Flea Control for Pet and Home Owners

Flea control

Whoever said getting rid of fleas is easy needs to re-think again. In my experience, flea control can be quite challenging when confronted with flea infestation, flea bites, or fleas on pets.

Flea control is and can be effected by:

* climate changes

* where you live

* and a host of other reasons

Fact is, fleas never discriminate. They feel equally as comfortable on the most well groomed show dog or... on any stray animal. Their goal is clear... to simply feed and breed!

This is where your flea control skills will be tested to the max. There are so many methods of getting rid of fleas... Which Flea Control method(s) to use?

You can go either way by using either natural flea killers or by opting for a more aggressive alternative... chemical solutions. Both of these flea control methods have pro's and cons. It's really a case of discovering what's right for you, your house or your beloved pet.

I definitely recommend booking an appointment with your local vet. There, you'll be able to get specific information geared towards your individual needs.

You can of course try your own hand at flea control and save quite a bit of money on professional services. The choice is always yours.

My Personal Flea Control Tip

So, your beloved pet has fleas! First course of action... Don't panic, you're not alone with this problem. And you certainly won't find yourself short of anti-flea solutions.

Right now, you're probably really worried, almost to the point of frustration at the very sight of your pet itching like crazy as fleas settle down to a healthy meal of fresh, warm blood.

What to do?

Where do I go?

And which product is the best for darling pet?

I've faced the very same questions and after trying umpteen different products as a pet owner, the one that really stood out from the rest (in terms of results), was Advantage Flea Control.

Enough has been said, written and publicized about Advantage Flea Control without me having to blow the trumpet also.

In short, when faced with the challenge of controlling fleas on your pet, I highly recommend you give Advantage a try.

It will kill fleas on adult pets as well as puppies and kittens... however; do refer to the instructions on the packaging and if in doubt, refer to your local vet for more specific advice.

I hope you enjoy my website. In the near future, I will add a forum where we can all share our flea control tips. This way we'll help each other to keep happier, healthier pets...

After all, there's nothing better than happy pets! Wouldn't you agree?

About the author: Stewart Alexander is the owner and Webmaster of "Flea Control Master"... a brand new resource directory site, built to aid and assist pet and home owners in their search for flea control information, products and services.

Personal Pet Check-Ups

For all pet owners, regular monitoring and "examinations" of your pet will give you a better idea of the animal's overall health and prove as good "quality" time for both you and your pet. Also, this may help you catch a problem in the early phases and certainly before it becomes life threatening.

The list of things you can do during this time could be long but below we've taken the time to list a few of the most basic and easy to read signs of being "off color". In addition to the usual, these steps may help you in deciding your pet's actual state of health.

CHECK YOUR PET FOR:

1)Build up in the tooth area. Also bad breath- which may suggest gingivitis or other tooth/gum problems.

2)Clean ears. Is there wax build up, ticks, mites or other parasites inside? Is a bad odor present?

3)Are the eyes discolored or irritated? Is extensive matter present?

4)A 'greasy" coat? Is the skin grey white or red and irritated? Do you find evidence of fleas or other parasites? Is the smell of the animals coat on your hands, after checking it with your fingers, fishy, rank or offensive?

A doggy odor, while common, is still a sign of a low level of health. If your answers to many of the above areas are "YES", then you should plan some type of action to discontinue this cycle of bad health. First and foremost, diet is the best place to start. Consult with your vet and/or check into possible alternative therapies. In the end, your pet's overall health is up to you, so these early warning signs should not be overlooked.

A clean bill of health is the most valuable gift you can present to your pets- next to your love and attention.

Article written and reprinted with permission of: http://www.pedigreedpups.com/ Purebred Dogs, Puppies and Dog Breeders - "Your New Best Friend" Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

About the author: http://www.pedigreedpups.com is a website offering the best purebred dog breed information, online resources and high-quality dog content for all dog owners, dog lovers and those considering dog ownership. Debbie is the owner of pedigreedpups.com, a dog lover, owner and dog breeder of many years.

Training a Cat for the Litter Box

Did you know that you can control when a cat has to go to the bathroom and when they don't have to go? It is called feeding time. One of the first things in training a cat is do not feed the cat anything unless you are going to be home for a time after they have eaten. This is a good example of feeding the cat after you get home from work and preparing dinner for the family. By the time you and your family have sat down and enjoyed your dinner, the cat should be ready to go out or go to the litter box to go potty.

Making sure the litter box is clean at all times so that the cat can have a nice smelling comfortable place to go potty at. There are plenty of different types of litter to get for the litter box. From plain to good smelling when they scratch at it or dig to sand to soft pellets. There is not a particular type that will help with the training of the cat. It is totally up to you and your cat. Some cats do not like smells and so this would be a consideration that you might want to find out if your cat will use the box with these types of litter. They have scoopers out that you can purchase to help clean up the litter box when the cat uses it so that they have a clean environment to go to when they need to. Another thing is that you would want to have a clean environment for this for your family too. Family member can get sick off of cat litter, clean and dirty.

You should wash out the litter box everyday and replace the litter with 1 � of new litter. Wash out the litter box with hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly with water. By adding lemon juice or vinegar to the water will help take the smell out of the box. Ammonia is not a good cleaning agent to use as it will increase the smell of the litter box. If you have more than one cat a good thing is to have a couple of litter boxes in different locations so that each one has their own.

The litter box should not be near the place where the cat is sleeping, eating or playing area. If you going to but the litter box in the bathroom make sure that the door is open for the cat to be able to get in when it has to use it.

What are some of the causes that a cat would not use a little box? They use a favorite chair of a family member, quilt, blanket or carpet to go on. One the litter box could be dirty, which will lead a cat to bad behaviors for potty training. Other reasons could be too many people in the house, new pet that you have gotten lately, especially another cat. Children home on vacation for the summer or holidays, or maybe they sense you will be gone on a vacation or a period of time that they will be left at home and neighbors will stop in and check on it and feed them.

Urinary tract problems are another reason. This is why it is important when getting a cat or trying to train your cat to make sure they get to vet when they need to. Infections can cause a cat to have bad behaviors. With this if you are able to find out from a vet that your cat has an infection or is sick you will be able to treat the cat. And they will not learn all the good behaviors that you have taught them.

Rewarding the cat when it has gone potty in the proper place is very important in part of a cat training good behaviors. This is a time that you will want to search out for a good small healthy snack for your cat. Your cat will know that this is good, when you reward them for a job well done.

About the author: Tony Robinson is a webmaster, international author and cat lover. Visit his website at http://www.officialcats.com

How your pet photos can help support animal charities

Petmillions is the worlds premier online charity pet contest...

Petmillions allows you to enter each of your pets into the annual contest with the chance to win serious cash prizes all in the aid of charity!

All you need to do is get plenty of votes for your pet and you can go through to the Grand Final. You, your friends and family, members of this forum can vote online for all your pets, and there are plenty of ideas on the site to help you become a winner.

By entering your pets into the contest you will be supporting us and also giving yourself a chance to win up to a cool $1,000,000 (approx 530,000)! Entry fees start from as little as $1.50 (approx 0.80) and our charities will receive 20% for every pet you enter! You can choose to support 1 or all of our charities.

Petmillions is endorsed by and supports; WSPA, Dogs Trust, Mayhew animal Home, PetFinder Foundation, Rabbit Welfare Fund, Border Collie Trust, CatChat.org, BornFree Foundation and more!

HOW DOES PETMILLIONS WORK?

Your entry will be valid for the whole duration of the petmillions.com contest, which starts on 1st November 2006 and ends 31st October 2007. Every month you need to the most votes for your pet and win a place in our Grand Final. Everyone in the Grand Final WILL WIN cash prizes, one lucky winner could walk away with up to 500,000 thats $1,000,000!

Step 1 - Sign up to petmillions.com, when you signup you will choose to support one or all of the charities on our site.

Step 2 - An email from us will be sent to you to activate your account, click on this link.

Step 3 - Once you have activated your account you need to login to your account area. Read our welcome email which will ask you to update your contact details (to do this click on the "MY ACCOUNT" button).

Step 4 - To enter the contest, click on the "NEW ENTRY" button. Follow the steps, REMEMBER by upgrading to a photo entry which costs between $1.50 (0.80p) and $5.00 (2.60) you will be helping the animal charity you chose to support AND more money will be allocated to the prize fund. Photos make the entry more attractive which could mean MORE VOTES!

Step 5 - Now you have to get people to vote for your pet. On your entry form there is a link to send to friends, family, colleagues basically anyone you know. Ask them to vote for you, it only takes a few moments. Remember you can vote for any pet in the petmillions contest, you get 1 vote per entry per day. Which means if your friends and family enter you can all vote for each others entries!

HOW TO GET MORE VOTES

IDEA! Why not create a small movie of your pet, hold a card up at the end with the petmillions.com address and your voting ID (which you get from your pet entry form) and submit to youtube.com

IDEA! Are you a member of a forum, myspace or perhaps have a blog? If yes then why not change your signature to be the link to your pet and also perhaps post asking people to vote for you.

IDEA! Do you have instant messenger? If yes add your pet photo as an avatar and then where your name is change to petmillions.com and your pets vote ID.

IDEA! Visit the site everyday and vote for yourself!

There are more great ideas at http://www.petmillions.com

Good Luck!
About the Author

Petmillions allows you to enter each of your pets into the annual contest with the chance to win serious cash prizes all in the aid of charity!

Gutloading Crickets

Many new reptile owners aren't aware that the crickets that they purchase from their local pet store lack the nutritional value that their reptile needs. This is especially true of the large chain pet stores that simply ship the crickets in and keep them in drawers just long enough to sell. The old expression applies to your favorite pet too "you are what you eat!" We will try to give a brief overview of not only how to feed, but what to feed crickets.

The process of feeding" the food" is called gut loading. The process is simple. Prior to feeding your reptile, place the crickets in a container with nutritious food and a moisture source. We recommend the Critter Totes specifically made for crickets. These small cages allow easy feeding of reptiles without cricket escapees or direct handling of the crickets.

Our diet consists of equal parts dry dog food, rolled oats, bran, & chick starter mash. Basically any non sweetened feed or cereal will work as the base food. We grind this food in our blender. This may sound like overdoing it but we keep and breed quality reptiles and believe that healthy feeders are the foundation for happy and healthy pets. They will also need a moisture source. Some cricket keepers use chick waterers or wet sponges, but we have had nothing but trouble with water in any form in our cricket cages. So we prefer using fruit & veggies as moisture sources. We usually use whatever is growing in our garden at the time, some great choices are orange slices, carrots, potato pieces, prickly pear, or any kind of greens. In Review Keep the crickets in a plastic box with nutritious food (any dry pet food or cereal) for 24 hours before feeding them to your pet. Add a moisture source (any fruit or veggies) Make sure to remove old veggies on a daily basis to prevent any mold or fungi.
About the Author

TheBugGuy is a site full of info on insects. It discusses and breeding feeding insects. TheBugGuy helps reptile owners save money by raising their own feeder insects.
http://thebugguy.blogspot.com/

Does Your Pet Need More Exercise?

Does Your Pet Need More Exercise?


Author: Aaron Wilmont

It’s no secret that exercise has a tremendous effect on our health. Find out Why

These days, medical professionals cannot stress enough the benefits of a regular exercise program:

• Controls weight
• Increases energy
• Improves circulation
• Enhances lung capacity
• Oxygenates blood
• Improves heart rate
• Builds strong muscles
• Increases joint mobility
• Improves your mood
• Helps with sleep
• The list goes on and on…

You may not have given it much thought, but our pets reap the same benefits as we do when it comes to exercise. Not to mention, a regular exercise program can help burn nervous energy and reduce boredom for your pet, making them less likely to destroy your property. Your cat may run through the house or bat around a toy on its own, and your dog may chase a squirrel in the backyard or play with his ball. But, this is the extent of their exercise program without someone’s help. That’s why it’s up to us as their caretakers to make sure they are getting the exercise they need.

Don’t worry, you aren’t going to get any whining, lame excuses or belly aching from your pets regarding exercise. The whole process is playtime in their minds and the bond that grows between you and your pet when you increase their “playtime” will make them love you all the more.

Be sure and consult with your veterinarian before you begin. Different pets have different needs when it comes to exercise. Large dogs are going to vary from small dogs and older animals are going to vary from younger animals. Plus, the vet can give your pet a routine examination to make sure their health is good and it’s safe to proceed.

Please keep in mind, too, that if your pet isn’t use to exercising you will need to start out slow and gradually increase over time. Just like people, pets can get sore muscles and strained joints or ligaments if they overexert themselves.

Exercising Your Dog

It’s a good idea to start with a moderately paced walk or swim for dogs, giving them a chance to build strength and stamina without straining muscles. Start with 10-15 minutes a day and gradually increase time and distance as the dog gets a little more accustomed to it.

Always keep an eye out for signs of fatigue and trouble breathing – excessive panting, rapid heart rate. And, be sure to keep plenty of water on hand. By all means, if your dog wants to stop, let him. That is a strong sign that he has had enough. Please keep in mind that most dogs love to burn energy and because of their enthusiasm and willingness to please their owner, they may not stop until it’s too late. Therefore, it’s very important to watch and know when enough is enough.

To keep things interesting, you may want to vary their forms of activity: walking, swimming, jogging, playing ball or chasing a Frisbee are great ways to keep them enthused. For a real change of pace, take your dog to the dog park to play with other dogs. He’ll not only burn lots of calories, he’ll get to socialize and make new friends, as well.

As a safety precaution, allow your dog to walk or jog on soft surfaces in the beginning. Soft or tender pads can become sore or tear under stress. Make sure nails are trimmed so they won’t hang or rip. And, always keep your dog on a leash to avoid traffic or other, more aggressive dogs.

If you exercise at night, consider a reflective collar or light on your dog, as well as a bright colored or reflective leash that is visible to passersby. Also, you’ll want to wear white or light colored clothing yourself to make sure you can be seen by others.

Exercising Your Cat

Getting your cat the exercise he needs is a little more challenging than the dog. Some cats can be trained to walk on a leash, but for most this is not a viable solution. Cats are designed different from dogs, too. Short frequent periods of intense activity are more beneficial to a cat than slower-paced exercise sessions.

There are a lot of wonderful toys you can purchase to help keep your cat active. But, before you spend a lot of money, you might look around the house. Many times, you’ll find plenty of things around the house to create hours of entertainment for your cat. Basically, cats like to climb, bat, chase, explore and scratch. So, if you work these elements into their routine, you should have some success.

Things to climb on and explore could be a kitty cat tower from the pet store or some boxes, suit cases and paper sacks. For batting practice, a shiny ball, stuffed mouse, old sock or wadded up piece of paper should do the trick. As for the chase, a string or laser pointer can work wonderfully. And, a scratching post, piece of cardboard or carpet will do for scratching.

You definitely don’t want to discourage your cat from scratching. This scratching motion will stretch and tone your cat’s shoulder muscles. But, more importantly, it will keep his claws active so that he is less inclined to shred your furniture.

For an interesting change of pace, you might consider walking or running up and down a flight of stairs or hallway with a string or rope attached to your belt loop. This will get the pulse rate up for both of you! Or, create a challenge for your cat by making him work for his dinner by putting small amounts of food on several plates and scattering them throughout the house at meal time. This will make your cat exercise in order to eat and freshen up some of those tracking skills.

Remember that exercise is every bit as vital to your pet’s health and well being as good food, clean water and shelter. A consistent exercise program will enhance your pet’s life in many ways. If your busy schedule finds you short on time, you might consider hiring a pet sitter. A pet sitter is more than happy to come out to your house and exercise your pets. They can walk or run with your dog, take him to the park or out to play ball in the back yard. They’ll even exercise and play with the cat. Your pets will absolutely love the extra attention and you’ll have peace of mind knowing that they’re getting the exercise they need.

YourPetsLife.com offers natural health solutions and wellness information to help enhance the life of your pets. More information at http://www.yourpetslife.com

Article Source: http://www.www.myfamilyliving.com

Keep 'em In!

We've all seen them - cats that troll the neighborhood, begging food and sleeping on - or under the cars. And we all know that's no way for a cat to live, right? (At least not if you want your cat to live more than a couple of years.)

So bring your cat inside - permanently - and teach him how good life inside can be!

If you've got a new kitten and you want him to be indoors all the time, start by giving him a little extra attention and making the great indoors a fun place to be. For instance - having one-on-one play time with your kitten will help him feel important and loved. And giving him toys and a cozy bed will help him burn some energy and give him a safe place to sleep when he's done playing.

Of course, if you've already got an indoor cat, there are some things you can do to keep his time inside interesting, too. According to Petco.com, some fun ways to keep your cat inspired include:

* Letting your cat nibble on dietary greens planted in a small pot.
* Opening a window (as long as the screens are secure) and giving him a breath of fresh air - and some nice scenery.
* Teaching your cat to walk on a leash
* Giving him a secure, enclosed space outside where he can experience the outdoors safely.

Other than giving your cat a longer life expectancy and keeping him safer, in general, your cat will also likely have a healthier life, with a drastically reduced possibility of contracting FIV, feline leukemia, rabies, distemper, and other, often fatal, diseases.

While every effort should be made to keep your cat indoors, safe and healthy, you should always keep his vaccinations current and equip him with an elastic or breakaway collar with an identification tag - just in case he does sneak out.

About the Author

Jed Yorkshire is a retired teacher and pet enthusiast who writes about canine health topics, specialty breeds, animal training and grooming. An avid pet lover and breeder, he owns four beautiful Giant Schnauzers. Yorkshire also works as a private pet behavior consultant.

How To Deal With Dog Separation Anxiety

You leave and he howls. Not just for a moment, but seemingly forever. When the howling finally abates, it is replaced by a whine. When you return, you find your home a mess as he has engaged in destructive behavior that is completely out of character. Your dog has a real problem: separation anxiety.

Dogs love their owners and develop a very close relationship with them. Sometimes the closeness of that relationship can leave them confused and frightened when the owner is gone. Thy dog may seem confused, angry or sullen when the owner leaves and may appear to lash out against being left alone by ruining furniture, creating messes or otherwise acting in ways wholly inconsistent with his training. Separation anxiety is relatively easy to diagnose: an otherwise well-adjusted dog seems to transform into a monster when left alone. Unfortunately, it is not always quite as easy to treat the disorder.

Helping a dog to overcome problems with separation anxiety is a process, just like other aspects of training, it takes time and repetition to be truly successful. The idea of training away separation anxiety seems unlikely because how can you address a behavior when you are not present to see, prevent or correct it? Fortunately, there are actions one can take to decrease separation anxiety and to prevent your dog's frustrated behavior from spiraling out of control during your absence.

Prepare the dog for your departure. Many people have a tendency to lavish attention on their dog before leaving. They may take extra time to play with the dog or find other ways to try to squeeze in a little extra quality time with their canine friend. Though well intended, this only makes the owner's departure even more noticeable and worrisome for the dog. Instead of petting and kissing the dog goodbye, owners dealing with separation anxiety should take measures to correctly prepare the pet for their absence.

This can be done by intentionally decreasing interaction with the pet prior to leaving. Although one may want to spend extra time with a pet before leaving him alone, the best practice is to actually come close to ignoring your pet for several minutes prior to leaving. This will make your departure less jarring and should serve to decrease the dog's level of anxiety.

If you are leaving for an extended period and feel the need to connect with your pet and to enjoy their company, find ways to do so earlier in the day. Resist the urge to say goodbye before actually leaving.

Provide an immediate distraction for the dog. Right before leaving, it is desirable to provide the pet with some sort of distraction. A new toy, for instance, may serve to occupy his attentions, allowing for a smoother transition to his alone time. Whatever immediate distraction is provided, make sure it is something that is likely to interest the dog for several minutes. The objective, after all is to maintain his attention on something other than your absence for as long as can be reasonably expected.

This technique has the added benefit of teaching your pet that his time alone will result in a pleasurable experience. He will begin to connect your departure with a fun toy or diversion instead of feeling it will only bring anxiety and loneliness.

One should also provide a more lasting distraction. Dogs crave human contact and will unavoidably miss it while alone. However, maintaining something of a human element to their surroundings can decrease the separation anxiety the feel when left without company.

Many have experienced success by keeping a radio or television tuned to programming featuring a great deal of dialogue. The dog will hear human voices and although he certainly will not be fooled into believing he is in the company of human friends, the sound is still soothing and can reduce feelings of stress and loneliness.

Separation anxiety can be an absolutely befuddling issue for a dog owner. Even the most well-mannered and well-trained dogs can suddenly transform into destructive troublemakers as a result of separation anxiety. Training away this difficulty can be hard, especially when a dog feels very connected to his owner. However, by preparing your dog and utilizing appropriate immediate and lasting distractions, one can reasonably expect to reduce the anxiety experienced by their dog.

About the Author

Paul Duxbury writes extensively on Pet Care. You can read more of his articles at Dog Care and Training and Pet Care Centre Download Your {a href="http://http://www.my-dog.co.uk/dogmasters.htm"} Free Dog Training Report