Toxic Plants for Cats

Most common household plants can be poisonous for cats. Cats are by nature curious and they may often go exploring in and around the house for new things. If a cat ingests any of the plants that are toxic for them many serious symptoms could result such as breathing difficulties, irritation in and around the mouth, vomiting, diarrhea and even kidney problems. Although many pet owners may also desire to keep plants indoors and in the garden, they must do so with caution so as to protect their cats from suffering any severe allergic reactions. Cats can also ingest the chemical fertilizers and pesticides from the plant leaves. Some of the poisonous plants for cats include aloe vera, baby’s breath, cactus, daffodil, eggplant, ferns, geranium, hemlock, ivy, juniper, lily, lupine and oak. These plants can result in various unpleasant side effects in cats.

The good news for plant lovers is that there are certain plants that can be considered cat friendly plants. As such these can be kept around the house without the fear of the cat ingesting them. These plants will also ensure that the cat does not go in search of other plants that may indeed be poisonous. One such example of a cat friendly plant is catnip. This is a plant that is very easy to grow and can adjust to all environmental conditions quite fast. Due to its rapid growth, catnip is better grown in a pot. It can be placed both outdoors and indoors and does not need much care and attention. Catnip also works well in naturally repelling pests, and therefore serves to also protect other household plants in its vicinity. Cats are known to find the scent of catnip leaves very appealing. They can often be seen rolling around the catnip in order to crush the leaves and avail of the fragrance. Another cat friendly plant is valerian. Valerian has mild sedative properties which appeals to cats.

You can also grow cat grass which grows easily and quickly. Cats enjoy wheat grass, oat grass and some other types of grass as well. You may grow separate areas of different types of grass or create a mixed patch of grass. Cat grass mixes are easily available at most pet supply stores. Other types of cat friendly plants include bamboo, dahlia, heliotrope, nasturtium, alyssum and catbrier. You can also grow common herbs such as chamomile, lavender, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, coriander and thyme.

Read more on catnip effects on cats

Bad Foods for Cat

Cats are one of the most common household pets and are only rivaled in popularity by dogs. Cats are very affectionate animals and provide great company although they are very independent in their behavior as well as loyalty. While cats are usually known to be aloof at the best of times, only returning to their master during feeding time, cats can be quite affectionate if you can read those subtle signs. They are just not very vocal, and are a lot more independent and self reliant. However, this is a bond that needs to be developed over a period of time through mutual respect and trust. As with any animal, one of the most important aspects of housing the pet is to understand its feeding habits and preferences. Humans eat a variety of food that are also generally bad foods for cats, so eating the same food is definitely out of the question.

It is important to keep in mind, though, the fact that cats are essentially carnivores and that their teeth and guts have evolved over the ears to allow it to consume only meat, while grass and vegetables are consumed primarily for medicinal purposes. The domestic variety of cats are usually more expansive with the kinds of foods they try out, which could be significantly harmful as they are not aware what is good or bad for them. Here we will look at a few of the foods commonly consumed by humans but can be very dangerous for cats. Because of their very poor liver function, cats are unable to detoxify substances – making alcohol a very poisonous element. It is important to be able to analyze how much of the substance will be enough to affect the animal, though, and the factors that influence this equation include the age of the cat as well as the quantity and amount of alcohol consumed. The toxic content of broccoli has the potential to be poisonous in cats, but requires the cat to consume a substantial amount of it before it has any effect on the animal. While cats are generally attracted to milk, one should keep them away from coffee or tea as the stimulant content will only serve to make the animal that much more hyperactive. Unknown to many, milk is actually considered to be only a baby cat foods and has an adverse effect on adult cats because of its lactose content – which cannot be digested by older cats. This results in a stomach upset, intestinal discomfort and diarrhea.

Get to know about safe cat foods

Strange Behavior in Cats

Just as with any type of pet, understanding the animal’s character will go a long way into developing a stronger bond with it. Cats are one of the most popular household pets and are highly regarded for their aesthetic value and companionship. While each cat has its own set of distinct character traits and mannerisms, they are very alike in a broader spectrum of intelligence and behavior. The debate about which is a better pet to house between the dog and the cat is an age old one and compares a number of aspects between the two animals including the fact that a dog can be easily trained and can perform tasks for our benefit – facts that make the dog come out on top in most discussions. However, it is important to understand that they are two very different animals and have their own sets of positives. While cats cannot be trained as easily as dogs, their behavior can be modified. They do, however, have very independent minds and will usually revert back to their natural nature if they feel hard done by with the training. Given the fact that they are harder to train, strange cat behavior will also be substantially harder to curb. Excessively ferocious cats will tend to scratch and bite people for seemingly no reason at all and this behavior will need to be corrected as soon and as effectively as possible.

The indulgence of the owner while the cat is growing up plays a big role in the development of this habit, as allowing the kitten to play, bite and scratch a bare hand or foot will usually allow the cat to assume that this behavior is acceptable. To curb this behavior, you need to be able to identify when the cat is about to attack. It helps to have a spray bottle full of water ready and spray the cat a little just as it is about to scratch you. Avoid chasing the animal with the water or shouting at it as the spray of water is more than enough to help her associate scratching with the unpleasant experience of being sprayed. Another behavioral problem with cats is that they are very choosy about the food that they consume. However, studies have shown that this behavior is not one that is inherent in the animal and is usually brought on by allowing the animal to consume a variety of foods over a long period of time, thereby enabling it to choose preferences that will come back to bite you in the future. Cats are known to be willing to eat the same food, twice a day for their entire lives without a fuss.

Search and Rescue Puppy Training

Dogs are one of the most common household pets and are highly regarded for their loyalty, affection and strong bonds that they develop with their owners. While a number of people will house dogs primarily for their company and – to a certain extent – their security, dogs also play a very significant role in a number of other walks of life. For example, dogs are regularly used as to provide assistance to the blind, their keen sense of smell helps them become very important members of bomb and drug detection squads all over the world, and they have also been used extensively in hunting, and in wars, among various other activities. They are also regularly used in search and rescue missions to retrieve missing explorers or trekkers, and people lost as a result of natural calamities. While normal dog training is focused on curbing the animals natural instincts, to promote better character that is more consistent with what is socially acceptable, when search and rescue dog training is imparted, you want to be able to retain as much of the natural instincts as possible. Search and rescue dog training needs to be imparted at a very early age in order for the animal to become an accomplished search and rescue dog. A dog is usually assessed between the third and seventh week of its life to identify if it will make a good search and rescue dog. This stage of their existence is known as the imprinting stage primarily because of the fact that they start to gain the capability of recognizing other animals and people as well as develop their communication skills.

Search and rescue puppy training requires a lot of exposure of the animal to interesting and fun experiences right through this imprinting stage and any activities must be focused on enhancing the animals natural instincts and senses. When the puppy is between five and six weeks, the handler must encourage socialization between other dogs and humans – especially with people that are going to be working with the animal in the future. Just as with any other type of training, it is important to let the puppy know that the handler is the one with the authority in order to prevent the alpha male syndrome from taking over and allowing the dog to assume that it is in charge. There is no golden rule that stipulates a certain breed of puppy is better than another at becoming a search and rescue animal, but the limitations in size of breeds such as a yorkshire terrier or even the mastiff may play a significant role.

Potty Train Old Dog

Dogs are one of the most affectionate and loyal household pets and are usually regarded to be no less members of the family than their human counterparts. As a result, dog training has become increasingly popular and necessary in order to curb the pet’s natural instincts and be able to domesticate it enough to be obedient to the handler’s commands. While training is already a task that requires a significant amount of patience and understanding on the part of the handler, the task can become significantly harder when dealing with an older dog. At an older age, the animal has already been able to grow up following its natural instincts and habits. Just as with children, potty training is something that, when imparted, can take a significant load of the person that is responsible for the cleanliness of the house. The one positive about potty training older dogs as compared to puppies is the fact that they are more likely to respond to commands and have already sufficiently developed the muscles that control the bladder.

The best and most successful methods of potty training older dogs depends substantially on whether you want the dog to eliminate its waste indoors or outdoors. When trying to get it to eliminate indoors, you need to purchase a dog potty (a product easily available in the market). The best ones are the types that have a splash back and a post for the dog to be able to aim at.  A few things to keep in mind when choosing the location where you place the potty will be that dogs do not like to urinate or pass stool in a location that they eat and play, so is anything like this were to happen, you need to clean and thoroughly deodorize the area. When you have luxury of a garden, you can choose a spot on the grass where you will coax the animal to excrete. One way of doing this would be to repeatedly go over to the same location and avoid cleaning the spot until your dog learns to go there whenever it needs to pass stool. In order to avoid an instance of the dog requiring to be let out of the house in the middle of the night because the potty spot is in the garden outside, you should reduce the animals food and water intake just before it sleeps as, if the animal is full of water, it is unlikely that it will be able to control its bladder right up until morning.

Problems in Dog Training

Dogs have been domesticated for centuries and have now become a very regular feature of society’s fabric. They are probably the most common household pet through the world and are renowned for their affectionate nature as well as their intensely protective nature towards their owners or handlers. While each dog has its own personality and character traits, one will see a number of common tendencies between two dogs of the same breed. For example, Dobermans are naturally known to be of the more aggressive type while the smaller dogs such as pugs are usually very docile. As a result, dog training plays a very important role in preparing the canine to properly accomplish the tasks it is required by its owner to perform. While the pets will mainly offer a great deal of companionship, some owners may demand more focus on other abilities such as for security, hunting or even law enforcement.  The primary purpose of dog training is to make sure that the owner or handler has the dog in control not matter what situation it is. Just as with young toddlers, training puppies requires a lot of patience as they are likely to be a little confused about what is expected of them initially. One of the most important bits of dog training advice would be to make sure that you avoid any use of physical punishment toward the animal if you start to get frustrated with the animals ability. The dog will learn to perform the required action in due course, but needs to be coaxed and rewarded for the effort it puts in.

If no training is imparted at an early age, the dog will grow up following its natural instinct – which could result in a household pet being more ferocious than it should be. As a result, obedience training is one of the most widely sought after of dog training tips. Something important to keep in mind is to avoid excessively practicing a recall on your dog as one common dog training problem that develops is that the animal tends to tune you out if it has repeatedly shown no interest in the command. Any successful dog training is based heavily on mutual trust and respect between the animal and handler. Once a bond has developed between the two and the handler is able to comprehend the signals given out by the animal indicating emotions such as happiness, anger, irritation and fear, the handler will find that the dog is much easier to train and more obedient.

Dog Training Techniques

Given the fact that dogs are probably the most common of household pets, it is sometimes essential to somewhat curb their natural instincts in order to make them more adaptable to human society. Just like any human being, the mentality and natural character of each dog is different from another, even within the same breed. The level of training required to curb certain character inflections such as aggression and disobedience will depend largely on the intensity of their natural character. Dog training tips are vast and sometimes very contradictory because of the fact that different dogs need to be approached in a different way added to the fact that a variety of trainers have their own preferred methods of accomplishing the task. Some goals to achieve when imparting the training include building a strong owner – canine relationship that is heavily based on mutual respect and trust, getting the animal to retain its outgoing nature and developing its social skills and ability to make new friends, nurture and improve the animals senses and natural instincts as well as making sure the handler or owner has the confidence to be able to control his animal in any situation. Just as with children, puppies can be very confused initially, however, it is important that dog training methods are void of any acts that inflict animal cruelty or violence.

The biggest and probably most important of dog training secrets is the fact that the key to good training lies in effective communication between the handler and the animal. The animal will continuously give out signals indicating its mood – showing displeasure, fear, irritation and happiness – but it is important that the handler understands and acknowledges these signals in order to build and reinforce a bond with the animal. It is also important that the handler show a great deal of patience, especially in the first few sessions of dog training as the entire process involves a significant amount of character change to the animals natural tendencies. Just as it is important to avoid using physical punishment on a dog, it is important to regularly reward them for a task accomplished to the handler’s satisfaction. Giving the dog its favorite treat just after it has performed the required action will let the animal know that it has done what was required in the right manner. While most dog lovers will love their dog equally whether it has been trained or not, living with a trained dog is much easier as it is within the masters control to a more significant extent than one that is allowed to grow solely on its natural instinct.

Hand Signs for Training Dog

Dogs are widely considered to be one of the most common household pets all over the world. Their affectionate and protective nature has seen them often considered to be man’s best friend. Just like people, each dog has its own character. While there are some common traits between two dogs of the same breed, there are always going to be subtle differences in their temperament and personality. When house breaking a dog, it is always recommended that the animal be trained in order to allow him or her to adapt to the social requirements of a house. While not every dog owner has their dog trained, there are a number of benefits such as controlling dog aggression as well as enhancing the canine’s obedience. Dog obedience training is a process of teaching the animal to perform a certain action that is dependent solely on the signal being shown to it. More advanced modes of dog training include teaching the dog how to react in certain situations or scenarios, but these methods are mostly reserved for dogs serving in law enforcement, hunting, shepherding livestock and assistance for people with disabilities.

The most often used dog training hand signals pertain to the most common of actions expected from the canine. These are: Down, sit, stay, heel, making a loose leashed animal trot within close proximity from its owner with the command ‘close’ and recalling the animal with commands such as ‘come’, ‘in’ or ‘here’. Just as with humans, it is always better to train the animal from a very young age. The first few training sessions may even see the animal substantially confused, but it important that the animal never be physically or violently punished. It is important though to show acts of strength from time to time as, if the animal is constantly disobedient and does not see any corrective action being taken, it will automatically assume that it is the alpha male and will not be overly concerned about the master.  The most important aspect of dog training hand gestures is the communication involved. This pertains to communication from both parties involved – the handler and the animal. Dogs are very expressive creatures and it is up to the handler to identify when the animal is scared, confused, nervous or happy. When this bond has been established and the animal knows that the trainer understands its signals, it is much easier to train.

Increase Dog Lifespan

Good food is the basis of a healthy body. This applies not only to humans, but also to dogs. Both humans and dogs require optimum nutrition to keep their bodies healthy and in proper condition. Unfortunately, while we do take good care of our own nutrition, we often depend heavily on commercial foods for our pets.

Dog food has recently been found to have ingredients that are non edible and cancer causing. These commercial dog foods often contain low quality ingredients which cause disease and discomfort in dogs.
In order to enhance your dog’s health and add years to its life, it is best if you give your dog food which is either homemade or raw. If you do not have time to make home made food for your dog, you can give it dried or tinned commercial food, but make sure that you also give your dog some amount of raw food with it. Reduce the quantity of commercial foods while doing so. This will prevent you from over feeding your dog.

To make things easier for yourself, give your dog raw vegetables cut into small pieces in at least one meal everyday. You can give the dog different vegetables everyday. The best vegetables to give to your dogs are broccoli, green beans, and pieces of squash. These take care of the nutrition requirement of the body, while providing energy for dog exercise.

You can also give your dog a generous portion of vegetables along with commercial foods. However, make sure you decrease the quantity of commercial foods when you are adding vegetables to the diet. Another important thing to keep in mind is to avoid giving your dog any table scraps. Giving table scraps to your dog on a daily basis can cause the dog to become overweight.

While purchasing commercial dog foods, check whether the foods contain antioxidants and necessary vitamins. If not, add ground flaxseed or other sources of omega 3 fatty acids to the diet. You can also add tomatoes, which are rich in antioxidants. These can help improve the immunity of your dog, providing better resistance to disease and ageing. These nutrients can also improve the health of the dog’s coat, making the fur appear shiny and smooth. Probiotic products are great for both you and your pets. Adding such products to your dog’s diet can reinstitute the friendly bacteria in your stomach. Probiotic powders or probiotic yoghurt are great additions to your dog’s meals.

Read on Dog BMI Calculator and Dog Age Calculator

Dog Acid Reflux

Gastro esophageal reflux in dogs is a condition where the gastric fluids present in the stomach and intestines flow back into the mouth through the tubes that connect the mouth with the stomach. This usually occurs when the muscular opening present right at the base of the esophagus relaxes for a brief period.

When the muscular opening relaxes in this manner, the gastric juices accidentally flow back into the mouth, bringing with it a bitter acidic taste in the mouth. This could cause chronic dog vomiting. Gastro esophageal reflux is extremely common in dogs. However, younger dogs and puppies are more susceptible to it than older dogs.

Pepsin, an acid in the stomach, in addition to bile juice, salts and other gastric acids can damage the lining of the esophagus. When in the stomach, they are contained by the thick muscular walls of the stomach. However, the esophageal lining is not as strong as the lining of the stomach.

Depending upon the amount of acids that flow into the mouth, varying amounts of damage can be caused. When the amount is not very large, there is a mild inflammation of the esophagus. However, when the reflux is large, it could cause ulceration of the esophagus, damaging not only the lining, but also the deeper tissue.
If the dog is seen spitting up frequently or is whining and howling in pain, it may indicate gastro esophageal reflux. The dog may not be able to swallow if the esophagus has been damaged badly. The dog may exhibit general lack of appetite and weight loss. In extreme cases, there may be a lot of salivation accompanied with fever.

Gastro esophageal reflux may be caused when the dog is being operated upon and is given anesthesia. Anesthesia may cause the esophagus to relax and the muscular opening to enlarge. If the dog is positioned incorrectly while surgery, that too could cause the reflux. It is therefore recommended that the dog should be made to fast on the day such a surgery needs to be performed.

The dog is subjected to an examination known as esophagoscopy to check for damage that may have been sustained by the dog. This is usually done by sedating the dog and then inserting an endoscope inside the dog’s mouth to capture a video of the esophagus. Sometimes, the examination also reveals in structural irregularities present in the esophagus of the dog.