Tagged with 'animal-health'

Sitting around all day can really start to get to your pet. It's important to provide healthy ways for our pets to burn off energy because otherwise dogs and cats can become anxious or depressed or exhibit negative behaviors, such as chewing and clawing.

When boredom strikes, these easy tips will entertain dogs and cats while sharpening their brains. 

Follow Their Instincts

Does your dog like to dig or scavenge? Tap into your dog's natural tendencies by filling a stuffable toy with treats. For your cat, they need to climb, and they feel most confident when perched up high. Place a shelf or ledge by the window so they can see what’s interesting outside.

Get Fresh Air

When walking your dog, allow time for leisurely exploration of neighborhood scents. Dogs see the world through their noses. Sniffing around promotes brain health, like when you do a crossword puzzle. Cats enjoy the outdoors too. Let outgoing and social felines become accustomed to a harness and leash while indoors by rewarding them with treats, then take them out for a supervised prowl.

Keep Your Pets Busy

Experiment until you find a game that piques their interest. If your dog likes to tear up toys, look for items designed for extreme chewers. Cats enjoy ping-pong balls, empty boxes and paper bags, and playthings that crinkle or chirp. They also need scratching posts for sharpening nails and stretching. If you don’t provide posts, they’ll scratch whatever’s around.

Join the Fun

Pets thrive on interaction. Walk you dog on different routes to keep them stimulated. Play fetch, blow pet-friendly bubbles or join an obedience class. Kitty cats love to "hunt." Use a pole with a feather on the end, drag it erratically, then make it “die” when your cat pounces. Provide a treat as a reward so they think they’ve captured the prey.

Make Mealtime Engaging

As your pet would have to do in the wild, make them work for their food! Hide kibble under paper cups and tell your dog to “find it,” which encourages them to use their nose. Place pieces of your cat’s food on each stair or inside an empty paper towel tube. Food puzzles, which require animals to figure out how to release a snack, are another creative option. 

Article courtesy of Family Circle, Nov. 2016

Sitting around all day can really get to your pet. When we don’t provide healthy ways for our pets to burn off energy, dogs and cats can become anxious or depressed or exhibit negative behaviors, such as chewing and clawing.

When boredom strikes, these easy tips will entertain dogs and cats while sharpening their brains. 

Follow Their Instincts

Instead of punishing your dog’s desire to dig or scavenge, tap into these natural tendencies by filling a stuffable toy with treats. Cats need to climb, and they feel most confident when perched up high. Place a shelf or ledge by the window so they can see what’s interesting outside.

Get Fresh Air

When walking your dog, allow time for leisurely exploration of neighborhood scents. Dogs see the world through their noses. Sniffing around promotes brain health, like when you do a crossword puzzle. Cats enjoy the outdoors too. Let outgoing and social felines become accustomed to a harness and leash while indoors by rewarding them with treats, then take them out for a supervised prowl.

Keep Your Pets Busy

Experiment until you find a game that piques their interest. If your dog likes to tear up toys, look for items designed for extreme chewers. Cats enjoy ping-pong balls, empty boxes and paper bags, and playthings that crinkle or chirp. They also need scratching posts for sharpening nails and stretching. If you don’t provide posts, they’ll scratch whatever’s around.

Join the Fun

Pets thrive on interaction. Walk you dog on different routes to keep them stimulated. Play fetch, blow pet-friendly bubbles or join an obedience class. Hunt with your cat by using a pole with a feather on the end. Drag I erratically, then make it “die” when your cat pounces. Provide a treat as a reward so they think they’ve captured the prey.

Make Mealtime Engaging

As your pet would have to do in the wild, make them work for their food! Hide kibble under paper cups and tell your dog to “find it,” which encourages them to use their nose. Place pieces of your cat’s food on each stair or inside an empty paper towel tube. Food puzzles, which require animals to figure out how to release a snack, are another creative option. 

Article courtesy of Family Circle, Nov. 2016

Has Fido or Bootsie been looking a little pudgy lately? It’s definitely a possibility considering a new study reveals 54% of dogs and 58% of cats are overweight or obese. Surprisingly though, up to 90% of owners don’t realize their pet has gained too much weight, which is a problem because extra weight on your pet can cause diabetes, cancer, and heart and joint diseases, among other conditions.

Why More Pets Are Plus-Size

For one, dogs are less active than ever, in part due to increasingly sedentary owners who take them on fewer walks.

But perhaps the biggest reason both dogs and cats are too heavy, is simple: we overfeed them.

Most owners eyeball and overestimate portion sizes, and many equate food with love and dole out too many treats. What’s more, many people no longer have a clear idea of what overweight actually look likes because so many animals are heavy these days. 

How To Tell Whether Your Pet Is Overweight

You should be able to easily feel (though not see) your pet’s ribs. Try the knuckle test: hold your right hand out flat, palm down, then run your left fingers over the knuckles at the base of your right fingers. That’s what your pet’s ribs should feel like—easy to count without having to push into your pet’s body.

Or look at your pet from above. The body should have an hourglass shape—broader at the chest, with a tuck before the hip bones. For the most accurate assessment, ask your vet to check your pet’s body condition score. This score, based on a 5- or 9-point scale, determines a healthy weight and allows your vet to offer personalized feeding and exercise advice.

3 Tips For Safe Weight Loss

If your pet is too heavy and you’ve ruled out a separate underlying cause, follow these tips.

#1: Nix treats

Store-bought treats and chews have little nutritional value compared with commercial foods and some contain 100+ calories each. Healthier rewards: For dogs, carrot and apple slices, green beans, or plain popcorn, and for cats, offer tiny bits of zucchini or cooked chicken or fish.

#2: Assess portions

Check pet-food labels to make sure you’re feeding your dog or cat based on his or her ideal weight, not current weight. Use a measuring cup to be sure you’re not over- or underestimating. 

#3: Get up and move

For your heavy but otherwise healthy dog, work up to at least two brisk 30-minute walks a day. Most large breeds can handle two 1-hour walks. Exercise your cat with a feather teaser several times a day, have her chase the red dot of a laser pointer, or put some of her food in a food-dispensing toy that releases kibble when she bats it around.

Article courtesy of Prevention.com

You’ve noticed pets and owners start to look alike over time, but did you know Fluffy’s physical condition can mirror yours too?

A pet’s illness can be a reflection of our own health, especially when a disease process is heavily influenced by lifestyle choices. In most cases, recognizing what is going on is enough to help both pet and owner.

Here’s what you can learn from three common animal symptoms.

If he’s anxious…

Check your stress-o-meter

People’s level of anxiety can dictate to some degree the anxiety level of their pets. Domestic dogs actually have the ability to combine facial and vocal cues to perceive human emotions—which can make them attuned to your moods. Likewise, specific phobias can carry over to your dog. For example, if you’re constantly wincing during storms, it could cause Fido to develop a fear of thunder. Try easing tension in both yourself and your pet by doing something calming, such as listening to soothing music.

If her grooming habits have changed…

See whether you’ve been sneezing

If your cat or dog has been excessively scratching or licking it could be a sign of allergies. And if you find yourself sneezing and coughing, you may be allergic to the same thing, like pollen, mold or dust mites. Your vet can help nail down the culprit and, if necessary, prescribe meds for your pet.

Minimize the amount of pollen that gets into your home by wiping down your pet with a wet cloth after time outside, paying special attention to paws and face. Changing your clothes and showering when you come inside also helps. Vacuuming, cleaning your pet’s bedding and bathing her regularly can help with both indoor and outdoor allergies.

If he’s putting on pounds…

Take an honest look at your diet and exercise habits

It’s probably not a coincidence that just as obesity rates in humans have been rising, the proportion of dogs in the United States that are overweight or obese has grown, too—by nearly 10% between 2009 and 2015. People who follow a healthy lifestyle are more likely to promote a healthy lifestyle in their pets.

Show your pup, and yourself, some TLC with daily physical activity, and ask the vet for diet pointers for your furry friend.

If he’s sneezing, coughing, or wheezing…

What’s in your air?

If you spot respiratory symptoms in your pet, such as coughing, sneezing, or wheezing, it might mean you’re both being exposed to potential airborne irritants in your home, like smoke or other environmental pollutants. Animals are lower to the ground, where toxins tend to settle, so they’ll experience the effects sooner. 

Check out our new Animal Nutrition line by Uckele Canine!

Article courtesy of Live Healthy