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.
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Is a Wet Nose a Sign of a Healthy Pet?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Recognizing Illness
Have you ever heard that a wet nose is a sign that your pet is healthy? Although that's often the case, it's not always true. A moist nose can benefit your pet in several ways, but it doesn't necessarily guarantee good health.
How Does a Wet Nose Help My Pet?
Have you ever been woken at 5 a.m. by a cold,
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Obesity and Diabetes in Pets
Category:
Newsletter Library, Keeping Pets Healthy
Think diabetes only affect people? Overweight pets may be at risk too.
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National Heartworm Awareness Month Focuses Attention on a Potentially Deadly Disease
Category:
Newsletter Library, Keeping Pets Healthy
Heartworm disease can have a devastating effect on your pet's health. National Heartworm Awareness Month, observed annually in April, reminds pet owners about the health dangers this preventable disease poses for pets.
What Are Heartworms?
Thin, white heartworms look like cooked pieces of spaghetti.
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Keep Your Pets Calm During the Holiday Season with These Tips
Category:
Newsletter Library, Behavior & Training
Although the holidays may be an exciting time of the year for you, your pets may find the festivities a little overwhelming. Even normally well-behaved pets can experience a little anxiety when their usual routines are disrupted. These tips will help you ensure that your furry friends truly enjoy the
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Pet Hearing Loss
Category:
Newsletter Library, Tips for Pet Owners
Many of the same health problems that affect us, including hearing loss, also affect our pets. Fortunately, most pets adapt very well to the disability with a little help from their owners.
What Causes Hearing Loss in Pets?
Some pets are born deaf or hard of hearing, while others develop hearing loss
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5 Common Myths About Pets
Category:
Newsletter Library, Tips for Pet Owners
Do cats really have nine lives? Find out if these and other pet myths are true.
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3 Reasons Why Your Pet Could Be Coughing
Category:
Newsletter Library, Recognizing Illness
Wondering why your pet is coughing? Check out three common reasons.
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How Safe is Your Dog’s Food?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Nutrition & Food
Over the last several years, numerous dog food brands and treats have been recalled for chemical contamination or Salmonella. This last summer many dog food brands were recalled due to Salmonella; all were manufactured in a Diamond Pet Foods plant in Gaston, South Carolina, USA. This plant makes many
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Caring for Dogs with Wrinkles
Category:
Newsletter Library, Tips for Pet Owners
Regular skin care is the key to helping your wrinkled dog avoid painful infections.
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Can My Pet Get Depressed?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Recognizing Illness
Has your pet been a little moody lately? Find out if depression may be to blame.
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Does My Pet Dream?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Newsletter Archive, Fun with Pets
Are humans the only mammals who dream? Find out if your pet experiences dreams and nightmares.
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Bloat in Dogs
Category:
Newsletter Library, Recognizing Illness
Bloat may end your dog's life if you're not aware of the symptoms.
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Why is My Dog Vomiting?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Recognizing Illness
Even healthy dogs vomit from time to time. Find out what causes the common health problem.
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Xylitol Poisoning in Dogs
Category:
Newsletter Library, Pet Dangers
There are an increasing number of cases of dogs getting sick from ingesting a common sugar substitute, xylitol. This substance causes no problems in people, but in dogs it can cause wild fluctuations in blood sugar, often leading to a severe hypoglycemia. It can also cause liver failure.
Xylitol is
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Xylitol Food Additive Harmful to Household Pets
Category:
Newsletter Library, Pet Dangers
People love sweets and so do many dogs. In fact, some dogs love their family's sweet treats and sneak bites of it when the humans aren't looking. You or your children probably also share goodies with your family pet. Many sweets are made with the substance called xylitol.
Xylitol is used to manufacture
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The Truth behind K-9's and Chocolate
Category:
Newsletter Library, Pet Dangers
We have all heard people say things such as "Don't give your dog chocolate, it will kill him!" or "Even a small amount of chocolate will kill a dog." Fortunately for all cabinet opening dogs out there, the truth to the chocolate rumors lies somewhere between the chilling truth in the refrigerator and
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