Contrary to what most dog owners believe, fleas do not live the majority of their lives on their pets. They only stay on the dog to feed and breed. They do this by biting into the dog and sucking its blood. Because they often carry tapeworm larvae in their systems, they can transmit tapeworm disease to the dog through the bloodstream or by being eaten when the dog bites at the flea.
If you know your dog has fleas, you will have to be persistent in the treatment of removing them from the dog and your environment. If you only remove them from your dog without killing the eggs, larvae, and cocoons, you are going to have a continuous problem.
Fighting the flea problem can start from the inside out with your dog. There are many foods and supplements you can give your dog to improve their immune system. A healthy dog is less likely to have a flea infestation and is better able to fight them off.
There are also a wide variety of flea removal products on the market today which are safe and effective. You should consult with your veterinarian before starting a flea removal campaign. You will want to make sure the flea remedies you select for your dog and your home are right for your dog’s age, weight, and skin type.
Once you’ve selected the flea remedies you will use, you will need to have a plan in ridding them of your dog, home, and even your yard of every stage of the flea life cycle. You should take every step seriously if you want to completely eliminate the flea problem.
You will need to vacuum thoroughly, using several vacuum-cleaner bags and getting rid of them all in an air tight plastic bag. You should wash all of your dog’s bedding in hot water. You might even need to wash all of your family’s bedding also. Any place that your dog passes through or sleeps on can be considered a flea “hot spot” and can end up being infested.
To remove fleas from your dog, you need to first wash them with a flea-killing shampoo. After bathing your dog, comb through their fur with a fine-toothed flea comb. Dip the glass in a large glass of soapy water or rubbing alcohol to drown and kill any fleas that survived the bath. After you have combed every area of your dog, rinse them with a conditioning rinse to remove any excess soap or alcohol, and to help soothe the skin. Dry your dog thoroughly, and don’t let them roll around outside or lie down on their favorite place on the porch because these could be potential hot spots. These areas should be treated with an outer insecticide before your dog is allowed to return to them. After you have treated your dog, house, and yard, you will never want to repeat the flea killing process, so you will need to take some preventative measures.
Checking your dog regularly for flea problems is advisable because they can get fleas any time they step into a well populated area. Run a flea comb through their fur as this will snag any of the little pests before they start breeding. You can kill them on the comb by crushing them with your fingernail or immersing the comb in a glass of soapy water or rubbing alcohol.
During the Spring and Summer months, when the fleas are at their worst, you should bathe your dog regularly with a flea-preventative shampoo, and ask your veterinarian about various products to keep them free of fleas. Vacuum your home often and keep your dog’s bedding fresh and clean.
In K9stud.comyou are going to find all kind of dogs and puppies for sale.
Aother – Steve Crofford
A pet trust is a legal arrangement which provides care for a pet in the event the pet owner becomes disabled or passes away. With this type of trust trust, the pet owner can designate a trustee and caregiver for their pets as well as provide documentation concerning the living standards, medical issues, nutritional requirements, grooming instructions, and arrangements for the eventual burial or cremation of the animal. By putting such information in a legal document, the pet owner can be sure that their furry friend will be cared for according to their instructions.
Why create a pet trust? Many people think of their pets as members of the family. And since these same people take the proper legal steps to provide for the care and future of their human family members, it’s not unusual that they would want to protect their dogs and cats too.
In fact, providing for your pet’s future after you’re gone is not a new concept. Prior to the creation of the pet trust laws, pet owners became frustrated when they made arrangements to leave money to care for their animals in the event of disability or death. Before these laws were enacted, such arrangements were considered unacceptable because the animal was considered to be personal property and as such, cannot legally own property.
But starting in the 1990’s, states began to implement pet trust laws. Currently, not all 50 states have laws on their books pertaining to pet trusts; however, the majority of states do, and more states are passing laws each year. With the implementation of such laws, owners were allowed to create trust funds for their animals just as they did for their family.
It’s also important to note the laws will vary from state to state and owners wishing to set up this type of trust should consult an attorney who focuses on pet trust law.
For example, some states consider the trust to last for the duration of the life of the pet; other states consider the trust to last for a period of 21 years. The life span of a dog or cat is less than 21 years; however, the life span of a horse or parrot can be longer than 21 years.
If a pet owner lives in a state that currently does not have enforceable pet trust laws, estate lawyers or financial planners can assist in the creation of a legally enforceable document that provides for your pet in the same manner as the trust.
Within the trust, the pet owner can designate the individual or corporation of their choice to become the trustee (the individual who is responsible for overseeing the trust) and the caregiver (the individual who is responsible for caring for the pet).
With the creation of a pet trust, the pet owner can be assured that their beloved pet will be cared for when they are no longer able to do so.
Pets-Diseases.com was created by the founders of The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys http://www.pets-diseases.com, a national organization promoting excellence in estate planning by providing its exclusive membership of attorneys with up-to-date research, educational materials, and other vital practice management techniques. To learn more about pet trusts laws, visit our website.
Aother – R G Armstrong and Sanford M. Fisch
This debate will probably never die down…should stores be allowed to sell big pets such as dogs and cats. Understandably, a lot of the stores get their dogs from puppy mills, and I understand that side of the debate. Still, there are countless dogs sold by pet stores every year.
Purchasing from a pet store is like any other major purchase…you need to do your homework. Doing this, however, meant that you have to put your spur of the moment emotions aside every time you see a dog that you just “have to have.”
We purchased our first puppy from a store, but only after doing considerable research, asking the store for references of others who have purchased from there, and asking around to other pet owners for their feedback.
We also took several visits to the store to see their puppies. The dogs at the store where we purchased from were always alert and awake. They were playful and, well, puppy like. The puppies also played in pens together, rather then being individually crated. The pens were very clean, as were the dogs. The puppies were well documented, with information from the breeder should we wish to contact them to find more info about the parents of the dogs.
I’ve visited other stores and didn’t get the same feeling. In fact, going to some of the local malls, it seemed as though some of their dogs were drugged…they were very sluggish and did not act like you’d expect a dog to act when seeing new faces. The mall dogs were dirty, the place smelled, and some dogs were in crates way too small.
This is the problem with pet stores, there are too many who don’t care about their animals, and are just looking for the profit. The one diamond in the rough that does show they care about the animals get lumped in together and get a bad rep. That is why we made sure to do our research. The last thing we wanted was a dog with health problems and social issues from not being treated properly and not being with other dogs.
We got our second dog from someone who needed to get rid of him because he wasn’t compatible with other pets. Both dogs have their own attributes and issues, but the dog we “adopted” actually has had some more problems then the one we purchased, since the adopted dog was a bit older and had been neglected and mistreated.
Like anything else in life, it’s always better to do your homework before making a major purchase.
They say no good deed goes unpunished. I was walking the dogs recently and saw a cat sunbathing….in the middle of the street. So, walking with one dog in each hand, I figured I would try to scare the cat out of the road for her own safety.
The dogs, of course, see the cat and since they want to play with everything and everybody, they start pulling on their leashes trying to take me over to the cat. Since I don’t want the dogs to actually come into contact with the cat, I walk across the street, to the side of the kitty, figuring she would run when she saw us coming. Didn’t quite turn out that way.
Instead, the cat stood up in the attack position and hissed at me and the dogs. Now, my original thought was that the cat would turn and run away from the human walking two dogs. Instead, the cat FOLLOWED US. So much for my plan! But, at the very least it got her out of the street. The cat followed us for a little bit, while my dogs kept pulling towards her. Finally, I picked up the pace of my walk while getting my dogs attention away from the cat. Once the cat decided we were pretty much out of her territory, she gave up following us. However, I’m sure this could have ended with the dogs and cats essentially fighting….like dogs and cats.
I guess the cat was protecting her turf. Since I haven’t had a cat in a while, I’m interested in hearing from cat owners about how their kitty’s react to threats in their turfs.
