First Coast Pet

Archive for June, 2009

Is your trusty canine companion aging? Is he having any trouble walking and moving around? If either of these things is happening with your dog, then you need to consider buying him a memory foam dog bed which will help him feel better. There are many reasons why a regular pet bed cannot compare to a memory foam dog bed and this article should shed some light about why you may want to invest in one for your pet. If you decide that you want to buy one for your dog, these wonderful orthopedic beds are available both at pet stores and online.

What Makes Memory Foam Dog Beds So Special?

If you have never slept on a memory foam mattress, you owe it to yourself to try out what a sleeping pleasure it can be. This unique type of foam conforms to a person or animal’s shape and relieves pressure on sore joints. No wonder it feels so good. It was a material that NASA scientists developed in order to take the g-force stress off of astronauts that can exert such terrible pressure on their bodies during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

The same properties that protect astronauts will help take the pressure off of your treasured friend’s joints and bones so that he’ll be able to get a better night’s rest. The memory foam retains heat from your pet’s body and conforms to her unique curves and size to provide maximum support. This miracle foam combines science and engineering to allow it to both provide support and remain soft and comfortable as needed. Your pet’s body will be kept in perfect alignment which will dramatically reduce the stress on all of his painful joints.

In a regular dog bed, the dog’s hips, elbows, and shoulders press down into the bed, and the bed reacts by pushing back with an equal amount of force. All of this pressure results in stress being placed on those parts of the body and pressure points which cut down on blood flow and cause your dog to sleep restlessly. As pressure builds, pets move around and change positions frequently in an attempt to relieve that pressure. This repeats itself throughout the night which causes her not to get the amount of rest she needs. 

Memory foam dog beds eliminate the pressure so that your dog can sleep in one position all night long. Less tossing and turning allows her to get the rest she needs to be alert and playful. Memory foam has been used for burn patients in hospitals for many years now as well as for those who are confined to bed and unable to move about to avoid bed sores. It makes a huge difference in the lives of many pet owners, it will surely increase you favorite pets quality of life as well.

It is not only our responsibility as bird owners to provide food, water and spacious cage for our pet birds.  It is insufficient to spend more time with our birds and bond with them.  The first thing that we should do make sure our pet birds would live a long and healthy life is choose a good avian veterinarian.

If you have a dog or a cat and already have a veterinarian for them, that may not be necessarily be the vet that you need for your bird.  Birds have different anatomy and different needs compared to your feline and canine companions. 

Where can you find an avian vet?

An association known as Avian Veterinarians (AAV) which maintains a directory of qualified veterinarians.  You can even get assistance from the Veterinary Medical Association located in your state. The great source of information is yellow pages.   If unable to get hold of anybody from these groups, you can check out their websites in the internet or even ask the local Bird Club if they could recommend anybody.  Pet bird owners like you are can give you the best advice based on their experiences. Also check with local pet breeders.  Most of the times, the most sensible advice comes from them.

Once you have identified the vet that you would go to, the next step is set an appointment to further know the practice and background of the vet.  When talking with the avian get, get to know how long has she or he been ion practice and their professional background.  Make sure that the vet that you have chosen is familiar with the pet that you have. 

Get to know the vet’s schedule and if the vet can do house calls.  Birds can easily get stressed in the slightest change in their surroundings, which is why birds find it difficult to move or to travel.  If the vet is unavailable, it is also important to know if the vet who would be filling-in is also capable to treating avian sicknesses and concerns. 

If you have an exotic pet bird, then it would be helpful to ask the vet if they are constantly updated with new methods in the avian medicine.  Also, get to know the financial costs of getting veterinary services from that vet.  You want to have a qualified and good vet within your financial reach.

Once you have settled that you will be getting services from him, ask the frequency of the check-ups your bird needs to have.  To avoid any emergencies or any sickness, it is best to have your bird regularly checked.  Most of the times, you have to bring your pet bird to the vet annually.

Aside from this, it is always a great point that whenever you visit the vet the doctor and the staff receive you and your pet warmly.  It will be great to walk into a pet clinic that provides you an air of assurance and importance. 

Keeping tabs on the health of your beloved bird does not only fall in the hands of the avian vet.If you are not paying attention how will they come to know about the sickness of your bird?  It is also important to maintain a healthy working relationship with your vet since you would not know when emergencies can happen.

The vet can even help you draw up a diet plan for your bird which would surely improve the disposition and health of your pet. Also you must enquire from your veterinarians about any emergency first aid methods that you can go ahead with in case of some emergency with your pet bird.  An avian vet is your ally in making sure that your bird would live a long and joyful life.

Having a pet companion at home can certainly be rewarding.  Having pet birds can be both a rewarding and challenging experience.  Birds are intelligent and fascinating to look at.  But it is important to choose the right pet bird for you and at the same time prepare yourself for the responsibilities.  Birds when properly cared for can live for a long time.

Before getting yourself a feathered friend, there are some things you need to answer first

• Can you still care for a bird?  Birds are social creatures, they also need time.So you must be very sure in your mind that you or your family members have enough time to devote to care for a bird.

• Is your home and your neighbours okay with some bird noise?  Birds can be extremely noisy in several occasions. And can disrupt some neighbours.  But you can pick a smaller bird which can still make some noise inside the house but not disrupt the neighbourhood.

• Do you have other pets?It is also a fact that some of the pets interact with each other easily posing no problems at all.  But also there are some pets who may harm the new pet due to jealousy.Your pet bird can easily be killed by a hostile cat or dog.  These are some factors you would have to consider.

Giving some thought over these questions and still able to identify that you would still like to have a pet bird, then let’s go over to the selection process.   When choosing the right bird, make sure to do some research about the birds.  There are some birds which are overly demanding in terms of social and physical needs, these birds are better kept in the wild. 

Some good bird choices would be canaries, finches, cockatiels, parakeets, and lovebirds. These breeds of birds have long been bred in captivity and have already resulted into some domestic breeds.  The good thing about these birds is that the supplies they need can readily be purchased. 

On the other hand there are some birds which are better left alone in the wild, like some breeds of parrots, macaws, cockatoos, and toucans.  These birds have not undergone the breeding process that the domesticated birds have experienced.  These birds tend to be demanding to live with.

When choosing your pet bird, consider the following factors:

• Size – the rule is that the bigger the bird the bigger the responsibilities.  If you are just starting to be a bird owner,  then it would be best to start with a smaller up until to medium size.How big will the housing be depends on the size of your bird and what is its other physical requirements.

• Nutrition- a bird fed accordingly can live up to fifty years!  It is important to provide the proper diet to your birds.   Bird not only feed on seeds, they also require fruits and vegetables and lots of water.  Bird seed are not enough for your bird.

• Housing -  let us apply the rule again, the larger the bird, the larger the cage it requires.  A proper cage should have the bars spaced closely enough, close enough so that bird heads would not get caught between bars and for small birds to escape the cage.  The cage should be spacious enough so that the bird can move freely and have enough exercise.

• Budget and finance – birds, as well as any other pet, can pose some financial obligations.  For birds, the cage, accessories, maintenance, food and veterinary care can be costly.  When looking for a bird, then you should make yourself familiar with the cost of raising one. You want to have a pet that you can afford.

• Time and maintenance- unlike to what other people think, birds are not really low-maintenance pets.  There are some pet birds which would require daily exercise and constant social interaction. Time and  maintenance would include feeding, cleaning the dishes and the cage. Some parrots show some behaviour problems if they do not receive regular attention from pet owners.

1800PetMeds.com is America’s Largest Pet Pharmacy, a publicly traded company (NASDAQ symbol: PETS). They deliver prescription and non-prescription pet medications along with health and nutritional supplements for dogs, cats, and horses at substantial savings directly to the customer. Selling only the highest quality products at great prices, 1800PetMeds.com has proudly served over 4 million pet owners since its inception.

1800PetMeds.com claims to be the agent of change in the way America buys pet medications – by phone, fax, mail and the Internet. They claim to make the purchasing of pet medications as easy, convenient and economical as possible. The company says it has invested in state-of-the-art information systems and infrastructure, along with trained Customer Care representatives, and a licensed pharmacy and veterinary staff to accomplish this.

The company claims to be revolutionizing the distribution of pet medications by focusing on customer satisfaction and delivering savings and convenience to its customers. According to the company Web site, the goal is to promote pet health, save you time and money, and empower you to choose the best products.

1800PetMeds.com offers the highest quality products available, according to its Web site. All of its products are U.S. FDA/EPA-approved and are exactly the same medications that are sold in your veterinarian’s office. With its high volume of sales to millions of customers, 1800PetMeds.com says it is able to deliver the freshest products direct to your door, saving you time and money.

Its products and facilities are regularly inspected by state agencies, as with all licensed pharmacies, and the company’s Web site says it is in full compliance. The level of special care that your neighborhood pharmacy would take with your own prescriptions describes the level of attention 1800PetMeds.com gives to your pet’s medications, the Web site says.

1800PetMeds private label products such as the 1800PetMeds Be Well supplement and 1800PetMeds Super VitaChews were created with only your pet’s health in mind, the company states, adding that it researched the finest ingredients for its products so that your pet will receive all of the nutritional benefits that a supplement should provide.

Every dog needs a collar to hold all their identification tags and attach to their leash. It can be difficult to figure out which one is right for your dog. It is important that you first figure out what functions you need the collar to perform. The tips below can help you determine which kind of dog collar will meet your needs best.

The most important thing is that the collar is the right strength and size. A sturdy collar is usually needed for a larger dog with more body weight. A collar which is too thick will most likely not be comfortable for a smaller dog. A collar which it the proper size will leave sufficient room to put two fingers between the dog and the collar. Your dog can easily remove a loose collar while your dog will be uncomfortable in a tight collar.

Dog collars can be made from many different materials. Nylon dog collars are a good choice for dogs which spend much of their time rolling on wet grass or swimming. They come in a variety of colors and often have coordinating leashes. Leather dog collars are one of the most attractive and durable options available. They are also available with matching leashes which offer improved comfort for the dog walker.

Leather dog collars can be the most comfortable for your pet as well. Over time they soften up through exposure to the oils in your dog and on your hands. Short haired dogs often do best with flat leather collars while rolled leather pet collars work best for long haired dogs. Nowadays you can also find many different fancy designer collars for your dog. A couple of the most popular these days are those with rhinestone studs and embossed leather collars. One of the most unusual dog collars that can be found these days is the mood collar which lets you see the type of mood your dog is in at any given moment.

Here are the required materials you will be using to build your own chicken coop. There are several fundamental demands that must be taken into consideration to create a good looking and simple to maintain chicken house.

Wood

You will need some wood to construct a chicken coop. This is one of the most important materials you will need for the house of your chickens. Get treated wood that are proven to have water repellant properties. When you buy untreated wood, treat them with a water sealer. Just treat the wood following the instructions from the label. This is critical because you desire your chickens to remain dry. Dampness, which can be influenced by wood as the main material, will cause sickness and disease to spread more speedily. With treated wood, the dryness of the chicken coop is maintained.

Insulation

Always consider insulation as part of the required chicken coop materials. Chickens need to be maintained with enough warmth in the winter months. So supply superior insulation as an additional step. This will leave your chickens the additional protection when the temperature is quite cold. This will save most of your chickens from many illnesses prevalent during the winter months.

Windows

Windows which you can self install are very important. It is preferred that you have a good quality storm or insulated window. This will provide air to go through in the summer days while it will shut out the cold winds in the winter. This will insure the health of your chickens by providing a comfortable place during the hot summer season.

Chicken Wire

One of the essential chicken coop materials is the chicken wire. {The needed materials will basically be dependent on the number of chickens you plan to have}. The chicken wire will be used to construct the small run. You want to have plenty of chicken wire to bury it in the ground with at least eight inches in depth. Burying the chicken wire will make it unattainable for dogs or cats to crawl below the chicken wire to take at your chickens, saving the chickens this way. You will need to check as well that you place your chicken wire high enough so that these same animals will not climb over the wire and get your chickens.

Check out mychickenhouseplans.org for information on Chicken House Plans and designs.

For related topics to this posts, check out how to Efrontiers Everyday Magazine Blog for more reference. Also see Plans Chicken Coop for related articles.

It might surprise you, but the number of American households that have dogs averages about 63%, or roughly seventy million families. Are you one of these families? Dogs are not only a great form of protection and security, they’re also terrific companions and can be loyal until the end, which could be sooner rather than later if you don’t take preventative measures to ensure that your dog remains in top health. This includes the use of dog ramps and steps. You’re probably unsure how these items can extend your dog’s health, but read on to find out just how important pet ramps and stairs can be.

Every single dog out there, even those healthy ones are not dismissed from getting spinal or join injuries from jumping. In fact, many of those breeds that have short legs, long spines, overweight bodies or sensitive bones are at higher risk.

No matter what size of dog you have, small dog steps and large dog steps are available to aid your pet in ascending and descending. Keep a set next to your bed, couch, or porch to help him avoid repetitive, harmful impact on his joints and bones. Using pet stairs and ramps can not only prevent an already healthy dog from developing injuries or long-term conditions, but it can also promote healing and comfortable mobility for dogs with pre-existing conditions, such as obesity and arthiritis.

Some issues are hereditary for certain dog breeds, such as Rottweilers and Pit Bulls who are very prone to hip dysplasia. Dachshunds are also very susceptible to spinal injury due to the length of their back. Other issues that may develop are arthritis, bone wobblers syndrome, osteopathy, and bone tumors. Many of these can be prevented or prolonged with the aid of pet stairs. Other perks to owning a pair of dog steps or a ramp is that you won’t have to worry about jerking awake in the middle of the night to your dog pouncing on your bed! Instead, let him quietly maneuver up onto your bed without the need to jump at all.

What a great thing it is for the family to bring home a new puppy. Everyone wants to enjoy playing with their new puppy. I know the one down side of a new puppy that no one likes-cleaning up after him. Try using the crate training method for house training your new puppy-it is definitely the easiest and best way. I used to do it the old fashioned newspaper on the floor way (with predictably “crappy” results).The paper method did work in a manner of sorts, but it was a lot more work and occasionally my puppy would somehow miss the papers. One dark night on the way to the bathroom, I stepped right onto a steaming accident my puppy had just deposited quite distant from his newspaper, and made up my mind to buy a crate the next day.

The crate training method for puppy house training is a system that greatly reduces the number of “accidents” that will most likely happen around the house before your puppy has been thoroughly house trained. I thought the crate system sounded a bit like imprisoning the puppy when I first heard of the idea .To properly use the crate training system the puppy must stay inside his crate unless someone is paying attention to him (for example during playtime, or feeding he should always be supervised). Murphy’s Law says the moment you take your eyes off your puppy, he’ll pick that moment to go potty in the house. I needn’t have worried about the puppy feeling bad inside his crate, since the crate actually feels to him like a place of safety and security-its his den.

When crate training your puppy, try to keep his crate in the room you are spending most of the day in. For someone who works at him, keep him with you in your work area.  By being close to the puppy you’ll know when it is time to take him out for relief. Even if your puppy seems bored in the crate and whines a bit, only let him out for a potty break followed by supervised feeding and play time .  Watch for sings of the puppy waking up from one of his naps-they always have to go potty right after waking up.  Remember, after a puppy eats and drinks, he’ll need to go potty within the next 20 minutes, so don’t return him to his crate till after that occurs.You should try to have him use his own special toilet area out back, or wherever works best for you and praise him and reward him as he learns that this area is the toilet.

It is good to try to create a routine of  eating, playing, exercise and training so the puppy gets plenty of stimulation when he is not in his crate. You want to tire the puppy out with by playing with him during his break from the crate, so that he’ll be ready to sleep for the next couple hours-that way he is not whining out of boredom. The key to making the crate training work best for your puppy is to be very consistent with the training. It is very likely that you’ll find some accidents happening if you don’t keep him in the crate unless he is supervised. Once the smell is in the carpet or on the floor, it will be harder to stop these accidents from reoccurring in the future.  Don’t yell or hit your puppy if he does have an accident, as this negative behavior will only serve to intimidate and confuse the puppy. If you happen to see your puppy about to squat, try to stop him with a firm “No” command, and take him outside to the regular spot.  Stay consistent and positive with the house training. Your results with the crate training method for house breaking your puppy will be best if you really keep to the system.

I found the crate training method worked much better than the old newspaper on the floor technique. Maybe my pup was a quick learner, but within a couple weeks or so, he was house training.  Don’t let them out at night just for whining when they are bored-only for real potty breaks. Don’t use the crate as a punishment tool-you want him to view the crate as his safe and comfortable den, and for him to have only a positive attitude bout being in there.

For your new puppy, be smart and use the crate training method for house training your little buddy. To learn a lot more about the house training of your puppy, I highly recommend the Ultimate Guide to House Training book. It gives you a very thorough blueprint on how to overcome the house training hurdles new puppy owners must face(check out my review).The Ultimate House Training Guide Review

I have had German shepherds as pets for years,love everything but some of mine have given me some difficult moments, including biting issues. Although all were great pets, two of my largest males had biting problems. It was funny, because while one liked people and hated other dogs, it was just the opposite with my other dog-that one hated people-and that was an even bigger problem. My first problem biter, the dog hater, was given to me, and his dog hating was already in place when I got him. I solved that problem eventually by introducing my dog to a friendly female dog, who showed him it could be fun to have a doggy friend. Eventually, he finally began to relax and later even enjoy hanging out with his doggy peers. . It was great that keeping at the socializing worked, and seeing my once-mean dog playing with other dogs was really rewarding. However, my other big German Shepherd liked other dogs, but really had a problem with people- that was a much more serious issue. Although my familly and I saw our six month old puppy as lovable and funny, the people he wanted to bite didn’t feel the same way. When my little German shepherd was only 8 weeks old I witnessed his first overt aggression. I was doing some gardening in the front yard, and a UPS truck pulled up. The UPS driver grabbed my package and started walking up the sidewalk to the house. Before he could reach the door, my little German shepherd pup had his hackles up, and with his teeth bared and barking furiously, he backed the UPS driver back into his truck. At the time I thought it was kind of funny and that I had one hell of a young watchdog on my hands.At the time, I didn’t realize what a problem it would later become to control his aggression and eventual urge to sink his teeth into someone.When my quite large puppy was only 6 months old he knocked over my mailman and terrorized him by straddling his chest and barking and growling (at least he didn’t bite him).I thought it was kind of funny in a twisted way that the mailman attempted to spray my puppy with pepper spray, but had the can facing the wrong way and got himself  in the face, instead of the dog (the mailman felt otherwise about whether this was funny or not and refused mail delivery for awhile. If think your puppy may be aggressive like my crazy little guy, you’ll want to hear my advice about that. Owners of larger dog breeds that sometimes tend towards aggression will especially  benefit from this advice, although it is still very good advice for any size dog. If you don’t get ahead of this problem, it can become quite hard to correct later on.Once I came across this great advice and put it to use, none of my other puppies have ever grown up to be overly aggressive and prone to biting.

In the puppy section of the book I often use as a resource for great dog training tips I found some great advice-the book recommended  early puppy training using a group puppy training to get started.

Besides gettting started early with obedience training for your new puppy, you are also giving him a chance to socialize with other people and their puppies. The great thing aout the socializing is your puppy will not only learn good dog etiquette with this interaction, but he will also learn to enjoy the company of other dogs. Because your puppy is comfortable around other dogs, he will be much less likely to become aggressive towrads otehr dogs when he gets older. It turns out that a dog that is kept confined and has no social interaction with other dogs is much more likely to become an aggressive anti-social type of dog.If your puppy is not displaying good social instincts, the other puppies will show him the ropes.  You will be sociallizing your dog, but also you’ll be getting an early start on training your puppy how to behave. Even as young as 6 weeks your puppy is capable of learning the obedience basics. If you have you seen the cool videos on uTube of little puppies doing tricks you know what I mean.

If you follow this one important tip and bring you pupppy to a group training class you willl be glad you did. Check out the puppy training classes in your area, and find one using only positive reinforcement techniques. What a big difference it was when I used a group puppy class for training my next pup-this one grew up comfortable around people and other dogs. Not only did the early puppy group training do the socializing and training I wanted my puppy to learn, but we also had a lot of fun going to the classes.

Read more about how to train your puppy.Secrets to Dog Training Review