2 Hearts 4 Paws

As the winter season blankets our world in snow and colder temperatures, it’s essential to pay extra attention to the needs of our pets. While they may have fur coats, many pets are not equipped to handle the chill of winter. Here are some essential tips to ensure your pets stay warm, safe, and healthy during these colder months.

1. Keep Them Indoors: The simplest way to protect your pets from the cold is to keep them indoors, especially on extremely cold days. Short-haired, very young, or old pets are more vulnerable to cold weather. If they need to go outside, make sure it’s not for an extended period.

2. Cozy Bedding: Ensure your pet has a warm, draft-free place to sleep. Investing in a good quality pet bed with warm blankets can make a big difference in keeping them comfortable.

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Be careful when adding a new dog to your family when you have a dog already. Some dogs simply will not get along with a new dog being introduced into the household. Certain breeds and individuals can be territorial and possessive; his opinion is, “this is my house, my toys, my food, my owner, my bed, etc.” The new dog is viewed as an intruder. A good test is to have friends bring their dog over to your house and see how your dog reacts. If this ends up being an unpleasant experience, that’s what will probably happen when you bring home a new dog.

Sometimes dog owners make the mistake of paying so much attention to a new puppy that the dog that has been a loyal friend gets neglected, causing resentment. Even though a puppy is great fun, make sure you don’t forget to play with your old friend, too.

Your research into your new dog’s breed characteristics can provide clues about how well he will get along with your dog, but you must have the same knowledge about your existing dog to see if the two are a good match. If all works well, and you introduce the new dog with care, you can convince your existing dog that you are rewarding him with a new friend.

If you are adopting your dog from a shelter, many of them allow you to bring your existing dog in and see if the two can get along. They have private areas where all the prospective new family members can meet each other. This is especially effective because it is on neutral territory. Your dog will not feel threatened by a new dog coming into his space. If you are selecting a puppy, the breeder may let you do the same thing. Keep in mind that certain breeds are predisposed to not get along; one may be too dominant; one may be dangerously aggressive to other breeds. The staffs at animal shelters often have information on what breeds work best together.

Keep the two dogs separated as in separate rooms when not supervised. If the dogs can see each other, stress levels can rise. Only let the dogs be with each other if you’re in the room. If necessary keep each dog on a leash, so you can control them. Walking each dog on separate leashes but together is a good way to get them used to each other.

Having more than one dog—assuming they get along—can be of tremendous benefit to both you and the dog. Many dogs need more attention than an owner can reasonably provide; the second dog provides some of this attention for you. The two dogs will form their own little “pack” and play and romp together. This keeps them both active, alert and may even help with fitness and weight control.

Ideally, deciding on a cat vet is essential before bringing your feline friend home.

When it comes to the health of our cat, we cannot rely just on anyone we see, and therefore, choosing a good cat vet comes with considerations.

As cats become familiar with their vet, changing the vet, again and again, isn’t a good idea at all.

So, you should find one vet and stick to it whenever your kitty needs medical care.

Let’s get to know all the factors on how to choose a good cat vet.

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Choosing a good cat vet can be difficult if you’re finding one for the first time. But you should take the process exactly like finding a doctor for your baby.

A better idea is to take recommendations from friends and family who already have pets. If you’ve bought your cat from a breeder, he will also guide you with finding a cat vet.

If these tricks don’t work well, you always have the option of searching vets through the internet.

It is an excellent option to get familiar with all the veterinary clinics in your area.

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Besides time passing by, many things can make your cat older, prematurely.  If you notice that your aging cat does not want to eat or drink talk with your vet.

Sometimes they need medicine to help them feel better and get back to eating and drinking again, which will keep them full of life.

You should also clean their ears, brush their fur, get them a new toy every now and then, play with them more often than usual, give them extra snuggles when they seem sad or scared, or just because they love it so much!

Schedule twice-annual “wellness” visits. “There’s a grace period for many illnesses: If you catch it early on, it’s usually less expensive and treatment is much more successful. Vet can do routine tests, such as blood tests or urinalysis, to pick up on the very earliest signs of health problems,” Becker says.

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