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Volunteers work to keep stray cat numbers down

Posted on: October 31st, 2010 by

A feral cat hides in the wild.
Posted by: H.R.
Pets Best Insurance Editorial Manager

There are many different types of homeless cats: strays who are lost or abandoned, others that are waiting in shelters, pounds and foster homes, and an estimated 70 million “wild” feral cats in the United States alone, according to a 2004 National Geographic News article.

“The Humane Society of the United States believes feral and stray cats produce about 80 percent of all kittens,” wrote Patrick McCallister in a Daytona Beach News-Journal article entitled Oak Hill Seeks to Tame Feral Cat Growth.

The October 2010 article explains that the city is trying to establish a trap-neuter-release pet health program, in which feral cats are trapped and fixed to avoid further breeding of homeless pets. Because feral cats have never lived with humans and are usually not eligible for cat adoption, they are then released back into the area where they were found.

Volunteers across the country run similar programs in a never-ending effort to keep the number of stray cats down. With an estimated 6-8 million homeless pets already waiting for homes in pet adoption centers, according to a recent article in the Gary Post-Tribune, spaying and neutering is an important issue for animal advocates.

Low-cost spay and neuter clinics have opened in cities across the country in hopes that more pet owners will choose to spay or neuter their pets if the price is more affordable. The clinics also provide services for trapped feral cats. Such clinics are able to keep costs down by releasing pets hours after the desexing surgery rather than keeping them overnight for observation. And because they provide limited services, they can see more pets in a day than veterinary clinics.

The American Humane Society asks pet owners to help with pet overpopulation by spaying and neutering all pets. According to fact sheets on the Society’s website, it is safe to spay or neuter healthy pets as early as 8 weeks of age, and when fixed young, puppies and kittens heal faster and with less pain and stress than adult pets. Fixing pets can also help diminish cat and dog health care issues.

How to choose the best puppy food for your pet

Posted on: October 7th, 2010 by

Posted by: H.R.
Pets Best Insurance Editorial Manager
A puppy waits for his meal.
Bringing home a new puppy can also bring on uncertainties. You may worry if you’re doing what’s best for your new puppy. And choosing the best puppy dog food for your pet is an easy way to ensure he’s in good dog health care. Your puppy may also have and have fewer of the puppy problems that can come with feeding him a low-quality food.

When choosing a food for your puppy, choose food based on the puppy’s size and breed. Large breed puppies should be fed a food formulated for large breeds, while small breed puppies should be fed a food that has smaller pieces than regular puppy food.

Choose a puppy food that contains high quality ingredients, such as meat or fish. Make sure these are among the first ingredients listed. Avoid dog foods that list corn as the first ingredient. Corn is a filler ingredient that has no nutritional value to dogs.

Puppies with diarrhea can benefit from eating a high quality food. High quality foods are easier for puppies to digest, which decreases their chance of having diarrhea and other pet health issues. This also provides the nutrients that growing puppies need. When switching puppy foods, do so gradually as to avoid further intestinal upset.

High quality dog food will cost more per bag than lower quality food. The cost of feeding a high quality food and lower quality food is virtually the same. With a high quality food, the dog only needs to eat a small quantity of food to meet his nutritional needs. With a lower quality food, the dog needs to eat a larger amount of food to consume the nutritional values needed.

For more information on which pet food is right for your dog’s health care needs, talk with your veterinarian.

Pet health: Does my pet need to be vaccinated?

Posted on: September 30th, 2010 by

Posted by: H.R.
Pets Best Insurance Editorial Manager
A veterinarian holds a small dog.

Pet owners often ask themselves why they should vaccinate their pets. According to Dr. Gloria Dorsey, DVM, MPH, and director of medical services at the Atlanta Humane Society, “While responsible pet ownership is not always cheap, you owe it to your new best friend to make sure that they are kept healthy throughout their lives.”

Keep pet health a top priority by keeping them up-to-date on vaccinations. Vaccines are important because they can protect your pet from getting diseases– many which can be life-threatening. Puppies and kittens should get a series of vaccines in the first year of life to ensure proper pet health and that they are protected from dangerous diseases.

Mother animals pass their immunity on to their offspring via the colostrum in her milk. The immunity from the mother usually loses its affect around 5 weeks. Puppies and kittens are given vaccines to help build up their immunity to common diseases. The vaccines are usually repeated every 3 to 4 weeks, until they are 5 months old, to make sure that the animal is fully covered by the vaccines.

Rabies is a disease that affects both cats and dogs. Humans can also be infected with rabies by being bitten by an infected animal. Domestic animals will usually contract rabies from wild animals like foxes and raccoons. The rabies vaccine is the only vaccine that is required by law in most states. Low-cost pet vaccinations are available through some local animal groups and low-cost vaccine providers. By ensuring your pet gets vaccinated, you will be setting them up for long-term cat and dog health care benefits.

How to stop your dog’s excessive barking

Posted on: September 28th, 2010 by

Posted by: H.R.
Pets Best Insurance Editorial Manager

Jayda the dog learns to contol her barking in a doggie class.An occasional bark from a dog can be a bit annoying in itself, but a dog that is constantly barking can bring on a whole new level of annoyance, especially when all you want is the dog to stop barking.

According to the dog health care expert and self proclaimed Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, continuous, excessive barking is your dog’s manner of sending you a distress signal and occurs if the dog’s needs are not being met.

Excessive barking often stems from boredom. When dogs aren’t stimulated daily, both mentally and physically, they can become mentally frustrated. A dog will communicate this frustration with barking. Being in control of your dog will stop his barking.

Some dog health care advice Cesar Milan offers to stop a dog from barking, is to use a physical correction or a sound correction. Once the dog stops barking, you need to make sure the dog is still not caught up in the moment before you step away. If the dog’s brain is still on alert he will begin barking as soon as you are not around him.

Remain calm when correcting the dog. Excessive barking will make you frustrated and will cause you to want to yell at your dog to stop barking. Dogs pick up on the energy of their owner. If you are agitated, the dog will pick up on it and will not calm down. A calm energy will help the dog become calm and stop barking.

Getting your dog out of the habit of barking will take time on your part to make sure his needs are being met. If you have exhausted all of your options, and you still have excessive barking, consult a behaviorist to help with the issue.

Cat health care: How to prevent hairballs in your cat

Posted on: September 24th, 2010 by

Posted by: H.R.
Pets Best Insurance Editorial Manager
A cat ensures proper pet health with grooming.
Having a cat means you have your fair share of cat hair. It’s not only a nuisance; it can cause cat health care issues. Dealing with cat hair can seem like a never-ending battle. Keeping the amount of hair that your cat sheds at a minimum will help control the cat health care issue and cut down on their chance of developing hairballs.

Cat hair balls are a common pet health problem in cats with longhair cats being more susceptible to them. According to Dr. Guglielmino, of the Cornell Feline Health Center, it’s normal for cats to vomit a hairball once every one to two weeks.

Hairballs occur from a build-up of hair in the cat’s stomach caused from habitual grooming. Most of the hair will pass through the stomach and intestines and will eventually leave the body when the cat relieves itself.

A hairball will form when some of the hair remains in the stomach. Over time the hair will become a ball-like shape. The cat will usually vomit to get rid of the hairball. The hairball can leave the stomach and travel through the intestines and cause pet health problems like intestinal blockage. When this occurs, surgery must be performed to remove the obstruction.

You can help your cat avoid hairballs by brushing your cat daily. This will help remove most of the excess hair, which will cut down on the amount of hair the cat will ingest. Another option for longhair cats is to have their hair cut to a shorter length. If your cat is prone to hairballs, discuss options with your veterinarian to keep your cat in the best pet health possible.

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