Pets are just as much a part of the family as any other member. So its not surprising to find that many people include their animal friends in their holiday giving. Whether you own a dog, a cat or something a little more exotic, the holidays can be a lot of fun for pets.

The top gifts for pets are:

68% Toys

45% Treats or foods

8% Bedding

6% Pet clothing

3% Collar or leash

66% of pet owners plan to give their pet a toy this holiday season. The average pet owner spent $41 on pet gifts last year. This year’s average is expected to be $46. Pets are definitely part of our holiday celebrations, and the dedication to including them in the gift giving shows that pet lovers across the country value their four legged friends as family.  What are you going to give your pet?

The rise has sent pet owners clamoring to lower-cost clinics to treat their pets, updating up their pet insurance policies and turning to discount retailers, like 1-800-PET-MEDS, which typically sells medicine at below most pharmacies’ pricetags.

Some veterinarians have been willing to work with pet owners by setting up payment plans to cover costs for some surgeries and emergency visits over a longer perio

Doctors and other experts say while owners are shelling out more cash to treat their dogs, cats and other pets, they’re also getting their money’s worth. Medicine and treatment techniques have vastly improved in the past decade. And that means more costs to customers.

The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates 72 million dogs and nearly 82 million cats were kept as pets in the United States in 2007. That same year, there were about 850,000 active pet insurance policies, according to the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Monthly premiums for pet insurance can run from $11 to $50, adding up to roughly from $2,000 to $6,000 or more over a pet’s lifetime. And some medical procedures for pets can cost anywhere from $500 to $2,500, depending on the severity of the case.

While some experts argue the pros and cons of pet insurance — the premiums generally are cheaper than most other insurance, but the deductibles seldom, if ever, cover costs of more serious ailments or injuries — having it makes sense in an emergency, she says.

In many cases, pets can safely use insurance-covered medicine that is prescribed to humans, even generics

Eight in 10 pet owners took their animal companion to a veterinarian in the past 12 months. And cost was an obstacle for a third of those who did not visit the vet.

The bulk of pet owners faced costs below the average. Sixty percent of those who did take a pet to the vet spent $300 or less on their animal’s care, the average expenditure was boosted higher by the one in eight (13 percent) who spent $1,000 or more.

About one in six pet owners say their pet faced a serious illness during the year, and those pet owners spent an average of $1,092 on vet care. One percent say they took their pets to the vet and spent no money.

According to the poll, most pet owners have faith in the treatment vets recommend. Overall, 52 percent say vets do not often recommend excessive treatment, 26 percent say that happens moderately often, 17 percent extremely or very often.

Among those who did not take their pets to the vet last year, 52 percent say they only take their pets to the vet “when they’re really sick.”

To date, there is not cure for diabetes in dogs, but it can be managed well if caught at an early stage. There  are a few common symptoms to look for when dealing with dog diabetes. Dog diabetes usually surfaces between the ages of 7 and 9. About one out of every ten dogs will suffer from diabetes.

Diabetes is when the pancreas cannot produce enough natural insulin to prevent glucose levels from rising in your dog’s system. If the levels of glucose get too high, they will leak into the kidneys and cause infections and eventually lead to other internal problems.

Symptoms

There are a number of symptoms to keep an eye out for when dealing with diabetes. The most obvious symptoms include:

- Frequent urination

- Excessive water consumption

- Lethargy and lack of energy

- Cataract formation

- Weight loss or gain

The most common symptoms are frequent urination and excessive water consumption. This is because excess glucose in the body cannot process normally in the bloodstream. Your dog’s body will then try to rid the glucose through urination. This in turn causes extreme thirst, which starts the vicious process all over again.

Treatment of Dog Diabetes

Spaying Females.

Female dogs are more susceptible to diabetes than males. Lots of owners choose to spay their dogs to help balance hormone levels.

Insulin shots.

When your dog has diabetes, his natural production of insulin from the pancreas is low. Insulin shots are given and need to be monitored properly to avoid a low blood sugar crisis.

Diet.

Diet is extremely important for diabetic dogs. A good diet is beneficial because it decreases your dog’s dependency on insulin, controls sugar and carbohydrate levels, and helps your dog to lose weight.

 
Exercise.

It is important to keep your dog active during diabetes. This will help maintain weight and keep diabetes under control.

Always take your dog to the veterinarian if you suspect he may have diabetes. Diabetes can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis and organ failure if left untreated. Once diabetes has been diagnosed in your dog, it’s time to begin treatment. It is important to follow a strict treatment plan to best suit your dog’s case of diabetes. Treatments are different for each dog. Talk to your veterinarian about the best options for your dog’s specific case of diabetes.

The Presidential First Dog’s Bowl

You have to had it to the Europeans -they have class.  This dog bowl for instance is just exquisite and made from fine porcelain of the best quality -not Chinese cheap made of lead.  No no…not so.  The Presidents First Dog bowl is fired 4 times and hard kilned made from Czech raw production materials.

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A microchip is a glass bead about the size of a grain of rice which is implanted between an animal’s shoulder blades. It contains a radio transmitter, an antenna, and a computer chip with a 10-digit code. The information contained in a microchip has to be read by a scanner — it is not a GPS system that will allow you to track and locate your pet.

Most humane societies and rescue organizations require that adopted pets be microchipped, so if your pet came from a shelter there’s a good chance he or she already has one.

For those of you who are still considering a microchip for your pet, there are a few important items you should first consider.

With or Without Anesthetic?
Most veterinarians will likely tell you that microchipping your pet is painless. But at my practice we would never even consider microchipping without some local anesthetic.

And I highly recommend that if your pet gets a microchip, you insist on anesthetic. No matter what you have been told, the procedure hurts — the chip is inserted with a really big 12-gauge needle!

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Training a puppy is often considerably easier than training an adult or adolescent dog. One reason is that the puppy is essentially a “blank slate”, untroubled by past training techniques and other issues. Another more indirect reason is that you are probably more likely to spend more time and have greater patience with your new puppy than you would after the “novelty” has worn off somewhat. And it tends to be human nature to have greater patience with young (dogs and people), since we know that they’re inexperienced in life and they’re usually eager to learn.

In other ways, however, the puppy can be a little more difficult to train than an older dog. One challenge to training a new puppy is that puppies are more easily distractable than older dogs. Everything is new to a puppy, and every new experience provides a new chance for distraction. For this reason, it is best to keep training sessions short when working with a puppy, and to end each training sessions on a positive note.

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FINALLY SOME ANSWERS… maybe!
In the summer of 2001 the Pet Food Committee of the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) obtained approval for suggested guidelines for manufacturers of pet foods to follow when referring to the term NATURAL.  When it comes to labeling commercial feeds, pet foods, and specialty pet foods the use of the term “natural” is only acceptable in reference to the product as a whole when all of the ingredients and components of ingredients meet the definition.  The use of the term “natural” on the label is false and misleading if any chemically synthesized ingredients are present in the product.  Prophylene Glycol and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) are two common examples of chemically synthesized ingredients found in some pet foods. The committee suggested that an exception be made for synthetic vitamin and mineral additives as long as the product is not used as a dietary supplement.

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The incubation period from the time a dog is exposed until clinical signs appear varies depending on which infectious agent is the cause. In general it appears to be about 3 to 5 days with Bordetella. The infection tends to be mild except for a very harsh cough that often prompts owners to think that their dog “has something caught in his throat”. In some dogs it can lead to pneumonia or more serious signs. Cough suppressants can be used to control the cough and antibiotics may be necessary for stubborn infections or to try to stop the spread of the bacteria in multiple dog households. It is probably a good idea to vaccinate dogs who will be exposed to large numbers of other dogs, such as at shows, obedience classes or the classic cause — when left in kennels. The intranasal vaccine is pretty fast acting, providing some protection in as little as 5 days. The injectable version of the vaccine may provide longer immunity, though. Some vets use both to get maximum protection.

TRAINING THE NEW PUP
Let’s start out on our own literary journey down this freeway of discovery and try to understand the many facets of successful traveling with a dog. And the best place for us to start is with a puppy. If you have an adult dog that has not traveled before, skip this puppy class and proceed to ON THE ROAD.

Puppies are smart. They just don’t know it yet. So you’ve got to show them how smart they are by putting them through a few little practice sessions prior to show time. Soon after you have that new pup home, spend some time in the car with it while the engine is off and the car is parked. Tiny tidbits of treats will assure the little rascalLook through the store for pet foods, toys, treats and lots more! that cars are a neat place for snacking. After a few practice sessions, do the same routine with the engine running in a well-ventilated area (NOT in the garage!) Do not get all excited about how great the puppy is doing and be overly praising, if you do, your smart little pup will think this car stuff is a big deal and we don’t want that. To a dog, cars are just another area for snoozing or introspective world watching. If you are quiet and passive the pup will take your lead and learn to relaxed.

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“Well, she does seem to have bad breath, Doctor” is the usual reply. “But I’m sure at her age she can’t have anything done now”. My response is that the continual presence of bacteria and their associated toxins have a daily impact on the dog’s health; anything we can do to change that for the better is appropriate. Privately I’m thinking “How would you like that pathology going on in your mouth?”

Partly because the mouth is warm, moist and has significant nutrients present for organisms to grow on, the oral cavity of dogs is a perfect incubator for all kinds of bacteria.

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