Here is some timely advice for you on Flea Control:
Fleas are found throughout the world. They are small,
wingless, dark coloured insects that feed on warm blooded
animals such as cats, dogs, rats, chickens, pigs and humans
etc. There are many different types of flea, around 2000
known varieties, and although there are fleas that are
considered specific to each host, these fleas will still
bite and feed off other hosts. For example, cat and dog
fleas which are particularly common will attack humans, and
human fleas will attack pigs, foxes, deer and other
animals. Fortunately, the human flea is now relatively
rare, in the UK at least, and when it is found, it is
usually in pig farms.

Well known types of fleas

- Cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis)

- Dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis)

- Rat flea (Nosopsyllus fasciatus)

- Human flea (Pulex irritans)

Fleas are extremely well adapted to their environment and
their hard outer shell makes them difficult to kill by
squashing or swatting alone. They move about very quickly
and the anatomical structure of their legs means they can
jump particularly high in order to reach an unsuspecting
host or to move around ‘obstacles’ on their host such as
hairs or feathers.

Any type of flea bite can cause itching, irritation and
allergic reactions. The most common place for cat and dog
fleas to bite humans is around the ankles and legs and
indeed the bites may be the first sign that you have some
unwelcome visitors in your home. The bites are usually felt
straight away and appear as small red spots or weals, which
are intensely itchy, particularly in those who are
sensitive to the bites.

Fleas also carry disease so are undesirable in any
circumstances. Probably the most famous outbreak of disease
that was caused by fleas was the bubonic plague or Black
Death which was carried by the rat flea and which
terrorised the whole of Europe during part of the 17th
Century.

If your dog or cat has fleas, it can very quickly turn into
a major problem if not dealt with quickly and effectively.
An adult female flea can lay as many as 100 eggs in a
matter of days, which of course leads to hundreds of new
fleas that are also able to lay hundreds of eggs. It
doesn’t take an in-depth knowledge of mathematics to work
out that after a relatively short period of time, in the
right conditions, you can potentially be dealing with
millions of fleas.

How to control fleas in your home

If you have pets then there is every chance that you will
have had to treat your pet for fleas at some point in your memory. Cats
and dogs can pick up fleas whilst outside so there is not
much you can do to stop this from happening but you can
help prevent them from invading your home.

- Purchase an insecticidal flea spray for your pet and for
your home.

- Wash all pet bedding and cloths and the area around where
your pet sleeps regularly, as this is most likely where the
flea will lay her eggs.

- Flea eggs can lie dormant in cracks and crevices just
waiting for vibrations from a passer by to alert the flea
to an available host so vacuum all the carpets thoroughly
on a regular basis and steam clean the carpets from time to
time.

- Brush or comb your cat or dog as often as possible as
this will help to dislodge the fleas and eggs from your
pets coat. Vacuum the surrounding area immediately
afterwards.

- You can also ask your vet for other preparations that may
help prevent fleas from settling on your pet in the first
place

One of the problems associated with the control of pet
fleas is that the fleas have become resistant to many types
of flea control. So for example, even if your pet is
wearing a flea collar, this alone will not necessarily
protect your pet or your home from an infestation of fleas.
In order to deal with fleas effectively, you need to treat
the flea in its various life cycles, your pet and your home.

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If you are experiencing a flea infestation and need flea
control products to combat the problem, then please come
and visit our site. http://www.ppcsupplies.co.uk/fleas

Learn the Critical Dog Training Commands
Whatever the reason you have for having a dog, be it as a
pet, or maybe as a guard dog, or a working dog for example,
the dog will need to be trained. In the first instance it
will need to behave as you want it to in any given
situation. In most cases with dogs as pets this means
getting the dog to behave around people and around other
animals. This in itself can prove to be problematic,
especially if the breed of dog in question means that the
animal has tendencies that pre dispose it to behaviour that
is different than what you expect. Point one therefore is
that you must choose a dog that will be suited to whatever
task you want for it.

Proper training is especially important in the case of a
family dog, doubly so where children are going to be
present. Studies have shown that proper training for your
dog can make a massive reduction in the likelihood that
your dog will attempt to bite or be prone to other
undesirable traits or behaviour.

Unless you have been trained in dog training, it is likely
that you will need some help when it comes to training your
dog. This could be either by way of formal lessons, or with
the help of a training manual. Formal lessons are great if
you can afford them, or if you can find a suitable course
near you. Many people find that having a book to help them
is enough, and probably a lot more fun and fulfilling for
you; knowing that you have been able to train your own dog.

By way of a taster, I have outlined some of the basic
commands that you will need to teach your dog, should you
decide to want to train it yourself. This list is just an
example and is by no means exhaustive.

* Heel - it is very important that a dog learns to walk
with you on a loose lead, in a good position.

* Respond to the word ‘No’ - This is absolutely critical to
dog training. A dog must know when it has been told ‘No’,
to stop whatever it was that they were doing, and
hopefully, not to do it again.

* Sit - Your dog must learn to respond to the sit command.

* Stay - Your dog must learn not to follow you everywhere.
This command is not just to prove that your dog is able to
adopt the sitting position, but that it has enough respect
for you to stay in that position when you move away and
tell it to stay.

Training a dog is something that will help you to control
an animal of course. Control over your pet is only part of
the benefit to you though. Training helps you to form a
bond with your dog, which is another great reason for doing
the training yourself.

The concept of an alpha dog is very important to all dogs.
They are pack animals, and as such, instinctively try and
place themselves within a hierarchy of a group. What we
need is for your dog to recognise you as the alpha dog and
submit to your commands. If you fail to do this, you could
find yourself with all sorts of problems with your dog supplies.

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Mum is getting another of her big ideas as she thinks we have such a good looking young family. There is a Beauty Contest competition for beautiful people who want to get lauched as a model (does that include dogs?), with a big prize. The winner gets $10,000 plus a contract with a leading model agent. That could keep me in comfort in my old age - anyone got a camera? The competition is at Look of The Year.

http://www.lookoftheyear.com

The Truth About Pet Food – Dogs & Cats
In recent times pet nutritionists have come to the
conclusion that many of today’s health problems in
animals, including physical and behavioral conditions have
their roots in poor nutrition. Many of the leading
manufacturers of so-called ‘quality’ pet food
are responsible for this decline in your pet’s
health. Veterinarians are noticing this deteriorating
health in pets and believe that chemical additives and
preservatives play a part.

So, just what is in your dog or cat’s pet food?

The fact that when you open up a can of dog food you turn
your nose, is a sign that there are all sorts of gases and
odors released that are unfit for human and animal
consumption. The heavy use of preservatives such as
BHT/BHA and Ethoxyquin are likely to be responsible as well
as urine, faecal matter, hair, pus, meat from sick or
adrenalin filled animals (most animals just prior to the
kill in abattoirs release a rush of adrenalin into their
bloodstream as they intuit they are about to die).
Ethoxyquin is actually an herbicide and has had detrimental
effects on humans who were working with it in the rubber
industry. Reports of liver/kidney damage, cancerous skin
lesions, hair loss, blindness, leukemia, fetal
abnormalities and chronic diarrhea were noted and in
animals it has been linked to immune deficiency syndrome,
spleen, stomach and liver cancer, as well as the above
mentioned diseases.

It is no doubt that the increased use of chemical
preservatives in pet food is linked to the rise in pet
disease over the last 25 years. Rancid animal and poultry
fat (by-products of the meat industry) that have escaped
human consumption are the staples of most canned pet food.
These unhealthy putrid fats are difficult to digest and are
likely linked to stomach and liver disorders resulting in
bloating, gas, diarrhea and the notorious bad breath our
pets are known for.

At present, the department of agriculture does not have
mandatory inspection of the ingredients used in pet food.
They are allowed to use “4D” classification sources such as
meat, tissues, skin and insides of animals that are dead,
dying, disabled, or diseased (AND UNFIT FOR HUMAN
CONSUMPTION). Some of the animal meat used will be loaded
with heavy hormones, steroids and antibiotics from the
farming industry that continue to be ‘active’
in dead tissue! Add to this a host of artificial colorants,
preservatives and sweetening agents such as cornstarch and
sucrose and you have a chemical concoction bound to cause
disease in any animal that ingests it.

Cat food manufacturers use corn syrup, which cause
addiction and over stimulate the production of insulin and
acidic digestive juices. These empty sugars put a great
deal of stress on the pancreas and may result in diabetes.
They also interfere with the animal’s ability to
absorb nutrients and vitamins from their food. As with
humans, artificial sweeteners can cause hyperactivity and
behavioral problems in animals and destroy friendly
bacteria that aid in digestion. The added sugar content
could also be responsible for diseases such as diabetes,
hypoglycemia, obesity, allergies, loss of vision and cancer.

Another harmful chemical is propylene glycol, which is
responsible for prolonging the shelf life of dry products.
However, they also dehydrate the colon, causing
constipation and the formation of small, dry,hard stools.
These kinds of stools may be uncomfortable for your pet to
pass as well as leading to diseases of the digestive tract
in the long term.

The addition of salt to canned pet food is also a health
hazard. Too much refined salt can lead to hypertension,
water retention, kidney damage, palpitations and other
ailments - in much the same way as coffee from espresso machines can do to some humans.

To add fiber, soybean meal is added to pet food, which
hinders digestion in dogs. Peanut hulls are also used but
can be an irritant to the colon and cause constipation.

As you can see from the above, properly feeding your pet is
an essential part of caring that you, the owner is
responsible for. Just as there is a growing awareness
today of what’s healthy for humans to eat, it is just
as crucial to make sure your pet is also getting the proper
healthy nutrition it needs for optimum health. A happy pet
= a happy owner. Give YOUR pet the best chance of optimal
health through proper nutrition today.

May you both live long happy healthy lives together.

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Claris Rivers is a writer on the subject of Health and
Nutrition. For information on how to feed your dog healthy
and nutritious food visit the website
http://www.happywagger.co.uk

Golden Retrievers can suffer from allergies faster than
most other breeds. Wheat is typically an offending factor
and a lot of commercial dog foods have wheat in their
recipes. It’s not toxic for the animals, but it can cause
them some digestive issues or cause them to itch
uncontrollably. If the dog licks its face excessively or
scratches constantly, you might have a dog that is allergic.

Underneath the outer layers of skin, more serious forms of
skin disease can be formed. There are different types of
fatty lipomas and the severe liposarcoma that can become
common as the dogs grow older.

Fatty lipomas are typically benign and will be able to be
removed the next time a dog gets his teeth cleaned and gets
general anesthesia. They might grow bigger, but they are
not a health concern and can be left alone without worry.
Liposarcomas, however, are malignant and need to be removed
as quickly as possible. They need to be treated as soon as
they are diagnosed.

Eye problems, such as cataracts, can be common in Golden
Retrievers that are older than the age of 10. These eye
problems can lead to blindness or at least reduced vision
in the animal. There is no treatment for these conditions.

Heart conditions are less common in Golden Retrievers, but
if they do occur, you will see either subvalvular aortic
stenosis or cardiomyopathy. Subvalvular aortic stenosis is
an obstruction in the ventricle left vein that will cause a
reduction in blood flow. Sometimes, the condition is
harmless, although the dog will not be allowed to run
around as much. When the condition is serious, the heart
has to work harder due to the heart muscle thickening. This
heart problem is usually genetic and the treatment can be
beta blockers to mild antibiotics. Surgery is always a
possibility but unlike human heart surgery, it has had
limited success.

Cardiomyopathy is an acquired disease which is more
serious. It tends to happen in dogs that are 4 to 10 years
old and the cause is unknown. The heart muscle will become
thin and flabby, progressively getting worse until the dog
passes away.

Nevertheless, most Golden Retrievers live a long and
healthy live. With the right diet and plenty of exercise,
your animal has a better shot at living a wonderful life.
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Moses Wright is a pet lover and loves to help new pet
owners deal with their pet problems at home. box cutter You can find
more pet problems and solutions for free here:
http://www.petquery.com/

Common Golden Retriever Health Problems and Diseases
There are around six major conditions or diseases that
Golden Retrievers most frequently suffer with. Golden
Retrievers are by no means unhealthy animals. In fact, they
are one of the healthier breeds out there. But there are
common problems that Golden Retrievers can struggle with
and it behoves the owner to know what they are in order to
keep an eye out for them.

Skin diseases are one of the top problems with Golden
Retrievers. They can have something as simple as a mosquito
bite or a flea itch that will cause an itchy part of their
skin. These dogs will then chew the area until they create
a lesion or something known as a hot spot. A hot spot is a
raw, red and moist patch that will get larger every time
the dog messes with it. It will usually require a bandage
or a special collar to keep the dog away from this area in
order to give it a chance to heal.

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Moses Wright is a pet lover and loves to help new pet
owners deal with their pet problems at home. You can find
more pet problems and solutions trampoline for free here:
www.petquery.com/