Pet Monologues

Imagine returning to your home after a long vacation. You pick up your pets from the kennel, unload your luggage and head to bed to recover from the long drive. But your sleep is anything but restful. All night, you’re plagued by tiny pinpricks and incessant itching. It doesn’t take you long to figure out that you’re being attacked by a seemingly infinite mob of hungry fleas.

An Adult Flea
Photo courtesy CDC/Vector Ecology & Control Laboratory, Fort Collins, Colo.

What happened? Did your pets pick up an infestation at the kennel? Did the vampire-like insects hitch a ride on your luggage? Or did a swarm of them decide to move in while you were gone?

It’s a creepy idea, but the most likely answer is that the fleas were waiting for you. Fleas are parasites—or life forms that feed on hosts—often harming the host in some way. Fleas use their hosts’ blood as food. They generally prefer the blood of four-legged animals to human blood, so before you went on vacation, the fleas fed on your pets, not on you.

Although newly emerged fleas need to find food within a few days, adults can go for a couple of months without a meal. Flea pupae can also stay in their cocoons for up to a year, waiting to sense the body heat and vibrations that signal the presence of nearby hosts. So when you go on vacation, the fleas don’t starve to death — they simply wait for you and your pets to come back. Read the rest of this entry »

Feline hyperthyroidism has recently been recognized as the most common endocrine disorder of the cat. The elevated circulating levels of the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) that occur in hyperthyroidism result in a multisystemic disease.

The most commonly recognized signs of hyperthyroidism are weight loss, hyperactivity, and an increased appetite. An increased water consumption and urination are other common signs of feline hyperthyroidism that are thought to result from an increased blood flow to the kidneys. Gastrointestinal signs are common in hyperthyroidism. Intermittent vomiting and diarrhea are frequently noted. Cardiovascular signs including an increased heart rate, arrhythmias and congestive heart failure, are common in cats with hyperthyroidism. Most cats with hyperthyroidism develop a reversible form of heart disease with congestive heart failure developing in 10 to 15% of these cats. Read the rest of this entry »

Dogs often seem to have limitless energy and robust constitutions, but don’t let this fool you: they are susceptible to all sorts of maladies, ranging from mild to life-threatening. That’s why it pays to have a relationship with a dependable, reassuring veterinarian (to ensure good treatment and quick treatment in an emergency), and to follow wise guidelines for dog-owners, which include regular checkups for your pooch and building your own store of knowledge about canine maladies, to catch treatable diseases early. Yes, dogs are energetic and robust by nature, but it’s your job to help keep them that way. In this article, you will find tips to help you do just that, including:

Choosing a Veterinarian

You don’t have to take Fido to the nearest vet, and you never have to use a vet whose manner doesn’t make you and your dog comfortable. Here are tips on finding the right veterinarian for both of you, including questions you can ask friends in order to get a strong word-of-mouth reference. We will also help you tell the difference between a problem with your dog that will clear up on its own and a major situation that needs to be seen by the vet right away.

Dog Disease Basics

Modern medicine has made dogs’ lives much more pleasant, and longer for sure. But there are illnesses that will always be part of dog life, and these are made more threatening because dogs often come in contact with other animals, which can transmit diseases to them. In fact, there are some diseases that can be transmitted from dog to man. So you need to be familiar with diseases such as rabies, distemper and others, in order to prevent them or catch them early in your own dog. Read the rest of this entry »

Owning a dog can be a lot of work. Among the main tasks involved in caring for your dog are feeding, bathing, grooming, and exercise.

Feeding Dogs

* In general, dry dog food is more nutritious than moist dog food. Any time you get a new pet, however, check with your veterinarian for dietary recommendations.

* Never offer your dog pork chop bones, chicken bones, or fish bones. These can splinter into sharp pieces and catch in your pet’s throat.

* If you must give your dog a bone, give only marrow or knuckle bones that have first been boiled to remove fat and grease that might cause diarrhea. Take the bone away as soon as it starts to splinter.

* If moist pet food is not eaten within two hours, refrigerate it.

* If you’re going to change your pet’s diet, do it gradually. A sudden change may be a shock to the animal’s system.

* Don’t feed a dog milk. It will probably give it diarrhea.

* On a hot day, be vigilant about your dog’s water supply. Fill your pet’s bowl with cold tap water and freshen it often. Read the rest of this entry »

The Keep It Clean pet dental kit instructional video.

A step-by-step guide on how to brush your pet’s teeth. Read the rest of this entry »

Hyperthyroidism in cats due to chemicals?

Is there a connection between toxic flame retardants and the surge in hyperthyroidism in cats? Read the rest of this entry »

Petmonologues was solicited by an author to purchase his new book. He is against commercial dog food. PM also recently listened to a radio talk show about how home-cooked pet food needs to be carefully created because ingredients, or lack of ingredients, affect your pet. For example, animals in the wild eat the whole carcass, i.e., bones, organs, etc., a source of vitamins that may not be in home-cooked food.

PM and all animal-caring individuals applaud that pet foods are squarely in the public eye, and more importantly, on our minds. What is best practice?

When feeding your pet, take into account their needs, their age, their activities, whether it is commercial or home-cooked. We like dry food because it cleans teeth and gums. We portion out wet foods for variety. We don’t feed leftovers for many reasons. If you wish to know those reasons, just ask us. Also, check out PM’s recipe section! Read the rest of this entry »

Abstract

Relationships inevitably develop between humans and animals, regardless of the function or use of the animal partners. The need to recognize the existence of these human-animal bonds, as well as acknowledge the use of the animals, is widespread. Religious memorial services for animals in certain areas of the world provide an historical basis for such acknowledgment activities. The diversity of sacred and secular approaches to memorializing or acknowledging animals is illustrated by representative examples of such events. The need to establish such events, particularly in academic and research settings, is emphasized. The pros and cons of developing and establishing acknowledgment activities in addition to the benefits of implementing such events are discussed. Read the rest of this entry »

Control dog diarrhea.

The first step to control dog diarrhea is to understand the cause. Read the rest of this entry »

Shed your pet allergies now!

That’s why many of us watched closely last fall as the first “hypoallergenic cats” were delivered to their owners. One was so pleased by her no-wheeze, no-sneeze pet that she sang its praises on national television. The others aren’t talking. Perhaps the price left them speechless: Each cat now costs $5,950 plus a $995 processing fee. Read the rest of this entry »