How do I know if my cat has a fever?

If you notice that your cat is acting sluggish and refuses his food, you may want to check if he has a fever. The only way to determine this for sure is to check with a thermometer. Make sure someone restrains the cat while you take the animal’s rectal temperature.

Your cat’s normal resting temperature should be between one-hundred-point-five and one-hundred-two-point-five degrees. So if the mercury rises up to about one-hundred-three-degrees or more, call your veterinarian immediately. Your precious pet may have some kind of infection or inflammation. To determine the problem, your veterinarian will give your pet a thorough examination.

Bird Care

Caring for Your Bird

There’s more to getting a bird than simply buying a cage (although more on that below). Birds are delicate and complex creatures that need lots of loving care and attention to be happy and healthy. So don't be fooled, playing them Sesame Street to see their friend, Big Bird, or the film the Bird Cage doesn’t count for much.

Like with any pet, research the breed before bringing it home. This way there’ll be no surprises. Important things to pay attention to: genetic health risks, size, and the breed's personality traits. Some birds, for example, require much more care than others, even special foods. Then, once you find a breed that fits your lifestyle and personality, you can move on to the nitty-gritty.

Entertainment

Of course, while our feathered friends do make fun and beautiful additions to our homes, they need entertainment as well. No, you don’t need to do some stand up or learn some magic tricks (birds are not that demanding), but you may want to purchase some toys for your new pet. There are mirrors, climbing gyms, and chewing cuttlebones, all which are made especially for birds. Check out your local pet store for ideas.

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Remember, most of the items and equipment listed above are just the bare essentials for bird care -- you must also provide a warm, loving home and interact with your new pet. Some birds, especially parrots, can live decades. So who knows? You may have just found yourself a lifelong friend.

Hibernating Bears Could Help Human Rescues

WASHINGTON - Hibernating bears are loud snorers. They go many months without food, even sustaining pregnancies in their winter slumber. A sudden noise may rouse them, briefly, but they barely budge otherwise.

So it might come as a surprise that scientists are studying how the bears' bodies work during hibernation in order to help doctors rescue people in trauma situations.

"Hibernating bears function pretty much like a closed system, all they need is air," said Brian Barnes of the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

By studying the bears' mastery of lowering their metabolic rate for five to seven months, researchers hope to find clues for saving the lives of people who suffer major medical traumas, like heart attacks or stroke.

Such traumas create "a problem of supply and demand. Your supply of oxygenated blood to your brain is quickly lowered but the demand stays high and you have to get to a hospital very quickly," Barnes said.

Bears also lost hardly any bone mass and only small amounts of muscle during hibernation.

"Though they are virtually immobile for five to six months, somehow they have tricked their tissue, their bones and muscle, to think that they are still doing work," said Barnes.

"So we are all very interested in finding out the molecular signals for that," he said. "The trick would be to find drugs that would emulate those same changes in humans."

Vet Confidential:    An Insider's Guide to Protecting Your Pet's Health     Louise Murray     13 Reviews     Random House Publishing Group, 2008 - Medical   From an experienced and highly respected authority in the veterinary world comes a       comprehensive must-have guide to everything you need to know to ensure high-quality  health care for your beloved animal companions.

Proven Pet Care for Pet Health

If you're like many pet lovers, your life pretty much revolves around your pets. Their happiness and wellbeing is as important as your own, so you provide the best pet care for you pet's health. We offer a wide variety of pet health information and healthy pet care products to keep your pets playful and purrfectly happy. Nothing is better than coming home to wagging tails and purring rubs on your legs! Discover information about adopting a pet, kitten care, pet travel, pet first aid, and compare pet health insurance. Find quality pet supplies from our online pet store.

Canine Distemper Virus 

For many years canine distemper virus was the most feared of the viral diseases affecting dogs.Parvovirus may have surpassed it in this regard but it is still a deadly virus that kills dogs and other members of the canine family. It is also infective to ferrets, mink, weasels and their kin among the Mustelidae family as well as raccoons, pandas and other members of the Procyonidae family. Recently it is believed to be the culprit in the death of a number of African lions.

Canine distemper virus is an RNA virus from the morbillivirus family. In humans, measles is caused by a member of this virus family. Distemper virus is more likely to affect puppies than older dogs. This is probably due immunity acquired through canine distemper virus vaccination or exposure to the virus naturally, leading to immunity. It can affect dogs of any age, though. It causes very variable clinical signs which makes ruling it out in a young sick dog a difficult process. In some dogs a transient fever, perhaps accompanied by a lack of appetite or mild depression may be the only signs of onset of distemper. Other dogs are affected by a systemic illness with nasal and ocular discharges, coughing, fever, depression, lack of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea. It is not uncommon for dogs to have some but not all signs associated with this disease.

Can pets improve your mental health?

Conversations about cats seem to be all the rage at Mind at the moment. No, we're not expanding our remit; staff and volunteers who are proud pet owners are discussing the latest in pet psychology books.

From my point of view, it is animals or pets as therapy for either physical or mental health issues that is the topic, whether it be the option to get adog in Lewisham using your individual budget care allowance or swimming with dolphins to cure depression.

Read a little closer, and of course the questions start coming. A review of studies into dolphin-assisted therapy found that the studies were methodologically flawed and also failed to investigate any long term benefits. Another review of the link between pet ownership and health found that research this decade found no reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, no decrease in the use of primary care and no psychological or physical benefits to older people living in the community associated with pet ownership.

pets, support
and mental health

Pets are an amazingly helpful asset to the human species. We now have a large body of evidence that having a pet can help people out of depression and can help reduce anxiety. Pets can rekindle an individual's will to live and can provide real companionship. Pets -- dogs, cats, ferrets, parrots, horses, pigs, parakeets, doves, etc. -- can be emotionally supportive confidants, willing to listen to a human's problems in complete confidence. An animal, excitedly responding to it's human's return home, can make that human feel all the wamth and caring that a child, lover or close friend can offer.

Some animals require less care than others. Cats, for example, can be left alone in their home for several days as long as there is food and water and enough cat litter to provide for clean "relieving" for the duration of time. A dog requires more care -- needing walking twice a day usually. 

Pets and mental wellness 

Pets have been proven to have a positive influence on our physical and mental health. Owning a pet can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease. But research has found that pets are also therapeutic for people with mood and anxiety disorders and other psychiatric disorders.

Pet ownership provides many mental health benefits:

• Pets can help ease loneliness or isolation. They accept us for who we are and don't judge us.
• Physical contact is important to our mental health. Stroking and cuddling with a pet is therapeutic.
• Animals improve our mood with their companionship. We're also likely to laugh and feel more playful when we share our home with a pet.
• Pet owners are more active. The exercise we get from walking, feeding and grooming a pet keeps our minds healthy.
• Routine is beneficial in enhancing emotional stability. Caring for a pet provides a predictable routine and link to reality.

Your dog can be a valuable part
of your support system

Learn how to incorporate your dog into your recovery process with tips from Support Partners: Canine Companions. This new program, sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company and the Psychiatric Service Dog Society offers a brochure with information about the benefits of dogs and easy, practical ways pet owners can immediately work with their dogs to include them in their support network.

The Canine Companions program is part of Support Partners, a national educational campaign co-sponsored by the National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC) that aims to open the lines of communication about depression and encourages a support-team approach to overcoming depression.

Visit Support Partners for free guidebooks on including your dog as part of your support team and other topics about depression.

Welcome to Gentlecare Natural Pet Products! If you love and prefer natural and wholistic ways to help your beloved pets fight parasites and germs, relieve dis-eases, restore balance & vitality in life, live long and well with quality, dignity, mental and emotional peace, you'll love our website, products, services and what we represent. Through years of experience and observation, we have learnt 6 KEY LESSONS from the animals we love, adore and respect: We learnt that any solid foundation of health starts with a fresh, natural, balanced pet diet and proper nutritional supplements to suit the individual pet's health, specie and age needs. Natural still reigns supreme, science has simply proven that it can assist but not permanently replace nature. We learnt that for animals to be emotionally stable, they need to feel safe (know they have protection or a leader in charge of safety) and know clear boundaries (positive discipline), these are just as critical to them as love, fun and a sense of humor. We learnt that apart from proper shelter, water, food, hygiene and health care, our pet's wellness also depends on appropriate exercise levels, sunshine (vit D), fresh air (chi), mental stimulation and play - nature's therapies for animals big and small. Of course, this lifestyle can be created to benefit the health and wellness of the humans in the family too! We learnt that our daily behaviour and interactions with our animals promote or erode confidence, resolve or create fears, relieve or add stress, and influence positive or negative emotions in their psyche which also affect their behaviour and physical health. Animals know how we feel about and what we think of them. All of our fears, positive and negative thoughts, feelings, jokes and criticisms (said or unsaid) towards our animals are felt and internalized by them 'silently', and reflected in their behaviour and interactions with us and others. If we wish to change our pet's undesirable behaviour, we must change our behaviour first. While stress is not always avoidable, it can be managed with a little consideration and planning, resolved with understanding and released with gentle healing. We learnt that viewing and addressing symptoms in different parts of the body as "separate" issues, especially when they are chronic, do not work. It is not logical, makes no sense, delay correcting real imbalances and does not lead to long term health, stability, vitality or wellness for your pets. The body is a whole system that has many interconnecting parts that affect each other. We learnt that powerful drugs, vaccination, life-replacing therapy and surgeries are double-edged swords for your pets. While these strategies have their places, all natural alternatives ought to be considered before toxic and invasive methods are used, to avoid creating greater and more complex imbalances within an animal's body.

Dog Health: Inherited Health Disorders And Diseases By Breed


When it comes to dog health, some breeds are more likely to suffer from certain health disorders and diseases than others. Each dog breed listed below has its own detailed health page on this site. Each page lists and explains in detail the health disorders and diseases that breed is known for, along with additional information about the breed itself such as origins, personality, lifespan, weight, etc.

Simply select one of the dog breeds below to learn more about the personality and health issues affecting that breed


Homemade Dog Treats And Dog Food:


With all the problems with commercial dog food these days, it is more important than ever that you prepare your own homemade dog food and dog treats.  All of the recipes on these pages are completely free, no sign up or purchasing of an ebook is required


Remember that some foods, especially in higher quantities, are not recommended and could even be dangerous for your dog. Some of these foods include pork, salt, onions, chocolate, turkey, processed sugar, raisons, grapes, and soy.  These foods can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and possible kidney failure.  A few of the homemade dog food and dog treat recipes listed here also include garlic, which is not recommended for dogs in large quantities.  The amount of garlic listed in our recipes are for seasoning purposes only, and in these amounts are safe.  If you don't want to take any chances, or have a very small dog breed, simply omit the garlic from the recipe.

Health Benefits of Pets

Most households in the United States have at least one pet. Why do people have pets? There are many reasons. Some of the health benefits of pets are listed below.

Pets can decrease your:

Blood pressure
Cholesterol levels
Triglyceride levels
Feelings of loneliness

Pets can increase your:

Opportunities for exercise and outdoor activitiesOpportunities for socialization

Many groups support the health benefits of pet ownership. You can learn more about the health benefits of pets and how to keep your pets healthy by visiting the following sites.

New Laser May Beam Away Your Pet's Pain!

When you hear the word laser, do you envision Captain Kirk taking out a few Romulan renegades?  While lasers do have their destructive side, a new therapy known as Low Level Laser Therapy is finding it's way into veterinary practices.  This "cold laser" procedure seems to be providing relief for arthritic pets and even helping wounds heal faster.  Proponents of laser therapy say that the feeling is like receiving a deep, relaxing massage.

sick pet rats!!!

Sick Pet Rats
I have had my two female rats for about two and a half months, they are about three months old. they have been continuosly sneezing, i think that they could have mycoplasma, as they still have a heathy appitiet and still drink regularly. i have done some research and found that Doxycycline could help with some of the effects of this disease. I unfortunately live in an area with absolutly NO small animal vets. i have tried allot of things to help with their sickness, i have exchanged their bedding with hypoaleginic bedding as well as putting a humidifier in the room. Any insight as to what medication and where i can obtain it would be wonderful!!


Worried Rat Owner

Puppy preschool

A well-behaved puppy will bring many years of joy and many moments of laughter! A well-mannered and well-socialised puppy makes an easier managed well-behaved adult. Puppy preschool helps you help your puppy put the right paw forward.

          

Why join puppy school?

• Puppies have a sensitive period of development known as the socialisation period. It occurs from three weeks to three months of age. The experiences the puppy has during this time will affect later behaviour.
• If puppies are to develop into happy, friendly and confident adults, they need to be regularly handled and exposed to many new and novel situations in a non-threatening way.
• Puppies that are not exposed to other dogs during the socialisation period or have unpleasant experiences are more likely to develop aggression or fearful responses to other dogs later in life.
• Pups also need to have contact with people other than their family. This helps them develop into well-mannered members of the community.