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Brushing Your Pet's Teeth is Important!

Keeping your pet's teeth clean is important. Most people are not aware that brushing your pet's teeth every day is essential. Keeping the teeth clean by brushing is good not only for the teeth and gums, but also for a pet's overall health as the bacteria from gum disease can damage heart, valves or kidneys over time. Owners not only avoid health problems by brushing their pet's teeth regularly, but delay having to have their pet's teeth cleaned at the vet, which can be a costly procedure. In fact, at my vet's office, one teeth cleaning costs $75!

It is important to brush your pet's teeth as often as possible, preferably every day. However, this is not always possible, so in the event that you are not able to brush your pet's teeth, it is important to give your pets treats or toys that will help prevent tartar buildup or plaque.

Human toothpaste should never be used on your pet, as it is not meant to be swallowed like pet toothpaste. Pet toothpaste comes in yummy flavors like malt, chicken, or beef that most animals will love. Owners can start brushing a pet's teeth at any time, but the younger the pet is, the easier it may be to get him used to daily brushings.

The best way to start brushing a pet's teeth is to start out slowly, just let the animal lick the flavored pet toothpaste off the brush for the first 2 days, then brush for a few seconds for the next 2 days or so, and then go longer. Brush only the outside surfaces, as the pet's tongue keeps the inner surfaces fairly clean. If the owner doesn't push it on their pet, the animal will actually like having its teeth brushed!

We have a variety of pet toothpaste and pet toothbrushes! Check them out by clicking here!

Why Premium Food is Better for Your Dog

Premium dog food such as Science Diet, Nutro Natural Choice, and Diamond Taste of the Wild are highly recommended when feeding your pet. The difference between premium dog foods and grocery store foods are that premium foods have more nutritious ingredients and are more concentrated. Three advantages of feeding a premium food can include the pet eating less so the bag lasts longer and is therefore a better value pet pound than cheaper brands. There will be fewer stools that the owner will have to clean up, and the stool will be much less smelly. Better ingredients mean the pet's coat won't have that "pet smell" and will be stronger, shinier, and will shed less. Note that the skin is the largest organ of the pet's body, but it is the last to receive nutrition as the heart, liver, lungs and other organs will always receive nutrition first, with the skin receiving the leftovers. If a poor quality food is fed, there are usually not enough nutrients left for the skin and coat, so this may be a reason some pets have a dull coat and dry skin.

With premium foods, the pet's long-term health will also be better. Look at it this way, eating premium foods is like eating hamburgers made from high-quality, low fat beef. Eating a cheaper grocery dog/cat food is by comparison, like eating at a fast food place. A person who ate fast food every day would gain more weight and be in worse health compared to the person who ate the low fat, higher quality hamburgers. With premium foods, you may not see the benefits immediately, but over time it will make a considerable difference in the pet's health and well-being. And doesn't your dog deserve the absolute best?

Housebreak Your Pet

If you are trying to potty train your pet, crate training is the best way to housebreak and train any puppy. Canines do not like to defecate or urinate in the place where they sleep. Therefore, with some precautions, keeping a puppy in a crate during the day and night are good for both the owner and the puppy. Puppies take naturally to crates as wild dogs do to their dens. A crate therefore becomes the puppy's den, a place of security, and the owner should not think of it as a "cage".

When crate training your pet, be sure to keep the crate away from any noisy places in the house. It should be big enough for the puppy to turn around and lie down. If it is a faster growing breed, then it would be best to start out with a bigger sized crate and then put a barrier up at first to make it smaller or else the puppy will go to the bathroom at one end and sleep at the other, thus ruining the training.

After a crate is picked out, you will need to decide on a crate training schedule. Most small puppies can only hold it in for 3-4 hours or so before it must go to the bathroom. Be sure the puppy has a chance to go out 20-30 minutes after it eats and drinks in the morning before it goes in the crate. As the puppy gets older, the longer the puppy will be able to hold it in. As night, the puppy again should be let out before it goes to bed. This will keep your pet in routine and your puppy will become accustomed to the scheduling of when it gets to go out.

Once the puppy knows the crate as its den, it will love that place and happily go inside any time the owner goes out. When crate training, it is important to remember the following:
1) No food or water in the crate
2) The younger you start, the better; older puppies not crate-trained will have a difficult time accepting confinement and may even break the cage.
3) Never send a puppy to the crate as punishment as that will defeat the purpose of crate training.
4) Always remove the collar before putting the puppy in the crate otherwise it could get stuck on a part of the cage and choke itself.

Hairball Remedy

If you own a cat, then you have more than likely experienced the unpleasant nature of hairballs. If a cat is throwing up food, coughing, or spitting up hair, hairballs may be the cause. Cats lick themselves constantly, and therefore they swallow a lot of hair. Hair is very hard to digest and stays in the stomach, forming what we call hairballs. The Natural Defense Hairball Remedy can help eliminate hairballs in cats. Most cats will readily eat this product, but if not, a dab can be placed on the cat's food or nose and the cat will most likely lick it off. The hairball remedy will dissolve the hair allowing it to pass through the digestive system. If vomiting or hacking continues, consult your veterinarian. There are also treats or cat food available that can also assist your cat in eliminating hairballs.

Wild Bird Questions: Hummingbirds

What feeders work the best to attract hummingbirds? What should be placed in these feeders? What food should be avoided? How often should the hummingbird food be changed?

Feeders that work to attract hummingbirds the best are those that are made with lots of red colored parts, as hummingbirds associate the color red with their natural food, nectar, that they get from flowers. So, the brighter red a feeder is, the better it will work at attracting hummingbirds.

Sugar water, whether sold as hummingbird nectar or made at home should be placed in these feeders. The advantage of the prepackaged hummingbird nectar is that it will, in many cases, include other ingredients, such as vitamins, to give a more balanced diet than just plain sugar water would.

The food that should be avoided in hummingbird feeders are the mixtures that have been colored red. Although the color attracts the hummingbirds, it also means that the red dye must be broke down constantly by the birds internal organs which can cause damage over time. It is best to use a clear solution and have the feeder itself be red. Hummingbird food should be changed at least every other day in cooler weather and everyday in hot weather or the food will go bad. Hummingbirds will not go to feeders if the food is not fresh.

Ear Mites - What are they & What you can do about them

Ear mites are small parasites that can't be seen with the naked eye. However, they usually cause a coffee colored crud in the ear and are very itchy to the pet. Ear mites are extremely contagious, so if you have a pet with ear mites, it is best to keep it away from your other pets. This includes cats, dogs, hamsters, ferrets, rabbits, gerbils, etc. Most pets will scratch their ears or shake their head very frequently if they have ear mites. Unfortunately, ear mites can also live on other parts of the body on your pet as well.
If you suspect your pet has ear mites, it is best to first clean your pet's ears with a pet ear cleaner. There are many common pet cleaners that help aid in killing the mites. Be sure to choose a cleaner with an insectidide or else it will not kill the mites. It is generally a good idea to use to cleaner for at least 4 weeks, as this is the usual life cycle of an ear mite. Make sure you wash your pet in a flea & tick shampoo, especially the feet and tail, as this is where most ear mites reside when not in the ear. Although ear mites are contagious to other pets, humans do not have to worry about getting these bugs on them. Be sure to check with your vet if you are not sure if your pet has ear mites.