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Cats Dogs Other Senior Pets Veterinary Care

Senior Pets Have Special Anesthesia Needs

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes Feeling a little more tired as you age? A little out of breath? The same is likely true for your aging dog or cat. The fact is that organs change with age, and those changes can affect not only day-to-day activities, but also the way our pets respond to anesthesia. Changes related to aging can […]

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Activities & Enrichment Dogs Fears & Anxieties Life at Home

To Lower Stress, Play’s The Thing

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes We’ve all heard that exercise lowers stress, but working as a dog trainer I also observed that the combination of physical and mental exercise does the job even better.  Play is the answer, engaging your dog’s mind along with his muscles. Try to avoid over the top play. Getting a dog overly excited is hardly […]

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Dogs Fears & Anxieties Travel & Safety

Stress-Free Travel With A Service Dog

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Good planning is absolutely necessary when you are traveling with a service dog. Having the proper paperwork, your dog’s regular food, some toys and an extra leash, plus a clear idea about how to divide your time between human-centered and dog-centered activities, will help make the trip as stress free as possible for human and […]

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Cats Dogs Fears & Anxieties Holidays Life at Home Other

How To Recognize Fireworks Fear And Help Your Pet Cope

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Reading Time: 2 minutes The Fourth of July is one of the busiest days of the year for animal control officers. Lost and terrified pets fill shelters. Booming fireworks cause frightened dogs to jump fences they’ve never jumped before; others leap from their owners’ arms and disappear across a busy street. An anxious dog may show subtle or dramatic […]

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Dogs Fears & Anxieties Life at Home Training & Grooming

Storm Brewing? Get Inside Your Dog’s Head To Help Him Manage Fear

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes Storm phobia is a problem not just because dogs are afraid. The physiological reaction to fear is bad enough—the racing heart, the rush of stress hormones—but fear also causes dogs to react in dangerous or destructive ways. They may destroy doors or jump through windows in an attempt to escape the frightening situation. By the […]

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Dogs Holidays Life at Home Training & Grooming

Flash, Bang, Boom! Fight The Frenzy From Fireworks

Article

Reading Time: 4 minutes Do you jump at unexpected loud noises? It’s adaptive for humans and other animals to startle at sudden loud sounds. We might run the other way or hide if we didn’t understand what a certain sound was. The same thing happens with many of our pets when they hear fireworks go off. It’s not that […]

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Activities & Enrichment Dogs Life at Home

Unleashed: Keep Dog Play Areas Safe And Fun

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Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s a reality that not everyone wants to hear: Not all dog parks and dog beaches are for all dogs or for that matter for all people. Here’s what I mean. I recently visited a dog beach, and one particular Mastiff was taking advantage of his size, acting like the beach bully. He bulldozed other […]

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Dogs Fears & Anxieties Life at Home Training & Grooming

Why Does Your Dog Turn Tail At Thunderstorms?

Article

Reading Time: 2 minutes If your dog is fearful of storms with thunder, lightning, hail, or high winds, you’re not alone. There are no statistics on the numbers of pets with storm phobia–or to give the fear its scientific name, astraphobia–but it’s likely that the prevalence of this type of noise sensitivity in dogs is 20 percent or higher, […]

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Dogs Fears & Anxieties Life at Home

New Study Finds Four Scents That Can Relax Dogs

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes When I was a little girl, my cat Pretzel made it clear that she was not a fan of car rides. Luckily, my mom had a brilliant idea. “Let’s put your sweatshirt inside her carrier instead of that blanket,” she suggested. “It’s soft and smells like you. I bet she’ll find it comforting.” It helped […]

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Cats Dogs Fears & Anxieties Life at Home Other Travel & Safety

From Lava Flows To Wild Winds And Waters, Be Prepared For Natural Disasters

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Reading Time: 3 minutes This month we’ve watched lava flows from Hawaii’s Mt. Kilauea destroy homes and cars. Last month, two tornadoes hit Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the same day. Even if volcanoes don’t erupt down the street from your house and you don’t live in Tornado Alley, natural disasters and emergencies occur somewhere every day. And part of […]