While everybody knows that Americans are getting fatter by the day, guess what? So are our cats! A quick look at the neighborhood veterinary clinic waiting room will likely show a similar situation - obese cats with health problems.

In a four-year research studies of feline obesity done by Cornell University published in the Journal of Nutrition, December 1998. It was found that overweight cats are more likely to suffer from serious diseases like diabetes, and obese cats are more likely to die at a younger age.

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Ringworm is one of the most common diseases in pets, especially dogs. Unlike its name, Ringworm is not a worm but fungi called Dermatophytes that thrives on dead tissues present on skin surface and follows circular path to spread infection.

Ringworm is an infectious skin disease and your pet usually picks it up from his surroundings like kennels, rodent burrows or from other animals who are already infected. There are about 35 species of ringworm that can affect dogs. The most common is ‘Mircosporum Canis’, which accounts for majority of ringworm cases

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“Magoo was a big, playful Labrador retriever who often got himself into sticky situations…”

So begins a story in the latest report from the ASPCA on foods that may be toxic to dogs. It turns out that Magoo got into the pantry and snagged himself about a pound of raisins. He ate the whole thing, of course.

The ASPCA never mentions Magoo’s fate. But they do tell us that as little as a handful of raisins can impair a dogs health and has been fatal for some. Ditto for the grape.

Who Knew?

Growing up, I regarded our family dogs as “the first cycle of the dishwasher”. They were good about waiting their turn for whatever we left on our plates, and we weren’t too concerned about offering them “people food”. It never crossed our minds that our dogs health could be affected by a few measly table scraps. What was safe for us, we figured, was safe for our pets.

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Does your dog have constipation? Does it happen frequently? Dogs sometimes, constipate for a number of reasons. If your dog starts constipating, don’t panic just yet. In this article, we’ll be looking at the various home remedies you could quickly apply to cure and relieve the dog of its constipation -if you suspect it has any.

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Cats have internal health problems that cause skin conditions in cats. Pruritus affects the skin of cats because of the nerve fibers that control sensations such as pruritus, pain, temperature and touch. In cats, pruritus affects the grooming habits and some scratching is associated with this skin condition. When a cat has excessive grooming habits it may lead to hairballs, military dermatitis, changes in color of the fur and alopecia.

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Many conditions result in dog health problems and in some breeds of dogs, the breed is prone to more health problems then others. Joint problems and heart problems account for some of these more serious health problems. When looking for a dog, you need to be aware of some of the problems that can arise in a dog’s life. Besides the everyday parasites and injuries from rough play, some dogs are prone to eye infections, ear infections and mange.

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Many online websites provide excellent advice about cat health care. Learning about cat health care online helps you determine if your cat has a medical problem or something less serious. New cat owners learn about proper health care and what the cat or kittens needs to grow up healthy and stronger while living a happy life. Some of these sites actually have veterinarians that offer free advice to the cat owner.

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Itching and scratching are symptoms of dog health skin problems. The dog goes through the pain staking scratching to rid their body of an itch and if the problem is medical, they keep itching to no avail. This disturbs you and the dog as the itching continues until proper treatments relieve the underlying problem. A skin problem varies from breed to breed and is known as pruritus. In most cases, creams or ointments relieve the itch. Then you must find out the cause of the dog health skin problems.

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