Archive for January, 2008
There’s a wide variety of signs that your cat could be suffering from constipation, and many of them are also a symptom of something else being amiss with your cat’s health, but having a number of these signs together is a good indication that constipation could be at the root of your cat’s litter box misery. If your cat seems to be spending longer than usual with his toilet visits, then you should be alert for any, or a combination, of the following:
Crying whilst on litter box
Straining whilst on litter box
No (or infrequent) bowel movements
Runny diarrhoea (this could be tinged with blood)
Vomiting
Signs of stomach pain or discomfort
Less, or no, appetite
Bad grooming habits but constantly licking anal area
Lack of energy
Having identified that your cat is constipated you need to contact your veterinary so that they can examine the cat and see how big of a problem it is. It could be that it’s a one-off occurrence that can be cleared up with some form of medication and then adjusting his diet if necessary to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Or it could that the bowel is so packed up that the veterinary much do a procedure to help clear the obstruction. Once clear you will be given advice on a diet plan that will help ensure that this doesn’t reoccur.
Occasionally however it happens that the constipation isn’t the diagnosis. It could be that the cat is suffering from a much more serious condition such as feline urinary tract disease (FLUTD), and this is why it’s important that you have the veterinary look at your cat rather than try to handle the constipation yourself. Other problems that would give similar symptoms as those related to constipation include: abscesses (especially around the anal area), tumours, injuries – as well as weight related ones such as lack of fibre in the cat’s diet and not getting enough exercise. Hair balls can also create problems if the hair is ingested as this can become matted and create an obstruction.
As in humans constipation can start off as an annoyance but quickly escalates to a painful crisis which requires some form of treatment to release. As your cat’s guardian you need to be on the look out for the signs that create this problem, and then get veterinary attention for your cat as soon as you can.
This article was composed by Jack Middleton. Jack is also one of the three orginal writer on A.B.B.4 and has written lots of different articles on the topic of cosmetic surgery for men.
Large dogs are usually the cutest puppies in the store. With large eyes, and oversized feet attached disproportionately to skinny legs, they’re often gangly, uncoordinated and adorable. However, before your heart decides that you’re taking one of these cuties home with you, you really need to consider some hard facts about owning a large dog breed. 1. Large dog breeds require large budgets! They are heavy on everything from food to dog shampoo! If your dog needs veterinary attention, you can guarantee it’s going to cost you twice, if not three times, as much to heal your Saint Bernard’s broken leg as it will your neighbour’s miniature poodle’s! Insurance is another area where a larger breed will have a higher financial penalty – and it’s likely that there will be a higher excess to be paid on top of this so make sure you read the small print carefully!
2. Large dog breeds need more exercise! If you are time-poor, then a large dog is really out of the question. They need to be taken out regularly for long walks and give the chance to stretch their muscles fully. If you’re a jogger or daily walker, this could be ideal – if you’re a couch potato, it’s not!
3. Large dog breeds take up more space! A space to call their own may not quite be what you currently call the spare room, but it may be the area that you’re using as your office space! Consider the full-grown size of the dog breed and how much room it needs not only to sleep, but also how much physical space it will take up when following you around the home – if you think that you’ll constantly fall over the dog because there’s not enough room in your home to actually walk around a dog of that size, it’s not the breed for you!
4. Large dog breeds need training! All dogs should be trained, but larger ones tend to scare people quicker. Even if you decide against training your dog formally, you need to have it sit immediately upon command, and to “leave” or “drop” whatever it’s holding in its mouth. With an average height that means they are able to comfortably scan the kitchen table, having them trained to “leave” and “drop” means that whatever catches their eye remains on the table!
Whatever dog breed you finally decide on buying needs to fit your life> Make sure that your budget, life and home can accommodate the dog with that’s already got its huge paws on your heartstrings!
This article was submitted by Abby Taylor, she is a contributor to Metro Male . Abby is slowly becoming an authority on buying overseas investment property.