Cattle

Author Archive

Cats scratch for different reasons and the act of scratching provides the cat with the necessary exercise in order to keep their bodies supple. By scratching, cats also mark their territories and indoor cats that don’t have any scratching posts, have as their only option your furniture and carpets. Fortunately for cat owners, nowadays there is a wide selection of cat scratching posts available and it is practically impossible not to find something your cat would like.

Since cats differ greatly in the way they scratch, the diversified types of cat scratching posts available on the market represent a good thing. Nowadays manufacturers use various surfaces for covering scratching posts and the most frequent is the sisal fabric. Another material used as a carpet is the jute, but it does not stand a lot of laceration. A cat scratching post can also be made from cardboard but this is not very durable and it will need to be changed frequently. However, cardboard scratching posts are cheap and there are cats that prefer them.

There are three main types of cat scratching posts and some posts are made of combinations of materials. Although your decision will be influenced by your budget and particular needs, the cat will definitely be the one to determine the type of cat scratching post you will buy. Sisal posts have a rough surface and they are not recommended in the case of cats with very sensitive paws. However, there are other cats which find these posts delightful and use them frequently.

Carpet cat scratching posts are the most common and they can be found even in grocery stores. These have a soft surface and they wear out in a short period of time. However, if you have a cat scratching post that must be replaced, make sure you choose one of the same colors because kittens don’t like change and a replacement will confuse them. There are scratching posts that will need to be assembled once you get home but all you need for that is a screwdriver. 

Cardboard posts are boxes filled with exposed corrugations; usually, they are placed on the floor so that the cat can scratch without leaning up.  Many cats like cardboards and the glue used in making them while others enjoy chewing it. As you can imagine the cardboard material will wear out faster than other posts but luckily, these posts are quite thick.

Another type of cat scratching posts is those made of natural wood.  These consist of a tree limb or log with bark on it and although it is very natural, it can contain insects or mold that can be harmful for your cats.  Many cats have their own preferences when it comes to scratching positions so we advise you to observe your cat while scratching before purchasing a cat scratching post. Note the details regarding its preferred texture and see if its scratching locations vary or if he always returns to the same place. Once you observe all these aspects, you will know what you have to do.

Our experience has taught us that cats should own several cat scratching posts, of different sizes, angles and scratching surface. These posts are essential for the cats because they provide the needed physical exercised and they relieve stress. Scratching posts will save your furniture and carpets from being scratched.

Tired of dog barking? Wondering how to stop my dog from barking at people? Firstly, you need to understand that every time a dog is barking or growling he is probably barking at people out of fear.

A barking dog is not essentially a bad thing. Most people prefer dogs over other animals as pets because they do bark. A barking dog can scare off a potential burglar or alert you of a stranger on your property. However, there are other times when you wish your dog would stop barking. If you have visitors and your dog will not stop barking at them, your guests may be scared, uncomfortable and perhaps, annoyed. Fortunately, you can teach your dog to stop improper barking.

An important aspect of training a dog to stop barking is not to yell or shout at him when he barks. This kind of behavior from your will increase his barking habits.

Mentioned below are a few tips for you to learn how to stop my dog from barking at people -:

1 – Understand the fact that your dog bog is probably barking at people out of fear. Take your dog out for a walk at least once a day. First keep him at a safe distance from other people and everyday walk him a bit closer to people.

2 – Train your dog to bark when you command. Well this might sound counterintuitive, to you; it will actually help you train him to stop on command as well.

3 – Train your dog to obey your commands. Once he begins to bark at other people, tell him to lie down and stay. Since you demonstrated him that you are in total control of the situation, he is less likely to feel intimidated by people around your home and thus stop barking.

As you can see here learning how to stop my dog from barking at people can be a pretty daunting task. When trying to stop dog barking, a good dog training course can be very useful. You will want to look for the one that includes a free consultation with an experienced dog trainer.

Has this ever happened to you?  You find your cat in his litter box, straining to urinate, crying out in pain.  He can’t seem to pass any urine.  You take him to the vet, who tells you that your cat’s urinary problem is due to cat bladder stones.

Bladder Stones In Cats

A bladder stone, or urolith, is made up from minerals present in your cat’s urine.  These minerals sometimes form crystals that stick together to form a stone in your cat’s bladder.  These stones can be as small as grains of sand, or they can grow to the size of a piece of pea gravel. 

Your feline friend may have only one stone, or he could have several dozen. 

Why do the minerals form crystals?  There are several theories.  Your cat’s urine may be high in minerals due to his diet, or it may be because he has an infection in his bladder.

Bladder stones usually take several months to form, but they can grow in just a couple of weeks.

Symptoms Of Cat Urinary Problems

If your cat suddenly starts urinating in places other than his litter box, this can indicate that he’s having a urinary problem.  You may notice him licking his bottom more than usual, too. 

Blood in the urine is another symptom to watch for.  It can sometimes be hard to see this in cats as they usually go in the litter box.  But if he’s urinating outside his box, you may see it.

If your cat is straining to urinate, or can’t pass any urine, this indicates a blockage.  A urinary blockage is a veterinary emergency, and you need to get your cat to the vet as soon as possible.

Treatment For Cat Bladder Stones

Your vet will probably take some x-rays or do an ultrasound to verify the presence of bladder stones.  Once they are diagnosed, you vet will probably outline two treatment options.

The first is surgery to remove the stones.  This is the fastest solution to the problem. 

The second is to try to dissolve the stones with a special diet.  This is a good option for many cats.  However, it may not work well for all felines.  The major reason is that it’s a slower treatment.  It can take several weeks or months for the stones to dissolve.  During this time your cat will still be passing bloody urine, and may still be straining to urinate.

Diet therapy doesn’t work with all stones.  It’s helpful if the cat passes a stone so that you vet can analyze it to see what it’s made of.  Some types of stones can’t be dissolved.

Some cats won’t eat the special diet food.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t work unless it’s the only thing your cat is eating.

Are Herbal Pet Remedies The Answer To Cat Bladder Stones?

Many cat owners are turning to herbal pet remedies to help solve cat urinary problems.  These herbal and homeopathic remedies have been used by people across the world for centuries.  These remedies work to solve the underlying problem, instead of just treating the symptoms. 

It’s very important to buy these herbal pet remedies only from reputable companies that specialize in producing them.  Do your homework and be sure that the company stands behind its products.  You want to be sure that you find remedies especially formulated for pets.

These natural remedies are inexpensive and readily available.  They have stood the test of time, and there are no side effects to worry about. 

Now that you have this information, you can take action to prevent cat urinary problems.

House training is the first and most essential part in training your new puppy. A puppy is a member of your household and the first thing a puppy must be taught is the toileting process. This will last a lifetime so it’s important to do this puppy training right the first time. 

It’s important to understand that your puppy probably won’t be completely trained until he’s almost 6 months old. That’s because young puppies lack the bladder and bowel control that they need to be reliably left alone for long periods of time.

You should be available to supervise your new puppy but we all know it is not always possible. If you can’t be available for some period, confine your puppy to a small puppy-proof room. The entire floor should be covered with newspaper or some absorbent, disposable material. Initially, your puppy will go all over the area. As he gets older he will prefer one area. Gradually reduce the area covered in papers until the puppy eventually goes only on the toilet papers. The floor in the puppy-proof room should not resemble other floor areas in the house like carpet or hardwood. Once your puppy is used to eliminating on a particular surface, he will want to eliminate on that type of surface.

Most owners prefer for their dogs to eliminate outside so the puppy-proof room should only be used while you aren’t home to supervise. If your puppy spends time in a crate, which he should at first, you can place papers in one area in the crate for your puppy to use. Dogs are naturally very clean animals and they will do their best not to soil their bed area. This really helps your puppy develop self control.

 For puppies who are to be outdoor trained, take the puppy to his designated toilet area every 45 minutes. When your puppy does his business in his designated area, lavish praise on him. He is learning the most important lesson in living in your household so go overboard with praise.

 Put your puppy on a consistent feeding schedule so you can anticipate his needs. While he does need free access to clean, fresh drinking water, don’t give him unrestricted access to food. Equally, until he is fully trained, do not give him the run of the house. It will greatly aid in this training process is putting a collar and long lead on your puppy and tying the other end of the lead around your waist. Your puppy will like being close to you and he won’t have the opportunity to make many mistakes.

That doesn’t mean that mistakes won’t happen. When they do, don’t punish or reprimand him. He won’t understand the reason for the punishment and he might become nervous or distressed. He might even think he is being punished for eliminating at all. This may well set your training back rather than moving it forward.

The most important thing you need for house training your puppy is patience and a good sense of humor. Be calm and relaxed while being consistent in your training schedule and your puppy will be relaxed and calm while learning what he needs to learn to become a well adjusted member of the household. While you and your puppy are bonding during this training time, you can start to introduce other commands like sit, come, stay, down. 

For your complete DIY Dog Training course in easy steps visit

www.mnb-gooddogs.com.

In addition, over the years, the parvo virus has mutated into at least two different strains. Every case of canine parvo virus, or CPV, comes from these two strains.

Every different species has its own parvo virus and it cannot be spread outside of the species, so there is a human parvo virus, a canine parvo virus, a feline parvo virus, and so on. However, it can be spread by contact. For instance, if your cat would wander through your neighbor’s yard and would pick up the virus on her feet, she can track it inside of your house and infect your dog.

Sadly enough, my neighbour’s puppy contracted parvo virus. The puppy had all of the classic dog parvo symptoms, yet my neighbour really did not know what was wrong until he took the puppy to the vet. Once he did that, parvo treatment began immediately. After several days of intensive treatment for parvo virus, the puppy was free to come home. The puppy was lucky. Many dogs die from parvo virus before they can be treated.

The parvo virus works in two ways either through the intestines or through the heart. When a dog gets an intestinal infection, it is picked up by the animal through oral contact with contaminated feces. Simply put, your dog would have to come into contaminated feces from another dog. The intestinal dog parvo symptoms occur when the virus attacks the bone marrow, rapidly dividing cells in the intestinal crypts and the lymph nodes. This allows normally occurring bacteria from the intestines to enter the blood stream to make the animal septic. The virus can be shed in the stool for up to three weeks thus making this a very contagious disease for pets that have not been inoculated.

The cardio form of this infection is usually seen in puppies that are infected before birth or shortly thereafter. It is noteworthy that the cardiac form of CPV is not as common since the mother passes immunity on to her pups from birth. The parvo virus will then attack the heart in the infected puppy and death will occur shortly afterwards.

Dog parvo symptoms usually present themselves within 3 to 10 days of contact. They include the following: lethargy, vomiting, fever and diarrhea. The diarrhea can cause severe dehydration and secondary infections. The dog will not usually die from the virus but from a secondary infection.

Survival rate depends on how quickly CPV is diagnosed and treatment is begun. When the case is not caught early the best treatment option is an IV through which fluids are pushed to re-hydrate the animal more quickly, in addition anti-nausea and antibiotic shots may be given intramuscular.

The prognosis is good with proper care but an absolute death sentence without it. There have been a few reports that the human antiviral, Tamiflu, can be effective in treating CPV but there are no studies to substantiate this. A veterinarian will advise you to give your pet a parvo shot about eight weeks after they are weaned. With the prevalence of the virus and its ability to kill some precaution should be taken to protect your canine.