Pet Advice

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Search or browse 1919 pet advice articles on pet health, pet care and pet behaviour. The Pets4Homes site aims to provide the most informative and useful pet advice and pet care articles and information on all types of pets, from dogs and cats to rabbits and reptiles. Our articles are written by qualified veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, breeders and other writers who have a passion for pets.

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Should unspayed female dogs be kept apart when they are in season?

28th July 2014

An unspayed female dog will come into season once or twice a year, and as part of this process of being receptive to mating and reproduction, your bitch will go through a range of other hormonal changes too. This can lead to issues such as overtly sexualised behaviour, personality changes, difficulty walking your dog around other dogs,....Read Full Article

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Tips for Safe Raw Feeding of Dogs

28th July 2014

Raw feeding is popular because you know exactly what your dog is eating (so long as you have a reputable meat supplier). Advocates for raw report high palatability in most cases, and the lack of processing may prove beneficial for dogs who are known not to fare well with extruded commercial diets. There are however some risks associate....Read Full Article

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Is your dog head-shy?

28th July 2014

The body language of dogs is very comprehensive, expressive, and honest. “Honest” in terms of being relatively easy to read when you know the various signals that dogs give out, and in terms of the fact that what your dog is “saying” to you is what they mean, and you can rely on the cues that they demonstrate to....Read Full Article

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Why is My Dog / Cat Drinking More?

28th July 2014

As with many problems that affect our dogs and cats, increased thirst (polydipsia) may arise for a variety of reasons. Drinking more can be indicative of a medical condition, so it’s very important to seek veterinary advice if you have noticed that, or  suspect that your pet is thirstier than usual. Polydipsia....Read Full Article

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Best Birdwatching Spots in Northumberland

28th July 2014

Northumberland is the most northerly county of England that has a greatly diverse landscape.  The North Sea coastline is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty while the Cheviot Hills are in the northwest and the large Northumberland National Park spans around a quarter of the county. When it comes to birdwatchi....Read Full Article

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Dog licking to indicate submission

28th July 2014

There are a great many ways in which dogs demonstrate submissive behaviour to either people or to other dogs, and licking as a form of appeasement and affection is just one of them. Similarly, licking is not automatically a submissive gesture, and dogs lick for a whole host of other reasons too, including liking the taste of your skin,....Read Full Article

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Teaching dogs good door etiquette

28th July 2014

Most dog owners are familiar with the experience of fighting their dog to get through a doorway, and in some homes, this comes down to a constant battle over who should go first! Added to this, the sound of the doorbell, door knocker or someone walking up to your home will send many dogs into a frenzy of barking, jumping up and clamour....Read Full Article

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Dogs that need close or constant supervision

28th July 2014

As every dog owner knows, each dog has their own unique personality, which will often manifest in the form of specific behavioural traits in their demeanour. Some dogs are very active, others very lazy, and some are perfectly happy alone and can find their own suitable entertainment without getting bored. However, some dogs will soon g....Read Full Article

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Do Chinchillas Make Good Pets for Children?

27th July 2014

Chinchillas are very cute little creatures, always on the move, busy doing something and they do make great pets but they are not really suitable for children. The reason being Chinchillas are very small and extremely fragile little animals which means they have to be h....Read Full Article

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Do Sugar Gliders Make Good Pets?

27th July 2014

Being relatively new to the pet scene, Sugar Gliders are fascinating little creatures, however, it's really important to do your research before deciding they would be the right pets for you. Sugar Gliders need pretty specialised care and therefore you need to inv....Read Full Article

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Keeping Turtles in an Outside Pond in the UK

26th July 2014

Ponds in a back garden generally fall into two categories, wildlife and koi/goldfish ponds. The former is a great pond to have, but isn’t exactly an interactive experience, and the second can be rewarding, but an increase in cats, herons and other predators means that people are often looking for something that bit different to k....Read Full Article

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Are You Really Ready to Own a Horse?

25th July 2014

The up-front cost of buying a horse is likely to be only a fraction of the total cost of owning one, particularly if you plan to keep it over the long term.  They also make significant demands on their owner’s time.  In short, owning a horse is a major undertaking and it is best for all concerned if prospective owners h....Read Full Article

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The Modern World of Horse Buying

25th July 2014

The internet has changed the way we buy horses.  It isn’t just that it makes it so much easier to find prospective horses, but also that buyers now have the opportunity to make a lot of basic checks in advance so that they only go and see horses where there is a high possibility of suitability.  In other ways, however, ....Read Full Article

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How to Choose a Kitten That Will Suit You & Your Lifestyle

25th July 2014

Kittens are adorable little creatures no matter what breed they happen to be and it's all too easy to fall in love with them. However, taking on any pet is a massive responsibility because these creatures depend on their owners to care for them  for many years to come. ....Read Full Article

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What You Need to Know About Keeping Chickens

25th July 2014

Keeping chickens is fun and has become extremely popular over recent times. However, if you are considering having a few chickens in your back garden so you get lovely fresh eggs, you need to do a little research first to make sure you would be allowed to do so. You also ....Read Full Article

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Some more information about the Bolognese dog breed

24th July 2014

When people talk about Bolognese, they are usually referring to a spaghetti dish, but Bolognese is also the name given to a breed of dog! As you might expect, the Bolognese is Italian in origin, and is one of the rarer small dog breeds around today. The Bolog....Read Full Article

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Bad Rabbit behaviour - Some common rabbit problems addressed

24th July 2014

If you keep rabbits, you probably got them with the intention of enjoying holding, stroking and playing with your cute and cuddly companions, and enjoying watching them go about their often-entertaining daily lives. Rabbits do bond strongly with their owners ....Read Full Article

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Using silent whistles with your dog

24th July 2014

You have probably heard of the silent whistle or the Galton whistle as a dog training aid, although they are not as widely used today as they have been in the past. A silent whistle isn’t exactly silent per se; it is just that the sound that it produces cannot be heard by the human ear! The hearing of the dog covers a d....Read Full Article

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Rabbits and their feeding and nutritional requirements

24th July 2014

Feeding your pet rabbit an appropriate diet that fulfils all of their needs is essential in order to keep your rabbit healthy, and ensure that they stand the best chance of reaching old age. People often mistakenly think of the rabbit as an easy pet to keep, particularly when it comes to feeding them; but in fact, the metabolism of rab....Read Full Article

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Rabbits and their vision

24th July 2014

All mammals see slightly differently to each other, so it is understandable that the vision of pet rabbits is not the same that we have as humans have, both in terms of the range of their vision and how they perceive the world around them. Anything that helps you to develop a better understanding of your pet and how they interact with ....Read Full Article