What are Giardia and Cryptosporidium and How do Pets Catch Them?

Giardia and cryptosporidium are two pesky parasites that can affect an animal’s small intestine, causing diarrhea and cramping. These nasty organisms are transmitted when a form of the parasite called the cyst is shed in one animal’s stool and consumed by another dog or cat.

Dwight Bowman, a professor of Parasitology at Cornell University, says that when the animal ingests drinking water or puddle water or pond water, or eats something that’s contaminated with the cyst, they can get infected. He says that if your dog has diarrhea, diagnostic tests will help determine the cause.

Fortunately, if giardia is to blame, you don’t need to worry about picking it up from your pet. Bowman says there’s no evidence that the species infecting dogs also infects humans.

Understanding Glucosamine and Joint Health

Planning for a Lifetime of Mobility

Normal wear and tear on joints occurs daily throughout your dog’s lifetime. Cartilage protects your dog’s bones and joints from the friction caused by everyday movement.

Natural glucosamine, a building block of cartilage tissue, can help maintain cartilage for healthy joints and mobility. That’s why Purina has created adult dog formulas that contain guaranteed levels of natural glucosamine, so you can help your dog stay active and healthy for a long time to come.

CARTILAGE

What is cartilage?

Cartilage is a tissue found at the ends of bones in the joint areas, that acts as a cushion. It is composed of a sponge-like mass of cells, together with proteins, special substances that hold water, and the water itself. Glucosamine serves as a building block to create these special water-holding substances.

What is cartilage?

Why is it important?

Healthy cartilage is absolutely essential for proper joint function and overall mobility. Happy, healthy, active dogs need healthy cartilage and a diet that supports overall well-being, including joint health.

Where does glucosamine come from?

Glucosamine occurs naturally in several common dog food ingredients. Purina uses several poultry and meat sources and guarantees the level of glucosamine in several of their adult dog formulas. Glucosamine is also produced in the body itself.

Does natural glucosamine benefit senior dogs only?

No! Wear and tear on cartilage occurs over a lifetime, so glucosamine helps maintain your dog’s joint health throughout life.

How does the body maintain healthy cartilage?

Chondrocytes are cells present in the cartilage of joints. These cells use glucosamine and other compounds supplied by the diet or produced within the body to make and maintain proteins and the water-binding substances in the cartilage. This allows the cartilage to function as a shock absorber.

What role does glucosamine play in joint health?

As a building block of cartilage, glucosamine can help support joint health and mobility.

Weather Precautions

Just as we care for ourselves differently at different times of the year, we should be sensitive to our dog’s needs during colder and warmer weather conditions.

COLD WEATHER CARE

Well-nourished dogs, are better prepared to withstand the rigors of winter, particularly if housed outdoors. Outdoor dogs normally need more food to generate enough energy to cope with the cold. This is easily accomplished by feeding a high-quality nutritionally complete and balanced dog food. Offer your dog fresh water several times during the day. Electrically-heated water bowls are available, but still should be monitored regularly.

Dogs housed indoors may require less food in order to maintain good body condition. They tend to be less active and expend less energy. Short-haired dogs, geriatric dogs, and dogs with health problems may need the protective warmth of a dog sweater or jacket during outside jaunts.

An outdoor dog’s shelter should be insulated, elevated, protected from prevailing winds, and watertight. Because they use their own body heat to keep warm, the shelter should be small enough to preserve the dog’s body heat.

Remove packed snow or ice from between the toes of your dog’s paw pads and wipe the paws thoroughly. Otherwise, moisture can be trapped and cause sores. Salt and other de-icers spread on sidewalks and roads may also irritate the pads and cause them to bleed.

Because of its sweet taste, dog’s are attracted to antifreeze and lap it up when it is not properly disposed of. Antifreeze is highly toxic to dogs and cats. Store antifreeze where dogs cannot reach it. Antifreeze poisoning requires immediate veterinary treatment.

You may find your indoor dog experiencing dry skin and shedding. This is usually the result of low humidity. Frequent brushing helps remove dead hairs, skin and stimulates oil glands.

Frostbite

If you suspect that your dog has frostbite, do not rub any frozen tissue, which will cause additional tissue damage. Seek veterinary treatment immediately.

WARM WEATHER CARE

As temperatures soar, dogs become more vulnerable to heat stress. Maintaining a comfortable environment for your dog is important. Providing plenty of cool, fresh water will help keep your dog cool throughout the summer.

Heatstroke

Heatstroke develops rapidly and is often associated with exposure to high temperatures, humidity and poor ventilation. Symptoms include panting, a staring or anxious expression, failure to respond to commands, warm, dry skin, extremely high temperature, dehydration, rapid heartbeat and collapse. Puppies and geriatric dogs tend to be more susceptible. Adult dogs more susceptible to heat stress include those who recently moved from cool to warmer climates, those with cardiovascular or respiratory conditions, or with a history of heat stress. With any form of heat stress, prompt veterinary attention is important to deal with potential complications.

Periods of Confinement

Confinement in a car or any other poorly ventilated enclosure can be fatal to your dog. One study reports that when the outside temperature is 78°F, a closed car will reach 90°F in five minutes, and 110°F in 25 minutes.

Exercise

Avoid excessive exercising of your dog during hot days or warm, humid nights. The best time to exercise is either early in the morning before sunrise or late in the evening after the sun goes down.

Sunburn

Dogs who have recently received short haircuts may become sunburn victims and are as susceptible to heat stress as dogs who haven’t had their haircoat trimmed. In fact, your dog’s haircoat has insulating characteristics to help protect him from the heat.

What is a Reasonable Rehoming Fee for a Doberman Pinscher?

Are you looking to adopt a Dobie, or your rehoming your pet? Either way, you need to know what is a reasonable rehoming fee for a Doberman Pinscher. The fees vary based on several factors, including age and health of the pet and the organization from which you are adopting. If you’re rehoming a dog, you should always charge a rehoming fee of at least $50, but charging a higher fee helps to ensure the adopters are willing to invest financially in your dog.

I Need to Rehome My Dog Quickly. Will a Rehoming Fee Slow the Process?

You aren’t just looking for a home for your pet; you’re looking for the right home. If a potential adopter is unwilling to pay a reasonable rehoming fee, they aren’t the right fit. That being said, quality adopters will understand the need to charge a fee and doing so isn’t likely to slow down the rehoming process.

Benefits of Charging a Rehoming Fee for Your Doberman Pinscher

For rescues and other organizations, charging a rehoming fee helps to offset the costs of caring for dogs—although it doesn’t come close to covering those costs completely. If you’re a private owner rehoming your dog, you might wonder why you should charge a fee. There are two main reasons:

To ensure the adopter has the ability to financially care for the pet and that they are willing to do so.
To prevent the dog from being used for nefarious purposes, such as dog fighting or being sold to a lab.

Don’t feel uncomfortable about charging a rehoming fee for your Doberman Pinscher. It’s the right thing to do.

Are you trying to rehome a pet yourself? Get some help by visiting Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet.com. The peer-to-peer service allows you to list your pet on Adopt-a-Pet.com for millions of potential adopters to see —for free.. You’ll also find expert advice and valuable, user-friendly tools to help you find the perfect home for your Doberman Pinscher.

What Does It Mean to Surrender a Shih Tzu?

To surrender your Shih Tzu, it means that you’re giving up your legal rights to him. Once he has been surrendered to a shelter or a rescue, he’s no longer your dog. Many people who find that they need to give up their dog first think about bringing him to a shelter or a rescue. While these facilities do their best to ensure that dogs are adopted, this doesn’t always happen.

It’s important to understand what you’ll need to do when you’re surrendering to a shelter or rescue and to consider some other options that you could choose.

Surrendering to a Shelter or Rescue

Before you can bring your dog to a shelter or a rescue, you’ll need to contact them. Start by checking out the websites of locations in your area, which can give you a better sense of what you need to do and what you can expect. Most of the time, you’ll have to pay a surrender fee to a shelter or a rescue. The cost varies and could be from $50 to $150 or more.

The fees for surrender charged by the facilities are used to ensure that they can continue to operate. When you call the facility, they can let you know how much you’ll have to pay and what paperwork you will need to bring.

When you talk to a shelter or a rescue, they’ll likely ask you if there might be a way that you could keep your dog. After all, they want what’s best for the animal. In some cases, they can provide you with a list of resources that could help with things like behavior issues or financial problems, for example.

Other Options to Consider When Giving Up Your Shih Tzu

In addition to shelters and rescues, you can consider some other options. One of the things you’ll want to do is speak with your friends and family. They may be considering adopting a dog, and they might love the idea of bringing your Shih Tzu into their lives. This could be a nice solution since you already know and trust them and their capability of caring for him.

Of course, we aren’t all fortunate enough to have family and friends who can adopt. In those cases, it’s possible to find people online. However, you always want to be careful when a stranger wants to adopt your dog.

You should ask for references and be sure to request a rehoming fee. This fee from the adopter isn’t to give you financial recourse, but to ensure that only those who have good intentions toward your dog try to adopt. Charge a rehoming fee that’s around the same as what shelters and rescues in your area charge.

To make things easier, you may want to use Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet.com. This platform is a peer-to-peer service that connects owners with potential adopters. You can create a profile for your dog and then choose from the various adoption applications to find the perfect new home for your Shih Tzu.

What is a Reasonable Rehoming Fee for an Australian Cattle Dog?

A reasonable rehoming fee for an Australian cattle dog should be around the same amount that you would pay to a local shelter when adopting. This can range in price from around $50 to more than $150 in some locations and could be higher for certain breeds. Australian cattle dogs can be $350 or more in many cases. The age of the dog can be a factor in determining the rehoming fee, as well.

The Need for a Rehoming Fee

You may be wondering why rehoming fees are charged. If you can no longer care for your Australian cattle dog, you may be thinking that it would be easier to find someone to adopt them if there were no fees. While it might be able to find more potential adopters, this way is fraught with problems.

Not everyone has good intentions for your pet, and you want to dissuade those people from getting their hands on the dog. Some people, for example, might want to use the dog for dogfighting or for training fighting dogs. These people look for free pets that they can use. It is hard to imagine, but it does happen.

One of the best ways to do that is by charging a rehoming fee. This should be at least $50 in most cases. People who want to harm animals and put them in bad situations do not want to pay for the animals. The rehoming fee works as a line of defense for your dog.

You might want to charge a higher rehoming fee to ensure that the person who is adopting is willing and able to provide proper care for your pet. This is especially true with Australian cattle dogs, which tend to be an expensive dog.

Why Does Age Matter?

Typically, the rehoming fees are going to be higher for younger dogs. As the dog gets older, the average rehoming fee might start to drop somewhat. If you will be rehoming the dog on your own rather than going through a service like Rehome, you will want to keep this in mind.

Consider Using Rehome

Rehome is a platform from Adopt-a-Pet. It could be a good option for those who need to rehome their Australian cattle dog and who are still unsure about what they should charge for a rehoming fee. The system is simple to use. You can upload information about your dog including photos, videos, and a bio. You can also upload medical records that will then be transferred to the new owner when they adopt.

This is a free service to the owner. The adopter will pay a rehoming fee that is similar to what they would pay at a shelter. This ensures that you can find the right people to become the new owners of your dog. You will have peace of mind knowing that your dog will be going to a loving home that can take care of them.

What is Canine Fear Aggression?

Some dogs are wary of strangers and new situations – so nervous, in fact, that they threaten or challenge you in order to get away from what’s scaring them. Experts call such behavior Canine Fear Aggression. Barbara Sherman, Associate Professor at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, says fear-based aggression rarely goes away on its own.

Sherman states, “and these dogs often need some help in coping with even the most routine situations that might elicit fear.”

An experienced trainer may be able to help your pooch overcome his fears. But in difficult cases, you may want to have your veterinarian recommend a behavior specialist.

Find more tips at Purina.com/Dogs

What is a Reasonable Rehoming Fee for a Pomeranian?

A reasonable rehoming fee for a Pomeranian will generally be up to $150, but this price can vary greatly. In some cases, it might be much higher depending on whether he’s purebred or not, his age, and the geographic location. Some areas simply have higher average rehoming fees.

Check the Average Rehoming Fees in Your Area

If you’re an owner who is looking to rehome your Pomeranian, you’ll want to look at some of the other rehoming fees that are being charged. It’s a good idea to stick to the average. If the rehoming fee is too much, people will not want to pay. If it’s not enough, it means that there could be unscrupulous people who try to get your dog.

If you’re someone who is looking to adopt, you’ll also want to check the average rehoming fees, as well. Generally, they should be similar to what you would pay as an adoption fee to a shelter or a rescue.

Why Have Rehoming Fees at All?

Some people—owners and adopters included—might be wondering why there need to be rehoming fees. They may feel that when people have to give up their dog, they should just be happy that someone’s willing to take him. They may wonder why people are trying to make money off giving up their dog, a part of their family. The truth is that most people don’t want to give up their dog. There are circumstances beyond their control. The rehoming fees aren’t to make money. The fees are there to help keep the dogs safe.

Despicable people exist in this world, and they sometimes try to find free and cheap dogs. They want to resell the dogs to labs for a profit in some cases. Other times, someone might want to use your Pomeranian as bait and training for fighting dogs. You never want something like this to happen to your dog or any dog for that matter.

Rehoming fees are a necessity, and they should be charged in most circumstances. The only time that they don’t need to be charged is when you’re giving your dog to someone you already know well. If it’s someone you trust and who is a good fit for the dog, there’s no need for fees.

Use Rehome and Don’t Worry About the Fees

If you’re going to be letting someone you don’t know to adopt, you need to charge a rehoming fee, as discussed. Some owners worry about this, though. To make things easier, you can use Rehome. This site is from Adopt-a-Pet.com, and those who adopt through the site pay a small rehoming fee directly to the site, so you don’t have to worry about it. This fee is similar to what they would pay for adoption fees from a shelter or rescue.

The site is free for owners to use, and it allows you to create a profile for your Pomeranian. You can add a bio, photos, and videos. Once people start to apply, you can review the applications to ensure you find a wonderful new home for your Pomeranian.

What is a Hot Spot and What Causes It?

Your dog has been licking and licking the same spot on his body. Now the area is raw and oozing pus. What’s the problem? Chances are… Spot has a hot spot.

Hot spots are bacterial skin infections that are often triggered by fleas or allergies. They are most common in dogs such as the golden retriever that have thick, heavy coats. The lesions usually occur on a dog’s head, chest, or hip and can be quite painful, so many dogs will lick, bite, and scratch at them – making the problem even worse.

Addressing the issue involves treating both the infection and the underlying cause. If your dog is prone to hot spots, your veterinarian may also recommend keeping his hair clipped short in the summertime.

What is a Reasonable Rehoming Fee for a Great Dane?

A reasonable rehoming fee for a Great Dane is typically between $50 and $150 in most cases. However, the amount can be higher depending on the age of the Great Dane and whether they’re a purebred dog or not. It’s always a good idea to charge a rehoming fee when giving up a Great Dane, or any other type of dog for that matter.

Who Pays Rehoming Fees?

Rehoming fees are paid by the person who will be taking in the dog and not by the owner. The only time you, as an owner, will pay anything would be if they were to surrender their dog to a shelter or a rescue. The surrender fee can vary, but you’ll find that it’s typically around the same as a rehoming fee or an adoption fee. Money from these fees typically goes back into ensuring that the facility can continue operating.

Why Are Rehoming Fees Important?

Some people do not believe rehoming fees are needed. They feel that if someone can no longer keep a dog, they should give him to a good home. However, they have to understand that the world can be a dangerous place. It’s not always possible to find a good and safe home for a dog without charging a rehoming fee. The fees help to deter people with bad intentions who might want to sell the dogs to labs or use them for fighting. You never want something like that to happen to your Great Dane. The rehoming fees help to reduce the risk.

Although they’re often called adoption fees, the cost of getting a dog through the animal shelter or a rescue is essentially rehoming fees. As with private rehoming fees, the cost helps to increase safety for your dog.

Can You Ever Eliminate the Need for a Rehoming Fee?

As long as someone you do not know is adopting your dog, you always need to charge some type of rehoming fee. The only time that you wouldn’t want to charge a fee is when you’re giving your dog to someone you already know and fully trust. This might be a family member or a friend who has been looking for a dog, for example. In these instances, you can be sure they won’t use your dog for fighting or to sell to a lab.

Consider Using Rehome to Make It Easier

If you don’t know anyone looking for a dog, consider using Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet.com. This is a platform from Adopt-a-Pet.com that provides you with an easy way to advertise your dog to people looking to adopt. It’s a safe and fast way to find a wonderful new owner for your Great Dane. You can create a detailed profile for him, and people can send in adoption applications. With guidance from the experts at Rehome, you’ll then choose the new owner for your Great Dane. The platform charges the adopter a rehoming fee, and that money goes right back into helping more pets get adopted.