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Spaying or neutering your pets is one of the most important things a person can do to be a responsible pet owner. Every year, over 5 million pets are euthanized due to overpopulation. Besides not producing unneeded kittens or puppies, spaying a female cat or dog before the first heat reduces the risk of mammary cancer and eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer. In male cats or dogs, neutering eliminates the risk of testicular and prostate cancer. It also eliminates annoying sexual habits such as "marking" territory indoors, roaming in search of females, mounting behavior and aggression towards other male animals. Statistics show that most dog bites are inflicted by unaltered males.

During the peak of the kitten season, from late April to September, animal rescue pounds and some humane shelters kill unwanted and abandoned cats and kittens at the rate of over one per minute. Please do your part in reducing the number of unwanted pets. Have your pet spayed or neutered.

What do "spay" and "neuter" really mean?

Female dogs and cats are spayed by removing their reproductive organs, and male dogs and cats are neutered by removing their testicles. In both cases, the operation is performed while the pet is under general anesthesia. Depending on your pet’s age, size, and health, he or she may stay at the veterinarian’s office for a few hours or a few days. Depending upon the procedure, your pet may need stitches removed after a few days.

Spaying or Neutering Is Good for Your Pet

• Spaying and neutering helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives.
• Spaying and neutering can eliminate or reduce the incidence of a number of health problems that can be very difficult or expensive to treat.
• Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, particularly when your pet is spayed before her first estrous cycle.
• Neutering eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.

Spaying or Neutering Is Good for You

• Spaying and neutering makes pets better, more affectionate companions.
• Neutering cats makes them less likely to spray and mark territory.
• Spaying a dog or cat eliminates her heat cycle. Twice a year, estrus lasts an average of six to 12 days in dogs. In cats, estrus lasts an average of six to seven days three or more times a year. Females in heat can cry incessantly, show nervous behavior, and attract unwanted male animals.
• Unsterilized animals often exhibit more behavior and temperament problems than do those who have been spayed or neutered.
• Spaying and neutering can make pets less likely to bite.
• Neutering makes pets less likely to roam the neighborhood, run away, or get into fights.

Spaying and Neutering Are Good for the Community

• Communities spend millions of dollars to control unwanted animals.
• Irresponsible breeding contributes to the problem of dog bites and attacks.
• Animal shelters are overburdened with surplus animals.
• Stray pets and homeless animals get into trash containers, defecate in public areas or on private lawns, and frighten or anger people who have no understanding of their misery or needs.
• Some stray animals also scare away or kill birds and wildlife.

Spay or neuter surgery carries a one-time cost that is relatively small when one considers its benefits. It’s a small price to pay for the health of your pet and the prevention of more unwanted animals.

Dogs often bark (or howl) when they are exposed to or encounter something new. It is difficult to determine what makes an individual dog bark. The stimulus can vary from dog to dog and from household to household.

Barking can be attributed to various situations. Some include (but not limited to):

• The need for attention and affection
• Hunger or thirst
• Unusual or unfamiliar sounds
• Other animals entering their territory
• Humans (usually strangers) entering their territory
• Separation from members of the family (particularly their favorite person)
• Separation from members of their pack (other dogs or humans for that matter)
• The sight of their prey
• A heightened state of anxiety
• Medical problems - older, senile dogs in particular

PREVENTION

Socialization at an early age is extremely important. The puppy should come into contact with new people, new situations, and new environments. Animals that never leave their house or yard often tend to vocalize when in a new environment. Early leadership training is also important. The owner should have complete control and dominance over the dog.

The puppy should get accustomed to staying alone. He (or she) should be crate trained at an early age. This will allow him to become adjusted when the owner eventually leaves for a prolonged period of time.

Do not encourage the barking! Paying attention to him while he is barking only reinforces the behavior.

Understanding What Makes Your Dog Bark Can Help Prevent It

TREATMENT

Before this annoying habit can be broken, the owner must exhibit leadership and control over the dog. Obedience training is essential and a head halter collar is useful.

Exercise is important and allows the dog the opportunity to interact with other animals, new situations, and discover new environments.

A barking dog is told to "sit / stay." When the dog is quiet, he is given a reward. At each training session, the dog should remain quiet for a longer period of time before the reward is given.

If you have a cat, you ought to have a cat carrier. We've seen people trying to transport their cat in everything from bare hands to pillow cases. Nothing beats a cat carrier when it comes to safety, comfort and convenience—for both you and your cat. Skip those cardboard ones the shelters give you to take your new pet home; they’re not designed for sturdy long-term use. Others to rule out include carriers with no privacy, or ones that don’t clean easily, such as those made of wicker.

Your best bet is a carrier made of hard, high-impact molded plastic that has an open-grid door. Most models have the door at one end, but you may find it easier to deal with your pet if instead, you purchase the kind with the door on the top. These make getting your pet in and out of the carrier much easier.

Another reason to own a carrier - A carrier is an essential piece of any disaster kit, making evacuation easier in the event of an emergency and expanding the possibilities for temporary housing for your pet.

A cataract is the loss of transparency (opacity) of the lens due to changes in the structure of the lens proteins. Cataracts occur with aging but may also be caused by other factors.

Eye with Cataract

Cataracts are common in dogs, particularly in purebreds. Inherited cataracts are the most common types. These cataracts are usually bilateral (occur in both eyes) and appear early in life. Many breeds are predisposed to cataracts; however they are most commonly encountered in miniature schnauzers.

Traumatic injury to the eye is another important cause of cataracts. This type of cataract occurs secondary to intraocular inflammation or lens luxation.

In dogs, acquired cataracts that appear later in life are often the result of metabolic problems. Dogs with diabetes mellitus typically develop bilateral (both eyes) rapidly progressing cataracts. These cataracts appear quickly and often lead to complete blindness. Once the cataracts form, there is no medical treatment to reverse the process.

Kittens and puppies that are fed exclusively formula often develop cataracts. Some milk replacement formulas are deficient in required amino acids. These amino acids are necessary for the development of a normal lens.

Inflammation of the eye is the most important cause of cataracts in cats.

There is no medical treatment that eliminates cataracts. Surgery is the only available option for severe cataracts.

Surgery

3 Procedures Exist:

1. Extracapsular extraction - An incision is made and the lens is removed. This procedure often causes intense postoperative inflammation.
2. Phacofragmentation - This technique uses ultrasonic energy to disrupt and liquefy the cataract. A needle is used to emulsify and aspirate the lens material. The advantage of this technique is that it requires a smaller incision. Phacofrogmentation causes less postoperative inflammation than extracapsular extraction.
3. Lens removal with intraocular lens implant - This technique is becoming more popular in veterinary medicine. It is similar to the technique employed in human medicine.

Prevention

Animals with inherited cataracts should not be used for breeding. Breeding animals should be examined yearly by a veterinary ophthalmologist for the presence of cataracts and other inherited eye diseases (retinal problems). Puppies and kittens fed exclusively formula should receive a more balanced and complete diet. Injuries to the eye should be treated as medical emergencies. If treated early, many inflammatory and traumatic injuries will not result in cataracts.

A puppy likes biting and chewing on almost anything that enters its world. Just as with jumping, biting between litter mates is their style of play. Biting also teaches them how to use their main hunting tool, their teeth. Unfortunately, this behavior often carries over into their interactions with the members of their new home.

Puppies have very sharp teeth and a bite or nip can hurt. Along with inflicting pain, a dog bite can be terrifying to small children.

There are several methods that are used to eliminate this unwanted behavior.

Holding the Mouth Shut
The simplest method for handling this behavior is to very, very quickly grab the puppy's mouth and hold it shut. While holding the mouth shut, say a single, stern "No" in a low tone. Holding the mouth closed is usually done by placing the thumb over the top of the puppy's nose and the fingers below the bottom of the jaw.

Holding the mouth closed for four to five seconds is sufficient and the puppy usually whines. Don't try to cause them pain; there is no need to firmly squeeze the mouth. After releasing the puppy's mouth, don't make any further fuss, but go on with whatever you were doing.

It will take a few sessions for the puppy to catch on, but the animal will soon put together the facts that the bite instantly causes his mouth to be held shut.

It's not recommended to bring children into this form of discipline. Children can get hurt or they can hurt the puppy.

Startle Response and Redirection
As soon as the puppy bites down, make a sudden, abrupt, high-pitched, loud "yelp" sound. This imitates the sound that a littermate would make if bitten by the puppy. This sound should be so sudden and sharp that the puppy is immediately startled and stops the behavior. If done correctly, the puppy immediately removes his mouth and looks bewildered. At that point, quickly substitute a toy (such as a ball) for the puppy to chew on.

This method redirects the puppy's biting behavior to the ball. The puppy learns that it is no fun to bite; however, chewing the toy is ok. It may be necessary to repeat this process several times during the puppy's play period. If the "yelps" make the puppy more excited, it's best to try another approach.

Stop the action immediately and dramatically leave the room when the puppy bites. This is certainly a method children can use. After multiple times the puppy will learn that every time she bites, she loses her playmate, and that's no fun at all.

Important! No matter what method you use, do not entice the puppy to bite you. Games like tug-of-war and waving your hands in front of the puppy may encourage him (or her) to bite.

For years, many pet owners just accepted the fact that their four-legged friends were just going to live a relatively short life, get old, and pass on. But modern veterinary medicine can help pets live longer with less painful or debilitating problems. Watch for changes in thirst, appetite, bad breath, lumps and changes in behavior. See your veterinarian more often and work out a senior wellness plan to help your pet live happy senior years. Watch this video to learn more.

1. What is the mother's first priority for her new kitten?

A. To smell it
B. To give it a bowl of food
C. To get it to feed
D. To get it breathing

2. As well as sustenance, what does a mother's milk pass on to her kittens?

A. Sense of his mother's smell
B. Immunity from diseases
C. Thicker fur
D. The substance which makes cat's tongues rough

3. There are 4 basic stages to a cat's development. The Neonatal Phase, the Socialisation Phase and the Adult Phase are three of them. What is the fourth?

A. Juvenile phase
B. Infantile phase
C. Youth phase
D. Childish phase

4. When do kittens' eyes open?

A. 2 months
B. 1st day
C. 1 to 3 weeks
D. 4 to 6 weeks

5.When does the kittens' hearing develop?

A. 5th week
B. In the womb
C. 2nd week
D. 1st day

6. Which week do the kittens' milk teeth start to appear?

A. Day 1
B. 3 months
C. Week 7
D. Week 3

7. What week does the mother begin to discourage kittens from suckling, thus starting weaning?

A. 1st day
B. 5 Weeks
C. 3 months
D. 10 weeks

8.Once kittens start interacting with other cats and humans, they begin to use body language. For example, pricked ears and tail held high mean that a cat or kitten is feeling friendly and approachable. What does it mean when a cat's or kitten's ears are flat against the head, the back is arched and the tail is completely erect?

A. The cat wants to eat
B. The cat is asleep
C. The cat is frightened
D. The cat is ready to fight

9.Kittens can purr.

A. Yes
B. No

10. What is the earliest date that a kitten should be brought home?

A. 8 Weeks
B. 4 Weeks
C. 2 Weeks
D. 6 Weeks