Cat Doors: An Overview

by Pet Care on October 19, 2009


If you decide to have a house cat you may want to consider investing in one or two cat flaps depending on the size of your house. Cat flaps take away the need to get up and down to let your cat in, and make for a more peaceful life, and a happier cat that enjoys his freedom.

It pays to have a professional install them so that they won’t let water in whenever it rains; it’s also important to make sure they’re well fixed to the door so that they won’t fall off with time.

Careful with Burglars

When fitting cat flaps it is also important to think about the security of your house, and by careful positioning of the cat flap you will ensure that you do not compromise the security in anyway. The standard placement for them is near the bottom of the door where your cat can walk through without having to jump up and balance on a ledge.

Cat flaps are not considered to be big enough for a burglar to be able crawl through, but obviously they are a good size for a potential thief to get his hand through and gain access to your keys if you leave them dangling in the lock, or close by on the side

Other Cats

Pay attention; although burglars and thieves can’t go inside your house using cat doors, other cats in the neighborhood will have no problem whatsoever, and you might not want that. However, you can solve this problem by getting one of the modern cat doors which includes a locking system that can identify your cat’s collar, allowing only it to come in.

These doors are locked by magnets, which are rendered inactive by the presence of your cat’s collar; however, they will keep the door shut even if another cat tries to push it.

What Is a Cat Door?

by Pet Care on October 19, 2009


A cat door is often installed in a home with a cat. This type of door is also known as a cat flap. The purpose of a cat flap is to let a cat inside and outside whenever it wants. These doors have been improved greatly from the time they were invented. These days, pet doors are framed with sturdy and versatile plastic or wood. The doors themselves are built to last the comings and goings of the cat. Durability and sturdiness are important when considering getting a cat door.

Size And Frame

When you buy a cat flap, consider the breed and size of your cat. Some cats are larger than most while others seem quite finely boned that they cannot actually push open a heavy cat door. Regardless of the door, the frame should be easily installed, yet resistant enough to last during different types of weather.

Some cat doors are built in glass while others are installed through walls. The size and frame of the cat should be in accordance with the size and frame of the cat door.

Electric or Magnetic

These types of cat doors work in coordination with the cat itself. Some doors can detect the approach of the cat through the electronic collar that it’s wearing. This gives the advantage of allowing only the cat that’s wearing the collar to go inside the house. This is a safety feature for cats that are chased by children, dogs, or other cats. The disadvantage to this is that if the “key” gets lost, the pet is left out on its own until such time that its owner wonders where it could be. Other types of cat doors detect the animal and not the collar that it’s wearing. There are limitations to the size of the animal that the sensor may detect.

What to Consider when Buying an Automatic Pet Door

by Pet Care on October 19, 2009


When a family goes on vacation, they want to relax and forget about their obligations, including taking care of the pet or taking the pet to an expensive pet hotel (assuming they can find one). Instead they could look into getting an automatic pet door for their pet that would allow the animal to come in and out as they pleased.

Where to See an Atomatic Pet Door

Most times when someone buys an automatic pet door they buy an automatic dog door. Dogs need to go in and out of a house constatly due to their nature. It is not unusual at all to see an automatit dog door in houses in neighborhoods where crime is low.

Normally with an automatic pet door the animal has on a collar which signals to the door to open and let them in. The collar is preprogrammed by the retailer or manufacturer and is usually offered along with the automatic pet door at a discount. A cat can also use the automatic pet door if the cat is considered an outside cat. This is specially useful for cats that spend more time outside that inside.

The system also allows guard dogs to follow intruders into the house if they break in, or out the yard, if they try to escape.

The automatic pet door is convenient to install and is normally just mounted on a door that leads outside of the home. This can be a garage door, patio door, or just the back door of any home. Since they require some investment, you should definitely compare prices before buying in order to get a fair price.

The Best Dog Grooming- A Great Solution for Remaining Your Dog in a Better Health

by Pet Care on October 16, 2009


Good pet health is closely related to grooming. It’s just like with humans, animals feel best when they are well taken care of. The best dog grooming is usually defined by factors like budget, dog size, dog personality and breed. Moreover, you’ll have to determine the grooming frequency starting from these, turning nail cutting, hair combing and ear cleaning into a routine. The best dog grooming is normally achieved by following a vet’s recommendations. Some people prefer doing it a home with the appropriate tools while others feel it more comfortable to take the pet to a professional groomer.

Brushing is the grooming part that most dogs enjoy, and a shiny clean coat is the right premise for good health. The brushes have to be adjusted to the dog’s hair. Thus, thick-haired dogs require daily brushing to prevent hair matting and tangling. It doesn’t take long and it makes things a lot easier when you take the dog to the groomer for the regular grooming routine. Medium-haired dogs need brushing once a week only, while short-haired breeds raise almost no problems in terms of brushing. Make sure to provide the best dog grooming possible during the shedding season as a way to prevent hair building up or excessive shedding.

While brushing is a joy, nail trimming is a nightmare. The gentlest of dogs will not like you handling his paws, which makes nail trimming challenging for most pet owners. Coming up with the best dog grooming solution for the matter means avoiding the pet’s fear of pain, since this will make things a lot easier. A professional groomer or vet technician should be entrusted with nail trimming at least once a month, which is the best idea for everybody involved.

Bathing is another harsh time for pets and owners. Some dogs love washing, but what about a wet dog running out of the tub and making a mess everywhere in the house? Although a monthly bath is enough, you can bathe the animal weekly if the smell bothers you. Other than smell, bathing makes the perfect solution for hair parasites. Special shampoos are used depending on the case, and occasionally, the vet may have to give some recommendations too.

This best dog grooming article is helpful for solving your pet health problem. If you are still being curious about other author’s article, you can check out his latest website on overhead projector bulbs that recommends you to buy the best projector light bulbs.

Golden Retreiver – Health Factors

by Pet Care on October 14, 2009


Eye disease is common with Golden Retrievers. The vast majority of Golden’s will generally have inherited cataracts, this is a common eye problem. At an early age, with affected Golden’s, one sort of hereditary cataract will look like. Even though it can not cause hindrance with the vision of the Golden Retriever, some dogs will advance into whole and quite possibly severe poor sight.

From time-to-time, Golden Retrievers can obtain affected by non inherited cataracts, even though an investigation by a board certified veterinarian can settle on just how bad the cataracts actually are. If cataracts are indeed suspected with a Golden Retriever, then breeding won’t be recommended. Breeding a Golden that has so situation can result in difficult problems, such as inheritance from mother to pups.

A lot of families of the Golden Retriever breed desire been recognized to have genes for CPRA (Central Progressive Retinal Atrophy), which affects the retina, and can extend to permanent blindness for Golden’s at a young age. There are supplementary types of eye defects as well, such as retinal dysplasia, which halts a Golden from breeding.

Trouble with both the eyelid and eyelashes are also a chance with Golden Retrievers, with some being the result of hereditary factors. Any eyelids rotating in or out, or the eyelashes rubbing on or in the eye are both common issues with the breed. Even if surgery can assist to repair these types of issues|problems}, dogs that are experiencing this type of problem shouldn’t have access breed nor enter in competitions under any sort of AKC rules.

You may always insist to have your Golden Retriever examined every year for eye disease, as it can arise at any age. When you take your Golden to have him examined for eye disease, you may have a veterinary ophthalmologist do the exam. He has all of the required tools, and the right qualifications needed to ensure that your dog receives quality examination possible.

Problems with the heart
SAS (Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis) is an most frequent and prevalent form of heart disease inside the entire Golden Retriever group. If you decide to breed your Golden Retriever, you may desire him examined for heart disease by a certified veterinary cardiologist. If the cardiologist uncovers a heart murmur, he may propose extra tests for your dog.

Heartgard for Dogs, a good heartworm medicine for dogs, may and may not work here.

At the event that results so far prove negative, it doesn’t necessarily rule heart disease out, as some smaller forms can be present, even if undetectable. If a Golden Retriever is diagnosed to desire any sort of heart disease, he shouldn’t breed. Breeding Golden Retrievers who have heart disease can result in difficult and occasionally mortal results. To be with the safe side, you may have your Golden checked for his disease before you prepare on breeding.

Personalized Dog Collar – Why Buy one

by Pet Care on October 13, 2009


Why Personalized Dog Collar

If you have a dog, you would know that it is a requirement that the dog should have a dog collar, so that you can effectively keep all of his/her legal tags attached to him/her at all times for safety. Since dog collars are mandatory, a lot of pet owners are choosing to make the best out of the situation, by using personalized dog collars, so that the collar can at least be unique.

You can easily make your dog stand out and be unique simply by getting him/her a specialized collar.

Here are some tips and advice on finding the best personalized dog collar…..

Personalized Dog Collar -

Depending on the kind of dog you have, you can get all kinds of custom designed collars in all makes of collars, including regular snap on collars, leather, and martingales. The collars can easily reflect your personality or your dog’s as they come in so many makes and styles which you can easily adapt your personal touch to by having the manufacturing company add things like rhinestones, spikes, name branding and other great touches.

Unique collars -

Gold, silver, platinum, and other precious metals can be added to the collar to make it unique, and you can also choose from many different materials for the collar itself, such as suede, leather, vinyl, and even cotton. Rhinestone Dog Collar are quickly becoming a popular and unique addition to personalized dog collars.

Gemstones such as zircons, rubies, crystals, and even diamonds are often used to create gorgeous and very original patterns and designs on the collars.

The most common and popular use of gemstones on collars, is crystals placed to spell out your pet’s name onto the collar, and also to add unique patterns, if desired. Unique collars are great, because they are still a collar, which means they will function like any other collar, except they make your dog special and stand out, which can also help if your dog were ever to be lost.

Sizes -

Since dogs come in all different sizes, it would be quite obvious that you can find a personalized dog collar sized to fit your dog as well.

Dog’s collars are measured in inches, and most often the bigger the dog, the larger their collar, however this is not always the case, but keep the following chart in mind:

- Tiny dogs (ex. teacup), 8-9 inches
- small sized dogs, 10-14 inches
- Small/Medium dogs, 14-16in
- Medium dogs, 16 to 18 inches
- Larger dogs, 20 to 22 inches
- Very large dogs- 22-24 inches

Most collars have a width of about ½ an inch to about 1 inch, and to scale things..

Jack Russels, Shelties and other similar sized dogs most often fall into the “small dog” category, as most have a neck circumference of about 10-14 in; which should help you to scale where your dog fits into the chart. Bigger dogs, like Labs, Retrievers, Dalmatians etc.. can have a varied collar size, because their neck sizes generally range anywhere from 14 to 20 inches, and likewise for large breed dogs; which is why you should always measure your dog’s neck circumference.

Ease Animal Pain Relief with Microcurrent Therapy

by Pet Care on October 12, 2009


Corky my lovable and energetic Lhasa Apso is an agility expert. Soon, Corky became the agility ring champion. Running through the tunnels was one of his favourite activities. He lives for our training sessions and competitions. Corky was given to me as a gift on my sixtieth birthday. Corky was a real pain the neck: he destroyed things at home and even ate our food but still, he was adorable. I didn’t know what to do and I was very upset about the whole thing. One day, I told myself that I should check out the internet for some answers. I learned that hyperactive dogs like mine are sometimes the best athletes and the good thing was I stumbled a training center for agility dogs. Corky became calmer at home and it was easier to manage him on a leash after several training sessions. Canine Depression

Corky slowed down when he got older. He had problems with balance and began displaying symptoms of stiffness. I told myself that maybe it was time to retire him. He hated his retirement. Corky started showing signs of canine depression and dog anxiety. So there I was in front of the computer, looking for answers to Corky’s problems. I found a center that uses electronic current to help pets achieve balance in their bodies, it’s called Midwest Microcurrent. This place is amazing.

Corky was diagnosed with arthritis, anxiety and depression after thorough evaluation by the staff. When I learned I could do most of the Alpha-Stim sessions at home I became excited. By purchasing the Alpha-Stim machine, I don’t have to bring him to Midwest Microcurrent every single day. Never had I been happier when Midwest Microcurrent brought the old Corky back. Dog anxiety and canine depression can be debilitating to a canine. Included in Corky’s treatment was the CES or dog cranial electrotherapy stimulation. This relieved the anxiety, depression and pain in one session by using a proprietary waveform which is clipped to the ear. The Alpha-Stim Control System uses tiny electrical impulses to stimulate the impulses in the body. The electrodes placed on Corky’s hips relieved his arthritis pain. Using physical rehabilitation we were able to achieve dog pain relief. We even encouraged Corky to undergo underwater treadmill so that he’ll be as fit as before. The Alpha-Stim sessions made Corky very relaxed and it afforded him a better sleep each time. Animal Chiropractic

Easy Access to Animal Pain Relief

by Pet Care on October 12, 2009


I’m an elderly gentleman who has lived in the same neighborhood for over forty years. What a blow to old Joe. Floo has become Joe’s family since Joe’s son died in the war. Every morning, I do some walking exercise and some socializing. Joe, my neighbor, has lived here almost as long as I have. There was this day I was having a chat with Joe over the fence. Joe opened the gate to get his mail when Floofie or Floo squeezed through. She scurried down the street and to our horror, got ran over by a car. Floo was hurled onto the street and crash landed with a loud thud. Because the dog suffered two broken hips and a broken back, the vet informed Joe that his dog wouldn’t be able to walk after the surgery. She was diagnosed with canine paralysis. Animal Chiropractic

I saw Joe and Floo a month later while I was doing my usual walks in the neighborhood. Joe was holding a strap which was wrapped under Floo’s back parts. The only way for Floo to get around is for Joe to hold the strap up. It was sad watching Joe and Floo get around that yard. I want to ease their pain and so I started surfing the net to check out sites and fortunately stumbled upon a website which I believe could help Joe and Floo talked to Joe and told him about the website he should check out. I told him the Animal Fitness Center run by Dr. Ava Frick seemed to be the best and it was near to where we lived.

Dr. Ava Frick’s web site was very informative and interesting. The Animal Fitness Center can get pets to walk again; I thought that all pets that had injuries like Floo’s are hopeless cases. They can fix all pet pain. Pets who are stricken with equine paralysis, dog joint pain and pet arthritis can avail of pet pain relief and live a healthy life.

Dr. Ava Frick uses the most modern technology for animal pain relief. Her treatments also include pt chiropractic, pet underwater treadmill, Alpha-stim, Ultrasound, laster/LEPT and more. Dr. Frick creates an individual exercise plan for the needs of your pets. To relieve pain and other ailments, the Animal Fitness Center also uses nutrition, herbal therapies and massage for pet pain relief. You can also rent or buy some equipment to do some therapies at home.

I saw Joe and Floo one day during my morning walks. Floo was hobbling around on her own four feet. Joe was so happy I actually saw his eyes tearing up. The Animal Fitness Center was the best place, Joe told me. The staffs were very compassionate and helpful. He told me that the staffs are all optimistic that your pet will walk again. The faith these people had in their equipment, knowledge and therapies was unshakable. Whenever I walk nowadays, I feel a lot better. Now, I always see Joe and Floo running around and enjoying life again. Pet Water Treadmill

Training Your Best Buddy with Sportdog Field Pro

by Pet Care on October 11, 2009


Training a dog can be a difficult task without the right tools. Training your dog with traditional metods can be very time consuming, and they are effective only if you don’t work and can dedicate most of your day to training with your dog. If your dog is mischevious or reluctant to obey, you can still train it with the help of Sportdog Field Pro in a way that won’t require all day long. Sportdog Field Pro is specially effective when it comes to correcting bad behavior.

Correcting Negative Behavior

Traditional training rewards good behavior with treats and discourages bad behavior with a change in tone of voice. Sportdog Field Pro allows you to make corrections to a dog that may be far away from you. Anyone who has an active dog that tends to roam far away will understand the difficulty of recalls from a distance.

It makes it much easier to recall dogs that don’t pay attention to you. Another part of training that you can make easier with a SportDog Field Pro remote trainer is bark control. While barking is natural for dogs, it’s highly inconvenient at night or when visitors come.

Bark control is nothing but easy, specially if your dog is territorial. To prevent your relatives and friends from being barked or growled at by your dog, just set Sportdog Field Pro in a low tone inside the house, so that your dog knows that barking is forbidden at that moment.

Safe And Convenient

Spordog Field Pro is very safe to use on your dog. There is no worry that you will be harming your dog. If you have a small dog, there are seven different variations of the Sportdog Field Pro, from which you can select the most appropriate.

The collar used in the SportDog Field Pro comes with a rechargeable receiver collar that is also waterproof, allowing for lifelong use and durability. The range of the transmitter and collar is of a half mile radius giving both owner and dog plenty of room to work with, especially when training hunting dogs.

Some thoughts about dog crating today

by Pet Care on October 8, 2009


Everyone needs a space of their own. You have your home office or den, your husband has the garage or workshop, your children have their bedrooms. But what about the dog? Even the family dog needs a space of his own from time to time. This is the true function of the dog crate. Many dog owners refuse to use them because of the negative connotations that come with it. But, if used properly, a dog crate or a small dog cage, can serve as a place of solitude for your dog.

In order for the crate to be a positive experience for your dog, begin the process of crate training on a day or night when you have time to stay at home and observe your dog’s behavior. During the day, for instance, put your dog inside the crate for short periods – say, 15-minute intervals. A successful crating session has happened if your dog seems comfortable. If your dog whines or tries to get your attention, ignore her, but take note. If it’s simply a cry for attention, she will soon learn that crate time is personal time, and will begin to occupy herself or rest. If the whining worsens, or does not go away over a few days of consistent crating sessions, there may be a deeper issue there, and you should consult an expert.

When your session is done, go back to your dog’s normal routine of play and bathroom breaks. Every couple hours or so, bring her back to the crate and each time extend the time. Think of it the same way you would put a baby in a play pen. The idea is to not associate it with punishment. By the end of the day, if all goes well, you should be up to 30-minute sessions.

That evening, put her to bed in the crate – after she’s had her nightly bathroom break, of course. Chances are, she will fall right to sleep.

If she spends her 15-minute interval whining, simply continue crating her throughout the day in 15-minute intervals until she begins to feel comfortable enough to stop trying to get your attention. By bedtime, she should be comfortable enough to spend a night in the crate. It goes without saying that if you have the ability to work from home doing this may much easier. If she whimpers at this point, don’t worry – especially if she is very young. A young puppy will still be suffering from separation anxiety and missing her mother. Successful crate training will provide comfort and stability during this difficult transition period.

The crate can also be an invaluable tool when it comes to housebreaking your dog. It is a rare dog that will go to the bathroom when confined to a small space. Like humans, they find the idea of soiling themselves pretty disgusting and will avoid doing so if at all possible. For that reason, if you are crate-training and potty-training at the same time, take your dog outside to use the bathroom after each crate session. Give her five or 10 minutes to do her business and praise her lavishly when she does.

If you are using the crate specifically to potty train, you may want to recrate her after a nonproductive bathroom break. Once she goes in the yard, however, praise her lavishly and release her to play.

Many people who use crates for their dogs leave the crate door open when the dog is not inside, in order to give the pooch access to it. Remember, the crate is a good thing. It is your dog’s room. The fact that your dog chooses to spend time there on her own is a good sign. This will become a place of security and will provide peace of mind for both you and your dog.