Massage – When You Should and Shouldn’t Massage Your Pet

Have you ever thought about giving your pet a massage? Just as with humans, pets can enjoy a number of great benefits from receiving a massage. At the same time, there are certain situations when a massage is not the appropriate course of action. Therefore, it is important for you to understand the benefits of massage as well as when massage is not appropriate.

Massage - When You Should and Shouldn't Massage Your Pet

Exploring the Benefits of Massage

Even if your pet is not sick or injured in some way, giving it a good massage now and again can provide it with a number of benefits. One of these is the bond it helps you form with your bellowed pet, as giving your pet a massage helps to promote socialization while giving you special one-on-one time together.

Massage is also beneficial to animals that suffer from joint problems, over-extended muscles, arthritis, and torn ligaments. Or, if you are traveling or if your pet has to remain cooped up in a small place for a period of time, giving it a massage is a good way to help alleviate stiffness and to improve flexibility.

When giving your pet a massage, it is important to keep in mind that each muscle on its body has an effect on other muscles. Therefore, by helping muscles in one area become more flexible and relaxed, you also help other muscles in the area. At the same time, if your pet becomes injured in one area, this will also affect other muscles in the body. As such, if you are giving your pet a massage in an effort to alleviate stiffness or soreness, you shouldn’t concentrate all of your efforts on the affected area. Rather, give some attention to other areas of your pet’s body as well.

When Massage is Not the Answer

Although massage …

Things Prospective Pet Owners Need To Consider

Owning a pet is not something that all people are prepared for. Even though pets are sometimes used as a way of getting children to understand responsibility, it should be noted that there are numerous adults that need a lesson in responsibility as well. The number of abandoned pets is constantly increasing, as people who realise they do not have what it takes to be a pet owner either dump them on the streets, or try to sell them to different pet stores. There are numerous reasons for this. Sometimes the cost of pet accessories, dog supplies and food is just too high for the new owner. Other times, excessive breeding can be an issue, especially in the case of rabbits being held together in the same rabbit hutch.

Regardless of the reason though, the outcome is the same. The pet is left abandoned on the street or in a pet store. If the pet is young, most pet stores will accept it, but if the pet is over 6 months old, most stores will reject it and the owner will usually either dump it on the street, or take it to a local shelter. Shelters deal with abandoned dogs and cats daily, and taking a pet that is no longer wanted, to a shelter, is much better than simply dumping it on the street, hoping it survives.

There are other pets however that are not even taken to a shelter. Dogs may be left to fend for themselves in the streets, gold fish may be flushed directly down the toilet, and rabbits may simply be thrown outside. It all depends on the owner and how much he or she still cares for the pet.

Those who have only had their pet for a couple of days before …

Teaching Your Child How to Handle Pets

Once you have chosen a pet for your kids you will need to teach them how to handle the animal correctly. Often kids are so excited to have their pet that they can accidentally frighten the poor animal. Most pets can be touched safely but we need to teach our kids how to hold and carry their new pet. This advice is focused on animals that can be touched, like cats, dogs, birds, hamsters, rabbits, and the like.

When you first bring home your pet walk slowly around them always trying to keep your voices low and gentle. Animals can react aggressively to abrupt loud movements. If you kids run suddenly towards a pet, they might defend themselves. If your kids run away from them, they might attack them. Let your new pet get used to you and your home.

Teach your kids to leave a pet that is eating or chewing something alone. Animals can be very protective of food and may get aggressive if your kids try to remove them from it. You must teach your kids to be gentle with their pets. Show your kids how to play with their pets without hurting them. Make sure your kids know not to grab an animal by its tail or legs as these places are very sensitive and this will hurt your pet. Teach your kids how to stroke their pet and rub scratch them in the places your pet likes, For instance our dog loves to be scratched just under his ears

If you have another pet at home introduce the new pet slowly and carefully. If they suddenly fight, don’t separate them with your bare hands. Instead, try throwing water on them or distracting them with some objects, like a pole or chair. Don’t let …

Depression is a serious problem for the elderly. The inability to do the normal day to day activities because of their health, the death of a spouse or loved one, and isolation from friends and family can all take their toll on an elderly person’s well being. Although training for therapists includes specific care for their elderly patients, it may be a better course of action to help the elderly avoid the need for psychotherapy. One way to do this is for them to have a pet or be exposed to pet therapy.

Having a pet can be a very positive force in an elderly person’s life. If they live alone the benefits of having a pet are even more profound. Pets give their lives structure and companionship. Pets alleviate loneliness, reduce depression and anxiety, and help an elderly person cope with the loss of a loved one. Researchers at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario have proven that people who have pets are more active and have a more positive outlook on life. These finding have been backed up by a paper published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

A study by the Mayo Clinic uncovered some interesting facts about elderly pet ownership:

1) Pet ownership reduces doctor’s visits by 21%.

2) Alzheimer’s patients stay in the present more if they own a pet.

3) Seniors who do not have pets see a significant decrease over time in their physical and mental well being.

4) Nursing home patients that engage in pet therapy have an increase in social and verbal interaction.

These statistics support the benefits of pets and pet therapy. Even seniors who are physically disabled show less signs of depression than those who did not have pets or were not exposed to …

Suffice it to say that humming birds do not make extremely very good pets, and I know mainly because I’ve tried. You see, these small combination of insect flight qualities and bird bodies are so quite independent. You can not tell them where to nest and even recommend an excellent nesting location, they are going to seek out and pick a place they really feel is safe, it might not be as safe as the one you choose, but it is their property and also the way they want it. Stubborn small critters certainly, I’d say. Okay so, let’s talk, since all of us like to watch humming birds play, defend their nectar meals provide and perform unbelievable flight maneuvers all day.

Now then, if you’d like to get the hummingbirds up close and individual then it tends to make sense to put a hummingbird feeder proper outside your window, and if you are going to put up a number of feeders, it is best to place them in areas where as you stand beneath 1 you can not see the other, but you’ll be able to determine each out of your vantage point when watching these little birds out of your window. This really is because by far the most dominant hummingbird will try to also find a vantage point and place to guard from, to stop the other hummingbirds from homing in on his nectar supply.

Naturally, for those who have several feeders, you’ll have numerous hummingbirds guarding each a single, and chasing away any with the others that come to feed. This becomes pretty the territorial war, and it’s ongoing and continual all day extended, providing you hours of viewing. Hummingbirds like to come out within the morning, and also they come and feed just …