Search Results for: pets types of pets dog breeds

What Your Dog Says About You

I don’t know if this is a new trend or an old one experiencing a revival, but lately I’ve seen a lot of “what does your dog’s breed say about you?” style articles. I’ve even seen a few ones related to romance: what does your boyfriend’s dog say about him, or about his sex life? While I find the latter a bit of a stretch, I think maybe there might be some truth in the former. The breed of one’s dog might say a bit more about one’s living situation than personality, so that two vastly different people might both … Continue reading →

Dangerous Exotic “Pets”

Exotic pets have been in the news lately. I define exotic pets as wild or barely domesticated animals that you’d sooner expect to see in a zoo than someone’s home. They’re often illegal to own. Even then the classification gets tricky; I’ve previously written about potbelly pigs and hedgehogs, two uncommon pets, that are sometimes illegal in certain states or counties. In these cases, however, the illegality issue has to do with invasive species; certain types of hedgehogs and pigs are not native to the country and officials want to keep out the non-native breeds. When I’m talking about exotic … Continue reading →

Dressing Up Pets

With my favorite holiday Halloween coming up soon, costumes are on the mind. We have to help the kids get theirs ready, and maybe some of us still dress up ourselves (I certainly do). But what about buying or creating costumes for our pets? I’m curious what you guys think about dressing pets up in costumes. For the past few years I’ve managed to come up with partnered costume ideas for my husband and I (which is a feat, because he won’t wear many types of costumes) to wear to our friends’ annual Halloween party. We usually stay for the … Continue reading →

Breed-Specific Dog Food

I was paging through an issue of Dog Fancy magazine and saw an ad for Royal Canin’s new line of breed-specific foods. Interesting idea, huh? Instead of just tailoring foods to dogs of a certain size or age group, they’ve developed foods for specific breeds. It makes sense that puppies would have different nutritional needs than adults or seniors… but what about dogs of the same age but different breeds? Royal Canin — backed by years of research — says that dogs of different heritage have different nutritional needs. Generally speaking, dogs all need the same things. Protein, carbohydrates, vitamins … Continue reading →

Today’s Report on Dog-Napping

This morning while I ate breakfast and watched Today with my mom, they covered a story about the rise in dog-nappings. And they weren’t talking about dogs taking more naps, but dogs being kidnapped. Not for the Reasons I Expected Because they were showing purebred dogs I figured that dog snatchers were focusing on taking dogs that they hoped to get a ransom for. Not so. (Although some do take the dog, wait for a reward to be offered, and then say they’ve found it to claim the reward.) But they also had other reasons for nabbing dogs, such as: … Continue reading →

Dog Show Lingo

Have you been watching the dog shows lately? Maybe you saw the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship during Super Bowl weekend. Maybe you watched the famous Westminster Kennel Club Show this week. Dog shows — like any kind of competition — come with their own special lingo. Talking about the dogs: Angulation: the angles created at the joints. Gait: the way a dog moves. This is a good indicator of structure and body condition. Pedigree: a written record of a dog’s family tree. Traces the line back three generations or more. Soundness: mental and physical well-being. Handlers and handling: Baiting: using a … Continue reading →

Dog Shows For Beginners

After all the talk lately in the Pets Blog about dog shows, you may be interested in getting your dog involved! Here are some things you might want to know: To compete in an American Kennel Club (AKC) dog show, your dog has to be a registered purebred. Other shows may not require a pedigree and papers. Know the rules before you apply! There are different types of dog show: all breed shows (where more than 150 different breeds compete; this is the kind of dog show you see on TV), specialty shows restricted to certain breeds, and group shows … Continue reading →

Glaucoma In Pets

Glaucoma is common in both humans and dogs. When pressure fluid inside the eyeball is too high, internal structures can be destroyed. This is glaucoma. The pressure damage is similar to high blood pressure rupturing a blood vessel in the brain, causing blood flooding that damages brain cells — otherwise known as a stroke. Glaucoma renders the affected eye blind and useless in most cases. What causes glaucoma? The fluid in the eyeball is known as aqueous humor. Drainage issues — the aqueous humor not being able to drain properly from the eye — is the most frequent cause of … Continue reading →

Shelter Cats are Healthier than Pet Store Cats

Research done by PetPlan shows that the cats that are adopted from a shelter are just as healthy, if not healthier, than purebred cats that come from a pet store. The pet insurance company wants to encourage people to give loving homes to the cats who are in shelters, waiting for a new home. Are you thinking about adding a pet to your home? You probably spent some time thinking about what type of pet would be a good fit for your home, and what kind you wanted. Would you prefer a cat, or a dog? Do you think your … Continue reading →

Pet Diabetes on the Rise

Diabetes runs in my family. Even though I’m only in my mid-20s, I’ve tried to start being conscious about what I eat so I can hopefully prevent the onset of the disease, or at least have an easier transition into a diabetes-friendly diet should I need to do so. While I’m prepared for the fact that one day I might learn I have diabetes, it never occurred to me that one of our pets might come down with it as well. That’s right: dogs and cats can get diabetes, and it’s on the rise in canines. MSNBC Health has a … Continue reading →