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If you are planning on owning a baby ferret, there are some facts that you might like to know.

Female ferrets (or Jills as they are known) have, on average, around 6 – 10 baby ferrets in each litter. A baby ferret is known as a ‘kit’. They are born blind and their eyes only start to open at about six weeks old.

A kit should not be separated from its mother until it is at least 10 weeks old. Parting a kit from its mother before this time is not recommended as in the first few weeks of its life, the kit needs to bond with its mother and is also dependent on her for its food.

Depending on where you bought your young ferret will determine whether or not you need to arrange vaccinations. Typically, an adopted ferret will have had his initial vaccinations already as these can be administered at 9 weeks. Ferrets are normally vaccinated against canine distemper.

A kit needs the right kind of diet to give it the best start in life. Baby ferrets require a high protein diet, so choose a specially formulated ferret food. Avoid giving your kit any cat food as this won’t have the right amount of protein. Aim for a food that has at least 35% protein and 20% fat. Provide fresh water for your kits at all times.

Switching a ferret’s diet quickly can cause problems, so find out what your young ferret was eating before you brought him home and wean him off that and onto what you plan to feed him with.

You can train your new ferret to use a litter tray. It’s a good idea to find out what litter he has been using at the pet store, the breeders or the shelter and use that to start with so that he feels familiar with it. Some litters are dangerous for ferrets, so avoid any of the clumping, silica based ones. Wood shavings are not recommended either. The best type to go for is compressed newspaper pellets or wood pellets. Praise your ferret for using his litter tray and reinforce the desired behaviour. It’s a good idea to keep your ferret’s toilet area well away from the area in which he sleeps.

Ferrets emit a natural odour that’s quite unpleasant. You can help to reduce the intensity of the odour by having your ferret neutered and de-scented.  A young kit may smell more pungent on his first day at home with you for a number of reasons. Firstly, baby ferrets simply have a strong odour. Also, as they get excited the smell can become more intense. If you have had your ferret de-scented and neutered or spayed, the smell will lessen as the ferret gets older.

Ferrets love to play, so make sure you spend some time each day having fun with your new family member. Ensure your home is ferret friendly by hiding any exposed wires (he’ll want to chew them!) and putting away anything your young kit may swallow.

Did you know that cancer is the leading cause of death in American dogs; 1 in 4 dogs die of cancer here in the United States. News of your dog’s cancer diagnosis can be as devastating as any other family member’s diagnosis.  First, of course, is the thought of potentially losing your loved one.  Next, you worry about the efficacy – and expense – of the treatment options available.  The good news is that veterinary medicine continues to research canine cancers, both from a treatment and prevention standpoint and great strides are being made on both fronts.  Of course, these treatments (which often involve chemotherapy and radiation) can be costly, which is why a good veterinary pet insurance policy that covers cancer treatments is a wise investment.

One of the most common cancers in American dogs is canine lymphoma (lymphosarcoma.) Fortunately, it is a very treatable canine cancer; roughly 50% of dogs with lymphoma can be put into remission.

Cancer is an immune dysfunction disease, regardless of the species. The lymph system circulates the white blood cells and most importantly, lymphocytes, which are specialized cells involved in immune function found throughout the body. In normal healthy dogs, these cells are manufactured in the bone marrow, with a life span of about one month.  Then, they die off and are re-absorbed into the body or eliminated through waste. With lymphoma, there is an overproduction of these cells, or the “old cells” live on, monopolizing the other blood cells. High white blood cell count and swollen lymph glands are the characteristic signs of this disease, followed by lethargy, loss of appetite and leading eventually to death unless treated.

Chemotherapy is the first line treatment for dog lymphoma, and because lymphoma generally affects young to middle-aged, otherwise healthy dogs, it is well tolerated. Sometimes the effected lymph glands are surgically removed as well. After surgery, some type of chemotherapy drug (again, generally covered by a good pet insurance policy) is usually recommended to clean up any remaining cancer cell not removed by the surgery.

As is the case with any cancer, the earlier the lymphoma is diagnosed the better the outcome.  Just as the human members of the family should have a physical every year, so should your pets…and their annual visits are also covered under most veterinary pet insurance plans, so the early detection of lymphoma is possible!  Treatment success is dependent upon a myriad of factors, including your dog’s age, diet, medical history, the location of the cancer, and how extensive it is and what major systems are involved.

When it comes to dog crates, they can be extremely useful in training your dog. Many dog owners use them for housebreaking. And at times, when they need to leave their dog alone for a while. So what exactly is crate training and why you should do it too?

What You Should Know About Crate Dog Training

Crate training is a well-known method of training a dog to be left alone, as well as to housebreak them, too. It is a fact that all dogs will not soil their bed if they can help it and so that is why it makes an excellent method of housebreaking a puppy.

Dog crates come in a number of different sizes, so it is vital to get one that is big enough to fit your dog. Even if your puppy is quite small, it would still be a good idea to buy a crate that will fit the dog until it becomes fully grown. This way you will save money as you will not have to go out and purchase another crate later on.

The good news is that crates are not only good to train puppies, but they are also great for an adult dog too. Older dogs enjoy going into their crates sometimes as it provides them with a safe haven to rest and have their own space.

You can also use the crate for basic obedience or whenever your dog is a little too much to handle, just place him in there for a little while. Now it is important not to shut him away for hours on end. A crate should only be used when needed and should never be used to cage a dog in there for extended periods of time. This is especially true when house training puppies to not mess up the floor and home.

As mentioned earlier, dogs will never make a mess of their bed unless they have to. So it is important when you keep a puppy in the crate overnight, that you let it out frequently. Puppies cannot hold on all night and you may need to wake up every few hours to let them out of the crate.

As also mentioned earlier, a crate should only be used when needed and leaving a dog inside for too long may elevate their stress level. I highly recommend that you only use it for a few hours. But if the crate is large and roomy enough, it can be left overnight.

A dog crate is an excellent tool for separation of anxiety, as many dogs will ruin furniture and make a big mess when left alone. As you can see, a crate has many uses and can be an excellent piece of equipment to have for any dog or puppy owner. Tip: a plastic crate is highly recommended by most animal experts.

When deciding on buying a crate, treat it like a dog’s master bedroom and be sure that his crate is big enough, comfortable and sturdy. Trust me, you will yield greater results with your dog loving you for it!

It was just in the newspaper – how the mailman delivered the post while the owners held back the big snarling dog; meanwhile the little dog dived between them, jumped up and drew blood from the postie’s leg!

Just one of the many reasons why realtors and prospective house buyers alike do not like to view an empty home with a dog in it! Of course he is friendly – and yet …..why take the chance?

Pointing out the problems of showing a home that also houses a pet can often make pet-owners defensive; it is often inconceivable to them that their little “Tootsie” would offend! Even the most friendly of pets can become troubled about strange people coming into their home.

One of the solutions often used is to shut them in the laundry room, which will then make most prospective buyers want to give your laundry room a miss. If they do brave it and open the door, the dog rushes out, maybe too over- friendly at the chance to finally interact with ‘friends’ and plants its paws prints all over their new cream pants.

What’s worse, the dog will not go back in the laundry room and the realtor can’t seem to leave the house without the dog coming too! This type of scenario is not in your favor, as it does rather distract the prospective buyer from remembering the unique points about your home – although they will remember the color of your dog!

It would help if the dog was in the garage or some place where a) there is alot of fresh air and b) where it is not necessary for the buyers to enter. The laundry room will certainly have a ‘doggie’ smell after your pet has roared around it all day, whereas the garage has fresh air coming in from all sides.

This brings us to the smell of the home, another touchy subject. Often non-pet owners will notice a smell in a house that seems associated with a pet. When the dog bounds up to confirm this suspicion, many possible buyers will start to wonder if they will be able to get rid of the smell once the dog has moved out.

Rather than putting your friends on the spot by asking them if your home has its own smell, play it safe and assume that it does. If you have a pet, wash all its blankets and keep them clean. Encourage your pet to sleep outside more often if possible. This clean routine will apply to other pets in the house: guinea pigs and hamsters can also leave an odor in the home, but this does usually go when the cage is removed.

The new type of air fresheners that plug in and keep the air sweet for 24/7 are very effective. However, if they do manage to disguise the smell of a dog, they will not be able to fool anyone who has a real allergy to your pet.

Some buyers have allergies and they do not care if they see an animal or not – they simply do not want to go into a house if an animal even lives there. This is especially true for people with a severe allergy to cats.

In these cases, you have to come clean and be up front with the realtor; even if you have removed all traces of cat. The troublesome allergens just float in the air and are completely undetected by most of the human race.

The prospective buyers will have to trust that if the listing realtor says no animals, he is speaking the truth – so ‘fess up and don’t put your realtor in the dog house.

Most dogs live indoors now and a dogs potty training is necessary.  This training can occur at any age, but the amount of time that it might take varies with the age of the puppy or dog.  For example, a puppy that you acquire at six weeks old could take a number of weeks to housebreak, one that is three months old should take less time and one that is six months old might learn in just a few days.  Whatever age your puppy/dog is, don’t forget that it is the owner’s duty to teach not to condemn.  A failure in a dogs potty training is most likely the owner’s fault.

It is best for one person in the household to be responsible for the dogs potty training because people could get confused as to whose job it is at what time.  This is not a spare time job, you must monitor the puppy/dog continually.  Prevention is the best cure when tackling your dogs potty training.  Observe effectively and note an anticipative look or running to the door and scratching at it.  This might be the time to take the dog/puppy outside.

To assist with the process of your dogs potty training, feed him/her on a fixed timetable and note what his or her habits are.  They most likely have a bowel movement soon after eating.  A significant fact to recall is that a puppy’s memory is about 30 seconds long, conseqently, if you are going to discipline him you must be fast.  Once again, prevention is a significant tool.  When you have to leave the dog alone or when you go to bed at night, the dog should be constrained to a small area that is covered in newspaper.  You can also “paper train”  by utilizing newspapers indoors.

When your dog/puppy urinates or messes on the floor or carpeting, wipe it up quickly and remove the cloth with the odor on it (take it out side).  When on a carpeting, clean the area with soap and water and then club soda (or with one of the specialty products formulated for this job).  There are some dogs who never seem to be potty trained, however, some of these may be because of training issues. It is possible, however, that there might be medical issues, conseqently, it might be beneficial to have your vet examine the dog.

Essentially you should feed your dog/puppy on a regular timetable, walk him/her consistently, observe effectively for indications that he/she has to go, wipe up messes and urine efficiently and correct the dog promptly.