Tag: pets

About half a million families own a rat or mouse in the U.S., with rats in particular known for their astuteness and interest in being close to their owners. When you think about it, rats come in a dazzling array of colors—including blue, lilac and mink. There are rodents with curly, long hair, satinny locks that would put any hair model to shame. Rodents are great for families with children as well, as they are light, gentle, and relatively easy and cheap to take care of. If your kids are ready to take on the responsibility of caring for their very own Ratatouille, hamster, or guinea pig, make sure to share the following tips with them.

Choosing the Right Cage

When selecting a cage for your pet rodent, opt for a sturdy enclosure made in stainless steel or hard plastic. Allow your kids to help you choose the color and style of the cage, but make sure the cage is large enough for your chosen pet. For instance, for a typically sized hamster, the Humane Society recommends that you choose a two square feet wire cage or or a 24″x12″ aquarium. For rats, meanwhile, you should have a cage of at least 1.5 to 2.5 cubic feet. If you have a second rat, opt for a 4 cubic foot cage and if you bring home a third rat, take it up to 8 cubic feet. Height also matters. For instance, for rats, the cage should be tall enough for your pet to stand up to his full size without reaching the top of the cage. In general, the enclosure should be no lower than around 1.6 feet in height. To make sure you are making the right choice, consult with an expert and ensure you buy a top quality enclosure your rodent won’t escape from.

Engage Your Child in Research

Your kids should join you on a fun journey to discover more about the peculiarities of your rodent. Each has its own cute mannerisms and habits, some of which may be a little confusing. If your child ever asks, “Why is my hamster crying?,” for instance, they should know that their pet can sometimes make this type of noise when they are adapting to a new environment, when they’re scared, or when they are in pain. Some hamsters even cry in their sleep, as though they were having a nightmare. The important thing to do in this case is to observe if the cry is consistent and/or frequent. A visit to the veterinarian is vital if there is a chance your rodent is in pain. In general, your pet should visit the vet every 6 to 12 months for a wellness check.

Let Your Kids Feet Your Rodent

Most rodents consume high-quality pellets, which are thankfully easy and clean, and which kids can feed to their pets. Rodents have specific dietary needs (for instance, hamsters, mice, and gerbils mainly consume grain products, while rats enjoy both meat and vegetable products). Choose well-reputed food that is recommended by your vet. Remember that pellets lose their nutritional value starting at about three months, so don’t bulk buy. Your kids will also have fun enticing their rodents with chew sticks and pieces of bark. Show your children how to place these items safely into the cage.

Rodents make great pets for households with kids, because they are light, loving, and easy to care for. Enlist the help of your children for every step of the process—including buying a cage and feeding them. Emphasize the importance of research and look up any odd, funny, or interesting behaviors to ensure they are normal for your rodent species.

What is your definition of a good dog?

For us, this is a canine that is exposed to the right training and nutrition. Both factors are very important in raising healthy and well-behaved dogs. This is why owners should be committed to providing the best of both to their canines.

For instance, a well-trained dog will understand how to relate to strangers, other dogs, and pets at large. If you are interested in knowing more about the importance of training, you can visit: https://www.dailypaws.com/dogs-puppies/training/basic/dog-obedience-training

That being said, we will only focus on how to feed your canine with the right food product in this article. We strongly advise that you keep reading considering the importance of canine nutrition.

Why the right Food Products for Your Dogs Is Important

Ensuring that your dog is rightly fed with the right food products will help you achieve the following things:

Less Chances of Health Complications

The number of dogs that end up at pet clinics because of various health complications is on the rise. Lack of adequate attention by owners to what they eat is one of the reasons for this.

By eating the right food products, dogs will be equipped with essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients at large that will make them healthy. This is why you need to take what they eat very seriously.

It is best to look for dog food full of humanely-raised protein and a range of healthy vitamins and minerals from brands that carefully source their ingredients, such as Badlands Ranch Dog Food. This is especially as there are many substandard dog food products out there. So, you should be very cautious and deliberate about getting a premium quality option for your canine companion.

Making the Most of their Life Seasons

A dog’s life is divided into various sections. They start as puppies and work their way up to adulthood and the aged stage.

You should know that there are ideal meals that should be given at every stage of their life. For instance, this means that there are meals that are best suited for puppies but do little or nothing for adult dogs.

When the essential nutrients in these meals are not given at the right stage, the canine loses a lot. They grow without having all that they should have and are left vulnerable in certain ways. So, appropriate feeding will help your canine companions grow the best they can per time.

To Stop Some Bad Habits

Our canine companions can be mischievous. Well, dealing with this part of them are some of the costs that come with raising these loyal creatures.

Speaking of mischievousness, dogs eating poop is one of such habits of concern. There are various reasons why your dog may be doing this. If you are interested in finding out more about this, you can click here.

Well, exposing such dogs to the right food products is one of the important steps in helping them. Non-exposure to premium quality food products could even be the reason for this bad habit in the first place. So, you need to take this seriously.

A Happy Dog

Three things make a happy dog and proper nutrition is one of them. Just for the record, the others are training and companionship/attention.

Those that are not lacking in these areas are usually full of life and fun to have around. So, you need to make sure your dog is well fed, well trained, and that you give it the right amount of attention/companionship.

How Can You Tell the Right Dog Food Product?

You can tell the right dog food product by taking note of the following:

Traceable ingredients

There are many manufacturers of substandard canine food products around as stressed earlier. These manufacturers are interested in earning big from the pet food industry as so many pet owners are committed to feeding their pets well.

One of the ways to know them is that they include ingredients that are not traceable. This is why you cannot afford to take things hook, line, and sinker. You need to know the ingredients used and make sure they are ideal and traceable.

You should know that some manufacturers use ingredients that harm your dogs in their products. Regulatory bodies like the FDA recall some of these products. And this leads us to the next point.

Avoid Pet Food Manufacturers with a Bad History

Radical Advertisement and publicity are non-negotiable for many pet food manufacturers. This is not a bad thing but explains why you cannot depend solely on what the manufacturers say about their canine food products.

This is why you need to ensure you are dealing with a pet food brand that is good enough. To this end, you are expected to make sure the manufacturer does not have a suspicious history. For instance, a brand that has experienced so many recalls is questionable and should be avoided.

Exercise Caution By Using Grain-Free Option

Grains can cause a lot of harm to certain dogs. This is because it can trigger certain allergies in some. So, we strongly suggest that you opt for grain-free options.

The truth is that many (if not all) of the nutritional benefits of grains in dog food can be gotten from other sources. The best part is that you still get the essential nutrients without triggering the allergies that grains can trigger in some dogs.

Natural Option

There are many synthetic additions to canine food products by some manufacturers. Well, some of them are helpful, some are unnecessary, while some are downright harmful!

This is why you need to exercise caution when getting options that have synthetic additions. Or better still, you should go for something that only contains premium quality natural products. We have gathered that such products are better.

Good Taste

Dogs want to satisfy their immediate need for good taste. This is why they have no problem eating chocolate and other good-tasting items that are harmful to them.

This is the reason you need to get them something that tastes good. This will make them interested in the meal. So, it is not enough that it contains all the essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients at large. It also needs to taste good.

Conclusion

Asides from getting the right canine food product, create a custom dog food plan to help administer meals to your canine. This is very important in making sure your dog is well-fed.

We have shared some tips that will help you get the right food products for your canine here. We advise that you put this information to good use when the need arises.

Our pets get into enough stuff they shouldn’t! To use products with added harsh ingredients is not the best choice we can make for them. We can do better. Choosing a brand that focuses on safe ingredients and gives back with every product made is easy with Attitude. This is a Canadian brand and they have a passion for clean products, less plastic and more trees! I am using some of their pet care products with our dogs.

The Attitude Furry Friends natural pet care line includes shampoos, conditioners, grooming wipes, air purifier, odor absorber, detangle spray as well as safe floor and surface cleaners. These products are carefully formulated for your pet and will leave you feeling safer about what is on their coats and the surfaces they lay around. Their pet grooming products are certified by PETA: Cruelty-free and vegan.

These shampoos leave our dogs smelling great and their coats are so soft. Maya and Leah are poodle and wheaten terrier mix (Whoodle’s) and so they can tangle a bit on their ears and tails between groomer visits. Quality natural pet products is the difference between content dogs and one’s that get mad at me for combing mattes from their fur.

Visit Attitude to find natural products for humans too, as well as household products. You can also visit their Amazon store!

The arrival of a new baby is an exciting time. But if you’re a pet owner, chances are your beloved fur baby might find this new change in routine hard to adjust to!

When you bring a newborn baby home, your pet will likely find the new sights, sounds, and scents overwhelming. If your cat or dog has never known life with an infant then this new arrival can pose a threat. While some pets are able to adjust perfectly well, others may become fearful and even jealous – resulting in behavioral issues.

Planning ahead is one of the best ways to help your pet adjust to a new baby and the change in routine that comes along with it. 

Preparing your pet for baby’s arrival

In the months leading up to the baby’s arrival, you can begin making small changes to your pet’s routine that will prepare them for when the baby is home.

One of the most important ways to prepare is by rectifying any behavioral issues such as jumping or barking. Taking your pet to obedience school or training them to stop behaviors that could upset the baby will teach them the skills they’ll need to interact safely with the new family member. 

You can also begin to introduce your pet to the baby’s room and any items such as a stroller or cot to help them familiarise themselves with all items associated with a new baby. 

Allow your dog to smell products such as baby lotion and get used to the new scents that will become commonplace in a few month’s time. For cat owners, identifying areas that are “off-limits” such as the baby’s changing table will also help to deter them from jumping up on or using these areas when the baby is home.

Introducing a baby to pet

One of the best ways to introduce your pet to your newborn is by first bringing home baby blankets from the hospital prior to your arrival. That way, your dog or cat can get used to the scent of the baby in the home.

Once you do bring the baby home, it’s important to greet your pet straight away and make it known that you’ve missed them. This will help soothe any feelings of fear, isolation, or jealousy in your pet. 

Ensure that you have a helper with you to supervise your pet as you sit down with the baby. When your pet has calmed down, you can have your helper bring them to you and the baby. Allow your pet to inspect the baby through sniffing and soft nuzzling and be sure to reward positive behavior. 

Adjusting to your new routine 

This new household dynamic can take some getting used to, especially for your pet. It’s important to look out for any signs of distress that your pet may give off such as whimpering, excessive barking, or growling. 

If this occurs, it’s important to take the baby out of the room and away from the dog. Be careful not to punish the dog. If you do, your dog will associate the baby with negativity and won’t learn to positively adjust. It can take up to nine months for a pet to fully adjust to a new member of a household. In this time, be sure to exercise the following to maintain a peaceful routine:

• Always supervise your pet around the baby/children. 
• Ensure quality time with your pet.
• Get your pet used to being around the baby. Encourage curious sniffing and gentle touch.
• Reward positive interactions (nuzzling, licking, snuggling with you and baby, etc.) with a treat or cuddles. 
• Help your pet associate the baby with positive experiences.
• Consult your vet for pet care advice or tips if you notice signs of continued aggression toward the baby.

The key to a safe and happy way to introduce your pet to a new baby is lots of care and attention. Allow your pet to explore these new sights and smells at its own pace, and avoid any forced interactions between pet and baby. 

Rewarding your pet with praise and healthy homemade treats whenever it demonstrates good behaviors around the baby is the easiest way to maintain a positive relationship between both. Never leave your baby alone with your pet and always maintain supervision when both are in the same space. 

Remember, the movements and sounds of a newborn can be alarming to your pet which may cause them to act in a defensive or fearful way. With time, your pet will become used to this new addition to the family and, as the baby grows, will appreciate having a new playmate!