Top Ways to Keep Your Dogs and Cats Entertained

People often believe that if their pet has lots of love, water, food and proper medical care then they are set for life. Two items we often forget about are:

Giving them adequate physical exercise, and,

Plenty of mental challenges to stimulate their brains.

These two factors can increase their quality of life by leaps and bounds. ASPCA Animal Trainer, Kristen Collins, touts that “Pets need jobs.” Both dogs and cats have a need to be engaged and stay busy. Keep in mind that animals were created to take care of themselves by foraging or hunting for food and shelter. Although our pets have been domesticated, their energy levels and natural instincts still exist. More often than not our pets are bored and spend the day laying around waiting for us to return home from work. This is why animals get into mischief while we are away. They …

So you just got a pet and you’re preparing for your first vet visit! For many pets, a trip to the vet can be an extremely traumatic experience causing lots of anxiety; unfortunately the reason for this is often unknown other than simple fear of the unknown.   As a caring pet owner, you can’t just avoid the vet as that would put your pet’s health in jeopardy!  But there are some helpful steps you can take to ease your pet’s stress and make the appointment go as smoothly as possible.

1)    Avoid peak hours

Peak hours can vary depending on the day and clinic, however; most veterinary clinics are the busiest early in the morning and in the late afternoon-evening and on weekends.  You may be tempted to schedule your pet’s appointments during these times because they’re convenient.  But this can increase an animal’s stress level due to …

Most individuals place a significant amount of focus on the health and well-being of their family pet. If this is a concern for you, then it is important to take advantage of as many resources as possible, in order to improve the health and happiness of your animal friend. The utilisation of vets for pets is a necessary investment that every pet owner must make to avoid many potentially catastrophic health risks, which animals can fall victim to. Two of the most important veterinary services that a pet owner can take advantage of are the utilisation of vaccines and neutering.

Most individuals understand the incredible importance associated with taking advantage of vaccines during a person’s youth. These vaccines represent sources of defence for your body and help to encourage a strong immune system. Vaccinations for dogs act in the same way, as they help to prevent several important …

There have long been mixed breed dogs that vary quite a bit in looks, size and temperament. They are often referred to as “mutts” and they tend to have strong health and they make great pets. You can usually find a wonderful mutt to adopt at the local shelter.

A mixed breed dog is a dog that is not a purebred and it may not be known if the parents of the dog are purebreds. They are basically dogs from an unknown ancestry and a questionable genetic line. They are usually smart and wonderful and they make great pets but their lineage is unknown.

A purebred on the other hand is a dog that has two parents that are both of the same breed. Many times there are long records of the genetics of these dogs and breeders are very careful in their breeding techniques to make sure …

All breeds of dogs do need some exercise to be healthy. Without physical exercise canines cannot have strong bones and muscles. They would not have as much energy either. But do all breeds require the same amount of exercise each day? The answer is simply no.

There are some breeds that only need a moderate amount of physical activity to be healthy and happy. Others need quite a bit of activity though. So choose a breed based on your lifestyle.

If you come a go a lot to where a dog would have to be cooped up in the house for long periods of time, do not get a highly active breed. Same goes for if you live in apartments where the dog would have limited space to roam. The active breeds do better when they can have a good outdoor space to run in and that their …