Pet Care Articles

June 1st, 2020
How to Prepare Your Cat for When You Go Back to Work

by Beth Ann Mayer

Right now, staying home is the safest thing we can do for ourselves and our cats. But someday, someway, many will be asked to go back into their offices.

Right now, staying home is the safest thing we can do for ourselves and our cats. But someday, someway, many will be asked to go back into their offices. Though some may be excited to get rid of cabin fever, cats may have gotten used to — and even enjoyed — this version of normal life.

“Our cats have adjusted their rhythm to ours,” says Jackson Galaxy, a cat behavior and wellness expert, host of Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell” and NY Times best-selling author. “Now, they are used to getting a certain amount of petting … [and] playing. How do we get them to get back to the reality of work?”

Jackson says parents can prepare their ...   Read more...
February 16th, 2020
Elkmont, Alabama -  It's not uncommon to see all different types of people attend a city sponsored event.

Consider a half marathon, for example. Chances are, people of different heights, weights, ages and levels of fitness may participate in the event.

But what about a dog?

That's exactly what happened during the Elkmont Half Marathon in Alabama.

Ludivane, a bloodhound, had been let out by her owner for a stroll in the yard when she wandered away and right onto the path of the half marathon.

Not one to give up a challenge, the tenacious hound trotted alongside other runners and ended up placing an impressive seventh.

At the time, the dog's owner didn't have the slightest idea of her pup’s profound achievements.

She wasn’t made aware until her friends starting seeing pictures of Ludivane at the finish line pop up on Facebook.

“This is Ludivane. ...   Read more...
December 12th, 2019
By Esther Inglis-Arkell

or quite some time, scientists had a working theory of why certain piebald (patchy black-and-white) mammals look the way they do. They assumed the colouring is a directed pattern that involves pigmented cells instigating a controlled expansion. Turns out, it's all just random. Scientists at the University of Bath and the University of Edinburgh have been taking a look at developing mice. Specifically, they have been looking at embryos of piebald mice to see the patterns that determine a mouse's final pigmentation. In a paper published in Nature Communications, the researchers just admitted that there don't seem to be any patterns.

This comes as a surprise to many people. Scientists always assumed that piebald animals — especially mice, cats and horses — got their colour patterns in utero. In developed skin, pigment is put out by melanocytes, a specialised skin cell. Embryonic animals have proto-melanocytes, called ...   Read more...
July 26th, 2019
by Hannah Rowland

Anyone who's watched a cat throwing up after munching on grass knows that our feline friends aren't natural plant eaters. So you might be surprised to discover that these carnivorous animals share some important genes that are more typically associated with herbivores. And this might help explain why cats aren't always easy to please when it comes to food.

New research suggests that cats possess the genes that protect vegetarian animals from ingesting poisonous plants by giving them the ability to taste bitter. Animals use their sense of taste to detect whether a potential food is nutritious or harmful. A sweet taste signals the presence of sugars, an important source of energy. A bitter taste, on the other hand, evolved as a defence mechanism against harmful toxins commonly found in plants and unripe fruits.

Evolution has repeatedly tweaked animals' taste buds to suit various dietary needs. Changes in an animal's diet can ...   Read more...
June 9th, 2019
April 9th, 2019
By Carley Lintz

For the 28th year in a row, the Labrador Retriever is top dog, according to the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) annual list of most popular breeds.

The sporting breed, known for its amiable temperament and trainability, set a record in 2013 for the longest streak as No. 1—and it "shows no signs of giving up the top spot anytime soon,” said AKC executive secretary Gina DiNardo said in a statement.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Sloughi. The rare breed, which looks similar to a Greyhound and originated in North Africa, ranked last overall, in 192nd place. 

Labs may have a firm grip on the top slot, but Beagles have the most staying power overall. While the little hound ranks in the sixth slot this year, it has been in the AKC’s top 10 every decade since the organization began keeping data in the 1880s. Also noteworthy is the German Shorthair Pointer, which has reached its ...   Read more...
March 18th, 2019

By Dr. Becker

If you're like the majority of people owned by a cat, pilling little Fluffy – otherwise known as trying to place a tiny, hard object into the mouth of an unwilling creature with sharp claws and teeth – is not something you look forward to.

If you've never had to do it, you're probably thinking it's not a big deal. In fact, it's the people who've attempted this feat in the past that recoil in fear when their kitty's veterinarian hands them a bottle of pills or a dietary supplement in pill form.

Fortunately, there are a few different techniques for pilling a cat, because every cat is a little different, and what works for one may not work for another.

Note: the following method works only for medications or supplements that can be given with food.

Pilling Advance Prep

The first steps in giving your kitty a pill or supplement should be taken ...   Read more...