Category — USA Pet Health

Injuries And Accidents

Pet birds often behave like wild birds when it comes to injuries and accidents. Therefore, your pet bird will have a natural instinct to hide any sign of injuries and accidents. This is to give an appearance of strength, and prevent being attacked by animals and other birds of prey.

However, your bird is a pet and you obviously want it to recover from any injuries and accidents. So, pay close attention to any behavior that can be a sign of injury.

• Symptoms and Types
• Treatment

Read Full Article Here

Available in miniature and standard varieties, the Poodle is a breed belonging to the non-sporting classification. Though its direct origin is questionable, it was the French that first bred its different types. Originally used as an aid for duck hunters, the Poodle has become a circus performer, a frequent dog show winner, a guide dog, and a loving pet.

Physical Characteristics

Originating from the working retriever breed, the Poodle’s body type is a reflection of its athletic root. The square-proportioned Poodle has a graceful appearance and a proud carriage. Its gait is springy, effortless, and light. The coat is dense, curly, and harsh; if corded, it hangs tight. Traditionally the clips (or hair styles) were used for ornamental and functional purposes. Puppy, Continental, English saddle, and sporting are the types of acceptable clips for Show Poodles.

Personality and Temperament

Standard: The Standard Poodle is one of the most obedient and smartest dogs, which combines a playful enthusiasm and an adventurous spirit. Preserving its love for hunting, it is fond of swimming, running, and retrieving. Although it is shy with strangers, it gets along with familiar people and is very good with children.

Read Full Article Here

Diarrhea often occurs as a symptom of a secondary condition, including disease, infection or improper diet, all causing the guinea pig’s digestive system to become upset. Whatever the reason, diarrhea needs to be treated promptly, as it can lead to dehydration and even death in severe cases.

• Symptoms
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management
• Prevention

Read Full Article Here

Abscess

An abscess is a localized collection of pus contained within a capsule-like lump under the skin. Unlike those of cats and dogs, abscesses in rabbits usually do not burst and drain fluid. These abscesses can grow very quickly, often extending into the surrounding soft tissue and bone.

Abscesses are extremely common in pet rabbits and are the most common cause of swelling beneath the skin. There is no certain age or sex more susceptible to abscesses, although dwarf and lop-eared rabbits are believed to be predisposed to abscesses and dental disease.

• Symptoms and Types
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management
• Prevention

Read Full Article Here

Inflammatory Stomach Lesions

Sometimes referred to as gastric ulcers, stomach ulcers are inflammatory lesions of the stomach’s mucous membrane lining. These ulcers often occur in young chinchillas and are frequently caused by eating coarse, fibrous roughage. Eating toxic, moldy feed can also damage the stomach lining.

This condition is often difficult to diagnose because signs such as loss of appetite and stomach pains are easily overlooked. Therefore, it is important to remain vigilant of your chinchilla’s actions, bringing it to a veterinarian at the first sign of stomach ulcers.

• Symptoms
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management
• Prevention

Read Full Article Here

Pneumonia

Pneumonia occurs when there is a severe inflammation in the lungs leading to dysfunction of the entire respiratory system. This inflammation may be due to a bacterial, fungal, viral or parasitic infection, or because the rabbit has inhaled a foreign object into its lung.

Environmental factors, such as smoke or chemicals, an inability to swallow, coma, and dental disease may also lead to pneumonia.

• Symptoms and Types
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Living and Management

Read Full Article Here

The Papillon breed is descended from one of the original toy breeds, the miniature Spaniel. Originally called the Dwarf Spaniel, Squirrel Dog, and Toy Spaniel, this little dog with a big personality has enjoyed a long and pampered history amongst the European elite for over 700 years. Named for its distinctive ears, which lift up and out, the Papillon is regarded as one of the ten smartest dog breeds are in the top forty for most popular companion pets.

Physical Characteristics

The defining physical characteristic of the Papillon is its unique butterfly ears, but its sibling the Phalene is identical in all respects save for the ears, which drop down. They are registered and shown as the same breed, and are in fact born in the same litters. With this in mind, all of the breed descriptions given here are suitable for both the Papillon and the Phalene.

The Papillon is a member of the toy group. A petite, fine-boned, delicate breed with an elegance that belies its frolicsome nature, the Papillon stands at less than a foot tall, with the average at 11 inches. It is longer than it is tall, with a weight that is proportionate to its height. This breed should not be cobby or round, but should maintain an appearance of lightness. It moves with a graceful, quick, and free gait, with the ears spread out like the wings of a butterfly in movement. The Phalene’s ears are similar in structure, but remain down even in movement. The tail is arched over the back with a large, full plume.

Read Full Article Here

Nothing is more gross and disgusting to some of you than the need to remove fully engorged ticks from their nesting place amid your dog’s fur. Removing little green gooseberries plumped up with pet blood doesn’t exactly make my top-ten list of favorite pet-related activities, either. But the nasties have got to be outed, don’t they?

Problem is, some of you worry that removing the tick will somehow cause more poblems than leaving it in. Instead of the DIY approach, then, you opt for the expensive, “gotta let the vet do it” version. And that’s really not necessary––especially when you consider that removal with alacrity is the best way to handle any tick bite. No time like the present, right?

Read Full Article Here

Maybe you’re driving a Toyota Prius that gets 40 MPG. Or maybe you’ve got solar panels on your roof, compact fluorescent light bulbs in your home, and an organic garden in your backyard. But that doesn’t mean you should stop exploring more ways to reduce your carbon footprint. And for the rest of us, it isn’t too late to start either. There are plenty of things you can do as a pet owner to show your furry “little ones” that you care about the environment. After all, it’s their planet, too.

Reduce. It might seem obvious, but buying pet food and other pet products in bulk saves you extra trips to the store and avoids needless plastic packaging or cardboard boxes that end up in the local landfill anyway. Reducing shouldn’t end there, though. As Bob Barker always said, “Help control the pet population, have your pets spayed or neutered.” Every year millions of cats and dogs are euthanized around the world. This is the devastating reality, but it’s also avoidable. Having your pet spayed or neutered not only curbs its aggressiveness once it reaches maturity, it is the best way to avoid sending an unwanted puppy or kitten to the local shelter, many of which are never adopted.

Read Full Article Here

Xylitol is a low-calorie sugar substitute that’s helped diabetics and weight loss seekers get their sugar fix––in spite of dietary restrictions. And, just like chocolate and grapes, it’s natural, further disproving the claim that “natural is always safe.”

That’s because Xylitol, a sugar compound sourced from the Birch tree, has been recently discovered to be 100 percent lethal to dogs. In many cases, the quantity of Xylitol-containing food was small––as in a box of sugar-free Tic-Tacs (really), a Jell-O sugar free pudding snack or one sugar-free cupcake.

Read Full Article Here