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Training your dog to be obedient is a long and frustrating process. All you want him to do is listen when you call him and yell at him, can that really be that complicated? But then when you think about it you think about how difficult it is to “train” children to do what you say, to follow rules and obey. Training your dog to be obedient is actually quite easy in comparison.

Dog training in obedience can get to be tiresome but of course is necessary for a happy home and happy dog. It seems to be a widely-held school of though that a well trained dog is a happy dog and of course, you are a happier person when your dog listens to you and doesn’t go to the bathroom on your carpet or chew on your furniture.

Most dogs are fairly smart animals and learn pretty quickly. And if all you want is the basics, dog training for obedience can go quite quickly. Sit, stay, heel, lie down, roll over, are all pretty easy concepts and things that most dogs do naturally so not really that hard to teach. Instead you only have to teach them to associate a hand signal or word you say with something they probably do every day.

Of course here is where the dog treats come in; the basic reward for good behavior that every animal craves. The only problem is that they tend to associate the act they are to perform not only with your words or hand signals but also with the following reward and are quite disappointed when the treat ceases to follow. If your dog is anything like my dog then they probably cease to do whatever it is you wanted them to do. At this point you realize that your dog is probably going to be getting fat for a while.

Most pet owners put as much thought and care into feeding our cat or dog as we do to feeding ourselves. Browse the pet food section of your local supermarket and you will see an incredibly large choice of cat and dog food to choose from, and there are even more options if you shop at a pet store.

The wording on pet food sold in the US is regulated by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. (AAFCO) Pet food manufacturers must list the ingredients by weight - with the first ingredient being the main one. The nutritional breakdown of fat, fiber and protein indicate that the food contains the minimum amount indicated and not necessarily the full amount.

The pet food industry is entirely self-regulated and there is nothing to prevent pet food companies from using poor quality ingredients. Consider buying name brand pet foods for your cat or dog. They may be priced slightly higher than the equivalent store brand - but premium pet foods generally have higher quality ingredients as well as contain added vitamins and antioxidants.

Try to choose pet food that suits the specific needs of your pet - your cat or dog will have different dietary needs as a puppy or kitten, than when full grown. You may find that you change your pet's food several times over the course of his or her life, especially if their health deteriorates.

You can buy pet food that is designed specifically for young or old pets, pets that are diabetic, lactating or pregnant - and even food designed for cats that have a problem with fur balls. There are cat and dog foods that are designed for the indoor or inactive pet. Never feed dog food to cats or cat food to dogs.

Perhaps your biggest decision will be whether to feed your pet dry or moist foods. There are advantages to each of these - and it doesn't hurt to vary your pet's diet by alternating between them. And if you are going to feed your pet the occasional treat, try to choose healthy treats - a surprising number of pet treats are unhealthy with a high fat content.

Cats have three basic types of food - dry, moist and canned food. Dry food - also known as kibble - has the advantage of staying fresh longer once it has been opened. It also tends to be the least expensive as well as the least tasty - if you have a finicky cat, he or she may not be enthusiastic about dry food. A cat eating only dry food will drink more water.

Moist cat food is similar to dry food, but is soft and chewy - most cats are able to easily eat this kind of food. Moist cat food has moisture content of around 35%, so if you are feeding your cat exclusively moist food, make sure that water is readily available. Once the food has been opened, it tends to dry out quickly and lose its taste.

Even the most finicky cat will eat and enjoy canned food. Canned food comes in an often overwhelming variety of flavors and the cost can vary, based on the content and quality of the meat. And cats that only eat canned food are getting plenty of water - most canned food has moisture content of around 75%.

Dog food also comes in the three basic types - dry, moist and canned. Dry food is less expensive, as well as being easier to buy in bulk and store. And dogs can benefit from a diet of dry food as it helps to reduce a build up of tartar and generally helps to exercise your dog's mouth muscles.

Moist foods for dogs can often contain a large amount of preservatives and artificial colors. They also tend to be high in sugar content and are not generally considered a good source of nutrition. Canned food tends to be better quality and actually contains real meat. An older dog or a dog with sore gums or having difficulty chewing should be fed canned food. However, canned food is costlier - especially when feeding a larger dog.

If you are changing the type of food your cat or dog eats, one effective method is to gradually mix in the new food with the old over a period of several days. On the first day, the serving should consist of ¾ old foods and ¼ new food, on the nest day ½ and ½ and so on, until your pet is eating just the new food.

Always discuss your pet's diet with your vet. It is worth taking the trouble to ensure that your cat or dog is not only enjoying mealtimes, but is being fed the right food too.

Heartworm is a parasitic roundworm (Dirofilaria immitis) that is spread from host to host through the bites of mosquitoes. Canine heartworms or more precisely, canine heartworm disease is a potentially fatal infestation of worms that travel throughout the body until maturity, at which time they take up residence in the dog's heart. They live in the right ventricle of the heart or in the major pulmonary arteries, surviving on nutrients which they 'steal' from the dog's bloodstream. On rare occasions, migrating heartworm larvae get 'lost' and end up in unusual sites such as the eye, brain or an artery in the leg, resulting in some unusual symptoms such as blindness, seizures and lameness.

Heartworm disease is actually caused by the body's immunologic reaction to the presence of the adult and offspring worms but many dogs will show little or no sign of infection even after the heartworms have matured.

Heartworms go through several life stages before they become adults infesting the heart of the host animal. Between 75 and 120 days after infection the immature worms enter the bloodstream and are carried through the heart to lodge in the arteries of the lungs. Infestation is extremely serious for the host; infected dogs that go untreated can die and even treated dogs must go through a long period of uncomfortable treatment (sometimes requiring surgery in advanced cases to remove the worms from the right ventricle). Adult heartworms can reach up to 12 inches in length and remain in the dog's heart for approximately 5 to 7 years. They bear live young, known as microfilariae, producing thousands of them every day.

The first sign of heartworm infestation may not manifest for a year after the initial infection, and even then one of the earliest symptoms of the disease in dogs, the soft cough, that normally appears and increases with exercise, may be dismissed as unimportant by the dog's owner. The disease may cause a combination of medical problems in the same dog including dysfunction of the lungs, heart, liver and kidneys. Radiographs (X-rays) can detect the presence of adult heartworms in the heart and lungs and can also provide a good estimate of the amount of lung damage caused by the presence of the heartworms.

Heartworms can live in animals other than canines, mainly cats and ferrets, but often have a shorter life span, vary in size, or end up in odd locations due to aberrant migration. The life span of heartworms is considerably shorter in the case of cats for example, at only two to three years but most infections in cats do not have circulating microfilariae.

Heartworm disease has become a serious health problem for dogs throughout the United States. According to the Heartworm Society, the highest infection rates occur in dogs (not maintained on heartworm preventive) within 150 miles of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and along the Mississippi River and its major tributaries but have been reported in every state in America, including Alaska, and is also found in Canada as well as throughout most temperate regions of the world.

Preventing canine heartworm disease can be as simple as feeding your dog a cookie once a month. Prevention may be accomplished by either use of pre-packaged ivermectin tablets or by compounded liquid ivermectin. Many veterinarians recommend and many owners use, a year-round heartworm prevention program to guard against the occasional mosquito flying about in areas with mild winters. If the dog is parasite free, a prophylactic medication can be used to prevent heartworm infection.

Sometimes, to jog the concern of clients, veterinary clinics may display a preserved heart infected with heartworm in a jar and hang posters about heartworm life cycles in examining rooms, but seeing is not necessarily always believing; although clients can view the infested heart loaded with long, spaghetti-like worms every time they visit, many gamble that their dogs will never be bitten by an infected mosquito.

Heartworm testing is only performed on adult dogs as puppies do not require testing due to the fact that it takes six months after exposure for the heartworms to reach maturity and be detectable on a test. Heartworm positive dogs should also be tested for the presence of microfilariae, usually using a filter test. As we mentioned earlier in the article, heartworm infestation is dangerous as untreated dogs die and treated dogs go through weeks of discomfort while the worms are killed and expelled from their bodies. The disease is very preventable though but is potentially difficult and dangerous to treat. Surgical removal of the adult heartworms is possible and may be required in advanced cases with heart involvement. Heartworm infected dogs showing no signs or mild signs of the disease have a high success rate with treatment.

The first published evidence of heartworm disease in dogs was in The Western Journal of Medicine and Surgery in 1847 and feline variety was first described in the 1920s.

Cats are one of the most popular pets in North America. They are loving pets, capable of providing you years of companionship. Like other pets, cats can sometimes get sick. There are several different types of ailments that cats can get, one of which is feline diabetes. Feline diabetes is a serious disease, although it can be treated by a veterinarian.

Diabetes is more common with humans than with cats or other animals. The cause of diabetes is actually quite simple. Sugar, or glucose, is found in the blood. The level of blood sugar in the body or the animal is kept under control by hormone insulin, which the pancreas produces. When the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin, diabetes is to blame.

The symptoms of feline diabetes will vary. The most common symptoms include an increase in urine and an increase in thirst. Other symptoms of feline diabetes include a loss of appetite, weight loss, and a poor coat. An increase in thirst is easy to detect, as you can easily notice the water dish empty throughout the day.

If you don't get your cat treated for feline diabetes immediately, the cat will eventually become inactive, vomit on a regular basis, and eventually fall into a coma. On the other hand, if you get the diabetes treated in time, the cat will more than likely lead a normal and healthy life. Keep in mind that treatment doesn't happen overnight - it takes time and dedication.

Cats that have feline diabetes will need to be given food at the same time every day. They should be prevented from going outside as well. If your cat has diabetes, you'll need to give him insulin shots once or twice or a day. Once your veterinarian checks your cat, he will tell you how many shots and how much insulin you need to give your cat.

Before you give your cat his insulin shot, you should always make sure that he has some food first. If he hasn't eaten and you give him a shot anyway, he could end up with a hypoglycemic shock. This can also occur from too much insulin as well. A hypo can be really dangerous, and should be avoided at all costs. If your cat gets a hypoglycemic shock and you aren't around, he may end up dying.

If you have to give insulin shots to your cat due to feline diabetes, you should always keep a watchful eye on him after you have administered the shot. After your cat has been on insulin for a period of time, your vet may reduce the amount of insulin. Even though he may have to stay on insulin the rest of his life, he will lead an otherwise healthy life.