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4345 results for “how to pet a dog”
Caring for Senior Cats and Dogs: A Stage-by-Stage Longevity Plan
Cats and dogs are considered senior at around age 7, when metabolism slows and organ function begins to decline. With staged, careful care, companion pets can live an average of 2–3 years longer. This guide breaks senior care into three phases—ages 7–9, 10–12, and 13 and up—covering diet adjustments, weight control, dental and joint support, stress avoidance, and a sensible checkup schedule. The goal is not expensive supplements but steady, calm, well-planned daily care.
Cat and Dog Tear Stains: Understanding the Causes and Managing Them at Home
Tear stains are a common frustration for owners of flat-faced breeds and many other cats and dogs. They are rarely a single mystery illness; instead they usually trace back to blocked tear ducts, ear problems, allergies, or diet. The right fix depends entirely on the underlying cause. This guide walks through the main reasons pets develop reddish-brown staining, what each pattern looks like, and the at-home steps—gentle cleaning, ear checks, allergy control, and diet tweaks—that keep stains from returning. Knowing the cause is the first step to clearer, healthier eyes.
How to Help Cats and Dogs Get Along
To keep cats and dogs friendly, consider their temperaments before adding a pet, avoiding two short-tempered animals together, and guide them to build a good relationship. Give each its own bowls and enough food and water, and let each have its own territory to avoid fights over resources and space.
Why You Should Not Train a Dog to Walk Upright
A dog's body differs from a human's: its spine is more curved and lacks pelvic support, so standing and walking on the hind legs loads the lower back, spine, and rear legs with extra weight. This can cause patellar luxation, joint wear, arthritis, and cartilage damage, even spinal deformity, rear-leg deformity, or bowlegs. Severe spinal harm may lead to incontinence or paralysis, so do not train dogs to walk upright for fun.
Why Human Cold Medicine Is Dangerous for Pets
Because cats and dogs metabolize drugs differently from people, they may not process ingredients like acetaminophen, pseudoephedrine, and caffeine, and even small amounts can poison them, sometimes fatally. Most over-the-counter human cold medicines are unsafe for pets. For mild cases when pet-specific medicine is unavailable, gentle herbal options exist, but vet care is best for serious symptoms.
Heat Alert: What to Do When Hot Pavement Burns Your Dog’s Paws
When it's over 30 C, asphalt can exceed 60 C, and dark surfaces can hit 70 C by early afternoon, so paw-pad burns are a top summer injury. A dog's pads sense heat with a delay and may keep walking despite pain, so the owner must judge safety: press the ground with your hand for 7 seconds, if it hurts you it burns them. Signs include limping, red swollen pads, blisters, constant licking, and yelping. First aid: move off the heat, rinse the pad with cool running water 15 minutes, flush with saline, dab with povidone-iodine (never alcohol), apply a pet burn ointment, loosely bandage, and use a cone. Severe cases with open wounds, bleeding, or black scabs need a vet. Walk before 7 a.m. or after 8 p.m. on grass.
What Are the Risks of Shaving Your Pet?
Shaving a pet can weaken its temperature control, raise the chance of skin allergy or other skin problems, lower coat quality, and affect its mood. Weigh the pros and cons before shaving, and if it is not necessary, it is best not to shave. If you must, use the right tools and method to avoid skin injury.
Goodbye Dog Smell: How to Cut Summer Odor
A dog's stronger summer smell comes from more active sebaceous glands plus humid air that speeds surface bacteria. The common "wash more when it stinks" reflex is wrong, frequent baths break the skin's oil barrier and make odor worse. Bathe every 2-3 weeks (short hair) or 1-2 weeks (long hair or active dogs), focusing on paws, groin, ears, and anal glands, using a pet shampoo with tea tree or rosemary. Brush teeth 2-3 times a week, give dental chews every few days, clean ears, feed quality protein with veggies, and wash the bed and toys while keeping the room aired. A sudden strong smell with red skin or hair loss needs a vet.
Bad Breath in Dogs and Cats Is Not “Heat”—3 Types to Self-Check
When dogs or cats have bad breath, many owners assume “heat” and reach for cooling teas or herbs—but most pet halitosis is a disease signal, not a temperature issue. A rotten, fishy odor with red gums, tartar, hesitant eating, or drooling points to periodontal disease (over 70% of pets over 3 years); a strong urine or ammonia smell with extra drinking, extra urination, lethargy, and low appetite signals declining kidney function; and a sour, fermented odor with burping, acid reflux, worse on an empty stomach, and soft stool points to gut or liver trouble. Mild breath, teething at 3–6 months, or a meaty diet smell are normal. Severe or symptomatic breath warrants a vet visit—blood and organ checks—not “cooling” remedies.
How to Choose a Safe Dewormer for Dogs
When picking a dog dewormer, safety beats brand fame, price, or reviews. Weak off-brand products vary in purity, absorption, and residues, and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or skin redness. Judge a product by three things: gentle, compliant, pet-specific ingredients with low toxicity; a precise spectrum covering fleas, lice, mites, roundworm, hookworm, and heartworm prevention; and broad adaptability with very low side effects, including for puppies, adults, and pregnant or lactating dogs. Common active types include imidacloprid-moxidectin spot-ons, fluralaner (an isoxazoline) for long-acting tick and flea control, selamectin for sensitive dogs, and oral fenbendazole-pyrantel-praziquantel for broad internal coverage. Avoid three mistakes: over-frequent or stacked dosing, treating only after you see parasites, and buying unlabeled “no-name” products.