There’s an old saying that pets and their owners become more similar as time goes by. There may be some truth in that, but can we use information about owners to improve veterinary care?
My family and I were on vacation in Florida recently and took advantage of a free afternoon to do some gift shopping for local memorabilia – not your ordinary T-shirts and key chains.
Companion animals are part of our families, but inevitably the time comes for us to say goodbye to them due to old age or disease.
- By Bronwyn Orr
You might think raw meat pet food is good for your dog. But a new study, published today in Vet Record, has found it can have high levels of bacteria that may pose health risks for your pet.
Zebras are famous for their contrasting black and white stripes – but until very recently no one really knew why they sport their unusual striped pattern.
Like humans, dogs’ personalities likely change over time, according to new research.
When cannabis was legalized in the parts of the United States, there were substantial increases in marijuana-related visits to children’s hospitals and calls to poison control centers. Pets are just as vulnerable — just like our human family members, pets are susceptible to getting sick.
This large pet population is estimated to consume billions of tonnes of meat each year.
- By Alexis Blue
Bigger dogs, with larger brains, perform better than smaller pups on certain measures of intelligence, new research shows.
- By Marc Bekoff
Grief, friendship, gratitude, wonder, and other things we animals experience.
While the weather outside may indeed get frightful this winter, a parka, knit hat, wool socks, insulated boots and maybe a roaring fire make things bearable for people who live in cold climates.
There’s been a lot of research about communication between people and domestic animals like dogs and cats. We don’t know what cats and dogs think or if they understand us when we use their noises.
Most dogs don’t like to travel, and those that do have usually had to learn to like it.
There is a growing global trend to consider pets as part of the family. In fact, millions of people around the world love their pets, enjoying their companionship, going for walks, playing and even talking to them
When a dog behaves unnaturally in response to any neurotic, chaotic, or disruptive energy taken on from humans, he tends to look confused because he has nowhere to put the energy that is reverberating within him. He doesn’t really know why he is acting out, nor does his behavior make the least bit of sense to him.
As the Christmas season gets underway thoughts turn to buying gifts for the entire family. For some, companion animals are on the gift list, particularly cats and dogs who share our homes and hearts.
- By Elena Mannes
Many have experienced the depth of feeling that can develop between us and our four-legged best friends. What makes my story unique is that my search for a lasting and meaningful connection led me down a path that crossed over the boundaries of reason and concrete reality into the realm of the invisible. My dog Brio inspired me--a born skeptic--to investigate the paranormal.
- By Susan Hazel
Have you ever been licked by a cat? If so you’ll know the feline tongue feels more like sandpaper than satin.
- By Jan Hoole
Fireworks are a brilliant way to celebrate special occasions such as New Year’s Eve, as well as big sporting events and independence days – right? Not if you happen to be an animal.
Over the last ten years, it’s estimated there has been a 360% rise in veganism in Britain – around 542,000 people have “gone vegan”. As a nation of animal lovers, with around 44% of homes owning a pet – and somewhere in the region of 8.5m dogs in the UK – it’s only natural this phenomenon should start to spill over into the pet food world.
Cooperation can be found across the animal kingdom, in behaviors such as group hunting, raising of young, and driving away predators. But are these cooperating animals actively coordinating their behaviur, or are they simply acting individually to accomplish the same task at the same time?
If you live with a dog you just know when it’s happy or miserable, don’t you? Of course you do. Even the scientific community, now admits that dogs have emotions – even if scientists can’t directly measure what they are experiencing.
People have had a close bond with domesticated dogs for centuries. In his 1764 Dictionnaire philosophique, Voltaire observed: “It seems that nature has given the dog to man for his defence and for his pleasure. Of all the animals it is the most faithful: it is the best friend man can have.”