We humans are so susceptible to getting influenced by things around us that we try to reason any unusual happening with hypothetical possibilities, without knowing the logic behind it. Our ancestors came up with religious beliefs,the foundation of many of which where simply based on unknown facts which nobody tried to dig upon and find out the reason behind. Well when it is said that half knowledge is dangerous then that be true because it can turn out to hurt someone or even be fatal. As such we have never spared our fellow species, our pets can be no exception in it as we drag them into this colossal field of false beliefs and myths.

Below are few myths-considered-facts that that we has been going around for a long time now but needs to be clarified.

1. Black BAD LUCK

As if hypothetical ghost stories lost their charisma that they dragged a poor little feline into it. Considering them as inauspicious, black cats are often seen as carriers of some evil that is bound to happen and inevitable. People stop and flinch if they see black cats come across their way. This one is too old a myth and some still follow till date. ‘Uh-uh! I won’t go that way else bad luck would follow’, seriously? You think a cat can make a truck run over you while crossing the road, probably yes if your gaze is fixed on that four-legged dark shadow and not on the road while crossing it. Get over that sick myth! They are like any other cats that people pet around rather just more beautiful and unique!

2. Old dog New Tricks, Uh-uh!

No! This is a false verdict. There is no relation between age and ability to learn new things when it comes to your canine friend. No matter what age they reach you can still teach your friend to sit, roll, stay, fetch or whatever pleases you. This has nothing to do with its age. An everyday practice for a week or two and then your dog is smart enough to grasp what is being taught. Don’t underestimate your dog friend they can be stubborn or lazy but they will definitely pick up more quickly than you expected and surprise you. Changing their habits isn’t that difficult as goes the saying everywhere.

3. A Camel’s own water tank?

Camel is the ship of desert, some books poetically explained so. With their ability to live several days without food and water, they are considered as the most well adapted animal to the harsh conditions of the deserts. Camels have distinctive features like padded feet, long eye-lashes and most visible of them all, its hump. Well most of the people think the camel carries water inside its hump and avoid death due to dehydration. The actual fact being they have got oval shaped red blood cells instead of the common circular shaped cells that most mammals have. This lets them retain water in their body for much longer duration. And as for the hump, it just a mount of fat that acts as a food reservoir rather that that of water. Camels can stay fit and fine for as long as three weeks without food with the fat burning in the hump providing the necessary energy. Special thanks to the kidneys and intestines that reduce the water excretion to minimal levels and help it survive whilst other animals die of hunger and thirst.

4. All parrots DON’T talk

You pay a visit to your neighbor got a parrot pet recently and the first question that comes out is, ‘Hey does it talk?’ And with high expectations you try saying monosyllables to it, thinking probably it might mimic you in the funniest way possible. Well, here goes down your expectation and myth, not all parrots talk. Why?! Simply because they are individuals like us. Parrot species like Amazon parrots and African grey parrots are most famous among the parrot species as they can pick up vocabulary faster and mimic better. Whilst on contrary some of the species won’t talk at all. Even among the above two species, there can be few odd ones who don’t talk or very less in comparison others. The reason for this is still a mystery to the scientist who give the individualistic trait as one of the reasons. Hence so forth, don’t overestimate about the poor parrot, because all parrots can’t speak like you.

5. That Egg is Hers!

Well, it doesn’t who came first the egg or the chicken, you simply have your non-veg delicacies without thinking nonsense, but what is to be clarified it that the eggs you have aren’t the ones that would hatch if you keep them warm or something. As a child I often used to do that, thinking that at least one of them would hatch and I would have a chic to play with. Sadly the eggs that we eat are not the fertilized ones. The hen lays eggs regularly, be it fertilized or not. So no you are not committing any crime and killing those babies developing inside the calcium shells. Veggies, take a note!  If you have roosters n your farm and you think probably the hens are having a good time making fertile eggs then you can keep them in the fridge. Refrigeration can  to stop the further growth inside the egg.

6. RAPE RACK

This one goes as a matter of fact, clearing out every possible ‘made-ups’ and beliefs around. You think you get ample calcium supplies from that glass of milk you have everyday (which is actually not true) and with those endorsement brands of milk showing cows happily grazing in the background, it all seems a perfect cycle of milch industry. The horrendous truth being that the milch animals are tortured inhumanly to get you that glass of milk or cup of coffee in the morning. The concept is simple, cows only lactate when they have babies. No baby means no milk. Hence they are impregnated time and again effecting their health and what is done with the calves is even more unfortunate. They are weaned onto some other diet whilst the milk that is supposed to be for the calf goes to us humans. The babies are kept away their mothers, tied all the time with little space to roam around and if they seem of no use, specially the male calves, they end up in slaughter houses. The sorry and disturbing truth, isn’t a myth but a fact covered with the veil of the benefits of developing good health through milk.

The post Myriad Myths about your Pets appeared first on Pet Attack.

Dandruff is not only the most aesthetically pleasing thing in the world but it is also a sign that the skin of your pet has become stale. This is quite common among pets especially dogs as they eat dry – kibble which is low in moisture and also because they do not drink enough water which leads to constant dehydration and thus, they can readily become flaky and dry in their outer appearance. If pets develop any kind of medical problems such as infections, diabetes or allergies then often the skin is the first to signify a change in general health by becoming roughened and dry. If your pet, too, develops a poor hair-coat or a dry skin then you must consider the following possibilities and go to your veterinarian :-

•  Lusterless coats or dry skin might indicate an improper balance or deficiency of certain essential fatty acids in the pet’s diet. Pet foods are particularly low in certain fatty acids which are beneficial. Fatty acids are relatively dainty and prone to breakdown by improper storage or over – cooking of dry food. If your pet is following the fat – restricted diet then they might be at increased risk of deficiency.
•  Irritated or dry skin might be an antagonistic reaction to the foods which contain additives, preservatives and artificial dyes. Food allergy to some specific ingredients can also cause flaky or dry skin.
•  Mites, flea allergy, yeast ring worms, mange and other bacterial skin infections can often cause skin redness, itchiness, dry – skin and also hair loss.
•  Endocrine problems such as diabetes, cushing syndrome, hypo or hyper thyroid ism etc, hormonal problems, skin cancer and immune problems are some of the serious causes the skin flakiness.
  There can be many causes of dry skin and various tests might need to be performed if you want to find an exact precise diagnosis. Usually, a skin scrape with the microscopic examination is the first step at the office of your veterinarian. Occasionally allergy testing, dandruff or hair culture, blood test or biopsy will have to be performed.

WHAT KIND OF DOGS GET DANDRUFF?

TREATMENT OF DANDRUFF :-

1. PETS ARE WHAT THEY EAT :-

As i already said that our adorable pets need some certain amount of fat in their diet, but do remember to provide good type of fat, not bacon, in order to keep their skin supple and nice, and fur shiny. You can either switch their diet to a holistic, high quality food or you can also supplement oils in their diet, specifically designed for pets. It is very important for our pet to drink plenty of water in order to stay healthy and hydrated. Our body is of 70% water and yes, our pets, too, are no different. Pets which are in continual state of the dehydration are more likely to develop symptoms of kidney disease and many more other diseases. So, If your adorable pet does not drink sufficient water then you can add water in his food. You can also include canned food in the diet of your pet as it provides essential water supplementation and is wonderful for organ hydration.

2. BATHING :-

Bathing your dog regularly, can help to wash away dandruff peels, however redundant  bathing can make the situation only  worsen. So you can give bath to your dog once in a month during winter and Twice or thrice a month during summer season. When you are planing to give bath to your pet then it is very important to use the right type of shampoo. And no, i am not taking about the bottle of shampoo in your shower which YOU use, as that is not for your pet. There are many shampoos available in the market which are specifically designed for your pets and can help you in getting rid of dandruff. If your pet is showing even a small sign of having dandruff then you must use dandruff shampoo to bath him. However, if the problem persists even after applying of dandruff then it is advised that you should seek some professional help bin vet.
You’ll know definitely  the right time when is to go out and buy dandruff shampoo for your pet if you begin to see dead skin or white flakes shedding from your dog’s fur.

3. IMPORTANCE OF GROOMING :-

It is another way of keeping your pet dandruff – free. Brushing your endearing pet not only makes your pet feel nice and keep his fur shiny, burr – free and and smooth but it also helps in distributing the natural oils of your pet’s coat and also massage his skin. However you should choose your brush carefully as if its too soft then it will not work whereas if the brush is too stiff then it will annoy rather than helping. Pet owners must determine the amount of brushing needed as it can exfoliate the skin of your pet. Usually cats generally self – groom whereas long – haired cats might need assistance. Also, double coated fur may trap the dead skin underneath it so you must take extra -care to brush your pets.

4. SUPPLEMENTS :-

Fatty acids supplements are important with skin conditions in all pets. Fatty acids help in eliminating the inflammation within the irritated skin and thus, help in improving skin suppleness and moisture, regardless of underlying problem. Most of the people are well known with the fatty acids like omega 3 which are commonly found in fish oils.

5. SEE A VET :-

If you take your pet to a veterinarian then he will know exactly what to do in treating your little fluffy friend.  They may advice you to do the therapies, additionally, in treating dry skin, however the above methods for treating dry skin is more economic – free.

And last but not the least, do not forget to spend more valuable time with your pet so that he might not feel alone, so good luck!

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Every one of us has a dream pet which we would like to pet with us and take care of them. Sometimes due to the care which is involved in petting an animal or worries like having kids around with us of which we deny the thought of petting our favourite pets. Such concerns which are involved and we think of while deciding to pet our kind of pet now we need to think again about them…

It is very surprising to know how petting animals is beneficial for your kids and what are the things that your kids can learn from your pets. Your kids will learn various tricks and nature of the kind of animal that you are going to pet but what they will learn more from your pets will be valuable, such things which are much more than the usual lessons which are taught. They learn to love without expecting anything in return, sense of humanity and empathy with animals and inculcate feeling of care in your kids.

Here are some pets that you can have with you which are beneficial for you and your family which stays around you.

DOGS ARE THE BEST AMONG ALL

Most of us just love dogs and wish to pet one. Just having dogs around us makes people feel active and lively. Petting a dog has many benefits and advantages in itself. Dogs have powerful sense which can detect various kinds of disease and warn us a very early stage, they can detect most types of cancers in humans. Having kids and dog together helps them to build their immune system as being dirty is not always bad though. Dogs make humans more caring, loving and extra vigilant. So having and petting a dog is the best choice of all others that one can pet and an obese dog should not be petted as the life of fatter dogs is less compared to fitter one.

CATS FOR SPACE CRUNCH AND LOW MAINTENANCE

Cats are good for those houses where the space of the house is restricted and can be opt if a dog cannot be petted in such small space as dogs need a bigger area to move around and be active. On the other hand cats can live well in a small space and they don’t require a lot of maintenance and cleanliness behind them. A small kitten should be opt rather than a grown up cat so that it adds to the years of togetherness and you can have your pet for a longer period of time.

GUINEA PIGS OR FERRETS

Guinea pigs are cute and tougher than the rabbits; they do not require care which is involved in petting rabbits. If you want to opt such a pet which takes least space in your house and be as cute as rabbit then you can opt for them. Rabbit needs a lot of care and attention but if you think you are not able to take proper care of them and your kids and family but want have a cute pet then the guinea pig is the best choice.

Ferret also make a very good choice for pets and are not like rabbits that need a lot of care and attention and are tough survivors. They are a good choice if you have grown up kids who can better stay with them without getting frighten, and will be also very disturbing to get into a hustle and bustle to chase your little pet. They can make their house and holes in any part of your house or a very loving apparel of yours. They are a good choice if you are fond of them and can handle the fun that they create around them. But the thing that you need to take care of is that they can find a way out of your house and you will end up chasing them so be careful of this little fur kid of yours.

RABBITS IF YOU CAN PROVIDE MORE CARE

Rabbits are the cutest pets that one can have but which involve a lot of care and maintenance. If you have kids below 6 years then petting rabbits are not recommendable. They suit the best for the people who can take constant care of their pet and regular clean their place so as to maintain proper hygiene for them. Unlike dog and cat who are self sufficient at times rabbit completely depend on you for almost everything. So rabbit suits the best where the kids are above a certain age and there are people who can take their proper care all day long, and remember to clean their hutch at every interval to keep them hygienic.

HAVE YOUR OWN MARINE WORLD

Undoubtedly having a small aquarium in your house is not only petting some fishes but also adds to the show and the look of your house. They not only fascinate kids but also grownups who may just love having a look into your small pond. Fishes are not only good look enhance of the house but are also kept for the feng sui purposes as well. It is recommended by many astrologers to keep fish tank in your house in particular place.
Fishes are easy to keep and do not require high maintenance but they need cleaning and filtering their water tank.

Goldfishes are not only good for house feng sui purpose but they are better than other fish breeds. Fish tanks are good if you have kids of age above than two years who will understand and love to look at them. The thing that should be kept in mind getting a fish tank is to clean the fish tank at regular interval.

The post Guide to Choose the Perfect TYPE OF PET You Want!!! appeared first on Pet Attack.

Obesity today can be found everywhere around us! Most of the people in today’s time are overweight. As we discussed in the previous article about how to track your dog’s weight because being overweight can be a huge problem and a risk to pet’s life, here is a tab about how to cure obesity! Though many of us are conscious about our eating habits, but some are just so busy and stressed with life that they cannot take out time to shed their increasing weight, which causes danger to their pets too. Just the way our eating habits are the pets also adopt the same as they are told by us to accept the way they are being fed! So if a person is lazy or has very low level of physical activity, it might be possible that his/her pet will also be a little overweight! Therefore let’s take a look at the six super easy ways to prevent obesity or overweight problems in your pet dogs!

1.Determining the Intake
Determining or calculating the intake of the calories & fats of your dog will help you the most! Keep a regular check on how much fattening food your dog is having every day, then accordingly start an exercising routine for the dog. Keeping or pushing your dog for physical activity will be a problem in the initial days, but once it is habitual of it, the weight control becomes very easy for you to handle. However, to make your dog exercise, you will also need to be active and playful with the pet.

2.Keep A Check On Relapses
Your dog has the chances of relapsing into overeating if you do not maintain a careful eye on its eating habits! Just as one has to keep a coke addict in surveillance, your dog’s eating habits plus the daily routine also need to be checked! Make sure that you are giving your dog the right amount of food that will help in reducing the weight & not the physical strength! Give him such quantity of food that is sufficient to cope with his/her hunger nothing more than that.

3.Prescribed Exercise
Do not forget to take your dog to the vet on a regular basis. This will keep a tab on health of your dog and it will also help your dog prevent dangerous diseases that happen due to overweight! Follow the vet’s instructions properly & ask for the exercises that are to be done by your pet and make sure that your pet is following every prescribed activity.

4.Do Not Feed Your Dog Table Scraps & Treats
You are yourself killing your dog if you give your dog those fattening sweet treats as a reward for doing tricks for you or for being cute! Those sweet candies can actually cause diabetes to your dog. You should not feed your dog anything besides its meal time, and especially when you are yourself having your meal & if your dog comes to you & asks for the food in your plate, then the only right thing for you to do at that time would be not feeding the dog from your plate or allowing it to licks off the scraps left on the table from your plate!

5.Treat Any Donating Factor or Element
If your dog is overweight, then it is prone to have a lot of diseases that are caused due to obesity, therefore make sure you pay timely visits to the vet who can keep your dog’s health under the scanner. Sometimes the calorie conscious food or prescribed physical activities fail to help your dog get the weight reduced or does not even reflect even the slightest deduction in your dog’s weight, in such a case make sure that your dog does not have any disease that is helping the weight to increase more than to decrease!

6.Regularly Monitor the Dog’s Weight
Keep a timely check on your dog’s weight by regularly monitoring its weight! Holding a check on your dog’s weight actually helps you determine the actual results that will help you gain confidence about your care for your precious dog. Regularly monitoring your dog’s weight will help you keep yourself always on tab about the healthy lifestyle of your dog & your own self! You can always maintain a diary dedicated solely to your pet. Write about your dog’s diet, medicines and exercises so that you don’t forget it at all and this will also help you to compare the advancements in your dog. An owner can also share the diary with pet’s caretaker if you travel without your pet. The diary will help the caretaker to understand your pet’s need in a much better way.

Today more than half of this planet’s population is obese, and with obesity there come countless health problems that result in short life spans & increased stress & poverty, because of all the money going in for the expensive medicines & cures. In such a fast paced time, where we hardly have time for ourselves, it is very important for us to keep our pets as healthy as possible, as they are very delicate & we humans anyway survive the toughest conditions, but many our pets were never made to live in such inhuman conditions, where sometimes we put them into by being negligent! Proper feeding time & giving the right amount of food & keeping a check on the intake along with the being sure of the physical activities to be done by the dog, everything at the end ends up on our head as we humans are the ones who can make our pet’s lives as beautiful as a heaven or as ugly as hell to love & survive!

The post Ways to Control Obesity in Dogs appeared first on Pet Attack.

 In this series, we have been talking about dogs and their extra-sensory-abilities. In the previous three articles (Sensible Dogs Part 1, Part 2 and Dog Sense Part 1) we had looked at how dogs can sense: your intentions, fear and sudden change in your priority. Let’s continue with the last article of this series.

But before I continue, I want to clarify that some parts of this article are based on mere observation and may/may not be backed with appropriate statistical data to come to a concrete conclusion. Reader’s discretion is of utmost importance.

Many of you had asked me, as to why I forgot to include this part in my previous articles, but I knew it only too well that readers would have expected this part to be the first in my list to write about. Hence, I kept this for the last article of this series.

They can sense your grief

I’m sure each one of us has had this experience when we were almost broken down to pieces (shattered to the core), you feel like crying but you can’t, you feel suffocated, as if someone is trying to strangulate by your throat, you feel heavy from inside as if a ton’s weight has been dumped on you. Your pet is sitting in a corner of the room, keeping a close eye on even your slightest movements. He gets up, comes to you and looks at you with his deep infinite eyes. Then he climbs up your lap and sits, resting his head on your hand.

And just as he settles himself, you feel relieved, as if all your problems have vanished in thin air.

But how does he do that? I’m not talking about the ‘relief’ part (we’ll look at that in a different article). I’m referring to the part where he understood that you are in grief.

‘Animal cognition’, a study, found out that dogs tend to approach weeping, crying or sobbing people, in comparison to ones talking, or involved in other activities. But in the above example, the person did not weep or cry, but still the dog approached him. This is because dogs do sense your grief. If that is not enough, they also try to placate, pacify or calm the person. In doing so, some dogs will even try to lick away the owner’s tears.

If you feel proud that your dog did so, my next statement might turn your pride into rubble. Scientists feel that any dog, will approach any person who weeps and it is not at all necessary that it needs to be his owner. (Warning: Please don’t try to act as if you are crying, and that too in front of a stray dog, he might as well make you cry for real!)

The above mentioned paragraphs do not imply that dogs are empathetic. But it surely is found that dogs can sense your sadness as a distinct emotion.

The next part is a ‘must-read’ for all first-time pet parents. And also for those who don’t have a clue on what went wrong in their dog-training.

The can sense if you are a pushover

The first and the most significant reason why, at times, training dog can be very difficult lies in the way your dog perceives you. Dogs, especially larger breeds will always try and test their boundaries. Some dogs become violent if their owners are lenient.

Dogs do not know what they are allowed to do and what they are not. They get to know if they are doing the right thing when they receive a gift and they know that they are doing the wrong thing when you give punish them. They are completely dependent on social structures and hierarchies of the society to determine what is considered to be right and which is not. If you want your dog to understand how to behave, then you need to be his coach and mentor. To assert your position you might, at times, even resort to strict punishments. I know how it feels, when you scold or reprimand your dog, but always think that it is for his greater good that you are doing this.

Your take-home message from this part, is to always be your dog’s leader, and to not let your dog perceive you as a ‘push-over’. You might want to ask: “You mentioned the word ‘push-over’ what does it actually mean? How do I know if I’m one?”

Answering the first part of your question, Push-over, is what your dog will think of you when you fail to lead him. In simple, words, your dog will take you for granted. I would like to list out a few points by which you can understand if you are a pushover or not:

• Your dog walks faster than you in his walking trips.
• Your dog enter the every door/entrance first.
• You serve your dog his food before you have yours.
• Your emotions stop you from punishing your dog
• You always advise strangers to stay away from your dog as he’s dangerous
• Your dog has the liberty to do all that he wants (including the things that you dislike)

If you agreed to atleast3 of the above mentioned points, then you are just about to be tagged as a ‘push-over’. If you strongly agreed to more than 3 of the above mentioned points, then your dog has already been treating you as a ‘push-over’.

By saying all this, my intention is to just make you understand what could have gone wrong in your training. You can as well treat this part as an answer to the frequently asked question: “I just can’t train my dog. I really do not know what is going wrong.” The larger the breed is, more is the need for a disciplinarian reign.

The post Dog Sense – Part 2 appeared first on Pet Attack.

I intended this article to be in continuation of my previous series ‘ Sensible Dogs’ but due to some practical difficulties, what i intended, couldn’t happen.

So here’s another standalone article series on dogs and the owners’ generosity, some sneaky-peaky habits of your dog and the last part being – dogs understanding your dislike/fear.

But before I continue, I want to clarify that some parts of this article are a mere observation and may/may not be backed with appropriate statistical data to come to a concrete conclusion. Reader’s discretion is of utmost importance.

They can sense your generosity

Did you ever observe your dog when you did something generous? Do observe him the next time. I will not tell you how he might react, observe it for yourself and comment.

How do we humans form opinions about our fellow humans? What, according to general standards, would be a sign of a good human being? A good human is expected to have: high regards to morality, sympathy, empathy, compassion, kindness and fairness. So if you were to test a person on all the above mentioned aspects, by a single deed, which deed would it be? Ofcourse – a deed of generosity. According to common accepted values, a generous person is expected to be a good person, because sympathy is the basis of justice.

As mentioned in the first article of the series ‘Sensible Dogs’, dogs have a high sense of justice. They find generous human beings as just and fair. If you are generous to your fellow humans, they think that you would be generous with them too.

University of Milan conducted a study in which a group of people were asked to share food with a poor homeless man. Another set of people were asked to reprimand the poor homeless man. Both these groups were observed by a set of dogs. When the people from both the groups called the dogs (at the same time), almost all the dogs responded to the generous group. As it is widely said “generosity is as much about justice as it is about kindness”.

So, your dog also knows when you are generous and when you are snub. The reason why they are such extraordinary pets, is that they are highly susceptible to morality and other emotions.

They know when you are not looking

After reading the title of this part you might say: “Genius! Ofcourse my dog knows when I’m not looking. He has got eyes you see? *stare*”

Ofcourse your dog has got eyes, but the point I’m trying to make is: even if dogs think of themselves as gatekeepers of morality, they also know how to get away with small risks.

Consider yourself as participating in a study, where you have kept a delicious looking cake on a table. This table is accessible to your dog and your dog is very well capable of eating that cake.

When you are looking at them, they would not even consider the idea of stealing that cake but when you are out of sight, or even when you are not looking at them, they find the cake hard to resist. And in an opportune moment, they usurp the cake in seconds.

For dogs, food is one the very limited sources of unlimited pleasure. This has less to do with taste or quantity and has more to do with ease of access. They do not have as easy an access to food as we do. And that makes it a rare commodity.

This part is easily misunderstood by people, but even the most loyal humans are vulnerable to things that are hard to achieve. I do not intend to say that your dog is capable of much more serious in-obedience, but your dog is not as morally right as it expects you to be.

They can sense if you do not like someone/something

This is similar to that of fear. When you are afraid, your body secretes adrenaline that initiate a series of chain reactions in your body. The only difference here is that when you look at someone/something that you like, your body secretes serotonin and dopamine that makes you feel joyous, ecstatic and cheerful. In a same way, your body secrets another set of hormones that trigger hate, disgust, anger and distrust.

Here’s an example. If you see someone (you do not like) approaching you, you inadvertently communicate this to your dog. If he can smell a teaspoon of sugar in million gallons of water (remember?), then he can smell the subtle chemical changes occurring in your body through your odour too.   Your dog will then howl or growl or bark or plunge at the person approaching you.

More often than not, serious injuries take place because of such impulsive reactions of dogs. To avoid such situations, it is always advisable to keep yourself in control since you are the triggering factor for your dogs. (I know it is next to impossible but one can atleast try!) And if you cannot keep yourself in control, then try and keep your dog in your control. You might think: “Aha! That should be easy!” But it is not at all an easy task to control a dog (especially big ones like Labrador, and other Mastiffs).

A person who cannot practice self-control or self-discipline, cannot bring his dog to listen to him. Now you might understand the reason why so many pet parents find it difficult to train their pets. Please keep in mind that your reaction (however subtle it is) is the basis of your dog’s reaction. Your behaviour can play a major role in keeping your dog at ease, but it is also capable of inducing negative reactions to your dog thus increasing the chances of confrontation that might lead to grievous injuries to you, your pet or to the other person.

The next article in this series would talk about some other emotions/feelings/attitude that dogs comprehend and react to.

The post Dog sense – Part 1 appeared first on Pet Attack.

We treat and love our dogs just the way we love our kids, but certainly the life expectancy of our fur kids is not as much as of our children, this makes it important that we take proper care of our pets so as to keep them healthy and strong and add some more year of our togetherness. Many of us have a dream pet that we would like to keep but are worried about the care that is involved in keeping the pets healthy.

A proper vigilant diet, mental and physical exercise will make our pets live long and have a rich life style. A proper care may also be taken while choosing the pet of your choice. Some few simple tricks and tips needs to be taken care of while petting them which will keep your pet healthy and fit.

Here are some tips that are simple and best to keep our pets healthy.

10. Exercise more

Your pet may be at a good physical condition now, but make sure of a routine walk or playtime to boost the mental and physical health of your pet. A simple walk with your pet around will not only be beneficial to the pet but it will be for you as well to be hearty. Some pet toys like ball or a boomerang keeps the dogs really fit and active. Pull out some more extra time from your work and work routine so as to give them some more times at least once in a week so that they exercise even more that will surely benefit their overall growth.

9. Choose Brain games

Constantly giving older pets a new experiences and exposure keeps their mental reflexes sharp and good. Some food puzzle or a new trick works out best for your pets to keep their mental activity strong. Sometimes a simple change in the walking route provides freshness to pets and keeps them more involved in the activity. So make sure to employ some of the brain games that make and keeps your pet sharp and adds to the growth of its mental health.

8. Obesity shortens life of pet

Studies have shown that the pets that are huge in size and obese tend to live shorter than those who are smaller than them. Obesity in pets is the major cause for many diseases. So keeping your pet fit will let you have them for a long span wit h you. A good exercise routine and proper diet for it will make the pet healthy and fit avoiding them to be obese and adding in the life for your pet. In cases if you are a new pet owner and want to make a choice of it, you should get a pet that is smaller as their life expectancy is much more.

7. Play with them

If you want your dogs to be fit and avoid them being obese the best thing you can do is spare some more time for your pets to play with them, this will keep them active and enrich their life style saving some more years of togetherness. Take your pet at work with you if the term satisfies that as having your pet around will make your work stress lower and you can have some more to with your pet to play with it.

6. Diet

Give your pets a healthy and whole food diet which may include some fruits, broccoli, asparagus and some amount of yogurt which is a good option to puff the pets with some more extra pro-biotic without adding any amount of calories. A proper health diet if followed will help you to keep your dogs fit and avoid chance of them getting ill and sick.

5. Phobias

Older pets have increased chance of developing phobias and anxiety. If the pet becomes fearful or scared of certain things suddenly or wakes up unexpectedly at night it can be a matter of concern and seeing a veterinarian is needed. Some nutritional supplements or medications are also some modes that can maintain and reduce the age related behavioral changes in the pets.

4. Say no to Sugar

Sugar content in the food of your pet is not at all good for them, any food item that you feed your pet with, if has high sugar level in it then you need to avoid them. High level of sugar cause the dog to lose their fur at an accelerating rate just like for dogs if you feed your dog with high content sugar biscuits they will lose their fur.

3. Regular Checkups and Vaccinations

Visiting a veterinarian regularly helps to keep the health of the dogs under check and if there is any need to be taken care of you will be able to avail it sooner. Vaccinations are also very important for dogs they should not be kept away from it, dog polio and other vaccinations are important dosage that you should give them to your pet. If proper vaccination is given at the right time to your pets you can be free from any doubt and reducing the chances of getting infected by bites or nail scratch of your dogs on you or any people generally around your pet.

2. Hygiene is health

Keeping your pet hygienic with regular body wash is very important to keep them healthy. Your dog may not like bathing but you need to make it sure that you give it regular wash, it shall keep all sort of disease and insect at bay and protect your pets from catching any infection due to it.

1. Love them

Loving your pet will give them a feeling of being protected and taken care of, at the same time it is to be remembered that the pets are the best friend that humans can have as they always tend to love back. So love your pet and have more year of togetherness.

The post 10 Tips to Keep Your Pet Healthy appeared first on Pet Attack.

Being healthy is the first thing that every living organism wishes. To lead a good and prosperous life it is a basic need to maintain your body fit and strong. Just like a human body, our lovely pets also require a lot of attention from its owner’s side to keep a regular check on their diet and health so that it is strong enough to combat any kind of illness. According to Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), an estimated 52.5 percent of dogs are overweight or obese. Excess of fat on your pet may have severe adverse health effects on its body which can lead to reducing the lifespan, even if the pet is a little obese.

Being obese can attract dreadful diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and arthritis in dogs. Obesity is most common in pet dogs these days; therefore it is really important for a dog owner to know the symptoms of being obese and what reasons can probably make your pet obese? There are some simple symptoms that can let you know if the pet is suffering from obesity. If your dog is not willing or unable to exercise then there are high risks that it may be tormenting from overweight issues which is making him unenthusiastic in any outdoor session. In case you identify excessive fat on your pet’s body which is bulging out then for sure your dog has stepped onto the ladder of being obese. Obesity in dogs not only makes them extremely lethargic, but also snatches their natural aggression or the dog trait of being protective or active from them. The owner should know the consequences of an obese dog! Have a look at the symptoms that can help you identify if your dog if overweight or not

1. Weight Gain
The biggest symptom is weight gain! Everything starts with gaining even the slightest weight. Added weight is not only a problem to many human beings, but it is a problem for animals too if not taken care or looked after! Weight gain will always result out to be critical if it is not controlled at the right time. High intake of calories or not the getting the activity to burn the fats in the food will only result on weight gain.

2. Excess Body Fat
Excessive amount of fat clotted up in the areas where usually the fat is not much felt or seen. Bulgy skin or lumps of skin at places can be the excessive fat grown out. Simplest way of finding out whether the dog has gained because of the fat is by getting regular weight check-ups done timely. Keeping a check with your vet will even help you control the gain in weight!

3. Inability or Unwillingness to Exercise
The decrease in the play time or walk time is a big signal of being overweight mostly in many dogs. Sleeping too much or getting tired soon or not running is the main symptoms of obesity. Many dogs develop wounds down under their footpads due to a heavy body. As the body starts getting pumped up, the legs tend to get weaker enough to bare the increasing weight of the body. This mostly happens with dachshunds. Their limbs are very fragile & they are made to pick a certain amount of weight on them. Being short in height, a dachshund’s legs cannot bare a large amount of weight on them.

I’ve seen lots of time many owners being clueless about the weight rising much even after giving less food! Many times we do not come to know about how many fattening elements the food that is being fed usually has! This results in the illness that is caused due to a lot of weight!

Let’s have a look at what causes obesity in a dog:

1. Excessive Food
Leaving a bowl full of food in front of your dog every time it comes towards the kitchen will absolutely make your dog gain a lot of weight & get fat. You need to make your dog understand that there is a routine for everything that it needs to be followed. Excessive food without any routine will do nothing but increase your dog’s weight rapidly! The routine has to be then followed daily by the dog & its owner.

2. Low Activity Level
The level of activity you are providing your dog matters the most & is responsible for the weight of your dog. If you feed your dog a lot of fat full diet, then you should make sure that your dog gets double the level of activity than the amount of food was fed. Low activity level not only makes your dog gain weight, but also makes it all ill or stay low with the mood very often. Low activity in human beings & dog hit the same! The more you stay inactive, more are the chances that you & your dog will fall into depression or stress soon!

3. Illness
Excessive eating or low activity level are not the only causes of obesity. Illness too can at times be the cause for being overweight. For example, illnesses like hypothyrodism, Cushings Disease, Pancreatic Cancer and pituitary problems are mostly found to be the reason of obesity in many dogs.
Getting hold of obesity or weight gain problem at the right time is very important. It can cause a lot of problems in future if not taken care of! Therefore looking out for cure of this problem is essential, after all who does not want a happy, playful, friendly & protective dog as pet! In order to find out simple ways to keep your dog far away from obesity, stay tuned for the cure of obesity in dogs till the next article!

The post Check if your Dog is Obese appeared first on Pet Attack.

In this series, we have been talking about dogs and their extra-sensory-abilities. In the previous article (Sensible Dogs Part 1) we had looked at how dogs can sense: your intentions, fear and sudden change in your priority. Let’s continue with this article.

But before I continue, I want to clarify that some parts of this article are mere observation and may/may not be backed with appropriate statistical data to come to a concrete conclusion. Reader’s discretion is of utmost importance.

They can sense your illness

Even you might have heard stories of pet dogs’ helping their pet parents diagnose any illness by displaying weird behaviour. You might have also heard of stories where hospitals pet dogs, who patrol around the hospital, roaming about wards and other rooms and spending time with patients.

But how is it possible especially in an aspect where even the most sophisticated instruments and most experienced doctors feel helpless? Again this is due to their keen sense of smell. Here’s the fact: Dogs can sense VOCs that are given out by our body through sweat. Now what are VOCs? VOC is a term used for Volatile Organic Compounds. These include various chemicals that are even toxic, but are an important part of our metabolism.

How do only dogs smell VOCs? Not that only dogs smell them, even we can smell them too. The only difference is that they can smell a very large variety of VOCs while we can smell merely a dozen odd ones.

Dogs, depending on their breed, can have 10,000 to 1, 00,000 times stronger sense of smell. If I give you an example, you will understand the magnitude. A dog can smell a teaspoon of sugar in million gallons of water. This might seem unreal or fake to you but if trained properly, certain breeds, can sharpen their skills so-much-so- that they could even warn an epilepsy patient of an attack in the near future. Foreign countries have set up centres that train dogs to sense subtle changes occurring in human body that reflect the presence of a disease.

The next part is for pet parents that house 2 or more dogs at home.

They can sense when you are unfair with them

You wouldn’t believe that dogs do have a sense of justice. In an Austrian study, when two dogs performed an activity and only one of the two was rewarded, even when both of them did it correctly, the un-rewarded dog was seen to be agitated at the sight of the other dog. Their classic reaction was to lick their paws and scratch their ears in impatience.

Dogs have inherited their sense of justice from their ancestors- wolfs. Wolfs lived, ate, hunted and migrated in packs and they had some very strict rules. The one who failed to perform his duty was punished. He was refused of any rewards that the pack would get. Not just wolfs, chimps too worked in the same way.

But here, in case of the study, the dog which did perform his duty was denied reward and that triggered agitation.

Interestingly, if you could not manage to get two equal gifts, then that’s not a problem at all. For example if the first dog gets a dog-cookie and the second one gets an ordinary dog-biscuit, you would be surprised that both of them were equally happy with their respective prizes. I have already mentioned this in the previous article: Dogs are as intelligent as a 2 year old human kid. That is the reason why they cannot differentiate between a big/small or costly/cheap reward.

I can relate the next part of this article with my life. Angel has been living in my house since six years now, and she always knows when I am angry. She has a habit of tearing newspapers, books, or any paper; into pieces, when I’m away from home for long periods of time. When I come home, I see her drowning in a pile of paper bits

They can sense your anger

If you have spent some years with your pet now, then you will agree with me. Experienced pets know when their pet-parents are angry. Experienced pet-parents need not utter a single word to make their pet understand that they do not appreciate his behaviour.

Often, when you find your dog guilty of something, a simple gesture is enough to get him down on his knees, trembling and whining. (Here the intention is not to torture your pet but to send a strong signal that you won’t approve of such behaviour). You just need to keep your hands on your hip and give him a narrow-eyed stare.

But do not praise yourself for fixing the blame on him just because he shows signs of guilt. More often than not, dogs display signs of guilt just because you are angry. They do not know if you are angry because of them or because of something else. Since the source is unclear, dogs have no choice but to be guilty and blame themselves for your anger.

This can be disastrous, in some situations. When you are not sure if he’s guilty and you punish him (by anger), and if this happens repeatedly, your dog is bound to get undisciplined and frustrated. Your inconsistent behaviour can create an impression in the dog’s mind that you are unfair to him. (I have already talked about the sense of justice in the previous part of this article).

A sincere request all pet-parents: Please do not reprimand your pets before you are absolutely sure that your dog is guilty. This can plague your relationship with him and lead to various behavioural problems, ultimately leaving you with no choice but to abandon your pet. Please do not let this happen to you pet.

The next article in this series would talk about some other emotions/feelings/attitude that dogs comprehend and react to.

The post Sensible Dogs – Part 2 appeared first on Pet Attack.

We pet owners have a habit of boasting about our dogs’ extra-sensory-abilities, or, in simple words- sixth sense. Now, please don’t think that this article is a revamp, extension or revised edition of onr of my previous articles: ‘Sixth Sense or Non-sense’.

The reason for attributing their extra-sensory-abilities to the so called sixth sense is unknown, but we know one thing for sure – dogs have an uncanny understanding of human emotions. In the world when we humans complain that our fellow humans fail to understand our feelings, it is quite surprising that dogs can, not just interpret complex and intense human emotions, but react to them accordingly. This ability can be attributed to the lifestyle of their ancestors. Erstwhile dogs were highly social, lived and travelled in pack and shared very strong emotional bond with other dogs. Surprisingly, they even had rituals that helped them bond and many such social structures that seem to correspond to human social interactions. This is the reason why we humans consider dogs to be our best ‘animal’ friend – if I may say so. The same set of abilities that helped dogs establish emotional connect in a pack, is inherited by the 21^st century dogs due to which we still pet them.

Food for thought: Even as monkeys, apes, chimpanzees, gorillas etc are more related to humans than dogs or any other species, we still connect better with dogs, why?

In this article series, we will look at some of the various emotions/feelings/attitude that dogs comprehend and react to.

Before I continue, I want to clarify that some parts of this article are mere observation and may/may not be backed with appropriate statistical data to come to a concrete conclusion. Reader’s discretion is of utmost importance.

1. They can sense your intentions

Ever wondered how your dog knows you are going to bathe him even before you search for his towel or switch on the heater?

The moment you decide to bathe him, and stand up to make your move, he’ll run for his life and hide. This was a negative response to a positive stimulus.

On the other hand, when he is hurt and you try to attend to him or nurse him, you might unintentionally hurt him but he knows that your intentions are clean and you want to help him. This is a positive response.

But the million dollar question is: “How does the dog understand your intentions even before you implement them? And more importantly, how do they react accordingly?”

One study shows that dogs do this by observing your body language. “Learning & Behaviour”, a study published in 2011 found that pet dogs are as intelligent as a 2-year-old human. Amazing isn’t it? This implies that your pet-friend can potentially understand the meaning of approximately 160 odd words. Not just this, they can also sense changes in your body language and react to these changes.

For dogs, your tell-tale signs are eye-contact, and hand gestures. Let us come back to the ‘bath’ example, when you think of bathing him, you inadvertently glance at the bathroom or his bathtub, this visual queue is enough for him to ring bells in his mind. These bells tell him that you are eager enough to clean his skunk-like fur odour that he is proud of.

2. They can sense your fear

Have you ever been afraid of darkness and at that instant, your dog leaps onto your lap and licks you as if to say: “I’m here, do not worry!”? I would not be surprised if I get mixed responses for this question because, in such situations, smaller dogs seek for your lead while larger ones will come to your rescue.

They do this with the help of their sharp olfactory sense (nasal sense).  They can smell the change in concentration of adrenaline in your sweat and they associate it with fear.

How do they know what fear is?

Fear is an emotion/feeling that is shared and experienced by almost all cognitively-able animals. In fact, it is one of the basis of their survival. We are well aware of the three Fs induced by fear: Fright, Flight, or Fight. Imagine an animal that has no fear, it would face all other animals, be it mightier or meeker in comparison to it. This would amount to underestimating the opponent, and if the foe is stronger, then the fearless animal is at its own peril.

Dogs can smell fear and can intuitively recognize our body language associated with it.

They too have a template reaction to fear. Some of the template reactions which both humans and dogs share are: Goosebumps, dilated pupils, change in stance or posture, and curling of lips etc. They can associate their fear and ours, and hence understand what our reaction to it looks like. In combination with their ‘smell’ sense, you’ll have no doubt that they can sense your fear.

3. They can sense shift in your priority (and feel jealous about it too)

Take a look at this conversation and you will understand what I’m trying to imply.

Pet parent: “My dog has been acting weird all of a sudden. I do not know what to do!”

Me: “Has he been like this before?”

Pet parent: “No, he has started behaving like this only after I have bought a new gadget.”

Me: “Aha! There’s your problem. Your dog sensed a sudden shift in your priority after you purchased a new gadget and he might as well feel jealous about it.”

If your dog has been acting weird after you have joined a new job/ brought home a new pet/ bought a new gadget/ anything that could shift your focus from him to the new thing; then it is a classic case of jealousy!

Jealousy is one part and being left out all alone is totally another, It is a sincere request to all pet parents, please do not neglect your pet. The most important thing in your pet’s life is you.

The only remedy to a jealous dog is to give his ‘me time’ back to him. Try and spend more and more time with your dog and make it a point that you use positive assertions/adjectives to make him feel better. Praise and reward him often so that you win his confidence and trust back.

The next article in this series would talk about some other emotions/feelings/attitude that dogs comprehend and react to.  

The post Sensible Dogs – Part 1 appeared first on Pet Attack.