Pet Herbal Info Blog

Inappropriate urinary behavior in cats is normally associated with medical disorders like feline Urinary Infection. However, it is also true that many times it is a behavioral problem rather than a medical one. It is only after ruling out medical causes after complete blood and urine tests that one can unequivocally state the real cause of inappropriate urinary behavior.

What we consider as abnormal may actually be appropriate when seen from the cat’s perspective. Owners train and expect their cat to always urinate in the litter box but cats, especially feral cats, are prone to mark their territory by spraying. This could be as frequent as 6 to 10 times a day.

When a cat is urinating to mark territory, it does so in a standing position with its tail in erect position so that the urine hits a vertical surface. Some cats will do the same on carpets or beds as well but the difference is that this type of urination makes a spray (linear) pattern and does not form a pool.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Canine respiratory problems can originate in various locations in the tract. A problem may occur in the upper respiratory tract (nose and windpipe) or the lower respiratory tract (chest and lungs).

These conditions can range from a minor tickle in the nose that causes Sneezing to trauma in the chest and from labored breathing to clinical shock. Regardless of the place of origin, practically all canine respiratory problems can cause obvious changes in the breathing pattern of your dog.

Even though symptoms like coughing and Sneezing may seem minor, they should not be taken lightly. Sneezing and nasal discharges are not illnesses in their own right. However, they accompany a number of other respiratory conditions like hay fever, foreign objects in the tract or nasal tumors.

Intense or persistent Sneezing can result in a nosebleed. Generally nosebleeds are manageable. They can be managed by applying a cold compress to the top of the nose between eyes and nostrils. However, care needs to be taken to tilt the dog’s head towards the back to avoid the nasal passage being choked by the dripping blood.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Although there are other causes as well, dogs that do not drink enough water or those that are not allowed to urinate frequently are at a greater risk of forming bladder stones. Diet plays an important role since excess amounts of magnesium, calcium or phosphorus can lead to the formation of bladder stones.

Other causative factors are the pH balance and Urinary Tract Infection. In dogs urine normally tends to be more acidic. Stones of different composition of minerals can form in both acidic and alkaline urine.

Many medications like diuretics, cortisone, sulpha drugs and tetracycline increase calcium levels in the urine that sets the stage for the formation of crystals and stones. Ammonium urate bladder stones are also among the many consequences of a liver shunt, a condition of abnormal blood flow to the liver.

The treatment of canine bladder stones depends upon the type, size and composition of the stones. Almost fifty percent of the bladder stones are struvite and are predominantly found in female dogs. Excessive struvite crystals are normally formed due to Urinary Tract Infection.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Undesirable and abnormal behavior in dogs is a result of inept training, lack of nutrition and inadequate exercise. Aggressive dog behavior is perhaps one such abnormal behavior that annoys dog owners the most.

Although in certain cases dog Aggression may be a direct result of an underlying medical condition, your handling may be playing an important role in encouraging Aggressive Behavior in your dog. If you ignore or encourage Aggression, the dog is most likely to presume that it as acceptable.

Behavior issues like separation Anxiety, unnecessary barking and fear of the leash or a car ride are far removed from aggressive dog behavior that may include dog Biting and refusal to submit to discipline. Some of these behaviors ultimately lead to further Aggression as the dog starts to assume leadership of the pack. Dogs may have evolved to live peacefully with humans but they are unable to shed their genetic traits.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Whichever treatment for cancer in dogs you may opt for, the major aim of all cancer treatments boils down to eliminating cancerous cells by all means. The best cure for cancer in dogs is one that kills cancer cells, does not kill normal cells and at the same time ensures that there are no or manageable side effects. This is not possible in all cases as practically all therapies have drawbacks in one sphere or the other.

The most common therapies for Cancer Treatment include:

* Surgery, a partial or total excision of a tumor, has limited success ratio in cases where cancer has spread to various organs in the body.
* Chemotherapy, the use of drugs to kill cancer cells, has serious toxic side effects.
* Radiation therapy, the use of high intensity radiation, cannot guarantee that only cancer cells will be targeted.

There has been a significant development in the field of discovering newer therapies for treating cancer. Drugs and techniques that target only cancerous cells and spare the normal cells are in different stages of development and are being termed as ‘magic bullets’ Some of these therapies include the following:

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The liver has innate properties of regenerating itself and can function easily even when a major part of its mass has been affected by a disease. This is the double edged nature of the largest organ in the body. It is advantageous in as much as it means that it keeps on working to its full potential for a long time even when it is affected by a liver disease. On the other hand, it also restricts manifestation of symptoms of liver disease in dogs while the disease continues to progress.

Liver disease in dogs throws up multiple symptoms, which are often confusing as they can relate to many mild disorders. The liver being the main industrial center in the body, performing multiple functions, is connected with practically all the biochemical processes that a body needs to function at optimal levels. As such, liver disease can affect any part of the body and in turn be affected by viral or Bacterial Infections in other organs or body systems. Some of the main symptoms of liver diseases in dogs are:

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

There are always some cancer cells in the body, which the body can effectively kill on its own if the Immune System is strong. Despite this fact pets still develop cancers that need treatment. Cancer in dogs and cats may not be a very common condition but it can be as problematic and fatal as in humans.

Pets cannot speak about the discomfort that they are facing and therefore, it is upon the pet owners and veterinarians to use their observation and knowledge to establish prevalence of, say, symptoms of liver cancer in dogs and cats among other health conditions.

Feline cancer can occur in any part of the body. If cancer has been diagnosed in certain specific areas, radiation therapy is one of the treatment options that should be considered.

Radiation therapy involves the same X-Rays that are used for a normal X-Ray for clinical investigation. The difference is that the levels of the X-Rays that are used for the therapy are thousands of times more powerful.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

All species of animals, including humans, have an underlying aggressive trait, which surfaces in specific situations and events. Cats are fairly predictable creatures. Despite this, there are instances when cat owners are startled by a sudden and abrupt change in behavior.

This can cause a seemingly content and friendly cat into a spitting and aggressive cat. Cats normally do not do anything without reason and there is always an understandable reason behind the Aggression. Like dog Aggression, feline aggressive behaviors also need to be understood before any specific action can be taken.

The most common type of Aggressive Behavior observed in cats is playful Aggression. Young cats that are less than two years of age love to play and indulge in activities that appear aggressive to humans. Young cats do not let go of any opportunity to practice skills that they need for survival.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The first ten week period of a newborn puppy’s life is the best time to teach a puppy that Biting is not acceptable. And training your puppy to avoid an incidence of dog Biting is crucial.

This is especially because Biting comes naturally to them and it is the easiest form of dog Aggression that he can resort to in situations that induce fear, Anxiety and Aggression. And such training is best done before strong adult teeth take the place of small nibbling ones. Curbing aggressive dog behavior among adult dogs is far more difficult than training puppies.

While training puppies, always remember that physical punishment does not work. Punishment is tantamount to making the dog more resolute in his behavior and in such cases Aggression is likely to become a permanent concern.

The approach that you take should clearly indicate to the puppy that you love him but hate the Biting habit instead. At the same time you must assume leadership as the dog considers you as part of the pack. Unless he perceives you to be the leader he is likely to let go of aggressive dog behavior easily.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The success of any Cancer Treatment is directly related to the stage at which it is detected. There are strong possibilities of cancer in dogs spreading to vital organs making surgical removal an impossible task.

All cancers do not occur as tumors that can be seen on the surface of the body. And therefore these tumors are not too easy to notice and monitor. In many cases malignant cancer symptoms manifest themselves as symptoms that are related directly to the organ it affects.

Symptoms like gastrointestinal bleeding or Diarrhea are associated with a tumor in the stomach, small and large intestines or colon. Similarly, cancer in hormone producing organs surfaces in the shape of endocrinal disorders and brain or spinal cord tumors are associated with neurological symptoms.

However there are instances where cancer produces general symptoms that do not point to a specific organ. For example, the symptoms of liver cancer in dogs like loss of appetite, a distended stomach and weakness can be associated with cancer as well as other ailments. Some of the other non specific symptoms include Weight Loss, low grade fever, muscle weakness, skin rash, hair loss and lethargy.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!