Prevention is the medicine. Have your pet fully vaccinated every year; supervise your pet; and provide your pet with a proper diet and adequate exercise.
Even with all of the above, your pet may still get sick. While it can be difficult to know when to call the vet, here are a few guidelines in recognizing a sick pet:
1. Diarrhea.
2. Unexplained or sudden weight loss.
3. Significant loss of appetite or increased appetite.
4. Vomiting.
5. Pawing at ears or shaking head.
6. Lumps on body.
7. Significant fur loss (not just shedding, which is normal); dull, patchy coat.
8. Persistent sneezing or coughing.
9. Abnormal discharge from the eyes or nose.
10. Stiffness or weakness in any joints; pet moves with difficulty.
11. Straining to urinate or defecate. Inability to urinate is an emergency - get your cat to the vet immediately.
12. Injury.
Note: Keep the name and number of the closest emergency vet clinic (for after-hours pet care), as well as those of your regular vet, close by the telephone.
How Do You Know if Your Pet is Sick?
Useful Pet Care Tips
1. Using metal water dishes outside in winter may be a risk, because your pet's tongue could stick to the frozen metal. In the summer medal bowls can get very hot, and burn your dog.
2. If you have a puppy that pees on your carpet. After soaking up most of the mess with paper towel, sprinkle a generous amount of bicarbontae of soda (baking soda) over the area and leave it to absorb both the traces of urine and the odor.
3. If your dog runs away from you and you finally catch up to it, no matter how angry you are at the dog, do not yell or smack it or your dog will never come to you when called for fear of being punished.
4. Do not leave your dog unattended on a choke chain. The chain could get caught and strangle the dog.
5. Do not leave your dog in the car unattended on hot days. Even with the windows open, temperatures in cars WILL reach deadly levels. It only takes 5 minutes!
6. To keep your dog busy, buy toys with little holes in them (such as a Kong), put both big and small pieces of kibble in the toy and give it to your dog. This will keep him busy for quite awhile presuming he has a few small ones that he gets out quickly. You can also wedge dog biscuits in the holes with a smear of peanut butter.
7. When your dog is teething, instead of have him chewing on couches, walls etc. Buy a few (cheap) wash clothes. Soak the wash cloth and put it ion the freezer. When fully frozen give it to the dog to chew, it will thaw out so have another one ready in the freezer. (be careful when doing this with very small dogs, as they may get a chill. I have heard of small dogs getting too cold too quickly when chewing on ice.)
8. For teething puppies mix chicken or beef broth (look for low fat, low sodium brands) with 1 ½ cup of water. Pour them into ice cube trays to made broth ice cubes. They are tasty treats on hot days. (be careful when doing this with very small dogs, as they may get a chill. I have heard of small dogs getting too cold too quickly when chewing on ice.)
9. Do not leave your pet in an area with dangling phone cords, drape cords or other items that they may strangle on. Be aware of electric cords that may be chewed by the pet.
10. I have a dog who loved to dig. When I'd fill the hole and re-seed, he'd just dig it up again. One day I was watching him wander around the yard, and I noticed he took extra care not to step in his droppings. So, the next time I filled up a hole, I buried a little dung under, and left some dung on top. He avoided the freshly-seeded grass, and his droppings made excellent fertilizer. This won't work for all dogs... I also have another dog who loves to dig. This trick does not work on her, as she does not care where she steps.
Please Note: the feces of dogs or any other meat-eating animal are NOT SAFE to use as fertilizer on plants that will be eaten by people, such as veggies, fruits, or herbs. The feces can spread disease, even if it comes from a healthy dog.
11. Is your dog digging? Try putting cayenne pepper in the holes - they don't like the sensation when they go back to dig again.
12. Dog urination burns your lawn? Try giving them some tomato juice every day (either in a bowl or on their food) and it should solve the problem.
13. After soaking up the majority of urine or picking up the poop baby wipes do a great job and pick up all smells with no stains left behind.
Protect your pet: Summer safety tips
.Summertime can be as much fun for your pet as it is for you. But pet owners need to take some precautions to keep their animal companions happy, cool and safe during the dog days of summer. Pet expert Andrea Arden offers these important hot-weather tips.
Sun protection
Many of the safety concerns we have for ourselves during the hottest months of the year also apply to our pets. Consistent use of sunscreen in order to avoid sun damage is as important for our pets as it is for us. This is especially important if your pet has short hair, white fur or pink skin. Talk to your veterinarian about choosing a sunscreen (most important to apply on ears and nose) and be sure to limit your pet's sun exposure.
Avoiding heatstroke
Limiting and supervising time outdoors during the hottest hours of the day is also important for your pets because when it's hot for you, it's probably even hotter for them. Dogs aren't as efficient at cooling down as we are, since they release most of their body heat only through the pads of their feet and by panting. Be especially careful with dogs that have short, pushed-in faces (e.g., bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers), puppies and elderly pets. Early-morning and evening hours are best for outdoor playtime, and be sure to provide plenty of water and even ice cubes. As an added precaution, you can soak a bandanna in water and let it cool in the refrigerator before putting it around your dog's neck. Cooling vests such as the one from HelpingUdders.com ($99 - $129) are also a great way to help your pet avoid overheating.
Avoiding toxins
If you use fertilizers or other chemicals on your lawn or garden, make sure your pet doesn't have access to these potentially toxic substances. Car antifreeze is also potentially life-threatening to pets and may leak from an overheating car. Keep your pet away from what to them is a sweet-tasting, but possibly toxic substance such as this.
Water safety
If you're lucky, you and your pets will get to spend some time cooling down near water, whether a pool, lake or the ocean. But even dogs who are good swimmers need to be protected around water. If you have a pool, keep in mind your dog might jump in and not be able to figure out how to get out, so just as with children, never leave a pet unsupervised around water. This is especially true if you have a pool cover on, because pets can get caught under it.
Parasite prevention
Mosquitoes, ticks, heartworm and other bugs and parasites are out in full force in the summer, and they can infect your dog or cat and cause potentially serious medical issues. Your pet might also carry these bugs and parasites into your home, so be sure to talk to your veterinarian.
Travel safety
Many summer travel plans are appropriate for pets to join in on the fun. But, just like we need to be safely secured in a car, so do our pets. They should travel in an appropriately sized crate or in a harness secured to a seat belt. Also, be especially careful not to leave your pet unsupervised in a car, even for just a moment, as animals can quickly overheat.
Summer storms
Many animals don't react well to the storms that are common in summer. They may have a response to the change in air pressure or to the sound of thunder. Be sure to teach them to have a place they can safely rest,
