Pets, Home & Garden: dog

Recently in the newspaper appeared a news report that more than 250,000 pets will be given during the Christmas holidays, the most demanded dogs, cats and birds. Of which a large number will be abandoned in the future.

From Mundo Animalia we invite you to make a compulsive purchase before answering the following questions:

Why do you want a pet?

It's amazing how many people do not ask this so simple before hosting a pet in their home. Acquiring a pet simply because it is what people "do" or because children have been whining for a puppy usually ends in a big mistake. Do not forget that some pets can be with you 10, 15 or even 20 years.

Do you have time for a pet?

Dogs, cats and other pets can’t be ignored simply because you are tired or busy. They need food, water, exercise, love and company every day of every year. Many animals in the shelters are there because their owners did not really think how long it took to take care of them.

Can you afford a pet economically?

The costs of keeping a pet can be quite high. Licenses, training classes, sterilization and castration, veterinary care, brushing, toys, food, cat litter, and other expenses are things that add up quickly.

Are you ready to deal with the problems that a pet can cause?

Flea infestations, scratched furniture, accidents of animals that are not educated to be in a house and unexpected medical emergencies are lamentable but they are common aspects to the possession of a pet.

Can you have a pet where you live?

Some neighborhood communities do not allow pets, and others have restrictions. Make sure what they are before bringing a furry companion home.

Is it a good time for you to buy a pet?

For example, if you are a student or traveling assiduously as part of your work, it is sensible to wait to stabilize yourself.

Are your life habits adequate for the animal you have in mind?

The size of the pet is not the only variable that you have to think about here. For example, some small dogs like terriers are very active. They need a lot of exercise to be able to calm down, and they usually bark with any noise. On the other hand, some large dogs are very calm and happy and content to just sleep on the couch all day. Do some research before you buy a pet. In this way, you are sure to choose the animal that will fit your lifestyle.

Do you know who will take care of your pet when you are traveling or on vacation?

You will need to have trusted friends or neighbors or money to pay a shelter or a pet hostel. Or maybe modify your vacation style to take it with you.

Can you be a responsible owner?

Having your pet sterilized or neutered, obeying community laws and putting the chip are things that are part of being a responsible owner. Of course, giving your pet love, companionship, exercise, a healthy diet and regular veterinary care are also essential.

Are you prepared to maintain and care for a pet throughout its life?

When you acquire a pet, you are committing yourself to take care of it for the rest of your life.

All right, once you've answered all the questions. If you still think about acquiring a pet, from mundo Animalia we encourage you to go to a shelter, since many of the abandoned animals of the shelters are puppies of dogs and cats, victims of irresponsible people who allowed their pets to breed. But there is a fairly even number of dogs and cats in shelters that have been hosted for more than a year by people who did not think about the responsibilities of owning an animal before taking it home.

Please, do not make the same mistake. Think before you acquire a pet. Sharing your life with an animal companion can bring incredible compensation, but only if you are willing to devote the necessary time, money, responsibility and love for the rest of your life.

If your dog is going to be a mother or you want to have puppies, take into account some measures to have them without complications

Before, during and after the process, which lasts around 63 days, take your pet for review with a veterinarian to ensure that you have the necessary vaccines, says Raquel María Elena Suárez Gómez, expert in the clinic Veterinary Medical Care. Specialty Hospital.

The second step, he explains, is to perform an ultrasound on your dog, in order to check that it is pregnant and that the product is in optimal conditions. Then you must change the diet, which is more protein rich, or give specific food for pregnant or lactating women. This is important, he emphasizes, because the quality of the feed depends on the quality of the colostrum of the dog.

"Colostrum is the first milk that pregnant females have and that they give their products to transmit antibodies and defenses during the time they are lactating," the veterinarian describes.

Between day 56 and 60, or 55 and 58, it is recommended to do another ultrasound to identify how many puppies come, what size, in what positions. As well as a study that measures the perimeter of the skulls of babies and helps to define if your dog can have a natural birth or cesarean section.

Your pet's breed, he explains, also influences the type of delivery. Bulldog dogs regularly stop by caesarean section, since their puppies are very stubby and, when passing through the birth canal, they can get stuck and cause a slow and difficult process, he says. The chihuahuas require assistance in childbirth In the case of the Chihuahua, he adds, many have to be born by caesarean section because they have numerous litters and get tired during the birth. 99 percent of pets that can have a natural birth, stresses, do the work alone. He only recommends helping them if they crossed them very young, they are new and have no experience. After delivery, take your dog to another check to ensure that all puppies have left and is well.

During pregnancy, your pet will present physical and humor changes: it will become inflamed, it will feel tired, very thirsty, its tits will grow and it can become more aggressive or sensitive, says Sandra López, director of Llao's Pet Center. Show her your affection, caress her and condition a special niche for her and her children. Dogs have, generally, two estrus periods per year. One every 6 months. Identify them: They bleed a few days, their vulva is inflamed, the zeal begins when the bleeding finishes, lasts up to four weeks.

The ideal couple:

»Prefers a dog of the same breed because its similar characteristics facilitate the encounter.

»Check that your owner is responsible.

»Previously, remember the fate of the puppies that are born. Are you in heat?

»Hydrate her a lot.

»Hug your pet as much as you can.

»Increase the food ration.

»Do not leave the walks aside, they will prepare her for the birth.

»See where it usually is.

»She will choose a place to give birth

The way cats and dogs eat is related to their animal behavior and their different domestication process. This determines that the owners of these pets have to know how each one eats to adapt their diet to their biology.

Dogs eat, cats "hunt"

Perhaps the most unique characteristic among them is their way of eating. The dog can calmly eat the food on his plate without having to feed it many times. The animal engulfs its contents and empties it. The cat does not. As a cat he is, his behavior still shows his character as a hunter animal, prevailing despite domestication. Therefore, they play with food as if it were a prey, since they are still carnivorous animals.

This "playful" behavior causes it to go more often to the plate, and, therefore, to eat more often, in addition to being more selective with what is in it and more routine (they do not carry the culinary variety very well). Therefore, if we have a cat at home, it is better that we do not fill the container too much if we do not want it to get too fat.

Dogs drink more water than cats

Felines usually drink a small amount of water, unlike dogs, which always approach their container for hydration whenever they need it. The lack of water palliates it with food. The food of the cats is usually wet, because it provides the amount of hydration that these animals need and that prevents them from developing kidney stones, for example. The excess of proteins contained in your diet requires the daily hydration provided by your breath. In this way, the risk of suffering from problems associated with the small amount of water they ingest is reduced.

Dogs, as we have said, drink more water and in greater quantities. This, together with the varied diet they eat (as they are omnivores, not only eat feed, but also homemade food) allows the supply of hydration needed by your body is covered, without the need for food to be wet.

Knowing the eating behavior patterns of dogs and cats we can better organize our daily routine and offer each of them the food they need in the right amounts to meet their nutritional needs.

Dogs are the animals most chosen by the Spaniards as pets, but cats have gained much popularity.

Dogs need to be given time to walk around and can not be left alone for a weekend. Cats do not need to go outside and can be alone for up to three days. It is essential to take these differences into account before adopting a dog or cat, as well as questioning the time available, whether you are willing to walk a dog every day, accept the cat's peculiarity or fits in the profile of owner of one of these two animals.

It is not easy to choose the animal that will be adopted depending on our lifestyle and expectations. There are those who believe that they can care for a dog and yet the animal that would best adapt to its vital dynamics is a cat. "All the cases in which the adopters do not choose with head to the animal that take home, derive in problems of coexistence," says Arancha Sanz, spokeswoman and lawyer of the Society for the Protection of Animals and Plants of Madrid (SPAP). The outcome is a dog or a cat that returns to the shelter or animal collection center where it was adopted.

If we have doubts between adopting a dog or a cat, it is advisable to reflect on the following aspects.

1. How much time do I have to care for the animal?

If you are a busy person, who has little time or is late home most days and also lives alone, it is not advisable to adopt a dog, but a cat.

A dog needs three daily walks of average duration of 30 minutes each. He can not stay two or three days alone, like a cat. Dogs are social animals that need to interact a lot with their owners: to do activities with them, to feel integrated in the family dynamics and not to be alone too many hours each day

On the contrary, a cat can spend up to three days without its owners, as long as enough food and water are left, as well as a hygienic tray prepared to make their bowel movements.

A cat is not as social as a dog, that is, it is usually more independent and needs its own space. However, Raquel Sierro, president of the Spanish Feline Association (ASFE), explains that "there are dog cats, who need a lot of contact with their owners and are even sticky." This is the case of certain races, like the Siamese, exotic or oriental, in front of others very independent.

"It is not advisable to adopt a dog if there is little time, it is better to live with a cat"

2. Walking the dog every day

One of the reasons to choose a cat as a pet is the fact of not having to take it out. This is assured by Teresa Nin, spokeswoman of the Madrid Felina Association. In their case, they record a monthly average of 25 adopted cats and "there are veterinary clinics - pursued - that have specialized in feline clientele and only attend cats."

A dog needs three daily walks: morning, afternoon and evening. It is advisable that each output lasts about 30 minutes. Conversely, among cats that never leave home, it is common to find traumatic changes in routine, such as changing homes for a few days on vacation.

The felines are very gullible and can not stand leaving their sofa or not being in the favorite corner of their home territory. Dogs are much more sociable and enjoy the excursions and activities outside the domestic sphere, in the company of their owners.

"A dog needs three daily walks of average duration of 30 minutes each"

3. Embedding in the adopter profile of a dog or cat

The profile of dog or cat adopter does not exist, says Teresa Nin. The dog is still the ultimate companion animal, but "almost everyone who lives with a cat at home is pleasantly surprised, even though they have always had a dog," he adds.

On the other hand, in the profile of person who would like to adopt a cat fits someone else with little free time, who spends a lot of time away from home and who likes the character and peculiarities of cats.

In any case, dog or cat, once you choose to adopt one of these two animals, the important thing is to commit to care for them for the rest of their life, make them happy and respect their nature.

Accept the peculiar character of a cat.

If you think you can take care of a cat and adapt to its character, it is recommended that, although not all cats share characteristics, before reporting on certain feline peculiarities such as:

The cat seeks the contact with its owners whenever it pleases, which does not always coincide with the moments in which they want to caress or put in his lap.

Cats are very sleepy, like all cats. They sleep for most of the day and there are those who are more active than desirable at night.

The cat needs and likes to sharpen his nails. In many occasions, it does in the furniture of the house (curtains, sofas, carpets).

The cat is the king of the house and will make it clear whenever he has an opportunity, so if you choose your reading chair as a place to rest, forget to sit on it.

Pages

Dogs eat, cats "hunt"

Dogs drink more water than cats

1. How much time do I have to care for the animal?

2. Walking the dog every day

3. Embedding in the adopter profile of a dog or cat

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