Purina are providing a free sample for your dog to try! Only for Australian residents.
You will be the proud owner of a delicious RUFFS sample pack, and one very happy dog! But make like a greyhound, they’ll run out quick. Offer is limited to one sample per household.
Click to go to Purina and fill out the form with your details HERE … but be quick!
Robbie’s Pet Home Remedies: Natural cures you can administer at home..
Here are some tips we found on the net that you might find useful – please be aware that they are a guide only and veterinary advice should be sought.
Anemia: Feeding your pet foods high in iron and B vitamins will help this problem. A serving of liver once a day is sufficient: 1 oz. for cats, 2 oz. for small dogs, 3 oz. for medium dogs, 4 oz. for large dogs.
Animals In Heat: Your pet’s affectionate (and sometimes annoying) actions are demands for attention, so give them more than usual. The strong smell Vicks® VapoRub ointment may help keep roaming males away: rub a little in the fur of the tail on females and above the nose on males. Keep the windows closed; a male cat can smell a female in heat a mile away, while a dog’s range is about three miles. Get your pet spayed/neutered.
Arthritis: For overweight pets, losing weight will help lighten the load on those achy joints. A 20 minute walk several times a day can reduce the progression of arthritis. If it’s cold outside, let them sleep inside. Make sure they are provided with soft bedding to reduce discomfort. Moist heat applied for 20 minutes twice a day can be a great comfort.
Asthma: Keep pets with asthma free of excess weight; overweight animals have a harder time breathing. Use a humidifier; dry air irritates the airway. If you, the owner, smokes, stop! Keep them indoors during pollen season. For cats, use a dust-free kitty litter.
Bad Breath: A foul odor coming from your pet’s mouth is a sign of plaque. Prevent this by brushing your pets teeth, feeding them a raw turkey neck or raw carrots; don’t feed them canned food or table scraps, and get them a rope to play with. Your vet can also thoroughly clean your pet’s teeth. Click here for a recipe for Better Breath Pet Biscuits!
Broken Bones: Immobilize your pet while holding him still and place him on a board, car floor mat, or a folded blanket. Do not attempt to bandage or splint broken limbs as you can cause more damage. Take your pet to the vet immediately.
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Here are some tips to keep in mind when building a chicken coop or hutch, just one of the articles available from the Build a Chicken Coop people.
How To Build A Chicken Hutch
If you’re only planning on keeping one or two chickens total, you might want to build a chicken hutch rather than building an entire chicken coop, since this will get the job done and be a much cheaper and less time consuming option. Some people will also consider building a hutch to place in their coop, so that’s something to think about as well.
If you choose to build a chicken hutch you’ll find that it’s much easier to take care of and that you’re able to find a good location in your yard for it very easily. For those who are also just getting started with raising chickens, this is usually the perfect option to choose.
Here is what you need to know if you want to build a chicken hutch.
Be Sure You Build A Good Sized Door
Since you need to give your chickens easy access inside and out of the hutch, it’s important that you make sure you’re building a good sized door.
Don’t make the mistake of building only a tiny door that the chickens struggle to get in and out. You’re better off creating a larger door and then attaching a wooden door flap that they can get in and out of.
This will help to keep them protected from predators still but allow for easier access on their part. Continue reading
Visit 4dogscats at their Zazzle Store for original dog and cat design tshirts, homewares & gifts – here’s a sample!
Make personalized gifts at Zazzle.
When looking at gentle horse training methods, we came across a series of videos by Eric Bravo from Mexico. Below is a You Tube clip which is a snippet from one of those video training guides. Really like the method he shows for leading. I have seen something similar to this method used on a colt and he responded positively and quickly to this sort of approach.
If you take a look at Eriç Bravo’s website, there are some further interesting video snippets, or you can purchase a set at a discount price.
A brief overview:
Even if you’re a total beginner and haven’t got a clue where to start, you can have your own horse behaving nicely and bonding with you within hours!
There are essentially 3 main things you need to know about horse training: Continue reading
An informational video of a dog misbehaving and some insights. At the end of the video, some further video choices are available of dog problems that might be of interest.
Author: Matthew Homfray
Also known as Acute Moist Dermatitis or Moist Eczema, Hot Spots can seemingly appear spontaneously anywhere on a dogs body and the area involved can rapidly spread. This raw, unsightly skin disorder has a variety of causes but the most consistent factor is a bacterial infection. There are a number of kinds of bacteria that can be cultured from a hot spot and fortunately most respond to oral and topical antibiotics. Anything that irritates or breaks the skin can create the right environment for bacterial contamination if the skin surface is wet. The body’s response is either to itch or become inflamed. The itching then causes the dog to lick or chew the area, which further damages the skin, and creates a cycle of itching, scratching and chewing. If left to develop the infection goes into the deep layers of the skin. Continue reading
Kitten Health – A 7-Point Check on How to Select a Healthy Kitten
By Lyn Nunn
You have taken considerable time making the decision to adopt a kitten. You have made an informed decision about choosing a cat breed and in anticipation of the new arrival, you have possibly even chosen a cat name. Give some thought on kitten health and how to select a well-adjusted, healthy kitten.
We suggest that you do thorough research on the cat breeder and ensure that they are reputable. Purchasing a kitten from a recognized and registered cat breeder will give you some measure of comfort.
If you elect to adopt a kitten from an animal shelter, you will still need to ensure that you are selecting a healthy kitten. Continue reading
A wet winter and spring over much of Australia has resulted in many areas finally ending a very long drought. But it can come at a price for horses grazing on these now lush pastures!
Flatweed
Although not yet all fully understood by science, some weeds that have been fine for most horses to nibble on, can become quite toxic after a wet winter and spring. Sadly, there are many weeds that once ingested, there are no known treatments for.
The Australian Government’s RIRDC (Rural Industries & Research Development Corporation) have a fantastic online pdf booklet called Plants Poisonous to Horses – an Australian Field Guide and is a must for all horse owners. It may take some time to download as it is 132 pages long, but I strongly suggest you save a copy of it for future reference. It has plenty of pictures of the many weeds in question, with maps of where they are generally found and some symptoms.
It can save your horse a lot of pain and possible death, and save you a lot of heartache!
Pictured is the toxic weed Flatweed when not in flower – evidence suggests this plant can become very toxic after a wet winter and believed to cause the condition in horses known as ‘Stringhalt’.
The Care & Feeding of Your Pet Parrot
A healthy 22 year old Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
By Don A Levy
Learn How You Should Care for & Feed Your Pet Parrot
Parrots can be very entertaining with the ability to mimic not only humans but other animals and even sounds. They are very intelligent and appear to enjoy interacting with humans and at times other animals. They are sensitive to their environment and sometimes picky about what they are eating. If you are thinking of obtaining one of these animals as pets, it is essential that you are knowledgeable about their care and feeding. It will not matter which of the species you select because all of them will require a well-balanced diet and proper care and grooming to be happy.
Most types of parrots are kept as pets but one of the more popular choices for pets would be the African Grey parrot because of their range of vocabulary and ability to mimic. Be sure you do your research and can commit many years of your life to your new pet parrot as most parrots live a long time with the African Grey reportedly living as long as 80 years. You not only have to be committed for the long-term, but you must be loving, attentive and have a good amount of patience to properly care for this pet.
Your pet parrot’s diet
Your parrot will require a healthy and well-balanced diet. When they are in the wild, the majority of them will get by on fresh nuts, vegetables and fruits. This means that you need to plan diets to include these items, along with essential protein pellets and seed mixes. By doing this, you will accomplish the necessary items to make the foundation of their eating regimen. Your pet parrot must have a varied diet as they will get bored if their diet only includes protein pellets. Some foods that parrots might enjoy are cooked beans, pasta, bread, peppers and even popcorn (no microwave). It appears that food that’s good for us is possibly also good for your pet parrot. Make sure it won’t hurt them before you feed it to them. Continue reading
