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It is often difficult to keep your pet from chewing or licking himself. Often, after surgery, your cat or dog does not give up until all the stitches are pulled out. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, your pet decides to chew at himself. Once the chewing or itching begins, it's very difficult to break the cycle. The more he licks or chews, the more he itches. The more he itches, the more he chews. Eventually, the area becomes inflamed and irritated.

Typical Elizabethan Collar

Dog with Elizabethan Collar

One method for keeping your pet from chewing himself is by using an Elizabethan collar. Most commercial Elizabethan collars are made from hard plastic, and when attached around the animal's head, gives the appearance of a lampshade. Most E-collars are opaque; however, clear ones have recently become available. Pets appear to accept the clear collars more readily as they are able to see and get around much better.

Most veterinary hospitals and major pet supply stores carry Elizabethan collars. Or, if you really feel ambitious, you can make one at home. A homemade E-collar can be made from a cardboard box or a sheet of poster board.

Cat Wearing an Elizabethan Collar

Before using your E-collar, make sure that your veterinarian knows what you are doing. He or she may have suggestions, or may feel that an Elizabethan collar is not appropriate for your pet. For certain animals, this type of treatment may be contraindicated!

Bird Wearing Elizabethan Collar
The wound on the left wing is due to feather plucking, a common problem.

If you decide to go with an E-collar, it should be worn religiously until the problem is resolved. If it appears as though the collar is not helping, or if the E-collar is actually making the situation worse, remove the collar and call your veterinarian.

Cat Wearing an E-Collar
An Elizabethan collar is used to prevent the cat from pulling out his I.V. Catheter.

Dog Wearing an E-Collar

Cat Recovering from Extensive Bite Wound Abscess
An Elizabethan collar is necessary to keep the cat from licking the wound.

Your pet will need some time adjusting to the E-collar. At first, he or she will bump into objects and will probably be somewhat disorientated. You should try to encourage your pet and provide a treat each time you reapply the collar. The E-collar should be worn religiously; however, you may need to remove it during feeding time. Don't forget to reapply it and make sure it is worn at night and when you are not at home. Even with a rough beginning, most pets accept the collar and can adjust to it remarkably well.

Hairballs, also known as furballs, are very common problems in cats, particularly the longhaired breeds. They are an inevitable consequence of a cat's cleanliness. About 80 percent of cat owners report that their cats vomit furballs on a monthly basis.

Fur is very hard to digest. Usually it passes into the intestine if it doesn't first mat in the stomach. When fur mats in the stomach, it can fill this organ, causing food to be displaced. Because furballs are too large to pass into the small intestine, they are generally vomited up.

Have you ever looked at your cat's tongue? The top of a cat's tongue contains numerous hard barbs or spikes that point backward into the throat. These spikes are great for cleaning and grooming themselves; however, due to the direction of these spikes, the only way to get the fur off the tongue is to swallow it. Normally the non-digestible hair passes through the stomach into the intestines and is expelled in the cat's feces. Problems occur when the swallowed hair combines with fat (and sometimes food) forming a dense "hair ball" that usually stays in the stomach because of its size.

Hairballs are actually one of the most common reasons why cats vomit. The hacking or retching that you hear is the cat trying to vomit up the furballs. While it is normal for a cat to have them occasionally, large hairballs can be dangerous. Fortunately, most hairballs are eventually "coughed up" before they pass into the intestines and cause a serious digestive tract obstruction.

To reduce the frequency of hairballs, you should regularly comb or brush your cat. Long-haired cats and cats with thick coats particularly benefit from regular combing. In order for hairballs to pass more easily into the stool, an occasional dose of an oral lubricating agent is recommended.

For cats that are particularly prone to furballs, special high fiber diets are available. The extra fiber in these diets help move the excess fur through the cat's digestive system. The most up-to-date dietary technology uses a natural soy lecithin emulsifier in combination with fiber. The combined action of the emulsifier and fiber helps break down existing hairballs and allows them to pass more easily through the cat's digestive tract.

Lost pets that have microchips are more likely to be reunited with their owners. This is according to a recent study published by a leading veterinary journal.

Animal shelters in twenty three states participated in this study. It was revealed that shelter officials were able to find the owners of microchipped pets 4 out of 5 times.

“This is the first time there has been good data about the success of shelters finding the owners of pets with microchips,” says Dr. Linda Lord, lead author of the study and professor Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

According to shelter statistics, lost microchipped cats were twenty times more likely to be returned to owners than non-microchipped cats. Microchipped dogs were 2.5 times more likely to be returned to their owners than non-microchipped dogs.

The major reason why pet owners could not be located was due to incorrect or disconnected phone numbers in the registration database. “The chip is only as good as the information that the owner provides. The pet owner needs to make sure that their information is always up-to-date.” Lord says.

Owners’ not returning calls or answering letters, unregistered microchips and microchips registered to a database that differed from the manufacturer were other reasons owners were not found, according to the study.

The results of this study clearly indicate the advantage of microchipping your pet. However, even though microchipping is essential, nothing replaces the need for a collar and tag with your pet’s name and your phone number, Lord says.

The common green iguana, scientifically known as Iguana iguana, is a reptile pet imported from South or Central America or raised in captivity. Iguanas are the most popular lizards for people to have as pets. Unfortunately, they tend to be a pet bought on impulse. Consequently, owners often do not understand the needs of their pet.

The Green Iguana Is The Most Popular Iguana House Pet

It's important to have these pets examined by a veterinarian, since many have been bought on impulse, improperly fed, and have been put in an inappropriate environment. Each reptile has requirements for moisture, temperature, hibernation, and diet. Owning any reptile requires work. You can't just buy it, throw it in a cage, and think it's fine. Serious pet owners research their potential pet and find out its requirements.

One factor people forget is that iguanas grow continuously. In the wild, iguanas live 10 to 15 years and can grow as large as seven-feet long. If cared for properly, reptiles in captivity can live up to 20 years. Many people don't realize the commitment when they buy this little cute thing and put it in a ten-gallon tank.

You should get a cage that is at least two times the length of the reptile, measuring from its nose to its tail. You'll want your pet to have room to move up and down. You'll also want to have branches for climbing. Since the cage should be cleaned out daily, newspaper or butcher paper can be used as flooring. Using corncobs and wood chips is not a good idea. Your iguana may eat these and get an obstruction of the gut.

Iguanas are herbivores. Up to 90 percent of an iguana's diet should consist of dark leafy green vegetables. Avoid too much spinach or broccoli because they can reduce calcium absorption. If you feed meat or too much protein in the diet, renal (kidney) failure can occur. Some lizards are omnivorous (e.g., bearded dragons) or even completely carnivorous (e.g., monitors), so research your lizard's diet before feeding.

Bearded Dragon

When you buy your iguana, have it tested for parasites. Many iguanas die from parasitism. When purchased, many iguanas have coccidia. A sick lizard often stops eating, drinking, and moving around. Skin disease and metabolic bone disease are very common ailments. One problem owners sometimes encounter is aggressiveness. Male iguanas especially become more aggressive as they get older. Some males will get pretty vicious. Their small, very sharp teeth almost feel like razors when you are bitten.

To prevent the problem of aggression, it's recommended to have your pet spayed or neutered at an early age. If you have a female iguana, an early spay can also prevent egg binding. Female iguanas lay eggs at specific times of the year. If the female does not have an appropriate nesting area or appropriate humidity, she may retain her eggs. Egg retention is a serious condition and often requires surgery in order to remove the non-laid eggs.

In their native environment, iguanas rest at night and begin the hunt for tender shoots, flowers, and soft fruits after basking in the sun for a few hours in the morning. After eating, they bask in sun again to stay warm enough to digest their food. Be sure to provide your iguana with a source of ultraviolet light and the appropriate amount of heat. Keep a thermometer available to monitor the temperature.

Iguanas are prey species; therefore, a good deal of the day is spent keeping a look out for predators. Initially your iguana will be protecting itself from you (you are the predator). Socializing your iguana is a time-consuming but necessary process to ensure your pet's longevity. Many people end up getting rid of their iguana when it expresses its natural aggressive behavior towards the predator—namely us. However, with time and socialization, your iguana will relax and become a happy safe pet.

Remember that most health problems in reptiles are related to inappropriate diet, environment, and husbandry. Take time to socialize your pet, give it a proper diet and environment, and it will provide you will years of fun and satisfaction.

You can't live properly with a dog unless it's trained. It's that simple, and it really doesn't matter whether your canine is a four-pound Toy or a 104-pound Working breed. An untrained dog is an invitation to disaster. A dog that won't come when you call is always in danger.

A Well Behaved Dog Requires Obedience Training

You can't blame the dog either. If you don't train your dog, you are at fault. No one else. In fact, if you're not prepared to properly train your dog, you probably shouldn't get one in the first place.

Now for the good news: dogs are easily trained. That's probably the reason why dogs have long been America's favorite pet. Despite the fact that they train relatively easily, however, you still have to do the job. One way to make training simple is to get a breed that readily adapts to your life-style and that corresponds to what you want in a canine companion. Serious breeders can help you with this. They should tell you about their breed's inherent trainability—advice you should heed before making your final decision.

Rest assured that training does not strip a dog of natural instincts or "joie de vivre." After all, these are the things that attract people to dogs in the first place. We want you to celebrate the canine spirit, not abuse it.

What training does, however, is structure the dog's responses, giving you a good companion. Training gives you an animal you can trust, rely on, even flaunt. In fact, it establishes a channel of communication between you and your dog that significantly enhances your mutual respect and friendship.

Training a Dog Enhanced Your Relationship

Every civilized dog should know at least five basic commands: heel, sit, down, stay and come. These commands form the core of the exercises required for a Companion Dog degree in an American Kennel Club Novice Obedience competition. Even if you don't take your dog beyond these beginning lessons, they are absolutely essential in making every dog a true companion.

Incidentally, you train your dog to understand its name in much the same way you train it to do anything—by simple, repetitive action. As far as the name goes, make sure everyone in the household is using the same name. And, you can teach an older dog a new name, if you must.

The end of our pets' lives can be a traumatic event for many people. The bond that we share with our pets means we aren't just losing an animal; we are losing a family member. Pet burials, memorial services and even complete funerals are becoming commonplace across the nation. There are even many pet-loss support lines. Many pet owners are now finding that these "after-life" options help them to gain closure. Watch this video to learn more.

Barney and President Bush

The Ford's dog, Liberty, and her puppies

U.S. Presidents and their families have typically liked animals.

The following list of presidential pets is not complete; however, without doubt, many a presidential cat or cow passed through without much public notice.