Canine Abuse; how to handle it.

It is a sad fact of life that many dogs suffer abuse of some kind during their lives. Abuse can take the form of physical assaults or punishment - but many pets suffer from the silent abuse of neglect. When abuse occurs during a sensitive stage of a dog's development, it can have a profound impact for the rest of its life, even if the dog is subsequently removed from the abusive environment.

An older dog may bounce back from a bad situation, but a young, impressionable dog will show lasting mental scars. He or she often has to be coaxed out of a shell of resistance and will likely never be fully trusting.

Toilet Training Your Cat

Every cat lover who saw the movie Meet the Parents envies Robert DeNiro's character, whose seal point Himalayan cat, Mr. Jinx, used the toilet to eliminate his wastes. Think of the convenience: no more hoisting bags of litter into and out of the car, no more scooping waste from the litter box and throwing it into the trash, and no more smell when Rocko makes a hefty deposit in (or outside of) his box. With the exception of flushing, a toilet-trained cat eliminates all of the problems associated with managing pet poop.

Coughing Dogs

Coughing is a common protective reflex that clears secretions or foreign matter from the throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), windpipe (trachea) or airways, and protects the lungs against aspiration. It affects the respiratory system by hindering the ability to breathe properly.

Common causes include obstruction in the windpipe, bronchitis, pneumonia, heartworm disease, lung tumors, kennel cough and heart failure.

Feeding your parrot

Hiya,

The best diet for parrots consists mostly of pellets, supplemented with "table food." These birds need foods from the bread/cereal, vegetable and protein (meat) groups - just as humans do. Dairy products aren't necessary, although some owners do feed them to their birds in small amounts. Fruit is mostly sugar and supplies few essential nutrients to birds.

Feline Obesity

Obesity is defined as the excessive accumulation of body fat. At least 25 percent of all cats are considered obese or are likely to become obese. It is the most common nutrition-related health condition in cats.

The primary causes of obesity are overeating and lack of exercise. When regular caloric intake exceeds the energy burned, the excess is stored as fat. As little as an extra 1 percent caloric intake can result in 25 percent increase over ideal body weight by middle age.


Most owners don't recognize that their cats are overweight until they take them to the veterinarian for another reason. Most pets begin slowly gaining weight and only a historical review of body weight reveals the insidious nature of this condition.

Cats that are overweight may experience difficulty breathing or walking or they may be unable to tolerate heat or exercise.