Blogging About Pets
I recently started my blog not only to enlighten your curiosity, but to share tips & information with pet-parents for their pets at home. This will eventually give you a portal to all things pet related. We all need to have trusted information at our finger tips.
Veterinary
Do you know the extent of your veterinarian's knowledge or skill. Ask this question, it could be true that you are better off taking your beloved pet to a specialist when they need surgery or special care.
Neuter or Zeuterin?
We have choices for our young male dogs here in Central Florida. Our choice for Red Baron, an Australian Shepherd, was to Zueter him. Two of the biggest reasons for our decision was: 1) faster healing time 2) causes less imbalance within the body
Safe non-surgical neutering
What to ask before your pet's surgery
Important News
Is your family ready for a second dog?
How to protect your pets from poisons, and what to do if you think
your pet has ingested a toxin.
Download ASPCA poison control app on your mobile device
Whether or not you want to leave funds for the care of your pet is a decision that only you can make. Regardless of what you decide, keep the following advice in mind: Funding Do's & Don'ts
Good advice from the Dog Food Advisor, 'keep your pet's bowls as clean as you keep your own glassware'. Keeping bacteria from multiplying on your pet's bowls will go a long way to help keep them healthy. If they do get sick at least you will know it was not from their own food and water bowls. Use several bowls that you can interchange. This allows you to wash both the food and water bowls daily, and it is very important to let them dry completely before reusing.
More advice on your pet's water from Pet Friends Magazine
Birds
Buy the best cage you can afford. A bird without a cage is not safe. If you do not introduce your young or new bird to a cage, they may not accept one when it is older, and birds live a long time. A small bird needs room to fly, and a large bird needs room to spread it's wings and climb.
Place the cage in an area of your home where your bird will receive attention often, but not in heavy nonstop family traffic. A view out a window can be interesting for a bird if the window does not create a draft or direct sunlight from which the bird cannot escape. Be sure your bird cannot reach curtains or cords that can be pulled into the cage.
Birds require 8-10 hours of sleep each night and usually rest when dark. If you use a cover choose one that will be safe if your bird chews it, and be sure to uncover your bird during daylight.
Birds become bored quickly, they need a lot of toys that can be interchanged. Carefully choose toys when outfitting the cage. Be on the look out for areas where your bird could catch a toenail or neck. Do not hang thin chains. Look for products that are easy to keep clean. If you make homemade toys make sure you choice material that is non toxic, and avoid products with nails or staples.
The most difficult part of caring for birds is meeting their nutritional needs. Your bird will be healthier and live longer if its diet is supplemented with a variety of healthy foods from your kitchen. Introduce your bird to a new food one at a time.
Find a veterinarian that knows birds well. If you have an emergency you will need to act fast to get your bird help.
If your bird breaks or removes his feathers during grooming you should mention this at his yearly check up. Feather damage can be caused by disease or problems with nutrition and housing. Feather plucking can become habitual.
I recently learned from, a long time bird-lover & breeder, that it is important to remove all cut up fruit & veggies within a two hour period. Bacteria forms quickly, on all areas that a knife has touched. Bacteria is a birds worst enemy.