Favourable Pets: How To Be Careful In Our Pets

How to Recognize an Emergency

There may come a time when your pet needs immediate care outside the normal operating hours of your regular veterinarian.
You know your pet and his normal habits and behavior better than anyone, but you may be unsure if your pet needs emergency care. Following are some signs you can look for that will help you determine if you are dealing with an urgent situation.
Changes in behavior are often a sure sign that there is something going on that needs to be treated immediately.
Feline Urinary Obstruction

Urinary obstruction in cats can be a serious situation that demands immediate attention. If your cat has a complete blockage this can become a life or death situation.
Urinary or urethral obstruction is not uncommon especially in male cats. The urethra of a male cat is a long thin tube as opposed to the shorter, wider tube of a female cat. This leaves it prone to blockages.
Blockages are usually crystals that have built up in the urine, bladder stones or mucus plugs that are lodged and blocking the flow of urine through the urethra.
If your cat has a blockage it needs to be removed immediately.
The Dangers of Human Medications

Dogs and cats are notorious troublemakers. Getting into the garbage, knocking things off of shelves, snatching the last bite of your sandwich if you leave it for just a second. These behaviors can be frustrating but they are generally harmless.
Some irritating pet behaviors are not so innocent. What if, instead of ingesting the last bit of your sandwich, your pet eats something more dangerous?
How to Rent With Pets - Tips for Finding (and Keeping) a Pet-Friendly Rental
Excerpted From: Pet-Friendly Housing - How to Rent With Pets
Landlords want to protect their investment. As a pet owner, you want to show a prospective landlord that you are a responsible tenant and a responsible pet owner. You want to convince the landlord that it would be a good thing to have you as a tenant! Here are a few things to consider when renting with pets:
- Create a resume for your pet. It might sound funny to have a resume for an animal, but it can help show a landlord that you are a responsible pet owner.
The Financial Responsibilities of Dog Ownership

Excerpted from: Adopting a Dog
There's much more to adopting a dog than finding a cute furry bundle and bringing it home. One thing to consider is the cost of keeping a dog healthy and happy. Even if you already have a dog at home, it may have been years since you've had to think about all the initial costs of integrating your new friend into the family.
Dogs and Water Safety

Water is a great temptation for many dogs, particularly when the weather is hot and the water presents a cool oasis. Pet owners, too, love to watch their dogs swim, play, and have fun. However, keep in mind a few things before you take your dog out for a day of play on or in the water:
When enjoying the outdoors, bring extra water for your dog as well as a portable pet travel bowl.
Bacteria and parasites are common in natural water sources, particularly stagnant water (which may contain algae, some types of which are extremely dangerous to dogs, maybe even fatal).
The Importance of Pet Insurance

Like many other services and products seeing the impact of inflation, vet bills have been rising in recent years. Coupled with the rising expense of food and other pet care essentials, being a pet owner has become a more costly, while still rewarding task.
As a pet owner, caring for your pet by exercising them and feeding them well is not the only long term commitment you make.
Why Pets Don't Make Good Gifts

Every year thousands of unwanted pets are returned, given away, or abandoned to their fates. Some of these pets were gifts for birthdays, Christmas, or other occasions.
The giver is usually well-meaning. It could be that he believes a single friend or relative could "use some company" ... or that giving a new pet will help to ease the grief of someone mourning the loss of a beloved pet ... or someone who "loves animals" will appreciate a pet ... or simply that he finally gives in to repeated requests from the kids to get a pet.
Common Injuries to Dogs

Accidents happen everyday. Even the best pet owners can make a mistake, or a set of circumstances can lead to an injury to your dog. In most cases you will probably want to take your dog to the vet immediately rather than taking a "wait-and-see" approach. Even though the dog may appear to be okay, there can be inside trauma that requires diagnosis by a vet. Some common injuries include:
Dog fight wounds.
Dog fights can result in bite wounds, punctures, torn flesh, and worse. Although there are some fights that sound worse than they really are, many are serious.
Caring for Your Pet in a Tough Economy

If you’re among the millions of Americans who wants to cut costs and increase your savings, taking a back-to-basics, simplified approach to life can offer a number of advantages -- among them, saving money.
If you’re looking for ways to slash pet-related expenses, there are smart and not-so-smart strategies available to accomplish your goal.
I encourage you choose wisely, not only for the well-being of your pet, but also to avoid unseen but potentially costly problems in the future.

DON’T Skimp on Routine Vet Visits
Skipping routine veterinarian exams – I recommend two per year -- to save some money in the short-term could backfire down the roan