Pets are remarkable creatures. They are:
• Masters of life in the moment and in the art of simplicity
• Reflections of a world forgotten, presynthetic, more complete
• Reminders of the quiet strength and dignity of creation not tinkered with
• Keepers of gifts we have lost or never had
• Ambassadors of loyalty, love, forgiveness, acceptance, fun, and truth that are neither measured nor withheld
• Recipients of our wonder, respect, love-and needful of the care that will bring them the fullness of health that comes only from nature obeyed.
Animals are not best served by imposing all the elements of modern life upon them. All the principles about genetic context, medical dangers, and preventive care apply equally well to …

When most parents set out to buy their child’s first horse, their attitude is that any horse will do. Fat, skinny, tall, short, experienced or inexperienced; it doesn’t matter. After all, the child simply wants a horse!
This is a dangerous mindset, however, because all horses are certainly not created equal, and the wrong choice can lead to injuries and disappointment. I recommend that all parents, regardless of their experience with horses, ask a trainer or instructor to accompany them when they look at possibilities.
The logical first place to start is at the stable where your child takes lessons. If there are horses available for lease or sale, you’ll at least be familiar with their temperaments …

Can canine cancer some day be a disease of the past? With the constant research to find a cure for this devastating disease, many promising treatments are being developed for both human and canine cancers.
No matter if it pertains to a human or a pet, canine cancer is a word no one wants to hear. Pet owners are confronted with this daily, but new research shows there may be a way to beat or at least fight this fatal disease.
A common canine cancer called melanoma is a common skin cancer in humans, and is a type that is also shared with canines. These are extremely dangerous, and dogs develop it more often as mouth cancer …

The two studies, conducted by Colorado State veterinary epidemiologist Dr. M.D. Salman and sponsored by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, reveal that moving and other lifestyle issues were the main reasons given by pet owners when surrendering their animals to shelters. But the majority of those pets–64 percent–are euthanized instead of adopted into new homes.
The studies also found that the majority of pet owners who surrender their animals to shelters are under 30 years of age and that more dogs are taken to shelters than cats and all other animals combined.
“Euthanasia of domestic pets in the United States is an epidemic,” Salman said. “These studies give us the first glimpse of …

Learning how to perform dog training with hand signals can be tricky. Mainly, hand signals are used in conjunction with words. It is much easier to train a dog with these after they are trained with words. The methods I am going to share with you pertain to vocally trained dogs, and also dogs with no training what-so-ever.
Teaching to Sit
Teaching a dog how to sit using dog training hand signals is a fairly simple technique. You should get a treat and hold it out in front of their nose. If the dog already knows how to sit by voice, then you won’t need to use food. Now, with your hand in front of their nose, …

PLEASE NOTE: Your animal friend’s olfaction process is similar to humans though much more acute. Animals are SUPER sensitive to smells!
Remember less is more with essential oils. Only a tiny amount is needed for results. 1-3 drops of an essential oil is equivalent to 1-4 cups of plant matter. You must always dilute essential oils in a carrier of aloe vera, jojoba or light coconut oil for safe skin application. Compresses are also an effective method for using essential oils.
As animals have extremely sensitive olfactory senses use them in very low percentages of less than 1% to achieve the results desired. A few general uses, include: pet wash, grooming spray, fleas and ticks, anti-fungal, breath …

Like all the domestic animals, dogs are susceptible to many diseases. So in order to keep them healthy, it is necessary to understand the various diseases they can suffer from. Here is your quick guide on common dog diseases:
Rabies: This disease is caused due to a virus which affects the central nervous system of the dog. It generally spreads through the saliva. Rabies has several stages. In the first stage, there appears some behavior changes in your dog. As it reaches the second stage, the dog becomes very aggressive and by the third stage the body parts of the dog stop coordinating with each other. Once encountered the disease, there remains no cure.
Distempter: This is …

Parents if you have a family pet you will probably agree with me regarding the endless experiences that kids can acquire from pet ownership. We know that owning and caring for a pet is an on going process for the lessons learned about responsibility.
Our children learn the most about many areas in life right from their home. Good manners, respect for others and responsibility to name a few. Wouldn’t you say our responsibility to them is to set an example and to be great role models? Pets fit right in because they serve as live in teachers for the whole family not just the kids.
I feel this is the first and most important lesson. Animals …

Otitis externa is an inflammation of the outer ear and ear canal. Inflammation of the skin of the ear canal is the essence of this disorder. The inflammation can be secondary to dermatitis (eczema) only, with no microbial infection, or it can be caused by active bacterial or fungal infection. In either case, but more often with infection, the ear canal skin swells and may become painful and/or tender to touch. Acute otitis externa is predominantly a microbial infection, occurs rather suddenly, rapidly worsens, and becomes very painful and alarming. It is the predominant complaint and the only symptom directly related to the severity of acute external otitis. Unlike other forms of ear infections, the …

Many people train their dogs how to roll over and perform other tricks. While you may know that cats are smart, did you know that most cats can be taught to perform tricks? Since dogs are interested in pleasing their masters and cats are not, the training methods that work with canines may not work with cats.
For your first trick, find a behavior that your cat already does. As an example, felines like to bat at objects, so you could teach your cat to bat at your hand as if giving a high five. Getting the cat to do something that he or she has never done before would be next to impossible.
Many cats do …