Having pets is probably one of the best ways to add happiness into your home. Pets can shower you and your family with love, loyalty and affection just like a family member.

Dogs and cats are perhaps two of the most loved pets in most homes all over the world. Dogs are more preferred because they are very affectionate of their masters and thus considered man’s best friend. On the other hand, cats are also adored because of their natural charm and sweetness towards their “parents”. However, given the fact that these adorable animals can be great pets, it is a very sad truth that some of these precious beings suffer cruelty even from their own masters.

We don’t need to see an injured or malnourished animal just to get a clue that they are being abused. This series of blog articles shall help us recognise animal cruelty when we see them and educate us on what to do if we see or suspect that an animal is being abused.

What is animal cruelty?

Animal cruelty is defined as the act committed by a human being towards an animal that results to suffering or sometimes death of the animal being inflicted upon. In detail, it can also be defined as the hitting, shouting at, or injuring an animal in a particular way. Sadly, animal cruelty is an alarming problem that still occurs today and is evident in many forms.

Understanding and Knowing its Negative Effects on Animals

Animal cruelty can result to a lot of negative effects on animals for a long period of time. For instance, if you impose physical or even verbal abuse on a dog, which are forms of animal cruelty, it is most likely that either of these will cause him severe psychological effect. In many cases, physical abuse or cruelty can cause the dog to be handicapped for life or live with severe health problems. Psychological effects are usually presented in the form of fear, aloofness or even aggressive behaviour in animals. An abused animal can exhibit fear by hiding under tables, beds and closets while aloofness happens when they reject any physical contact from humans. On the other hand, aggression can occur when they attack even innocent people. For dogs, you can see aggression if they growl at people without any apparent reason.

To be continued…

*Photo courtesy of wikipedia.org

Having your dog for a long period of time does not necessarily mean that you know your dog or that you understand his behaviour completely. Below are the eight things that you probably do not know about your pet dog:

1. Even dogs grieve or mourn when they lose a loved-one or a companion. If you think that dogs do not pay attention when he loses sight of a housemate (whether a companion pet or a human loved one), you have got it wrong. In fact, dogs will actually show numerous changes in behaviour after losing a housemate. This behaviour may last from two weeks or in severe cases, up to six months. Some symptoms that you can observe are loss of appetite, a decrease in favourite activities, an increase in sleeping and anxiety.

2. Brushing your pet dog’s teeth can save him from a lot of diseases. Keep in mind that dental disease is the number one problem among adult dogs. By the time they’re four years old, 85% of dogs have signs of periodontal disease. If left untreated, it can affect their heart, kidneys, and liver. Although dental treats are great, they cannot compensate the great effects of brushing your pet dog’s teeth so make it a habit to brush his teeth regularly.

3. Your precious Fido is very likely allergic to dairy products, wheat and corn. The gluten in wheat and corn most often causes allergy in dogs. As with dairy products, not all dogs are lactose intolerant which is why giving your pet dog dairy products may highly upset his stomach. Although, lactose intolerance most often can be associated with age, it is still a must to watch the food that you’re giving your precious dog.

4. Your precious four-legged buddy loves grass! Some dogs even consider grass a salad bar and like to snack on it from time to time. Most dogs seem to have a taste for grass especially when they’re nauseated. So if your dog vomits every time he eats grass, don’t let him eat it. He does not “need” to eat grass to help him vomit. If he’s going to vomit, he’ll manage just fine on his own, without the grass’s help. Also, if you know or even suspect that the grass has been treated recently with pesticides or fertilizers don’t let your dog eat it.

5. Pet dogs are less heat tolerant than humans. Dogs don’t have many sweat glands and must pant to lower their body temperature. So to help your pet deal with heat especially when you take him for a walk during the summer time, let him drink lots of water and keep his skin protected by putting some clothes on him and sunblock that is especially made for dogs.

6. Punishing your pet dog after you discovered that he destroyed or pooped on something is not actually training him not to do it again. Keep in mind that dogs have short term memory In fact, studies have shown that even half a second delay in punishing or rewarding a dog has a noticeable effect on how fast they learn. So when you get home two hours after he’s butchered your favourite slipper, that particular incident is actually very far from his mind already. Instead, he might think that you’re just yelling at him for running up to greet you when you get home.

7. It is not good to yelling at your dog when he’s barking because it’s just like telling him to continue further. The right way to deal with this is to ignore him, distract him with a game or teach him to bark on command instead.

8. Comforting your pet when he is scared is not helping him at all! Sometimes your pet dog is scared of really stupid things like vacuum cleaners, thunderstorms, and people with hats or real estate signs. To help him ease fear and tension, it is best to create a normal atmosphere by calmly playing a game you usually play together or distract him with things that he usually does like hanging on his own pet bed.

Knowing your dog well can really take some of your time and effort. But with this list, you will have an idea on where to start in getting to know your pet dog more.

Given the fact that desexed pets are healthier and happier and that Australia has a pet overpopulation problem, what are some of the reasons people might give for not wanting to have their pet desexed?

“I want to show my children the miracle of birth”. You can teach your children about birth without producing a litter of puppies or
kittens which will face an uncertain and possibly tragic future. Buy your children a book or a DVD on the subject or get one from a library. Also, it’ll be a lot easier on them then experiencing the trauma of seeing the puppies and kittens being taken away. It is more important to teach your children about responsible pet ownership.

“Nature intended animals to have babies”. Possibly, but nature also intended for most of them to die early from disease,
starvation or becoming a meal for another animal before they reproduce. As pets, there are already more of them than there are homes to take them in.

“I can’t afford to have him or her desexed”. This is false economy. It costs far more to feed a pregnant bitch or cat plus her litter
twice a year. Also, if there are any complications during the birth, you could be facing huge vet bills, and your bitch or cat could die. In NSW, dogs and cats must be registered with your local council by the time they are 6 months old. The cost of registering an entire (not desexed) animal in NSW is approximately $120, whilst a desexed animal is $40. Ask your local council to refer you to rescue groups and charities which could help with the cost of desexing or do a web search to find the groups.

“The operation will hurt my pet”. The surgery is routine and simple. Your vet has probably done hundreds of them. For female pets, the vet will remove the ovaries and uterus, and in males the testicles are removed. Your pet will usually be able to go home at the end of the day and not stay overnight. Sometimes pain relief tablets are given. I many cases your dog or cat will be back to normal the next day or at most, the day after.

“Our pet is too young to be desexed”. Females can be desexed from around 4 months old. Don’t wait until your female is older than 6 months or you risk her getting pregnant. Males can be done as soon as their testicles descend at anywhere from 3 months old. Follow your vet’s advice. Don’t put it off. Your pet will be happier and healthier.

“The pound will find them a home”. This is the saddest myth of all. The fact is that they will not! Pounds have limited space and resources and far more dogs and cats coming in than people coming to adopt them. The majority of pets entering pounds get put down! Read more about the realities of dogs and cats in pounds at http://www.deathrowpets.net/

Read more about the desexing at http://tinyurl.com/desexyourpet

Guest Author: After a long career in IT, Terri now divides her time between bookkeeping for the family business and volunteer work with Dog Rescue Newcastle.

Petitude, in partnership with Dog Rescue Newcastle, will publish pet care guide and pet adoption articles until end of 2010. To learn more about Petitude’s new advocacy campaign and what you can do to help our less fortunate furry pals while doing your online shopping, please subscribe to our newsletter.

This can be an emotional subject but it boils down to two undeniable facts: (1) it is better for your pet and (2) it is better for our community. It is better for your pet because a desexed dog or cat is happier and healthier; and it is better for our community because you will not be adding to the tragedy of hundreds of thousands of homeless pets being put down in Australian pounds every year.

A puppy or kitten needs to be desexed (spayed or neutered) no later than 6 months old to prevent having a litter. The simple, routine surgery can be done as young as 3 months and up to any age. It’s never too late.

Happy and Healthier Pets

Male and female dogs and cats which have been desexed are usually more relaxed and settled than those that are not because they are not troubled by hormonal urges which compel them to go out and find a mate. Male desexed pets are often less aggressive, less likely to mark their territory with urine, less likely to perform “humping” behaviours, and less likely to roam and to try escape their yards.

When your female dog or cat is desexed you won’t have to deal with the mess of her period or the worry of having strange males trying to get at her. Female cats won’t yowl out for a mate.

Undesexed male and female cats and dogs get more cancers then desexed cats and dogs. Females can also develop the life threatening disease pyometra, which affects the uterus. Undesexed females also run the risk of complications and death from
pregnancy and giving birth.

Better for Our Community

Every year, 250,000 homeless dogs and cats are euthanised in Australian pounds, according to www.deathrowpets.net. Even if you think you can find homes for your pet’s litter (a litter of 12 is not uncommon), there is no guarantee they won’t wind up dumped in a few months or years. Also, many of your pet’s offspring will breed, and their offspring will breed, and the pet overpopulation problem will continue to get worse and worse.

Read more about the pet desexing at http://tinyurl.com/desexyourpet The next article in this series will address some myths about pet desexing.

Guest Author: After a long career in IT, Terri now divides her time between bookkeeping for the family business and volunteer work with Dog Rescue Newcastle.

Petitude, in partnership with Dog Rescue Newcastle, will publish pet care guide and pet adoption articles until end of 2010. To learn more about Petitude’s new advocacy campaign and what you can do to help our less fortunate furry pals while doing your online shopping, please subscribe to our newsletter.

Proper treatment can be started once an allergy is clearly diagnosed, but prevention is still better than cure. There are several ways that you can do to save your dog from the different allergies he can get during spring time. For example, simply washing away the offending allergens off your dog is often the best form of defense. Washing your dog’s paws after spending time outdoors or bathing him regularly is highly recommended. However, if your dog already has allergy, oral supplements and medications can provide relief, although some medicines with fatty acid may take months to become fully effective.

Also, over-the-counter antihistamines for humans can provide relief in some cases. But refrain from giving your dog any medication without the vet’s prescription. Keep in mind that these medicines may contain other ingredients that can be deadly for dogs, such as do-ephedrine, ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

Contact allergies, on the other hand, can be treated by applying topical creams and giving your dog antihistamines as prescribed by his vet. For inhalant allergy, treatments include antihistamine medication, Omega-3 fatty acids and immunotherapy.  Respiratory problems that include wheezing and coughing have no available treatment.  For flea allergy, treatment includes flea baths that will kill the fleas. Moreover, your home must also be treated as fleas can reside in the carpet and re-infect the dog upon contact.

If you suspect that your pet dog is suffering from spring allergies, please visit your vet as soon as possible. Keep in mind that careful observation and a trip to your veterinarian are the first steps in helping your dog get rid of any spring allergy.

Is my dog sick? This is probably one of the most common questions that dedicated pet owners often ask. So what are the signs that you should look for to tell if your dog is sick? Understanding how to check things like the body temperature of your dog, gum colour and your dog’s pulse can help you identify your dog’s condition.

Taking your dog’s temperature can be done rectally. A normal, healthy dog’s body temperature will be between 38.3 and 38.9 degrees Celcius or 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. A temperature outside of this range is an indicator that your dog is sick and that you need to seek the help of a veterinarian.

On the other hand, checking your dog’s gum colour can also help you determine if your dog is suffering from any illness. Normal gums should be a shade of pink. Abnormal gums, which are white, grey, blue or yellow in colour, can be indicative of internal bleeding, anemia or a disruption of normal blood flow, which prevents proper oxygenation of a dog’s blood or may result in a loss of red blood cells.

You can also look for signs of pain and distress in a dog. Symptoms include drooling, panting and restlessness. A dog’s heart rate can be a good indicator of distress and pain. However, the normal dog heart rate varies depending on the size and the age of the dog, but a consistently quick or slow pulse indicates distress and/or illness. A puppy has a heart rate of about 180 beats per minute. And adult dog will have a rate between 60 and 160 beats per minute. Small toy breeds can have normal heart rates of 180 beats per minute. It is also considered that the younger and smaller the dog, the faster his heart rate is.

Finally, the best way to make sure that your dog is always healthy and happy is to have a regular or an annual visit to the vet. It is also recommended that you give him healthy dog food, proper dog vitamins and supplements and daily exercise. Keep in mind that delaying care can make a toll on your dog’s health, causing any illness or disease to become more difficult and costly to cure.

It is estimated that approximately one in 10 dogs suffers from skin problems. Scratching, rubbing, chewing, biting, and licking of the skin and fur will make your dog’s life a misery. It is a sign that there is an underlying problem that needs treatment. There are medications which your vet can prescribe which will suppress the itching but these have side affects and shouldn’t be used long
term. The best solution is to discover the cause of the problem and eliminate it.

As noted in a previous blog article “Three Different Sources of Allergies in Dogs” persistently itchy skin in dogs can be caused by fleas, inhaled substances, and sensitivity to a particular food. In this article we’ll look at food sensitivity in more detail and suggest a diet which can determine which food is the problem.

Dog’s Allergy Elimination Diet

In order to find out which food is the problem you need to eliminate common problem foods your dog has been eating and replace them with an uncommon food for three weeks to see if the dog itches less. If the dog shows improvement after the 3 weeks,
then you can start adding back other foods, one at a time. If any food you add back causes your dog to start itching again then you know this is the problem food which you need to eliminate permanently from your dog’s diet.

If there is no improvement after 3 weeks, the allergen may be a grain such as rice or wheat (pasta, bread, most dry dog food). Continue with the Allergy Elimination Diet but eliminate grains for 3 weeks. If there is still no improvement, then food allergy
may not be a major problem. Talk to your vet about this diet and about Atopica medication and other treatment options.

The basic facts are:

• The foods most likely to cause an allergic reaction are animal derived proteins (meat).
• The proteins most likely to cause an allergic reaction are beef, lamb, pork and chicken. Do not feed these during the 3 week elimination period.
• Feed only one animal protein source for 3 weeks.
• Choose a protein which your dog has very rarely or never eaten before, such as: fish, rabbit, kangaroo, or goat.
• Fish is easiest because you can vary the fish given (i.e.: tuna, salmon, roughie, etc) and you can use fresh, tinned or frozen.
• Other non animal protein sources such as beans are allowed.
• Fruits and vegetables are allowed.
• Starches are allowed but not too much as these are the second most likely allergen.

Guest Author: After a long career in IT, Terri now divides her time between bookkeeping for the family business and volunteer work with Dog Rescue Newcastle.

A lot of dog owners might really find it very helpful to know the ways on how to deal with certain odd dog traits. But first, before you focus on dealing with these traits, try to understand that these “uncommon behaviours” of your dog are normal for him. So never try to stop your pet unless it is really alarming. Try to observe first and see what you can do to at least control it. If you find that your dog is jumping on visitors and sometimes on you as soon as you enter the house, this habit is not really strange but rather a normal way for dogs to show their affection. He may have been lonely for a while and may be pleased to find company. So this particular habit is not really something that you should force to stop but rather control when your dog is already making a mess. Just simply say “stop” and make him stop so that he can remember the gesture that you want him to stop.

Moreover, a dog may chew up shoes or undies on account of a couple of reasons. It may be teething or just seeking attention. If he is teething, it makes sense to provide him with store bought chew toys. If, he is seeking attention, keep your shoes or undies safe and give the dog lots of love and attention and time.  A dog may chew socks and other pieces of clothing to vent its frustration or anxiety. When it starts to do this on a regular basis, you must give him more attention, more exercise and some company.

For dogs who drink salt water during your beach outing or outdoor camping, this is actually a normal behaviour. First, he does not have any idea that it is salt water and for all you know he might be thirsty or something. Drinking from salt water can also mean that he is curious with the stuff just like any other human being. So to prevent this from happening, always make sure he drinks fresh clean water and look after him when he is at the beach.

Dog owners may find a few habits of their dogs weird or odd. Sometimes, you may find yourself scratching your head thinking why would your dog drink salt water or play with your undies. Well, the fact is that some of these habits or ways are pretty normal for them, although it would really look strange to us humans. These “uncommon behaviours”, are not actually weird, odd or uncommon after all. They are basically simple habits of your beloved pooch. For example, a pet dog may love to roll in the smelly dirt and grass, especially after a bath. This may be very irritating to a dog owner, who may see all his effort at keeping a dog clean go waste. However the dog may be doing this specific act to mask his scent. Odd and irritating as it may be, but this is one dog trait that a pet owner may find almost impossible to change or control. This is because it is a natural habit for a dog to do that, just like humans also have a natural habit to break.

Another example is a pet dog digging holes in a perfectly trimmed garden. This can be very annoying to the owner; however, a dog owner has to remember that digging is a basic instinct of most dogs. They may be burying something or trying to reach the cooler soil underneath. If you’re noticing that your dog is digging for no apparent reason, it may be wise to designate a specific area for your dog to dig. Hence, if you do this, it will help you prevent your whole garden from being spoiled and damaged.

These odd traits or habits may not be as strange as you may think. So do not get angry with your dog or try to stop them. The best thing to do is observe and find ways to control your these habits when they are giving you a mess already.

Our next article will help you on how to deal with odd dog traits.

Is it possible for your dog to get asthma? The answer is yes.

Just like humans, dogs can also acquire asthma. The fact is that asthma is actually prevalent among cats and dogs. So do not be surprised if you happen to see any symptoms in your dog because this is one of the common diseases that he can get. So how do you know if your dog has asthma?

A dog’s asthma attack can be triggered by allergies, irritants like cigarette smoke or dust, dry air, exercise, and other forms of exertion, like barking. When the dog’s bronchi are irritated (the bronchi are the airway passages that extend down into your dog’s lungs), they will begin to excrete mucus. This will result to bronchi spasms, thus, making breathing difficult for your dog because the airway passage to the lungs narrows due to inflammation and constriction. If you notice any constant wheezing and coughing on your dog, this may mean that he may already have gotten asthma.

Furthermore, you can notice significant manifestations of asthma in dogs usually in their early age. In worst cases of respiratory distress on dogs, you may see that your dog will have open mouth breathing and purple gums and tongue. This condition requires immediate medical help so you would need to bring your dog to your vet for proper medical assistance. Finally, loss of appetite is also one common symptom of asthma in dogs. Since breathing is difficult, your dog may refuse food and drink, as this can disrupt his normal breathing pattern. Even cases of less severe asthma can cause a dog to refuse to eat or drink.

So if you see any of these signs from your dog, do not think twice, take him to your vet and have him examined. Like treating human cases of asthma, dog owners must work with their vet to find the the best or most appropriate dog asthma treatment and medication that will effectively control their dog’s asthma.