Looking after your aging dog

As your dog gets older it is important to keep a keen eye on its health. Prevention is better than cure and through regular check-ups it will be easier to detect any irregularities or changes in your dog’s health. Tygerberg Animal Hospital recommends that you make an appointment with your vet for a demonstration on checking your pooch’s vital signs. You will be shown how to thoroughly take your pet’s temperature. The average temperature of a healthy dog is 38°C. Your vet will also tell you the normal pulse rate for your dog’s breed and size, as well as how to perform a respiration test and to check your pet’s circulation. Observing your pooch’s water intake and knowing how to check its hydration levels is also very important in monitoring your dog’s health and your vet will be able to provide you with all the information you require.

Problems as a result of over-feeding your fish

As previously mentioned, if your fish is overfed and the water is not changed regularly there are a number of problems that may result. Firstly, low oxygen levels may occur which virtually suffocates the fish, as excess food decays through aerobic processes. Secondly, fins can develop a moth-eaten appearance that often occurs when fish are stressed as a result of overfeeding or poor water conditions. Thirdly, fish may develop ‘fatty liver disease’ which affects the liver function and may result in death. Overfeeding is a major cause of algae bloom. Algal blooms may not be harmful, but in cases of red or blue algal blooms in the tank, the water may become highly toxic to your fish as well as omit a terrible odour. Finally overfeeding may result in clogged filters. The filters are unable to filter the water resulting in a very poor water quality for your fish and increased exposure to numerous fish diseases.

NOT another bite!

Over feeding your fish may result in serious tank-water problems, which may lead to the death of your fish. Fish are small, and don’t require as much food as we may think. Because feeding is one of the only ways we are able to interact with our pets, we tend to feed them every time we walk up to the tank, or we may misinterpret their swimming at the top of the tank as being hungry, which is not necessarily the case. Uneaten food that accumulates in the tank can produce toxic water chemistry changes. This may result in fish diseases and health problems. To avoid overfeeding feed your fish on a schedule (usually twice daily) and feed your fish the proper amount; generally one only feeds them as much as they can eat within 4 to 5 minutes. Always feed based on the number of inhabitants, not the size of your tank.

Little-Pet Care

Preventative health care will save your rodent-pets unnecessary distress. It is important that mice, rats, hamsters and other small pets be examined and their diet and husbandry be reassessed by your vet annually. During your pet’s annual exam include how long you’ve owned your pet; where it was bought; other pets in the house; cage materials and its hygiene; diet; medication use (if any); behavioural changes. Take note of what your vet mentions as his expertise shouldn’t be taken for granted. By providing your vet with as much information as possible and having your pet examined frequently you can help it to maintain good health. It is important, as a pet owner, not to feel ‘silly’ walking into the vet holding your little rodent. They require (and are entitled to) the same kind of care that we would give to our dogs and cats. Some vets have a special interest in small mammals and will appreciate the visit.

Dog Grooming

Grooming your dog is an important part of pet care, even if your pet has a short, coarser coat. Regular grooming ensures that your dog is happy, healthy and comfortable. Some dogs shed their hair, and grooming rids the body of this excess, other dog species however, do not shed their hair and would require a trim much like us. Grooming improves the skin and the coat, helps with cleanliness of the dog, enables the owner to monitor the dog’s health, and allows for a bond to develop between the owner and the dog. Although dogs don’t require a regular bath, it is important to wash their coat with shampoo once in a while. Two washes ensure that the coat is clean, and make certain that all of the shampoo has been rinsed from the dog’s coat otherwise it may irritate the skin. Bathing your pooch too much may strip the coat of its natural oils and dry the hair out.