Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Bringing a pet into your home is a major decision. Unlike purchasing a new Wii, or Xbox game, which will require the occasional replacement of batteries, a new pet means a new member to your family. Now I do not for a moment suggest that it is on a par with a new baby! But in reality, there are probably a few similarities. This new pet, especially if it is of the 4-legged variety, will have an impact on everyone in your household -- adults, children and even your other pets. Choosing the right pet is vitally important. It is time to do your homework. Ask yourself the following questions:

What are my reasons for wanting one? Be honest.

-Have you fallen for the sad little faces peering out of pet shop kennels?

- Do you feel the need to replace a pet that you lost?

- Are you looking for a companion to make your home feel less empty?

- Do you want a pet to cuddle with during TV hours?

- Do you want a pet that can return your love?

If your answer was yes to the above, you can rule out aquarium pets and exotic pets. If the "love and cuddle" factor is not involved, then the horizon is still fairly broad.

Am I ready to take care of an animal's needs?

- Ready to get up early to walk a dog?

- Prepared for daily scooping of cat litter?

- Okay to handle dog or cat baths and grooming, regularly?

- Able to handle cost of food, medicines, vet bills?

What will the affects be on family members?

- Are there any allergies to consider?

- Is everyone prepared to share the care of the pet?

- Is everyone able to agree on the same variety of animal?

Is your home environment suitable for a pet?

- How much space do you have for a pet?

- Do you live in a small apartment or a big house?

- Is there a fenced backyard?

- If you rent, will the landlord okay your choice?

- Will there be any negative affect on neighbors - like a barking dog?

- Is there nearby access for walking a dog?

- Are your premises safe - no 10th floor balcony that a cat could fall from?

If all is well so far, then choosing the best variety of pet is next. Consider the amount of time required for daily maintenance and decide which fits.

Aquarium pets are the lowest maintenance pets and include:

- Fish

- Snakes

- Lizards

- Turtles

Your time commitment to these animals will probably be about 15 minutes a day for feeding and about an hour a week to clean tanks or cages.

Caged pets are probably next lowest in maintenance:

- Smaller birds

- Rabbits

- Rodents (guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, mice, and rats)

These pets require 15 to 30 minutes a day of feeding and about an hour a week for cage cleaning.

Cats are relatively low maintenance, requiring 15 minutes a day for feeding and litter box cleaning.

They can be left alone for several days at a time, with sufficient food and water. Keep in mind that their personalities can vary greatly and while some don't mind being left alone, others will be very lonely and demonstrate it by their activity when you return.

Dogs are medium maintenance pets. They require much more attention and time than cats. They need to be exercised and fed daily, and groomed regularly. Dogs may also have to get training or obedience lessons, and need way more human interaction than other animals. Expect to spend an hour or two every day taking care of your canine pal.

High Maintenance Pets include:

Horses

Large birds like parrots

Exotic animals like chimpanzees, llamas, or pot-belly pigs

These animals require a lot more care, attention, time, and money. They also need a lot of space, so unless you live in a zoo or on a large farm, high maintenance pets probably aren't for you!

Something you should also consider. If you start out with a baby, a kitten or puppy for example, the bond you develop will probably be stronger, but not always. However the extra effort required to train the young animal, will require considerably more time and frustration. If that is not for you, then think about adopting an adult animal where the hard work has already been done. You need to be more cautious on your choice of animal, to ensure you don't get traits that are undesirable. But often your new pet will soon become your best buddy, for the remainder of his life.

For more excellent articles on Pet Care and Pet Products, see http://www.pointers4pets.com

Historically, your choice of pets pretty much came down to dogs, cats, hamsters or something similar. In the digital age, virtual pets are all the rage.

Kids love pets. There are many situations where a pet could be a wonderful addition to your family. Unfortunately, there are many situations where adding a pet to your family would not be a good idea at all. The good news is that there are many free online virtual pets for your children to play. Kids can have fun naming and taking caring of their pet. You will not have to deal with dog hair on your business suit and cat scratches on your leather sofa. Virtual pets can be a win-win situation for you and children.

There are two main types of virtual pets. The first is one that "lives" on a website. In order to take care of the pet, your child must be online. They will register a user name and password. Each time they log back into the site, they will find their pet where they left him. Virtual pets can be fed, played with, taught tricks, and sent to bed. There are all sorts of virtual pets. You can raise a dog or cat as well as an alien or monster. Pet owners can earn points which can be spent at a virtual store.

There are a few things to look out for when dealing with online virtual pet websites. First, some sites are free, but only for a trial period. Sometimes items for your virtual pet can cost actual money. Make sure you know the terms of the site before signing up. Don't allow your child to input any personal information. Some sites will ask for first and last name, address, birth date, or telephone number. Instruct your children to never give out this information without your permission. There are plenty of sites that do not require any personal information which are probably better choices.

There are also some virtual pet sites that are not appropriate for children. Before turning your kids loose, spend a few minutes checking out the site. One thing to check for is the ability to contact other players. If there is a chat or email function, discuss your rules with your children before logging in.

The other type of online virtual pet is one that you download from the internet onto your computer. There are some advantages to this. First, you will not need to be connected to the internet in order to play. There are no chat features. Once downloaded, the virtual pet becomes like any other computer game. Just like with any other download, you need to ensure that you have a virus protection program running. Either type of online virtual pet can bring a lot of enjoyment to your child while keeping your home free of pet hair and chewed slippers.

Hal Storm is with Petstoreyeti.com - your free resource for local pet stores, services and pet information.

Cats and dogs are believed to be the world's most popular pets, followed by fish and birds.  Rats, hamsters, gerbils and snakes don't figure nearly so high on the popularity charts and poor little stick insects are left way behind.

The popularity of cats and dogs can be attributed to the fact that they are companion animals, often very cuddly and huggable. They can adapt themselves to family life without any major difficulties.

Currently, there are believed to be 400 million dogs worldwide and 600 million cats.

Expensive for rescue centres

Writing in the Los Angeles Times (Sep. 3, 2009) Lindsay Barnett reports that a single day's statistics for one shelter were illuminating. On the day of her visit, the shelter placed nine dogs and two cats into permanent homes.  But they accepted 32 dogs and five cats for possible re-homing. It doesn't take a mathematician to work out the deficit.

The shelter is typical of many worldwide, where far more animals are being handed in, or dumped on the doorstep, than are eventually available for adoption. This can prove very expensive for the rescue centres, most of which are charitable organisations, with no national funding. The advice those who run such shelters give to anyone thinking of bringing a new pet into the family is to adopt an animal that is needy and make sure any existing pets approve of the newcomer.

Donations always welcome

Most rescue centres have their new arrivals spayed or neutered. If this has not been done by the time the animal is adopted, it is vitally important to have the matter attended to without delay to avoid bringing more unwanted animals into the world. At the Los Angeles centre (as at most centres worldwide), donations are always welcome... beds, blankets, collars, leads, litter boxes, toys, balls and so on.

All shapes and sizes

Currently, there are believed to be 140 dog breeds worldwide, 36 cat breeds as well as many mixes and crossbreeds.  Dogs come in all shapes and sizes from the tiniest little pooch, small enough to sit in a teacup, to the huge donkey-sized hound that will eat you out of house and home.  Feeding, accommodating and possibly insuring a large dog can be very expensive... and that is without even considering vet's bills for vaccinations and ongoing welfare.

Cats don't have the same extremes in terms of their size and structure, but their upkeep still needs to be taken into account in terms of the family income and expenditure. 

In both cats and dogs, crossbreeds are often healthier and live longer than pedigrees. They can be just as beautiful, affectionate and intelligent as their more classy counterparts.

A lifetime commitment

Families or individuals considering adopting an animal should ensure that the chosen pet suits their lifestyle.  A family dog or cat must be friendly towards children and not be worried by the noise or chaos children can cause.  Small children must be taught to respect the new arrival. Some rescue centres will not allow their animals to go to homes containing pre-school children.  Others will not allow them to go where people are out working all day.

They cannot stress too strongly that taking on a pet is a lifetime commitment.

Jeff Canaan is a freelance writer and blogger who writes extensively about pets, cats versus dogs and other cat and dog related topics.

Pets are a big part of our lives whether its a dog, cat, bird, fish, hamster or lizard they are part of our day to day life. Just like our health and our families health we must take care of our pets health too. They can't tell us when they are sick or hurting we have to figure that out without words from our pet.

How can you tell your pet is sick? For dogs and cats it would be a touch to their nose to see if it is cold and wet. If it is not cold and wet your pet may be sick. But sometimes even if their nose is cold and wet they may not be feeling good. Like humans pets can feel down and just want to lay around more than usual. Sometimes they will go off by themselves if they don't feel good, they can't always tell us what is wrong.

It may not always be they are sick when they get moppy, it may be there was a change with something in the house, someone moved in or out, someone is sick, someone has passed away or change in their pet food that has caused their depression. It is important for you the pet owner to figure out what the change was so you can help your pet deal with the change.

Pets feel everything we feel, if we are happy or sad they feel it, if we are sick they have that keen sense and know we are sick and want to cuddle us to help us feel better. Many people also are in-sync with their pets and know when they are feeling down and need cuddling time.

Sometimes cuddling does not help and our pets need more from us, such as a trip to the vet. A vet will check your pet out and may even do blood work to determine what is the problem. A vet may even recommend switching your dog or cat to a natural food or may give you medicine for them to take.

Like humans we can use natural pet supplements or vitamins for your dogs and cats to help keep them healthy. Even changing out their food to an organic or natural pet food made with vegetables can make them healthier and happier. Always check with your vet before adding vitamins or supplements to your pets diet.

Check out our great selection of pet health supplements, vitamins, foods and toys for your favorite pet, http://www.herbalforu.com/pet_health.html

http://www.herbalforu.com/pet_health.html

Before you go out to a pet shop to purchase a new pet for the family, consider looking in one of the shelters run by a pet rescue Find out more about charity. There are several important reasons a rescue center should be your first choice.

Give an animal a second chance Animal rescue charities are full of animals that have been given up for a number of reasons- the owner died, the job is relocating, allergies, even something as minor as chewing on the wrong pair of shoes. Staffordshire Terriers or Staffies are especially prone to release because of their particular needs. Intelligent, energetic, strong and loyal, Staffies need patient, active, confident owners.

Excellent with children, they will defend their family to the death if necessary. Staffies are sometimes known as 'nanny dogs' because of their natural tendency to watch over 'their' children.

Adult animals are easier to care for, their teething induced chewing- done, over-exuberant puppy energy has subsided. They are steadier, ready to learn more quickly and consistently. You are not adding to pet overpopulation problems by insisting on a new puppy when there are already hundreds of adults looking for a new home at any given time.

Have the training already finished before you get it Staying with the Staffy, housebreaking can take much longer than with other breeds, obedience training and socialization take time as well. Why not bring home a friend that has already had all these basic behaviors established? It is a myth that Staffies given up for adoption are antisocial, aggressive misfits. Usually, the worst thing they've done is be themselves- active, agile, alert. Most are given up because their owners were not aware of the amount of activity and interaction a healthy Staffie requires.

With the basics out of the way, this allows you to start on the 'fun' stuff. Staffies are eager to please their people, and their intelligence means they enjoy learning new things. You may both enjoy learning (and competing) in agility trials, or advanced obedience; or you may want to teach your friend new tricks, just because you both think it's fun.

When you add up the expense involved in buying a pedigreed animal (even without the papers), examinations, vaccinations, training (including replacement items before the training was complete), you can end up with quite a hefty price tag. Acquiring a Staffy or other pet from a pet rescue charity is significantly less expensive, and you have the knowledge that your new companion has been certified healthy physically and stable mentally. Even those rescued from an abusive or neglectful environment are most often so happy to be out of their previous situation that they work extremely hard to please their new owners.

Help a pet rescue charity Adopting a Staffie or other pet from a charity serves two purposes, first- one less mouth to feed and care for; second- adoption fees help finance the care of another needy animal. Of course, the best reason of all- your forever friend is waiting for you there.

Find out more about pets

Keeping a pet has never been particularly cheap, especially when it comes to larger pets or more exotic animals. Pet owners know all too well how expensive it can become to keep a pet, and to keep a healthy and happy animal, there is also a high degree of commitment and research required. Because of this, pet owners should seriously consider turning to the Internet to buy the pet products that they need as, not only is there generally much more available, but prices are often better too.

The Internet, as with many things, often offers much more competitive prices than your average high street store. There is also more available to choose from in most cases. Additionally, comparing prices on the Internet is easier, especially with the rise of price comparison websites which make it far easier to find the perfect online store and grab the best bargains. Shopping online is often more convenient for many as well, especially as there is no need for any transport.

Though a lot of people who are new to Internet shopping are nervous about getting the best quality, there are plenty of reputable dealers out there which offer a number of extra perks. Doing your research is essential and you may want to take the advice of a friend or trustworthy reviews on the Internet. It can be a great deal more convenient than going down to your local pet store whenever you need anything and you can save a lot more money, especially with the choices available.

Before shopping online, you should also define a budget and decide exactly what products you need for your pet. For products that you regularly require, the Internet is also a great place to go. Online pet stores offer every manner of pet products that you can imagine from everyday supplies such as food and medicine to wide varieties of toys suitable for different types of pets. With customer loyalty programs and other special discounts available in many stores, you can save even more.

For those who have more exotic pets, going to get your supplies from a high street store gets much more complicated and often exponentially more expensive as well due to the lack of competition. The Internet is, again, a much better place to go shopping for your pet in these cases. There are many free perks offered by a lot of online stores as well, such as free delivery and other bonuses. With the amount of money that you can save, you can save up for an extra special pet treat!

Learn More : Dog Products

If you're looking at purchasing pet supplies, where should you go? Is the high street better, or does shopping on the web for pet products represent a much better option these days?

Clearly when thinking about buying products for your pet you will be keen to make sure you get them the very best you are able to, but at the same time you will probably be looking to try and help make your money go as far as possible. After all, pet food on it's own can cost a great deal, and if you're considering purchasing additional treats such as nibbles, toys, perhaps a soft blanket or even a new bed, then you'll need to make sure that your budget goes as far as possible.

So is buying pet products online any cheaper than in the high street? The fact is that many high street pet shops tend to have much more than simply the pet products, because they frequently have the pets as well. Much of the expense associated with running a high street store go into the insurance for the pets, the heating, lighting, housing, feeding and veterinarian costs associated with making sure the pets are in the best of health. Read the rest of this entry »

Choosing an effective air purifier for a pet doesn't have to be complicated. Other than love, your furry pet probably produces a great deal of hair, dander, and/or odour.

So to be effective a purifier needs to be able to handle those pollutants and more. Selecting an air purifier with the following 6 features will insure that you have the best air purifier for you and your pet. Read the rest of this entry »

Pet urine odour in your home can be so offensive to family and friends that they may not want to visit. But with the right air purifier you can have your cat and entertain your family and friends too.

Pet odour, especially urine odour, is hard to remove. Some days it probably feels like boxing with an invisible partner. Use these guidelines to help you bring home the air purifier that will be most effective for your pet and your family.

Continuous Filtration--Any air purifier that is to be effective against urine odour needs to be able to run efficiently and economically all the time. This will prevent odour from building up and greeting you or your guests at the door. Read the rest of this entry »

Want to go for a ride? Those six little words are often music to a dog's ears. Whether you're bringing them to the local dog park or to visit friends and family, many dogs enjoy a road trip. You probably ensure that you and your family are buckled up before you go, but are you also keeping your pet safe when they are riding in the car with you?

Trips with Pets, the leading authority on pet travel and pet friendly hotels, conducted a poll to find out how many pet owners are securing their furry companions while on the road. 53% of the 765 respondents reported taking proper safety precautions, which is up from just 44% only two years ago. Many states now have pending legislation regarding the use of pet restraints in a vehicle, so if you currently have your dog or cat loose in your car, it's time to consider using one of the following methods: Read the rest of this entry »