Pet Monologues

Here is a glimpse on pet literature today. One writer says that with all the attention from publishers, you’d think pets could read.

Dogs and cats have taken up residence in American homes in record numbers, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Its 2007–2008 National Pet Owners Survey found that 63% of U.S. households—71.1 million homes—own a pet. Households with dogs number 44.8 million, while felines can be found in 38.4 million homes. The cat populace, 88.3 million, outnumbers the 74.8 million dogs, that’s because pet parents with cats are more likely to have more than one. However, that in spite of the larger cat population, dog-related books still outsell any other category, the dog-related books outnumbered cat tales by about six to one. What are the books about? Here are 44 titles to think about:

Health and wellness

According to a 2004 American Animal Hospital Association survey, 94% of pet owners take their pet for regular veterinary checkups to ensure their pet’s quality of life. And animal medicine, like its human counterpart, the information and options available in terms of treatment and diagnoses have become vastly more complicated over the last decade. People are, therefore, looking for resources that will help them make sense of it all. Now it is becoming commonplace procedures for dogs as organ transplants, joint replacements and cancer treatments. There are also books, from home remedies to cutting-edge alternative homeopathic therapies.

There’s an author that offers practical strategies for keeping mature dogs young and healthy in mind and body. Among her findings is that only 20%–25% of a dog’s longevity is determined by its genes; the owner can influence the remaining percentage by how he or she cares for the animal. Read the rest of this entry »

Dog behavior training: aggression, biting, guarding problems.

Handling an Aggressive Dog

Aggression is probably the most common reason an otherwise healthy dog is euthanized (put to sleep). Read the rest of this entry »

The first article I read on this topic was dated March 2005 from Fairfax County Virginia, so this is not exactly a new idea. Two years later we have the following article revisiting this issue…

Dangerous dogs in Virginia get online registry.

RICHMOND, Virginia: Bear is a golden retriever-shepherd that attacked a bicyclist. Dee Dee, a pit bull mix, killed a cat. Cody, a Labrador mix, bit the neighbor.

Their mug shots, misdeeds and home addresses went online last week at Virginia’s Dangerous Dog Registry, a new Web site modeled after the state’s sex offender registry. It lets residents locate dogs in their county that have attacked a person or animal, and that a judge decided could cause injury again.

Created after dogs killed a toddler and an 82-year-old woman in separate incidents over the last two years, Virginia’s registry is part of a growing effort by states to deal with canines deemed dangerous. Thirty-one states now make owners legally liable if their dogs maim or kill, and in 2006 Ohio became the first state to ban some breeds outright.

In the last two years, nearly 100 municipalities have taken similar steps - banning pit bulls, Rottweilers, English bull terriers and American staffordshire terriers, or passing regulations that require owners to use muzzles or short leashes in public, according to the American Kennel Club. 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 »

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 »

Prozac for pets can be useful but on a short leash. Published June 17, 2007

A week after Chicago’s Katharine Pflaum adopted a temperamental calico cat named Stella, she knew she had a serious problem on her hands. Stella wasn’t just warlike during the day; she also pounced on Pflaum in the middle of the night.

But Pflaum didn’t want to give up on the cat, who already had been abandoned twice. So she started her on a behavioral program that included Prozac, the same antidepressant given to humans. Read the rest of this entry »