Urinary Tract Health and Pets

All pet owners want the best for their favorite furry friends. Many pet owners do everything but set a place at the dinner table with candle light and music playing, consisting cat love songs of course. But when it comes to urinary tract health and pets most of us don’t take the preventative step needed to avoid a problem in the future. After all what could possibly go wrong?

Ironically, the list of what could go wrong reads like a who’s who of cat health problems such as bladder stones, kidney stones, urinary tract blockage, and bacterial infections. This would likely account for the unsettling statistic that amongst pet owners, with pet insurance, the number one claim filed was that of urinary tract infections.
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Arthritic Joints in Older Pets

Have you noticed your pet not being as enthusiastic about jumping and leaping? Perhaps your dog doesn’t get as excited about that game of fetch or catch as he once did or perhaps your cat can’t quite jump onto that warm windowsill that has always been her favorite. These are all signs of arthritic joints in older pets and chances are if these (or other) signs are present your pet has a common condition known as degenerative joint disease; often referred to as osteoarthritis.

Arthritic joints in pets may begin during the first half of life, with the symptoms not becoming apparent until much later with the primary symptoms being stiffness and lameness. It is not unusual for older pets with degenerative joint disease to be very stiff early in the morning, only to improve as the day wears on. Also, when the weather becomes cold and/or damp the condition tends to worsen making such simple tasks as making it to the litter box on time or racing to meet you when you get home from work a challenge. Next let’s explore the condition itself and try to find a few helpful solutions.
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Supplements For Osteoarthritis in Pets

Our pets are part of our family. For many of us our special furry friend/friends are like one of our children. And one thing is for sure we all want the best for our pets. Nevertheless, while our pets do communicate with us it is sometimes easy to overlook or misinterpret conditions that gradually make their way into our pet’s lives. One of these conditions is osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease.

Arthritis is a general term referring to inflammation of the joint. The most common form of arthritis in pets is osteoarthritis, which is also known as degenerative joint disease. This common condition is most often found in large animals but can affect animals of all sizes. It is characterized as loss of cartilage (the shock absorbing gel like material between the joints) and joint degeneration leading to pain and lack of mobility.
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Parasite Prevention For Pets

Do you use safeguards to protect your pet against parasites? Most veterinarians advise pet owners to check their pets often to see if they suffer from parasites. They also advise pet owners to use products year round to prevent diseases caused by fleas and ticks.

Since you never know when your dog or cat may be affected by parasites, it is important to treat them regularly for fleas and ticks. When animals are not properly treated, it could lead to serious health conditions due to diseases carried by parasites. These same parasites can also cause harm to humans as well. Your infested pets can pass parasites to their pet owners and can cause diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
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Causes of Allergies in Pets

If you suffer from any type of allergy, you know how miserable it can make you feel. Our pets can suffer from allergies too, and it can make them just as miserable. Allergies occur when the bodies immune system overreacts to a substance. Unlike people, pets don’t suffer from sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes. They are more likely to suffer from itchy skin and hair loss.

There are four ways pets can be exposed to allergens. A common allergy for cats and dogs is from flea bites. It does not take an infestation, one flea bite can cause a reaction. Your will notice your pet scratching, licking and chewing at his skin as well as patches of hair loss. When you treat your pet for fleas, it is important that you also treat your home as well.

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Bacterial Hypersensitivity in Pets

Bacterial hypersensitivity in pets is a very rare and uncommon skin condition, but it can attack either your dog or your cat. Both are equally at risk as this condition does not seem to be prejudice to either.

This condition is generally caused by a hypersensitivity (or in other words, an allergy), to certain types of bacteria.

While it is believed that this is caused by a pets immune system over reacting to Staphylococcus (or Staph bacteria on the skin), which will than result in the skin reacting in dramatic measures to the presence of Staph, it is caused by the pet scratching itself intensely.

Pets that have become affected with this condition will scratch themselves so hard and so intense, that they will develop hair loss, scale like skin, and even red sores on their skin.
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Pet Arthritis - New and Safe Arthritis Treatments For Dogs and Cats

It was reported that all mammals will develop arthritis if they live to an old enough age. Medical advancements are allowing cats and dogs to live longer than ever before. However, animals are being diagnosed with more disease due to their extended life span. Our pets can often be exhibiting signs of arthritis for long periods of time before pet owners even notice. Starting on medications before the symptoms are noticed will slow the changes from occurring and can prevent arthritis from becoming severe later in life.

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Pets Lyme Disease

Pets Lyme disease is a very dangerous disease to your pet and it accounts for over 90% of all the vector-recorded illnesses.

The litany of symptoms and problems your pet will encounter with this disease range from pain and swelling and eventually arthritis if not treated, to the most severe cases which could cause kidney failure and sudden death. This disease is much more common in dogs than in cats, but because it has become so widespread, cats are also more at risk now than ever before.

This disease has been recorded in 49 of the 50 states as well as Scandinavia, all of Europe, the former Soviet Union, Japan, China, and Australia. In the United States, it is much more predominate on the Pacific Coast, the Midwest, and Atlantic Coast states. In these areas, over 75% of dogs and a growing number of cats are exposed to this disease.

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