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Skunks
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Skunks
Home and Veterinary Care for Pet Skunks
If you're an adventurous pet owner, you may love exotic animals such as skunks. You'll be happy to learn that skunks can indeed make excellent domestic pets, but only if they receive the proper care to enjoy a happy, healthy life. Your veterinary team can help
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Sugar Gliders
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Sugar Gliders
Thinking of getting a sugar glider? These tiny marsupials are energetic and friendly, making them popular choices as pets. Though they weigh less than a half-pound, they're more closely related to kangaroos than they are flying squirrels. If you think a sugar glider would make an ideal pet for your family,
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Flying Squirrels
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Flying Squirrels
Much like sugar gliders, flying squirrels make affectionate pets when purchased young and raised by their owner. Unlike sugar gliders, however, flying squirrels are rodents that need veterinary care specific to the species. Your veterinary team can help with the care and treatment of flying squirrels.
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Rats
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Rats
Did you know rats make surprisingly affectionate pets? If you're thinking of bringing home a pet rat, here's what you need to know.
Health
Rats that are bred especially as pets are safe to keep and should be free of disease. But common conditions may affect your rats from time to time. Your veterinarian
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Chinchillas
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Chinchillas
Chinchillas are playful, loveable, and amusing pets. If you want yours to remain in your family for long, you should ensure that it has a good diet. Chinchillas require a lot of attention due to their playful nature; therefore, it is best to have supervised playtime with yours if you want to create a
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Fennec Foxes
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Fennec Foxes
Fennec Fox Care Guide
With oversized ears and mischievous faces, fennec foxes are cute as can be. But these exotic pets require a lot of care to stay healthy and happy.
Health
At just three pounds, fennec foxes are the smallest member of the fox family. Native to the Sahara desert, fennec foxes are
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Guinea Pigs
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Guinea Pigs
Curious and inquisitive by nature, guinea pigs make great pets. These little bundles of fur are quite social and enjoy spending time with the people who handle, feed, and groom them. As a pet, guinea pigs are relatively low maintenance, rarely aggressive, and fun to own.
How to Care
Guinea pigs are playful,
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Prairie Dogs
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Prairie Dogs
Prairie dogs are cute, affable creatures. But before taking one on as a pet, check your local laws. In some states, such as Colorado, it's illegal to keep prairie dogs as pets. Mostly, this is because they may spread monkeypox. If you live in a state that welcomes pet prairie dogs, be sure to buy from
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Gerbils
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Gerbils
Gerbils are great little pets for pet owners who don't have room for a dog or cat. They're friendly and fun to watch, but they do take a moderate level of care and investment. If you're thinking of getting a gerbil, here's what you'll need to know to keep him happy and healthy, including giving him a
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Hedgehogs
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Hedgehogs
Shy animals that roll into a ball when scared, hedgehogs are covered with spiky quills. They're small, clean, and fun to watch so they're quite popular as pets. Even so, these little guys need lots of activity to stay healthy.
Health
Hedgehogs can have health problems, including dental diseases, skin
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Hamsters
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Hamsters
Hamsters are cute and adorable. If you had one growing up, your parents probably took care of it. Taking care of them can be challenging; however, once you master the art, it becomes more manageable by the day. Here is how you can take care of your pet hamster.
Bathing and Grooming
Hamsters always stay
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Domestic Pigs
Category:
Choosing Your Pet, Mammals, Domestic Pigs
Pigs are great for families who want a relatively exotic but easy to care for a pet. Whether miniature, like a pot-bellied pig, or a full-sized animal, caring for a pig is similar to caring for a cat or dog.
Health
Domestic pigs need to see a veterinarian regularly for vaccinations and checkups. We
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Managing Your Pet's Arthritis
Category:
Newsletter Library, Keeping Pets Healthy
Painful arthritis makes walking and jumping difficult for pets. Luckily, you can do a few things to relieve your pet's pain.
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Managing Pet Allergies in Kids
Category:
Newsletter Library, Tips for Pet Owners
Are you concerned that your child's allergies may mean that you will have to give up your pet? Although rehoming a pet may be necessary if allergies are severe, most children can live with pets if you are willing to make a few changes.
The Problem
About three in 10 people who have allergies are allergic
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Obesity and Diabetes in Pets
Category:
Newsletter Library, Keeping Pets Healthy
Think diabetes only affect people? Overweight pets may be at risk too.
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Does Your Cat Have a Grooming Problem?
Category:
Newsletter Library
Noticed a sudden change in your cat's grooming habits? Over- or under-grooming can be a sign of trouble.
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What You Need to Know About Antibiotics
Category:
Newsletter Library, Keeping Pets Healthy
Using antibiotics incorrectly may harm, rather than help, your pet.
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Is Your Cat's Personality Influenced by Coat Color?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Behavior & Training
Are orange cats friendlier than black ones? Coat color may play a role in personality.
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Is a Cat Enclosure Right for Your Cat?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Cats
A cat enclosure offers the perfect way for your favorite feline to enjoy a little outdoor time without being subjected to the dangers of the real world. Before you make the decision about adding an enclosure to your property, consider these facts.
Free Access to the Outdoors Can Decrease a Cat's Lifespan
Free
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Diabetes in Cats: Prevention and Treatment
Category:
Newsletter Library, Cats
Diabetes in cats, also known as feline diabetes mellitus, is an increasingly common disease affecting 1 out of every 400 cats. Obesity is the leading risk factor for diabetes.
"Overweight or obese cats are two to four times more likely to develop diabetes than cats with a healthy body weight," says board-certified
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Pet Hearing Loss
Category:
Newsletter Library, Tips for Pet Owners
Many of the same health problems that affect us, including hearing loss, also affect our pets. Fortunately, most pets adapt very well to the disability with a little help from their owners.
What Causes Hearing Loss in Pets?
Some pets are born deaf or hard of hearing, while others develop hearing loss
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3 Reasons Why Your Pet Could Be Coughing
Category:
Newsletter Library, Recognizing Illness
Wondering why your pet is coughing? Check out three common reasons.
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How Safe is Your Dog’s Food?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Nutrition & Food
Over the last several years, numerous dog food brands and treats have been recalled for chemical contamination or Salmonella. This last summer many dog food brands were recalled due to Salmonella; all were manufactured in a Diamond Pet Foods plant in Gaston, South Carolina, USA. This plant makes many
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Bred Specific Rescue Groups
Category:
Video Newsroom, Other Interests
Many dog owners admire the unique looks and personalities of purebreds, but also worry about the fate of millions of pets euthanized each year. What many people don't realize is that there are specific breed rescue organizations for almost every breed of dog, placing dogs in need to new homes. Dogs aren't
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Wellness Coloring Book
Category:
Pets4Kids
Picking the Right Pet, Welcome Your New Pet Home, Pets Need Proper Grooming, Feed Your Pet a Good Diet, Training Your Pet, Pets Love to Play!, and Pets Can Get Sick Just Like You.
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Caring for Dogs with Wrinkles
Category:
Newsletter Library, Tips for Pet Owners
Regular skin care is the key to helping your wrinkled dog avoid painful infections.
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Could Those Sniffles Be a Symptom of the Feline Flu?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Cats
Can you spot the signs of feline flu?
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Does My Pet Dream?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Fun with Pets
Are humans the only mammals who dream? Find out if your pet experiences dreams and nightmares.
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What to Do If Your Pet Eats Grass
Category:
Newsletter Library, Recognizing Illness
Wondering what to do if your pet eats grass? Take a look at a few ideas.
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Bloat in Dogs
Category:
Newsletter Library, Recognizing Illness
Bloat may end your dog's life if you're not aware of the symptoms.
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Feline Distemper
Category:
Pet Health, Diseases and Viruses
Feline distemper or feline panleukopenia is a highly contagious viral disease of kittens and adult cats caused by the feline parvovirus. It is also called panleukopenia as it affects the bone marrow and causes low white blood cell counts. It is relatively common in unvaccinated cats and is often fatal,
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Bloat and Gastric Torsion
Category:
Pet Health, Digestive and Oral Health
Bloat and gastric torsion is a serious condition and your pet should be rushed to the emergency room if this occurs. Certain breeds of dogs with deep chests and narrow waists, such as hounds, bouvier des Flandres, or doberman pinschers are more susceptible to a syndrome of gastric torsion and bloat.
This
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Arthritis
Category:
Pet Health, Orthopedics
The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis which can be due to wear and tear on joints from over use, aging, injury, or from an unstable joint such as which occurs with a ruptured ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in the knee.
The chronic form of this disease is called degenerative joint disease
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Fleas
Category:
Pet Health, Pests and Parasites
A common parasite, fleas are found in almost every area of the world and can be found on dogs, cats, and many other mammals. They survive year to year even in cold climates because they live on pets, in buildings, and on wild animals.
There are four stages to the flea life cycle. Eggs are laid by an
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Calcium is Not Always Good
Category:
Newsletter Library, Pet Dangers
When examining a blood panel, a veterinarian may report to the owner that a pet has hypercalcemia, which is an elevated level of calcium in the blood. The owner often then wonders if there is too much calcium in the pet's food or in the vitamins or supplements the pet is taking.
Ingesting calcium in
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