Human Medicine For Cats

Despite the huge difference in size between you and your cat, there are certain human medicines that can be beneficial for your sick kitty. Below is a list of some common stuff from your medicine cabinet that may be useful for your kitties. It is always best to check with your vet before giving your pet ANY human medicine. PLEASE NOTE: This list is not intended to diagnose problems or be a substitute for proper veterinary care. If your pet has a serious health issue, please call your vet immediately. Anbesol: Can be used ONCE on your cat for mouth … Continue reading

Compounding Pet Medications: Is It Safe?

It can be tricky getting them to take their meds One of the latest health scares has been over a strain of meningitis that’s killed multiple people. According to WebMD, the meningitis originates from a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts. Compounding is the practice of putting more than one type of medication in a pill, or basically changing the medication in some way from its original formula. How is this relevant for the pet owner? Compounding is a common practice in pet medications. Before you worry: the meningitis came from a human medication for back pain and it seems the authorities … Continue reading

Pet Obesity Rates Still Climbing

The trend I first wrote about two years ago is only getting worse. Pet obesity rates continue to rise in America, and unfortunately that’s not all. Not only are once-healthy pets gaining weight, ones that are already obese continue to put on the pounds. Cleveland’s Fox 8 profiles the epidemic. The Association for Pet Obesity recently ran a study that concluded 25% of cats and 21% of dogs are overweight. Those numbers are slightly up from the last study (and the last article I wrote on the topic) in 2010. As already mentioned, one of the most worrying parts of … Continue reading

Pet Preparedness

Pets can be considered part of the family. Make sure that you have a workable plan in place to take care of your pets in the event of an emergency. There are a lot of things that you can do ahead of time to ensure your pet’s safety, survival and comfort through most emergencies. In the event that you have to evacuate, you may not be able to take your pet with you. Most emergency shelters will not take pets for a number of reasons. Service animals are the exception. So, it is important to be able to do what … Continue reading

Pet First Aid: Safe Household Treatments

At various vet trips we’ve received advice to treat our pets with doses of Benadryl, Zyrtec, and Neosporin. That’s right: medicines we think are for people can also be for pets. There are actually a number of household items or medications we can employ if our animals are having problems. The trick is knowing exactly what medicines, and how much of them, are safe for our pets. For example: most dogs should only have one Benadryl a day. If giving the pet Zyrtec, it should only receive the normal kind – make sure it doesn’t have any decongestants or other … Continue reading

Employer Sponsored Pet Insurance

It is very nice to see that some companies are adapting the insurance benefits that they offer to their employees in ways that will be a better fit with the needs of the employees. Traditionally, many companies will offer health insurance benefits to their employees. Now, some companies are offering employer sponsored pet insurance as well. It is much easier to afford insurance if the business that you work for helps you pay for a portion of the cost of the premiums. This is how many Americans are able to afford health insurance for themselves, and for their families. If … Continue reading

Buying Pet Medication Online

I don’t usually have a lot of deals to post here. That’s because the majority of discounted pet items I see are too localized: coupons in the local Penny Saver, sales specifically at my branch of Petco, that sort of thing. This weekend I made my annual bulk purchase of our various pet medications and treatments. Then it occurred to me that I’ve been using discount websites for pet purchases for years now and I’ve never remembered to share the scoop. If you’re a pet owner I’m sure you’ve heard it before; when buying your flea treatments, heartworm medications, and … Continue reading

Is A Pet Care Business Right For You?

For those of you who think that pet-sitting or dog walking is a job best left for high schoolers, you may want to think again. Pet care is a home based business that requires very little in the way of start up costs and is always in demand. If you love animals and you know how to care for them, you could start a pet care business. Many people enjoy having companion animals at home. Many of these people also have to go to work. While some pets like cats and guinea pigs are fine with being home all day … Continue reading

Oscar the Robo-Cat

Bionic surgery for animals is becoming more common It must be cutting edge veterinary surgery week, because I come bearing yet another story about futuristic procedures being performed on domesticated cats. This time, MSNBC has the scoop on a story straight out of “The Bionic Woman” or “Star Wars”: Oscar the Robo-Cat. Black cat Oscar may have had some bad luck in October 2009 when he lost his two back feet in an accident with a combine harvester, but this past summer he reversed that by being one of the first cats to receive metallic limbs. When Oscar, who hails … Continue reading

The Curious Case of the Cat in the Shower

Every time anyone enters the bathroom at our house, it’s cause for a big fuss. That’s because no matter what somebody’s doing in there, our cat Cole must have a part of it. If he hears someone in the bathroom, he rushes in (if the door’s open) and starts getting very vocal. Cole isn’t the most vocal of cats, but he’s not the least either. He chirps for attention, and if there’s a bird he can see out in the yard, the whole house knows it. But even when there’s prey he can see just beyond his reach, Cole is … Continue reading