long and healthy life with your pet

By Samuel Murray

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Holistic Pet Care Articles and Tips

Dogs have long been known as “man’s best friend”. If you own a dog, you’ve likely already discovered the truth of that statement. Our dogs bring us hours of joy and companionship, provide unconditional love, and ask very little in return. But your dog does rely on you to provide the care required to keep your dog healthy, safe, and happy.

Fortunately, there are many simple things you can do to help maintain your dog’s health.

One of the most important things you can do for your dog is to make sure your dog is kept up-to-date on all necessary vaccinations.

Vaccinations, often simply called “shots”, work to protect your dog against many different illnesses which could be quite serious, even fatal, for your dog should your dog catch these diseases. When your dog is fully vaccinated, these diseases no longer pose a significant threat to your dog. Your dog’s veterinarian can easily help you determine which vaccinations your dog needs and how often your dog needs to be vaccinated. This will vary depending on your dog’s individual lifestyle, your dog’s risk of exposure, your dog’s age, and your dog’s previous vaccination history. If you are unsure which vaccinations your dog needs, or are not sure whether your dog is vaccinated properly, please contact your dog’s veterinarian at once.

Another very simple thing that you can do for your dog’s health is to make sure your dog is protected against heartworms. Heartworms are, as the name suggests, worms which live inside of your dog’s heart. They can cause a great deal of damage to your dog’s heart in a very short period of time. Your dog can be exposed to heartworms very easily through the bite of a mosquito.

Fortunately, preventing heartworms is easy and safe, through the use of medications which only need to be administered on a monthly basis. If your dog has not previously been tested for heartworms, a simple blood test performed by your dog’s veterinarian can determine whether or not your dog is already infected before starting the preventive medication.

Fleas and ticks are another risk to your dog’s health. Both fleas and ticks can cause significant health problems for your dog. Your dog can also carry these insects into your home where they may also pose a health threat to you and our family. You should check your dog’s skin and hair coat regularly for evidence of fleas and ticks and act immediately if you find evidence of them on your dog. Luckily, there are a number of very effective flea and tick medications which are not only safe but easy to use. These products can help keep your dog free of fleas and ticks and assist you in keeping your dog healthy and happy.

Keeping your dog free of internal parasites, frequently called “worms”, is another task which is necessary to keep your dog healthy. Finding out whether your dog is infected with worms is as easy as collecting a small fecal sample to be tested by your dog’s veterinarian. Do not assume that your dog has no worms because you do not see them in the stool. Your dog’s veterinarian has special laboratory techniques which find the worm eggs in your dog’s feces. These eggs are too small for you to be able to see. If your dog’s veterinarian finds worms in your dog’s feces, there are medications which can safely and effectively be used to rid your dog of these worms. Your dog’s veterinarian can provide the proper medication for your dog.

Besides preventing the birth of unwanted puppies, spaying or neutering your dog has a number of health benefits for your dog also.

Female dogs that are spayed at a young age are less likely to develop breast cancers later in life and cannot develop the serious, life-threatening uterine infections that unspayed female dogs frequently suffer from.

Neutered male dogs are less likely to develop prostate problems later in life. In addition, your dog’s personality and behavior will only improve when spayed or neutered.

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Holistic Pet Care Articles and Tips

Pets need attention, feeding, fresh water, exercise, and a commitment from owners, unless the pet is a pet rock. Therefore, choosing the right pet means more than liking its appearance.

Dogs come in different sizes and personalities. A boisterous, energy-filled breed or individual dog might frighten a young child or wear on an older person. A large dog needs a place to run and frolic, space to match its size. Dogs need ample outdoor time unless the owner doesn’t mind cleaning messing, even if the dog is paper broken. Dogs depend on attention from an owner, affection as well as being fed and watered. They are protective and good company but deserve the care due them. Some dogs do well around children while others don’t. Be sure to research different breeds to discover which will fit into your life style.

Cats are more independent than dogs on a whole. They are capable of being inside twenty-four hours a day as long a litter box is provided and kept clean. Not as socialized as dogs, perhaps, they still need attention. Long haired cats require regular brushing. All need to be de-fleaed and medical problems resolved. Some cats do not tolerate young children; some do. Cats need opportunities to climb, which can be provided through cat condos or perches.

Even low maintenance pets take some care. Fish are mainly hands-off pets, but even with automatic feeders, their water needs to be changed regularly. Hamsters require a clean cage, and automatic feeders and waterers need to be refilled. No matter how little daily care any pet may need, time and energy must be available to do what needs to be done.

Any neglected animal suffers. A pet that wants social attention but doesn’t receive it suffers as much emotionally as one not receiving necessary physical consideration. In fact, the lack of human contact can cause an animal to develop physical problems. Therefore, the time a prospective owner would have for a pet must be considered when choosing one.

Also the amount of space needed for any given pet should be ample. Someone living in a small apartment shouldn’t have a Great Dane or a German Shepherd, for example. Larger animals need space to run and move. Two walks on a leash doesn’t give large animals enough exercise.

Every would-be owner needs to study the needs of a possible pet and examine his ability to meet those needs. The only pet around that needs nothing from an owner is a pet rock, which can be placed anywhere and only need dusting occasionally.
About the Author
Vivian Gilbert Zabel is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Fiction Writing. This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.PetLovers.Com/ which is a site for Pet Forums.

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Holistic Pet Care Articles and Tips

Have you ever heard of a dog living into his late teens? I personally have never met such an age-defying dog but it does happen. Did you know, however, that many veterinarians and scientists today estimate that the life span of a dog should be into the late teens and even into the twenties? It is a wild idea, but many see it as attainable.

Science advances rapidly. It seems as if every day we read of a new advancement, a new wonder-drug, a new technique for improving both the quality and the longevity of our pets and ourselves. These advancements are wonderful. It was only a generation or two ago where simple infections could mean certain death for our pets, where a difficult labor would be the downfall of both mother dog and puppies, where diseases were common due to lack of vaccinations and proper treatments. I applaud science and hope they continue in their march toward a higher quality of life.

With all these dog health improvements and human life spans increasing, why the heck aren’t our dogs living up to their true potential life spans? I believe that the factors are many. The main factor, in my opinion, is the nutrition that we give our dogs.

Did you know that the pet food industry is largely unregulated? The pet foods that you pick up at the grocery store are made by companies owned by some of the largest companies in the world. These mega-companies make largely human consumer products and their dog foods and pet foods are manufactured from the by-products that weren’t fit for human consumption.

I know, I know. This sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it’s true. What kind of things are they able to get away with? Dog foods are made with leftovers. It is well documented that these dog foods are manufactured with dead and rotting carcasses. These are often carcasses from animals that were diseased, sickly, or otherwise not fit for human consumption so they were used in dog food. These carcasses are gathered and sit around a lot rotting and putrefying often for days before it is their turn to make it into the dog food bag. Other non-nutritional products like hooves and horns are also ground up and thrown into the mix. Have you ever wondered what happens to all that grease and oil that fries up those potatoes in fast food joints? Yup, it’s true. Dog food companies buy leftover grease by the ton and use it as a coating on dog food that you may be giving your dog. Why would they do that? Well, that grease is pretty tasty (albeit nutritionally abominable) to your dog. The dog food companies know that the unpalatable product they make will be eaten if they cover it with this leftover fat.

That’s not all, though. Most commercial dog and cat foods are full of fillers, preservatives, baked in a manner that strips the food of nutrients, and so chemically treated that they resemble Twinkies more than they resemble nutrition for your pet.

What is the solution? Well, there are many but the first step is to switch to a premium food. Feed your dog a food that uses human grade ingredients, doesn’t cram the food with fillers, and leaves out the chemical enhancers that give commercial dog food the shelf life of uranium.

DogBehaviorOnline.com is an official partner of one such food. Click here to find out how you can start turning around your dog’s health today.
About the Author

Author Ty Brown is a renowned dog trainer whose training adventures and clients have taken him to 18 states and 5 countries to teach others how to properly train their dogs. He is dedicated to improving your dog’s health. Click here to learn more about feeding your dog a better food.

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Holistic Pet Care Articles and Tips

An overview of the type of cat food that is best suited to you
cats biology. Looks into the type of food cats eat in the wild
and why that is important in choosing what types of cat food are
good for your pet.

What should you feed your cat to make sure he or she will have
the necessary nutrition? What is the ideal mix of food to help
your cat live to the limit of it’s life span? Tp answer these
questions, one should look at the diet of a feline in it’s
natural habitat. In the wild, a cat eats almost exclusively
animal tissue. However, they would normally eat the entire body
of the animal, including it’s stomach contents, which has many
nutrients that are simply lacking in an animals muscle tissue.

Another question many cat owners have is: Is fresh meat the best
possible food for cats? Not necessarily. Fresh meat will not
provide a balanced diet for a cat, as they are extremely protein
dense while being very low in vital nutrients such as calcium.
Alternately, some cat owners have asked, “Is it O.K. to feed my
cat an exclusively vegetarian diet?” The answer to that question
is a clear cut no. Cats cannot produce the nutrients it needs
from an exclusively vegetarian diet in the same way that humans
can. Being a highly specialized hunter, it has simply lost that
ability during the course of it’s evolution. Major skin problems
are often the result of a deficiency in certain essential fatty
acids which can be found in animal flesh alone. Another problem
is that a deficiency of the amino acid taurine, a vital building
block for proteins in the body, which can cause both blindness
and heart failure. Cats are simply born carnivores.

Is it o.k. to give a cat only dry food? According to petshub, the answer is
yes, providing that you ensure that fresh water is available at
all times. Dry food is generally more convenient, hygienic, and
affordable than canned or fresh food. It also exercises the teeth
and reduces the buildup of tartar, which can grow into a severe
problem in cats that are fed a soft and mushy diet.
Aaron Wilmot is an author, editor, researcher and webmaster in
the fields of human health and pet nutrition. He is also
affiliated with the Healthy Pet Network.

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Holistic Pet Care Articles and Tips

Really, is there any dog owner out there who is satisfied with his dog’s breath? Honestly, I don’t know about others but if you had my dog you would definitely understand my situation. It’s not like I have a worthless, old, lazy, stupid dog with an awful breath hanging around my house; if that was the case, I wouldn’t say anything at all, seriously! However, I think it’s a pity for my young, muscular and beautiful Doberman to have such a bad breath; it’s a real pity! It’s a first class dog and it’s supposed to make you run away because of fear, not because of its fishy breath!

So, basically, I’m not going to say anything like “Dog breath care product X changed my life!” or anything like that; we are just talking about my dog here, not me. However, what I would really say is that since I bought that dog breath care product I saw in the supermarket, my dog’s bad breath almost disappeared!

This is definitely something that makes both me and my dog very happy. Of course, my little buddy doesn’t really see any difference but since I’m happier, I guess he’s happier too.

For all you dog owners who have the same problem as I did, I highly recommend getting one of those products. All you have to do is spray a few times in your dogs’ water and your problem is solved! Additionally, your dog is likely to not have any embarrassing gases anymore. It’s true; those products will also eliminate your dog’s gases!

I am no longer ashamed of my dog. In fact, now that he has overcome this serious problem I sometimes let my buddy sleep close to me! No more nightmares and no more fighting with my doggy to make him go away! Honestly now, even if you are the owner, who wants to fight with a Doberman?

That’s pretty much what I had to say. Such a simple to solve problem yet such a hard to find solution! Now that I know, I’m also letting you dog owners know: your dog’s bad breath can be effectively countered. If you love your dog and if you love yourself then I believe that you should treat your dog’s problems as if it were your own problems! After all, a dog is man’s best friend!

John Gibb is the owner of bad breath tips For more information on bad breath check out http://www.bad-breath-guidance.info

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Holistic Pet Care Articles and Tips