Animal health

Blueberries are fruits born through vines or perennial dwarf shrubs belonging to the genus Vaccinium. These plants are grown in the colder regions of both hemispheres. Historically, blueberries have been used as a natural remedy for urinary infections and also for the preparation of jams, juices and delicious...

If your dog secretes blood from any passage, there should always be concern and generally requires medical attention. If your dog vomits blood, then your reaction will likely be even more visceral. It is a worrying sight, so the first thing we need to find out by way of explanation is from where is the...

The reason your cat has patches of hair missing from their coat is that something is wrong physically or mentally. A cat's hair is a signifier of their well-being. A healthy cat will have a thick and lustrous coat (excluding naturally hairless cats), an unhealthy cat will lose not only their shine, but...

Is your dog struggling to keep balanced or appears to be uncoordinated? Is your dog showing symptoms of head tilting, tremors or vomiting? If so, your pup is most likely suffering from what is known as Ataxia. Ataxia in dogs is a vestibular disease caused by injuries of the proprioceptive sensibility...

Kidney failure in cats is an unfortunately common disorder. This is especially the case with older cats. Another term for this condition is renal failure and, while it may have different causes, they all amount to the same thing. Your kidneys no longer function properly. This can be a chronic disease...

The gurgling sound we hear from our stomach is often simply the sound of our digestion. It has the medical name of borborygmus and it is not unique to our species. We may hear similar gurgling sounds from our cat's stomach, sometimes more often than others. They can even be so loud they are funny, especially...

Seeing someone limp could mean many things. Perhaps they have had a minor injury, did not stretch before exercise or are simply feeling the effects of age. In most cases, a person will be able to shine some light on the reason for their hobble. With dogs, providing an explanation may be somewhat harder....

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure and it is something we may associate more with humans than with cats. Risk of developing it increases with age, but it is also linked to lifestyle issues and potentially genetic predisposition. Since it is rare to see a cat smoking a cigarette or regularly...

After eating too much or too quickly, it is common to see our dog with a swollen belly. Perhaps they have even been putting on the pounds recently and they are simply in a need of a little diet and exercise. However, your dog’s belly is swollen and hard, then these are disconcerting symptoms. The cause of...

Cats might engage in limitless mating if the opportunities arose. This is especially so with males as they can reach sexual maturity as young as 6 months of age. Although they may reach their sexual peak at around 7 years old, this does not mean they lose the inability to father kittens after this time....

The normal body temperature in cats fluctuates between 38ºC and 39.5ºC (100.4ºF and 103.1ºF). When the internal body temperature of a cat exceeds this top parameter they have a fever. A cat will have a fever due to their health being impaired, usually due to their body fighting an infection of some sort....

If your dog is pregnant, then it is vital you learn how to ensure they are well looked after. They will need more care and protection during this vulnerable time. Ideally you would have a vet on hand as soon as they start to go into labor. Unfortunately, the relatively short labor period in dogs means...

Scabies can affect a cat of any age or gender and they don't need to have bad personal hygiene to become infected. It is a very unpleasant and frustrating disease which is caused by an infestation of mites known as Notoedris Cati. This mite penetrates the skin tissue deeply and leads to itchiness, irritation,...

No cat of any breed is invincible. While some may have good genes and be provided with a loving and safe environment, the nature of illness means it can affect anyone, even if you're a cat. As pet owners, it is our duty to keep an eye on any issues our cat may be going through so we can find the right...

Vinegar is an effective method of eliminating fleas from dogs with mild to moderate infestations. If your dog has a serious infestation, then the fastest and most effective way to eliminate them is go to a vet immediately. They will provide you with the best type of antiparasitic product to work quickly...

When the year heats up in spring and summer, all of the fun in the sun also has certain drawbacks with your pets. The hotter temperature can mean conditions for skin problems can become prominent. This is not to say that they can't occur at colder times of the year either. Lesions on your dog's skin...

Congestive heart failure is a big concern for humans as it is one of the biggest killers. We may not think the relatively tiny hearts of cats will suffer the same issues, but this is unfortunately not the case. Congestive heart failure is quite a self-explanatory term. The arteries and blood vessels of...

Have you ever wondered if you can bathe a newly vaccinated dog? Perhaps they have gotten dirty on the way home from the vet and you don't want the carpet becoming the same way? In this AnimalWised article, we'll show you what happens to your dog's body after they are immunized. This way you will be able...

While it is an invasive procedure, spaying your dog has a range of benefits. Their lack of ability to become pregnant prohibits the birth of puppies we don't have the resources to care for and thus reducing the cases of abandoned pets which need shelter care. Neutering also helps with their psychological...

Your cat losing their teeth can seem like quite a shocking occurrence. It's not something you may expect to happen and it can make you worry about their overall health. If your cat is a kitten, losing their teeth is a natural aspect of their physical development. They are called ‘milk teeth’ and this...

Unfortunately, the question of whether you can breed a dog with its parent isn't straightforward. If you want to be technical, then yes you can. The two dogs can mate and even conceive. Whether you should cross a mother dog with her son, this is a different question. It is not recommended that dogs...

is it normal for cats to have a dry nose? You are perhaps only asking because it seems more common for a cat to have a wet nose. As, like dogs, the noses of cats are so sensitive that we need to be considerate to any changes in them. There are, however, also many myths surrounding animal noses. Some believe...

Female dogs breastfeed like all mammals, their name deriving from the mammary glands used to produce milk. This milk is full of nutrients and designed to keep their vulnerable puppies fed and protected from potential infection. Sometimes these mammaries can become engorged, often looking red or swollen....

Blood in a dog's urine can be a worrying sign. It's called hematuria and is usually a symptom that your dog's health is impaired, possibly seriously. The most common causes can range from urinary tract infections (UTIs) to tumors, kidney stones to infectious diseases like parvovirus. Therefore, if you see drops...

Knowing the period of heat in rabbits, whether female or male, is important. This is because being in heat can determine their behavior as well as how you need to care for them. It can also make this care more difficult than usual. We also may misconstrue their behavior as something else or think that they...

Have you ever wondered why dogs go blind? It is common to see blindness in elderly dogs, but it can be disheartening to see it happen. It is perhaps even sadder when it occurs with younger dogs or puppies. However, it is important to remember that the inability to see doesn't mean they can't have fulfilling...

It is common for older cats to develop a range of diseases, often with lumps and deposits forming on different parts of their body. Unfortunately, just as in humans, one of the worst case scenarios is our cat developing cancer. Cancer is a disease which causes an uncontrolled division of cells in the body,...

Eye boogers is a crass description, but this doesn't stop it from being pretty accurate. Rheum is a discharge of mucus which is washed away by blinking. This means when they sleep, cats don't wash away this discharge and it collects in the corner of their eyes. The same thing happens in humans. It can...

There is no simple answer to the question how long does a dog live with parvovirus? The reason is that there are other mitigating factors. Parvovirus is one of the most feared illnesses of dog owners, especially those with puppies, as they are usually the most at risk canines. If untreated, this disease has the...

How long it takes to deworm a dog depends on a few factors, mainly the type of deworming product your use, the age of your dog and how it is administered. What is not under question is how vital is this process for your pet. Getting an infection from a parasite such as tapeworm, roundworm, heartworm...

Cats can be very sensitive animals. They can be prone to anxiety and are often wary of their environment, usually more so than dogs. It depends on the stressors, but generally felines treat are able to get over these stressful episodes and adapt to new situations. However, if the negative stimulus is one...

Dapple is marking on a Dachshund dog similar to the Merle on other breeds. It is a spotting which can be very beautiful, causing almost mystical looking patterns on the dog's fur. Even one spot on a Dachshund's fur makes it a dapple. When one dapple Dachshund dog is bred with another, you get a dog known...

Occasionally, owners might hear some grumbling or gurgling noises coming from our dogs. This is, of course, unless you have a very gassy dog. This ‘occasionally’ might be more like ‘repeatedly’. The problem is, these internal sounds make it difficult to diagnose what problem, if any, might be affecting...

In general, a cat drinking more water than usual is not normal and is usually a symptom that something is wrong. An average cat weighing 4 kilos (8.8 lbs) should take approximately 180 ml/day, if they are overweight and also urinate a lot, it means that something is happening and we should go to the vet....

Sporotrichosis is zoonotic, or a disease that can be transmitted from animals to people.The agent of this disease is a fungus, which usually uses a wound on the skin as the perfect means to enter a body. This terrible disease can affect several animals, including dogs and cats! As it can be transmitted...

Bees are beautiful creatures. They may have a sting in their tail, but they don't use them unprovoked like the vengeful wasp seems to. Bees are also indispensable, especially to us humans. They live in hive societies which work as a super efficient colony. Their infrastructure is one which is not only...

There are several causes that can cause coughing spells in cats. In this AnimalWised article we will review the main reasons that will allow us to answer the question: why does my cat cough so much?. By "so much" we will understand several times a day, for several days, so much that it catches our attention,...

Ferrets are becoming more and more common as pets in our homes. It is therefore important that we inform ourselves about various aspects of the life of this peculiar and cute animal before adopting them. One of the basic things we need to know is the most common diseases of the ferret. In many normal...

It is a common misconception that dogs do not sweat, at least not completely. They do sweat on their paws and nose as these are not covered in fur. However, even their fur areas have sebaceous glands which exude moisture, natural oils and scents. What is true, however, is that they cannot appropriately...

Leukemia in cats is one of the most frequent and severe viral diseases that affects the immune system, mainly in young cats. It is not transmissible to humans, but it is usually easily transmitted among cats living in feline collectives and feral cat colonies. In order to demystify feline leukemia and know...