Pets

A dog door is a flap or door within a door that is for humans. The dog door is actually built into the human door, and it is operable by merely pushing on the flap. It is ideal, since dogs do not have opposable thumbs. Dog doors solve the problem of having to stand on guard with whatever activity your pet dog wishes to engage in outdoors. With dog doors, your pet can easily come in and out of the house without ever bothering you. The dog door gives your dog some sort of independence, and buys you some time to attend to other concerns.

Dog door styles

Dog doors vary in their styles and sizes. They come either as the plain hanging screen, motorized, or electronic. The plain hanging screen dog door ranges from rigid to flexible vinyl flaps. The doors that are integrated with the rigid flaps feature a 4-way locking scheme for security.

Meanwhile, the electronic dog door is much more secure compared to the first style. This kind cannot be removed or opened from the outside. It stays locked at and is only disabled by the electronic key attached on the dog’s collar. Needless to say, the dog who bears the electronic key on his collar is only the one allowed to ‘operate’ the entrance and exit.

Dog doors come available in different sizes. You will surely find one that is suitable for your pet dog. Most dog doors are also flexible enough to be attached onto any material (with the exemption of tempered glass frames).

There is a reason why they call dogs ‘man’s best friend’. It’s truly an honour to win and keep a dog’s trust. Owners tend to build a lifelong bond with their dogs. Get to know him really well - not just about how he likes to chew your slippers, or what his favourite toy is or even why he hates the postman, but about dog health issues – what affects his body and how to recognise signs and symptoms of illness so that you can make sure he is in tip-top condition. You want your best friend to be happy!

A comprehensive book on dog health is an investment you should not overlook. Knowing details about your dog’s particular breed and general care would be helpful. Grooming and skin care are part of the basics in caring for your dog. Knowing when and how to give your dog a bath or dental care especially if he’s almost as big as you are will make exercise and play far more enjoyable for both of you.

Take a walk down to your veterinary surgery enquire about the treatments and services they offer, and take note of their operation hours and emergency service telephone numbers. More vets these days complement traditional veterinary practices with holistic health care for pets and can use complementary medicine to ensure your dog’s health is holistic. Vets will keep you in the know regarding natural dog health products that work to maintain your dog’s overall health as well as function as prescription based treatments for specific ailments. They will be able to advise you on which dog care product will suit your particular dog depending on his size, breed, coat and characteristics. Remember that different breeds will have unique health issues and preferences, and your vet will have some tips that would make the first step to owning a dog that much easier.

Do enquire about the vaccination programmes and feeding regimes suitable for the breed and age of dog you are intending to keep as a pet. The care of puppies can vary greatly with mature dogs; vaccination programmes could be vastly different as well. Many a time, vets will have some literature that will come in handy. It’s a good idea to get all this background information before you own a dog so that you can be well prepared and can plan ahead for the regular care and treatment your dog might need.

Most importantly, do build up a good relationship with the veterinary team. Remember, they are not only there for emergencies - they are there whenever you need advice, and together, you can make sure your dog has the happiest, healthiest life possible.

Most dog owners take the routine of bathing and grooming their dogs very lightly – so much so that they don’t feel the need to consult their veterinarians about the correct bathing and grooming schedule. In my experience, Indian dog owners tend to bathe their dogs too often, but groom them too little! In fact these are amongst the more common reasons why dogs begin itching, leading to serious skin infection

Bathing:

We may enjoy our daily bath, but dogs do not sweat all over their body surface. So your dog’s skin does not get dirty easily, since it is protected by his cost. Any dirt is superficial and can be taken care of by regular grooming and, if required, sponging. The dog’s skin is more delicate than ours, which is why nature has given our cogs a coat, whether smooth, long, short, wirey, dense or silky. This coat protects our pets from the adverse effects of the environment like sunlight and certain allergens. This is why it is not a good idea to cut or shave your dog’s entire coat in any weather. If nature has given your dog a coat, then it must have a purpose.

Dogs, like us, secrete oil from their skin. This oil keeps the skin healthy and the coat shiny and lustrous. Unlike us, however, this oil is not replenished daily. It takes few days for the dog’s skin to begin secreting these oils after every bath. For this reason, it is best not to bathe your dog more frequently than about once a month. Frequent bathing is a major cause of dry, itchy skin amongst dogs in India. This can lead to skin infection.

The next important aspect is the choice of shampoo. There is a vast choice of dog shampoos available in Indian market today. So why do dog owners still insist on using human products on their dogs? The pH balance requirement of a dog shampoo is different from that of human Shampoos because dog skin is more sensitive than human skin, so bathing with a human shampoo is an absolute no-no! The wrong choice of shampoo can lead to an allergic skin reaction, intense itching and bald patches. Sometimes these effects are seen a few days after bathing. Out of the wide variety of dog shampoos available, not all shampoos are good.

Unfortunately some products sold as dog shampoos in India are not properly pH balanced. As a general rule, a branched shampoo marketed by a reputed company is a good bet. It is best to ask your veterinarian or an experienced dog owner about the best quality shampoos for your dog. A good quality dog shampoo is likely to be a bit expensive, but it is well worth the expense considering that you only need to use it only once a month and you don’t run the risk of causing a major skin problem for your dog (which could cost you a lot more to treat!).

It is not recommended that pups below the age of four months be bathed. They can, however, he sponged and brushed with a soft puppy brush. If, for any reason, you feel you really must bathe your pup, please make sure that you dry him thoroughly with an absorbent towel. Such young puppies still have their soft puppy cost, which retains the water and doesn’t dry easily.

Grooming:

No matter how long or short, silky, curly or wirey, thin or thick your dog’s coat is, he will need to be groomed everyday. I find it odd that many owners think it necessary to feed their dogs what they cat and bathe them daily because we humans do so, but even though we brush our hair everyday (often more than once a day), somehow we don’t consider it necessary to do the same for our dogs. Yes, a dog’s dietary and bathing requirements are very different from ours, but as far as grooming is concerned, it is best to make it a daily habit from the very start.

Everyday, our dogs shed a few strands of hair, just like we do. This loose hair trapped close to the skin will eventually cause itching leading to redness and skin infection. Daily grooming not only removes dead hair, but also removes dead skin cells and stimulates blood circulation to the skin’s surface and hair roots, thus improving the health of the skin and cost. If your dog emits a hint of an odour, you can use a good dog grooming, daily or as needed, to keep your dog smelling good.

Grooming also includes regular nail clipping and ear cleaning, which can be done at home or at your veterinarian’s clinic or a grooming parlour. Ear wax is a common cause of itchy ears and otitis.

As a tip for puppy owners: Always handle your pup’s feet, ears and tails several times a day from the time your pup comes home. This will make it easier for you to handle him during bathing and grooming throughout his life. Bathing and grooming should be introduced to the pup’s routine as early as possible and should be made enjoyable. The more pleasant the experience is for your pet, the easier this routine will be for you.

Even if you haven’t had a run-in involving your pet of late, pet insurance has probably crossed your mind. And if you have, the bill for any non-routine care may have cost you anywhere from a cool couple hundred to nearly a grand.

You might have wondered why people have health insurance and most pets don’t, when the medical costs seem practically the same! And yet, navigating through the underbrush of fine print involved in pet insurance may have put you off. Is it worth the money? What do insurers really cover? And why do some plans cost the moon while others seem much more affordable? We’ll try to clear a path through the paper jungle.

Tip #1: Get Them in Young

Ideally, you’ll want to identify right pet insurance plan for you, and get your pet in young while she’s still quite healthy. The reason is, should your pet develop a long-term health issue such as a thyroid problem, she won’t be eligible for many programs, having a “pre-existing condition.” If you stick with one quality program, though, you’ll probably be fine.

Tip #2: You Get What You Pay For

This may stick in the craw a bit, when you start looking at insurance premiums. Some of them cost an awful lot! Be sure to look ahead too, at estimated increases down the road. The older your pet grows, the more the premiums will cost. They will get quite stiff for an older pet, even a healthy one.

So why should you pay out a mint for plan A, when plan B offers coverage for half the price? The answer is: lack of nasty surprises.

Let’s face it, no one but an insurance adjuster can tell what the fine print means when it comes to covering your pet. But we do know this: on the cheaper plans, unhappy things happen. Let’s give an example – let’s say you have two pugs, both covered by an inexpensive plan. One sadly breaks his leg and needs several surgeries, costing two thousand altogether.

You may think your inexpensive plan – which happily, covers 2K of expenses – will handle it all. But when you submit your claim, you discover that 2K is the maximum coverage for both dogs, and your pug is only eligible for half. Even worse, but very common, is a lower limit per incident. In this case, Low Cost Pet Plan will respond that it only covers $500 for this “incident,” but if your poor pug breaks his leg three more times this year, they’ll be happy to help.

Tip #3: You Get What You Pay For

Yes, we know we said that already – but we didn’t say it enough.

Here’s a horror story that happens often on a low-cost plan: you have an insurer. You pay your premiums. But one day, your aging pet develops diabetes. That year, when it comes time to renew the plan and update the premiums, your insurer sticks in an exclusion. As of that moment, they no longer cover diabetes in your pet. Yes, they can do that – and you’re out in the cold.

No less common — and no more pleasant — is the limited payout per condition problem. Your low-cost insurer may cover the first three years of your diabetic pet’s vet bills, but after that, you’ve run through her lifetime allowance for diabetes. Now in her golden years, all her medical costs come straight from your pocket.

What you want is a reputable company that agrees to insure your pet for life, period. No tricks, no last-minute exclusions, no lifetime condition limits. But to have these things, you’ll need to pay for them.

Tip #4: Follow the Wagging Tails

Pet insurance costs too much to be throwing darts in the dark. You need to know which plans will come through for you down the road after you’ve paid their premiums for years. So do your research – look for good word of mouth. You can learn a lot with some smart surfing and Googling.

Although we haven’t used either, we found many satisfied buyers with PetPlan and Marks & Spencer. There are other good plans as well, and plans that are best avoided. The tip we like most is to ask your vet what she uses. Yes! – many vets insure their beloved animals, and are scrupulous in who they choose.

Tip #5: Do You Even Need Insurance?

There’s an argument – and it’s a good one – that pet insurance really serves no purpose. You can see the force of this line of thought when you check out the premiums of quality, reliable plans – they’re high. So why should you pay out all that cash for what *might* happen, instead of stashing it each month in your own high-interest savings account and simply withdrawing what you need?

The answer is simple: discipline. Some people have the discipline to pay their premiums, but not to establish a separate account they won’t touch except for emergency pet expenses. Other than discipline, there’s probably no real reason why you shouldn’t self-insure.

With one exception – liability. Some plans offer extra coverage if your dog injures someone and you get sued. These aren’t the kinds of things you can effectively save up for on your own, so if you think it might be a problem, pet insurance might truly be the route for you.

Tip #6: One More For the Road

Is your pet a prize purebred, with a pedigree reaching back before William of Orange? Expect more vet costs over its lifetime – it’s just a statistical fact. Perhaps this subtle factor will help you decide whether you should self-insure or go for a plan.

Peace of Mind: Priceless

We’re animal lovers. And in the back of our minds lurks the fear that Fido will someday come down with something we can’t afford to treat – simultaneous renal failure and diabetes, for example (to cite a sad chapter from my own pet annals). The peace of mind in knowing you can afford to care for your furry companion, no matter what the future brings, is profound. That’s why insurance was developed, and that’s why pet insurance might be the right choice for you.

Is your pet embarrassed by bad hair days?? Has his coat lost its shine. Is dandruff, tangles or matting a problem? It’s all about cat and dog health and grooming.

The first secret to a healthy, shiny coat is a nutritional well-balanced raw natural diet. This grows a gorgeous coat from the inside indicating a healthy, happy pet.

The second secret is what you can do from the outside to keep this gorgeous coat, regular brushing. Stimulating the lymph system with regular brushing improves your pets immune system. It stimulates the skin, improves circulation, prevents tangling, and helps distribute the natural oils throughout the entire coat. In addition, brushing also helps to remove fleas, flea eggs and ticks. Pet health and grooming is a critical part of being a conscientious pet owner.

Long haired pets require more frequent brushing than your short haired pets, but frequent brushing is good for all pets. Most pets love to be brushed, if you are gentle and you started brushing them when they were young. Using a loofa sponge will increase circulation & smooth the coat, but you will need a brush or curry comb to remove shedding hair.

Go over your pet with a flea comb regularly during summer months to make sure he has not picked up any stray fleas or ticks while outside or with other animals.

Do not shampoo your pet too frequently. It can increase problems by removing natural oils from the coat and irritate the skin. This can create more bad hair days!!

Here’s to your Perfect Paws!

MaryLou

www.theperfectpaws.com

Have you ever seen an ostrich? Do you know that ostriches are the largest birds in the world? Yes, ostriches are birds but they have lost their ability to fly. Ostriches are long necked, long legged, giant birds. I’ll bet you didn’t know that ostriches can run up to 40 miles per hour and live for over 50 years.

For many different reasons ostrich farming is spread all over the world. The first reason and the most prominant, is that ostriches have very healthy meat. Ostrich meat is low fat, low cholesterol and even low calorie. Ostrich meat is a healthier choice than beef or chicken. That is why many people choose ostrich meat for their diets.

The ostrich feathers are very beautiful. That is why they are desired from many of us. The ostrich’s leather is even more desirable. Only the ostrich farming produces this leather. Ostrich’s leather is soft but strong and it very famous with its distinctive quill patterns. The greater parts of ostrich farming profits come from ostrich’s leather sales.

Ostrich farming is very lucrative because ostrich feathers and ostrich oil are much-desired products. In order to produce them, however, many ostriches are needed. That is why often ostrich farming does not focus on production of ostrich feather and oil. Too many livestock is necessary for the ostriches to complete even one order.

Ostrich farming is probably more moneymaking business than farming cattle. Ostriches are very fertile. They can produce more than 40 young animals per year. Bird’s gestation period is about 42 days. Ostriches can be bred for over 30 years. You can calculate how many young ostriches ostrich farming can produce per year.

Ostriches are usually bred in pairs, in trios or in colonies. The male ostrich is able to serve to two or three females. The female ostriches lay the eggs but they often take breaks before they continue lying.

Nowadays it is very popular to talk about environmentally friendly ostrich farming. This type of ostrich farming gains more and more speed lately. Environmentally friendly ostrich farming means that farmers use method of breeding that is environmentally friendly. Ostriches are given no steroids, antibiotics, or hormones. Animals are not forced to eat against their will. They are left to roam freely and to eat natural food.

However, birds in ostrich farming are still slaughtered and sold for profit.

Ostrich farming encounters some problems. The first one is that birds are often fed poorly and improperly. Ostrich farming do not take enough care of the birds. Many farmers experience problems with selling their products, as marketing is a problem for them.

Ostrich farming is a really wonderful alternative to cattle farming. Ostriches are beautiful birds if you enjoy watching them. Ostrich farming is an enchanting and profitable industry.

Most of those who buy dogs, seek for the companionship that these beloved animals offer their owners. If you are one of these people who seek for companionship from a pet, then a Labrador retriever may be a good choice of pet for you. There are two types of Labradors: the English Labrador and the American Labrador.

Characteristics of Labradors

The two types of Labrador Retrievers may be differentiated from one another through their physical traits. Although the Labrador retriever is generally known for being a muscular dog, the English Labrador is actually heavier and looks more bulky while the American Labrador is taller and thinner. These dogs normally come in three solid colors of black, brown or chocolate, and yellow. Moreover, there is a rare silver or gray color of Labradors that are believed to have been from cross breeding. This, however, is still being disputed and its origins are still debated upon by various groups.

Apart from the Labrador being easy on the eyes, it is also an ideal companion because of its innate traits. This dog breed is known for being loveable and very affectionate to both children and adults. Moreover, this a very intelligent breed that is very trainable.

In fact, you will be interested to know that Labradors, also previously known as St. John’s Dog actually aided fishermen of previous eras. The Labrador then was trained to jump overboard to help with the nets. Nowadays, the Labrador is still as trainable as ever although they are used in other fields of service other than fishing. Some of this includes drug detection and aiding the blind and the disabled to name a few.

Labrador’s Specific Needs

The Labrador retriever may grow between 22 to 24 inches in males and 21 to 23 inches in females. The males will weigh roughly 60 to 75 pounds when they reach their mature height, and the females will hit the scales at 55 to 70 pounds. If you are living in a small apartment, you should be concerned about this, especially since there are also male Labradors that can grow to weigh 100 pounds!

Regardless of the size of your Labrador, this breed is an energetic lot which needs a lot of exercise. They will do well in small indoors, but they will far off better in houses which have small yards. You have to take this into consideration because your Labrador may end up being overweight and they may suffer from such health consequences.

There is no doubt that your Labrador will be a loveable and good-natured dog in your household. However, to be able to maximize their good traits it is best to have these dogs trained early on. Moreover, they should receive lots of human attention and affection. These dogs need lots of TLC and they will easily reciprocate. Knowing how to cater to their specific needs will benefit you and your dog. After all, the Labrador will be your companion and you might as well see to it that you’ll be a good companion to your dog, too.