Care to Your Dog!

Have you ever tried to give your pet a pill?

Sure can be tricky…and scary too!

But when your pet is sick, it often has to be done.  That’s all part of pet heath care.

Next time you have to give your pet a pill, here are the 3 best, proven methods and some tips and tricks for each to make the job easier – for both you and your pet!

Method 1.  Encapsulate the pill in food.  If the medication can be taken with food, this is generally your best bet.  The best foods for dogs are butter, cheese, cream cheese, peanut butter, lunchmeat, liverwurst, bread, and bacon.  For cats, butter, tuna, cream cheese, baby food, and canned cat food work well.  Liverwurst works for cats too.

Experiment with different foods until you find something your pet likes and always praise them when you give it to them.  With the right combination, your pet may actually look forward to pill time.

Use a small bite-size amount of food.  Don’t bury the pill in your pet’s full meal portion because if he doesn’t finish it, he may not get the medication.

It’s often a good idea to occasionally give your pet the food without the pill, so he gets used to eating it quickly.  What you want is for your pet to gulp it down without a second thought.

Method 2.  Grind up the pill and blend it into some moist food.  Again, ensure that the medication can be taken with food.  Also, check with your vet to make sure crushing is OK.  The crushed pill will dissolve much faster in your pet’s stomach and some medications are intended to be digested slowly.

The best foods are those that are a little sticky and have a strong flavor of their own.  These include cream cheese, butter, peanut butter, liverwurst, and honey.  Again, use only a small portion size.

You can have your pet lick the food containing the ground medication off of your finger, or you can put it in their food dish, or spread it on a treat you already know they like.

Again, experiment until you find something your pet really likes and occasionally give them some of the food between pills.  Praise them lavishly whenever you give them the food, making it seem like they are getting a special treat.

Method 3.  Feed the pill to your pet directly.  Use this approach if the pill must be given on an empty stomach or if the pet won’t accept the pill hidden in their food.  Be careful though, as some pets can react badly to having the pill force-fed to them.  With cats, it is generally a good idea to wrap them in a towel to protect against getting scratched.

First, tilt your pet’s head back slightly, then carefully open their mouth and place the pill in the back part of their mouth.  Gently hold their mouth closed and slowly stroke them on their throat or blow on their nose until they swallow the pill.  With cats, it is a good idea to follow the pill with a small amount of water given from an eyedropper or syringe (no needle please).  This helps them to swallow the pill and protects against the pill abrading their esophagus.  Always be calm and gentle.  This will help your pet remain calm.

Whatever method you use to administer the pill, always check to make sure your pet has swallowed it.  Pets can be pretty clever in disposing of the pill when you aren’t looking, so never just assume it went down.

Important:  Learning how to administer pills is an important part of pet health care.  Find a method that works for your pet and always make sure your pet gets his or her meds on time every time.  As a pet owner, that is your responsibility.

Do you love dogs? Or do you like pet dogs? There are a lot of people anywhere in the world that loves and cares for their pet dogs. Whether they are cats, dogs, snakes, birds, or any type of animal for that matter most people like to have them. They are great for companionship and security too. They can be amusing too and for some they serve as their helper in some ways. They can also relieve you of some of the stresses of daily life.
To some ranchers, dogs act as their companion in the wild and a helper at the same time. Imagine yourself in the wild or in the bushes all alone, that can be lonesome and scary to some. But if have your favourite pet dog with you it would more relaxing stroll and hike into the woods. When ranchers try to gather all their cattle to the barn, their pet dogs can lend a hand by corralling the herd to the barn. Now you need another person to do the job for you.
Your pet dog can also help you relieve your daily life stress. You will notice if you go for a walk in the park that people have their favourite dogs with them. It is very relaxing to go and walk with your pet animal since they can make run and have fun with them. Pet dogs are very playful too, that can motivate you to go out and have fun running around or simply play with them. Especially at night and you decided to have a walk in the park, having your pet dog with you can give the sense of security.
In terms of security, there are many types of dogs that are easily trained to be guard dogs. Just like the American Staffordshire Terriers, they are gentle and good natured towards people. They are always the happy type, sociable and good with children. These breed makes a good companion because they are very protective and affectionate about their owners and families. But sometimes you have to properly train and socialize this type of breed to avoid temperamental behaviour.
Take a walk with your terrier to relieve stress. Take a walk with your German Sheppard to reduce your sugar or glucose level for diabetics. Take a walk with your favourite Dalmatian and have some fun in the park. Take a walk with your golden retriever to watch the autumn leaves in the park. Whatever you want to do in the park or in the farm or in your house, take your favourite pet dog with you. It will be worth your while.
Your pet dogs can be one of the best companion you can have nest to your spouse or children. Feeling secured at home or any place when you are with your pet dogs is a very relaxing feeling.

You have probably already realised that having pet cat insurance is part of being a responsible cat owner.

But at the same time, you’re only too well aware that it’s an expense, especially if you have more than one cat. If money is tight, insurance is the most tempting expense to do without. After all, it’s only of any use if something goes wrong. And nothing is going to go wrong, is it?

Unfortunately, it’s not for nothing that cats have been called the most accident-prone of pets. Doing without pet cat insurance could prove a false economy and an expensive mistake. So rather than doing without, it’s much more sensible to make sure you get the most out of your pet cat insurance and that you avoid being faced with an emergency for which the insurance won’t pay out.

So here are some precautions you can take to make sure you get the most effect from your pet cat insurance.

1. Get your cat vaccinated. Your insurance won’t pay for this. But without being vaccinated your cat is vulnerable to some of the most unpleasant and painful diseases in existence, and the insurance may well not cover diseases that result from failure to vaccinate.

2. You should also have your cat neutered, which again the insurance won’t pay for. But unless you are a professional cat breeder there is no excuse for not having your cat neutered, whether it’s male or female. One good reason is that there are far too many kittens without homes. But apart from this, un-neutered males are much more likely to have accidents, and there are many diseases to which un-neutered males and females are more susceptible.

3. Have the cat micro-chipped. If you’ve had a cat before, you will know how much a cat likes to wander and explore, and how prone he is to get into scrapes. Some pet cat insurance policies actually insist on micro-chipping, so if you don’t have it done you won’t be covered for loss of your cat or if he has an accident through wandering off. Other poliicies give a discount if the cat is micro-chipped.

4. Take out your pet cat insurance as early in your cat’s life as possible. With most policies, the younger your cat is when you insure him, the lower your premiums will be. What’s more, the earlier you take out the policy, the less chance there is of your cat having a pre-existing condition, which of course won’t be covered.

5. Think carefully about whether you want a pedigree cat. There are lots of “no particular breed” moggies wanting homes and these will give you as much pleasure and enjoyment as a posh puss, as well as being cheaper and easier to care for. Premiums are usually higher on pedigree cats, and they tend to be more prone to expensive medical conditions.

6. Before you purchase any policy, check it very carefully. Look at the small print with a magnifying glass to make sure there aren’t any exclusions which might affect you and your cat. Check too for excesses, age limits, and caps on payouts.

There is certainly no point in paying out more than you need to. But the answer is not to skimp on pet cat insurance. This could involve you in far more expense than you ever expected. There are all sorts of things you can do to make sure you get the best possible value from your insurance, and the best possible protection for your pet.