Posts tagged “Water Fountain”

You might be tempted to go room-by-room or start in a specific location with the most considerable mess, but Kondo recommends gathering your pet’s supplies and sorting them by category or type. Categories can include food, toys, and accessories. Sorting by type—not location—helps you grasp what you have, how much of it you have, and whether you have multiples in various spots of the home. When you see everything laid out in front of you, it helps you make informed decisions about keeping or letting go of items. Gathering all your pet’s stuff in one place can also help you see the bigger picture of what you buy—and how often you buy them. So, now is also an excellent time to create a list of the essentials or recurring purchases, says Jen Robin, founder, and CEO of Life in Jeneral. “Keep a running list of all of your pet’s supplies and update it as needed,” says Robin. “This will help you keep track of what you have and what you need to restock.”,If you’re anything like us, treating your pet to a new leash, fun bandana, a chew toy that screams [enter your dog’s name], or a restock of their absolute favorite snacks is just another typical Tuesday occurrence. As much as you may love to spoil your pet, all these items can quickly pile up—especially if you live in a small space. Before you panic-toss everything in a closet or ditch things on a whim, there are simple ways—aka no Martha Stewart-level skills required—to organize your pet’s belongings. We spoke with Marie Kondo, tidying expert and founder of KonMari by Marie Kondo, and other organizational experts to find out their top pet organizing tips.

If you didn’t expect your dog to have a belly button, you’re not alone. But like all mammals—including humans—puppies in the womb receive oxygen and nutrients from the mother by means of an umbilical cord.    “After birth, the mother chews off the cord, or it’s cut by a person assisting. The remaining stump dries up and falls off, leaving behind a scar—this becomes the belly button,” says Sarah Cortright, DVM, chief medical director of the Underdog Community Project in Los Angeles.    By the time a puppy is old enough to leave their mother, the scar is typically healed and easily goes unnoticed.   ,It’s no secret that most dogs love belly rubs, but as you give your furry friend a tummy pat, you might have wondered whether there’s a belly button beneath that thin layer of fur. Canine belly buttons can be hard to detect, but dogs do have them.    Here’s the full scoop on your dog’s belly button and how you can find it, along with veterinarian advice on how to spot health issues with your dog’s navel.  

Here’s an equation no pet parent wants to calculate: Mud-caked paws plus an energetic dog equals a major mess on your kitchen or living room floors. Fortunately, in this age home renovation television shows and do-it-yourselfers, there is a hot trend that caters to canines: mudrooms. Find out how mudrooms can benefit dog parents, and discover several ways you can create your own personalized mudroom for your pup.

Just like in humans, when a dog tears a cranial cruciate ligament, surgery is needed to repair the injury. For dogs that weigh more than 40 pounds, the recommended treatment for a torn cranial cruciate ligament is a surgical procedure called a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, commonly referred to as a TPLO. TPLO surgery involves removing the torn ligament, removing torn parts of the meniscus, and then cutting the lower leg bone (tibia) to rotate the surface of the bone that is involved in the knee joint. If you are wondering why the surgeon would have to cut a bone to repair a ligament, then you are not alone. A TPLO procedure uses the principles of basic physics to stabilize the knee. The dog knee joint is sloped, and the major force holding the joint in place is the cranial cruciate ligament. When the cranial cruciate ligament tears, a combination of the slope of the knee and muscles acting on the knee, including the quads and the calf muscles, causes the femur bone to slide forward when the dog bears weight on the leg. Each time this happens, it not only hurts, but it abnormally wears down the cartilage, resulting in the development of osteoarthritis. It can also tear the meniscus that cushions the dog knee joint. When the tibial bone is cut and rotated in a TPLO surgery, it levels out the knee joint and stabilizes the joint. This eliminates the sliding action that causes pain and arthritis. Of course, if a surgeon cuts a bone, then it must be repaired. After the bone is rotated, the surgeon installs a stainless steel bone plate with screws on the tibia to hold the two pieces in place.,Understanding the Canine Cruciate Ligament and TPLO Surgery

If your pup is putting on the pounds, a lack of exercise may be to blame.   “If a dog takes in more calories than they burn through physical activity, the excess is stored as fat, which contributes to weight gain,” says Dr. Modes.   Overfeeding your dog, plus too little exercise, is a sure path toward canine obesity, which can lead to joint problems, heart trouble, and diabetes, among other health issues.  Another common cause of weight gain is too many dog treats.   “It’s also common for pet parents who don’t exercise their dogs to be giving them more snacks and treats to ‘entertain them’ because they are bored, which causes them to gain even more weight,” says Shir Limazati, a certified dog trainer and owner of Another Chance Training in Chicago.  Rather than doling out treats to occupy your dog, engage them with a game of fetch or grab the leash and go for a walk. ,Along with a good diet, routine veterinary care, and plenty of cuddles, regular exercise is an important part of caring for your dog.   “Exercise helps promote and maintain a healthy weight, optimizes physical health, and can provide an energy outlet while promoting natural canine behaviors,” says Amanda Modes, DVM, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists resident and veterinarian at VetMind.   But just like people, the amount of exercise a dog needs can vary. So how can you tell if your dog is turning into a couch potato? Here are seven signs that your dog isn’t getting enough exercise.