A dog’s nutritional requirements differ depending on their age, so managing their diet is not as straightforward as it initially appears.

This article will highlight the basics of managing a dog’s diet to make sure it is benefiting their general health. A good diet is essential to successful dog ownership.

Feeding Adult Dogs

Balance is the most important aspect of a dogs diet, just like in humans. Protein is fundamental in maintaining this balance. Feed your dog plenty of chicken, salmon and lamb to ensure their protein content is up and around the recommended 20 to 30 per cent.

Pastas, cereals and rice will give your dog the crucial carbohydrates they need to fuel their energy.

Complement this with plenty of fibre for a smooth bowel movement.

On top of getting the food right, it is important to feed your dog twice a day, at the same times, with similar portion sizes.

Puppies

Puppies have very similar diets to adults, except their food needs to be higher in energy and easier to digest. Because puppies have smaller stomachs, you will need to feed them less, more often.

There are some foods you should avoid giving to a puppy, that you would normally be okay giving to an adult dog. Table scraps are an example of this, because they can be particularly hard to digest.

Senior Dogs Diets

Older dogs differ from adults and puppies because they are less active and have a slower metabolism.

An older dogs diet needs to be easily digestible, as well as low on calories. Giving them vitamins C and E will support their aging joints.

As dogs begin to age, their ability to chew effectively lessens. For this reason you should keep their portions smaller and avoid meals with large pieces of chewy meat.

Often, there are no outward signs of ill health until the worms in dogs have already caused damage. Worms in dogs are difficult to spot, but be alert for general loss of condition, sickness and diarrhoea.There are two types of worms in dogs: roundworms and tapeworms.

Roundworms

Pale white or beige in colour, roundworms look as though they are coiled like a spring and may grow up to 100mm long. They might be visible in your pet’s faeces or vomit. Roundworm larvae find their way into the dog’s body when they are ingested and adult worms then develop inside the dog’s body. When further eggs are later passed out of the dogs in faeces, the life cycle is completed.Unfortunately, the most common roundworm to affect dogs is known as the Toxocara Canis and it can affect people, particularly children. When children ingest eggs as a result of contact with contaminated soil, larvae can grow in their bodies and migrate around the body. If they reach the eyes, the larvae can potentially damage the eyesight. For this reason, dog owners must always pick up after their dog.

Tapeworms

You may be able to see evidence of tapeworms in your dog’s faeces or around his anus: they look like flat segments filled with what look like moving grains of rice but are actually eggs. Dogs become infected with tapeworms when they swallow fleas whilst grooming because fleas carry tapeworm larvae. An adult worm inside the dog can be as long as 5 metres.

With worms in dogs, as with many conditions, it is true that prevention is better than cure. It is therefore important to ensure your dog is wormed every three months. Young puppies require worming even more regularly than that.Many effective wormers are available from pet shops and veterinary surgeries at affordable prices: ask your vet for the most appropriate one.

A few of the very common signs and symptoms of feline flu to be aware of are sneezing and coughing, a clear discharge coming from the nose and eyes, increased salivation, depression, loss of appetite, lameness and ulcers on the tongue, nasal area or top of the mouth. If your feline acquires a secondary bacterial infection then the discharge from the nose and eyes can become thicker and yellow in colouring. These kinds of signs or symptoms are all indicators of a cat health care problem and therefore the cat must be taken to visit the vet. In these circumstances, intensive treatment by a vet is the afflicted cat’s best possibility for survival. The cat health care vet should be able to treat bacterial feline flu with antibiotics but there’s unfortunately no specific treatment for viral feline flu.

Due to the fact that there’s no treatment for life threatening feline flu, cat health care experts will always be keen to emphasise that vaccination as a kitten with continuous booster jabs is very important. Vaccination is the only established means of protecting against feline flu.

A classic example of a type of food that we people regularly enjoy but that is very dangerous to dog health care is chocolate.{ A lot of people are aware that it isn’t good for dogs, but it is actually very dangerous for dogs to eat.~ Most people are vaguely aware that it isn’t good for dogs but it is actually very dangerous for them to eat.~ Many people have heard that it is unhealthy for dogs but few realise that it is actually seriously poisonous and dangerous to dog health care.] Hallucinations, seizures and internal bleeding can all result from a dog eating chocolate, with death being the worst case scenario. Because even a small chocolate bar could be enough to kill a dog, depending on its size, it really isn’t worth taking the risk. If a dog does swallow any chocolate it should be made to be sick and taken to a vet as soon as possible.

Most dogs won’t appear too keen to eat raisins or grapes anyway, but the fruits are incredibly dangerous to dog health care. Grapes and raisins will cause kidney failure and death in dogs, if enough are eaten.The amount of raisins and grapes a dog can eat before becoming seriously ill depends on its size and breed, but it is obviously better not to take the dog health care risk.
Onions and macadamia nuts are also serious threats to dog health care. Shakes, stiffness, hyperthermia and stomach pain are all symptoms of a dog having eaten them.

Although we rarely see drunken dogs, it is true that a dog that has drunk alcohol will bahve in a similar way to a human who is intoxicated.Obviously drinking alcohol has the same health effects in dogs and is likely to leave your pet feeling quite poorly.However, there is another risk if the alcohol in question is beer. The hops found in beer are dangerous to dog health care. The hops can cause malignant hyperthermia which normally leads to death. The amount of hops a dog can tolerate before becoming seriously ill depends on size and breed and greyhounds are particularly susceptible.

Whilst as a dog owner you may be confident that you are familiar with general dog health care, it is important to follow this advice to keep your furry friend in the best shape.

Similar to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), FIV works by attacking and destroying the cat’s white blood cells.This is dangerous to the cat because the white blood cells are responsible for fighting off infection. This means that cats which have been infected by the virus are significantly more susceptible to picking up infections which will be more likely to bring about complications than in healthier cats.

Because cat health care should be a priority for any cat owner, they should be watching out for FIV symptoms. Amongst the common symptoms of the virus are discharge from the nose and eyes, high temperatures, anaemia, skin infections, loss of appetite, swollen lymph glands and gingivitis, which is a type of gum disease.Owners often fail to realise the scale of the threat to cat health care posed by FIV because infected cats can often appear to be healthy for years, despite being susceptible to infection.

At present cat health care experts have been unable to find a treatment for the virus, but secondary infections can be managed with antibiotics giving the infected cat a better quality of life. There is not sure fire way of avoiding the disease because there is no vaccine, but keeping cats from mixing and fighting with other cats helps. Ensuring that your cat has been castrated is also a good idea because castrated cats are less inclined to fight with others.

Misconception 1: Neutering my cat or dog is bad for its health

People actually get very confused about neutering and spaying and some believe it has pet health implications. There are some that feel that neutering turns the animal into a couch potato. It might seem lazy, but others would view this as loyalty, as dogs and cats stick closer to home and are less likely to wander once they have been neutered. In truth though, people do fear that neutering and spaying can shorten an animal’s life, but there is nothing to back this up at the moment.

Misconception 2: My dog knows when it has been bad, but it doesn’t learn.

Trust us that this isn’t true. Dogs are like children and they say you should treat an animal like it is a 2 year old child, which is why some dogs do not understand when they have done something wrong. The best way to tell your dog it has done something wrong is to make sure it gets pointed out. Otherwise, they will never know. Try and shift your voice to sound angry rather than getting high-pitched as this relates too closely to happy sounds. Don’t hit your dog though, as this is very bad pet ownership. No pet owner should lay a hand to a dog and think that it is an acceptable part of dog health care; for it quite simply isn’t. Mistreating cats is also not advised – no cat health care practice should involve this.

Lets bear in mind that there are many things you can end up believing about dogs and cats, but be sure to check out the truth before putting any dog health care or cat health care practices into motion. A vet is a good person to talk to as they are adept at dealing with all cat health care and dog health care issues.

Before turning the bathwater on, make sure you have everything you need conveniently positioned next to you. A brush and a dog conditioner are just some of the essentials you need. Plus, you’ll need a large towel for your dog. There will be lots of water splashing around shortly, so put some old clothes on. Bathe your puppy when its hungry to get its full attention. Call your puppy to you and offer a treat, remove his collar and give him a few more treats. Most importantly, you have to convince your dog that this is a fun process. Next up is the comb – brush the puppy’s fur for a while. Any knots or tangles in your puppy’s coat will tighten and become worse when wet, so you want to comb out all tangles before turning on the tap. Rub conditioner on the puppy’s fur and massage it in.

Something important to remember is that the dog’s ears need cleaning at the back. Remember to praise throughout this process and stay happy, keeping the treats flowing. Some dogs are more attentive if they have toy in the bath too. Bear in mind that a puppy with skin sensitivities should have a baby shampoo used on its head. You don’t want to burn your puppy’s delicate skin, so always test the water temperature before filling the bath tub. Now, thoroughly soak the coat with water. Avoid the eyes and ears, and keep praising. Massage some shampoo into the dog’s fur. Using the scrub brush, work the shampoo in. When you are sure you’ve rinsed out all the soap, do it again. There’s always more soap that needs to be removed. The final step is to condition the fur and rinse, and when this is complete its time for the towel to dry your puppy off.

A Cute Puppy In A Bath!

1) Antifreeze: Something like antifreeze can kill pets quickly and painfully. It’s the sweet smell of the antifreeze that attracts dogs. The core ingredient of antifreeze is ethylene glycol and this is very dangerous. The symptoms of ingesting a toxic substance are awful, and your dog will end up with kidney failure. Make sure to keep your antifreeze out of your dog’s reach. Of course, if the worse does happen, take your dog to a vet for a health check.

2) Chocolate: Dark chocolate is a prime example of something very dangerous to dogs. People assume that only large amounts kill pets, but in fact any amount can prove dangerous. Signs of chocolate poisoning include vomiting, diarrhoea, increased urination, and increased activity. This can progress to seizures and unusual heart rhythms. Call your veterinarian immediately if you suspect your dog has eaten chocolate. This is not good for a dog’s health.

3) Bleach:Its not difficult to comprehend that bleach is toxic. Anything containing bleach should be out of sight and out of mind. Bleach-related symptoms include drooling and vomiting. However, one important thing to remember is that vomiting should not be induced s this can make the situation worse. Remember that by doing these simple things, your dog health care routine stays in check.

4) Mouthwash: Mouthwash can contain boric acid which is highly toxic to dogs. Symptoms of poisoning by mouthwash include vomiting, drooling, seizures, and coma. Just like with the other household products, a dog that’s drunk mouthwash should be taken to see the vet.

It is an owner’s responsibility to make sure dogs don’t get anywhere near to toxic substances. Making sure your dog has a lovely conditioned coat is important, as is showering it with love, but this isn’t a good dog health care routine if your pet ends up dying from ingesting a toxic substance. As always, if you think your dog may have eaten something dangerous, contact your veterinarian immediately or take your dog to the closest emergency clinic.

If you’re considering which gender of rabbit to buy, different breeders have different preferences as to which rabbits make the best pets. This is compounded by the individual temperament of the rabbit. A good example of this is with a doe, as she will become much more territorial as she gets older if she hasn’t been spayed when younger. In some cases, she may even bite you a little bit if you get too close. Providing the same person feeds the rabbit regularly, the aggression felt by the doe should subside. It does vary between different female rabbits, and some will be very aggressive whereas others will be completely placid. If you still favour the idea of having a doe, but want her purely as a pet, the best thing to do is to get her spayed. So many people make the mistake of not doing this, but if you are thinking of a long-term rabbit care plan, spaying should be top of your list.

Another important thing to consider when it comes to rabbit care is the art of grooming. The wool breeds such as angoras and jersey woollies require extra work in grooming. All rabbits need a good routine of grooming by their caretaker, but the wool breeds require more time because of the nature of their fur type.

I would not recommend buying a rabbit without first seeing it, nor would I recommend purchasing a rabbit from a pet store. Choose a breed you like and do your research, then try to find a rabbit breeder in the local area. Next, head over to visit the breeder and the rabbits they have. Ask to see all round the house and see where the rabbits are kept so you can check if they are sanitary conditions. It is also a good idea to see if you can hold a rabbit whilst you are there. At this stage, watch closely to see how the rabbit reacts when someone leans down to pick it up. Those happy rabbits in the hutch will come hopping forward hoping you will pick them up. Other rabbits will immediately go to the back of the cage. Look out for these signs as they could indicate that the rabbit won’t make a good pet.

Whilst you should always consider the in depth details that rabbit care involves, the important thing to remember is to enjoy your search for that perfect rabbit. With many sizes and different colours to choose from, it is hoped that you will eventually find that perfect rabbit for your family.

Rabbit

Dog- if you’re outgoing and like lots of cuddles and walks, the dog is an ideal choice of pet. Dogs match their owners with their characteristics, and you will often find that women choose small dogs to complement their petite frames, whereas men like dogs that are larger to match their broader frame. Choose a dog if you like to come home to an empty house with a greeting from something that will wag its tail and lick you all over.

Cat – if you’re more the independent type of person, a cat could be perfect for you. Cats are strong-willed and like to do their own thing, so be sure that you will feel comfortable when your car ventures off into the garden and down the street for a few hours. Some pet owners are a little frustrated when their cats do this, and they choose to make them house cats instead. For me, i believe that all cats should have their freedom to roam around, so keeping them in the house is a very restrictive thing to do and its like keeping a butterfly in a cage. Let your cat roam free, and if you are out and about leading a busy social life, your cat will complement your lifestyle.

Rabbit - for people who like small pets that quite honestly dont do very much, the rabbit could be ideal for you. Bringing it out of its hutch and sitting with it will fill you with joy if you’re quite a reserved, relaxed person. Rabbits don’t run around and make home life a hassle – they are quite content with a bit of food and a nice place to sleep. If that sounds like you, someone who doesn’t ask for much and doesnt take life for granted, consider a rabbit as the perfect pet.