Nurturing and Caring for your sick puppy

By John Stevens
Nurturing and Caring for your sick puppy Now a day’s our pets are just like our children. They are very precious to us and when one takes ill can cause us great concern. When puppies get sick it can be even more of a concern because just like young children the illness can take a harder toll on the young sick pup. Finding out why he or she is sick can be very hard to diagnose because unlike children they can not tell you were it hurts. This article will help you learn some of the basic first aid items so your puppy can make a quick recovery. First we must mention that if your sick puppy is vomiting blood or defecating blood please call your vet right away. This can be a very serious case. Ways to tell your dog is sick. All dogs have cold and wet noses. When a puppy or adult dog becomes sick they will have a dry and warm nose. This will let you know your dog is having a fever. Fevers are not bad per say because it is a natural body reaction and the increased body temperature is a sign the immune system is fighting of the sickness. You can also take your dogs temperature but this can be very difficult to do so feeling the nose is the best way for a quick answer. When ever you notice your dog vomiting or not being itself feel the puppies nose and if it is warm then you should call your vet and ask what you can do. Be sure and follow the vet’s advice. I was visiting my brother just last week and his wife noticed their 9 moth old boxer had baseball size bruise on its side. The bruise was noticeable up close but not far away. My brother thought it might just be a bee sting and gave it no more thought. His wife felt the dog’s nose and it was dry and warm. To make a long story short she called the vet and the next morning took the dog in. It ended up being a huge infection from something and the vet said if she did not take him in he probably would have died in a matter of days. The moral here is to always call a professional when in doubt. When your puppy is ill give him a quiet place to sleep and make it a comfortable as possible. Taking care of your sick puppy is just as simple as taking care of a sick human. IN most cases you should only give the dog water and no food for that day. It has been proven that puppies respond to love more then they do food. Try and give them lots of it. Pet the dog and let him lay in your lap. This will comfort your sick little pet. Often times a vet will tell you to crush half an aspirin and feed it to your dog with water. Please call your vet first before ever giving your dog any medicine because what is good for humans may kill your pup. When you go to bed at night let the puppy sleep in your room. This really does a lot for the pup because he knows you are there. This will also let you keep a close eye on him so you can monitor his condition and be able to tell if he gets any worse. If the dog is still sick in the morning you should bring him into a vet clinic. Puppies are normally not sick for a long period of time. In most cases it will only last a day. If it lasts longer please call your vet because something may be very wrong. If follow these common puppy care tips your pup will be running around your home in know time at all.

Kids and Pets

When you have kids, they can often drive you crazy by hounding for a dog or a cat. Some parents are reluctant to give their child a pet due to fear of the animal harming the child being forefront in their minds. There are many dog and cat breeds that you can have in your home that will do really well for you and your family—even with small children. There are, of course, some precautions to make.


First, we will look at dog breeds. There are certain dog breeds that demand respect and kids often don’t have those feelings. Most children do not understand that pulling on the pet’s tail or stroking too roughly can not only harm the animal, but make it resentful of the child. You can of course work with your child to help him develop proper pet-handling behavior, but you should first consider starting out with a pet breed that is best for children. For instance, the following dog breeds are well-known for being especially good with children: St. Bernards, Golden and Labrador Retrievers, Great Danes, German Shepherds, Poodles, Siberian Huskies, and Mastiffs. While you do have to be careful about their size and make sure they are socialized and housetrained, they make wonderful pets. They are very affectionate and tend to exercise care and protectiveness of the children. These dog breeds will also stand up to a certain amount of abuse. If the child pulls on the tail or accidentally falls into them they are more likely to be worried and protective rather than distasteful or aggressive. You do have to teach your kid to be respectful, but generally these dogs as pets will offer a wonderful family addition.


In general, most cats are going to have issues with children. With cats, who are not as easy to train, you will find they tend to nip or bite a child who pulls their ears/tail or hurts them in any way. It is the cat’s way of showing anger. Cats by nature tend to choose one owner. This owner usually showers them with affection and treats them properly. If you do introduce a cat into your household, you should make sure your children are old enough to understand and exercise the proper treatment of it. Typically you want a child no younger than three dealing with any pet, especially cats. At this age the kid is old enough to understand right from wrong and deal with the pain if the cat bites them for a good reason. Some cats you may want in your home include the Abyssinian, American bobtail, American shorthair, Balinese, Birman, Bombay, Burmese, Manx, Persian, and Siberian. Typically you should not have a Siamese cat around children, as they tend to be very moody and are often one who demands respect. When you consider getting a pet for your child, it is important to realize that not all pets are great for a home.

Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Help Your Pets

Pet Insurance : What To Look For

by: Nicholas Hunt


Keeping a pet is a rewarding experience which many of us enjoy, but it can also be expensive. As well as all the routine costs such as food and grooming, you can also come up against unplanned expenses such as vetinary bills through sickness or accident. These bills can unfortunately be very high, so to ensure that their pets can get the treatment they need many people decide that taking out pet insurance is a sensible way of helping to cushion these costs. But what should you be looking for in a pet insurance policy?

The first thing to consider is what kind of pet you have. The cheapest kind of pet insurance is that for the most common pets - cats and dogs. Prices for these policies can be very reasonable indeed, amounting to only the cost of a few tins of pet food a month. If, however, you keep a more unusual kind of animal as a pet, then the price you pay may well be higher. Make sure that any policy you take out specifically includes your kind of pet, as many will exclude more 'exotic' kinds of animal.

The main reason for considering pet insurance is cover for medical treatment, but there are some exclusions that you need to be aware of. Firstly, your policy will almost certainly not cover routine treatments such as vaccinations, flea control, or worming. Secondly, you won't be covered for any pre-existing conditions that were already known about when you took out the policy (you should also declare any existing conditions when you take out the policy, or you risk it being declared invalid when you come to make a claim).

You also need to check your policy for claim limits: there may be a time limit of cover, so for example a long-term condition such as arthritis may only be covered for a period of 12 months, after which you will be responsible for meeting the bills. There is also usually a limit to the total cost of medical bill claims you make in any one year, but this is usually high enough to cover almost any conceivable situation.

Another major reason for taking out insurance is to help you cover the costs of getting your pet back if it goes missing. Most policies will contribute towards advertising in local newspapers etcetera, and also to providing reward money for the safe return of your pet.

Another very important part of your insurance cover is public liability, especially for dog owners. Even the calmest and most well behaved of pets could possibly cause damage to someone's property, or even cause an injury to a person. In this thankfully rare event, you could be open to huge legal bills and compensation claims - make sure that your policy includes a substantial amount of third party liability cover as standard.

Finally, check whether the policy you're considering places a limit on the age of your pet. Many policies are only available to, for example, cats up until the age of eight years. As it is in later years that your pet is most likely to need treatment, it obviously makes sense to ensure your policy will cover this, especially if your pet has a few years under their belt!