Taking Care of Your New Puppy’s Needs

Written by MichaelZ on November 22, 2009 – 3:51 am -

If you’re a first time puppy owner, you’re probably starting to wonder about your new responsibilities. Now that you’re responsible for another life, it’s important that you understand what these responsibilities entail.

Your puppy’s diet is first on our list. Puppies are on their mother’s milk until they are about six to eight weeks old. This weaning age is usually when breeders allow the puppies to be taken home by their new owner. Ask your breeder what the pup is currently eating and continue to feed him that. Usually they will be eating a soft canned food mixed with puppy milk replacer. Use less and less milk until your puppy is on pure canned food. You can do the same when switching to dry food by mixing in a little soft food and then cutting back a little each day until the puppy is on dry food only. Dry food is recommended as the best type of food for dogs as it has less fat content and keeps your dog’s teeth strong and free of plaque build up. This should happen gradually over the course of about 7 – 10 days. You should never feed your dog human food (ie: table scraps) at any time during his life. A dog’s diet requires a specific balance of certain nutrients and feeding your dog table scraps will upset this balance. Also remember to keep a water bowl filled for your pup at all times.

Your next concern should be to see that your dog gets all of the required vaccinations. Some breeders may start the vaccination process, so check with your dog’s breeder to find out if any vaccinations have been given to your pup. There are three shots given three weeks apart. These shots are referred to as the “core” injections. They help to prevent your pup from contracting distemper, parvovirus, and hepatitis. You can have the first shot administered when your puppy is 6 weeks old. Your veterinarian may suggest vaccinations to prevent illnesses that are a concern for certain breeds or demographic regions. These are called non-core vaccinations as they are not a requirement for all dogs. To be on the safe side, we recommend you keep your dog away from other dogs (that are not in your home) until your puppy has completed his round of core vaccines. They will become effective about 10 days after the last vaccination.

Our next health tip is grooming. Regardless of the breed of your puppy, all dogs require a certain amount of grooming. For instance, long-haired dogs will require much more brushing and haircuts than other breeds, but there are also some breeds, particularly the ones with long ears, that need their ears cleaned frequently to avoid infection. All dogs need to have their nails clipped every so often, but we recommend that you have this done professionally if you aren’t experienced at the job, as clipping too close to the quick in your dog’s nails causes a great deal of pain and bleeding. Do a bit of research on your puppy’s breed to get a good idea as to what your grooming responsibilities will be.

Exercise is one of the most vital aspects of your dog’s health. Your puppy will have a great deal of energy, which is completely natural! You should encourage playtime, especially outdoors so that he can have tons of room to romp around. If your puppy becomes restless, he may chew excessively which can be dangerous for your puppy (think of all the cords/cables plugging into your outlets, as well as wooden furniture that can splinter!). Pet steps are a great tool you can use to give your dog a workout. The time you spend training him to use the dog stairs to get onto furniture will encourage your pup to bond with you as well as to be obedient and respectful.

For more tips on raising a healthy pup, visit HelpYourPets.com.

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What is the Best Pet Med for your Dog or Cat?

Written by MichaelZ on October 10, 2009 – 1:36 pm -

At times when your vet prescribes medication to your dog or cat, you will have to choose between the options available like fluid or tablet? Commercial or holistic? Your vet may suggest to you a few choices but it has to be your final decision.

Important considerations:

The medication prescribed by your vet may not cause alarm for the health of your pet but there is always a risk factor involved.When pet medication is called for, ask your vet if there are any long-term or short-term health concerns associated with taking the medication.Tell your vet in advance about any allergies your pet might suffer from in order to prevent any side effects from the medications prescribed to you.Also, When it comes to pet medications, cost can be a big issue, so ask your vet if there’s a cheaper yet equally effective alternative for the medicine particularly if you have to buy it on an ongoing basis.And don’t forget that some dog medications can be harmful to your health as well, if they are used haphazardly, or if you have small children in the home. Again, ask your vet about all treatment and storage options.

How do I know I’ve chosen the best?

As you will be the one administrating the medication, keep it in mind what suits you best. While some pet meds have no alternatives with respect to dosage, others allow you to decide between administering daily, weekly or even monthly. Flea and tick treatments are a good example. Do you have the time to regularly give your pet the {dog meds as prescribed, or would you be better off with a medication that has a more lenient or longer effective duration? Also, can you manage administrating a pill or liquid, or would it be better off asking the vet to give an injection? Choose the medication which suits both you and your pet best, is the most effective and easily administered.~Since you will be administering the dog meds, a good question to ask is, “What works for me?” Are you available to administer dog medication every four hours, or do you need something longer-lasting? Are you comfortable administering a pill, or would you rather the vet gave your dog an injection? The easier the dog medication is to administer, the greater the chance that your dog will get it on schedule, and for the full course of the medication. And that benefits you, and your dog.~To administer the medication to you pet you need to be around every few hours in some cases, so ask your vet about the dog drugs which is most effective and suits your routine as well. The more comfortable you are with it, the better will be the health of your pet. If you want to give pills or injections do consult the vet before administering it to your pet.~You need to look after the medication chart for your pet, so be sure to ask your vet to give you only those dog pills which fit in with your daily routine and allow you to manage to administer in a timely manner for better health of your pet.~The easier the medication is to administer, the greater the chance that your cat or dog will get it on schedule, and for the full course of the medication. And that benefits you, as well as your pet. Ask the vet for best possible outcomes and medications for dogs you can realistically properly give to your animal.~Consult with the vet for best possible results regarding the medication and ask him for pills if you can administer dog pills to your pet within the span of a few hours. Otherwise else ask him or her if an injection is available, the effect of which is generally longer lasting.}

Factors to consider when deciding on the best pet medicine:

cat drugs for your pet is the one which has least and less serious side effects, is most effective and long lasting, and impacts your pocket the least.~The ideal dog or cat medicine is one that has few, if any, side effects or long- or short-term health implications.~For the best outcome ideal dog or cat medications is necessary, being ones which have no harmful effects and health hazards to your pet or family, but also are effective against the ailment.~The best dog or cat medications is the one which is most effective and least harmful to you and your pet.~Make sure that the dog or cat pills is the one which is not so costly, has best effects regarding the health of your pet, and has minimal side effects.~The best dog or medications for cats should have no severe side effects against the health of the pet, and should not be too costly as well.~The short answer is that it’s the dog or cat medications that’s easy to administer, proven safe and effective, and one that’s priced to fit your budget.}The medication given by your vet should be appropriate with the breed, age and sex of your dog or cat.There are many different ways to go, however, as you can decide between different brands or whether or not to go with a natural or holistic remedy instead of a commercial one.Sometimes it is difficult to know in advance what drugs will work and which won’t, so check up on your pet regularly and immediately stop dosage if you notice anything strange, consult your vet and try something different.

Cautions:

pets meds always remember to read and follow the instructions mentioned on the label carefully. Reviewing the instructions help you deal better with the condition and any situations that might arise from the use of the medication.~With pet meds, as with your own, always read and follow label instructions. For example, often dog medication is designed for dogs within certain age, breed, or weight range. Review the instructions carefully.~Do not forget to read the instructions mentioned on the pet pills label to avoid any harm later, and be careful to check and see if the medication suits the age, breed and sex of your pet.~Always read and follow pet drugs label instructions to ensure your pet gets the right dosage to avoid side effects and get the best result.~Review the pet meds instructions carefully. To avoid any major harm to your pet or yourself, keep in mind to follow each and every pet meds direction cautiously.~If your animal needs pet pills make sure you follow the label instructions in order to minimize the harm done by the medication and ensure the maximum effectiveness.~Follow the user guide provided with the pet meds of your pet to the letter, and if you have any doubts contact your local veterinarian.}Do not mix pet meds between pets of different kinds or different sizes. And always put the medication in a place which is out of reach of children.While commercial medications may not be all they are made out to be in some cases, holistic medications can also fail to live up to expectations.Before administering any organic or natural home remedies or holistic medication, it is always a good idea to consult your vet to avoid any potential side effects. Cats in particular are susceptible to adverse reactions from herbs.

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The Correct Dogs Diet Will Help Its Outputs

Written by MichaelZ on December 9, 2008 – 10:14 am -

If you know anything about computers, then you will know what term GIGO means, it stands for garbage in and garbage out. Thus, now you ask what has this to do with your dogs diet? Well your dog certainly is not a walking, tail wagging, barking computer, but your dogs diet definitely effects it in the same way. What food you feed your pet will eventually come out in the end.

Your dogs diet will impact the outputs substantially. Other factors play a role such as sickness, nerves, and the weather. You can tell a lot about the health of your hound by the outputs made.

As any responsible pet owner knows, cleaning up after your pet is not the most pleasant occupation, but it is a required one. Being meticulous and selective about your dogs diet will make picking up after your pet much easier.

If you give your dog a diet that is high in fillers, then the excretion will be large in size and oftentimes runny. Thence, making it hard to pick up. This is not recommended to do, but if you give your pet leftovers from the table, then when you go to clean up it will not be pleasant to do. This is because the outputs of a pet consuming an bad diet is just plain messy, smelly and large.

Even treats such as rawhide or bones can alter your dogs stool. Your dogs diet comprises of everything your pet eats from treats to mealtime. Monitor how treats affect your dogs outputs to discover how healthy the snack really is for your pet.

If you give your dog a well-balanced healthy nutritious diet, that is of high quality, then you will find a difference in the outputs. Cleaning up after your pet may not be at the top of your list of things to do, but it will be a far easier task and much more tolerable to do, if your dogs diet is healthy and nutritious.

Dog handlers with service animals are educated about the importance of a healthy diet and outputs during training. It is important, for example, that a guide dog not have an accident while working. The public would not be highly tolerant of this problem in a eating place or grocery shop. Take a tip from trainers and keep your dogs diet healthy to avoid these messy situations.

Always consult your veterinary before you determine what type of diet is advisable for your dog. If you decide on dry food, then look for one that lists meat as the first ingredient. This way you will reduce the amount of fillers that your pet eats.

Feeding your pet on a schedule is important. When looking at your dogs diet, do not merely focus on what you are giving your pet, but also focus on when you feed your dog. If your dogs diet includes consistent mealtimes, you will be better able to predict your dogs potty schedule. This can play a major role in effective house breaking technique.

By helping your pet eat a well-balanced healthy nutritious diet, then you are taking the first and most important step to keeping a healthy diet for your dog. Your dogs diet, when you supervise it, will keep matters running smoothly, it will also minimize outputs and mess. But be warned about to many treats in your dogs diet. By knowing what goes into your pet, will reduce the garbage and mess coming out.

Choosing the right Raw Dog Diet is not always easy, for further free information and advice be sure to visit Dog Diet Tips

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