The word caring is very much a relative term. There is a major difference between simply caring for your pet and really caring for your pet.

For example, making certain your pet has adequate food, clean water and yearly visits to the vet can classify to some as caring even though you are really doing just enough to get by. But what is it to really care for your pet? What is it to go that extra mile?

Is it throwing your ten year old Black Lab a birthday party?
Is it carrying a photo of your Sphinx in your wallet to show all your friends? Is it knitting your Poodle mix a sweater with your own 2 hands? Is it paying close attention to your Siamese cat’s behavior and eating habits to make everything is o.k.? Or all of the above?

There is not really a textbook method for caring for your pet because caring is really an art, and your relationship with each pet should be as unique as the human thumbprint. Some of it will come naturally to you and some of it you will learn as you go along. It is just as important to find new and exciting ways to sustain the human-pet bond as it is to read up on the new research studies about the pet world.

The Art of an Agile Eye

Being a caring and health-conscious owner is not simply about taking your pet to the Vet to make certain nothing is wrong; you must also do your part in the home. If you are attentive to your pet’s rhythms and habits, you are very likely to catch things that a Vet would not.
Once you detect that something is out of the ordinary you may report it for further examination. This may save your pet’s life. When cats age, they change their behavior only gradually. It is the same for many dogs. One day you may suddenly discover that:

It now takes your cat three minutes to get downstairs; before she used to dart down like a furry streak of lightning.
Your dog no longer runs to the door when the doorbell rings.
Your dog does not roughhouse in the backyard as fervently as he did previously and your cat does not jump on the furniture any more.
Your cat has simply stopped using the scratching post.
Your dog no longer hops in the bed with you at night and lets out a heartbreaking cry when he or she jumps into the car.
Your Daschund cries when it moves, cries when you touch its neck and has trouble holding its feces or urine.

These are just a few examples of subtle changes which may occur. And there are a number of others that only you, as the pet owner, may discern.
For information about pet health and nutrition, go to Dog Food Nutrition and Information and find out more.

Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher of pet, business, health and other issues. More dog and cat nutrition information can be found at http://www.all-premium-dog-food.com and http://premium-cat-products.com

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The average life expectancy for a rat is three years, with the record longest living rat reportedly dying at the ripe old age of 7, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The oldest rat I have ever had was a male named Rodney who died at the age of 6.

This brings up the cry from rattie lovers: why must they die so soon?

I’ve struggled with this question for almost three decades of rat ownership.

Your rat’s life expectancy comes from a combination of exercise, proper nutrition, and, most of all, genetics.

The good news, however, is that there is something you can do above and beyond all of that to boost your pet rat’s life expectancy, using secrets discovered very recently by medical researchers. You see, a lot of the studies aimed at boosting longevity in humans are done on rats, so it’s a good idea to keep up with what is being done.

A recent huge breakthrough was the discovery that rats given a supplement called Inositol (chemical name Inositol hexaphosphate or IP6) had almost double the normal life expectancy as rats in a control group and almost never got cancer!

Inosital comes from high fiber foods such as brown rice, wheat bran and sesame seeds. The net result for your rattie is fewer cancerous tumors and a higher degree of overall health, since the study found that it aids your rattie’s body in its metabolism for healthier bone marrow, liver functioning, calcium absorption, and a few other things. If you wish you can read more about this at The American Cancer Society website: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Inositol_Hexaphosphate.asp?sitearea=ETO

The best part is that you can find cheap Inositol at your local vitamin store. You see, a lot of humans believe that IP6 can help them just as it helps rats, so it’s readily available.

According to a vet I interviewed who was familiar with the research, just dissolve one-eighth of a teaspoon per 16 ounces of water into the drinking water of your rats.

Your rats will probably like the taste (my own ratties prefer it to regular water), since it tastes sweet.

Also, if the water bottle is exposed to light, cover it with aluminum foil since Inositol is sensitive to light.

Finally, if you do use Inositol with your pet rats, I recommend supplementing their diet from time to time with iron, as IP6 can slow your rattie’s absorption of that mineral.

As always, be sure to double check everything with your veterinarian and check the studies I linked to for yourself, but clearly this is important news for us pet rat lovers who would do anything to boost the life expectancy of our little ratties. I’ve only just started my own pet rats on Inositol a couple months ago, but I’m observing initial signs of increased health that look promising

Colin Patterson is author of Pet Rats: How to Easily Train and Care For Your Ratties…To Have a Happy Life Together where you can find out all about pet rat health and how to boost the life expectancy of your rats — check it out by going to http://petratguide.com

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Are you looking to feel more happiness in your life and enjoy just being alive? Are you thinking of the song; Be Happy Now? If so have you considered getting a furry companion to live with you? A puppy, dog or kitten or cat to bring happiness to your humble home; if so it is easy to go and get a pet from the pound and boy will they be happy to be loved and well cared for instead of being trapped in a cage in a smelly environment.

You know having a pet will make you happier and the pet will be happier too. Do you know why dating advisors tell men to buy a pet and go walk in the park to meet women? Because women like pets because they make them happy and women also know that any man with a pet is obviously a nice guy too. Why, because he is so very happy you see? Simple stuff really.

Why do pets make us so happy? What type of pet are you thinking of getting? A dog perhaps, how about a cat? How about a parrot; just think you can have a happy companion, who is happy just like you. Happiness can start with pet ownership, but you must decide what type of pet you want.

Just because you picked a dog or cat, does not mean you are finished, because there are so many types of dogs and cats to choose from. So, you need to make up your mind and then you are well on your way to becoming a happier you. Consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

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Approximately 7 years ago I started using natural therapies in my practice as I became a more integrated doctor. Practicing in Texas I was seeing many allergic pets who really didn’t get better using conventional drug therapy. By incorporating natural therapies into my treatment regimen I immediately started seeing unbelievable results!

In addition to the great results I regularly see with natural therapies in my patients, one of the nice things that attracted me to this type of pet care is the relative lack of side effects. It’s rare to see any side effects using supplements in the care of my patients. Yet it’s been reported in human medicine that side effects of drugs is one of the leading causes of illness and death in people (I’m sure the unreported statistics are similar in veterinary medicine!)

While many pet owners think “natural” equals “safe,” this is not always true. There are some supplements (such as ephedra) that can be extremely toxic and even fatal if not used properly. This article will explore some of the more commonly used supplements, as well as any side effects that may occur. As always, the best way to incorporate natural therapies into your pet’s treatment regimen is to do so under proper veterinary supervision, as this will also decrease the chance of any side effects.

“Natural” does not automatically mean “safe”

Most supplements are safer than prescription drugs for long term control of medical problems

Examples: NSAIDS vs. joint supplements, choline vs. Anipryl or anticonvulsants, Fatty acids and antioxidants vs. corticosteroids, olive leaf extract vs. antibiotics.

Sometimes conventional medications are safer than supplements

Example:coventional deworming medicines vs. wormwood/ black walnut/ pennyroyal oil.

Ex.decongestants/bronchodilators vs. ephedra.

Sometimes species differences make natural therapies potentially toxic:tea tree oil/volatile oils/white willow bark with cats and small dogs.

Natural therapies may show interactions with conventional medications that could be toxic.

Examples:White willow bark with NSAIDS, ephedra with cardiac drugs, decongestants, and asthma medications drugs, ginkgo biloba with high dose fish oil.

In following articles, I’ll review some of the most commonly used supplements.

Shawn Messonnier, DVM

Author, 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog, The Allergy Solution for Dogs, and the award-winning The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats. Dr. Shawn is the medical consultant for Pet Togethers, a pet supplement company.

http://www.pettogethers.net/healthypet

http://www.petcarenaturally.com

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Hopefully you will never have to go through this. But odds are good at one time or another, either you or a friend will have a pet that goes missing. You can be the most careful person and through no fault of your own, something happens.

I had first hand experience of this last Tuesday when I got the phone call - two of my dogs, Bailey & Hooch decided to go for an adventure. There are several steps to take when you find out your pet is missing.

The first thing is to confirm they are actually missing. Check over your house & property. They could have gotten locked in the basement or barn somehow.

The next most natural step is to just start looking. Either walk or drive around your neighborhood calling out your pets’ name. When you’re out looking for your pet, talk to as many people as possible. Give them your name, number and a description of your pet. You’ll increase the chances of finding your pet when more people know that it’s missing. Also, call your friends and family; enlist their help in finding your pet.

Depending on the city of town you live in, either call your local humane society or sheriff’s office. Notify them of your pets’ status.

If your pet has been missing for more than a day, it’s a good idea to start posting signs. For local stores & gas stations, use colored signs if you can that have a good picture of your pet. When posting poster board size signs outside, use fluorescent colors - they provide much more visibility. A couple of words of caution only post the basics about your pet & your phone number. Don’t put your address on it & if you’re offering a reward, just list Reward Offered, don’t list the amount.

Hopefully, with a little luck and a little prayer you’ll find your pet safe and sound. Thankfully I had a happy ending when I found Bailey and Hooch the next morning. They were cold and tired, but as happy to see me as I was them.

Suzi Sevcik is the founder of PetLabels.com & proud dog owner. The experiences she writes about comes from living with 3 Golden Retrievers. You can find more pet articles here: http://PetLabels.com/articles/ or email her at suzi@petlabels.com.

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