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Cat Facts:
While kittens depend on their mother’s milk for their first few weeks of life, adult cats can become ill if they are fed large amounts of milk.
There are more than 100 different breeds of domesticated cats.
Neutering a cat lengthens its life expectancy by 2 – 3 years.
Kidney failure claims the majority of cats in old age. Here's what you can do to help prevent it:
-Regular dental cleanings can give a cat several extra years of life! An infected mouth with heavy tartar allows bacteria to enter the bloodstream where they often "seed" in the kidneys causing chronic damage
-Cats should be fed 50% canned food-- it helps increase their water intake and thereby decrease their kidney's workload.
-In the Edgewood area, always give cats bottled water. Our water is much too hard for them!
-I like the water fountains for cats sold at Petsmart; it increases their water consumption substatially.
Dog Facts
-There are 701 pure breeds of dogs.
-The world’s oldest dog was 29 years old! We had a client at the Zoo who's dog was 28.
-A dog's sense of smell is about 1000 times better than a human's.
-Exercise isone of the most important things you can do for your dog. Even if he or she has arthritis, gentle play and walks will keep joints free to move. Healthy dogs get the same benefits from exercise as people, including lower blood pressure and lower weight.
-Proper nutrition is very important for your dog's health! There is no one perfect dog food for everyone, so I suggest trying good reputable brands like Purina (Pro-Plan especially), Hills, Iams (best deal is at Wal-Mart, where it's about $25 for a 40# bag) etc. O'l Roy is TERRIBLE! We have found that you might as well feed them the bag rather than the food because of the low nutritional content. Many people have had good luck with raw diets, but they are expensive and time consuming to do well. DON'T use frozen meats from the supermarket! I've had to treat several dogs for severe salmonella and campylobacter food poisoning.
-Dental disease is extremely common in dogs, too! Regular cleanings help keep "doggy breath" down and can extend your pet's life too! Infected teeth and gums let bacteria into the bloodstream where they can lodge in the heart and kidneys, causing severe damage.
Bird and Reptile facts:
-We are so dry here that many of the commonly kept birds and reptiles have problems related to dehydration including dry, itchy skin in birds and retained sheds in reptiles. I suggest only keeping desert reptiles because of this, or you will need a misting system to keep the humidity at the required levels. Birds should be bathed regularly in the shower (no soap!) and allowed to dry in a warm, draft free area to encourage preening.
-UV light is vital to most reptiles and birds. I use T-Rex or Zoo Med mercury vapor bulbs to provide this and also heat to them. They produce up to 100x the UV of a fluorescent bulb, and last 4 times longer. We carry them here at the hospital.
-Proper nutrition is vital! Make sure that food items for reptiles are dusted with a high quality multivitamin and calcium supplement, and that live food such as crickets are gut loaded on dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens, or on a commercial "gut load" product. For reptiles like iguanas, iceberg lettuce and fruits are an absolute no-no! They should be fed only high quality dark green leafy vegetables like kale, collards, turnip tops, dandelion greens, etc. Neither they nor turtles should ever be fed dog or cat food.
Birds need to be on a high quality pelleted diet as at least 80% of their total food intake supplemented with fresh friuts and vegetables.
-Most people don't realize how high a temperature reptiles actually need to be healthy. Iguanas, bearded dragons, and many snakes need a basking spot of 105-110 degrees. Uromastix have been recorded basking at temperatures of over 130 degrees! Don't forget to provide a cool side of the cage so that your reptile can cool off. |
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