Food allergies are often difficult to identify unless you are aware of the symptoms. The main symptoms of food allergies in dogs include facial itching, limb chewing, belly itching, recurrent ear infections or skin infections.

Since the dogs consume lot of prepared food materials including various kinds of proteins, fillers, coloring agents and more; in the commercial food materials, the incidences of food allergies are more than one can imagine. Allergic reactions mostly involve the skin or the gastro intestinal tract.

If you come across your dog itching after the provision of specific food materials, then suspect the food allergy in this animal. However, conditions like fungal infections need to be ruled out in general before the conclusion of itching as a sign of food allergy.

There are many recorded incidences of allergies in dogs to corn or wheat. However, the food allergies vary from dog to dog. Read the labels carefully before feeding your dog. Too much colored food materials and/or chemicals should be avoided.

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• There are three body types for a cat. Cobby type is a compact body, deep chest, short legs and broad head. The eyes are large and round. Muscular type is a sturdy body and round, full-cheeked head. Foreign type is a slender body, with long legs and a long tail. The head is wedge-shaped, with tall ears and slanting eyes.
• Sir Isaac Newton, discoverer of the principles of gravity, also invented the cat door.
• A cat will almost never “meow” at another cat. This sound is reserved for humans.
• Know how old your cat really is. If your cat is 3, your cat is 21 in human years. If your cat is 8, your cat is 40 in human years. If your cat is 14, your cat is 70 in human years.
• The average age for an indoor cat is 15 years, while the average age for an outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years.
• The oldest cat on record was Puss, from England, who died in 1939 just one day after her 36th birthday. (We wish we could have them all that long!)
• The weirdest cat on record was a female called Mincho who went up a tree in Argentina and didn’t come down again until she died six years later. While treed, she managed to have three litters with equally ambitious dads.
• A cat’s normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees. This is slightly warmer than a humans.
• People who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.
• Cats love to chew on grass, catnip, parsley or sage. Become a green thumb and plant an indoor garden for your cat! But be careful — many plants are toxic to your cat!
• There are two species of wild cats in African and Europe that still hunt. These two species both resemble the domestic tabbies.
• The behaviors shown by most house cats have a parallel in the wild.
• A cat will kill it’s prey based on movement, but may not necessarily recognize that prey as food. Realizing that prey is food is a learned behavior.
• The greatest number of mice killed by one cat? 28,899! Towser, a tortoise-shell tabby in charge of rodent control in Scotland, killed 28,899 mice in her 21 years. This is about four mice per day, every day, for 21 years. Towser died in 1987.
• The first cat show was held in 1895 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
• A falling cat will always right itself in a precise order. First the head will rotate, then the spine will twist and the rear legs will align, then the cat will arch its back to lessen the impact of the landing.
• “Sociable” cats will follow you from room to room to monitor your activities throughout the day.
• What kind of “mood” is kitty in? Her eyes, whiskers and ears will tell you. Learn to read the signs she gives you.
• The most popular names for female cats in the U.S. are Missy, Misty, Muffin, Patches, Fluffy, Tabitha, Tigger, Pumpkin and Samantha.
• Give your cat a quality scratching post to deter her from scratching your furniture. Still scratching? Try putting lemon scent or orange scent on the area. Cats hate these smells.
• Try hanging an orange or lemon scented air freshener in the inner branches of your Christmas tree, if your cat is a seasonal “climber.”
• In English, cat is “cat.” In French, cat is “Chat.” In German, your cat is “katze.” The Spanish word for cat is “gato,” and the Italian word is “gatto.” Japanese prefer “neko” and Arabic countries call a cat a “kitte.”
• Cats get their sense of security from your voice. Talk to your cats! And be mindful of your tone of voice. Cats know when you’re yelling at them (though they may not care).

And the most important piece of knowledge to retain is that the very best food available for your cat is Life’s Abundance from Wholesome Pet Supply.

From the May, 2008, HealthyPetNet Life’s Abundance Newsletter:

Special Message from Dr. Jane

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Introduction

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Congratulations! You are about to embark on one of life’s most memorable and emotionally rewarding experiences — pet ownership. Generally. a cat can live 15 to 20 years and if it all goes well, he will become your dearest friend and a member of your family. However, as rewarding as pet ownership can be, it can also be a nightmare if you both get off to a bad start. The following will help ease this period of adjustment for you.

When you first bring the cat home, try to keep everyone as calm as possible. Although this is difficult with children, please try not to get too enthusiastic. Next, try confining the cat, temporarily, to a small area. A kitchen is perfect because it is the most popular room in the house. Remember, when he first comes into your home, your cat is the outsider; he/she is confused and frightened. Give him time to slowly adjust to the family and its routine. The period of adjustment is much more difficult for him than it is for you.
As he/she starts to feel more comfortable, and you feel he/she is ready, gradually give him more freedom. Perhaps you can take him into the den while the family is watching TV, but be sure to keep an eye on him/her.

Even the best behaved cat needs guidelines at one time. If you establish good guidelines in the very beginning, your cat will always follow them. Cats want to please their owners; this makes them happy. If you give a cat too much freedom and he wrecks your house,it’s your fault, not his. If a cat needs reprimanding,
never hit him. A loud, stern NO works much better. Another tool is a water gun or spray bottle filled with plain water. When the cat does something wrong, squirt him and say NO very loud. Do not overuse the water as it will lose its effect. Never Hit Your Cat!! Your hand should only be associated with petting. If the water does not work, try shaking a can or plastic bottle filled with pebbles or pennies.

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Dr. Jane Bicks, DVM
HealthyPetNet Veterinarian Formulator

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You can never expect your puppy to think like a human, so it is important for you to think like a dog. A very good book on on this subject is called “Think Dog” by the late John Fisher (just click on any book in the Amazon banner at the top of this page and enter Think Dog in the search area).

When puppies annoy the bitch she will use eye contact and facial expression first. The youngster will carry on the unwanted behavior then the mother will give out a low growl which will increase in volume with a show of teeth. If this is not enough to produce the desired result the bitch will to all intense and purposes fly in at the youngster. This is not a full blown attack. Far from it. It is dress rehearsal for the pup, conditioning him for life later on. No contact is made, although from the resulting noise (mainly from the puppy) one could be excused for thinking that the litter had been reduced by one pup.

It is interesting to note that the bitch will immediately console the puppy and start to lick it all over. This behavior is observed every time the youngster steps out of line.

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Even though I am sure that you keep a close eye on your companion animal when outdoors, a number of things can happen to separate you.  If this does take place, the proper identification will help reunite you with your pet.  Animals without ID tags are often mistaken as strays and they are sometimes treated differently, so make sure your dog or cat has the proper identification.  I suggest a sturdy, yet comfortable, breakaway collar with an ID tag containing your pet’s name plus your name, address and phone number.  Also, hook your pet’s  rabies tag on the collar.

As some collars can fall off and others break away if caught on an object, a microchip is a good idea.  This is a very small device that your veterinarian can inject under the skin around the shoulder blades.  The chip has a number that is registered with the manufacturer and other local, state and nationwide agencies.  Many shelters and vets have scanners that read the number on the microchip.  Then, it’s a simple call to the manufacturer or agency to get your name and phone number for a happy ending.