Fever pets

Pet Health Issues
By Rhonda Cossey

Your pet's health issues are one of the most important things you need to know about your furry, feathered, or scaled animal friends. A healthy pet is a happy pet, and you should be able to recognize some of the signs of trouble brewing in the health of your pet. It is for the sake of your pet, as well as for the sake of your family and any other animals that live in your household.

If you have a pet you must be aware of everything about that animal. Everything. If your pet lives, like most pets, inside our houses and closely around us and our children (and other pets as well) poor health trouble for one pet could spell trouble for the entire household. Take, for instance, the problem of fleas. If one of your nonhuman family members has fleas it becomes a plague upon the household. It is one of those contagious pet health issues that can make everyone suffer. The first sign of fleas is, of course, scratching, particularly around the ears and rubbing the eyes. This is because fleas need water just like every other living thing, and where is the water on an animal's body the easiest to access?

That being said, scratching incessantly can also mean that your furry, feathered, or scaled friend has a skin problem, such as an allergy, that can make its life - as well as yours - terribly uncomfortable. If there are no signs of fleas, try to analyze anything in the pet's environment that has changed just before the scratching started. It may be something as simple as washing the bedding in a different soap. If nothing comes readily to mind, please take your pet to the veterinarian to make sure that the itching is not contagious so that you can get some relief for the poor, scratching animal!

Another thing that may not be so obvious is a sudden change in your pet's behavior. Has your otherwise docile pet become suddenly very aggressive toward others? This could be a sign of a developing health problem, such as the onset of an illness or perhaps the poisoning of your pet by a commercial dog food. Since this is becoming more of a problem these days, it should be checked by your veterinarian before it gets any worse. There are new studies suggesting that the pet food we serve our pets can be hazardous to their health due to the large quantities of chemical that are being added to the base ingredient, either by design or by accident when using salvaged parts of other animals that already have the chemicals in their system.

Your first line of defense in keeping your pet healthy is you. You need to know your animal, their habits, and their health to the extent that you know your children's. If you choose to have an animal be a part of your family you must remember that the animal can be a detriment to the health of the humans in the household if it becomes ill. Be fair to you family. Be fair to your pets. It was not their choice to be there, so it is your responsibility to take care of them. Stay in contact with the veterinarian, make sure your pet has all their shots, and give them all the love and attention you can. Be proactive, not reactive. Try not to have to worry about your pet's health issues. You will all be healthier and happier for it!