Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Is Cooking For Your Pet A Good Thing?

If the recent pet food scare makes you want to fire up the stove and fix your own dog and cat cuisine, hear this: "Dogs have nutrient requirements that not all homemade diets are going to meet," says Andy Sokol, a veterinarian at Caldwell Mill Animal Clinic. "Once in a while, cooking for them is not going to cause a problem. But I do not recommend a homemade diet for the life of a dog or cat."

Taurine is a particularly critical component of a cat's diet, Sokol says, so whatever you do, don't leave that out of a recipe. "Without taurine, a cat could develop a heart condition and die within a year." He also recommends two vitamins a day for dogs who get homemade meals.

If you still want to treat your pet, check out these recipes from Liz Palika, author of "The Ultimate Dog Treat Cookbook: Homemade Goodies for Man's Best Friend" (Wiley, $14.99) and "The Ultimate Cat Treat Cookbook: Homemade Goodies for Finicky Felines (Wiley, $14.99):

Click here for more news on this story




Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Summer is coming which means fleas are coming also. Make sure to get your pets ready with proper medications to protect them from fleas. Fleas can cause a mild pet irritation or can lead to a severe allergic reaction. Since fleas live off blood, too much infestation can cause anemia or even death in pets.

Even though you may not see fleas on your pet, they're still a chance they may be there. A few signs you may see that there may be fleas living on your pet is if you see constant scratching, scabs, and flea dirt. Fleas can also carry tapeworms. If you see any white rice looking things in your pets feces or the hair around his anus then there's a chance your pet has tapeworms, which also means it may have fleas.

Since the cycle of a flea is three to four weeks, then it may take that amount of time to get rid of the fleas on your pet and its environment. This process of getting rid of flea infestation requires patience. If your pet lives outside then you should also work on the your also, especially in shady areas since sunlight kills fleas.

A few helpful websites to protect you dog from fleas and worms.

Frontline
Dr. Foster and Smith
Pet Care RX
1800 Petmeds

Yorkshire Terrier


The best benefit in buying a Yorkshire Terrier. If you hate dogs that shed a lot and hate having to pick up so much hair that they leave behind on your furniture and your clothing, then buying a Yorkshire Terrier you wont have that problem. They have tan/blue human-like hair that grows consistently. This is a great breed for allergy sufferers.