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The skin: why your dog is itching

The skin is the largest organ of your pets' body and reflective of what is going on in the body. Regularly brush your pet looking for fleas, lice or ticks. The hair coat should be soft and shiny.

If you are seeing areas of excessive shedding in your pet then you may be dealing with certain skin conditions such as mange, ringworm, hypothyroid disease or allergies; treatments for these are discussed in detail in my book, Veterinary Secrets Revealed.

If your pet has areas of hair missing around the face that are not itchy, then he may have a type of mange called demodex. This small parasite shows up in pets with depressed immune systems.

One very safe effective treatment is Vitamin E given at 400IU per 40lbs once daily for 3-4 weeks.

If your pet has an excess of flaky skin (dandruff), then she may be in need of a essential fatty acid supplement. Flax is the best source for dogs at a dose of 1 teaspoon per cup of dog food. For cats use the liquid supplement (such as fish oil).

Take note of any palpable lumps or bumps.

Lipomas (benign fatty tumors) commonly occur on the chest wall. If your dog has a soft moveable lump on her chest, then it is probably a fatty tumor.

Sebaceous cysts are another common lump; they can often be distinguished by squeezing out a cheesy substance. They are also very soft. Lumps and bumps become more prevalent as your pet ages and their immune system weakens.

The most important thing in helping your pet is having them on a premium quality diet and supplementing with additional antioxidants. The ones I suggest using are Vitamin E, Vitamin C and specific flavonoids.

Any lumps that are firm, rapidly growing, not easily moveable should be considered serious and examined by your veterinarian.

Allergies are one of the most common reasons that I see pets. There are a huge number of allergens. The 3 main classes are Food, Fleas and Environmental. The most common signs are excessive scratching, paw and anal licking, hair shedding and excess dandruff.

If you suspect that your pet has an allergy, then the first 2 things that I suggest are to eliminate external parasites as a cause, and to feed a hypo-allergenic diet for 4-6 weeks (there are many available).

Some very helpful at home remedies that I often use are:

TO THE BATH. An oatmeal shampoo with cool water will ease the itchiest skin. Leave the shampoo on for 10 minutes then rinse well. With the most severe allergies, bathe your pet twice weekly.

SOOTHE IT TOPICALLY. Calendula ointment is a herbal medication that has been successfully used to relieve the itch. Apply a thin coat twice daily to affected areas.

THE SUPPLEMENT CONNECTION. Fatty Acid supplements are very helpful in decreasing the level of inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids are most important. A great, inexpensive source is ground Flax Seeds; I give 1 tsp per cup of dog food. Cats are unable to metabolize Flax, so I only recommend the liquid supplement for them. Other sources include fish oil, primrose oil and specific veterinary supplements.

Evaluation of the Genital and Urinary system - cat bladder infections...

In male dogs look at the sheath of the penis to ensure there is no abnormal discharge. This is more common in intact males, so an easy remedy is to have your dog neutered. In female dogs examine the vulva. A common problem is skin fold infections.

These can be treated by washing the skin folds twice daily with an antiseptic such as Hibitane and applying a soothing cream such as Aloe Vera.

The urinary system is more difficult to evaluate, but there are some things you can do at home. Signs of a bladder infection are frequently urination, which may have blood and may be painful.

There are a number of home remedies for bladder infections, the most effective are Vitamin C and Cranberry juice. The Vitamin C acidifies the urine making it more difficult for the bacteria to grow, as well as dissolving the more common type of crystal, struvite. The Vitamin C dose is 250mg per 20lbs daily.

If you have a male cat, then it is imperative to determine that he is not completely blocked up. Using your thumb and other four fingers, palpate the entire lower abdomen. An obstructed bladder will feel like a firm distended balloon. If your male cat has this condition, it is an emergency and he must be treated by a veterinarian!

I discuss ways to prevent your cat from getting obstructed in my book; the most important thing is to feed a diet higher in moisture. This is accomplished with canned food. Then depending on the type of crystal he has it is important to either acidify the urine (with struvite) or make the urine more alkaline (oxalate crystals). An easy way to acidify the urine is to raise the meat protein level. Making the urine more alkaline involves decreasing the protein level and adding a supplement, potassium citrate.

If some of these tips and treatments have helped you, then get your copy of my book, Veterinary Secrets Revealed, today.

It is that time of the year again when pretty much all of us are looking out for the best possible gifts for our near and dear ones for Christmas. It is definitely one of the most exciting shopping seasons in the entire year where even the men don’t mind going to the stores to buy a special gift for someone they truly care for.

It is a time when we remember everyone in our family and friends list and really dig deep to find out what they would want for Christmas and buy accordingly. But unfortunately there is one member of our family who is often overlooked on the holiday Christmas list, and that is our beloved pet.

Pets are an integral part of a family. People love their pets as much as their own family members and of course for the pet, the owners are his or her entire world. There is no one besides you or above you as far as your pets are concerned. Yet the most enthusiastic and loyal member of the family is left out of the most magical and special time of the year – Christmas.

The unfortunate part is that even though we love our pets with all of our hearts, we often take them for granted and make a distinction between their feelings and those of family and friends. We feel our pets will be excited for us as we open our Christmas treasured and won’t be disappointed or feel left out of the merriment.

Our pets are much more intelligent than we give them credit for. They can pick up on things very fast and always know when there is a special occasion in the house. Getting ignored during these times definitely hurts them and sadly most of us never even notice this as we are too busy sharing our joy with the rest of the family.

Of course some of us do want to do something for our pets but often don’t know what really to gift their dog or their cat. That is where the internet comes to the rescue once again. The fact is that there are several online stores that sell the most adorable pet gift baskets that you can imagine. We here at SugarPaww.com offer pet gift baskets that are well thought out and contain a variety of items like squeeze toys for pets, special treats, healthy edible bones, decorative boxes, rawhide candy canes, special breath fresheners for pets, razzle dazzle collars and a whole lot more.

Your pets love you as much as any of your family members do and like to share the special occasions with you just like you like to share your special moments with rest of the family. So this holiday season, ask yourself this question – what are you doing for the most loyal member of your family? And if you don’t get an answer, I hope you will do something about it.

When it comes to training your puppy, there are a few tips to keep in mind to help guide you through the process. By following a few key points, you can maintain consistent training and avoid letting things get ruff.

If you are using the crate method for housebreaking your puppy, never leave him/her inside of the crate for more than two hours at a time. Puppies cannot control their bathroom habits yet, so make sure to let them out frequently. Your pet will soon grow to understand that he/she should go outside of the home to relieve itself and your housebreaking approach will be a success.

Never use physical punishment as a form of puppy training. This will only result in your pet being afraid or nervous when you are near. Instead, reward good behavior and ignore them if they fail to respond on command. For instance, if you instruct your puppy to "sit", gently push down on his/her backside and repeat the command. When your puppy is seated, reward him/her with a treat and praise. If your pet refuses to sit, walk away and try again in a few minutes. Training takes time and patience, but should never involve your pet being afraid of you.

You can begin training your puppy as early as 8 weeks old. He/she may not respond immediately, but you will be building a foundation for your pet's learning at an early age. Continue working with him/her for short intervals every day and instill positive reinforcement as you train.

Whenever you plan to attempt obedience training with your puppy, make sure that you have his/her favorite treats on hand to serve as a reward. In addition, puppy training should be approached at a time that is calm for both you and your pet. If he/she is anxious about something, it is not likely that the training attempt will be successful. Instead, your puppy should be relaxed and able to focus on the training task at hand.

If you are housebreaking your puppy, be sure to watch him/her closely during the earliest days of training. If you allow your pet to roam freely throughout the house, it is especially important to be mindful of their whereabouts. If your puppy has an "accident" on the carpet, which is possible if he/she is unattended, catching them in the act is the only way to deter future behavior of the same. If you later find the problem spot and you verbally scold your pet, he/she will not understand or associate the "accident" with bad behavior. If you catch them in the act, however, a firm "no" will let them know that you are displeased with their actions.

When training your puppy, always be consistent in your commands. For instance, if you are attempting to teach your pet to sit, always use "sit" as your command. Avoid using alternate terms that may confuse your pet and never yell or shout your instructions as this will make your puppy feel as though he/she is being scolded. A normal, instructive tone will be much more effective in your approach to puppy training.

It's important to realize that the amount of obedience training, housebreaking and instruction needed will largely depend on your pet. Some breeds are highly intelligent and may learn quickly according to your puppy training techniques. If your pet does not respond as quickly as you think it should, simply spend additional time working with him/her and you will have a perfectly-trained pup in no time.

Following these steps will help get you started on the right track in training your new puppy. There are many great resources for dog training available on the internet. One of the best ways to find these resources is by reading independent reviews and comparison rankings. In this way you can be confident your pet is getting best training possible.