Fall Weight Management Tips for Your Pet

13634795461edmuIt is officially Fall! This means shorter days, changing leaves, a crisp breeze, football, holidays and food. And with food comes the seasonal weight gain. We seem to find more and more excuses to stay inside our homes as the temperature drops. Add this to the holiday celebrations with the natural tendency to crave comfort food for the colder months, and you have the perfect combination for seasonal weight gain.

Overweight pets face many of the same health issues and concerns as people, including: heart disease, type 2 diabetes, bone and joint problems, various forms of cancers, and a shortened life expectancy, just to name a few. Fortunately, with a few simple modifications, you and your pet can avoid the seasonal weight gain.

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Could Your Dog Have Fall Allergies Too?

file1491279116895We’ve all seen or felt it before: the sneezing, the itching, the watery eyes, the irritated nasal passages and so on. But your dog is now exhibiting signs of the typical behavior for fall allergies in humans. Could your dog have allergies too? Is this even possible? What are the signs and symptoms you should be concerned about, and when is the appropriate time to call the vet?

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Fall Hazards for Pets

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Autumn is beautiful time of year, but it does bring certain hazards to our pets. Pet owners will want to be aware of these dangers, and take necessary precautions to keep their pet healthy and safe this fall. We will discuss some fall hazards for pets and how to avoid them and keep your furry companion safe.

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Halloween Holiday Health Hazards for Animals

                                                                                                                           

From the Texas Department of State Health Services, Zoonosis Control

                                                                             

With the arrival of the candy-laden and trickster-oriented holiday of Halloween, there are some risks and health hazards that are of concern for animals, particularly pets like dogs and cats.  To avoid unfortunate mishaps and tragedies, keep in mind the following tips:

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Environmental Enrichment for Birds

Although owning a pet bird may seem like an easy and fun endeavor, there are many challenges associated with maintaining happy and healthy birds. Some pet birds are caged most of their lives and get rather lonely without the stimulating contact between people or with their instincts. Adding this sort of stimulation to your birds life can improve his or her overall happiness, and being in a cage all the time won’t seem so bad. Significant aspects of natural behavior are denied to varying degrees for birds kept as companion animals. Examples of these include flocking, social interaction with other birds, foraging on a variety of foods, and flight. Birds are social, loud and messy. When kept in captivity they deserve the owners’ tolerance to exhibit these normal behaviors.

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