Pet Advice
Search or browse 4,365 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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20th September 2017
Epilepsy is a type of seizure disorder that can affect both dogs and people, and that comes in many different forms and presentations. Whilst most people associate epilepsy with seizures or fitting that is very obvious to spot, not all types of epilepsy or even all seizures present in this way, and some seizures may be subtle and short....Read Full Article
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20th September 2017
Demyelinating polyneuropathy is a serious and progressive health condition that is found in some breed lines of the miniature Schnauzer dog breed, which affects the peripheral nerves of the body and that worsens over time, to the point that it can have a signifi....Read Full Article
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20th September 2017
The miniature Schnauzer dog breed is one of several breeds that have elevated risk factors for developing hereditary cataracts, and dogs of the breed can undergo eye screening to look for the signs of cataracts prior to breeding, in order to minimise the risk of....Read Full Article
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20th September 2017
Mycobacterium avium complex is a hereditary flaw caused by a gene mutation that can be found in certain breed lines of the Miniature Schnauzer dog breed, which makes dogs with the flaw at risk of catching or developing a serious form of mycobacterial infection t....Read Full Article
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20th September 2017
Dogs are not among the cleanest of animals, largely because dogs have different ideas about what is disgusting and desirable, what it means to be clean, and different evolutionary drives to communicate and interact with their surroundings. Most dog owners have faced a situation in which they have turned their backs for a few seconds an....Read Full Article
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20th September 2017
We humans have two eyelids-a top lid and a bottom lid, comprised of two folds of thin skin that cover our eyes when we blink or close our eyes. However, dogs-and a great many other animals too-have three eyelids rather than two, and in the dog, the additional eyelid lies along the inside corner of the eyes, underneath the top and botto....Read Full Article
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19th September 2017
Even for people that spend the majority of their time with their dogs and do not have to leave them to go to work or away on holiday, most of us need to find an alternative for our dogs at some point, which may mean making use of a doggy day care centre or boarding kennels.
When it comes to such environments, dogs usually fal....Read Full Article
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19th September 2017
Every single species of animal has their own unique methods of communication in terms of their body language, vocalisations, behaviours and interactions. Additionally, many animals have also evolved to communicate with people in a slightly different way than they do with members of their own species, in order to bridge the gap between ....Read Full Article
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19th September 2017
Different dog breeds and types of dogs can look significantly different to each other, in terms of everything from size and conformation to colour, fur texture, the position and shape of the tail, the structure of the muzzle, and pretty much anything else that you can think of. It ....Read Full Article
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18th September 2017
Being able to go up and down stairs without paying any mind to the whole process is something that most able-bodied people do of course usually take for granted, but ultimately, being able to manage stairs is something that we all had to learn at some point-and the same is true for dogs.
While some dogs find it easier to lear....Read Full Article
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15th September 2017
The phrase “breeding like rabbits” came into being for a good reason-rabbits are certainly prolific when it comes to producing offspring, and generally the challenge for rabbit owners is to keep their rabbits from producing ever-increasing numbers of additional rabbits, rather than trying to plan a mating match!
U....Read Full Article
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14th September 2017
There are quite a number of cat breeds which originated in the USA, which right from the early days of cat breeding has had many people interested in new breeds, and breeders who were happy to try to create them. Here are five typically American breeds, so American that all of them except one have this as part of their breed name....Read Full Article
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14th September 2017
It is a scenario every cat owner has faced-you want to get your cat to come to you, perhaps because they need to come in for the night, you are wondering where they are, or you want to check that they are ok-and you get absolutely no response, even when your cat is in earshot.
Dogs, on the other hand, tend to respond promptly....Read Full Article
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14th September 2017
Growling is one of the most universally recognised vocalisations produced by dogs, and even people who do not spend a lot of time with dogs or know much about them instinctively know that growling means back off, and that a growl may escalate to a bite. A whole range of different scenarios and situations can lead to growling, and some ....Read Full Article
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13th September 2017
No two cats are alike in terms of their personalities, and even two littermates that have lived their whole lives together and have never been apart will have very distinct preferences, behaviours and personalities, which can often be markedly different to each other.
However, there are a huge range of uniting factors when it....Read Full Article
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12th September 2017
Cats are generally quite inquisitive animals that like to be able to watch what is going on around them and investigate anything new and interesting, and this may involve interacting with people and things directly, or simply sitting and observing what is going on.
They also have a very strong prey drive and hunting instincts....Read Full Article
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11th September 2017
Unlike cats, who never need to be bathed without a good reason and so, may go their whole lives without a bath, dogs need to be bathed and groomed regularly to stop them from smelling bad, keep their skin and coat in good condition, and avoid problems.
Never bathing your dog will mean that their skin and coat get very dirty, ....Read Full Article
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11th September 2017
Cats can be both entertaining and infuriating, often at the same time-and when your cat is about to do something naughty, it can sometimes seem as if they go out of their way to make sure that you are watching them first! One of the most common feline behaviours is also one that can be annoying and/or funny depending on how it manifest....Read Full Article
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9th September 2017
Horner’s syndrome, sometimes called Horner’s disease, is an unusual and very unique health condition that can affect your dog’s eyes, and which occurs as the result of nerve problems or damage to the nerves in certain areas of the body.
Horner’s syndrome can affect dogs of any breed or type, although f....Read Full Article
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9th September 2017
Because changing weather and seasons are of course all around us at all times whether we are indoors or outdoors, we tend to not really think about them too much other than in terms of “oh it’s raining” or “oh, it’s starting to get cold.” However, the seasons and the weather itself actually have a ve....Read Full Article
