Girl with dog and cat

Prepare your house for your pet's arrival. A special place should be designated for it to eat, sleep, and eliminate. Obtain any necessary accessories (eg, collar, leash, ID tag, crate, cage, aquarium and dishes) before you bring your pet home. For most pets, you will need to pet-proof your home just as you would child-proof your home to avoid accidents. Harmful cleansers, plants, electrical cords, and breakable objects should be kept out of reach. Open windows should be screened.

Roaming pets are prime candidates for fights with other animals, traffic accidents, and communicable diseases from other animals. Their life span can be expected to be considerably shorter as a result.

Most pets are strictly indoor pets and are perfectly content, as long as they have access to food and fresh water at all times. AVMA strongly recommends that for a healthier, happier pet you consider keeping your pets indoors only. If your pet must go outside, make sure you know where it is at all times, that the pet is old enough to manage on its own, that it is identified in some fashion (microchip ID or breakaway collar and tag), current on vaccinations, and not outdoors in extremely cold, hot, or inclement weather.

If you don't want your pet in certain areas of the house, start training it immediately to avoid those areas. When choosing where your pet will sleep, keep in mind some pets are nocturnal animals and will be active at night. Placing soft bedding materials in secluded corners will help your pet to feel at home.

  • Ferrets Can Be Furry Family Too

    Fragile Ferrets Entertain Families and Friends Your new family pet will provide you with entertainment and laughs as he or she climbs and crawls through tubes, hoses, boxes, clothing and pipes. Keeping your ferret safe and secure in your home is easy with a bit of advanced planning. Create or

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  • Family Friends Aren't Always Furry - Think of Feathery Friends!

    Transitioning a Bird into Your Home When including a bird of any size and species in your household, take time before the transition to prepare. Use these tips to welcome your new bird and create a happy experience for your family. Choose housing with bars or slats that are only half the width

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  • Introducing Your First

    Pets aren't the only ones who need a little (or a lot) of help adjusting to life with a newborn. No matter how much you plan ahead, the addition of a new family member may be difficult for your pet. Remember, your dog or cat was your first "baby" and is used to being the center of your attention. So

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  • Internet Reunites Lost Pets and Owners

    Everyone loves the amazing stories of dogs and cats who travel long distances to find their way back home or even locate their owners in a new city. Unfortunately, these happy tales are the rare exception to the rule. For every pet that makes it back after leaving, there are tens of thousands who

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  • Heart Disease in Cats

    Cats are wonderful pets. In fact, they outnumber dogs as pets in the United States. It is estimated that 60.2 to 62 Million cats are kept as pets; one-third of all households have at least one feline friend. It is important for cat owners to be aware of a stealthy disease that may affect as much as 15

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Dakota Pet Hospital

20136 Icenic Trail Lakeville, MN 55044 **For Afterhour Emergencies, Contact South Metro Animal Emergency Care at 952-953-3737**