11 Best Sporty Dogs For Enthusiasts

Playing with your dog buddy is really exciting. He never stops or gets tired and always love to get your attention. Researchers suggest that having a dog as your exercise buddy helps you to stay consistent on your routine. On the other hand, it is proved that they help overcome depression and work-stress. It makes them more valuable as they help us to stay fit both physically and mentally. So, if you are a sporty person and a wannabe dog parent, here’s the list of Dogs you would love to have as your companions while exercising or doing some serious fun activities like running, hiking, swimming, hunting, etc.

1. Australian Shepherds

He has a sweet, loving personality and has a reputation as one of the most active dog breeds. These dogs are bred to herd; they enjoy playing and are very delicate with children. For grooming them just a good bath will do!

2. Beagle

Despite being smaller in size, Beagles are outstanding at outdoors. Due to their controlled temperament, it is easy to take them anywhere with you. They are the best family companion.

3. Bernese Mountain Dog

He goes with his name! Loves outing. Don’t bother about their size or coat. Just take few measures in hot weather.

4. Boxer

His loyalty and devotion towards the family is remarkable. He is the best dog with children. They need daily exercise as they have high energy levels. They are very intelligent. If you are a runner or a hiker, he’s the best you got!

5. Collie

These dogs are very good with people of all ages. They too are good hikers and love a morning walk with their keeper. They are loyal and safe to the family. It’s just that they need constant grooming.

6. Golden Retriever

Most well-known family dog, any breed can hardly beat this stature of his. They are “take us anywhere” dogs due to their extraordinary personality and very stable temperament.

7. Irish Setter

These are hunting dogs, which are well versed in running and walking long distances. Basically, it has a full package of being an outdoor dog. If you are an active person, this dog is one good option. 

8. Labrador Retriever

They are the right next to Golden Retriever, stable temperament, goofy nature, loving personality and, loyalty make them the first choice of many dog parents. He is excellent with children and also very active.

9. Pembroke Welsh Corgi

He has a strong built with small size, which makes it easy to carry him anywhere. He is very active outdoors and is usually trained as a vigilant watchdog. He has a playful personality and loves running around with kids.

10.Portuguese Water Dog

He has tons of energy and a great fan of swimming. This dog is a wonderful family companion and also has instincts of a hunting dog. You can go on hiking to a waterfall with him or rest around a farm.

11. Vizsla

He is a very intelligent dog with an adorable sensitivity and affection towards the family. These are very active dogs that need a bit of exercise every day. They too love swimming and hiking. The docile personality makes it easy to travel with them anywhere.

Aren’t they Awesome? Yes definitely! But to keep them that way we need to take care of their physical health against various diseases and pests. Because over-looking it, might ruin all the fun. 

Therefore, it is advised by vets:

• Feed them nutritious food.

• To use proper preventive treatments for fleas and ticks.

• Use good wormers and other pet essentials.

• Training a dog or Playing with them is a need not a luxury.

• Proper grooming and hygiene is a must.

Comfortis V/S Comfortis Plus For Dogs | Which Is The Better Product | DiscountPetCare

Let us take a look inside how to choose between comfortis v/s comfortis plus, which one is the better product for your dogs. It’s a universal fact that fleas and ticks can infest our furry friends at any given time from anywhere and spread fatal diseases, if left untreated.

What Do You Know About Cat Lungworms?

We are pretty sure you might be acquainted with intestinal worms in pets if you are a pet owner. They are a very common cause of several diseases found in animals. But do you know about a rare worm that affects pets? It is Lungworm. Usually, outdoor animals have greater chances of contracting lungworm than the ones who like to stay inside. Thus, outdoor cats are more vulnerable to lungworms than indoor felines. However, this doesn’t mean that they can’t affect indoor pets. They certainly can through the indirect transmission. Here is an insight into what exactly are lungworms, how they infect cats, symptoms of infection and the treatment needed.

What are Lungworms?

Lungworms are hair-like parasites that are transmitted by infected rodents and birds. The male lungworm is about 5-7 mm long whereas the female is a millimeter or two longer than its male counterpart.  The species that specifically victimize cats is Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, also known as Feline Lungworm. Whereas, the one found in both cats and dogs is Capillaria aerophila.

How Lungworms Infect Cats?

Cats are vulnerable to lungworms because they are one of the most curious pets and always in search of good food. They roam in the woods or murky areas where most of the rodents, lizards, snails, and snugs are found that are great transmitters of lungworms. An infected organism when eaten as a meal can pass on the worms to the intestines from where they migrate to the lungs through the bloodstream. These worms then mature into adults in the respiratory bronchioles. The female worm then produces thousands of eggs that hatch into larvae. These larvae then traverse the bloodstream, finally getting eliminated through feces after reaching the stomach.

Symptoms Of Lungworm Infection

Cats that have strong immune system may not show any clear symptoms of the infection. However, in weak cats the symptoms are vivid. They may include:

• Coughing and wheezing
• Lethargy
• Fever
• Breathing difficulties
• Anorexia

A Heavy infection in cats with weak immunity may lead to fluid retention in lungs, bacterial pneumonia or sometimes pneumothorax.

Treatment of Lungworms

A worming tablet or solution is highly effective in treating lungworms. Drugs like Advocate, Revolution or Profender are some of the best de-wormers for cats that are available in the market as well as on online stores. However, before administering the dose you must consult the vet or check the pack-insert to use the product according to the directions mentioned. Else, the product may not work at all and you would be left disappointed.

Lungworms can be fatal to cats. Thus, regularly check your cat and treat her immediately if your furry feline shows any signs of lungworm infection.

Cat Lungworms – Facts to Know from Symptoms to Prevention

There are lot more parasites in the environment, which can play havoc on your pets. However, it is crucial to know about some harmful worms especially lungworms that can badly deform the health of cats. Here, let us understand lungworms and the different facts about them related to a cat’s health.

What are cat lungworms?

Lungworms are a type of parasite that resides in the airways and small arteries of the lungs. These worms attack the vital parts and sustain feeding on the blood. Adult lungworms’ life span in lungs is up to 2 years. They produce larvae that can be diagnosed in feces. When measured the female lungworm is about 9 mm long and the male lungworm is about 4-7 mm long.

Why lungworms are dangerous?

Cats are more prone to lungworm disease. Lungworm larvae put cat’s health in danger. It can expose cats to multiple diseases due to weakened immunity. These worms can cause severe congestion, heart attack, or respiratory problems in a long run.

How do cats get infected by lungworms?

Any cat can get infected when they prey on any infected animal with lungworm larvae, such as a rat, mouse, snail, frog, lizard, or bird. Once into the gastrointestinal tract, these larvae make their way to the lungs. In the lungs, a further life cycle starts where larvae mature to adult worms, and the worms lay eggs that again hatch to larvae.  Further, they can be coughed out, swallowed, or excreted in the feces of the cat.

Risk of lungworms in Cats

Lungworms badly hammer the immune system of cats. The weakened immune system makes the cat vulnerable to many illnesses and leads to chronic diseases.

Signs of lungworm infection in dogs

Shortness of breath

Wheezing, sneezing

Persistent cough, often with bouts of intense coughing

Nasal discharge

Open-mouthed abdominal breathing

Weight loss

Lethargy

Depression

Prevention

Ensure that your cat does not hunt animals, and in case if he does, then restrict it to eat that stuff. To prevent hunting behavior in your cat, you can provide rich nutritious food, ensure mental stimulation with a lot of play games, fit a bell in his collar to ensure where it is, and keep your cat indoors especially during dusk and dawn.

Properly cleaning up cat feces from the litter box or from the yard reduces the chances of infection to various small animals.

Also, you can use preventive products like an advocate, sentinel to avoid worm infections. Rather than taking risks, it is always advisable to protect your cat from harmful lungworm infections.

Facts About Lyme Disease In Dogs Every Parent Should Know

Lyme disease, as you all must be knowing, is a tick-borne disease. Meaning, this particular disease is transmitted by just a solitary tick bite. It is a severe disease and can not only affect humans but also our pets. This is a multi-systemic disease that affects multiple organs at the same time. Hence, keeping your pets away from ticks is very important. In this blog though, we will be looking at a few Lyme disease facts that every pet parent should know about. So, lets dive in!

Lyme Disease Facts Every Dog Parent Should Know

Below are some Lyme disease related facts that dog parents should know about. Take a good read and do not forget to share them among other pet parents as well.

#Fact 1: Actual Cause Of Lyme Disease

Most say that Lyme disease is caused by ticks, which is incorrect. Ticks are only the carriers of the disease. In actuality, the bacterial spirochetes of the genus Borrelia, most commonly known as Borrelia burgdorferi are the actual cause of this disease.

#Fact 2: All Ticks Carry The Disease?

Not all tick types carry the Lyme disease. Only the black-legged tick or deer tick and western black-legged ticks are the carriers of Lyme disease. Moreover, other species of ticks transmit this disease in Asia and Europe.

#Fact 3: Quick Transmission

Lyme disease is transmitted quickly from ticks. It takes approximately 36 to 48 hours for an infected tick to be attached to your pet’s body before Lyme disease can be transmitted from a tick bite.

#Fact 4: Deer Ticks Can Survive The Cold

Unfortunately, deer ticks; the carriers of the Lyme disease, can survive freezing temperatures (32 °F). So if you think your dog is safe from Lyme disease during the cold wintery months; think again!

#Fact 5: Subtle Symptoms

When a disease is detected, it becomes imperative to take action as quickly as possible. But unfortunately, Lyme disease symptoms are really subtle. It can be difficult to detect symptoms, which is why, regular vet checks is important. And the same time, putting your buddy on a tick preventative schedule is equally essential too.

These 5 facts about Lyme disease should keep pet parents on their toes and help them to be more vigilant when it comes to taking care of their four-legged pals. Stay alert, stay safe, and as usual, keep your pets safe too.

Lungworm And Cat. Things You Need To Know

What do you think? Why is your cat facing difficulty while breathing? It may be a sign of some infection in your cat. You might be worried as your feline is not showing the same enthusiasm that she used to show on regular days. Your cat may be infected by lungworm. Few things you need to know about lungworm infection.

About Lungworm

Hair-shaped looking worms are small but are capable of causing great damage to a cat’s lungs. The size of a lungworm ranges from one to eight centimeters in length. The size of female lungworms is long compared to males.

Female Lungworm- about 9mm

Male Lungworm- about 4-7mm

Adult lungworms can remain for around 2 years in the lungs and produce the larvae that can be seen in their feces.

Cat Lungworm:

There are many parasites that you may or may not be aware of that affect your feline and causing serious harm to their respiratory system. Lungworm is one of those parasites. Lungworm is found in small arteries of the lungs and airways in your feline.

Lungworm Found In Cats

• Aelurostrongylus abstrusus
• Eucoleus aerophilous

Process Of Lungworm Infection In Cat

When a cat consumes any contaminated food or water or any infected small animals like birds, lizards, or frogs, they get this infection. As soon as the cat eats them the lungworm larvae find their way to the lungs by passing through the gut wall. This process takes around 8 days. The larvae get mature in the lungs and lay their eggs in airways and lung tissue.

Some Prevalent Facts About Cat Lungworm

• Cats that are easily accessible to slugs or snails are more likely to get infected with lungworm.
• Hunting cats have a high chance of getting this infection if they consume any contaminated food or water or eat infected rats, lizards, mice, or frogs.

Signs Of Lungworms

Lungworm causes serious harm to the lungs and respiratory system. Not many cats show the symptoms of lungworm infection but the symptoms are seen in the long run that is between 6 to 12 weeks. They are:

• Constant coughing
• short breathing
• Nasal release
• Depression
• fatigue
• weight loss
• Sneezing

Why is lungworm dangerous?

• As mentioned above the lungworm can do great damage to the feline’s lung tissue and respiratory system.
• An infected cat remains larvae infective for around 2 years and it also creates a contaminated environment for other cats too.
• At an initial stage, you may not see any symptoms in cats. As time passes you will observe the symptoms.
• It is advisable to consult your vet if you see one or more symptoms mentioned above.

Treatment

Your vet will give the appropriate recommendation of what treatment to be carried on to protect your cat. If the infection is not major your vet may suggest you keep a regular check on your cat and let it naturally eradicate the worms.

Some preventive measures

Preventive measures are the best way to protect your cat that consists:

• Prevent the hunting behavior in cats
• Regular cleaning of feces of your cat
• Keep the cat inside especially during the dusk and dawn and avoid their access to contaminated food or water
• Give them a balanced diet
• Use preventive products

The above-mentioned information regarding lungworms will help you to take the suitable steps when you observe any particular symptoms in your cat.

What Food Can and Cannot Be Eaten by Dogs

Not many are aware of the food they’re giving their dog. When there are so many choices, it’s easy to just grab the first cheap bag you see on the shelf and call it a day. However, as a responsible pet parent, you must do research and prepare nutritious, healthy meals for your furry family member.

This is why we consider it is important the people should know which human foods are good for dogs and which aren’t. This is especially useful during an emergency. We’ll look at the truth about some commercially prepared dog food, what you should know about feeding your dog “human” food, and a great alternative for pet parents who want to give their dog a human-grade diet.

A few human foods that are safe for both dogs and cats to consume, and include:

• Salmon       
• Bread
• Eggs
• Spinach
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Green beans
• Broccoli
• Yogurt
• Peanut butter
• Cottage cheese
• Carrots
• Cantaloupe
• Oatmeal
• Peas
• Bananas
• Cheese
• Pumpkin
• Blueberries
• Apples

There are foods that you should never give your cat or dog such as:

• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Soft drinks
• Avocados
• Foods containing Xylitol
• Chewing gum
• Macadamia nuts
• Grapes and raisins
• Onions
• Garlic
• Yeast dough

Bacon and other high-sodium foods should be avoided. Here are a few tips to help you transition from commercial pet food to giving your pet a healthy diet made up of ingredients you already have in your refrigerator or pantry. If you prepare your pet’s food at home, see your veterinarian ensure that it is getting all of its nutritional needs addressed.

You Feed Human Food to Your Dog Everyday

Yes. You heard it right. You should give your dog well-balanced, nutritious human food if you want him to be healthy. If you just feed commercial food to your pet, he may become ill and develop serious health problems.

The vast majority of human foods are safe for dogs to eat. Boneless, cooked meat, fish, and eggs are the bread and butter of a good canine diet. Don’t be afraid to include any of the fruits and vegetables listed above in your dog’s diet, and it’ll be the healthiest dog in no time.

If you want to move to an all-homemade diet, put a little less kibble and a little more cooked or raw food in your dog’s bowl each day for a week. Then you can eliminate kibble if you want to.

Use veggies, too

Although meat is the most important component of a balanced dog’s diet, vegetables and a modest bit of fruit are also useful. Dogs, like humans, consume a wide range of foods. They do appreciate a broad variety of foods.

Get the right balance

Before moving to completely homemade food, consult your veterinarian, then look for ideas online or on social media from your favorite raw balanced feeders.

Puppies, the elderly, and dogs with specific medical problems all have different nutritional needs. If you’re cooking for a puppy or a dog that isn’t yet an adult, consult a veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist beforehand.

Watch the fat

Even though it’s a crucial part of a dog’s diet, too much fat might cause stomach upset or even pancreatitis. Hence, fatty meats, skins, butter, and other high-fat meals should be avoided.

Beware of bones

Cooked bones might cause choking or intestinal tearing. Although some proponents of natural pet food advocate consuming raw bones. Marrow bones, on the other hand, are considered safe as long as they’re at least two inches long to minimize splintering and don’t get stuck in your dog’s muzzle.

Don’t give your dog anything you wouldn’t eat yourself

When veterinarians say don’t feed table scraps, they mean don’t feed what’s left on the plate after you’ve eaten everything that would otherwise go down the garbage disposal if you didn’t have a dog. Fat, gristle, and skin aren’t good for your dog any more than they are for you.

Do your research

One of the most enjoyable things you’ll ever do is change the way you feed your dog but do your research first. There are a plethora of fantastic publications and resources to choose from. Before making any dietary changes, make sure you know what foods are dangerous to dogs and always seek guidance from a veterinarian.

If you want to add human foods to your dog’s diet, start with fresh, non-processed, no-carbohydrate foods like green leafy vegetables and raw meat. Scrambled eggs are also excellent, but keep the carbs to a minimum. Leftover bread and pizza are not permitted!

Now that you’ve solved the important concern of feeding your dog, you’ve set aside some time to stock up on extra dog food. It’ll be time to reintroduce your dog to their regular diet after that. But don’t go too fast. Sudden dietary changes can upset a dog’s tummy.

Return your dog to its regular diet gradually. Over several days, alternate increasing portions of their usual dog food with the “in a pinch” dish until your dog is solely eating their usual food. Because life is hectic, it’s inevitable to run out of dog food from time to time. Your dog will surely appreciate a human meal or two. Remember to eat nutritious “in a pinch” meals and get some normal dog food as soon as possible.