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A ransacked house accompanied with loud barking and a miserably whining canine buddy is a sign of separation anxiety. Let’s face it, no one likes to be cooped up alone in a house devoid of people, especially our furry pals!

There are lots of ways that you can treat separation anxiety in dogs that includes exercising them before you leave home, keeping them engaged with interesting toys and to even leave behind a shirt that has a smell of you to make them feel calm and secure. According to a new study published in the journal of the Veterinary Behaviour, petting your canine friend before you leave home can ease their separation anxiety.

The study examined the effects of affectionate petting on a dog’s response to separation. The study analysed the dogs’ behaviour, heart rate and salivatory cortisol prior to and after their owner’s departure in two scenarios.

In the first situation, the owners lovingly petted their dogs for a minute before leaving them with a researcher and going away for three minutes.

In the second situation, the owners avoided eye contact and communication with their dogs prior to their leaving.

Though, none of the dogs in the experiment were subjected to stress in either of the scenarios, they however after being petted gently appeared calmer during their owners’ absence and had lowered heart rates as well.

So, giving your pet a loving cuddle before you head out is definitely a must. Your pet feels secure, plus your home is intact!

Pets are great companions to humans. Be it a cat or dog, having a furry buddy at your home assures you and your family a lot of health and social benefits. There are various physical, mental and emotional advantages as well, right from loyal security, better socialisation to even lowering a person’s risk of heart attack or detecting cancer early.

What comes as a surprise is that a pet at your home can significantly reduce the likelihood of children developing allergies by as much as 33 per cent, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison pediatrician James E. Gern’s research studies. So much so, his research, which was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology – categorically spells out that children exposed early on to animals tend to develop stronger immune systems.

You might be knowing this benefit already. Pets help us relax and serve as great stress-busters. Some heart-related studies conducted on pet parents by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the United States have proven that pet owners exhibit decreased blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. All these factors have a lot of bearing on one’s risk of getting a heart attack.

Even those who have already experienced a heart attack tend to have better recovery rates, if they happen to be owning a cat or a dog. These benefits are thought to be connected with pets’ tendency to help reduce or, at least, control their owners’ overall stress levels.

Dogs have an immaculate sense of smell, so sharp that they can even detect the occurrence of cancer in their human buddies. There are several cases in which pet owners were saved by their dogs, after the latter were constantly pawing at, sniffing or even licking a tumour hidden underneath the skin.

Pets have a huge role to play in bettering your socialisation skills, especially when you bump into and talk to other pet owners. Having a pet is a great way to meet new people and create bonds quickly, especially if you are a reserved person.

All breeds of dogs need regular, daily walks in order to stay happy and healthy, very much like their human counterparts. Dog owners who walk their dogs daily are less likely to be obese than others who don’t or non-dog owners.

As concerned pet parents you will no doubt make numerous visits to your vet at the drop of a hat once you bring your new bundle of fur home! One of the common malady in puppies is vomiting. Puppies by nature are curious about the world around them and explore it through their mouth. So, they will find most things exciting to chew on like your slippers, small pieces of bones and even their poop. This is enough to make them throw up a couple of times.

Here are the three basic things that triggers vomit:

• Things that settle in the gastrointestinal tract that causes irritation, obstruction or damage to it.
• Any material that goes inside the body that stimulates a response in the area of the brain, also known as the chemoreceptor trigger zone or the ‘vomit center’. This gets triggered by ingestion of poisonous drugs or toxins in the body.
• Anything that affects your vestibular system like motion sickness or vertigo.

Puppies usually vomit because the things they swallow enters their gastrointestinal tract and causes irritation or a damage. If it comes out through vomit then it’s a big relief otherwise they might have to undergo a surgery to remove the object to prevent more damage to their body organs.

Most of the time puppies eat something really fowl like a dead bird, poop and even spoilt food fallen on the ground. This can cause a bacterial growth or the build up of toxins in their body. Parasite and viral infections especially the dangerous one being the Parvovirus causes continuous vomiting in the affected puppy.

Sometimes serious health conditions might affect young puppies like the congenital organ dysfunction or an infectious condition that effects the organ function like infectious Hepatitis may cause vomiting in puppies.

One golden rule for you to follow is to observe your pet closely. If they vomit only once, appear active, eat normally, drink enough water and are happy enough then you do not have to take them to the vet. They will soon recover. Do not feed them for a few hours. Give them bland food like white rice.

But if your puppy continues to vomit along with diarrhea that is laced with blood (as in case with Parvovirus) and appears tired and lethargic then you must rush them to the vet immediately. Puppies can easily get dehydrated when their water intake is less and the output is more. So, prompt medical intervention will make their recovery faster.

Calcium is an essential mineral which is required for healthy growth and maintenance of your canine friend. Sadly, calcium deficiency may lead to certain diseases which can alter the health of our pet. Generally deficiency of calcium in normal dogs leads to a disease known as Rickets while a syndrome in pregnant bitch known as Milk fever.

Dogs that are fed on meat diet are at greater risk of succumbing to calcium deficiency as the diet is rich in phosphorus and lacks calcium.Due to this imbalance in their diet the calcium level in their blood drops and the symptoms of deficiency may slowly arise.

These are the signs of deficiency you need to look out for:

• Soft bones
• Poor body growth
• Bone deformities
• Pup is not able to stand on its legs
• Finds difficulty in movement

Here are a few tips on how to treat calcium deficiency:

1. To avoid calcium deficiency, proper balanced diet should be provided to your pet.
2. Regular feeding of meat should be avoided.
3. Commercial dog foods are available in market, which offer a balanced diet and fulfill the required quantity of calcium.
4. Calcium supplements are also readily available, which you can provide your dog only on the advice of your vet.

You can always consult your vet and take their professional advice on treating and handling calcium deficiency in your pet.

Happy parenting!

Like human beings ear hygiene is important for dogs as well. Regular cleaning of ears minimizes the risk of ear infections. Dogs often suffer from a common ear disease called “Otitis”, for which uncleaned ears are more prone. Cleaning of ears in every month is recommended. As ears are delicate organs, utmost care should be taken while cleaning the ears to avoid any kind of injuries. Dirt accumulates rather fast and can lead to an infection, especially with floppy-eared canines

Procedure :

You can use a cotton ball or a forcep to clean the ears. If using the forcep then wrap the top of forcep with clean cotton. Restrain the dog properly. Adjust the light so the ear canal is clearly visible. Introduce the forcep gently in either of ear and rotate it over the inner surface of ear canal with gentle pressure so the waxy secretion with other dirt can be removed. Repeat the procedure for other ear.

The rotating should be done in clockwise manner. 3-4 rotations are enough for one ear. The cotton should be changed for every use of forcep. Avoid deep insertion of forcep which may cause injury to the ears and bleeding may occur. Ear cleansers are recommended to clean the ears. 3 to 4 drops of cleanser should be put in the ears first and then the cleaning can be done with the forcep as usual.

Clean cotton balls without forcep can be used for pups. Ear should be plugged with cotton while bathing the dog. Different ear drops are also available in market if any infection is there. 

Don’t forget to give your mutt lots of affection and treats when you’re done!      

Pet Care tips by Pratik Deshpande,
Veterinary Doctor, Maharashtra

Meow…Meow…

“You irritating creature! Always committing nuisance on our doormat! Oh! I am itching to whack you!” yelled the cantankerous old man. He held a stick to beat the naughty cat. The clever creature knew that the old man would come charging at her so she runs into Vikram’s compound. She is now safe. It is a daily routine for baasha the cat. She loves to take a nap on the old man’s portico and relieves herself on his comfortable doormat. She also loves to nibble on tidbits of food thrown to her by the old man’s granddaughter. Though she belongs to Nina, she loves to hang around by the old man’s place. Maybe she just loves to infuriate the old man by her mischievous presence thereby keeping him on his feet all day!   

Baasha is named after Nina’s favourite Rajnikanth movie. She is actually a stray cat who was found by Nina when she was a day old. Her mother had abandoned her at Vikram’s backyard and vanished. Consequently, it was Nina who looked after it and it grew to be her beloved pet. A lot of people believe that cats and dogs can never be friends but I disagree with them. Baasha and I get on reasonably well as we understand and respect each other’s space. Of late, the old man is getting on both of our nerves. Something must be done to stop him. Yesterday he drenched both of us with a bottle of water because Baasha dared to grab a piece of fish thrown to him by his granddaughter. She jumped from their compound to ours and landed where I was having my afternoon nap when the old geezer threw cold water on us! Baasha and I then agreed to put our heads together to teach the old man a well deserved lesson!

It was a normal day for the old man. He did his grocery shopping and dropped into the bank to update his pass book. He then walked home and was closely followed by two sinister looking men who were just waiting to have him cornered at an empty road. The old man almost reached home when he was stopped by the two men who pointed a sharp looking knife at him and asked him to empty his pockets and hand them his gold rings. The old man started panting and stammering and looked around for someone to help him but not a single soul was present on the road!

Baasha and I were witnesses to the old man’s predicament. So, I asked Baasha to head out to the men. Baasha promptly ran towards the men and started hissing and made loud threatening noises. I, on the other hand, jumped across to the old man’s compound and gave my loudest bark and started scratching his front door. The old man’s son opened the door and I dragged him to the gate where he saw the commotion and immediately leapt to the old man’s rescue. Just then the police patrol car which was doing its usual round across the neighbourhood arrived. The policemen arrested the men and drove them to the station. The old man was finally safe!

After an emotionally charged day Baasha and I consigned ourselves to a well deserved nap and were woken up when Nina and Vikram came home. They brought home our favourite cup cakes! Yummy! They were just feeding it to us when the doorbell rang. Nina opened the door and in came the old man into our house. What he did next was too shocking! He went down on his knees and hugged both Baasha and myself! He apologized for all his misdoings and gave us a present. He then related the events of the day to my astounded looking two legged pets. Vikram then opened the presents for us. The old man gifted Baasha a brand new resting mat and a nice chewy bone for me! Vikram and Nina wholeheartedly thanked the old man and assured him that they bore no ill will. Baasha and I became busy with our gifts and congratulated ourselves for finally taming the old man!

Tip:   Having a pet around you is like having your own personal bodyguard. They will protect you from anti social elements. Dogs and cats have been known to risk their lives to save the life of their master!  Also, abusive behavior towards animals is a punishable offence and has to be reported to the concerned authorities. 

Feature by Harshitha