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Mealtime
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Providing Care
Puppies
Feed a high quality diet designed for puppies. A wide variety of diets and formulations are available and your veterinarian should be your primary source of information as to the best choice for your puppy. The amount fed will vary with the type of food and the individual dog, but in general,
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The Decision
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Saying Goodbye
Your decision is a personal one, but it need not be a solitary one. Your veterinarian and your family and friends can assist and support you.
How Do I Make The Decision?
Your relationship with your pet is special, and you are responsible for its care and welfare. Eventually, many owners are faced with
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Camping with Pets
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Travel
Camping with pets presents its own challenges. Skunks, raccoons, porcupines, snakes, and other wildlife can bite or otherwise injure your pet. Keep your pet within sight and on a leash. Be considerate of other campers. Be sure to ask your veterinarian about flea, tick and heartworm prevention.
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Planning and Preparation
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Travel
Planning and preparation are necessary when traveling with family pets. Consider whether your pet is comfortable when traveling. Some animals, like some people, function better in familiar surroundings. A car-sick animal can make a trip miserable for everyone. Some ill or physically impaired dogs and
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Travel by Airplane
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Travel
Air travel is of most concern to pet owners. You can minimize the chances of an unpleasant experience by following a few guidelines. Federal regulations require that pets be at least 8 weeks old and weaned at least 5 days before flying. Generally, a health certificate (which is not more than 10 days
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Travel by Car
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Travel
Pets should not be allowed to ride with their heads outside car windows. Particles of dirt can enter the eyes, ears, and nose, causing injury or infection.
If your pet is not accustomed to car travel, take it for a few short rides before your trip. Cats should be confined to a cage or crate to allow
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First Aid
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Providing Care
Never leave dangerous objects like pins, needles, or fish hooks within reach. Keep poisonous products and materials far from your pet's reach as you would with a child.
Of course, before an emergency ever arises, it's a good idea to learn all you can about first aid techniques and pet health care. Never
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Grooming
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Providing Care
Cats
Felines do a good job of grooming themselves, but regular brushing to prevent matting of hair is important. Cats rarely need a bath, but one can be given if necessary. Cats object to bathing in slippery tubs, so give your kitten something to cling to, such as a wood platform or a wire screen. Use
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Exams and Vaccinations
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Bringing Your Pet Home
Experts agree that widespread use of vaccines within the last century has prevented death and disease in millions of animals.
Pets, like people, can be protected from some diseases by vaccination. Although this resource provides basic information about vaccinations for your dog or cat, your veterinarian
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Obedience and Training
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Bringing Your Pet Home
Obedience training helps prevent negative encounters between family members and the dog. It reinforces the bond between the handler(s) and pet.
Obedience Training
A MUST for every good family dog, regardless of size or breed! Puppies may start classes when they are as young as 8 weeks old. Obedience
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Travel by Bus or Train
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Travel
Most states prohibit animals from riding on buses and similar regulations restrict travel on trains. Exceptions are made for guide and service dogs accompanying blind and disabled persons. Consult your local carriers in advance for information.
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Cockatiels
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Exotics, Birds
Cockatiels are among the most popular pet birds. Small parrots with a variety of color patterns and a crest, they are attractive as well as friendly and easy to tame. Because of their small size, cockatiel care and taming is easier than some other parrot species. They are capable of mimicking speech,
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Zebra Finches
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Exotics, Birds
In general, finches have an expected lifespan of anywhere from 5-15 years. The wide range here can probably be attributed to species differences as well as an increased understanding of their husbandry, especially diet. Zebra finches are arguably the most popular bird species found in the North American
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Leopard Geckos
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Exotics, Reptiles, Lizards
The scientific name for leopard gekos is Eublepharis Macularius. They may live 20 or more years and grow to be approximately 8-10 inches long. Their common coloring is yellow and white with black spots (hatchlings start out striped, and gradually change to the spotted appearance). There are several color
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Green Anoles
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Exotics, Reptiles, Lizards
Species: Anolis carolinensis.
Sometimes also called American chameleons, although they are not true chameleons. They can do a color change from green to brown, especially when stressed.
Quite readily available in the pet trade.
Life span averages around 4 years, although they can live longer
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Handling and Restraint
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Small Mammals, Rabbits, Choosing Your Pet, Small Mammals
Improper handling may cause serious, life-threatening injuries. Fractures and dislocations of the back, most often resulting in paralysis of both rear legs, are the most common injuries. These injuries occur when rabbits are suddenly frightened and attempt to escape from a small enclosure.
A rabbit's
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Ferret Health
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Small Mammals, Ferrets, Choosing Your Pet, Small Mammals
You will need to take your ferret in to your veterinarian twice a year for a medical checkup and yearly vaccinations. Ferrets require yearly inoculations against canine distemper. They are highly susceptible to canine distemper and it is always fatal. Do not forget to inoculate against this every year!
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Food and Housing
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Small Mammals, Rabbits
Food
Feeding pet rabbits is easy because nutritionally complete and balanced commercial pelleted diets are readily available. One of these pelleted diets and fresh water are all a pet rabbit requires. The pellets should be offered at all times unless overeating and obesity have become problems. The pellets
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Behavior and Training
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Small Mammals, Ferrets
Ferrets have powerful, distinct and engaging personalities, and a playful and fastidious nature. Ferrets are diurnal creatures with their periods of greatest activity just before sunrise and shortly after sunset. They sleep about eighteen to twenty hours of the day, waking up twice a day for very active
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Food and Housing
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Small Mammals, Ferrets
Food
Ferrets are exceptionally playful, so expect your ferret to tip over his food and water bowls. Check on them often, tape them down, or use an unspillable bowl. Rodent water bottles are not recommended as a ferret may damage his teeth on the spout. Because ferrets have such rapid metabolism, they
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Selecting a Puppy or Older Dog
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Dogs
Selecting A Puppy
A new puppy can be a terrific addition to a family, but with the fun comes responsibility for its care and well-being. Consider and prepare for your puppy's needs before you adopt! Pick a puppy that is active, friendly, and inquisitive. Avoid the one that appears to be afraid of everything
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Breed Characteristics
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Cats
Each cat breed has certain characteristics. Although every cat is unique, certain breeds tend to be more inquisitive, lively, placid, vocal, or gentle than others. Veterinarians, cat-fancy clubs, pet stores, and cat shows are good sources of information about the personalities of various breeds. When
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You & Your Vet
Category:
Today's Veterinarian
Your veterinarian will rely on your awareness of small changes in your pet's behavior or habits.
As the pet owner, you must communicate your pet's health care needs to your veterinarian. No one knows your pet like you. Many signs of illness are subtle. Your veterinarian will rely on your awareness of
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What We Do
Category:
Today's Veterinarian
Doctors of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Surgeons are medical professionals whose primary responsibility is protecting the health and welfare of animals and people. The term "veterinarian" comes from veterinae, which means "working animals." Every veterinarian has gone through extensive medical
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The Veterinary Approach
Category:
Today's Veterinarian
Veterinarians employ state-of-the-art technology that is very similar to technology used in the treatment of humans. Veterinarians in private clinical practice work to prevent disease and other health problems in their patients. They examine animal patients, vaccinate them against diseases, prevent the
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What We Learn
Category:
Today's Veterinarian
Students interested in a career in veterinary medicine should begin their preparation by doing well in general science and biology in junior high school. They need to take a strong science, math, and biology program in high school. Admission into veterinary medical school is competitive.
To be considered
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Euthanasia
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Saying Goodbye
You may have concluded that it's time to euthanize a pet. Or, maybe the vet told you that euthanizing is in the pet's best interest. Now, you have a responsibility. You now have to explain to your child what happens during the process. You also have to emphasize the fact that the procedure is humane
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Rainbow Bridge
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Saying Goodbye
You understand that pets get older, they suffer from health problems, and several other issues can affect their lifespans. Children don't quite understand that pets reach the end of their lives. Your child may have a great deal of emotion when a pet passes or is going to be euthanized. They might also
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Advantages & Benefits
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Children and Pets
If you’re still on the fence about getting a pet for your child, you should know that there are many benefits of owning a pet for children. Of course, there are responsibilities and other aspects of pet ownership that need to be considered. Owning a pet is a big decision. But there are definitely more
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Introductions
Category:
Living With Your Pet, Children and Pets
Bringing an animal home to become a member of your family is certainly an exciting time. However, you want to be careful when your new cat or dog first meets your kids. Here are a few of our best tips on how to introduce new pets to children in a way that fosters a bond from the very start.
Have Plenty
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Mistakes to Avoid as a Cat Owner
Category:
Newsletter Library
Do you make any of these common mistakes with your cat?
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Leptospirosis
Category:
Pet Health, Diseases and Viruses, Pet Health
Leptospirosis is a serious, life-threatening disease caused by a spiral shaped bacteria. Dogs, cats, other animals and even people can be infected through exposure to urine, bite wounds, ingestion of infected flesh, or contact with contaminated soil, water and even bedding. Certain environmental conditions
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Dentistry
Category:
Pet Health, Digestive and Oral Health, Pet Health
Over 85% of dogs and cats have some type of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease simply means that the gums and bone that hold the teeth in place are being destroyed by oral bacteria. This preventable disease is the number one diagnosed disease in our pets, yet many animals suffer needlessly. Periodontal
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Feline Distemper
Category:
Pet Health, Diseases and Viruses
Feline distemper or feline panleukopenia is a highly contagious viral disease of kittens and adult cats caused by the feline parvovirus. It is also called panleukopenia as it affects the bone marrow and causes low white blood cell counts. It is relatively common in unvaccinated cats and is often fatal,
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Bloat and Gastric Torsion
Category:
Pet Health, Digestive and Oral Health
Bloat and gastric torsion is a serious condition and your pet should be rushed to the emergency room if this occurs. Certain breeds of dogs with deep chests and narrow waists, such as hounds, bouvier des Flandres, or doberman pinschers are more susceptible to a syndrome of gastric torsion and bloat.
This
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