Tag Archives: tree

How to Feed Pills to Pets

Let’s continue with the recent theme I’ve had of posting, in between stories about my new cat Chrestomanci, articles about pet health and how to manage it. I’ll start today’s topic with a story. One summer when I was a teenager my cat Boots contracted food poisoning. We took him to the vet, who gave us some pills for him. We had problems feeding him the pills. None of us had any experience doing so, and though we got those capsules into his mouth all right, he was a master at making us think he’d ingested them and then spitting … Continue reading →

Signs Your Pet Might Be Unwell

I’m a bit of a worrywart when it comes to my pets. I fretted when both of my cats entered our house for the first time and didn’t seem to eat for a few days. One thing I’m always concerned about is how to tell if my pets are feeling ill. Humans can complain of their symptoms and ask for help, but our pets don’t have that option. Veterinary doctor Eric Kane published some advice on patch.com about how to tell if your pet might be feeling unwell. The main tool to employ is common sense: keep an eye on … Continue reading →

Pet First Aid: Safe Household Treatments

At various vet trips we’ve received advice to treat our pets with doses of Benadryl, Zyrtec, and Neosporin. That’s right: medicines we think are for people can also be for pets. There are actually a number of household items or medications we can employ if our animals are having problems. The trick is knowing exactly what medicines, and how much of them, are safe for our pets. For example: most dogs should only have one Benadryl a day. If giving the pet Zyrtec, it should only receive the normal kind – make sure it doesn’t have any decongestants or other … Continue reading →

Dog vs. Yard

My dear Algernon beneath his rhubarb My dog loves her big new yard. One of the main reasons why is how many more encounters with the local wildlife she’s been able to obtain. Some of them aren’t so great. Others prove amusing. She’s had run-ins with a yellow box turtle wherein she’s been so perplexed by this strange new creature that even the slow reptile was able to escape during her investigations. That’s right: Chihiro spent the whole time of her turtle examination doing what I like to call her investigative dance: legs and shoulders hunched, head darting in and … Continue reading →

Preparing Your Pup for Back to School

For most of us, the last thing on our minds during the busy back to school season is the family dog. As it turns out, Fido might need you to prepare him or her for the change as well. Unless everyone was out of the home all day during the summer, just like during the school year, your dog’s gotten extra summertime company. Thus it might experience some separation anxiety when everyone goes back to their school year schedules. Pet site ZooToo has some tips for how to gage if your dog will have separation anxiety problems during the school … Continue reading →

For Green-Thumbed Pet Lovers

As I write this I’m sitting on my porch. Though many days recently have been so grossly hot and humid that I’ve never wanted to venture outdoors, some have been pleasant, especially in the mornings. These days I’ve taken to bringing my laptop out to the porch and completing my work here. I let the dog wander around the yard as I do so. Just a moment ago I had to do something that’s become common during these work outdoors mornings: chase my dog away from my garden. The majority of my garden items – herbs and berries – are … Continue reading →

Fido Finder and Tabby Tracker

I’ve been writing a lot of articles lately that relate to what it’s like to be a pet lover in the internet age. The internet has changed how shelters can communicate and how potential pet owners might find their future animals. Today I will examine how we can use the Internet as a tool to locate missing pets. People probably began posting messages about lost pets online almost as soon as the internet was introduced. Now that sites like Craig’s List and similar local-based online classifieds have put the concept on the computer, we can find pets, supplies for them, … Continue reading →

Pet Diabetes on the Rise

Diabetes runs in my family. Even though I’m only in my mid-20s, I’ve tried to start being conscious about what I eat so I can hopefully prevent the onset of the disease, or at least have an easier transition into a diabetes-friendly diet should I need to do so. While I’m prepared for the fact that one day I might learn I have diabetes, it never occurred to me that one of our pets might come down with it as well. That’s right: dogs and cats can get diabetes, and it’s on the rise in canines. MSNBC Health has a … Continue reading →

Find Your Doggelganger

Is there any resemblance? My husband and I were matched with our dog. The shelter we used to find her required us to fill out a complicated adoption form. In it were not only questions about our living situation (own vs. rent, fenced-in yard, etc.) but also queries pertaining to what we wanted from a dog. Did we have any breed preferences, did we care if we had a male vs. female dog, and were there any deal-breakers in behavior from the dog? Even though I didn’t have much to say on any of these questions, the rescue still managed … Continue reading →

How to Keep Pets Off Furniture

I decided I liked everyone on the sofa more than off We might love our pets but that doesn’t mean we want to let them go anywhere they want in the house. For example, both my cat and my dog aren’t allowed upstairs because I’m a light sleeper and they tend to keep me up by making a lot of noise in my bedroom. Far more common, however, is the practice of keeping your pets off of your furniture. Unless you’re willing to spend either the time or money to properly groom your pet or have a professional do it … Continue reading →