Home pet care for dogs and cats that save on veterinary expenses – Part 2

Taking care for your pet’s health on a daily basis will prevent those outrageous vet bills. Proper pet care is simple and relatively inexpensive. If you properly care for your pet, then you will only have to visit the vet for those yearly vaccinations!

There are simple things you can to save on veterinary expenses:

1.) Yearly check-ups. Take your pet to the vet once a year for its yearly physical and vaccinations.

2.) Feed high quality food. Don’t go cheap when it comes to feeding your pet. The better the food, the healthier your pet will be.

3.) Exercise your pet. You don’t have to walk them everyday, but walk them once a week at the bare minimum. If you have a cat, then have plenty of toys that it can chase.

4.) Keep those teeth clean! Many pet owners neglect their pet’s teeth. This is a big no-no. You must help keep the teeth free from tarter and plaque. The pet cannot brush its teeth, so you must be responsible for keeping its teeth healthy. You can buy chews for dogs that contain enzymes that help prevent tarter build up.

5.) Don’t forget that heartworm preventative pill. Get your dog tested your heartworms, then put them on heartworm preventative. Heartgard is the most common preventative. It is a simple chew that tastes great and is given once a month. Keep it on your calender and remember to give it to your dog once a month, every month, to prevent heartworms.

6.) Use flea and tick preventative. Keep your dog and cat free from pests. You can buy flea and tick spray from your local pet stores or you can buy more advanced protection from your vet clinic. Fleas and ticks carry diseases that can be deadly, so it is important to protect your pet and home.

7.) Keep toxins where your pet cannot get into them. Don’t let your pet be the victim of unintentional poison. Keep things that are harmful to your pet locked in a cabinet so that your pet cannot accidentally get into them.

If you follow these simple guidelines, then you will save yourself a lot of money on vet bills. Your pet will live a longer, healthier life if you take proper care of them.

You and your pet will be much happier together.

Ideal Age To Take Your Dog To Obedience Classes

Dog owners will want to be proud of the dogs they own. Not only will they want to feed the best food to their dogs and give them the best health care, dog owners will also want their dogs to be obedient. And to instill this obedience in dogs, it is necessary to give them some obedience training through obedience classes.

The importance of obedience training

Obedience is a must for all dogs. With obedience training, you can expect to find a solution to the discipline problems that you encounter with your dog. In order to avoid domestic problems, which are common when a dog is introduced to a new household, you have to send your dog to training classes to ensure that your home is safe for your family members, especially your children and other pets.

In addition to providing a safe environment, obedience training also establishes a line of communication between the dog and you. And it is with this communication that it is possible for you to instruct the dog to do what you want it to do. Once the dog learns to communicate with you, you will be able to teach it to obey your commands.

There is no age requirement to enroll your dog for obedience classes. A puppy can learn to do tricks and follow commands when it is as young as 8 weeks of age. It is better to take the dog to obedience classes at around 4 months old, right after it has completed all its vaccinations. Usually, basic training courses accept puppies between 3-6 months of age.

Basically, it is easier to train dogs that have a basic understanding of basic commands like “sit” or “stay”. Training an older dog can be more challenging because it has already developed some habits that may be undesirable to you.

It is not the dog but the owner that the dog trainer trains

Many kennels, pet stores and independent trainers conduct training courses for dogs. When you take your dog to an obedience class, you may be surprised that it is not the dog that the professional dog trainer trains. Instead, you are the one who will be taught how to train the dog.

However, you can also send your dog away to a training school to be taught obedience, but you will have to know what the dog has been taught, and how to use and reinforce the techniques that have been taught to the dog. With owners and dogs attending classes together, they learn more about each other, and how to work together under the supervision of the trainer.

It is easier to train a dog if you are aware of the commands and methods that are taught to the dog. Moreover, by attending obedience classes, you and your dog can meet other dogs and people, and learn more things from them.

Obedience training requires consistency, patience and understanding

Your dog will respond better if you are consistent in the way you handle it. With clear cut instructions, the dog learns everything it has to do, where it has to do it and what not to do. Understanding your dog’s needs is a difficult part of obedience training for you. However, as you spend more time with your dog, you will know how to read its movements and expressions, and find the right way to teach it.

Although dogs are expressive by nature, they cannot tolerate discernible messages from inexperienced owners. It is through biting, whining and being fidgety that puppies learn to communicate with you. And it is with the right response you give the dog that you will have an obedient and healthy puppy that will grow up to be a great companion for many years to come.

How to take care of pregnant pets

Care for pregnant pets begins before the pregnancy. Owners should make sure they have a healthy mature animal. The goal should be to produce quality off spring, not to make a profit. As such they should only breed proven registered animals. Potential breeders should make sure they have homes for the upcoming off spring and be certain they are not contributing to the unwanted pet population. Finally no pet should be bred if the owner is not financially prepared for an emergency.

CARE OF THE MOM

Mark your calender with the expected due date. See the chart below.

Establish a feeding program for your pet. They will gain weight, but you do not want them to get “fat”. Pregnant dogs can be fed puppy food, and cats should be fed kitten food. This gives them more protein and energy which helps their young develop properly. In the week prior to delivery it is especially important as it helps them produce enough milk. If you normally feed only dry food, make sure you start feeding them some canned food 2-4 times a day, small amounts, but frequent. Caged animals should be on a good diet as well as given plenty of washed fresh vegetables.

With cats, and even more so with dogs, you may want to have an early vet exam to make sure things are going well. If your pet is young or of a breed noted to have problems, this exam is important.

A dog can be vaccinated but can still get sick or bring virus’s on her paws. Parvo virus can live for months, so newborn pups could easily get it. As such keep your dog walks in areas other than large Dog Parks. Discuss with your veterinarian any required vaccinations and worming your pet should have prior to breeding.

Do not hesitate to phone a veterinarian at any sign of change in the mothers behavior. Your vet will then tell you if it is normal, or a reason to bring the pet in for a check.

PREPARATIONS

As the date approaches monitor your pet regularly for any indication of premature delivery. With the larger animals, cats, dogs, and horses, you need to find a place for her to have her young. With dogs this is traditionally a Whelping Pen, with cats it is often a box with the sides cut short kept in a private room.

For cats and dogs, you will need lots of bedding changes, so make sure you have plenty of blankets. For smaller caged animals, you won’t really need extra supplies but must keep the cage clean without disturbing the nesting site.

The animal should be kept in the room where they are to give birth for a few days prior just to get them familiar with the area. With cats especially it is important NOT to let them outdoors in the days before delivery, in case they go missing or give birth outside. For the cats, this room should have their litter, food, and water, a complete living arrangement that they are not to leave, until the kittens are weaned.

Research the normal delivery process for your type of pet. Have your veterinarians phone number ready. It is always tempting to help, but when the time comes, it is best to stay back and let the mom do the work unless there are problems.

Overall better care of the mother throughout her pregnancy will help ensure an easier delivery, and a healthier litter.

GESTATION

Gestation is the time between conception and Birth, it varies in different pets. A differences of more than a few days is reason to call a veterinarian.

Dogs 62-65 Days.

Cats 61-64 Days.

Rabbits 28-31 Days.

Guinea Pigs 63-68 Days.

Hamster -15-16 Days.