Friday, May 30, 2008
Good vet advice
Your animal’s vet is a trained professional in animal well being and is perceptive enough to pick up on any subtle needs or niggles that your pet might be experiencing. Vet advice can range from anything to do with nutritional health to general health and specific medical conditions. If your pet is still very young or if your animal is older your vet advice will be set to their specific age requirements with all of their individual needs taken into consideration.
One thing to remember is that vet advice is in the long run the safer bet, by following your vet advice your vet will be able to better track your pet’s developments and growth over their life time. When you are looking for information do ask around but ultimately get a vet to weigh in with reliable and good vet advice.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Pet Insurance: a good idea
Medipet’s insurances packages offer you all of the benefits of reliable cover and peace of mind and offer you extra assistance in other and unexpected times of need. This includes helping you to offer a reward and advertise for your pet’s safe return if your beloved animal were ever to go missing. Medipet’s insurance package will also cover the cost of vet prescribed foods for up to six months. Covering your pet with a good insurance package means that you can take care of the routine vet visits and that you do not have to worry about the costs of any unexpected trips to see a vet.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Cat food concerns
There are more and more studies going into the affects of over processed and unnatural foods and as responsible dog and cat owners it is our duty to make sure that we are aware of what we feed out animals. With new products continually entering the dog and cat food market all we can do is be sure to check labels, talk to our fellow pet owners and consult our animal’s vets about the new and better foods to be feeding our pets.
Whether your pet is healthy or dealing with a medical concern a large part of their mental and physical well being relies on the food that they eat, so be sure to find out what is in your animal’s dog or cat food and check with a vet which food is best for your pet to be eating as a regular part of their diet.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Seeing is believing: robot litter box cleaners!
The Litter Robot is a highly effective and unique way of ridding yourself of those litter box blues. With this machine doing all of the cleaning work for you, you can have a well deserved chance for a pet holiday as a reward for all the time you have spent changing and cleaning litter boxes in the past. The Litter Robot is a machine that looks a lot like a washing machine, except that it does not completely seal up – your cat still needs a window to jump in and out of to use the litter tray. Once your cat has done his or her business the robot sifts out the waste and clumped litter leaving the litter your cat uses clean and the waste all in a easy to remove and throw away bag. Changing litter has never been easier!
To see more about this incredible invention visit:http://www.catsplay.com/litter_robot.php3 and give yourself the break of a pet holiday as this incredible machine saves you from a lot of litter box woes!
Monday, May 26, 2008
New developments in cat litter boxes
When it comes to litter box furniture you may think that it will the item of furniture will be something else that you will have to clean, but thankfully cat litter box houses are solid and convenient houses for storing your cat’s litter box. These houses are designed in various forms from elegant cupboard designs to simple cat litter box concealers to incredibly useful all in one kitty care centers. The litter box houses allow you to hide the litter box from sight while your cat still has easy access to their own private toilets.
If you are really looking for a break from the hassle of having to clean up a litter box then the latest in self cleaning litter boxes is your ideal solution!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Watching your dog's health
Good dog health is about so much more than just what your dog eats, their health relates to how they are treated by you and how well they are doing in their environments. Just as with humans, when dogs are mistreated, are neglected or feel cramped and uncomfortable in their spaces they do not live as good, and as a healthy a life, as they could, or should.
To improve on, or to maintain your dog’s health, the best things to do are to be sure that you are giving your pet enough attention, that they are eating the right foods – in the right amounts – and that they are happy in the home that they live in. As a part of your life, ensuring your dog is happy and healthy means that you too can be a happier, healthier and well rounded person, that gives the same unconditional love to your pet as your pet gives to you.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Pet furniture
Pet furniture comes in a wide range of choices, from animal beds to cat or dog cushions, to miniature houses and tents that your pets can crawl into and cosily curl up in. If you are trying to get your pets off of your furniture because of the fur and dirt they leave behind then getting them a soft and comfy dog cushion or cat bed may be just the solution you have been looking for! And the great thing about animal furniture is that they look great and can easily fit into your home’s existing décor.
D.A.R.G. ADOPT-A-THON this sunday!
D.A.R.G. ADOPT-A-THON
Sunday, 25th May 2008
Main Road, Hout Bay
10am - 4pm
Please come along to the annual D.A.R.G. ADOPT-A-THON and support us in our efforts to raise
much-needed funds for all the abandoned and abused animals we rescue, sterilize, care for and try to re-home. Whether you wish to adopt a pet or not, please pop in and take a walk through our lovely cat gardens, feral park and newly-built kennels to see how donations help us improve the lives of all the animals in our care.
We have a number of fun and exciting events planned for the day:
➢ Sand Sculpting Demo W.P. Dog-jumping Demonstration The Bird Man
➢ Idols Contest Entertainment (Heather de Wit), DJ Watering Hole
➢ Art Competition Face Painting Jumping Castle
➢ Book Stall Tombola Stall Bric-a-Brac
➢ Donkey Rides in our newly-established petting farm, Noah's Ark Educational
Park, where children of all ages can cuddle the cutest piglets, guinea pigs, bunnies and also see our two-month old calf!
Light meals and refreshments will also be on sale. Please support us! Entrance: R5.00 per person. You can make a difference...
Children:
1. Participate in the D.A.R.G. Idols Contest – enquire and enter on the day.
2. Enter the D.A.R.G. Art Competition. Draw a picture of your favourite animal, write your name,
age and telephone number on the back of your entry and drop it off at D.A.R.G. together with
R10.00 by no later than Friday, 23rd May 2008.
Volunteers: We need help walking the dogs, socialising puppies, grooming cats and cuddling
kittens. If you can give a little love and attention to our animals, please pop in between 9am and
4pm on any day.
Sponsors & Suppliers:
If you can assist us in any way or would like a stall for the day, kindly
contact Heather on (021) 790-0383 or (021) 790-2050.
Should you not be able to adopt a pet or attend the D.A.R.G. ADOPT-A-THON this year, please
consider making a donation or sponsoring one of our sanctuary animals. Our bank details and
photos of all our animals can be found on our website: www.darg.org.za
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Things you need to know about spaying and neutering
If you have no intention of your breeding your pets then by having female pets spayed you can save your pet undue dog and cat health issues, and physical and mental stress caused by the natural heat cycle that occurs every three weeks and lasts four to five days. In male pets you can also save a lot of undue stress as a neutered male will tend to roam and fight a lot less than an un-neutered male pet, and once neutered male cats also stop marking their territory, i.e. your furniture.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Choosing your vet
In a time of true need and when your pet most requires fast and good medical attention the last thing you want to be is uncertain of where to go or who to go to. By picking a good vet before a moment of crisis you can be assured of fast and assistance because you will know where to go to, and you can be out at a bit of ease knowing that your dog or cat is the best hands that you could find. If you are looking around for a Johannesburg vet, or for a vet in your part of the country, there are certain measures to take to be sure that you are choosing the right doctor for your pet.
You can start out by asking neighbours and friends in your area where they take their pets or browse telephone directories. By finding a vet close to your home you can get your pet to medical care a lot faster than if your vet was further away. Next you can give a few of the vet clinics a visit, just to see what they are like and to meet a few vets to see which clinics and which vet you feel most comfortable entrusting with your pet’s health.
By scouting around a bit and by asking relevant questions you can feel at peace with your choice in a doctor for your pet by knowing that they have the best Cape Town, Durban, or Johannesburg vet that you could find.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Being aware of pet health and abuse
Many animals that get caught in or between abusive relationships bare the brunt of the abuse as they are used as bargaining tools and are threatened with their pet health and with their lives. Animals are often threatened, injured or killed as a means for the perpetrator to frighten or intimidate children or partners. In these cases the animal’s pet health and overall safety needs to be taken into consideration and the best option is for the partner to get him, or herself, and the pet out of the abusive environment and to place of safety.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Pet health concerns
To make this job even easier, and to lighten the responsibility on your shoulders, there is the wonderful option of taking out pet insurance to cover your pet health in your animal’s time of need. With the reliability of pet insurance you can step back from the concern of your pet receiving the best medical attention and you do not even have to worry about how to pay for your pet health and veterinary costs. With Medipet you and your pet are covered. You are taken care of financially and can be free from worry while your pet receives the best medical attention, leaving you to enjoy your time with your pet without ever having to worry about their pet health or pet health costs.
Medipet offers affordable and reliable pet health insurance to both cats and dogs from R115 a month for cats to R125 a month for dogs.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Dog training
Dog training is best started when your dog your dog is still a puppy, this will teach from the get go what they may do and how they may do things.
Getting your dog properly trained when they are older is just a little more difficult, but not at all impossible. The older dogs get the more set in their ways and habits they become, so getting your dog to know your boundaries and teaching them better habits from a younger age through good dog training habits will do them and you a lot of good.
When you want to start training your dog, find out about local dog training centres or even trained and qualified private trainers, and remember to be consistent with whatever you teach your dog and to take the training habits home with you after any dog training classes.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Animal safety tips
Animal safety tips in regards to children are pretty basic – you need to make sure that your child is not susceptible to getting sick through their handling of animals. This can be ensured by washing, and teaching your child to wash, their hands after having played with or even just petted an animal. Kids are known to touch a lot of objects and the washing of hands is especially important before eating a meal. And by making sure that your animals themselves are kept clean you can prevent unwanted germs, viruses and diseases from entering your home. Other things to teach your child about animal safety include not approaching animals that are unfamiliar to them; this means strays, and other animals that may prove dangerous in any way – from violent temperaments to illnesses.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Choosing Puppies
Weimaraner’s and full grown dogs and as puppies are sleek, elegant dogs that are bred either with short or long hair, while the Pharaoh Hound is completely distinctive from any other dog breed with its long pointed ears and perfectly almond shaped eyes. If sleek smooth furred dogs and puppies are not quite your thing then the Spanish Water dog is your ideal – with its furry, soft and extremely cute puppy dog eyes tucked in a head of really curly fur! Unusual dog breed’s are an absolute pleasure to own, so when choosing your own new dog or puppies remember to scout around a bit first!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Cat Litter
Litter boxes can be the bane of existence for most indoor cat owners but they are necessary and they fulfill a very important purpose. Something that has oft been spoken about and is still the question that haunts many cat litter box owners is how often the cat litter should be changed. I have two cats and they both use the litter box, so I clean out the box daily but only change the litter every second day.
The trick with a cat litter box is that you preferably want to get it cleaned out and filled with fresh litter before it starts to smell. My two cats do not get outside at all, and so they are both very reliant on using the cat litter box, if your cat uses the cat litter box less, or infrequently, then you may be able to get away with cleaning it out daily and changing the cat litter less frequently, if this is the case then your better option may be just to put less litter in the box and to still change it every two or three days.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
A little bit of animal assistance
Needs for animal assistance can range from anything like advice on bathing and the right foods to feed your pet, to your cat or dog needing medical attention. A lot of this animal assistance you can get from local pet shops or by simply asking your vet but there are instances when animal assistance needs some extra planning. This is where pet insurance comes into the picture to make your life easier and worry free knowing that you animal will have all the help he or she needs whenever they should need it.. Planning ahead is one of the best ways to ensure that when it is needed you have easy, fast and reliable access to the best animal assistance that you can provide for your cat or dog.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Some interesting kitten thoughts
The cat’s amazingness can also be attributed to their great eye sight. A cat can see about six times better than a human at night because of the tapetum lucidum , a layer of extra reflecting cells which absorb light.
Kittens and cats are also very perceptive creatures and can also ‘see’
vibrations and movements through their finely tuned whiskers.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Animal injections - keeping up to date
The biennial injections are designed to protect your pet from common and even less common ailments that have been known to affect domestic animals. These ailments range from cat flu to viruses and other potential animal health risks. Having the shots means that your pet will be well protected from a host of diseases and with a boosted immunity they will be better able to fight of any viruses that they may get into to contact with. Even if your pet is an indoors animal having the injections is still highly recommended to ensure that your pet is healthy with a great immune system that can fight off any potential health risks.
Monday, May 5, 2008
To clone or not to clone?
Dear Readers,
With sci-fi fiction and fantasy books making an all-time high in popular culture nowadays, we thought you might be interested to hear about the latest scientific research that could affect your pets. The following article represents a breakthrough in modern technology, and is from the News24 website if you wish to pursue the topic further. Enjoy!
Seoul - A South Korean biotech company is offering dog owners the chance to
clone their pet through a service that can cost up to $148 000 (R1.1m) for
a puppy.
RNL Bio, affiliated with the South Korean lab that produced the
world's first cloned canine, expects to deliver its first cloned dog in about a
year to a US woman in her 50s who saved biological material from her beloved pit
bull that recently died.
"These days, dogs are treated like family members.
There are many owners who would rather clone a favourite pet than adopt a new
one after it dies," said RNL Bio President Ra Jeong-chan.
RNL Bio is
affiliated with the team at Seoul National University (SNU) that produced the
world's first cloned dog, which has been verified through independent testing.
The same SNU lab has been implicated in a scandal for deliberately
fabricating data in separate studies on human embryonic stem cells.
RNL
expects it can clone about 30 pet dogs a year at present and increase that
number to about 200 by 2010, with costs going down as the cloning technology
increases in efficiency, Ra said.
Costs will drop
Lee Byeong-chun, the
Seoul National University professor who has led previous canine cloning
projects, said of the partnership: "Within one or two years, we will see costs
drop to a reasonable level."
Dogs are considered one of the most difficult
mammals to clone because of their unpredictable reproductive cycle as well as
difficulties in inducing ovulation and fertilising eggs in the lab.
RNL and
the university lab have also teamed up to clone drug-sniffing dogs, seeing-eye
dogs and other types of dogs used by governments and charities at a much cheaper
rate than for pet owners, they said.
The Korea Customs Service said it has
signed a memorandum of understanding with the team for cloning drug-sniffing
dogs.
The SNU lab was once led by disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk, who is
now standing trial on charges of fraud, embezzlement and violating the country's
bioethics laws.
You can find related stories when you follow the thread from this story's original location at http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_2270675,00.html
Dog and Cat health
When you are grooming and checking your cat or dog you can easily spot fleas, ticks, rashes, scars and other potential and unknown health problems. Cat health is very important to maintain and looking after you pet’s well being is a job that does not require a lot of time or effort but just needs to be done with a few simple checks on a consistent basis.
It is also a good idea to do overall body checks on your cat or dog before a visit the vet, so that if there are any problem areas you can bring them to your vet’s attention and find out if anything is wrong. Good dog and cat health is necessary for your pet’s well being and for you and your family to maintain a happy, healthy household.