As a pet owner, going to the veterinarian is an inevitability. Puppies and kittens should go there shortly after they come home and then there are vaccinations, checkups, illnesses, accidents, and everything in between. As often as your pet goes to the vet’s office however, many animals will still feel fearful every time they arrive. It can make life easier to follow a few tips and also to know what you can expect from your veterinarian.
A dog especially might be very excited upon first arriving a the office. The smells of other dogs are all around and for a dog it can be like hearing all the latest gossip. As soon as you enter the building though, things might begin to change. If there are other dogs there, your dog might sense their fear and react similarly. The smell might also be a factor. If your dog has a had a stressful experience at the vet’s office in the past, many smells might bring back this feeling of fear.
Comforting your dog with kind words and petting might actually be a step in the wrong direction. Your dog may think that you are rewarding his fearfulness instead of trying to stop it which will not solve any problem. Instead, try to appear unconcerned and brave, even if there is something to be concerned about. If your dog respects you, he will look at your strength and be strong himself.
A cat on the other hand is bound to be nervous whenever she is moved. Cats do not react well to change and trips to the vet definitely fall under the heading of change. New places make cats feel a lot of stress, so try to provide a comfortable atmosphere if you can.
Regardless of the reason for going to the office your vet will probably listen to your pet’s heart rate, listen to breathing, and generally look and feel around your pet for any irregularities. These simple checks are a great way to detect an illness that might otherwise go unnoticed. You may be asked to supply information about your pet’s recent behaviors, eating habits, and other activities.
Your pet may receive a vaccination. This could either be given under the skin or in a muscle. Blood may be drawn for testing and your vet may perform other tests to ascertain the nature of a pet’s disease. Your goal for most vet visits should be wellness. Pets are susceptible to a number of diseases and conditions and regular trips to the vet can help to prevent these or to diagnose them early.
Pet ownership and parenthood are both very rewarding albeit often for different reasons. If you have owned a pet for years before having children it can be very difficult to reach a point where it seems that you must choose between your children or your cat and every parent knows there is only one option there really.
The good news is that nearly any pet and any child can be taught to coexist with the other. While a cat is unlikely to give a child much trouble but children can easily cause a cat a lot of fear and stress.
Cats generally react poorly to change. That change can take the form of a different brand of food, a move to a different house, the visit or a particularly loud person, and definitely the birth of a child. Having a young child in the house can be completely nerve wracking for a cat. Children are often loud and exuberant and worse, they may not understand the need to be kind and respectful to the cat. In their overwhelming need to explore and discover can poke, prod, and generally terrorize a cat.
On the other hand, teaching a child how to care for a pet can be immensely beneficial. Not only will that child learn to respect animals from a young age, he will learn responsibility by taking care of the pet and this may also help boost the child’s self esteem.
The most important tool you can employ for keeping a cat and child safe household is communication. Teach your child from a young age about how cats work. Remind a child that quick movements can either scare a cat or be an invitation to play. Children must be aware of how their actions affect the cat and must learn something about cat body language.
When a child is at a reasonable age, have the child help you care for the cat. Children often like to help and you can slowly teach how to feed a cat and how much food to give, how to clean the litter box and, most importantly for a child, how to play with a cat.
Owning a pet of nearly any type should not be impossible simply because there are small children at home. The only way to avoid problems is through effective communication and supervision of both the cat and the child. With any luck you will have no problem keeping a cat and child friendly house.
Monitoring blood pressure is an easy way in which humans can keep tabs on their health. Most healthy people have their blood pressure tested occasionally and it usually corresponds to a trip to the doctor’s office for some unrelated reason. Nevertheless, blood pressure testing is quite common and many pharmacies provide blood pressure testing for those who wish to keep tabs on their cardiovascular health.
Buying your own device means you will notice the first time your pet has high blood pressure
As much help as testing can be for humans, very few people realize that it can be equally beneficial for pets. Many pets can suffer from the same diseases that humans can and some of these diseases can be detected early with regular blood pressure testing among other diagnostic tools.
Humans and dogs and cats have fairly similar cardiovascular systems. This consists of the heart muscle whose job it is to push the blood through the arteries veins and other blood vessels of the body, and that network of vessels in which the blood is carried. Blood pressure is seen as the pressure that the blood exerts on the walls of the blood vessels such that an artery which has become clogged and so narrower will have more pressure exerted on it, leading to a higher blood pressure.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a particularly dangerous condition. The walls of blood vessels can only withstand so much pressure and certain areas of the body are much more likely to be damaged than others. Blood vessels in the kidneys and eyes are must more likely to burst under high pressure than some vessels elsewhere.
Blood pressure can increase for a number of reasons. One of the most well known concerns stress and anxiety. An animal that is under a lot of stress, such as a cat forced to move to a new home, may find its blood pressure significantly elevated. If this stress is in addition to a more serious condition, your pet may be at a real risk.
Fortunately, blood pressure testing, even on cats and dogs, is not terribly difficult. Cats and smaller dogs will be more difficult but with a little persistence even an inexperienced pet owner can find a pet’s blood pressure. First you will need to acquire the correct equipment. While pet and human sphygmomanometers are very similar, it will be much easier to use one designed specifically for pets. Talk to your veterinarian about finding one.
Even if you don’t want to have your own equipment, ask your veterinarian to take a blood pressure reading. This way you have a number to work from if your pet does experience hypertension in the future.
Cats are enigmatic creatures and any cat owner will tell you that there are a number of behaviors in their cat which are utterly incomprehensible. Fortunately, we will soon be able to knock one of these inexplicable behaviors off the list.
The ancestors of the domestic cat were carnivores. Take a moment to think of all the wild cats still alive today -tigers, leopards, lions, the jaguar – all are meat eaters and hunters. With their powerful muscles, strong jaws and sharp claws these big cats have no problem in taking down their prey. So if these cats only ate meat, why do we see domestic cats munching on house plants or grass?
A cat owner might consider that anything a cat eats that is not fed to her could be the result of some missing nutrient in her diet. Wild cats not only eat the choice cuts of meat that a human might, but also eat all of the less pleasant things such as internal organs. This includes the stomach and the animals on which a wild cat preys are primarily going to be herbivores. A cat will eat not only the stomach but also the stomach contents of their prey. This means that wild cats end up ingesting quite a bit of plant matter.
Because of these eating habits it follows that the wild cats may have developed some sort of dependency on the nutrients provided by this plant matter. Perhaps there are amino acids which a cat cannot synthesize which occur in those plants.
This has likely quite a bit to do with why you will find domestic cats occasionally trying to munch on the flowers on your windowsill or nibbling the grass in the lawn. Unfortunately houseplants can be dangerous for a pet and so it may be necessary to provide your cat with something to graze on that you know is safe.
A number of companies now produce “cat grass” which is usually the young shoots of plants like barley which will satisfy your cat’s grazing needs in a safe and healthy manner. You can buy already sprouted cat grass in a pot or you can purchase cat grass seeds which you can plant yourself.
Not only will your cat enjoy the grass but it will also help reduce hairballs and other buildup because of the fiber content which helps clean out the gastrointestinal tract.
You may have heard of distemper but might not know what kind of a disease it is. It is one disease that many cat owners know of only because it is a large part of the vaccinations recommended for a cat each year. But what is this disease and what will it do to a cat?
Feline distemper is the common name of a disease known as panleukopenia. This is a virus and it is highly contagious. A cat might catch this virus from another cat, but it is also carried by mink and raccoons. The virus itself has a habit of seeking out cells that replicate or grow quickly, especially lymph cells and bone marrow cells.
When a cat contracts the virus, vomiting and diarrhea are both common as well as seizures and even a low white blood cell count. While some older cats will not show any symptoms after having contracted the virus, others, especially young kittens (under five months old) will likely display the previously mentioned symptoms as well as high fever, refusal to eat, and even depression. In kittens, panleukopenia is often fatal.
Panleukopenia is often fatal for kittens
Because of the vomiting and diarrhea, a cat suffering from this virus will often become very dehydrated, and treatment for the disease is largely supportive, which means that your cat will be given intravenous fluids and may receive other treatments to help mitigate the effects of the virus. Your cat may also receive antibiotics to prevent a bacterial infection from taking hold and may also be given medications to help reduce the vomiting and diarrhea and stem the fluid loss.
If your cat is pregnant, there is a strong possibility that the kittens will be either stillborn or will suffer from poor coordination and even tremors. These kittens have been known to lead fairly normal feline lives, especially once adults as they can compensate for these defects to a certain degree.
Prevention is absolutely a pet owner’s best offense against panleukopenia. A vaccine is widely available and, since the virus is abundant in the wild, a cat is very likely to come across it, even in the first months of its life.
Recovering cats should be fed a bland, soft diet, usually in small portions. It may take a few weeks before your cat regains her full health and normal body weight. If you suspect your cat may have contracted this virus, quarantine her immediately, keeping her away from other cats, and contact your veterinarian.
Whether you have adopted a weened kitten or have raised the little fur balls since their mother gave birth, it is important to realize that the first year of a kitten’s life is bound to be full of adventure. It is also important to realize that that first year is also likely the most important year in your kitten’s life in terms of development both physically and mentally.
Cats learn a great deal from their mothers and, while it is not uncommon to separate a kitten from her mother after about eight weeks, in the best case a kitten will be allowed to stay with mom until twelve to sixteen weeks. Even the though the kittens will be weened by then, this extra time allows them to learn quite a bit about socialization and how to be a cat.
In your kitten’s first six weeks you can expect immensely rapid growth. Kittens of this age grow from the tiny shapeless lumps that they are when born into little animals that truly look like little cats. This is the time when your kitten will begin to develop her personality.
At the end of six weeks, the kittens’ mother will likely have begun the weening process. Kittens will now be developing their motor skills and you will see them begin to play with each other, often in games that involve catching “prey.”
Before eight weeks are over, it will be time to gather up the kittens for a trip to the veterinary clinic where they will be given their first shots. These are very important because kittens, even kept in the home, are very susceptible to disease as they are developing their immune systems. This may also be a great time to get your kitten tested for worms. Worms in a young animal may hinder development.
In the ensuing months kittens will begin to lose their baby teeth and this teething can be painful for a kitten. These young cats will also begin to develop a social structure. It can be quite a bit of fun to watch cats work out their hierarchy as a little kitten tries to challenge mom for the top spot.
Between three and six months it is safe to spay or neuter your cat. This is highly recommended due to the great number of unwanted kittens born each year. Between six and twelve months, your kitten will start acting and certainly looking more like an adult.
Humans have been breeding and training horses for thousands of years and they have been used for anything from pulling loads to racing to war and any number of other uses in between. After all these years, it makes sense that horse trainers would be able to agree on the best method to train a horse, but there is still intense conflict and debate surrounding the issue of how horses should be treated and worked with.
There are many different ways to work with horses and if you took a poll of the horse trainers near you, you would no doubt come up with nearly as many answers as trainers. Nevertheless, it is perhaps natural horsemanship which can be traced back the farthest.
Natural horsemanship refers to a method of training and working with horses that seeks to understand and utilize a horse’s herd nature and the psychology of these animals. The idea is that a trainer must be familiar with how a herd of horses interacts with one another and to use techniques based on these interactions to gain a horse’s trust and respect and later to train that horse into an animal that responds well and quickly to the handler’s commands.
Perhaps the most important element of natural horsemanship comes down to body language. Horses do not speak a language and rather communicate more thoroughly with body language. It can be difficult, but a human certainly can learn to recognize horse body language and from their begin to use body language to communicate with a horse more effectively.
Punishment and pain are elements that very few natural horsemanship practitioners incorporate. It is believed that punishing a horse or using fear and pain to train will result in less effective training and a relationship that is less beneficial to both the horse and the handler.
While natural horsemanship is often touted as a new movement in horsemanship, many of its principals date back hundreds or even thousands of years. Some dissenters argue that those who practice natural horsemanship try to paint more classical horsemanship as somehow cruel or inhumane while in fact the new style often incorporates tried and tested techniques.
It is of course up the horse owner or handler to decide how best to train a horse, but regardless of style, it is always beneficial to watch experienced horse handlers or trainers interacting with a horse. Discussing your own training techniques with other trainers may also help you to become a better horse trainer yourself.
The practice of lunging a horse is all about building trust and understanding between a trainer and a horse. The idea is a simple one and involves getting your horse to calmly watch and listen to you while you attempt to get the animal to move in certain ways or directions.
Horses are herd animals and each herd has a leader. Typically a herd of horses looks for the best horse in the herd to lead them. If the leader is simply not getting the job done, then the other horses understand that it’s time for someone else to take over. Leadership is a big aspect of lunging as well. It’s a time for your horse to understand that you are not only the leader, but that you are a leader that can be trusted as a good leader. If you fail to impress this upon your horse, the horse may very well decide to take over the leadership position for herself.
For proper lunge training, a trainer should be placed in convenient pivot point in the yard, typically the center. The goal is that your horse learns to respond to your voice and body language instead of any overt actions you may perform. You do not want to be walking around the yard with the horse and you certainly do not want to be running around after your horse.
Regime and routine are also essential. Horses are constantly watching to make sure you are up to snuff and if you slack on your lunging rules your horse will have room to test you and testing leads to poor behavior since you end up no longer being the horse’s leader.
The important thing to remember is that you are the boss in the yard. When you ask your horse to travel in a certain direction, that is the direction the horse goes in. If it changes direction mid way through you need to correct that immediately, likely by getting quickly in front of the horse. A tap on the shoulder should be enough to get the horse back in the correct direction. Similarly, if the horse stops when it should not, or starts before you have asked you will need to correct these behaviors.
Horses are interested in strong and forceful people. This does not mean that you must be cruel and certainly not that you need to beat your horse, but a horse that has decided that you are not strong and not worthy of being a leader will become a danger to you . You need to remind the horse that you are indeed tough and that the horse would do well to trust that you are good leader.
Dry skin is a fairly common problem among humans and pets. Certain times of year and certain actions make skin far drier than it could be and this often makes pets itchy and uncomfortable, and often gives their coat a layer of dandruff. Learning how to counteract this common problem is not difficult.
Winter is one of the most common times for pets and humans to experience dry skin. It’s not only that the air outside is drier but that we turn on the furnace which burns up any moisture there might have been in your house. This in turn begins to suck the moisture out of your pet’s skin.
Keep an eye on the health of your pet's coat
Bathing
Bathing a pet, even with shampoos that advertise moisturizing qualities, will dry the pet’s skin. While bathing is not a very common thing for a cat, try to limit the amount that you bathe your dog. Bathe only often enough to keep your pet’s coat clean. If you do give your pet a bath, try to use a moisturizing rinse afterward.
Grooming
Brushing and grooming is a big part of keeping your pet’s coat healthy. Daily brushing removes dead skin and hair and stimulates your pet’s coat so that it continues to remain healthy.
Food
Nutrition is also a big part of keeping your pet’s coat and skin healthy. Certain vitamins and other nutrients such as omega fatty acids will help regulate the health of your pet’s skin and fur. Make sure your pet is getting a healthy diet. Consider talking to a veterinarian about certain foods that will help your pet retain a healthy coat and skin.
Your pet may not be suffering from the dry air and season. There are a number of medical conditions that will cause a pet to become itchy, to lose fur, or to have irritated skin and dandruff. Symptoms might include persistent itchiness – either in one spot or all over – rashes, bumps or red skin, licking or chewing at parts of the body such as feet or legs, or unusual hair loss.
Bacterial or fungal infections, allergies, ticks, fleas, and mites are only a few of the possible causes for dry skin. If you notice any of the aforementioned symptoms, visit your veterinarian for treatment.
Occasionally a pet will exhibit some symptoms consistent with dry skin when the problem is only stress. Consider if there has been a stressful event recently concerning your pet. Has someone new moved into the house? Has your pet’s diet or routine changed? All of these things can lead to nervous behavior.
It is not uncommon for those who are unfamiliar with horses to confuse a fully grown pony with a foal. This is not a surprising mistake as the most marked characteristic of the pony is its small size, ranging from just over fourteen hands and below. At this point there are a number of different breeds of pony.
Ponies originally were not a distinct breed of horse but developed there short physique by living on land that wasn’t particularly suitable horse habitat. Like other types of wild horse, these short horses were eventually domesticated and put to work in a variety of different uses.
Because of the harsh environments in which the subspecies originally developed, the pony was originally used mostly as a draft animal most notably hauling coal out of mines. Accustomed as they were to difficult lives, they grew short and strong and could survive where it would be very expensive to have other horses.
Over the years other breeds of horses were bred into the pony lines to create animals which might be suitable for both draft work and for riding. Ponies are now often used in competition or as an introduction to riding for small children.
Their small size has made many wealthy parents consider purchasing one after a child asked for a pony. To those unfamiliar with horses, a pony might just seem kid sized and very easy to ride for a child. This can be a dangerous mistake and a parent must take a lot into account before seriously considering the purchase.
Ponies can come in many sizes and a child will easy outgrow some of the smaller types. All the same, even a small and child sized pony can be a very dangerous animal when not handled correctly and when a child is not experienced in riding. A much better gift may be to purchase riding lessons for the child at a reputable stable so that the child can learn riding from a qualified and experienced instructor in a safe environment. The possibility of purchasing an animal can come later. Horse ownership of any sort is both difficult and expensive. Horses require much more care than the average house pet.
If you ever have doubts or questions about the possibility of purchasing a horse, seek out a good teaching stable in the area. Riding instructors have copious amounts of experience in coaching parents and students in what to look for and how to buy a first horse or pony.
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