When pondering whether my neurosis is learned or genetic, I often turn to the family dogs, Frazier (9) and Jake (4), and see the likelihood of a learned origin. My parents’ characteristic anxiety has effectively seeped into both dogs’ personas.

My mother and father are both card-carrying neurotics with drastically different sensibilities. The former engages in an overt style of panic characterized by covering her eyes when our car seems close to hitting another car that’s three hundred yards down the road. The latter is more of a concealer; I would cite one of his quirks in this sentence, but the ensuing disownment would be harsh.

Frazier, a beige mix of Bichon and Poodle, arrived in our home when I was in the ninth grade. For the first few months, he struck us as an emotionally balanced individual, but it wasn’t long before the wide, glassy eyes and quivering lower lip set in. Like his human siblings before him, he experienced separation anxiety in the absence of his parents. Unlike his human siblings, Frazier saw it fit to pace around the unoccupied house for hours, howling to the ceiling and holding his paw against his beating heart. Such behavior, though unquestionably neurotic, was at least grounded in recognizable childhood symptomology. It wasn’t until the arrival of Jake, during Frazier’s fifth year, that Frazier experienced a full-fledged nervous breakdown.

Given the instability of Frazier’s ego, the appearance of Jake–an energetic full-blooded poodle with black hair and a trim gray beard–was emotionally catastrophic. When he wasn’t lying on his stomach leering into the abyss, Frazier went as far as to commit acts of physical violence upon his younger brother. We knew not to be fooled by the innocent look in Frazier’s eye when his leash somehow ended up around Jake’s neck.

Jake, who entered our home as somewhat of a free spirit, was oblivious to Frazier’s brooding melancholy. He ran and played with the best of them. He developed a flourishing social identity among the locals. However, it wasn’t long before the torch of neurosis was passed onto Jake. From whose hands or paws the torch came is difficult to determine, but genetic theories strike me as inadmissible.

Jake’s inaugural phobia was a fear of vacuum cleaners. We have various vacuums in our home, and Jake’s fear of each is proportional to its size and volume. When the biggest vacuum is about to be used, Jake requires an explicit and descriptive monologue preparing him for what is to come. The monologue is best performed with the speaker’s hand firmly applied to the top of Jake’s head. We’ve found that with the aid of such verbal reassurances, Jake’s anxiety in the presence of the vacuum cleaners has decreased by 3 or 4 percent.

By now, we’re pleased to announce that Frazier has overcome his initial aversion to Jake. Not only do they dine together frequently, but they’ve also come to display the sincerest form of love in our family: they worry about one another. When Jake’s out jogging in the backyard and Frazier’s sobbing from the window, his tears run rich with affection.

About The Author

Eric Shapiro is the author of Short of a Picnic, a collection of fictional stories about people living with mental disorders.

shortofapicnic@aol.com

It is Winter time again, a time of the year when pets and humans are very vulnerable to each other. As this is obviously the chilliest time of the year, animals are much more likely to be cooped up inside the house with us. All of the windows and doors are closed to the world and the heat is blasting around the clock.

These are precisely the conditions which make our winter homes playgrounds for some kinds of allergens. Our dogs and cats are considerably vulnerable to the dust in the carpet, the mold inside the walls of your old house and other pets. But warm moist times of the year are high allergy times as well. Allergies are simply the most common conditions affecting cats and according to the Kansas State University, 15% of dogs suffer from common allergies like pollen and house dust. An allergic reaction is the work of an overactive immune system. It is when an animal responds abnormally to a seemingly everyday substance like grass or general food ingredients.

Of the different kinds of allergies, contact allergies are the least common in cats and dogs. An Example of a contact allergen is a flea collar. Grass and various kinds of bedding such as wool are also examples. An Inhalant Allergy is the most common allergy for cats and is also prevalent in dogs. This particular kind of allergy is caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to environmental substances. A Flea Allergy is the single most common dog allergy but is also common cats. The normal dog or cat suffers only somewhat minor irritation in lieu of a flea bite with minimal itching.

A food allergy is also somehat common in pets. Cats often become allergic to their most common protein such as tuna. Dogs can be allergic to proteins like chicken and beef. When it comes to allergies, like most things it’s a matter of controlling, not curing. Once an animal’s body becomes hypersensitive to certain things, it is then eternally vulnerable to those things.

Regarding treatment of allergies, the most common treatments are topical products like shampoos or antihistamines. There are also certain supplements that you can give to your pets to help support

the insides of their bodies, which to an extent determine the condition of the outside. Studies have shown that if we shampoo our pets’ coats on a regularl basis, it is much less likely that foreign substances will enter through the skin. Regular bathing discourages allergens — irritants such as dander and dead hair. When our pets itch and injure their skin, it leaves their internal landscapes much more vulnerable to skin problems For additional Information visit

Dog Supplements from Life’s Abundance for help with your dog

Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher of pet issues. For more info. visit http://www.premium-cat-food.com/

Arthritis occurs when the joint surfaces which are supposed to glide over each other become rough as they rub together. The joint cartilage, which aids smooth movement of the joint, decreases it’s lubrication and deteriorates, thus making movement more difficult and often painful. Pets are just as susceptible to arthritis as humans.

Have you noticed your pet moving at a slower pace? Does your dog have trouble jumping about and running around? Does it take several small jumps rather than a single leap for your cat to reach the counter? If your pet is having difficulty in performing these routine movements and has reduced mobility, chances are he may be suffering from arthritis.

Arthritis in pets, as in humans, can greatly affect your pet’s health and well being. With the onset of this Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), your playful and active pet can quickly turn listless and pain ridden. This disease usually affects larger breeds of dogs, like retrievers, but it can also occur in cats. Approximately 30% of family pets suffer from arthritis. The stiffness, pain and swelling in a pet with arthritis is the same as what most human being would experience.

The cause of arthritis in pets is often different from that in people. While arthritis commonly accompanies old age in humans, dog and cat arthritis is often caused by direct injury to a joint. More old dogs and cats have arthritis than young ones, not because they are old, but because degeneration of the bones worsens over time. It occurs in large dogs more often than in cats and small dogs since the animal’s weight is primarily stressed on the joints. Also, the common causes of arthritis, such as hip and elbow dysplasia and other common bone problems, are usually diseases of large, fast-growing dogs. Arthritis, however, does occur in small dogs and cats as well. In the US, an estimate of 20% of cats suffer from arthritis.

Pets can’t discuss their pains outright. So how do we know our pet is a victim of this joint disease? Some signs that you should be mindful of are the following: change of personality, being inactive at play, lagging behind on walks, reluctance to jump or climb stairs, difficulty of rising from a resting position, limping and yelping in pain when touched. If you notice some of these signs, have your veterinarian diagnose the condition of your pet with an X-ray.

If your pet is diagnosed with arthritis, don’t panic! The good news is, there are plenty of remedies to alleviate the pain. An effective treatment duo to best relieve arthritis pain includes pain medication and weight loss. Common pain medications are analgesic and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They revive the spirits of the pets by removing their pain, allowing pets to move easily and to exercise. Exercise, in turn, corrects the alignment of the joints which lets them experience less pain. A veterinarian’s prescription is necessary to determine the exact dosage for your pet. Some veterinarians recommend Omega 3 fatty acids to protect the heart, kidney and liver.

Many veterinarians recommend using supplements that protect the cartilage. Such supplement is termed as chondroprotective. It not only nourishes the cartilage but it also help pets with arthritis experience less pain. The second part of the double treatment is weight loss. Pet owners should help control their pet’s food intake. Studies show that when overweight pets lose weight, their pain significantly decreases.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Arthritis

Your dog might not love them, but there are many common parasites that love your dog. If your dog is not properly cared for he can become infested with any of these pests and develop illness or life threatening disease.

Luckily, there are many ways to ward off and get rid of parasites which are as simple as taking pills or using drops. With proper care and prevention, your dog will be generally free and safe from parasites and diseases but if you do notice your dog acting strangly, not eating or scratching too much, it?s best to get him to the vet right away.

Some common parasites that can take up residence on your dog include:

Ticks. We all know fido gets fleas and ticks in the summer, but ticks can pose more serious problems than due to diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Lyme disease. You should check your dog for ticks religiously especially if he spends a lot of time outdoors. Tweezers can be used to remove ticks one by one. If you do not know how to remove ticks properly and carefully, ask your vet first. If you do know how, put them in a can with soap and water after removal.

Fleas. These are the most common external parasites and can cause the dog to continuously scratch various parts of the body. It may get so bad that your dog loses fur in the infested areas. Ask your veterinarian to put your pet on a good flea-control program and be aware that fleas could become resistant to some products over time.

Lice. Lice is less common than fleas but can affect dogs. Your vet will have several treatments that can easily get rid of lice in dogs.

Heartworm. Caused by mosquito bites, heartworm resides in your dogs heart and blood vessels. A dog infected by heartworms looks dull and may even have a chronic cough. There are many heartworm medications that can prevent your dog from developing this disease – ask your vet which one is best for your pet.

Hookworm. Hookworms can cause anemia an loss of appetite and can be given by the mother dog to a puppy during the nursing period or even before birth.

Tapeworm. A dog can get tapeworm from swallowing larvae-laden fleas. There are not many symptoms with tapeworm but you might see rice-like pieces in your dogs stools. This is one good reason to always bring a stool sample to your vet when you bring your pet in for a yearly checkup.

Roundworm. Roundworms cause pneumonia, diarrhea, dehydration, stunted growth, and vomiting. A dog with roundworm may have a pot belly.

Whipworm. A dog infected with whipworms may have diarrhea and other ailments like, stool mucus, and serious bowel inflammation. Extreme weight loss is also a symptom caused by whipworms.

Although our dog can attract any of these parasites, most of them can be easily taken care of. Proper care and maintenance and routine visits to the vet will help keep your dog happy, healthy and parasite free.

Lee Dobbins writes for Epet Pet Center where you can find more on how to keep your pet healthy and happy.

Puppy obedience training is the cornerstone of a great, lifelong relationship with your dog. Without a sound basis of understanding of what behaviour is acceptable and what is not acceptable, your puppy and the dog that it becomes, and you, are on a collision course.

Almost every puppy born seems to come with a job description specially designed to wreck any household in the shortest possible time. Chewing family heirlooms, urinating and worse on the brand new carpet, terrorising the family cat and ripping the garden to shreds are all well documented puppy activities.

Given how mother nature works, it is perhaps not surprising to learn that all these apparently anti social behaviours are in fact necessary for the physical and mental development of the puppy. If they don’t exercise, mark their territory and practise their hunting and fighting skills, then how are they to survive in later life?

The obvious human answer of course is that they don’t need many of these skills anymore – but it is probably going to take mother nature a few more million years of evolution to cotton onto that.

In the meantime, puppy obedience training can go a long way to channeling their behaviour towards a more socially acceptable norm (for humans anyway). But that is not the end of the story.

Puppy obedience training cannot be successfully carried out from a human perspective. In other words, what works with humans wont necessarily work with puppies. In fact, in most cases, you will land up with a totally unintended outcome.

So before embarking on any form of puppy obedience training, we humans must first seek to understand (with apologies to Stephen Covey!) how a puppy will interpret, and therefore react to our training. We need to understand cause and effect and have some insight into what is driving a specific unwanted behaviour.

In the end, we have to accept that we are unlikely to be able to override the genetic imprint for behaviour. However, educated and consistent puppy obedience training can go a long way towards adapting and channeling a puppy’s behaviour in such a way that it is not detrimental to the puppy’s development and at the same time helps to build and strengthen the human – pet relationship.

Keith Perrett is a qualified Veterinarian. Visit www.pet-health-for-humans.com/pet-behaviour-problems.html to find some suggestions for puppy obedience training

Proper dog nutrition is not categorized the same for all ages, sizes and breeds. Each breed has it’s dietary recommendation as well as the suggested number of feedings per day. These recommendations can also be customized to the size and age group of your dog. However, there are some general guidelines you can follow in order to provide proper dog nutrition with a balanced diet. A dog’s protein intake depends highly on his age. Your dog won’t need more than 25 percent if he’s a puppy or over 22 percent for dogs that get moderate exercise, although, older dogs will require more. Consult your vet for the proper protein intake for your dog. Many dog foods also contain a high amount of salt. Read the label on your dog’s food to make sure he/she is not getting too much salt because it can result in heart disease.

Most dogs are fed two times a day. Some prefer to eat once a day. Your dog will display to you which he prefers simply by refusing to eat during one of his feedings. Puppies, however, require three to four feedings per day in order to develop bone growth and provide proper dog nutrition.

Never feed your dog table scraps under any circumstances. If your dog has been prescribed a special diet by the veterinarian, which requires you to cook your dog’s meals, be sure to place the food directly into your dog’s bowl. Avoid feeding your dog directly from the dinner table. Your dog will not only develop obesity but it will also encourage begging.

One thing about dogs is that they can eat, and eat, and eat, and eat and never know when they are full. Avoid giving your dog too much to eat. Once a dog becomes obese, it is very difficult to make them lose weight. Your dog can also develop a host of medical problems, such as high blood sugar, abnormal bone development, diabetes, heart problems, just to name a few.

Choose a reputable, high quality, dry dog food with the recommended daily allowance for your dog’s age, breed, size and weight. You can obtain this information from your vet.

Along with daily feedings, give your dog a multi-vitamin in order to promote good health and normal growth.

Feed your dog in a stainless steel bowl. Be sure to clean your dog’s bowl with soap and water every day or two. These bowls are a breeding ground for bacteria. Plastic and ceramic bowls are not recommended.

Your dog should always have water in his bowl, although, while training, you can remove the water bowl at night in order to lessen the probability of night-time urinating.

Offer your dog bite-sized snacks throughout the day for training purposes. Don’t overdo the snacks.

Proper dog nutrition is necessary in helping to keep your dog’s health in check and preventing costly trips to the vet.

Nancy Settecasi, Owner of Happy K-9 Dog Care Proud Owner of Cookie and Skippy, Cocker Spaniels, Dog Lover http://www.happyk-9.com