Recordkeeping For Your Pet’s Health

Just like our kids, our “pet babies” need regular medical care, immunizations, preventive medication and regular hygiene maintenance. We realize that not all pet lovers will go that extra mile for their pet due to cost, but it is something you should do if you are able.

Just like humans, our dogs can fall ill to everyday diseases. The biggest health risk for all pups is the dreadful heartworm.

A heartworm is a parasite that infects and debilitates some animals, especially pets such as cats and dogs. The worm requires mosquitoes to complete its reproductive cycle, so it is most common in moist, warm areas like the Mississippi River Valley and Gulf of Mexico. Although entirely preventable, veterinarians can only treat it in the early stages, so it leads to many deaths per year.

This is why record keeping is important. You should keep records of when your dog had its last shots and heartworm preventative medication. Most boarders require your dogs shot records before being left at the boarders. They do this to ensure that each dog goes home just as healthy as he arrived. Good record keeping gives you a healthy pet and a peace of mind.

Keeping good records of your dog’s hygiene maintenance is important as well. You don’t want your dog’s nails to be cut too often as he needs his nails at a particular length to protect his cuticles. When it comes to keeping your dog clean, records of baths is a good habit to practice.  Although we all want a great smelling dog, unfortunately they should not be bathed often. If you
bathe your dog more than every few weeks, then you could be damaging his skin and coat. Dogs naturally produce oils to protect their skin and give them a shiny healthy coat. When they are bathed these oils are stripped away. To be on the safe side one should use a professional groomer to ensure a proper bathing and/or trimming of the coat.

If your pup is a extremely hairy dog, then you might have heard of the FURminator®. This particular treatment removes the undercoat and decreases the amount of shedding your dog produces. It is important to not do this often as it will dry out your pup’s skin, causing irritation.

As you can see practicing good record keeping will come in handy in order to keep a healthy and happy pet. Remember your pet relies on you to stay healthy in every way.

To find out more about dog grooming or if you are looking for a puppy for sale in the Jacksonville, Florida area, go to www.petworldpets.com.

Keep Your Pet Safe and Plan Ahead

Keeping your pet safe means more than just having a fence around your backyard. Pet safety also includes a healthy diet, exercise and proper grooming. All these are components of being a responsible pet owner.

Responsible pet ownership of a dog includes proper training, feeding a balanced diet, cleaning up after your dog on walks, regular grooming, providing plenty of attention and exercise, and making sure your pet has an up-to-date identification tag implanted, or at least on a collar.

Our dogs are sometimes our very best friends in life, and are often not provided for in estate plans.  Shelters and veterinarians euthanize an estimated 500,000 pets each year when their owners die before them.  While an outright gift to an animal is void under law in some states, the creation of an honorary trust for the care of your beloved animal companions is generally permissible.  For example, you can leave your pet to a specific caregiver and create a trust to benefit the caregiver, with specific instructions on how to utilize the funds left for the pet’s care.

The main objective of using a trust to care for your pet is to provide a flexible method for managing financial assets for the benefit of any pets that survive you.  By using a trust, you can designate a party to act as guardian or caretaker for the pet.  Furthermore, a trust allows you to leave specific instructions concerning the standard of care and special needs of your beloved companion animal.

Thank you to our friends at Cramer Law Center for providing some of this pet-related estate planning information. For more information on general estate planning, please visit the Cramer Law Center website.

Dental Disease Affects Dogs, Too

Poor dental health in dogs can cause serious consequences. Bad breath is often a symptom of more serious dental problems. Dog dental cleanings can be done at home, but like humans, periodic checkups with a professional cleaning can prevent further disease.

Tartar is formed in the mouth from plaque deposits. Tartar can form in a dog’s mouth after two days without brushing. Plaque is formed from bacteria, saliva and minerals in the mouth; it can be removed with regular teeth brushing at home. If tartar forms, the tartar can only be removed by a professional cleaning. Dogs that eat wet foods are more likely to build up plaque and tartar than kibble-eating dogs. The hardness of the kibble helps clean off some plaque.

A build up of tartar in the mouth can lead to gum disease, gingivitis and periodontal disease. The dog may suffer from abscesses or loss of teeth. The bacteria from the gum disease can enter the body and cause other complications. Dogs with unchecked gum inflammation are at a higher risk for heart, liver and kidney diseases. Many of these signs go undetected without the help of a professional dental hygienist.

To get a healthier, better-smelling, whiter smile, call (904)262-4646 or request an appointment online to come see our specialists for a teeth cleaning before it’s too late.

Benefits of Grooming

More Than Just a Pretty Face

Whether performed by a pet’s owner or a professional, the advantages of grooming your pet surpass the merely cosmetic reasons. Regular brushing removes dead hairs, dander, and odor-causing debris that accumulates daily, and leaves your pet with a healthier, shinier coat by distributing the skin’s natural oils. Brushing can also help your pet look cleaner, smell fresher, and reduces itching and scratching. The act of brushing serves as a gentle stimulating massage that relaxes your pet and improves circulation. Brushing also reduces the amount of hair and dander your pet sheds in your home, which can reduce allergy symptoms for you and your pet.

Cutting and trimming your pet’s coat serves the purpose of making brushing easier, keeping your pet cool, and enhancing the breed’s look. Trimming long hair around the eyes and in the ears reduces irritation and infections. Ear infections result from lack of air circulation in the warm moist environment.

Bathing your pet regularly, but not too frequently, with a proper shampoo provides a gentle massage, improves circulation to the skin and hair and also removes dirt and debris that cause odor and a dull coat. It also allows the groomer to more easily notice any skin conditions, tumors, or parasites and react accordingly.

Dental hygiene and regular inspection of the animal’s mouth prevent diseases that not only affect your pet’s teeth, but can infect other areas of the body.

Proper nail trimming prevents undue stress and discomfort for your pet and also helps the pet avoid accidentally scratching parts of your home. Long nails are painful because they aggravate arthritis and cause the toes to be splayed.

Overall, grooming also helps relieve stress for both you and your pet. If you groom your pet yourself, it gives you the opportunity to bond with your pet and reinforce your training, while also allowing you to notice any changes in his condition. If you choose a professional pet groomer, it relieves your stress of having to find time and resources to groom your pet and the groomer is trained to notice any problem areas and notify the owner. Grooming also serves as a preventive measure to identify potential health problems and keep your pet healthy to avoid costlier measures in the future. Of course, grooming also has it’s aesthetic benefits, too. It makes your pet more presentable and appealing, smelling great, and flattering to his breed type. Last, but not least, regular grooming with your pet can be therapeutic to you as the owner and help to protect your own health.

If you would like to learn more about our grooming services, specials, and supplies, visit our website at Pet World Pets.

Puppies, Puppies, Puppies!

Yorkie male

Yorkie Poo

Yorkie Poo Female

Yorkie Shon

Cavashon

Chih Choc LH

Schnoodle

Teacup Chihuaha

Tri-color shorthair

Here are some of our most recent additions to our plethora of puppies! They are waiting to find loving homes and human playmates! Come see if one will steal your heart away. To see these puppies and more, stop by the store or visit our website at petworldpets.com.

Training Your Puppy Takes Patience, Time and Consistency

Never mind teaching old dogs new tricks; get ‘em while they’re young and you won’t have to worry in later life. Puppy training should begin as early as 6-12 weeks. Effective learning can often occur even sooner, when they learn to socialize with other dogs before going to their respective new homes.  We can’t teach you everything in this small article, but as with any teaching, there are right ways and wrong ways. Too much force, for example, can delay or destroy the bond you’re attempting to build. Not enough force will only teach the pup who’s really in charge, him/her. Don’t repeat your command multiple times; your puppy will only learn that he doesn’t have to obey the first time. Most successful training is based on rewarding completed tasks. Food, petting, toys and simple attention are all positive incentives. Each reward should be accompanied by a “good dog” and a meaningful hand signal; this verbal/visual combination will increase the likelihood of a correct

response. The best time to train is close to dinnertime. At the beginning, rewards may be handed out immediately following a successful response, with frequency decreased until the command is learned. And now, here are some brief but proven tips to teach specific commands or behavior.

 

SIT: When you say the command, say “sit” gently push the puppy’s bottom down until he is in the sitting position. Say the command again as he is sitting, then give him the treat and say, “good boy”. Say the command again and guide him until he gets it. Once he gets it on his own give him a treat with his “good boy.” Eventually he’ll perform with only the words.

 

STAY: With the puppy sitting, hold out your palm and firmly say “stay.” Quickly give him a reward, then take a step back and repeat the process. In the course of this training, gradually increase the time he’s required to stay and the distance between the two of you before the next command.

 

COME: Once again, the trick is a verbal/visual cue combination. Hold out a treat and say your puppy’s name. When he begins to move in your direction, add the word “come.” When he completes the command, give him his treat, move back and do it again. This takes extreme patience, but when you can master the art of getting your puppy to come when called, you will be forever grateful.

 

HOUSEBREAKING: Punish the puppy only when you catch him red-handed.  This is very important. Likewise, reward him when he takes a “break” where he’s supposed to. There are many different methods of housebreaking, we recommend crate training. Dogs rarely desire to relieve themselves where they sleep. You should crate the puppy when you can’t observe them. Once you take them out of the crate, take them immediately outside and tell them to take a break. Once they have taken care of business, tell them “good boy”. They will see this is good and will continue this practice for the reward and eventually it will be natural. The key is to be consistent and positive.

As with all training, be patient … be positive … and be consistent. Your pet is,

after all, a creature of habit.

 

Trick or Bark

Trick or Bark!

We are preparing for a Halloween event that you will “Howl” about all year long! At Pet World, we are having our first annual Trick of Bark fest. For the entire month of October, bring your special pet by our store, dressed in their favorite costume, and receive a spooktacular goody bag! One of our pet specialist will take your pooches picture and enter to win a grand prize. Stay tuned for more updates!

Bark ya later!

Pet World

How to Start Off on the Right Paw

Training a puppy takes a lot of dedication and hard work.  Supervision, consistency, and patience are vital to housebreaking and training your puppy.  After you have found your perfect puppy name him/her and immediately begin to use his/her name when talking, playing, or feeding.  This will help your puppy to learn their name quicker and easier.

To begin housebreaking, designate a particular area for your puppy to use as the “potty area.”  Be very persistent with showing them that this is where he/she is to relieve themselves.  An eight week old puppy needs to go relieve himself approximately every 30 minutes to an hour, especially after every nap, mealtime, and playtime. Crate training is critical for housebreaking because it is a natural instinct for a puppy not to “mess” where they sleep. Supervision while outside or in the crate helps greatly with preventing accidents in the house or crate.

Socialization is also a key to a well-rounded puppy.  It gets them used to different people, places, and things.  Take your puppy with you whenever you need to run an errand, pick up food from the pet store, or even a car ride. Do Not go to public parks, rest stops, or around unvaccinated dogs with your puppy. The risk is too great, as there are too many germs for your puppy’s young immune system to fight off.

If you are inconsistent in enforcing the rules, your puppy will become confused and take longer to be crate trained and housebroken.  If you don’t catch your puppy doing something wrong, then don’t punish him for it.  Positive reinforcements such as: treats and praise are both great ways to let your puppy know he/she has done a good job.  This is how they begin their learning process to eventually be able to not only be housebroken, but learn tricks, etc.