My Cat Won't Eat! - What is Wrong?

Occasionally you may find that your cat seems fussier about its food, only choosing to sample its food before walking away. Perhaps your cat could show signs of refusing to eat whenever you try to set your feline down. Perhaps your pet is not eating at all and seems disinterested in anything.

Being familiar with your cat's habits will help you recognize any behavioral changes and you can work out why it may be unwilling or unable to eat as it did before. Cats are very sensitive to changes in routine and atmosphere and it may be something as simple as your having introduced a new cat to your household and this arouses feelings of insecurity. A change in the arrangement of furniture could also unsettle your cat.

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs

Have you been on holiday recently and left him with a cat kennel, or perhaps hired someone to come in to feed and look after him daily? A disinterest in food might be due to a simple case of depression that will only be relieved once you've coaxed it back into being his old self with some TLC and a few healthy nibbles.

Such minor issues will not present much of a headache for you as they can be dealt with easily. Offering a little healthy treat to tempt your cat or putting a little bit of meat jelly onto its gums just might persuade it to have a little something. You could try offering a taste of something your cat really does like, to see whether it's turning its nose up at what's on the menu or if there are other reasons for its reluctance to eat.

With cats accustomed to receiving titbits and carbohydrate rich food, a switch to a more health conscious diet could be the reason for its disinterest in food. A refusal of food may be a cat's attempt to show its displeasure in being denied its desires. Your cat may be under the mistaken impression that if it waits long enough you may relent and give in.

However, you should also note that putting an overweight cat on a crash diet of low carbohydrate food can result in your cat refusing to eat for more than two days. In such circumstances, a prolonged period of rejecting nourishment is likely to result in liver problems as your cat draws on his fat reserves and doesn't take in the protein which he needs.

In other circumstances, should your cat persist in not eating for more than a day or two, it could hint at an underlying health problem. In such situations, a consultation with your veterinarian is advised.

Your cat might have a problem with its teeth or jaw which makes eating painful or difficult, as would any problems associated with its digestive system. It could be suffering from inflamed gums or a broken tooth, a cut in its mouth, or an abscess in its jaw arising from a deep scratch. Your feline might be experiencing discomfort in its stomach or have an intestinal condition which will reduce its appetite. Your veterinarian will advise on the best course of treatment in these scenarios.

However, by keeping an eye on your cat and its behavior will help you deal with any problems before they get worse or chronic, and both you and your vet can make sure it has a full and happy life.

My Cat Won't Eat! - What is Wrong?

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs

Care for a Baby Bearded Dragon Lizard

The bearded dragon lizard, a native of Australia, is one of the most popular choices when choosing a reptile as a house pet. Mainly due to its docile and friendly disposition, this sociable reptile has been gracing pet stores and houses at an increasing rate.

Adopting the bearded dragon lizard as part of the family requires planning and care. Below are some guidelines that can be used in caring for the baby bearded dragon that will become the newest member of your family.

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1. Baby bearded dragons require a lot o food to support their rapid growth rate. Between the first 3-6 weeks, feed your baby dragon about 2-3 times a day. Cricket, veggies, and greens can be used while watering can be done once or twice daily. It is rule of thumb that the food you will feed them must be about half the size as the distance between his eyes. This is to ensure that your dragon will not suffer from terminal indigestion.

2. Check for parasites regularly. Although they are parasite-free upon purchase, being bred in captivity, there is always the danger of parasite infestation once your baby dragon has been exposed to the elements, especially to the bugs, worms, and crickets he will be fed with.

3. Provide ample space for your dragon to grow in. The recommended size is a 10 gallon aquarium for a newly hatched dragon, while a 20 gallon tank is needed in the next six months due to your baby dragon's speedy growth. When your bearded dragon reaches adulthood, the size should be changed to a 50 gallon tank to provide enough space for basking, exercise and growth.

4. Clean the baby dragon's house regularly. Since bearded dragons are messy creatures, their homes must be cleaned twice a day. It is a danger for a baby dragon's health if their surroundings are not kept clean because their young age makes them more susceptible to fleas and diseases. The highest mortality rate of bearded dragons take place during their first month.

5. Provide temperature control in your baby dragon's tank. This can be done by using a temperature gradient. There should a spot warm enough for the baby dragon to bask and lie in and there should be a spot humid enough to answer to the dragon's need for water. Baby bearded dragons need water both as a drink and in the air to aid their growth in the first months of their life. Lack of humidity in the air can actually cause your baby dragon to shed.

6. Provide UV light. The light should imitate the one given off by the sun as this helps in your baby dragon's digestion. Working in a way much like photosynthesis, UV light encourages healthy digestion in your dragon. This is especially important for baby dragons as they are always in danger of indigestion due to your young age and reduced capacity to absorb food in large sizes.

7. It is recommended to use paper towels as your baby dragon's substrate. Its is clean, easy to replace when dirty, and inedible.

8. Handle your dragon daily. This will develop their trust towards humans and build their bond with you. Just make sure that you are gentle in handling them and that you never pick them up them up with their tail. They dislike this and will make them thrash about, which is harmful for your baby dragon. You may choose to scoop them up with your cupped hands.

Care for a Baby Bearded Dragon Lizard

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Fly Strike On Dogs

Fly strike is a well-known problem with sheep. It can also be an issue for horses and dogs. Fly strike happens when flies start burrowing into the fur/hair and nip at the skin. Once the skin is broken, more flies are attracted by the moisture, blood, and smell as an infection invariably sets in. In some veterinary cases, flies have laid eggs on the skin and maggots then infest the coat and inner ears. Fly strike is most common around moist areas such as the tail and the ears.

Telltale signs of a problem are shaking, rubbing, or scratching the affected part of the body. Unfortunately the natural reaction of the dogs to try to rid themselves of the irritation only tends to worsen the problem.

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Left untended, fly strike is both a huge nuisance and very unpleasant for animal and owner alike.

Any dog affected by fly strike should be taken to a vet. The vet can shave the hair from around the scabbed areas. This helps to dry it out and keep it clean. An application of antibiotic ointment, which sometimes contains an anti-inflammatory, is smeared on bitten parts of the skin. This helps to clear up any infection and soothes the injured region.

Once stricken, the problem is to treat the infection and sores whilst avoiding any further fly infestations. A number of veterinary solutions are available to help with this. Most flea treatments are simply insufficient for the prevention of fly strike. Some horse fly treatments will work well enough for dogs. Veterinary advice is paramount as to the most suitable medication for your pet. Any treatments advised or supplied by your vet must be carried through as per the package instructions, or at the advice of the vet.

A number of preventative, pre-infection options are available from health food or hardware stores. Flies are adverse to citronella oil, tee tree oil, lavender, and garlic. Tee tree oil has the added advantages of natural anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties. These substances may be applied without concern to the animal's coat in the areas where infestation tends to occur. It is essential to use only forms safe for humans. If nothing else is available, fly spray sprayed onto a cloth or cotton wool and wiped around the area prone to attack will help reduce or eliminate strikes. This is only appropriate if the area is out of licking range. A clove of garlic in their diet may also be a beneficial deterrent.

Some solutions work better than others do. Lavender scented hand wash, for example, works at repelling flies, but requires at least daily application. It is not a complete hindrance to flies but does dramatically lessen the problem.

Pre-infection treatments should be reapplied after the coat has been washed or if the animal has been swimming. Prevention is desirable, but if fly strike does develop, please take your dog to a veterinary as soon as possible.

Fly Strike On Dogs

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Raw Foods That Hurt Your Thyroid

Have you heard of goitrogens? A Goitrogen is a substance in some foods that prevents the thyroid gland from working correctly by blocking the uptake of iodine. Iodine is essential for the production and activation of thyroid hormone and is one of the main minerals that helps speed up cellular metabolism.

Goitrogens get their name from the term "goiter," which is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland lies just above the collar bone in the neck area. If the thyroid gland is having difficulty making thyroid hormone, it may enlarge as a way of trying to compensate for inadequate hormone production and can be seen or felt as a soft pad about 2-5 inches in diameter on the neck, usually on one side but occasionally on both sides.

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Goitrogens can induce hypothyroidism and goiter. I bring it up this month because often diet foods contains goitrogens. When eaten in large amounts, the dieter wonders what they are doing wrong and why they are not losing weight.

More than four cups/week of the following foods--in the RAW form only--will interfere with your thyroid gland function. You can eat as much of these foods cooked as you want to--except tofu and soy products which we will talk about later. The foods are: Brussels sprouts, cabbage of all kinds, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, peaches, pears, rapini (a vegetable similar to broccoli,) spinach, strawberries, radishes, rutabagas and turnips.

Other foods that have goitrogenic activity are soybeans (tofu), pine nuts, peanuts, millet, and rapeseed (Canola Oil.)

Goitrogenic foods are typically high in sulfur (especially the Brassiform family of plants such as kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kohlrabi and broccoli). Sulfur, copper, and iron interact with each other and need to be in perfect balance for everything to work correctly. So, some researchers think that when you eat an excess of sulfur, it competes with iron and copper and can cause anemia. This brings up a good question because LOTS of people are on MSM, Glucosamine sulfate and Chondroitin supplements lately which are all high in sulfur.

The main component in soy causing thyroid problems are isoflavones. Genistein is a soy isoflavone marketed as a hormone substitute for women and appears to reduce thyroid hormone output by blocking activity of an enzyme called thyroid peroxidase. This enzyme is responsible for adding iodine onto the thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones must typically have three or four iodine atoms added on to their structure in order to function properly so this enzyme is pretty important. Most goitrogens are inactivated with heat, but there is some evidence that isoflavones in soy are not heat inactivated.

Ask you can see, this stuff gets pretty complicated. We fix one thing in our world and several other challenges pop up!

While many hyperthyroid people try to limit thyroid output by restricting their iodine and eating more goitrogen foods, this strategy can backfire. Iodine restriction causes the thyroid to increase in size (goiter) in an effort to filter more blood to get more iodine. When iodine is then re-introduced to the diet or accidentally ingested, the thyroid now grows even larger than before because now it has a larger capacity to do so!

Therefore the consumption of goitrogens to control hyperthyroidism is not a good strategy. It is better to increase foods high in copper as well as increase copper's effectiveness to normalize the thyroid function. After that, the body will tolerate iodine without increasing thyroid hormone production.

Why is preventing thyroid disease so important? 2005 statistics for this disease show:

o Hypothyroidism affects over 11 million Americans (1999 statistics.)

o If untreated, hypothyroidism can lead to myxedema (retention of fluids under the skin) and eventually coma, which has a mortality rate of 80%.

o Nearly one out of 50 women in the United States is diagnosed with hypothyroidism during pregnancy.

o Six out of every 100 miscarriages are associated with thyroid hormone deficiencies during pregnancy. This seems to be the biggest thing I see in my own practice.

Foods that stimulate the thyroid gland include: caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, and chocolate,) avocado, coconut, and saturated fat. An overabundance of these foods in your diet are not good either.

I think the best way to handle these kinds of problems is to find out what the core cause is, correct that, minimize what you can, eliminate what you can and repair the damaged thyroid cells with protomorphogens and glandular supplements. If the client prefers to go the medical route and take drugs for the rest of their lives, the best bet is to get on a thyroid drug that seems to work and stay on it. Switching brands or changing protocols is just another bag of worms and causes even more problems. Armour thyroid seems to be the best drug for most of my clients.

Alternative therapies that seems to be working: A few minutes of heat applied to the thyroid gland for several months also helps. Some people also need a great mineral and vitamin program. One huge problem I see coming up is that we are exposing ourselves to excess stress from our busy lives and to lots of electromagnetic fields. Plasmas screen TV's, computer monitor screens, microwave ovens, cell phones and cell towers are a huge drain on the system and really disrupt the hormones.

I will say that once people get on thyroid medications, they seem to be on them for the long haul. It seems to be too much for them to drastically change their lifestyles. They can't seem to stick to a program that is working. They want to test the limits of it and end up crashing and going back on drugs. Thyroid hormone dips and peaks are just too stressful on the body to try to wean off thyroid drugs for most cases.

Raw Foods That Hurt Your Thyroid

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Dog Not Urinating? Symptoms to Look For and What to Do

Dog not urinating? Since the urine is full of toxins, releasing them is essential to health and longevity. If your dog is having problems, there are a number of possible causes. In this article, you will learn what to look for and what to do when your dog seems to be having trouble with urination.

Urination problems can be due to a urinary tract infection, bladder stones, injury or age-related factors. Below is a brief description of each with a recommended course of action.

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Symptoms of a UTI include decreased (or increased) urination, excessive thirst, and/or incontinence. An infection in the urinary tract can spread to the kidneys and shut them down, so it is essential to get your dog to the vet. If your dog has a UTI, the vet will prescribe antibiotics which can cause side effects. Recommendation: give your dog a natural remedy (discussed below) which works like an antibiotic to clear up the infection and help the tissues heal.

Bladder Stones

Dog not urinating? Bladder stones could be the problem. Stones are made of bits of calcium that combine together. Symptoms include blood in the urine, pain during urination, urine that dribbles out, rather than being expelled in a healthy flow, excessive licking of the genitals and thick-looking urine. Although you will want to take your pet to the vet, consider a natural supplement that balances the urine pH to dissolve stones and prevent the formation of more stones in the future.

Injury

If your dog has been hit by a car or has suffered other injuries, this can cause urinary problems. Look for tenderness in the abdominal region or other signs of injury or distress. Take your dog to the vet immediately.

Old Dog Difficulty Urinating

When my old akita, Cochise, started having difficulty urinating at age 11, I researched solutions online and found a granular supplement that I could give my pet which worked both for treatment and prevention. All I did was sprinkle some granules in his mouth every day. Since they dissolved on contact with the salvia, they were easy to administer.

After talking to my naturopathic vet about the symptoms my dog had and how quickly they were resolved, the vet commented that by giving Cochise the supplement, I had probably added two years to his life.

Cochise died at age 13, which is pretty lifespan for a big dog. Best of all, since I did preventative care, I felt like I had done all I could to give him a good life.

Natural supplements work to keep the pH of the urine at proper levels to discourage the formation of bladder stones and urinary tract infections. Since they can be used for treatment and prevention, it makes sense to give your dog a supplement as part of his routine care. This way you can prevent painful dog not urinating problems.

Before giving your dog a supplement, make sure to do your research.

Dog Not Urinating? Symptoms to Look For and What to Do

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs

Best Rated Dog Food

Most of the dog owners have a common question in their mind. What is the best rated dog food? Every dog owners are tried to ensure best possible care to their dog. Many commercial foods are available in the market. But almost everyone suggests homemade food is better for a dog's perfect growth. So owners need to be knowledgeable about dog's diet.

Two categories of dog foods are very much popular: Raw dog food and dry dog food. Many experts believe raw dog food is the best choice for selecting dog's diet. Raw dog food provides the necessary energy in dog's health and help in their proper growth. The ingredients in raw dog food are natural and uncompressed. A proper raw dog food is a mixture of meat, fiber and starch. Dogs love meats. Sometime owners give too much meat to their dogs. But they should keep in mind that vegetables are also very much essential for their perfect growth and prevent from diseases. So while preparing food mix some sort of vegetable along with the meats. Carrots, broccoli, yams are good source of fibers.

Dog Food

Feeding dry food to the dogs is most common and popular choice among the dog owners today. Most of the people at metro cities live a fast pace life today. Dry dog food is more convenient for them. But it's important to realize not all commercial food contain high quality natural ingredients. So if you decide to feed dry dog food to pets, you have to be very careful. Check the ingredients in the food by reading the label. Make sure there is no preservative or artificial color in the food. These things may be harmful for dogs in the future.

Best Rated Dog Food

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Dog Labor Symptoms - 5 Ways to Know When Your Dog Will Give Birth

When you dog gives birth it can be a wonderful time, but there are also lots of worries that go with it. Many people find that one of the worst parts of a dog giving birth is unless you know what to look for, the owner has no idea when the birth will happen. In this article there are five clear ways to know when your dog will give birth.

Your dog may exhibit some or all of the following sings when in labor. Often there is a ten-fifteen minute gap between puppies being born.

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs

Temperature drop Your dogs temperature may drop to around 97-98 degrees approximately, around 24 hours before giving birth. This is normal, and a good sign that your dog is going into labor so you can get prepared early! If your dog does not begin labor within a day of the temperature drop, you should contact your local vet. You can check your dogs temperature using a dog thermometer. Your dog refuses to eat Most bitches will refuse to eat before they go into labor, which obviously isn't normal for dogs. This can be another good early warning sign. Finding a den A natural reaction of most female dogs is to try and find a den or hideaway where they can give birth. A very common place is under your bed, as the dog feels safe and enclosed there. If possible, find a comfortable place beforehand where the birth can take place. Shivering and sickness Another dog labor symptom is when the dog begins to shiver and even vomit. This is completely normal, and the best thing you can do is make sure there is fresh water available at all times. Wanting you near The dog is likely to stare at you and want you near to her at all times. Like number three, this is a comfort thing.

Finally, go by your gut instinct! If your dog is acting strangely or differently, it is probably trying to tell you something.

Remember that dog pregnancies are quite short, only around 63 days, so make sure you are prepared in dog time. These are just some of the dog labor symptoms, and although common, it is not unheard of for labor to start almost unannounced.

Dog Labor Symptoms - 5 Ways to Know When Your Dog Will Give Birth

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs