Educational Articles
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A successful life with a family dog starts with great training for your puppy. Planning to set puppies up for success, learning how to use management, positive reinforcement, luring, capturing, and shaping will help owners train their puppies successfully. Positive puppy training and socialization classes are also beneficial for healthy puppies over eight weeks of age.
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Every puppy will become a dog who needs veterinary care, grooming, and handling. Starting in puppyhood, owners can use positive training techniques to teach their puppies how to accept and enjoy restraint, basic procedures, and home husbandry.
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Providing puppies with positive socialization experiences may prevent the development of future fears. Puppy socialization must be done gently to avoid accidentally causing fear. Puppies are most primed for socialization before the age of 14 weeks. By taking precautions, some careful socialization can and should be done even before puppies have completed their entire vaccination series.
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Not all puppy foods are created equally, and your large breed dog needs to be fed an appropriate diet for development. An improper balance of nutrients can lead to health problems, including bone deformities. Measuring proper calorie amounts, looking for the AAFCO statement, and controlling food intake will ensure your puppy develops properly.
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Pyoderma is a bacterial skin infection that can affect all areas of the skin, including skin folds, often seen as red, pus-filled pustules. Treatment may require oral or topical medications and it is always a good idea to practice good hygiene. Pyoderma carries a good prognosis for recovery but recurring or chronic cases may require longer treatment and additional testing to determine an underlying cause.
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Pyrethrin insecticides are naturally derived from the chrysanthemum (mum) flower, and pyrethroids are the synthetic versions. The use of pyrethrins/pyrethroids is generally safe in dogs; however, cats and fish are very sensitive to these products.
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Pyrethrin insecticides are naturally derived from the Chrysanthemum (mum) species of flower, and pyrethroids are the synthetic versions. The use of pyrethrins/pyrethroids is generally safe in dogs; however, cats and fish are very sensitive to these products.
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Pythiosis is a waterborne infection that can infect the GI tract or skin of dogs. It can cause extreme weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea or skin lesions such as ulcerating nodules and draining tracts. This disease is more common in southern regions. Treatment involves surgical removal of all affected material if possible, including limb amputation if indicated. Different antifungal therapies have shown some efficacy and need to be continued long-term. Prognosis for resolution of pythiosis is guarded to poor.
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Quaker parrots are small- to medium-sized birds. They are green with a grey chest and neck. They make great pets if hand-tamed. Quaker parrots can be excellent talkers and tend to bond closely to one or two household members.
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Quality of life is a way to refer to and discuss the day-to-day life and lifestyle of a cat reaching the end of its life. Dr. Alice Villalobos, a veterinary oncologist, has developed a quality-of-life scale for cats that provides guidelines that help owners and veterinarians work together to maintain a healthy human-animal bond. The scale looks at seven different categories including hurt, hunger, hydration, hygiene, happiness, mobility, more good days than bad. The scale can also help you clarify the decision for euthanasia, hopefully relieving anxiety and regret about your beloved cat's end of life.