Pleasing 4 Pets

It is an unfortunate fact that at some point many of the nations much loved domestic cats and dogs will suffer an infestation of fleas.

Even in the cleanest of animals and environments fleas can be a problem. A key indication that a pet his suffering from fleas is constant scratching and nibbling of the fur. Fleas appear as minute black or brown flecks in an animal’s coat, and many owners experience flea bites themselves.

Fleas both inhabit animals and feed on their blood supply. After feeding the female flea will lay a number of eggs, sometimes as many as 20 in one day which will descend on the animal’s bed or any place that they frequently inhabit. Most of the flea eggs, pupae and larvae will be concentrated in these places and not on the animal.

A flea infestation can be controlled by treating both the pet and the home environment at the same time. The life cycle of a flea can range from a little as a fortnight to as much as one year. The most proven way to rid an animal or a home of a flea infestation is to use specialist products as recommended by a vet and to follow the instructions carefully.

Frequent cleaning of a pets bedding in addition to meticulous vacuuming of all floors and furniture in the home, especially around skirting board areas will facilitate the destruction of the various stages of the life cycle of the average flea.

It is advisable to empty your vacuum cleaner after each use during an infestation to thwart the development of any eggs or larvae.

A recent report has revealed that there are approximately one million dogs which will become distressed and display increasingly destructive behaviour if whenever they are left alone. This is known as separation anxiety.

A chief vet from threading animal welfare organisation the RSPCA said: -

“Typically dogs will bark, chew furniture, and/or urinate and defecate indoors when left alone by their owners; It may not be obvious to owners that a dog suffers from separation anxiety. Unless owners find evidence of destructive behaviour or toilet problems when they return home, they may be totally unaware. If a dog has this problem it is important to teach them that it is okay to be left alone”.

If you suspect that your dog may be showing signs of separation anxiety it is vital that you remain consistently relaxed and predictable in your approach to him.

Offer him rewards when he is well behaved, and lavish him with extra attention or with treats. Take no notice of any attention seeking behaviour that he might display.

It is not recommended that you punish your dog, as this will damage your relationship and may cause your dog to be afraid of you. A dog which may appear shamefaced or remorseful will have simply realised that on occasion you become cross on your return home, but your dog does not possess the ability to relate you temper to what they did whilst you weren’t at home.

It is a good idea to leave your pooch alone for steadily increasing intervals - begin by leaving your dog home alone for just a minute and progressively build up the time that you are away from him.

Provide your dog with a pleasant distraction or diversion to keep him occupied in your absence such as a chewy bone or a sturdy rubber toy filled with treats.

Almost all cats and dogs can contract worms, and even the happiest and most healthy of animals get them.

A domestic pet which is carrying worms can be sometime be relatively challenging to identify, as animals will not always display any apparent indication of being in ill health.

One of the main types of worms which affect domestic animals is the roundworm. All cats and dogs of adult age should receive roundworm-worming every three months, whether they are suspected of infection or not, your vet will advise you of a suitable treatment (although pregnant pets should only be wormed under the direct care of a vet).

Common roundworm or toxocara canis are very thin and are very pale pink, almost white in colour and are curled into coils, an infected animal will produce roundworm in their excrement or vomit. The eggs are so small they cannot be detected by the human eye. In adult canines the toxocara develop from larvae into fully grown roundworms inside the body. Both eggs and worms are expelled from the body in the animal faeces, and the eggs begin to change into larvae. The larvae are consumed by other dogs and the complex cycle begins again.

Dormant roundworms can be present in the muscle tissue of female dogs which can be galvanized in the course of pregnancy. They can travel across the placenta and can infect mother’s unborn pups. Puppies or kittens that are born infected with roundworms can be seriously ill or may not even be able to survive if they are infected with high numbers of worms.

If your dog or cat begins to lose weight and its fur becomes rough or bristly, this may be an indication that he or she is carrying worms. Kittens and puppies will frequently display a swollen abdomen when they have become infected. A fully grown cat or dog may drag its bottom along the ground or continually lick and try to clean its rear when infected.

Having your pet microchipped is a highly successful way to ensure that your pet is linked to you for life, improving the prospect of the two of you being reunited should your pet ever be stolen or lost.

Many thousands of pets go missing each year and great numbers of them are not ever united with their devastated owners. Many pet owners, vets and animal charities alike consider that the most important factor in the event of a missing pet is whether or not the animal has been microchipped.

When a domestic pet is microchipped it is implanted with a minute microchip tag which bears a unique identity code that it painlessly injected under the animals skin. The owner’s details are recorded against the unique code to the UK’s PetLog database.

If a missing pet is recovered, the code on the microchip can easily be read by a vet, dog warden or animal welfare organisation by running a scanner close to the area where the microchip has been implanted. It is then simply a matter of identifying the code on the PetLog computerised files which in turn reveals the owners details.

These tiny microscopic chips ensure that your pet is identifiable and connected to you safely, reliably and permanently. Any pet can be microchipped, and more than 450,000 cats, dogs and horses within the UK have had a chip implanted over the last five years.

Arthritis in canines is almost as widespread as it is in humans. The main form of arthritis found in dogs is osteoarthritis which is triggered by the weakening and deterioration of the cartilage inside a joint or joints of a dog.

The cartilage is the tissue that prevents the bones inside a joint from grating against one another. As the cartilage disintegrates it brings about a reduction on the joints ability to function adequately, resulting in discomfort and inflexibility.

From the onset canine arthritis is painful for a dog, but in more acute cases can result in extreme physical suffering as the cartilage is completed destroyed and the bones begin to run directly against each other.

Warning that a dog has an issue with a particular joint are electing to use a specific limb over and over again, difficulty when sitting down or standing up, uncharacteristic periods of inactivity, inflexibility in a joint, unwillingness to run around or jump up , and general weariness.

Unfortunately at present there is no known cure for canine arthritis but there are a number of excellent treatments.

Pain relieving ointments are one of the reliable and unparalleled ways to ease the pain caused by canine arthritis. Your vet may also prescribe certain medicines to alleviate any inflammation and discomfort.

When your cat is sick, he cannot tell you that he feels unwell, so as a pet owner you should be responsive to any unusual physical or behavioural symptoms and have him checked over by a veterinary surgeon if you have any concerns regarding his wellbeing, regardless of how trivial they may seem.

The Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV) is an immunosuppressive virus which was discovered more than thirty years ago as being present in a group of cats which were diagnosed with cancer of the white blood cells. It is a fatal illness which causes a massive increase in the production of white blood cells of leukocytes.

In contrast to the human form of leukaemia FeLV is extremely infectious and can be transmitted from one cat to another very quickly. The infection can be frequently passed between cats via contact with urine, faeces or saliva, although there is no suggestion that it can be transmitted to humans.

Whilst symptoms of the disease may differ somewhat from cat to cat, the most common indicators incorporate distended nymph nodes (which will cause pain and make eating and drinking distressing for a cat), anaemia, tiredness, weight loss, diarrhoea, and sneezing, coughing and cancerous tumours

FeLV will ultimately cause loss of life usually from pneumonia or from cancer as a consequence of the loss of cat’s capacity to fight off infection.

Fortunately vets are able to quite easily diagnose FeLV with a simple blood test.
However the limited treatments available to prolong the life of infected cats are usually only effective during the primary period of the disease. They are able to offer immunisation against the FeLV and recommend that any cat that will be allowed outdoors be protected against the disease.

When Reg Walker thought that after his treasured bulldog Coal overcame cancer last year and had his left paw amputated as a result, Coal was in the clear.

That is until he learned that his much-loved best friend faced being put down by his veterinary surgeon when it was discovered that his remaining legs did not have the strength to support his solid frame.

Reg resolved to do whatever it took to return his poorly pooch to health, and laid out more than £10,000 in order have Coal fitted with a technologically advanced ‘bionic’ leg which was custom designed to match his individual tissue and would provide Coal with a normal life.

Titanium alloy was utilised to imitate Coals own hide, which enabled both the skin and bone to effectively secure the sophisticated implant without his body rejecting it.

Coal is only the second animal ever to have received this type of surgery, which was derived from a technique used to save the limb of a victim of the 7/7 bombings in London.

Coals veterinary surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick said of the surgical procedure:-

“This is unique in that it’s the world’s only implant into which skin and bone grow. It is the holy grail of research. If you have an accident and your bone sticks out through your shin, skin will try to grow round it. People have been trying for this for years and years -because with this we get an umbrella of skin attached to the metal.”

As loving pet owners most of us recognise that the care and maintenance of our adored animals costs money.

And as articles revealing a growing number of pets being abandoned by their cash-strapped owners seem to be on the increase in the media, the news that a global leader in pet insurance has confirmed a significant increase in the numbers of responsible pet owners taking out insurance policies on their domestic animals has been met by animal lovers across the world with much relief.

Allianz UK confirmed that its Petplan venture had taken £200million in the last year alone in pet insurance premiums, whilst awarding claims of more than £1million per week. Petplan is a specialist in insurance for domestic pets, and was one of the earliest pet insurers to enter the UK market more than 30 years ago.

The company revealed that their move to make pet insurance available online has encouraged major growth in the pet insurance industry overall.

So it s seems that in increasingly a difficult economic situation, we are still prepared to spend our hard earned cash on our pets.

A leading retailer of pet products and accessories, Pets At Home also confirmed that its revenue has risen twofold over the last 12 months, with much of its income gained from the growing success of its organic pet food produce.

Their commercial director commented recently:-

“People spend more money than ever on their pets, whether that is on better quality food, healthcare, insurance, accessories and even fashion.”

It would appear that our pets are becoming more important to us than ever before. It seems that we want them involved in almost everything that we do.

One pair of newly weds who married on a Highland beach recently would certainly agree - the pairs German Shepherd was not only present at the ceremony, but was awarded the enviable title of bridesmaid for the day!

When 41 year old bride Anne Marie Fulton and her groom, 46 year old Anthony Gallacher got said ‘I do’ in a civil ceremony performed on the sands of Camusdarch Beach in Morar, their pet dog. Caidir attended the ceremony as a bridesmaid.

The blushing bride revealed why the pair gave their beloved pet such a prominent role in their nuptials:-

“We have had Caidir, which means “cherish” in Gaelic, since she was a puppy. She goes everywhere with us. We don’t have children and Caidir is like my baby, so we just had to make her a bridesmaid. While the ceremony was going on, Caidir was digging holes on the beach. It certainly made the wedding a bit different. Everyone, including Caidir, had a fantastic day.”

The groom’s sister who is also the owner of a local pet store was responsible for making Caidir’s outfit for the happy occasion

It has been reported that the latest ‘must have’ pet is none other that the Sugar Glider.

Originating from Australia (where incidentally it is against the law to keep them as pets), the Sugar Glider is a small nocturnal flying possum that is a native of the bush. They have a flexible membrane right across their backs that allows them to launch themselves into the air and glide for as far as 200ft.

A Gliders diet consists of vegetables, fruit and ‘lead-beaters’ – a mixture made up of warm water, baby cereal, boiled eggs, honey and vitamin supplements, and if cared for properly can survive for up to ten years in captivity.

These tiny mammals are literally ‘flying’ off the shelves in pet stores across the UK. With their huge brown eyes, velvety soft fur and their entertaining demeanour, they are being perceived as the perfect pets.

But there are concerns that not enough is known about the care of these miniature marsupials to enable them to be kept as pets.

One experienced breeder said:-

“They are extremely pretty and very tame providing the owner bonds with them, if not they can give a nasty nip.

Sugar gliders are becoming more common as pets and people are travelling all over the country to get them. ‘They are very cute; however they do require a lot of care and attention – far more than a cat or dog.

My only concern with them becoming more popular is that some people will buy them because they are unusual and then get bored. I have already seen one that has ended up in a rescue centre which is very worrying.”

This unease has been re-iterated by the RSPCA who are concerned that Sugar Gliders are not able to withstand hot or damp living conditions and can have their highly sensitive eyesight destroyed by bright lights.