pet jokes

Something to make you laugh today...

How to Prevent Feline Heartworm Disease

Heartworms looks like a long threadlike worms that usually live in your dog's hearts . There are many people that do not know that heartworms can also affect the pet health of our feline friends as well. Heartworms can be transmitted by mosquitoes and once your pet is bitten the worms take around four months to reach the heart. Once there, the heartworms can grow up to a foot long. Your cats can have a very severe reaction to the heartworms which can usually cause coughing, trouble breathing, and lethargy. For some time now, vets have only thought that only dogs could get heartworms but a few years ago, a study was done on cats that died suddenly. Thet have found out that a large majority of them have heartworms. It usually takes about two years in dogs to show symptoms when they have heartworms but cats tend to die without ever having any symptoms at all. According to the study, one third of all cats under the study that has heartworms were found in indoor only cats. This just to show that indoor cats are not immune to the disease.

Another thing that makes heartworm disease in cats difficult is the difficulty in testing. There are a lot of pet owners are very frustrated by this disease because of it can be really hard to detect and also the lack of definitive testing. Currently there are two blood tests that doctors use to help in diagnosing the this kind of disease. Antibody tests look for antibodies for heartworms that their immune system produces when heartworms are present in your pet's body. The problem with this kind of test is that the heartworm infection does not have to be current to be positive, your pet could have had heartworms years in the past. Antigen tests are the main ones used to test dogs for heartworms. The antigen tests detect female worms in the body.

Since it only takes one or very few worms to cause problems cats can have infections with only male worms. That means if cats only have male worms it will test negative on an antigen test. The only effective test that can confirm heartworms if the antigen test is negative is an ultrasound.The final frustration with feline heartworm disease is that it is so difficult to treat. Currently there are no medications used to kill adult heartworms infestations. Medications that are currently available are designed to lessen the symptoms of the heartworm disease as well as medications that improve breathing. But it does nothing to rid the cat of heartworms and improve pet health. In dogs heartworms can live for over seven years, but since cats are not the primary hosts they only live about two years.

Since diagnosis is so hard, and the heartworm disease is so severe, prevention is the best key with feline heartworms. This is the ultimate answer with feline heartworms, if your pets do not get it, you do not have to worry about the disease. There are a lot of preventatives out there for heartworms. There are also products that can be found at your local store that can prevent heartworms and treat hookworms and roundworms. The disadvantage to these products is that it is a chewable, which can be very difficult to administer to our feline friends. There are also topical medications available which cab prevent heartworms, treat hookworms, roundworms, fleas, earmites, and the mange. This is a great product that really fully protects our kitties. So remember prevention is still very important even for your pets so they wont get heartworms.

Plan ahead to ease problems while traveling with pets

As Gustav threatened many families, many people found themselves starting to turn their vehicles into a smaller version of Noah's Ark. I am sure that many pet owners are wondering how the heck Noah got all those animals to calmly board the ship when the time came to evacuate and how could he stand all those noise and smell of those animals as well as the misery of taking care of those animals. Im sure one of you pet owners out there have experienced pets reacting badly to long rides or travels especially if your pets are not used to travel often but this kind of problem can be avoided and traveling with your pets can be made easier for everyone.

If you want to travel with your pets you should always keep in mind to use a carrier. Terrified pets will try to shelter under your brake pedal if they can and this can lead to accidents and other situations you dont want your self to get involved. You should also discuss pet sedatives with your vet well in advance specially if your pets can get easily stressed to the point of becoming ill or incontinent in the car.

You can also line your pet's carriers with changing pads or newspapers to make it easy to clean when you reach rest stops. Also a hamster-style water bottles will make giving water to your pets reduces the mess. Food and water should also be limited to prevent any poop accidents. It also makes your pets feel safe when you cover the outside of the pet carrier with a sheet and giving them a toy while traveling can give them additional distraction. The soothing pheromone sprays, is one effective advice I can give if you have unhappy cat traveling with you. This is available at any pet shops and some are a little bit pricey but many owners report excellent results when using it specially traveling with their pets.

Remember to always plan ahead when you are traveling because this can help you and your pets to ease any problem that might come along the way.

Lost cat returned home after nine years

We all know how sad to lost something we love whether its an object, pet or someone we know... Here's a story of a lost cat who got reunited with her owners after 9 years.

LONDON (Reuters) - A couple have been reunited with their missing cat after nine years, the RSPCA said on Wednesday.
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Dixie, a 15-year-old ginger cat, disappeared in 1999 and her owners thought she had been killed by a car.

She was found less than half a mile from her home in Birmingham after a concerned resident rang the animal charity to report a thin and dishevelled cat who had been in the area for a couple of months.

RSPCA Animal Collection Officer Alan Pittaway checked her microchip and confirmed it was Dixie. She was returned to her owners, Alan and Gilly Delaney, within half an hour.

"In 29 years of working for the RSPCA I have never seen anyone so excited and happy as Mrs Delaney," Pittaway said. "It made my day to return Dixie to her owners."

The couple were "overjoyed" to be reunited with their missing cat after so many years.

"Dixie's personality, behaviour and little mannerisms have not changed at all," said Gilly Delaney. "We don't think she has stopped purring since she came back through the door."

The RSPCA hope the story will encourage owners to have their pets microchipped.

(Reporting by Anna Legge; Editing by Steve Addison)

Rules of the house for pets

I saw this in one of the forums i frequent visit... hope this makes you smile somehow...

Dear Dog and Cat,
When I say move, it means go someplace else, not switch positions with each other so there are still two of you in the way.

The dishes with the paw prints are your and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food..(Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate does not stake claim for it becoming your food & dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest).

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating my to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I can fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king size bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue to sleep on the couch to ensure your comfort. Look at videos of dogs and cats sleeping. They can actually curl up in a ball. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. ( I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space used is nothing but sarcasm ).

My compact discs are not miniature frisbees.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is no necessary to claw, whine meow, try to turn the knob, or get your paw under the edge to try and pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered.
( In addition, I have been using the bathroom for years...canine or feline attendance is not mandatory ).

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cats' butt.
I cannot stress this enough. It would be such a simple change for you.

RULES FOR NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT PETS:

1. They live here, you don't.
2. If you don't want hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.
3. I like my pet better than I like most people.
4. To you it's an animal. To me he and or she is an adopted son or daughter
who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and is speech challenged.
5. Dogs and Cats are better than kids. They eat less, don't ask for money all
the time, are easier to train, usually come when called, never drive your
car, don't hang out with drug using friends, don't drink or smoke, don't
worry about buying the latest fashions, don't wear your clothes and don't
cost a million dollars for college.

Alissa Johnson help lost pets during evacuation

With the recent events happening at New Orleans, Alissa Johnson is there to help stray pets that lost their homes. Animal rescuer Alissa Johnson mission is to help rescue these stray pets left homeless when owners have to evacuate ahead of time when there are storms or calamities like Hurricane Gustav that recently struck New Orleans earlier this week.

“I have two animals that I rescued before we evacuated,” Johnson said Wednesday. “We are collecting food and we’re going back down on the weekend to do rescue work and feed strays and try to gather them up.”

Johnson moved to East New Orleans more than two years ago to work as a safety engineer for Lockheed Martin Corp. Since then, she has spent most of her free time helping animals in need like when Hurricane Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city which killed at least 1,600 people and causing billions of dollars in property damage. During this kinds of calamities ASPCA shelter is often full so she and other independent rescuers try to find homes for these pets and other animals which many of them orphaned. Some of these animals are shipped out of state to be adopted so they still need more volunteers to drive animals to other states.

We all know how much this kind of operation will cost and much of this expense Johnson bears it herself, but she could use some donations from you guys. Potential donors who can send gift certificates for pet food or money to a local and reputable veterinarian. Any kind of help can ensure the safety of one pet or more.

For information on her efforts or for ways to donate, go to: http://network.bestfriends.org/louisiana/news/23276.html

Anyone with dog or cat food to donate in sealed packaging or who would like to help with a monetary donation, should call Johnson at (256) 497-4111 or e-mail her at: alissacjohnson@gmail.com

Animal's mothering instinct

Here is something you will not see everyday... The mothering instinct of animals is hard to explain and scientist may take many years to fully explain what's happening in this video.

PET ID TAGS

We all love our pets and that’s a fact। They have been our faithful companions, friends and protectors. In more recent years our dogs have become more than pets and are now, at times, almost accessories. There are even some people that treat their pets as part of their families, where they dress up their pets with colorful outfits such as jumpers, dresses, hats and even shoes. You can find a lot of luxurious products specially made for our pets in the markets today because there is a demand for the finest apparels, pretty collars, dog carriers and other pet products today.

Even celebrities shower their pampered pooches with gifts and designer labels to showcase their pets. They say that if you love your pets you want to give them the best of everything and some people have taken it to the next level. I think that one of the most important things that a pet owner should give his pets is safety. For those like me who love pets like they are members of the family this obviously makes sense because losing a pet is one of the hardest situations you will ever have. You should never take any chances when it comes to your pet’s safety. That’s why I always make sure that my pets always wear their ID tags so I can make sure that whatever happens to them their ID tags can serves as identification to my pets. The ID tags of my pets have their photo engraved on the front and all the relevant details on the back. I even micro chipped them so if they accidentally escape my lawn I can easily track my pet’s location.

When you decide to buy a pet ID tag you should always check for the product’s durability. Readable tags are always important in locating lost pets. A basic pet ID tags should contain a pet’s full name and address but you can find a lot of customized pet identification tags in the market today which can be designed using various machines and systems such as pet tag color matching system. There are so many choices available when it comes to personalizing a pet tag but always remember not to buy some cheap plastic dog collars that the pet may chew and render unreadable. An engraved pet id tag is often easier to read and last longer compare to ink printed tags. Pet tags can help ensure that you will have a good chance of retrieving your pet should it get lost.

There are about 2500 dogs go missing every week in the UK alone and a staggering 38% of missing dogs are actually stolen. If you really love your pets then it is only vital that we protect our pets in every possible way. I know that most of us consider our dogs more than a pet; they really are part of the family. So always make sure that your dog is wearing an ID tag, never leave them unattended in public areas, check for holes in your lawn or fence that they can escape through and be aware that there is a very real risk of pet theft.

Why spaying and neutering pets is still important

There are many families and pet owners now enjoy the company of their companion animals by having their dogs and cats spayed or neutered but there are still cats and dogs living outside that are desperately in need of the surgery. And the population of these stray animals keeps on increasing.

Families who can afford to pay full price for this kind of surgery for their pets have decided that spaying and neutering their pets are very beneficial to them. Especially to those who consider their pets as part of their family.

Animals that receive little attention from their families are doomed to living their lives with no veterinary care and having litter after litter of puppies and kittens.

Fortunately, there are shelters and organizations like the Humane Society that accept some dogs and cats for adoption to suitable families. This kind of organization have helped many pets find new loving home and many pets have been saved from living outside in the extreme heat, heavy downpours, freezing weather and high winds, some without adequate food and water.

If you think you cant afford the services, you dont have to worry because there are also centers that grant awards to spay or neuter dogs and cats for those families with low-income and need assistance in having their animals altered.

Those animals suffer because of irresponsible owners who refuse to spay or neuter their companions. Dogs and cats usually have at least two litters every year, cats may have three litters in a year. These litters can be only two kittens but can be as many as eight. Usually, litters will be four or six kittens. Just think where these animals will go!

And in only four short months, these kittens will often have their own litter. Dogs, depending on their size, may have one or two puppies per litter and the cycle will go on and on.

There are only few puppies and kittens that end up in shelters while the rest is dumped, killed or left behind dying in hunger.

Dont be part of the problem be part of the solution! If you are taking care of a pet right now then thank you... but before the situation increases to 10 or more, take action and consider spaying and neutering your pets now.

How dogs drinks water

Here's a short video where you can see a dog lapping at a bowl of water in real time. Most people (including me) think that when a dog drinks, he creates a kind of spoon with the top of his tongue and brings liquid back to his mouth. At first you will think that it seems this way but if you slow down a film of the process things are not really as they appear.