The Importance of Routine for Your Pet Dog

By nature, pet dogs tend to be sensitive and can absorb tension and stress in their surroundings. In dogs,

stress tends to be the result of an environment change. Since your pet pooch lives in your home, and

your life will undoubtedly involve change, sometime in your pet dog’s life he will no doubt go through

some stress.

It is not really a serious condition to go through occasional stress. On the other hand, prolonged or

excessive stress can produce the same effect on dogs as on humans, and this is usually negative. Your

dog’s internal mechanisms of defence can be triggered making energy levels rise and hearts pounds

to full throttle as your dog attempts to cope with all his reserve strength. Your dog will then become

weaker when these reserves are gone and sickness may result in less resistance to disease and illness.

Symptoms of Stress in Dogs

When your dog experiences stress, they may either turn this inward and make themselves sick or

become more shy. Some symptoms of a stressed out canine include destructive behaviour as your dog

attempts to relieve stress by chewing, licking or biting the furniture. Illness including skin reactions,

loss of appetite, diarrhoea, vomiting and illness can also be signs of internalized stress in dogs. When

your pet begins displaying behaviour that includes biting, snarling and growling, this could be signs he is

suffering from stress. Also, house soiling is the number one sign of pet stress.

More Time
When the stress of your dog comes from separation anxiety, boredom or loneliness, the best way of

dealing with this is to increase exercise and spend more time with your pooch. Dogs are creatures that

are social and can tend towards feeling lonely. When you spend more time with your pet, you will not

only relieve his stress but also reap the benefits of spending time with your pet such as feeling less

stress yourself.

Routine

One key element in a stress-free, obedient dog is routine. Your pooch needs a framework and some

structure for appropriate behaviour and to feel secure. Simply knowing when he will be played with,

walked and fed on a regular basis can go far in helping him feel more secure and relaxed. Without

routine, your pooch will not be able to cope as well to life changes that occur and which are unavoidable

in life.

When You Notice Hair Loss in Your Pet Dog

Alopecia or hair loss is not uncommon among dogs. This condition causes your pet to go through

complete or partial loss of hair. It can affect your furry pal’s immune system, lymphatic system,

endocrine system and the skin of your pet. As a matter of fact, no matter what gender, breed or age

your cat or dog is, alopecia can affect your pet.

Mange

One common alopecia cause is due to mange. This is caused by the Demodex mite. In addition, there

can also be loss of hair when there is a disruption in the hair follicle’s growth. This is often due to

abnormalities in the endocrine system, an immune disease, trauma or infection. If there are many

missing hair patches, this could be related to hair follicle inflammation. A more specific pattern of

disease might be indicated by hair loss with a pattern that has spread more widely.

Extremely Noticeable
A condition that is very noticeable, alopecia is characterized by either symmetrical or varied loss of hair.

It can be apparent as circles that are bald accompanied by inflammation and crusting around this area.

Some pooches that go through hair loss may even notice that their skin is scaling as well.

Alopecia Patterns

The severity and pattern of alopecia is needed for the correct treatment and diagnosis. When there is

generalized or patchy loss of hair, the most common cause is mange. Other causes can include ringworm

and bacterial infections. This is accompanied with inflammation and redness of the skin. When the

loss of hair is symmetrical, the cause can very including excessive steroid levels in the body of your

pet produced by low oestrogen levels, low thyroid levels, hair loss that is related to testosterone.

When hair loss occurs in many areas, this usually comes with mild scaling in skin reddening. Generally,

bacterial infections or ringworm could be the cause of this type of alopecia. Scleroderma is another

common cause, which is a condition of the skin that results from recent vaccinations or scarring tissues.

Treatment of Alopecia

Usually, loss of hair or alopecia is treated with antibiotic therapy or topical shampoos. If there is an

underlying cause that indicates other issues, there might be a prescription for other treatments. When

there is cancer or skin growth, this might be removed surgically. Once there has been a prescription for

treatment, you must buy antibiotics, ointments and topical shampoos and administer this according to

the instructions of your veterinarian. As healing begins, ensure that no infection occurs by constantly

monitoring the skin of your pet.

4 Sure Ways to Boost Your Pet’s Moods

Have you noticed your pet’s mood seems blue these days? Are you trying to find ways to boost the

mood of your dog? There are a few things you can do to help your dog’s mood go from down in the

dumps to bright and full of sunshine. Experienced dog owners know by now that the mood of your pet

does range from being content, happy, cheerful, extremely ecstatic, miserable, unhappy, depressed or

very unhappy. The important thing to remember is that keeping the mood of your pet stable and more

on the happy rather than the blue side is essential.

Grooming
Do you groom your dog regularly? For most furry pals, grooming is essential and the root cause of your

pet’s bad mood may all boil down to fulfilling his grooming needs. This includes cutting nails, brushing

his hair and cleaning his teeth regularly.

Health

When you notice a change in the mood of your dog, make sure that you rule out issues that pertain to

health. To do this, you will need to see the veterinarian and get a check-up. Once you are assured that

your pet has a clean bill of health, you can begin focusing on other possible issues that may be causing

the change in the mood of your pet.

Food

If you have changed the diet of your dog recently and noticed a subsequent change in mood, the type of

food you are serving your pet may be the culprit. You may revert back to the previous meals you have

been serving your dog and this may be just the thing that will help your pet’s mood go back to normal.

On the other hand, if you have not altered his food in any way and still notice a mood change, you might

want to consult with a vet with regards to the vitamin and nutrition needs of your four-legged friend.

Toys

One method of helping your pet’s mood remain stable is to provide yourcanine with the

appropriate toys. It is not important to get toys that cost above and beyond your budget. Sometimes, a

pair of socks will do. A ball of yarn, for example, will be able to keep your pet cat occupied and happy for

hours. In addition to providing your pet with toys, making sure to play with him or her for a minimum of

half an hour each day is a good idea as well. This boosts the mood of your pet tremendously, as you will

most likely see first-hand.

Best. Landlady. Ever.

Judy Guth. Photo: Michael Owen Baker/LA Daily News

Usually you hear about apartment owners restricting their buildings to "no pets". But Judy Guth has an opposite policy. If you don’t have a pet, you can’t rent from her.

Judy has a 12-unit apartment house in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, and she insists on her tenants having a pet, because in her experience they make great tenants.

"My experience has told me you get people with a lot of love in their hearts when you get pet owners," she told the LA Daily News. She also said that she finds that pet owners pay their rent on time and seldom move.

She started her pets-only policy shortly after she bought the building 40 years ago. She does have some rules that her tenants need to follow which include: pets must be current on their vaccinations, they need to wear a current ID tag and dogs with bad behavior are prohibited (eg incessant barking).

Judy also helps owners who lose a pet. If someone’s pet dies, Judy has been known to take the tenant to a local animal shelter to adopt a new one. 

There are no laws prohibiting Judy’s bias against non-pet owners and her pets-only policy really seems to work. The proof is in how few tenants move out. Many of her tenants have lived there for over 10 years, and a few for over 20. 

"I've talked to other rental property owners about it, but they just laugh," Judy said. "They’re stupid. The only vacancies I’ve had are when people had to move because the economy forced them out of state for a job. Within a day or two, there’s a new dog or cat moving in. I can’t remember all the people, but I can remember their pets

How Do Dogs Sniff Out Explosives?

Indiana University scientists are helping work out the science behind how dogs locate explosives.

 The researchers found th at these specialist military and police dogs react best to the actual explosive, calling into question the use of products designed to mimic the odor of plastic explosives for training purposes.

"Appropriately, dogs that are trained to find real explosives are going to find real explosives and not much else," said John Goodpaster, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology and director for the Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program.

The effectiveness of trained detector dogs is well established, but the study sought to determine which chemical compounds cause a dog to recognize a particular explosive and alert to it. Previous studies have suggested that certain non-explosive chemicals emitted by Composition C-4 cause dogs to alert, and that these specific chemicals could be used as mimic substances to train the dogs in place of real explosives.

In the first phase of the study, researchers discovered that the non-explosive chemicals given off by C-4 mimics also are present in a variety of everyday plastic objects. Objects tested included PVC pipes, electrical tape, movie tickets, a plastic grocery bag and plastic food wrapping. Several of the tested items emitted appreciable levels of a mimic compound recommended by some vendors for training canines.

The second phase exposed 33 trained canines from the DOD, Department of Justice, Amtrak and other agencies to these vapors to see if the dogs would respond. The field trials demonstrated that the dogs failed to respond in any significant way to specific odor compounds found in C-4. The results indicate that if the dogs are trained on the full scent, they will only detect real explosives.

"The canines are not easily fooled -- you can't pick and choose components of explosive odors and expect the dog to respond," Goodpaster said. "Dogs are specific and it's the full scent that causes them to alert."

The study also sought to better establish the scientific facts needed for canine detection to be legally admissible evidence -- an effort that found using mimic compounds could present challenges in court. By training with real explosives, false positives are unlikely in the field. Overall, the team recommended that dogs be trained with actual, not mimic, explosives.

While there is technology available to search for explosives, canines remain the best option because of their speed, sensitivity and ability to search large numbers of items, Goodpaster said. Co-authors on the study include current and former IUPUI School of Science undergraduate and graduate students: William Kranz, Kelley Kitts, Nicholas Strange, Joshua Cummins and Erica Lotspeich.

The full study appears in the March 2014 Forensic Science International.

Why I Buy Dog Food Online for Convenience and Savings

I have to admit that I used to hate the idea of picking up dog food at my vet. Sure, if they had the time they'd carry the bag to my car, but at the other end it was still up to me to unload it. It also meant a special trip about 15 minutes up the road and in the wrong direction from the way I normally travel to work.

After complaining to a friend about it, she told me that she'd been buying dog food online for about 6 months. I didn't even know you could buy dog food online in Australia! And it turns out that it's easier than I thought.

After looking around for the best place to buy dog food online in Australia,  I saw that there are a couple of choices, but for me, I ruled out all those online stores that didn't sell premium brands like Hills Science Diet and Royal Canin, because supermarket brands are just not as good in MHO.

I also didn't want one of those online stores were you have to sign up to get your dog food delivered every month. I'm often away for work and my dog goes to my parent's place, so I was sure that I would end up with more food turning up before I had finished the bag.

Finally, I really wanted to try an Austalian online store that was offering free shipping on dog food and savings compared to my vet.

While I found a couple of choices, in the end I went with VetShopAustralia.com.au because I'd bought Advocate from them before and never had any problems. Again, I wasn't disappointed and my bag of dog food turned up without fuss 2 days later. Simple. 

4 Things to Know When Choosing A Dog Tag

What metal should I choose for my dog's tag?

The most common metals used for dog tags in Australia are aluminium, stainless steel, and brass. Aluminium is by far the least durable of the three. Brass is a soft metal, and not as durable as stainless steel. There are varying grades of stainless steel used for tags, but all variants are by far harder and more durably retain their lettering after wear and tear on a pet.

Stainless Steel dog tags are most durable and good for pets who go in the water a lot, or those especially active pets who can be rough on their tags! they are the best canine dog tags for Australian dogs.

Aluminium tags come in a variety of colours and give excellent legibility since usually coloured dog tag surface has a sharp contrast with the lettering, used mostly for indoor canines.

What is the best marking method?

Metal dog tags usually have their information engraved or stamped into, their surfaces. The characters created by engraving are made by removing some of the tag's surface and in the past may not have been as deep as stamped characters, which are made by stamping the tag with a metal die.

Find Dog Tags Online

Stamped tags were more durable than engraved tags in the past  however modern engraving techniques means this is no longer a problem. Engraving dog tags however means a much larger range of characters and fonts are available.
.

How do I select the size?

A tag 3cm and under is best for a cat or a small dog.  A tag larger than 3cm is best for medium to large dogs.

How do I select the inscription?

Inscribe your dog's name and your mobile number.

Best Place to Buy Dog Tags Australia

Whether you're looking for a cute dog tag, a functional dog tag or a cheap dog tag in Australia, the best place to buy Australian dog tags is online. From Just $12.99 including FREE Engraving, you can get designer dog tags online from VetShopAustralia.com.au, Australia's oldest and most awarded online pet store.

* This is a sponsored link