Stronghold flea and worm medication is another fine example of a multifaceted and all inclusive medication to defend your pet against all sorts of foreign invaders. The advantage of a treatment like Stronghold is that it is a sort of one stop shop for almost any parasitic problems you might encounter. True to its name, Stronghold turns your pet into an indomitable fortress designed to take out parasites at every turn. This simple spot on medication protects your pet on the outside from fleas, sarcoptic mange, ticks, and ear mites as well as the inside from worms that plague the intestinal tract and heart. The active ingredient in Stronghold is known as Selamectin. It’s a water resistant chemical that absorbs into your dog or cat by way of the hair follicles and skin, it then travels through the sebaceous glands, bloodstream, and intestines going to work on whatever foreign attacker is closest at hand and all set to be destroyed. It has separate uses depending on which animal it’s used on. In dogs it kills certain varieties of fleas as well as the aforementioned ear mites, while in cats the chemical takes its pound of flesh from intestinal worms. To be more precise, it works most notably against hookworms and roundworms. Like any other spot on medication that’s worth its salt, Stronghold is convenient in a number of ways. For starters, it’s fast acting. It begins killing parasites within 30 minutes of an application. It’s long-lasting as well. Just one treatment is worth 30 days of parasite protection. Another great feature is that bathing the dog won’t reduce the drug’s efficacy, at least not after a grace period of 30 minutes, right about the time you’d want to start washing off the dead fleas! Another lesser known bonus application of Stronghold is its effectiveness on newborn puppies. Puppies are too young and fragile to be treated with any pet medications directly. However, it’s perfectly safe to treat their mother before the litter has been weaned. Do you get where this is going? The lactating mother canine is able to act as a filter and transmitter for the puppies’ flea prevention. It’s a handy feature, because it’s absolutely heartbreaking to see a defenseless puppy fall prey to the negative effects of a filthy parasite. If this product is starting to sound a little eerily familiar, it may be because of a passing familiarity you have with another nearly identical name brand of pet medication: Revolution. In fact, it might surprise you to learn that Stronghold and Revolution are one and the same. They are identical products sold under different names in different parts of the world. Why the discrepancy? Only the fine folks at Pfizer (the manufacturer of both) would know. Regardless of their reasoning the only difference in the two products is the packaging, and no matter your choice in aesthetics, both products are available at Petbucket.com. Order your supply in advance and save on shipping today!  

There are a few more important aspects getting cats and dogs living together that we’ve yet to discuss. As we learned in the last post, introductions are important, and shouldn’t be rushed through at all. Instead, a slow, methodical, and supervised tactic should be observed over a number of weeks acclimatizing the cat to the dog and vice versa. Unrestricted face to face encounters should be saved until the dog can reliably be called to heel despite the distracting advent of the cat. The cat needs to be comfortable with its surroundings, and able to get away from the dog whenever it feels threatened. In addition to these hard and fast rules, there are a number of intangibles to look out for. When picking out pets to round out your household, a conscientious pet owner should always take temperament and attitude into account. Playful cats are more likely to get along with playful dogs. Independent dogs won’t be as likely to irritate more self-concerned cats. It’s a simple thought, but one that pays big dividends if it is observed. Choosing pets with complimentary personalities goes a long way in successfully getting cats and dogs living together. Earlier it was mentioned about cats that they need safe-havens to escape to when the dog becomes too overbearing. Most cats can manage to find these sorts of things out for themselves, but if you have a perchless homestead, you might want to invest in some kind of jungle gym climbing equipment for your kitty. A few steps with scratching post pillars and cat nip embedded within should do the trick. Just so long as it’s tall enough for the cat to retreat from the dog upon. One obvious dynamic that we’ve yet to mention is the age of the pets. Trying to get adult cats and dogs living together is far more difficult than teaching a puppy and a kitten to do the same. Younger animals are always quicker to socialize, play, and learn about one another. Such is the inquisitive and adorable nature of the youth. Even so, it is still important to regulate the dog when the cat is being overwhelmed, and the cat needs to be kept in line if it ever begins to bully the dog. Although it is okay to enjoy an initial laugh at the dog’s expense. Just be sure to correct the behavior soon thereafter. The whole idea to getting cats and dogs living together happily is balancing out the conflicts in their personalities. A dog can’t be overly dominant of the cat, and the cat can’t be overtly aggressive toward the dog. You have to have two equally submissive pets recognizing your authority as the alpha of your household. Once the pecking order is clearly established, the introductions have been made at the proper pace, and all of the intangibles have been observed and orchestrated you can move begin to enjoy the  silly displays of affection and merrymaking that your cats and dogs will inevitably perform for your entertainment.

As we discussed in the last article posted on the blog, having cats and dogs living together can be pretty complicated. They are two very different species with a two sets of completely different standards. Cats and dogs need some time to get adjusted to one another. However, with a bit of patience, hard work, and the ever present consistency required for pet training you can have a multiple pet household that gets along famously. To begin getting your cats and dogs living together, it’s important to focus on training the dog rather than the cat. An adult feline will almost always reject a forced friendship. Dogs are like tornadoes of instability to a cat. To a dog, a cat is either a new friend or a very different breed of squirrel that is still meant to be chased. That’s why it is imperative to have a fairly well behaved dog if there is any hope of this process progressing beyond step one. Your dog should be able to successfully and consistently perform the “sit,” “stay,” and “leave it” commands. Once your dog is capable of behaving itself, begin introductions via smell. Keep the cat in a separate room with some toys, food/water, and a litter box. This will help the animals to start recognizing each other’s scent. You can also crate the two of them and place the crates near one another. This is so the cats and dogs can see and smell one another without threatening the cat’s security. These introductions should be treated with caution keeping the dog under close watch, for at least a week before going any further. After this initial smelling out phase, you should begin bringing the dog into the same room with the cat on a leash, or perhaps allowing the cat to roam freely around the house with the dog on a leash. Be forewarned, this step can take weeks, even months, and some dogs will have such a drive to hunt that you’ll never be able to reconcile the presence of a cat. In such a case, you’ll have to admit you made a mistake and rehome one or the other. Be sure to keep them away from each other’s food dishes, or any other spots/toys that they might feel especially protective of. Every time the dog sees the cat, pay the dog lots of attention and praise. This is to make the dog understand that having a cat around is a good thing. As soon as your dog can become acclimated to the idea of leaving the cat alone with your supervision, you can let it off the leash. You may want to consider buying a remote control collar for even further assurance of a dog’s good behavior. Once all this is accomplished, you’ll have pretty  much succeeded getting your cats and dogs living together. However, there is still a lot more involved in the process. Check back in next time for the final installment of this three part guide on socializing cats and dogs.

Dogs and cats have been at each other’s throats since time immemorial. They are natural born enemies with polar opposite social habits, structures, and attitudes. The cat is a graceful, lithe, clever, and independent animal. It is completely capable of handling its business, and seems to think it’s doing humans a favor by allowing care to be given. Meanwhile, the loyal dog is an intensely social creature, craving affection and praise. They are hard workers, constant companions, and fierce guardians over all mankind’s endeavors. Each animal was domesticated for distinct purposes that will sometimes clash with one another. They are both hunters, with powerful predatory instincts, which have often led to conflict. Even more so, their individual methods of interaction cause a great deal of friction. Understanding the disparities as well as the similarities between these two very different pets is absolutely essential to teaching them both to get along. So in the interest of unity, here compiled for your reading pleasure are some difficulties of dogs and cats living together. To begin with, most dogs are OCD. They have very little patience or self-control unless it is drilled into them with constant repetition and training.  This makes them, quite literally, dogged hunters. They will chase a target until there is absolutely no gas left in their tanks. With a cunningly clever escape artist like a cat, this can be a real problem.  Since cats are so good at being elusive, a dog’s determined predatory instinct is likely to go into overdrive at the presentation of such a ripe challenge. A constant and consistent struggle will arise from a dog’s persistence and a cat’s evasiveness. Another set of major factors contributing to an un-harmonized relationship between the two are the standards of social interaction. Dogs greet one another with close contact, a lot of sniffing, licking, barking, and furious movement. This kind of greeting is overwhelming and off-putting to even the friendliest of felines. Even similar body language portrays a completely different message for each species. A wagging tail for a dog means happiness and contentment. A cat’s twitching tail is another thing entirely, as it is meant to display agitation or even aggression. The point is that dogs and cats are on opposite ends of the spectrum in many respects, which makes it a little easier to understand why they might have more trouble getting along. Fortunately these differences are not irreconcilable. Many households have more than one variety of pet. You don’t have to pick a side, a dog person or cat person can definitely become an interchangeable pet person. While dogs and cats have their differences, with the right amount of love, supervision, and intelligent restraint they can quickly become fast friends. However, this process is usually neither quick nor especially easy. Like most methods of training, it takes time to get dogs and cats living together. Check back tomorrow, for an in-depth look on how to teach your pets to successfully cohabitate.

Looking for an effective heartworm medication? Are you looking to save some money as well? Valuheart might be the perfect 2 in 1 solution to all your travails. The active ingredient in Valuheart is Ivermectin, which also happens to be the kicker in popular heartworm preventative: Heartgard. The simple fact is that Heartgard and Valuheart are nearly identical except for the packaging. The only major difference is the money you’ll save purchasing Valuheart.  For almost half the price of the better known Heartgard, you can grab a packet of Valuheart and provide your pets with the same protection while paying 50 percent of the price. Symptoms of heartworm are extremely difficult to identify until the very late stages of the disease’s onset. That’s why it is very important to get your dog or cat checked for the disease regularly, and to always treat it with a monthly preventative. Because it is much easier and cheaper to avoid heartworm than it is to cure it. Heartworm is one of the most debilitating and devastating diseases for a family to contend with when it comes to their pets. It is a serious problem that senselessly cuts down many beloved family pets in their prime. Since heartworm is such a painful, sneaky, and pervasive disease in the pet population, there are a variety of medications on the market and in consistently in development for its treatment. This huge variety can make a purchase decision very difficult. That’s why it’s important to identify your criteria for the buy. If you’re looking for a cure all medication, a “net” to take out worms, fleas, ticks, mosquitos, mites, sarcoptic mange, and all other possible threats then you’ll probably have a short list of expensive pet meds that can actually handle your needs. However, if you’re looking for the specific problem of heartworm prevention to be solved, you’ll need a “harpoon” type of treatment to make a single swift strike against the biggest enemy you or your pet are likely to encounter, then Valuheart may be your most attractive option. Valuheart has the same efficacy, delivery system, and legitimacy as Heartgard. The only difference is in price. Both these ivermectin fueled pet meds are powerful, effective, and fast acting, but one is definitely much more affordable than the other. Many customers consider cost as an indicator of how effective a medication can be, but in this case nothing could be further from the truth. Superior marketing, an established name brand, and an excellent product have all contributed to the success of Heartgard. However, the well-known pet medication doesn’t have much to boast over its generic competition. Everything that Heartgard offers can be duplicated and appreciated by users of Valuheart. Because they share the same active ingredient and tablet type delivery they’re virtually twin brothers in the world of veterinary medicine. They treat the same animals, (either dogs or cats) and they come in the same size variations. The only real difference is image. Take a closer look at Valuheart today!

Hello and welcome! It’s time for another product showcase in the ongoing war against fleas. This week’s item presented for your perusal goes by quite the contented moniker: Comfortis. Comfortis is a highly effective chewable monthly flea killer. This stuff is extremely potent against fleas, but relatively easy on a dog’s system. Comfortis begins working as soon as digestion starts, around 30 minutes after the initial administration, and it keeps working for thirty days after ingestion. It actually causes fleas to have a seizure before they shove off the mortal coil. It’s a dramatic sight, if you’ve got a microscope and the free time. According to a study from 2011 put forth by Ipsos Forward Research, Comfortis has the highest overall satisfaction rate for monthly flea control products among veterinarians. That’s mighty high praise for a chewable. Usually, a digested treat doesn’t go to work as quickly as the spot on alternative, owing that delayed reaction to digestion and transmission through the blood stream rather than the sebaceous glands in their skin. It’s efficacy can’t be understated, the fact that you can actually witness fleas seizing and dying within a half hour of feeding the dog a tasty treat, is nothing short of incredible. Also incredible, is the chewable delivery system for this drug. That means no more chasing the dog or cat around the house and applying the back of the neck death grip in order to apply one of those irritating spot ons. Those of you with more subdued pets might not understand such travails, but if you’ve ever had to deal with a half feral cat that doesn’t like the smell of a spot on, you’re more than a little familiar with the difficulty described. You can also cease to worry about getting any of the chemical on your hands, furniture, clothing, or carpet. Comfortis works by regulating the growth of the fleas as well as the all-out brutal genocide it commits upon the adult blood-suckers. What this means is it keeps flea larvae, pupa, and eggs from ever entering into the next stage of life. Without any way of growing up they don’t really die of old age, but just sort of expire because they can’t fend for themselves at any point before adulthood. As far as fleas are concerned, Comfortis is a nightmare grotesquery that eliminates silently, violently, and almost instantaneously. To sum it up, Comfortis is a tasty chewable delight for dogs and cats alike, which horribly maims the unborn fleas, cantankerously annihilates the adolescent ones, and vehemently exterminates the adults—all in a timely fashion. It’s chemical warfare at its best; giving the maximum benefit to you and your pet, with no fuss for you and a delicious reward for them, but also taking swift and total vengeance against your microscopic enemies. So if you are looking for a fast, effective, and ferocious chewable alternative to a spot on flea control medication, then give Comfortis a once over today!

Surprisingly enough in our in the era of information inundation, it’s somewhat difficult to ascertain the leading cause of death for pets. Despite being an immensely popular area of interest for millions of people around the world, pets have yet to garner their own database detailing the various means of their demise. While this is a morbid thing to consider, it certainly bears consideration. Because we don’t have this crucial information readily at hand it’s more difficult to safeguard our pets against potential pet threats. What little information that does eventually float to the surface of public consciousness seems to reach a consensus concerning the major reasons for the death of a dog or cat. These causes usually center on old age, shelter euthanization, cancer, and traffic accidents. Being in different species usually means slightly different brackets for most criteria in mortality rates. With cats and dogs, this maxim doesn’t seem to hold true. Because of the high level of care and good quality of life in many developed countries, (the only places on earth where this sort of data is compiled,) old age is actually one of the leading causes of death for dogs and cats alike. Unfortunately, there’s no preventing an end that isn’t premature; the same can be said of shelter euthanization.  Everything has its allotted time, and when that time comes, there’s only so much that science and even prayer can do to delay it. Other than giving your pet plenty of exercise and a healthy diet, there’s not too much you can do to delay the inevitable. Another of the leading causes of death in pets is canine and feline cancer. In fact, it is a massive problem. More than any other disease, cancer in dogs and cats is running rampant, significantly increasing the mortality rate of dogs and cats alike. Dealing with the death of a dog or cat is hard enough. Dealing with the death of a dog or cat due to a degenerative disease is downright heartbreaking. Luckily, there are some ways to help prevent cancer in dogs and cats. Keeping pets safe from cancer, while not a fool-proof process, is certainly a simple one. How simple? As simple as avoiding known carcinogens. Here’s a quick list of some easy steps to safeguarding pet life: -Provide pure water Either filtered or distilled if you’re feeling especially fancy. This purification process eliminates potentially harmful agents in your pet’s water. -Avoid pollution—If your city issues a smog alert, it might be best to skip the daily walk. Try not to smoke in front of your dog or cat either. They’re lungs are just as sensitive to pollutants as yours are. -Keep them away from lawn treatments—Pesticides, herbicides, etc. -Provide a stress free environment—Pets are social creatures and sensitive to the moods and emotions of their surroundings. -Plenty of exercise—A fit body is a healthy body! Remember these tips, and keep your pet life around longer and stronger!  

So your dog knows some tricks, eh? Feeling pretty smug? Alright smart guy, why don’t we work towards something a little more challenging? Anybody can get the basic tricks down: sit, stay, shake, lie down, and come. Those aren’t that tough so here comes the curve ball. You’re going to teach your dog to heel. Training a dog to heel takes a lot of concentration from your pooch, and a lot of patience from you. There’s tons of repetition, variability, treat giving, and affectionate praise involved so get ready for a long endeavor. Like most tricks, it’s not the difficulty involved that makes it so tasking to teach your dog. It’s the sheer redundancy and time spent that really has you pulling your hair out. So long as you’re prepared for that you should do just fine. So let’s get started. The objective in training a dog to heel is to teach your dog to come immediately when called and stay right by your side. This is a handy skill for an excitable hound who, left unattended, may just tackle your neighbor’s toddler. Begin with your dog in the Heel position, adjacent to your leg, but not touching you.  Keep one of the hound’s favorite snacks in hand at about waist height with plenty more in reserve.. Take two steps forward, leading the dog with the treat. Always teach your dog to heel on one side, left or right according to your preference. When the dog follows your lead and comes to a stop at your side reward the behavior with a treat and verbal praise. Did you enjoy that? Good, while training a dog to heel you’ll be doing it thousands of times. Once you’re comfortable with the pup’s ability at two steps, increase the distance. As you’re leading the dog, consistently keep its attention by calling its name and making kissing, clicking, or whistling noises. Don’t add the verbal command, “Heel” until you teach your dog to consistently and correctly perform the trick. The concept behind this is to establish the behavior before cementing the trick with the command. Continue this process until you’re blue in the gills, rewarding your dog every time it gets it right. If they lag behind or run too far ahead, simply stand up straight, patiently say “no” and restart the process. Once your dog has the trick down to a distance of ten paces or more, you can add in the verbal command. Begin telling it to heel as it’s following you. Slowly but surely the idea will sink into the dog’s mind. Once that’s done, it’s time to test your dog’s commitment to treat-getting. Take them to different locations, practice in front of other people or animals, adjust your speed, heel longer before restarting, and add in some turns while walking. If your pup manages to stay obedient through all that, then congratulations, you can officially start calling yourself a dog whisperer and lobby animal planet for your own reality show. That is one well behaved doggy!

Congratulations on your new puppy! You’re in luck, because learning how to train your dog from scratch is much easier than trying to get them to unlearn bad habits. Puppies are obsessed with getting your attention, and are very eager to please. This makes it the ideal time to begin puppy leash training when they’re young. As with every other type of training, leash training a puppy takes consistency and patience. It’s a little difficult at first, but keep at it and you’ll have a perfectly behaved pup padding along on a slack leash at your side during every walk. Start off by understanding the psychology of how to train your dog. All animals in nature work off of reward systems. If they behave in a certain way that brings about a desired result, their brains will give them a massive jolt of pleasure. Keeping that in mind, you have to remember to never reward your puppy for an undesirable behavior. In this case you must avoid rewarding your puppy for pulling against the leash. It will cause the both of you discomfort and will set you back a good deal in leash training a puppy. So before taking your puppy on its first walk, get it used to the leash by letting the pup wear it around the house. They’ll drag it around, chew on it, and generally act cute but eventually the walking implement will be forgotten. Once they’ve achieved a level of comfort with the leash, take up your end and walk around the house with them. Figuring out how to train your dog is about getting them used to being right by your side with a lot of slack on the leash. Doing this in a controlled environment free of all the distractions in the outside world will do wonders for their self-control. While you’re performing the puppy leash training exercises, it’s important to reward your puppy for the proper behavior. Keep a package of their favorite treats on you, and reward them every time they find themselves in the correct position. However, if their tendency is to pull away and keep the leash taut you’ll have to do the most frustrating thing imaginable for both of you. Keep still. This is where your patience is key. Puppy leash training will drive you to your wits end if you have a particularly stubborn pup, and the first few sessions are going to be tasking no matter what.  Still the best way to break them of bad leash training habits is to let their undesirable behavior go unrewarded. They have to realize that whenever they pull in the wrong direction, they won’t go anywhere. So when a puppy begins pulling, stop in your tracks and call them back. Once they return to your side reward them with plenty of praise and a tasty treat. Repeat this process until your brain is numb and you’ll have a perfectly leash trained puppy.

Everyone knows how difficult it is to keep your favorite pet worm free. Those pesky parasites seem to pop up wherever and whenever they’re least expected; and repeated vet visits can be a tiring and costly chore. Thankfully, many powerful worming medications are readily available at the vet’s office as well as online. Though the massive multiplicity of medications for dogs or cats with worms presents another problem. Which of these meds is best for your dog or cat? Well, the most popular and effective, according to most consumer reviews, are the products produced under the Drontal name brand which have a very high success rate, and near 100% customer satisfaction. Drontal has a lot of different products under its broad umbrella. Drontal plus, Drontal Allwormer  Cats, Drontal Chewables Dogs, and Drontal Worming Suspension Puppies are just a few of the flagship products made by the Bayer subsidiary. Since worms in dogs often share many attributes with cat worms, the same active ingredients can work in both species. These 3 active ingredients are: praziquantel, pyrantel pamoate, and febantel. Though one important exception would be that febantel isn’t present in the Drontal products for cats. These products are just as tough on the worms in dogs and cats as they are to pronounce. The first active ingredient in Drontal, praziquantel, starts off the treatment by roughing up the tapeworms. This stuff is quickly absorbed into a dog or cat’s system and metabolized through their livers. Once metabolized it enters into the digestive tract through the bile. There it begins the assault on tapeworms, rendering them unable to avoid being digested.  Tapeworms rely on their ability to withstand the acidic environment of an animal’s stomach. Once robbed of that ability they are ground up and excreted like so much waste. Next up the Pyrantel Pamoate goes after the hookworms by blasting through their nervous systems. Once Pyrantel Pamoate effectively paralyses the hookworms, it’s a simple matter of waiting for peristalsis to pass them on to the other side, or to the outside in this case. Finally, the clean-up hitter for Drontal Plus, febantel, finishes the job by whipping up on the whipworms. Febantel works similarly to the praziquantel in the way it’s metabolized, but then it eliminates the whipworms by blocking their energy processing power. Without the ability to metabolize their own energy the whipworms are forced to hit the bricks, or the grass, or the pine straw, or the litter box. Wherever your pet does its business. Drontal Plus is a three punch combination that sends these intestinal parasites flying out the backdoor without delay. Dosage is determined by size, species, and the age of the pet. So pay attention to the package labeling and remember to check your pet consistently for symptoms of these parasites. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got cats with worms or worms in dogs, either way the wide variety of Drontal products will see you through to a healthier pet and a happier home.