Pet animals are not just stress busters but companions in the odd hour. People have been keeping some bizarre animals as pets and some of these being endangered are prohibited. This column will share all that bothers a pet keeper.
Edition 27
(30 August 2021)
Harmful Food For Dogs
One of the myths of dog nutrition is that you should never feed your dog “people food”. There are many food commonly found on your own table—like fresh fruit and vegetables that dogs can happily, and healthily partake in. But there are also things in your kitchen that you should keep well away from your dog’s bowl.
1.Alcohol-It has the same effect on the dog’s liver that it has on us . Even a small amount of alcohol can cause vomiting, diarrhea, problems with coordination, difficulty breathing, and even death.
2.Onions and Garlic- Both onion and garlic contain a substance that can damage a dog’s red blood cells, leading to anemia.
3.Caffeine - Coffee can cause irreparable damage and even caffeine poisoning if consumed in large enough quantities. Symptoms of caffeine poisoning include restlessness, rapid breathing, heart palpitations, and muscle tremors
4.Grapes and raisins-These can cause vomiting, lethargy, and ultimately kidney failure in dogs.
5.Chocolate – It the most commonly cited forbidden food for dogs. All chocolate is dangerous for dogs, but dark and unsweetened baking varieties are the strongest sources of theobromine and are therefore the deadliest.
Edition 25
(30 July 2021)
Choosing The Right Cat
Before choosing a pet one should keep the following aspects in mind :-
•Need of a pet in a family
•Age of the pet owner
•Purpose
•Availability of free time needed for the pet
•The future of animal in the house
Before bringing a kitten to home , one should ensure that the kitten is nine to ten weeks old and make sure that it is healthy .Skin and fur should be checked for presence of lice and mites .While selecting the cats , people should check eye color , coat color and coat color . Stray kitten or cats have pot belly because of worms which should be checked as well . After a adopting a kitten or cat , it should be taken to the veterinarian for general check up . Owner should arrange some basic things before bringing a kitten or cat to home such as bed , two feeding bowls , a cage , scratch post and a few toys .Two bowls are required for feeding – one for water and the other for food . Plastic or steel bowls should be preferred as they are easy to clean. One should buy a cage in which kitten can be kept safely and later can be used to transport the cats while taking them to the veterinarian .
Edition 23
(30 June 2021)
Choosing The Right Dog
Before choosing a pet one should keep the following aspects in mind :-
•Need of a pet in a family
•Space for the pet in the house
•Type of house
•Age of the pet owner
•Breed [large or small dog ]
•Availability of free time needed for the pet
•The future of animal in the house
It is very important to note that though bringing a puppy into the family is an enjoyable experience but if the above mentioned aspects are not considered then many dogs are later found abandoned on streets or in animal shelters . A veterinarian’s guidance is beneficial while considering all these factors . The age of the pup should be taken into consideration as well. It should not be separated from mother until it is eight weeks old . At the same time , it is imperative to know the quality of the pup . Pups can be bought or adopted from the pet shops or shelters or from friends or breeders . The pet owner should always keep in mind the space requirements , time and care needed for the pet . A large breed dog will not grow up in flats , only small breed dogs are the best suitable options for that . All dogs need daily grooming and exercise , if one don’t have much so much time , then never – buy a long haired dog who needs extra care and time and one should go for short-haired dog .
Edition 21
(30 May 2021)
How To Take Care Of Our Furry Friends During Rainy Season
A good spell of rain is a relief from the scorching summer heat for our furry pets . This is the time when we need to take extra care of our pets because pets are most prone to ear and skin infection during the raining season .
So , to take care of our furry friends we need to follow some simple tips to keep them safe from the infection .
•Keep their paws dry
•Keep them away from stagnant water
•Clean their ears once a day
•Wash their bowls twice a day
•Protect them from ticks
•Use a rain gear like – rain coats , boots etc. as and when required
•Boil their water as it will protect them from stomach troubles
•De-worm and vaccinate the pet
•Fiber up their diet for the rainy season
Edition 19
(30 April 2021)
Sometimes even after the proper care of the cats , some ailments can occur. The owner should keep a lookout for the symptoms . We should take preventive measures to curb diseases so as to provide happy and healthy life to the cat .
The important disease are as follows-
1.Fleas—This is the most common problem in cats and needs to be dealt with carefully. These can be seen on the fur while grooming as the active parasites is black in young stage and later on turns brownish in colour . The life cycle takes about ten days .
2.Lice—Lice is less common problem in cats as compared to fleas . When it is present on the skin , it causes severe irritation and leads to inflammation. These are smaller fleas and are slow moving creatures which tend to clump together .
3.Eczema –Eczema is synonymous to dermatitis . It describes any eruptions on skin because of unstable diet ,irritant or an allergy of some particular things .
4.Furball—Furball is a common problem in long haired cats and in short haired cats during the moulting period .These May accumulate in form of lump in stomach and animal May try to vomit
5.Cough—Cough May be due to presence of roundworms if the cat crouch and choke for a while before vomiting . If along with cough cat has a breathing problem , then it must get veterinary attention immediately .
6.Vomiting—Vomiting May be de to something rejected my cat’s stomach like –grass, own hair, skin, mouse or rabbit .
Edition 17
(30 March 2021)
Sometimes even after the proper care of the dog , some ailments can occur. The owner should keep a lookout for the symptoms . We should take preventive measures to curb diseases so as to provide happy and healthy life to the dog.
The important disease are as follows-
• CANINE DISTEMPER—It is caused by a virus . It spreads through air and dogs can get infection from infected dogs through direct contact. Vaccines are used to prevent this disease . Puppies of 3-6 months of age are susceptible. The affected dog show cold like symptoms i.e. watery discharge from eyes and nose , cough ,loss of appetite and fever . After 30 -40 days of exposure dogs may develop convulsions which cannot be treated . Hence death could occur .
• INFECTIOUS CANINE HEPATITIS –Infectious Canine Hepatitis is spread through ingestion of food and water contaminated with urine of sick dogs . The main symptoms are high temperature , loss of appetite , swelling in head, neck and lower abdomen , cough and drowsiness . Virus is shed in urine even after recovery and disease can be transmitted to healthy dogs . So , dogs should be immunized and treated properly on time and treated properly on time .
• KENNAL COUGH – It is a respiratory disease . Cough is usually dry followed with mucous . It may lead to bronchitis and pneumonia and then death may occur .
• RABIES- It has been eradicated from a umber of countries. It spreads from infected animals to other animals and human being through infected saliva .
• PARVO VIRUS –Parvo Virus was recognized in 1978 and is very fatal for young puppies . The symptoms include fever vomiting , diarrhea stained with blood and dehydration . It spreads through with faeces and vomits of infected dogs . Proper treatment should me followed.
• CORONA VIRUS— It is causes diarrhea where the stool is brownish coloured and foul smelling . These diseases can be prevented by proper and regular vaccination of dogs.
• RINGWORM—This is a fungal disease begins with broken hair around the face, feet and ears . Shin becomes scaly , crusty and itchy .
• FLEAS— Fleas are blood sucking parasites and move very rapidly . Flea bites cause severe irritation and the animal keep on biting and scratching that area .
• TICKS—Ticks are also blood sucking parasites and heavy infestation may cause severe blood loos and death . Manual detecting is the best method to remove infestation ticks . Preventive measure should be taken to avoid infestation i.e. tick collars , spot on treatment etc.
Edition 15
(8 February 2021)
I.MYTH :If a cat crosses someone's path it is said to be a bad omen .
FACTS: This is baseless . The cats are just going along their way and please mind your own business and let the cat live peacefully .
II.MYTH: Cats and dogs cannot live together and are enemies .
FACTS: Cats , dogs and all other animals can live amiably , when they are trained properly .
I. MYTHS : Growling and biting habits of dogs show their aggressive nature .
FACTS : Dogs are not always aggressive ,such barking and growling can be sign to alert other members of group as aggressive threats can be a social signal in between them .
II.MYTHS :Wagging of tail means that the dog will not bite
FACTS : The wagging of tail is a combination of greeting and threatening signal ,so the dog should be properly observed for this behavior .
Edition 13
(30 January 2021)
The cats are very intelligent and have good senses of smell, sight and touch. Felines , generally known as cats, are mammals in the family Felidae of the Order Carnivora .Cats are the most carnivorous of all meat-eating animals. The members of the cat family occur naturally in all parts of the world , except Australia and Antarctica. Modern cats first appeared about 25 million years ago. One of the earliest members of the family was the saber-toothed tiger ,which lived in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America . The cats were first domesticated in ancient Egypt about 5,000 years ago. The Egyptians used cats to protect grain supplies from rodents .
The dogs are the member of the Order- ‘Carnivora’ ,a group of mammals that originated about 55 millions years ago. The members includes animals in family ‘Canidae’ which comprises of wolves , jackals and dogs. The Canidae family migrated to South America where they evolved into foxes. The dog was domesticated about 10,000 years ago by man in Middle East. It is believed that the dog family had a common ancestor – a five-toed weasel like animal which is known as Miacis. The wolf is widely believed to be the forerunner of modern day dogs