Posts tagged “Ball Launchers”

You are in charge of your dog’s diet and overall health, so it’s natural to ask the question, “How much food should I feed my dog?” The exact answer to this question depends on the type of food you’re feeding and other factors, like your dog’s activity level and specific dietary needs. But experts have come up with general guidelines to make feeding time a little more straightforward. We talked to two veterinarians to get the scoop on all the different factors that impact how much to feed your dog, and to put together a dog feeding chart that will help you come up with a good baseline. Of course, if you want to get really specific, make sure you’re talking to your own vet to get the exact number of calories your dog should be eating each day.

5. Can Dogs Sense Illness? Dogs’ ability to smell illnesses has been well documented. Typically, the biggest indicator of illness is through odor. Dogs can detect metabolic changes in our breath and through our skin. Most recently, a test was studied on dogs’ ability to detect COVID-19. Overall, the average rate of successful detection was 94%.,6. Can Dogs Sense When Someone Is Having a Seizure Or About To Have One? Seizures cause changes in a person’s physical appearance and facial expressions, thus alerting their pup that something isn’t right. Pet parents who experience seizures can train their pups to help them. However, not all dogs will alert a person of an impending event even if they can sense it.,Dogs experience the world differently from their human counterparts. They have heightened physical senses and are aware of things we aren’t. Dogs can detect emotion, physiological changes (changes in the functioning of the body), illness, and environmental events, such as weather. This sensitivity is connected to their ability to see, smell, hear, and feel. They see fewer colors because of color blindness, and they see in higher contrast. This provides better night vision and the ability to track movement. A dog’s peripheral vision is wider, but they see less detail. There’s no contest when comparing a dog’s sense of smell to their human’s. A dog has about 300 million scent receptors compared with a human’s 6 million. A pup’s hearing also differs from ours. Dogs’ ears are built for hearing at higher frequencies than a human, but they don’t recognize changes in pitch as well as we do. In fact, there are many other differences between dog and human hearing. A dog’s fur and skin help them feel and process interactions with other animals, including humans. Pressure from a puppy playmate’s teeth can help communicate a need for less intense play. Given all of their incredible senses, dogs possess the ability to sense things about the world that may surprise you. 

By Helen Anne Travis Every year, the Michelson Found Animals Foundation helps thousands of animals in the Los Angeles area find their forever homes. The majority of pets are strays, which means shelter staff and volunteers have to come up with new names for thousands of cats and dogs each year. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? “It is for the first few hundred,” says Aimee Gilbreath, executive director of the rescue organization. “But then it gets a little challenging.” To make the process as easy and fun as possible, the volunteers and staff use shortcuts. They might name a litter of puppies after the characters on Game of Thrones or Star Wars. Sometimes they’ll take their inspiration from the season (there are a lot of white kittens named Snowflake each winter). If the animals have distinct personalities or physical features, those traits might influence their names. The foundation once worked with a local shelter that was trying to find a home for an older pup with only three legs, Gilbreath says. They named her Eileen (get it?). But what if you had a horrible boss named Eileen and don’t want to be reminded of her every time you see your new dog? That is a conundrum faced by almost all prospective pet owners who visit shelters nationwide. Is it OK to rename an adopted pet? And what are some tips for making the new name stick? Why Shelters Name Pets Naming shelter animals helps potential adopters form a bond, says Gilbreath. It’s a lot easier to fall in love with “Snowflake” than “Cat Number 3,298.” “There are so many animals looking for homes,” says Jme Thomas, executive director of the Motley Zoo Animal Rescue in Redmond, Washington. “Anything you can do to better market an animal to an adopter is essential to saving their lives.” At Motley Zoo, most animals are named after musicians or celebrities. Right now Celine Dion, Mario Batali and John Mayer are all looking for forever homes. To further appeal to potential adopters, the animals are sometimes photographed with their celebrity namesakes, like Gin and Juice, two cats who got to meet Snoop Dogg. “It gives the animal an identity,” says Thomas. But what if the animal comes to the shelter already named? Say a dog’s owner died or a cat had to be surrendered because a landlord didn’t allow pets? For the most part, the name stays, says Thomas. Gilbreath agreed that’s standard practice. “At most shelters, if an animal has a name you keep the name unless there’s a good reason not to,” she says. Good reasons to change a pet’s name include instances of past abuse. Shelters will also rename pets whose current name might prevent them from finding a forever home. Gilbreath remembers working with a rescuer who was trying to find a home for a dog named Killer after his owner passed away. The dog was renamed Keller, something that sounded like his original name but was perhaps more appealing to potential adopters.

In this day and age of electronic everything, there is still a need for documents that are tangible and shareable. There are several documents all pet parents should have on hand to ensure their pets’ wellbeing. Here are eight documents that every pet parent should keep safe and on the ready.