Blog


01
Feb 2014
Your Pet's Diet and Health

Most of us overindulge a little over the festive period and start January with a diet and detox – but what about our pets? A recent survey from Melton’s Town & Country Petfoods, owners of the HiLife brand of high quality pet food, revealed that 60 per cent of respondents plied their animals with special treats. But while it’s tempting to give your pet scraps from the table, you may be doing them more harm than good. Recent findings from the PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report show that a massive 18.5 million......

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13
Jan 2014
Is Your Pet Sick? What Should You Do?

When a beloved pet seems a bit “off,” it might be more than just a bad day; it could be a sign of mild sickness or a more serious illness. Here are some tips for recognizing the symptoms of sickness in pets and getting your pet the care he needs to recover. Keep in mind that animals will generally attempt to mask signs of illness. This behavior is a natural instinct that is used for protection in the wild, where any animal showing signs of weakness is likely to be shunned by......

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05
Jan 2014

Hey you, new pooch parent—yeah, you with the cute puppy who can’t stop pulling! Want some tricks to keep Trixie on task? Or perhaps you’re already an old pro but want to make your outdoor excursions more fun for both you and your dog.  Follow our insider tips and your pooch will be eager to get going as soon as you pick up the leash! It’s the Leash You Can Do What’s the best type of leash? “Use whatever you feel most comfortable holding,” recommends the ASPCA Animal Behavior Center’s Kristen Collins,......

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16
Dec 2013

By Dr. Becker I’m wearing my Scrooge hat again, I’m afraid. As a general rule, I’m not a fan of giving pets as holiday gifts. This is because in most cases (not all, but most) the act is driven not by thoughtful planning but by impulse. Gifting a family member or friend with a 10- to 20-year commitment to a live animal is not something one should do on impulse. It’s rare for people to plan well in advance to acquire a pet during the holidays. It’s much more common for people......

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05
Dec 2013

Your cat’s best friend may not be another cat. Cats are very territorial creatures and often vehemently defend their turf. Because of this, it’s not uncommon for the addition of a new cat to your household to create some inter-cat strife. Adding a second cat Types of aggressive behaviors Consult with a veterinarian Prevent future fights What to avoid Cat friendship is a feline mystery  Adding a second cat Many people adopt a second cat thinking that the resident cat will be happy. This is a risky move. Just because your cat......

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20
Nov 2013

Rupee, a formerly homeless dog rescued from a dump by his current owner Joanne Lefson, is thought to be the first dog in the world to climb Mount Everest. A former stray dog has pulled himself up by the bootstraps and created a better life for himself. A life that includes becoming the first dog ever to climb Mount Everest. Say hello to Rupee, the formerly homeless pup who was found starving in a dump in India. His owner, Joanne Lefson, rescued him and helped nurse him back to health, feeding him......

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13
Nov 2013

For our family, choosing a name was neither simple nor swift. After all, it had taken my daughters a decade of whining and deliberating over breeds that wouldn’t aggravate the allergy-stricken (me), just to get to the point of agreeing to get a Havanese. And because I am the family research queen, I found a way to make the process even more complicated. A little research elicited a lot of information. I found lists of the most common dog names. A Web site with thousands of names, sorted into categories like “cool,”......

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04
Nov 2013

It’s that time of year–the leaves are almost done falling, the time has fallen back an hour, and some parts of the country are looking forward to ice, snow, and freezing cold temperatures. Now’s the time to snuggle up in front of a fireplace with a warm kitty on your lap or a puppy at your feet. But before you settle down to your long winter’s nap, take some time to learn how to keep those animals as warm and comfortable as you are. Cold weather can be hard on pets, just......

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22
Oct 2013

You’ve probably heard of the hormone/neurotransmitter oxytocin. Its role in childbirth (where it often goes by the medicine’s trade name Pitocin) is well known, but researchers continue to uncover new details about how it effects social interactions, particularly with regards to the formation of interpersonal bonds.   Most of these studies involve members of the same species. That more or less immediate bond that many mothers feel for their newborn babies is due in large part to oxytocin. The molecule has been shown to improve social memory between mice and face recognition......

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15
Oct 2013

Dog owners know how how much joy our beloved canine companions bring to our lives. They enrich us in small and undramatic ways every day—by making us laugh, keeping us company, and offering us unconditional love. My new National Geographic book, Devoted, focuses on 38 stories about the bond between extraordinary dogs and their humans—five of which are described below. (Related: Can Dogs Feel Our Emotions? Yawn Study Suggests Yes.”) We also want to hear the story of you and your dog. Please share your photos with the National Geographic Your Shot......

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03
Oct 2013

Sarah’s Pet Care is delighted to welcome Vivien as our newest Pet Care Provider! A recent UW graduate in Environmental Science & Resource Management/Wildlife Conservation, Vivien has oodles of professional, volunteer and personal experience with all kinds of critters. And as a former employee at All The Best Pet Care, she brings an impressive knowledge of pet health and nutrition, to boot! Vivien tells us that her career in animal care started at the ripe young age of 12, when she and a friend started “Paws for the Rainforest,” a neighborhood dog......

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29
Sep 2013

The 75th National Dog Week barks off this week running Sept. 19 through Sept. 25. This year’s theme is “Man’s Best Friend”, which is a great description of our relationship with dogs. It is a chance to get back on track and show how much you truly appreciate your dog this week. National Dog Week was founded in 1928 by Captain Will Judy, a former publisher of Dog World Magazine and a dog judge. He created National Dog Week to educate all dog owners in their responsibilities to their pets and to......

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21
Sep 2013

A dog’s bark may be worse than his bite, but most of us would rather not find out one way or the other. Growling, baring teeth, snarling, snapping, and biting are all aggressive behaviors. Although these messages are among the handful of communication tools available to dogs, they’re generally unacceptable to humans. Because aggression is so complex, and because the potential consequences are so serious, we recommend that you get professional in-home help from an animal behavior specialist if your dog is displaying aggressive behavior. Types of aggression Fear-motivated aggression is a......

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13
Sep 2013

A recent online survey conducted by Petplan pet insurance found that more than 78% of respondents vacation with their pets in tow. That’s a lot of traveling Fluffy’s and Fidos! Of course cats can be — to put it lightly — notoriously picky. It’s important if you’ll be traveling with yours to ensure that he’s healthy, safe and happy when coming along on any trips. We spoke with Dr. Rebecca Jackson, a staff veterinarian at Petplan, for some advice on how to have a safe trip with cats in tow. She suggested......

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29
Aug 2013

Has your dog turned your yard into a moonscape, with craters everywhere? If so, the first thing you should know is that your dog isn’t doing this out of spite or a desire to destroy your landscaping. More likely he’s seeking entertainment prey comfort or protection escape attention   Step one in solving the problem is to diagnose why your dog digs. Then you can follow advice tailored to your (and your dog’s) situation. Your dog needs entertainment Dogs may dig to entertain themselves when they learn that roots and soil “play......

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18
Jul 2013

Every year, dogs suffer and die when their guardians make the mistake of leaving them in a parked car—even for “just a minute”—while they run an errand. Parked cars are deathtraps for dogs: On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to between 100 and 120 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 160 degrees in less than 10 minutes. Animals can sustain brain damage or even die from heatstroke in just 15 minutes. Beating the heat is......

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28
Jun 2013

. . . But just follow these safety tips from the ASPCA  to make it less stressful!  For many people, nothing beats lounging in the backyard on the Fourth of July with good friends and family—including the four-legged members of the household. While it may seem like a great idea to reward Rover with scraps from the grill and bring him along to watch fireworks, in reality some festive foods and products can be potentially hazardous to your pets. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center offers the following tips: Never leave alcoholic......

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05
Jun 2013

We all love spending the long, sunny days of summer outdoors with our furry companions, but being overeager in hot weather can spell danger, ASPCA experts warn. “Most people love to spend the warmer days enjoying the outdoors with friends and family, but it is important to remember that some activities can be dangerous for our pets,” said Dr. Camille DeClementi, Senior Toxicologist at the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center. “By following a few simple rules, it is easy to keep your pet safe while still having fun in the sun.” Take......

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26
May 2013

When Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941,the United States inventory of military working dogs consisted of only 90 Siberian Huskies and Malamutes. These dogs were used as pack and sled dogs for rescue in areas of the world where motorized equipment could not go. In 1942 “Dogs for Defense” began a modern military dog-training program that would supply the demand for man ‘s Best Friend” for combat units and security in the European and Pacific theaters of WWII. Over 42 breeds of dogs were originally accepted for training, but by......

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08
May 2013

This article reprinted courtesy of http://www.petplay.com/blog “Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures” – The Dalai Lama For dog lovers around the world, one of the most frustrating and devastating realities we have to face is that of the continued existence of puppy mills: large-scale breeding operations where the number one consideration is profit, instead of the well-being of dogs. Puppy mill owners resort to......

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