Encouraging Your Cat To Eat

There are pet owners who entice their cat to eat by offering people food; however offering commercial pet food is a better and more effective way to encourage your finicky cat to eat. Heating the food or mixing in a cooked egg, fish oil, or some broth are just some of the effective ways to entice your kitty to eat. If your cat just turns up his nose on the food being served, take the food away and offer fresh food a few hours later. Starving your pet a little may make him hungry and looking forward to the next meal. Avoid leaving out uneaten food because it can become stale, and your kitty may avoid it in the future. If your pet is used to eating human food exclusively, he may suffer from malnutrition. It is best to transition your pet to cat food over several weeks to give your pet’s digestive system enough time to get used to pet food.

Consult your Suwannee County, FL veterinarian for nutritional advice, especially if you notice any changes in your pet’s health.

Advertisements

Important Reasons Obese Cats Should Lose Weight Gradually

Rapid weight loss in cats can increase their risk of suffering from fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis). A high percentage of body fat in obese cats increases their risk to the problem. If you have an overweight cat, make sure to formulate a weight loss regimen that ensures gradual weight loss. As a rule of thumb, obese cats should never exceed a 0.5 pound of weight loss in a month. A cat that is mildly overweight can safely lose one pound a month.

The problem with rapid weight loss starts when the cat’s body senses weight being lost, and responds by mobilizing fats that are stored in the body. Rapid fat mobilization can overpower the liver, eventually shutting it down.

It is best to work with your London, ON veterinarian in working out a safe and healthy weight loss regimen for your pet cat or dog.

Cat Ownership – Are you ready to commit to these responsibilities?

Being responsible for the life of a pet cat is an important commitment to make. So before you finally make the decision to bring home one, make sure to ponder on these concerns and ask yourself if you are ready to take the plunge.

Budget

A pet cat’s basic needs can make a dent on your household finances. Make sure your monthly budget can accommodate your cat’s needs without compromising other budgetary allocations.

Time and Attention

Do you have enough time to spare and to devote to your cat’s needs? Cats thrive with attention, although they are not as social as dogs. You should ask yourself if you have time to meet your pet’s grooming needs, and to engage in regular play and interaction with your furball.

Space

Cats that are strictly kept indoors do well when their owners take steps to enrich their indoor environment. If you are living in an apartment, you need to have enough space to install a cat tree, window perch, scratching post, and a kitty condo to give your pet lots of opportunities to engage in natural behavior.

Know more about your pet’s basic needs by visiting your London, ON animal hospital and checking out this website.

Jumping May Be An Attention-Seeking Behavior In Dogs

When dogs jump on people, the behavior is generally interpreted as “pets saying hello to their humans”. However, some dogs have perfected the art of jumping to seek their owner’s attention.

When you react by pushing away your pet, the body contact, even how brief it is, is good enough for your dog. You are unintentionally reinforcing your dog’s jumping by pushing him away, thus your pet will keep on jumping up on you whenever he wants to have your attention. Jumping up on their owners gives dogs an opportunity to make eye contact, hear their owner’s voice, and have physical contact. Whatever may be the owner’s reaction, positive or negative, is good enough for their pet.

Dogs are always excited to see their humans, whether they have been gone for 30 minutes or 8 hours. Encouraging your pet’s excitement, whether intentionally or not, will only fuel the behavior. When you come home, avoid making eye contact with your dog and use a calm voice when talking to him. Avoid patting his head or touching any part of his body until he has calm down and all his paws are flat on the floor or ground.

Bring your pet to your London, ON veterinary clinic for regular wellness checks. Visit this website for more pet care information.

Are Natural Cures for a Canine Bladder Infection Effective?

It can be a good idea to avoid traditional medication whenever possible, which may lead you to consider an alternative treatment for bladder infections, but are they effective?

The simplest method is to provide your dog with more water, but therein lies the problem. Just because you give your dog more water doesn’t mean he’ll drink it! This can be a tricky method to execute.

Yogurt and vinegar are used by some pet parents, and although it can be effective, it can also cause stomach upset, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The most effective natural cure is cranberry juice. If your dog doesn’t want to drink the juice, you can try cranberry extract or pills. It is quite effective for mild infections.

If you want to take care of your dog’s problem quickly, traditional medicine is probably the best treatment. Click here to schedule an appointment with your veterinary clinic Westlake Village, CA for a prescription.

What is your dog trying to tell you?

If you notice your dog’s food soon ends up out of her dish and on the floor, she may be telling you something. Sometimes dog bowls can be too narrow for a dog to get the food. Maybe it’s too tall and your dog keeps hitting his neck on the edge when he eats. Other dogs just like to eat food off the floor.

So, how do you keep the grease from the dog food and your pooch’s slobber off of your floor?

Purchase a pet mat made specifically for your dog’s water and food bowls. Put the food directly on the mat. It will be easier for your pup to eat, plus it will make it less messy.

This tip is strictly for dry dog food.

For other tips on why your dog would rather eat off the floor, ask your Minnetonka, MN vet! You may also find ideas here.

Training Tips For Adult Dogs

It is possible to train an old dog to perform new tricks. In fact, adult dogs are easier to train compared to young puppies because they are not as energetic and playful. Older dogs also possess more self-control. Here are some great tips to effectively train an older dog.

Patience

If you have just adopted an adult dog, give your new pet time to adjust to his new environment. Many adult dogs come with negative experiences which can make him nervous or anxious about all the new sights, sounds, scents, etc. of his new surroundings. Arm yourself with tons of patience and don’t give up on your new pet after only a few days.

Crate for housetraining

If your new adult pet has not been housetrained, keep him in a crate during times when you are not around to supervise him. Adult dogs are able to control their bladder and bowel movements for a longer time compared to puppies. When you take him out of the crate, make sure to take him immediately to the potty area outside so he can do his business. The housetraining process of adult dogs usually goes much more quickly than puppies.

You should seek professional help from your Oshawa, ON vet if you are dealing with any undesirable behavior displayed your pet. Click here for more information.

Eastern Medicinal Techniques That Can Help Your Dog

When most people think about medical treatments for their dog, they think about medication and surgery. However, there are quite a few options worth considering that are much less invasive and have very little, to no possibility of side effects.

It never hurts to look into holistic medicine. Instead of focusing on the use of potentially harmful drugs, holistic medicine uses natural medicines that likely won’t have any side effects.

If your dog suffers from chronic pain, respiratory problems, or digestive issues, you might want to look into acupuncture. It uses thin needles that are placed in certain areas all over the body to promote overall wellness.

Massage can even be used as a way to reduce pain, stress, and depression! If you would like to try an Eastern medicinal technique with your dog, schedule an appointment with your Animal Hospital Westlake Village CA.

Care and Feeding of Pet Canaries

Canaries can die if they don’t have access to water for 24 hours. They need ready access to fresh food and water every day. As for food, there are many food choices for canaries that are available commercially. These include fresh canary seed and pelleted diets. Canary seeds are made up of vitamin-coated seed mixes and can be given every day. A canary can consume about one teaspoon of seed a day. They are rarely known to overeat. They may consume a bit more during molting or when the weather is cold. A pelleted diet does not need additional supplementation because it contains more vitamins and protein than canary seeds. However, some birds that are not started on a pelleted diet while still young may not recognize it as food, and may not eat it.

Canaries on a seed diet benefit from daily supplements such as kale, spinach, peas, broccoli, celery, and watercress. You can also give small amounts of melons, apples, grapes, bananas, and other fruits. Song food may also be given every few days to help develop your pet’s vocal cords. A cuttlebone or mineral block can provide calcium and other essential nutrients needed for strong beak and bones. Cuttlebone also contains limestone which has been shown to aid in digestion.

Consult your Oshawa, ON veterinarian for nutritional advice, especially if you notice any changes in your pet’s health. Check out this website to know more.

Feeding Pet Birds

As a rule of thumb, budgies, finches, and other small species of birds that are kept as pets should consume about 30% of their body weight in bird seed every day. Make a habit of cleaning your pet’s feeder every day to remove seed husks and other waste material, and creating enough space for your pet’s food.

Birds that are feeding their young need a high-protein diet. The same requirement is true when birds are molting or are still growing. There are commercially prepared high-protein diets you can easily buy from pet stores.

As for Softbills, their nutritional needs are quite specific, thus if you have one of these birds at home, you should find out first whether it is carnivorous, omnivorous, insectivorous, nectivorous (nectar-feeders), or frugivorous (fruit-feeders). Consult your Bowmanville, ON veterinarian for nutritional advice. Visit this website to know more about pets and their care.