Your cat needs access to fresh, clean water at all times to prevent dehydration, kidney problems and other internal issues. Picking the right bowl ensures that she actually drinks her water. Plastic bowls may smell odd and tip over more easily than a ceramic bowl. Your cat’s peripheral vision may be affected when drinking from a deep bowl so she could feel threatened. Experiment with different bowls to see if your cat prefers either a light or a dark colored bowl. Where you put the bowl may affect your cat’s use too. She may not object to her water bowl close to the food bowl or this placement may upset her. Most cats hate their water bowls to close to the litter box. Your cat may avoid a water bowl in busy areas of your home. Experiment so your cat gets enough hydration and keep her bowl clean. For more information, click here, or contact your Roanoke, VA veterinarian.

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Your cat may misbehave at times. However, never yell at your cat or punish her. This will not make her behave better. This includes squirting your cat with water, which can confuse her and makes her afraid of you. This may even make her behavior worse so she may become more stressed. Your cat cannot connect her actions with punitive actions so this punishment is just cruel and abusive. Your cat may no longer trust you and she may lash out at you with aggression. Scratching or biting without provocation may become the norm. Thus the first course of action is to calm down. Determine exactly what your cat did wrong. Then establish what could correct or prevent this behavior in the future. Deterrents or redirection work well to keep your cat from doing what she shouldn’t do. For more information, contact your vet clinic Roanoke, VA.

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Your dog may have fun retrieving objects for you. Select an object he really enjoys playing with such as a toy, a ball or a training dummy. Toss this object a short distance while encouraging your dog to go after it. Once your dog picks up the object, cheer him on with enthusiasm on so he’ll bring it back to you. Squat down when you call him to make the retrieve more enticing. If your dog brings the object to you, throw it again. Keep the distance short at first so your dog is less likely to drop it on his way to you. Your dog may play “keep away” with you. If this happens, tie a rope to the object. Then you can pull it to you without needing to chase your dog. Eventually you can eliminate the rope. Increase the distance over time. Most importantly, have fun. For more information, call your vet clinic Roanoke, VA.

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When your pup gets sick you take him to the vet right away for treatment. Most of the time, the illnesses aren’t contagious, but if it is, you will need to know what steps to take to keep the rest of your pets and other pets your dog comes in contact with safe from infection. One of the first things you can do is to isolate your sick dog from other pets. Sanitize all food and water bowls and wash bedding and toys. If toys cannot be washed you may need to throw them away. Dog bones that are half chewed on should be thrown out as well. It’s a good idea to keep your well pets away from other dogs and pets just in case they are carrying bacteria or germs that can cause the illness to spread. For more tips and suggestions on keeping all pets healthy and well, call your Teller County, CO veterinary clinic.

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Having multiple felines in the home can be great entertainment for you and the other cats in the home. If you travel a lot of work long hours, the cats can keep each other company. They can also help train each other. However, there are a few cons to owning multiple cats. Here some things to keep in mind before bringing multiple cats into the home. First, multiple cats will require a lot of space in the home. Each cat should have their own bed and their own litter box. They should also have their own food and water bowl. If one of your cats should have the FeLV virus you will have to ensure they stay completely separated from your FeLV negative cats. In addition, keeping up with medical bills can also be expensive even if it’s just annual shots and medications. Consult with your Fernley, NV veterinary clinic before bringing multiple cats into your home.

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Your cat is an important part of your life and you want to help her stay as healthy as she can. How can you offer her a hand in staying fit?

To help your cat stay in great shape you will need to offer her some fun ways to get the physical exercise she needs. Luckily, there are a lot of ways to play with your pet and many of them will entice her to get up and moving. Make a point to encourage her to move when you are spending time with her. You can also give her toys that will get her paws moving when she is looking for something to do on her own as well. This will help her get going throughout the day to make sure she is forming healthy habits. For more information, please contact your local Savannah, GA veterinarian

Sharing your home with a sugar glider means that you will need to take the time to meet the needs of a pet like this within your living space. How can you do this when it comes to exercise?

Your pet needs to be able to move about when she wants to get in some physical activity. This means that she will need to be able to do so within her cage on her own as well as outside of it while interacting with you. Offer her some toys to get her moving in her enclosure, and make sure the enclosure lends itself to helping your pet stay physically fit. It’s a bit easier to get your pet moving outside of this space, as the wide-open area gives her a lot of options and you will simply need to help her stay safe. For more information, please contact your local Walnut, CA veterinarian.

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Your dog tends to chew on just about anything he finds around your home. Should you bring home something for him to sink his teeth into?

Many dogs will chew on whatever they can get their mouth around. This can range from shoes to furniture depending on what your pet has access to. In fact, this is particularly common in young dogs as they may be experiencing teething discomfort. Chewing also helps them pass the time in a fun way in addition to learning more about an object and the world around them. Bringing home items that are made for your pet to sink his teeth into can be a helpful way to both give your pet a safe way to chew when he wants to and minimize the amount of damage to your belongings. For more information, please contact your local Lakeville, MN veterinarian.

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You have been looking into the different pocket pet options that are out there and you feel that your family would be enhanced by bringing a hamster or a gerbil into the household. How can you determine which would be the ideal choice?

While these two animals have a lot of things in common, they are ultimately different in many ways as well. This means that your family should sit down and talk about what you are looking for in a pet and what you can handle for care. This will help you choose between them. For example, gerbils tend to spend more time during the daylight hours awake, so if this is when you are available to interact with a pet, this may be a deciding factor for you. For more information, please contact your local North Suffolk, VA veterinarian.

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Pets that are staying under one roof tend to form a social hierarchy. Close observation of your pets’ behavior will enable you to distinguish which ones have a higher rank and which ones are the subordinates. However, the establishment of the social ladder can be marred with displays of aggressive behavior among pets. Fortunately, aggression can be lessened or even prevented by having your pets spayed or neutered.

A dog that occupies a higher rung won’t hesitate to display aggressive behavior when another dog tries to challenge the dominant dog. One way to show submission in dogs is rolling on their backs when a dominant dog leans over them.

Fights for dominance may be more pronounced when there is a new pet. Since this is a natural instinct of dogs, it is a good idea to keep watch to make sure that it does not get out of hand. Don’t try to stop the fights by sepa ... Read more »