How To Care For Koi Fish

Want to know how to keep Koi Carp in a garden pond? These beautiful fish are quite easy to look after, and are a favourite with pond owners. Watch our guide to keeping Koi Fish.


How To Care For Koi Fish

How to Create A Cat Friendly Home

Your cats may look out the window as if they’re fantasizing about a life in the wilds, but the fact is that cats live longer and healthier lives when they’re pampered indoors. Learn how to create a wild environment within your own home, so your cats will get the best of the great outdoors without needing to leave the cozy confines of your cat-friendly home.


Creating A Cat Friendly Home

How To Clean Your Dog's Teeth

"Doggy breath" isn't just an expression—regular oral hygiene is just as important for dogs as it is for people. Which is why it's never too early—or too late—to start polishing your puppy's pearly whites.

How To Trim Your Dog's Nails

Pedicures aren't just for pampered pooches—your dog is descended from wolves, but her nails don't have the chance to wear down as they would in the wild. A regular clipping every three or four weeks will save her from painful ingrown nails and sore paws.

How to Keep Your Pet Healthy

A researcher at the University of Hertfordshire, England, has proven that pets and their owners often look, think and act alike. Unfortunately, that’s not always a good thing; pets and humans can have similar weight problems.

It’s estimated that between 25 and 40 percent of dogs and cats and 31 percent of people in this country are overweight. The problem is even worse for pet horses; a recent study at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and Virginia Tech found roughly half were overweight.

What’s the solution? Add your pets to your own weight-loss resolutions for 2008. Having a companion will help you lose weight and improve your pet’s health. Studies have shown that people who exercise with friends are far more likely to keep up a workout regimen and that people diet more effectively with friends. Exercising with a four-legged friend results in a healthier pet owner, and can even help a human recover from surgery more quickly.

“What many of us assumed was true for decades has now been proven -- taking a dog for a walk is healthy for both the dog and the dog’s owner,” says Dr. Roger K. Mahr, past president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), who has spoken out on the important linkages between animal and human health. “Many pet owners are probably more concerned about exercising their pets than they are about getting some exercise for their own health, but both will live a healthier life as a result. Pets don’t just improve your quality of life; they also improve your health.”

Just like humans, overweight dogs and cats are more likely to get a number of diseases and health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, skin conditions, liver disease, and joint problems. So putting yourself, Fido, Fluffy, and/or Flicka on a diet and exercise regiment will result in a better new year for everyone.

Here are some AVMA pet weight-loss tips:

* A visit to your veterinarian is the best way to determine if your pet is overweight, but there are a couple common sense guidelines. A dog should have a discernible waist without fat deposits, and ribs should be easy to feel while stroking a dog. In cats, if there is any rounding of the abdomen or bulging in the back, limbs, neck or face, you’ve got a fat cat.

* Carefully measure the food you give your pets and feed them at least twice a day. If the pet hasn’t finished their food in about 20 minutes, take the bowl away to discourage overeating. Dogs and cats fed once a day, or continuously, tend to be the fattest.

* Monitor the number and size of the treats you give in praise. A large dog treat can be over 100 calories, while a small treat has as little as 10 calories. If you can’t help but treat your beloved pet, break them in half to cut the calories.

* Diet pet foods are available but must meet certain standards to qualify for that designation. For instance, “low-calorie” dog food must be no more than 310 calories per cup for dry food or 90 calories per 1/2 cup wet, and “low-fat” or “lean” must be no more than 9 percent fat in dry food and 4 percent fat wet.

* High-fiber pet foods can help a pet’s diet by making your best friend feel full with fewer calories. No-salt, canned string beans can be added to either dry or wet food to provide bulk and fiber with very few calories.

* The more exercise the better … research has shown that dogs are 10 percent less likely to be obese for each hour of exercise they got every day.

* To exercise a cat, engage them with a feather, string or laser pointer, and try to get them running after a toy as they swat at it. To exercise a dog, consider agility training, play time with other dogs, and chasing a ball or Frisbee. There is no better exercise for dogs, horses and humans than a brisk walk.

* Hypothyroidism is a common cause of obesity in humans, dogs and cats, but it’s much easier to diagnose in humans. If your dog or cat is obese without a clear cause, make a veterinary appointment.

* Finally, if your pet is a little on the pudgy side, and you think it might benefit from an increased exercise regiment, see a veterinarian first. No exercise program should begin without a veterinary checkup. If your pet is more than 20 percent overweight, consult your veterinarian immediately.

For more information on pet health, please visit www.avma.org.

Courtesy ARAcontent

What I Shouldn't Feed My Pet

Many foods that humans eat are not good for your pets. This one-minute video shows you specific examples of the type of foods that can hurt your pets.

Dangers With Cats While Pregnant

Dr. Brian Bernick talks about the dangers with cats while pregnant.

How to Remove a Tick From a Dog

In this video, learn how to remove a tick from your dog at home.

How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days

For almost twenty years, dog owners have turned to this compact guide for sensible, step-by-step advice how to housebreak their beloved pets--in just one week! Now revised and updated, pet expert Shirlee Kalstone's foolproof method for housebreaking your dog is available with a fresh new look and up-to-date information.

Whether your dog is a puppy or getting on in years, whether your goal is to housebreak, paper train, or litter train, this practical, easy-to-follow plan will help you transform your pet into a dependable member of the household--in a way that works with both his innate behavioral instincts and your individual lifestyle. You'll never again have to worry about your dog acting out, feeling anxious or depressed--or ruining your brand-new rug--as you discover:

• The simple secret of successful housebreaking--understanding your dog as a den dweller
• Step-by-step programs tailored to both apartment dwellers and home owners, as well as to people who go to work, versus those who are home all day
• Schedules for training puppies and (re)training adult dogs
• How to identify your dog's natural behavioral rhythms--and use them to your advantage
• How to cope with housebreaking lapses, marking territory, separation anxiety, and health problems
• The power of praise and positive reinforcement, not punishment

Including sample schedules and timetables, and a list of related resources and websites, here is the essential, proven advice that will make training a pleasure, for both you and your dog.

Available at Amazon.com.

How to Choose a Dog

Do you really want to get a dog? This video gives you a few things to think about before choosing your dog.

How to train your dog to shake hands

Ever wanted to teach your dog how to shake hands? To high five your favourite pooch? Well VideoJug demonstrates exactly how to get your dog to offer you his paw.

Pet Friendly Travel: Tips for Protecting Your Pet While On-the-Go

Pet Expert Andrea Arden spreads the word about the importance of pet safety.

How to Clip Your Cat's Claws Safely

In this video, learn how to trim you cat's claws safely.

How to Housetrain Dogs

Puppies have accidents! Marc Morrone introduces you to the glories of the wee wee pad.

How to Make Dog Biscuits

Dr. Stanley Coren puts on his apron and cooks up a batch of dog biscuits for his best friends.

How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With

Worried about leaving your puppy home alone while you work? Need to keep him from barking too much? Read on! This classic has answers for all that and much more!

• Six things to expect from your puppy
• Ten keys to housebreaking without a hitch
• Common puppy personality types and how to deal with them
• Six gentle, effective methods of dicipline

Available at Amazon.com.

How to Teach Your Dog to Come to You

Teach your dog a reliable recall with the Triple Crown Clicker.

How To Teach Your Dog To Shake Hands

VideoJug: How To Teach Your Dog To Shake Hands
Ever wanted to teach your dog how to shake hands? To high five your favourite pooch? Well VideoJug demonstrates exactly how to get your dog to offer you his paw.

How to Safely Introduce Your Four-legged Friends to a New Diet

As the popularity of organic food grows and people realize the benefits of a diet rich in natural ingredients for their families, parents are now looking for safe and healthy foods for their four-legged “kids” too.

“Pets are considered family members by most people, so it’s understandable that they want them to have the same high quality foods as everyone else in the household,” says Shelley Gunton, “Top Dog” and CEO of Castor & Pollux Pet Works, maker of natural and organic pet food and treats.

Diane Noble, mom to golden retriever Bailey and a short-haired cat named Kid, is one of these people. After the pet food recall last spring, she decided to start feeding Bailey a new brand of organic food, but didn’t realize that new food should be gradually introduced in order for her dog’s digestive system to acclimate.

“Poor Bailey’s tummy was so upset ... she was running from the room because of the smells she was making,” remembers Noble. “I thought the food just wasn’t right for her. It never crossed my mind that I needed to take steps to switch her food slowly and safely.”

After learning how to do it right, Noble successfully switched Kid to the new organic food too. “During the change-over process, Kid would pick the organic pieces out from the others and eat them first because they were his favorite!” said Noble.

How to Switch

Dr. Edward Moser, veterinarian and animal nutritionist and advisor for several of the nation’s top pet food companies, has answers to some commonly asked questions about how to safely switch a pet’s food:

Q: I’ve tried to switch my dog/cat’s food before and it really messed up their digestive system. Why is switching food so disruptive?

A: Some dogs/cats have stomachs that are sensitive to a dietary change. It can be for a multitude of reasons relating to the food, the animal’s health, or sometimes to their eating behavior.

Commonly, digestive upset associated with the introduction of a new food is the result of the new food’s novelty -- dogs and cats will wolf down the new food, overwhelming the digestive system. Or, it may simply be that the new food has a stronger flavoring system they aren’t used to.

Q: What’s the best way to switch my dog/cat to organic food?

A: The most cautious way of switching a dog or cat to any new food is to introduce the new food over the course of four to seven days by mixing in small amounts of the new while decreasing their current food. Each day add more of the new and remove an offsetting amount of the current food. Watch your dog/cat closely during the change. If some digestive disturbances occur, then take the changeover a bit more gradually, extending it over a few additional days.

Q: What will happen if I switch my dog/cat’s food too quickly?

A: If no problems occur then all is okay. Some dogs and cats switch quite easily.

If, however, your dog or cat is sensitive to a change in diet or dietary habit, then it is most common that feed refusals, vomiting, or diarrhea will be observed.

Q: My dog/cat’s food seems fine. She eats it when I give it to her. Why should I consider switching?

A: Switch diets if you feel the food is not meeting your pet’s nutritional, functional, or performance needs. You should also switch if there is concern regarding the origin of the food, its safety, freshness or consistency.

Q. I’ve heard that organic foods are “safer.” Are they really worth the extra money?

A: Organic certification is a “seal of approval” or “quality control check” for the ingredients and food preparation facilities used in the production of the pet food. This extra degree of scrutiny provides more confidence that no synthetic ingredients, preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, and other unsafe compounds have been added to the food.

The Safety of Certified Organics

“More people are looking at what’s in their pet’s food these days and finding that organics provide some peace of mind,” says Gunton of the rationale behind Castor & Pollux Pet Work’s newest creation, the Go Organic Kit, featuring Organix certified organic dry and canned foods and treats. “Because only ‘certified organic’ pet food and treats have gone through a regulatory certification process to ensure the utmost safety and quality, the Go Organic Kit will help pet parents be confident in what they’re feeding their dogs and cats.”

Housed in a reusable container, the Go Organic Kit contains everything needed to switch to an organic diet -- including both wet and dry food, as well as treats -- making the process easy and affordable. The kit is available at PETCO stores nationwide or online at www.castorpolluxpet.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

How To Look After A Goldfish

VideoJug: How To Look After A Goldfish
This video will show you the basics of how to take care of a goldfish, including goldfish feeding, tank maintenance and goldfish illness.