Thursday, December 20, 2012

Planning Tips for Pet Travel

Taking your furry friend on a vacation can be a great experience for both you and your pet. It allows you, as an owner quality time with your pet outside of the normal home environment and helps save money on expensive pet boarding, which itself can cause stress for your pet. Pet Health Market has put together a list of pet travelling tips to make for an easier and less stressful adventure with your pet!

DO: Pack a Pet Suitcase

Your companion’s packing list may not be as long as your own but if you pack a pet bag the trip will go a lot smoother for all parties. First, bring your pet’s normal food and water supply. Your pet’s digestive system is accustom to their normal food and changing a diet can cause some messy consequences. When travelling, your pet might get sick drinking from unfamiliar and unsanitary water sources. Starting with a robust supply of water from home and replenishing with sanitary water over the trip will gradually introduce the new water to your pet in a safe way.

When travelling away from home, a pet’s packing list should also include the following items: familiar bedding and blankets, toys, plastic bags, grooming supplies, health records, any medications and treats. Pet Health Market carries a chewable ProQuiet Calming Supplement that helps maintain a healthy nervous system and attitude in dogs and cats. The flavored tablets are perfect for anxious and stressed travelling pets and can be taken before or during travel. You wouldn’t go on vacation without a bag, so don’t forget your pet’s luggage, either!

DO: Buckle Up

Now… we don’t mean that your dog or cat should be using the human seatbelts but all pets should be properly secured. To keep pet and human passengers safe while in motion, all pets should be secured in a well-ventilated crate or carrier. These will keep the animals in one safe place and limit distractions to a human driver. All pet carriers should be large enough for the pet to sit, stand and comfortably turn around. If using a crate or pet carrier you should familiarize your pet with the enclosure before the trip, perhaps even making shorter drives to build your pet’s confidence in the carrier.

DO: Have Up to Date Pet ID and Vaccinations

Having your pet equipped with accurate identification tags should always be a priority. This is even more important when travelling away from home where you and your pet are unfamiliar with the surroundings. Make sure your pet wears a collar with an imprinted tag containing a home address but also a travel tag including cell phone numbers and other relevant destination information.

Before travelling, make sure your pet is up to date with all shots and vaccinations. Aside from the legal requirement of regular rabies shots, some vacation destinations may require additional vaccinations for safe pet travel. Pet Health Market’s inventory of pet vaccines are great choices for pet owners not squeamish around needles. A visit to your local vet can also save you time and frustration of dealing with an unfamiliar veterinarian should a medical issue arise when on the road.

If you are making a cross country trip with your best buddy or just spending a weekend at the in-laws, we hope the pet vacationing tips will make for a more enjoyable and less stressed adventure for you and your pet!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Bone and Joint Health: A Major Issue for Cats, Dogs, and Other Pets

While more commonly associated with afflictions like osteoporosis and arthritis in humans, joint health is actually a much larger concern for household pets and animals in general. In the same way that it's easy for humans to suddenly find themselves less flexible and mobile, pets can easily begin to feel the effects of age when their joints become a bit painful, less flexible, and more of a burden. Their activity levels may suffer, and the problem may compound itself as they gain weight and place more stress on their joints. There are a few common causes of joint problems in pets, and a number of great remedies for those problems in most cases.

The Common Causes: Why Do Pets' Joints Suffer Health Problems?

One of the most common conditions to affect dogs and cats that have been domesticated is arthritis. This largely genetic disease causes joints to become increasingly less flexible and mobile, and the cat or dog will show a noticeable decrease in activity. Arthritis can also have a rather negative impact on the pet's quality of life, inflicting near constant pain as their joints become less and less healthy.

Other issues that can have a negative impact on the joint health of domesticated pets include frequent exercise and overeating. These might sound as though they run counter to each other, but both, in fact, can become problematic depending on the animal’s lifestyle. In cases of excessive exercise, repetitive stress can actually weaken joints or make them more susceptible to the effects of arthritis.

Overeating has a number of negative side effects, not the least of which is a form of diabetes that uniquely affects pets. Diabetes can seriously weaken joints, and it can lead to arthritis in many pets. Furthermore, overeating leads to pets that are overweight, and that means placing more stress on joints during every movement.

Treating the Problem: Choosing the Right Supplements and Treatments for Joint Issues

Just like their human owners, pets have access to a number of great treatments and supplements that can help get rid of joint problems - or stave off future issues with joint health. For cats, a number of soft chews are available to help promote joint health and strength. Best of all, they're basically treats. That makes it a great way to promote great health and a great relationship with the cat. Other supplements are available, too, like GlycoFlex nutritional supplements and NaturVet joint support gel.

Dogs can also avoid joint problems by being fed a few simple treats and supplements. PhyCox Small Bites for Dogs allows man's best friend to enjoy a treat while supplementing the vitamins and minerals that promote healthy joints. NaturVet and Greenies both make extensive lines of pills, treats, and other supplements, that can ensure the integrity of a dog's joints from their youngest days right through old age.

Owners of large animals can also help their pets from experiencing the pain resulting from decreasing bone and joint health. Horses and other large animals can be treated with LubriSyn, a joint supplement that helps flexibility and overall health. Kinetic Conquer and OsteoChon both produce joint care and cartilage health options that keep larger animals in good health throughout their lives. And a number of other companies offer extensive lines of gels, powders, and treats, to keep large animals like horses in great health throughout their lives.

Great Care Can Avoid Great Pain

Paying attention to a pet's activities and diet, as well as their likelihood to develop arthritis, can make all the difference in attempting to these health problems. With the right activities, diet, treats, and supplements, good bone and joint health will come easily to pets of all types and sizes.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Product Review: Cat Pheromone Collar

One of the top selling products at Pet Health Market, this pheromone collar helps ease cats’ anxiety, modify behavior and much more. The way the pheromone collar works is that the collar releases pheromones similar to those a mother cat would produce to calm down her kitties. As recognizable scents, this emission reassures the cats through tense situations (like storms, loud noises, new visitors or when experiencing separation anxiety). Let your kitty lead a stress-free and happy life throughout times of trouble with an effective pheromone cat collar. This collar is just $10.76 online from Pet Meds Supplier, Pet Health Market. You and your feline will love it!

How to Calm your Dog

Dogs and puppies sometimes become excited and exhibit behaviors that are undesirable or even chaotic. This is especially true during stressful times such as thunderstorms, fireworks and other atypical experiences. Stressful moments, however, can also occur during seemingly benign, everyday events such as when the doorbell rings, or when you walk your dog near a high activity area such as a dog park or children playing.

There are several quick calming behavior aids for dogs and techniques you can use in many situations. Perhaps the most available (and inexpensive) calming technique is simply to yawn. A yawn signals calm to a canine and often triggers your dog to yawn as well, which physically calms it. Another simple tool is a food filled toy that a dog can chew or “worry” on – such as the wildly popular Kong. Just fill the toy with delicious treats and freeze. Then you can take it out and give it to your dog to distract, entertain and calm your pup in a variety of circumstances.

Here are some additional tips and strategies to help you calm your dog during specific stressful times.

High Activity – Massage Can Quickly Calm the Situation

It is not always possible to avoid walking or driving your dog past an area of high activity. When that happens, calm your dog by using a Swedish massage of your pet’s skin known as T-touch. This is a light massage of the skin using slow circular movements from the top of the pet’s head to its tail. This will calm Fido, and you can massage your dog standing or sitting.

Doorbells – Desensitize Your Pup to This Trigger

It is part of a dog’s nature to bark to alert a family to intruders and to warm would-be threats that there is an active “protector” on the scene. Nevertheless, some canines become so excited that become overcome with excitement and will not stop barking. To compound the issue, they are often too excited to obey your command to sit and stay so you can let your guest into the house.

You can keep your pet calm when the doorbell rings by desensitizing it to the sound while linking the sound to a substitute action. For example, teach your dog that a ringing doorbell does not always mean a guest at the door. And start linking the doorbell to a substitute action, such as displaying a desired behavior or getting a training treat. However, if you have many visitors, it might be better to focus on displaying a desired behavior instead of treats, or you might end up with a chubby dog.

Thunderstorms – Take the Edge off these Intense Experiences

Anxiety during thunderstorms is not only common, but it can also become worse as your pet grows older. The reality is your pet is physically more sensitive to thunderstorms than you are. Its keener hearing allows your pet to hear the storm at a greater distance than you can. Moreover, a dog’s nose can detect changes in the odor of the air that precedes a storm, while its ears are more sensitive to changes in barometric pressure. That means that the changes to air pressure a thunderstorm brings can actually cause your dog pain in its ears. It’s understandable why this experience can cause so much anxiety for your four legged friend!

You can desensitize your dog to the sounds of a thunderstorm by playing a CD with sounds of a thunderstorm. Play it at a very low volume during the day and gradually increase the volume over several days or weeks. Be sure you go about your regular daily activities. Ignore any displays of fearful behavior from your dog while also distracting it with a playful activity such as playing fetch.

In addition to desensitizing your dog to the storm, you can also purchase a dog thundershirt for the actual event. These shirts apply pressure to trigger points of your pet’s body, which has been shown to have a calming effect on many dogs. These shirts can also be used to alleviate fretfulness during travel or other out-of-the-norm, anxiety-enduring experiences.

Fireworks – Be Prepared to Protect Your Friend

If you cannot take your dog somewhere away from the sounds of Fourth of July fireworks, then prepare your dog. Make sure it gets plenty of exercise that day. Closing the windows and drapes will also help. Provide your pet with a place to retreat where it feels safe. If you can stay with your pet, then play with it if it is willing to do so. If you have to leave your dog alone, leave some calming music playing softly and leave it with toys. Make sure your dog has its collar and tags on because frightened dogs sometimes squeeze past a human and bolt out a door when one is opened.

Day-to-Day Life – Better Health Can Mean a Calm Pooch

Dogs are like humans in that they have different temperaments. While some dogs are extremely calm, others are higher energy and be easily moved to anxiousness or distress. In some cases, this could be a sign that your dog requires more exercise. In others, your dog could be displaying signs of a nutritional imbalance, in which cases it would be wise to incorporate a quality canine multivitamin into your dog’s daily regimen. There are also dog supplements specifically formulated to help calm your dog that can be used daily or during times of high stress.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Product Review: Bio Spot

bio spot dog flea and tick prevention medicine

Keep your pooch happy and itch-free with Bio Spot Spot On flea and tick repellant for dogs. This spot treatment goes on easily as a spot or a stripe on your dog’s back one time per month. Bio Spot kill and repels pesky adult fleas for up to four weeks and the treatment will kill flea eggs and larvae for up to four months. For problems with ticks, Bio Spot also kills and repels those nasty creatures and continues working for four weeks. Bio Spot targets Deer Ticks, Brown Dog Ticks and American Dog Ticks. This treatment also effectively prevents feeding by mosquitoes for four weeks.

Bio Spot is a great all-in-one treatment for your dog to keep him safe and happy as you guard against disease-carrying biting pests. Bio Spot should only be used on dogs over the age of 12 weeks and should never be used on cats or animals other than dogs.

Topical flea protection is easy to use with minimal disruption to your dog’s routine or your own. Unlike pills, topical treatment like Bio Spot requires little fuss and stress for your dog and you. This ease of use means that Bio Spot is a perfect treatment method for a busy family.

This is an easy-to-use treatment that has demonstrated an effectiveness of 92 percent and greater control of fleas within one day of use. This product offers great protection for man’s best friend so your pal can enjoy a healthy, happy lifestyle that includes time outdoors without worrying about the insects that will make him unhappy. Try Bio Spot and keep your dog smiling and bite-free.

For even more dog flea prevention solutions, visit Pet Health Market online.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

5 Quick Fixes for Dog Misbehavior

For a variety of dog misbehavior, there are proven solutions to combating them. Don’t call in the Dog Whisperer or sign up for an expensive dog training class before trying out some of our solutions to common dog behavior problems. Read on below!

  1. Dog Anxiety During Storms
  2. During thunderstorms and big rainstorms, it’s common for some canines to become anxious, shivering, panting or even barking. You can ease your pooch’s preoccupations with a dog Thundershirt. These anxiety-relieving shirts apply a constant amount of pressure to your dog, which is shown to create a calming effect on dogs. Many users rave about the dramatic difference the Thundershirt makes in their dogs’ anxiety during storms, fear during travel or new situations or even their over-excitement.

  3. Dog Eating Poop
  4. For whatever reason, it’s not that unusual to see a dog trying to eat its own poop. Feed your dog a coprophagia deterrent chew – these chews make stools taste bad, thus preventing the desire and interest of the feces. If your dog seems abnormally interested in consuming other animals’ stools, it may be time to take him/her to a vet – some instances of coprophagia are because of medical issues.

  5. Dog Barking
  6. If your dog’s a yapper and the incessant barks are becoming a nuisance to you, your neighbors, or both – think about a bark deterring behavioral aid. Our SpraySense anti-bark collars are a long-lasting and safe way to deter barking. The anti-bark collars emit an aroma of citronella, an unpleasant smell to dogs (but virtually undetectable to humans) that interrupts their barking.

  7. Dog Timid/Fearful of New Situations
  8. Many canines get shy in new situations, or show fear when exposed to new environments; you can’t always protect your dog from new encounters, but you can help them feel more at ease. Our anxiety relief aids vary from calming chews and yummy lickable gels to Thundershirts and more. Help make the stress more manageable by getting some of these stress-relieving solutions online at Pet Health Market.

  9. Dog Begging
  10. If Fido’s picked up the bad habit of begging for treats at the dinner table, or barking every time the doorbell rings (or many more bothersome habits), the MannersMinder Remote Training System is the perfect solution! This dog reward trainer releases treats from a distance, positively reinforcing good behavior. By removing your association with the treats, you encourage better behavior ‘just because’ - and your pups won’t be constantly begging you for a nibble. The system comes with a training guide and you can use it for a variety of other dog behavior and dog training issues – what a great solution!

We hope these 5 quick fixes will help you with your dog! For many more pet solutions, pet medications and more, visit the affordable Pet Health Market.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Keep Dogs Flea Free

Fighting fleas can feel like an endless battle, but there are several options that pet owners can use to keep their dogs (and their homes!) flea-free. Many of these options are inexpensive, and even the more expensive ones are not terribly costly especially if purchased from an affordable pet med supplier like Pet Health Market.

  • Flea and Tick Collars
  • One popular method of flea control that many dog owners choose is the flea and/or tick collar. This solution to the flea problem is simple and cheap since the collar is easily slipped around the dog's neck and doesn’t break the wallet. Most flea collars kill fleas at multiple levels of their life cycles and are effective for several months before needing to be replaced. Even better, some flea collars kill both fleas and ticks, harmful creatures which can carry diseases that can sicken and even kill canines. Pethealthmarket.com carries flea collars that are made by Adams, Preventic, Powerband, and Scalibor.

  • Flea and Tick Shampoos
  • Flea and tick shampoos are also popular for killing canine pests since the method is so intuitive. Humans get clean by bathing, so do dogs! Most flea shampoos kill fleas on contact, and sometimes the fleas may even drown. Shampoos often kill flea larvae and eggs in addition to adult fleas but must be used regularly in order to maintain a lack of fleas and typically shouldn’t be a one-step approach to canine flea prevention. On top of ousting the fleas, your pooch will have a fluffy and shiny coat! At Pet Health Market, we sell a variety of vet-trusted flea and tick shampoos from top brands like Adams, Virbac, Ovitrol, Mycodex, and natural options like Bio SPOT and NaturVet.

  • Oral Flea Medicine
  • Oral flea-killers are usually tablets that are ingested or mixed into a dog’s meal. Some of these medicines kill adult fleas while others disrupt the egg cycle; you should read the various product labels carefully before selecting a product so you have the appropriate flea prevention for your pup. You may want to take oral flea medication to kill eggs and then use a shampoo or topical medicine to kill adult fleas. Some of our oral flea medications are from trusted brands like Capstar, Program, and Thomas Labs.

  • Flea and Tick Powders and Sprays
  • Powders and sprays often kill and/or repel fleas on contact depending on their ingredients. Owners often like sprays for their ease of application, for their doubling as an insect repellent and the fact that flea sprays can be used on bedding, carpet and furniture. If you’ve had a flea infestation in your home, it’s important to vacuum and use a flea spray to ensure all the eggs and adult fleas are gone!

  • Topical Flea and Tick Medications
  • Topical medication is the most popular method of dog flea treatment due to its ease of application and its longevity. Owners usually only have to apply topical medicine once a month, and many medications kills fleas at all life stages. At Pet Health Market, we offer topical medications from veterinary-trusted brands like Frontline, Advantage, K9 Advantix, and many more.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Product Review: EasyTouch Insulin Syringe

For furry friends and humans alike, our EasyTouch insulin syringes are an affordable way to deliver at home insulin shots when needed. These one-time use insulin syringes are easy to use and of highest quality, so you know you can trust them with your animal friends.

Save money by taking care of your animals’ diabetic needs by injecting insulin at home. You can manage their levels and always be prepared in the event the little guys get into some food they shouldn’t. If your animal is sensitive, you don’t have to worry – these syringes are 100% latex free and contain a lubricant film coating to maximize comfort.

The easy readability of the syringe as well as the lack of dead space within it help ensure you’re always injecting the accurate amount of insulin for your pet.

Our EasyTouch insulin syringes vary in price, but our cheapest are just $.96 for a bag of 10 U-100 .5 cc 29G x ½” syringes. For more pet diabetic supplies or other at home pet meds, visit your favorite Pet Health Market