Showing posts with label pet care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pet care. Show all posts

Monday, June 22, 2009

Top Pet People on Twitter

Twitter is a great place to connect with a community of fellow pet lovers and pet experts. Get tips on taking good care of your pet, meet interesting pet owners and even be entertained. Here are pet "tweeple" who are range from authors, bloggers, industry experts, average pet lovers, rescues and even pets that tweet!

@Petsaretalking Friendly animal communicator that engages with people and participate in a pet-related radio show. Often blogs in support of shelter pets.

@DFS_Ellen Tweets on behalf of Drs. Foster and Smith pet supplies including pet care tips, articles and videos. Engages with followers and answers questions.

@PawLuxury Tweets on behalf of Paw Luxury eco-friendly dog products. Friendly tweets including links to pet care blog articles.

@twoofnews Tweets interesting pet-related news articles.

@JohannTheDog A twittering agility dog the also has a blog that aims to help owners find cool stuff for dogs. Engages with followers and tweets from a dog's view of life.

@dogster From Dogster.com, tweets pet care tips and pet-related news articles.

@MinPinRescue @baltimorehumane @Kat5Rescue @animalshelter are a few of the rescue/shelter organizations that tweet to help the animal world by encouraging pet adoption.

@Ghlaghghee (pronounced Fluffy) is a twittering cat that is very entertaining. Claims to be held hostage in a human prison. "They feed me dry kibble and make me pee in a box of gravel."

This list is a sampling. If you're a pet lover, leave a comment with your Twitter profile link. Don't have a Twitter account? Sign up for free account and find more of these types of people on Twitter.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Pet Care on a Limited Budget


In the given state of our economy, we're all looking for ways to cut expenses. Many pet owners are trying to give their dog or cat the best care possible on a more limited budget. Skipping recommended checkups can put your pet at risk, but there are do-it-yourself (DIY) preventative care routines that can potentially reduce veterinarian and other pet-related bills. Here are resources that can help you DIY.

Drs. Foster and Smith's website offers helpful "How To" videos that show you what you can do yourself at home. The following pages include a video:

Preventative Ear Care:
How To Clean Your Dog's Ears
How To Clean Your Cat's Ears

Preventative Dental Care:
How To Clean Your Pet's Teeth

Groom Your Pet Yourself:
How To Trim Your Dog's Nails
How To Trim Your Cat's Nails

Save by vaccinating your pet at home:
How To Vaccinate Your Dog
How To Vaccinate Your Cat

MSNBC offers an article with several tips: Putting a Leash on Your Pet Spending

Another idea is to break treats in half. Your pet can still have the same number of treats, they'll just be smaller. He'll still feel rewarded.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Ear Care for Dogs

My, what big ears you have!
Routine ear care is an important part of your dog's health. Prevention is the best medicine, and simple ear care at home will keep the veterinarian bills away. It's easy and your dog will learn to like the one-on-one attention---sort of like getting brushed.

Here is part of an article taken from the Drs. Foster & Smith Pet Supplies online library. It offers tips for maintaining your dogs ears:

  • Gently pull the pinna (earflap) upward to straighten the ear canal. Squirt an ear cleaning solution into your pet's ear and massage the base of the ear between your thumb and forefinger for 20 to 25 seconds. This ensures that the cleansing solution gets a bit deeper into the ear. We recommend a solution like Ear Clens® for this step.

  • Let your pet shake out the extra solution, then get him relaxed again for the next step.

  • Use a soft cloth or a product like Ear Clens® Pads to remove excess wax and debris that the solution and shaking have brought up. Do not insert anything down the ear canal.

  • After cleaning, fold earflaps back for about five minutes to dry ear canals, and then finish with a small amount of an ear drying powder.

You'll be surprised at the amount of debris that you can remove. Regular cleansing of your pet's ears can prevent many potential ear problems before they start and will save you time and money in the long run. Your pet depends on hearing as one of the strongest of his senses and it just makes sense to take good care of them.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Pets: What is Lymes Disease?

Pets: What is Lymes Disease?
by Mikael

Lyme disease is an infectious disease that occurs in both animals and humans. It is caused by the transfer of species of bacteria, which belong to the genus of Borrelia, and is thus also called borreliosis. This bacterium is generally transmitted via vectors such as ticks and fleas; and is therefore likely to occur in pets.

How does it affect Your Pet?

Lyme disease can affect different pets in different ways. While some may show reactions such as fever, vomiting, loss of appetite and energy when bitten by the tick, other pets may not show any symptoms.

Cats

Cats show increased lethargy and fatigue, loss of appetite, eye damage unusual heartbeats and breathing rhythm.

Dogs

Dogs once infected may show signs like cats. However, they also show some neurologic symptoms such as change in behavior especially aggressiveness or fearfulness. They also get a fever.

How to protect your pet?

Lyme disease can be prevented. Proper care needs to be taken of the pet to avoid the tick bite. Applying tick-killing chemicals to the animals is a great preventive measure, which you can take. Permethrins and pyrethrins are generally preferred for this, and are available as sprays and dips. However, some animals are found to be sensitive to chemicals that are used for killing ticks. In addition, you must not mix different chemicals, as there could be a reaction, which causes more harm than good.

Protection of the pet can also be done by modifying the environment of the pet. Cutting of grass and trimming the wood in the environment is a good way to reduce the possibility of tick bites for your pets. Treating the environment with insecticides that are targeted to ticks is also a good idea.

Examining the pet regularly is also a good way to detect tick bites to treat the pets earlier and manage Lyme disease better. You must do tick-checks regularly on your animal. Use a proper technique for tick removal or get it done by an expert veterinarian. Vaccinations against Lyme disease are available for dogs and should be given to your pet dog.

About the Author
For more information about pet health and free pet insurance, visit the author's site at www.petinsurancepro.com.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Tips To Help You Receive Quality Veterinarian Care For Your Dog

Tips To Help You Receive Quality Veterinarian Care For Your Dog by MiShaun Taylor

There's no doubt about it - obtaining quality veterinarian care for your dog can be quite expensive indeed. In fact, just about every dog owner struggles at one time or another, to cover those routine medical costs and may find themselves in a financial bind if they have to pay for unforeseen veterinarian emergencies. In fact, many dog owners often have to resort to utilizing their credit cards to cover veterinarian care which unfortunately puts their families in a financial bind. In this brief article, we'll discuss proven techniques that you can use to ensure that you are able to afford quality veterinarian care for your dog.

First of all, you have to plan ahead for the rising costs. After all, veterinarians are not simply overcharging you for the fun of it. Nowadays, veterinarian care is a highly specialized field. Not only are veterinarians highly trained, the price of pet medications, laboratory tests and advanced surgical procedures has risen as well. This all leads to higher prices for quality veterinarian care. So, instead of getting mad, start preparing for the cost now. After all, your dog is important to you and as a loving pet owner; you want the quality of life for your pets and must be willing to pay escalating fees in order to secure this service.

Second, now that you realize that veterinarian costs will likely continue to rise, you must set aside a set amount every month to cover your dog's rising veterinarian costs. You can even put this amount into a "Pet savings account." For instance, if you know that your average dog's vet bills tends to be $350.00 a year, you can put aside $30.00 a month to cover this costs in your pet savings account. Then, don't use this money for anything but your pet's care. Your best bet is a savings account and not a CD because if you put this money into a CD or other account, charged interest or other fees if you take out the funds before the CD matures.

Third, check out subsidized veterinarian clinics. Many shelters, pet stores and other places offer "lower cost" veterinarian service for routine costs like vaccinations and check ups. If you have a certain breed that requires specialized care, you might be able to get a referral from the breed's National Club. The key is to not be afraid to shop around.

Fourth, if you decide to stick with your regular veterinarian, always ask for discounts. Although most veterinarians have a set amount that they must receive, they are sometimes willing to offer discounts to families in need. Therefore, always inquire about a discount off the price of your bill. You may be pleasantly surprised to find out that discounts are sometimes granted.

Fifth, if discounts aren't granted, you should inquire about an interest-free payment plan. Most veterinarians offer payment plans for routine and emergency veterinarian services because they realize that their clients might not be able to afford such services otherwise. Although veterinarians want to be paid adequately for their services, many of them also want to make a positive difference in the lives of their clients. Therefore, they are open to working with clients to make financial accommodations.

Sixth, you can always ask for financial help. Many veterinarians offer substantial discounts for families in need. Sometimes all you have to do is ask and your wish will be granted. Another grant that you may qualify for is the "Helping Pets Fund". For additional information about this, contact www.Pets911.com.

Seventh, you can always purchase pet health insurance. There are many quality companies that offer inexpensive pet insurance for a monthly fee. The way that these operations work is that you pay a monthly fee, a deductible and the insurance company covers the rest of the bill. This could turn out to be a huge savings if you have a dog that needs care on a frequent basis.

Eighth, you may be able to obtain the money from somewhere else. For instance, can you tap into a savings account or educational fund? Can you sell some items on eBay to receive some instant cash? Can you borrow money from a family member? There are many options that you can utilize in order to receive the necessary funds to cover your veterinarian costs. You just have to use creative thinking and you can devise a great plan.

In conclusion, veterinarian care can be expensive but you don't have to find yourself in a financial bind simply because you want to provide your dog with adequate coverage. Just be willing to plan ahead, save some money, consider subsidized care, ask for discounts or interest free payment plans, ask for financial assistance, purchase pet insurance, and use creative financing strategies. By doing this, you can provide your dog with the quality of care he deserves without breaking the household bank.

About the Author
For additional information on how to keep your dog healthy and happy, please visit http://www.dogearyeastinfection.com a website that features helpful dog-related articles, information, resources, and E-books for health-conscious and loving dog owners who want the best for their canine companion.