Pet Care Articles

February 12th, 2017
By: Rebekah Harrison

Cause and Effect

Pets can feel anxiety for a number of reasons.

“One of the main causes of behavior problems is separation anxiety,” said Katherine Kear, marketing and sales coordinator at Tomlyn. “More and more people are working full time and away from home so pets have a hard time adjusting.”

When pets are separated from their owners, they can turn to destructive behaviors.

“They can tear up some things in your house,” said Tabitha Cromer, marketing manager at Tomlyn. “Dogs can chew on shoes, cats can tear up plants and some of our vets have told us that they could even start chewing on themselves like their paws or their tails.”

According to Cromer, these behaviors are pet’s ways of communicating back to owners that they are stressed.

Calming Chews

There are ways to help a pet owner ...   Read more...
February 1st, 2017
Courtesy of avma.org...

Findings from a recent study of owner-reported observations indicate dogs and cats engage in grieflike behavior after a companion animal in their home dies.

With funding from a Morris Animal Foundation grant, researchers surveyed 279 owners following the death of a pet. The questionnaire was distributed through veterinary clinics and several animal welfare organizations based in New Zealand and Australia. The two most common classes of behavioral change reported through the questionnaire were in affection behaviors and territory behaviors.

“Both dogs and cats were reported to demand more attention from their owners and/or display affiliative behavior, as well as spend time seeking out the deceased pet’s favorite spot,” according to the study, titled “Owners’ perceptions of their animal’s behavioural response to the loss of an animal companion,” which appeared Nov. 3, 2016, in ...   Read more...
January 16th, 2017
Courtesy of MNN.com...
By Laura Moss

We're not the only ones who can develop allergies to certain foods.

Just as we can develop food allergies, so can man's best friend.

Food allergies occur when a dog's immune system mistakenly treats a specific protein as harmful and responds with antibodies that trigger a series of symptoms. Proteins are present not only in meats, but also in grains and vegetables, so any commercial dog food could cause an allergic reaction.

While dogs can be allergic nearly any ingredient, there are certain foods that are more likely to cause an allergic reaction. These include the following:

Beef
Pork
Rabbit
Chicken
Lamb
Egg
Corn
Soy
Wheat
Dairy

When a dog has an allergic reaction to a food, symptoms can vary, but they can include any of the following:

    Itchy skin and ...   Read more...
December 15th, 2016

By Dr. Becker

For some reason, many dogs and even cats enjoy licking lotions and other types of topical products off their human’s skin. In fact, one of my dogs tends to wait by the bathroom door, hoping he’ll get a chance to sample whatever I’ve applied to my skin after my shower. (That’s one of the reasons I use all organic body products.) And dogs seem especially intent on having a lick if the product has a yummy smell, for example, vanilla scented body lotion or coconut oil-based products.

Unfortunately, this seemingly harmless little habit so many pets indulge in can be cause for concern depending on what you’ve put on your skin. The following are products you definitely don’t want your dog, cat, bird, or other animal companion licking off you and ingesting.

Over-the-Counter Topical ...   Read more...

November 24th, 2016
The entire Paw Minders Plus family wishes you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!  We hope you are well as we enter this holiday season.  We still have some availibility for Christmas and New Years, but we fill up fast, so please don't delay in contacting us to book for that most busiest time of the year!

Best Regards,
Mike, Marcia, Bomber, and Bella
The Paw Minders Plus Family
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October 29th, 2016
Courtesy of the Huffington Post...

By Tom Jacobs

Do you dread leaving your dog home alone? Do you come back from dinner and a show to find chewed-up shoes, or foul-smelling puddles on your kitchen floor?

If so, a newly published study suggests the blame may not lay entirely with Fido. Rather, this sort of acting out may be a symptom of a problematic relationship.

Yours and his.

Researchers from Hungary and Germany argue that the tendency to avoid close attachments to others—a personality trait that is a common source of friction within families—sometimes extends to one’s canine companion. Owners who keep their emotional distance “are less responsive to the dog’s needs,” they write in the journal PLoS One, and the animal—not unlike a neglected child—fails to develop the sense of security that keeps him calm in times of stress.

Hence the howling your ...   Read more...
September 8th, 2016
Courtesy of onegreenplant.org...

Natural medicines and alternative therapies are becoming more and more popular, both for people and pets. As people discover the risks often associated with prescription medications, they shy away and seek out more natural alternatives. This option also helps with minor illness and injuries at home, when shucking out the big bucks to sit in a waiting room just doesn’t seem worth it.

Even many veterinarians are now turning to holistic health, which entails evaluating the pet’s overall health when something seems amiss, instead of addressing individual symptoms. Holistic vets are encouraging better diet and more exercise to help prevent some of the most debilitating diseases in pets like arthritis, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. There are a variety of techniques and therapies used in holistic health including acupressure, aromatherapy, chiropractic, herbs, massage, and nutrition that can be applied to pets.
Read more...