Helpful Tips
Bringing Home a New Dog
Bringing a new dog home is an exciting adventure! Start by creating a safe, comfortable space where your dog can relax and feel secure. Make sure you have the essentials—food, water, a cozy bed, and toys. Introduce your dog to family members and any resident pets slowly and calmly over the course of days or weeks. Establish a consistent routine for meals, walks, and playtime, and use positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior. Be patient and give your dog time to adjust—building trust and a strong bond takes a little time, but it’s worth every moment.
Choose a new dog with similar energy to resident dogs.
Consider personalities, history, and preferences of all dogs involved.
Thoughtful introductions help pave the way for a happy future.
Keep the new dog in a separate room at first.
Allow resident dogs to get used to the new dog’s scent.
Use a door or baby gate for visual introductions.
Progress to supervised meet-and-greets. Going for a walk on neutral ground and at a distance is a great initial approach. Gradually decrease the distance as demeanors remain comfortable and not overly stimulated.
Reward positive interactions with treats, toys, and praise.
Follow a consistent, predictable routine during the first weeks.
Be patient; adjust pace if either dog shows unease and closely monitor food and toys as you all settle into your new living arrangement.
Bringing Home a New Cat
Patience and time are the keys to a successful transition.
Bringing a new cat home is exciting! Start by setting up a safe, quiet space with food, water, a litter box, and cozy spots to rest. Introduce your new cat to your home slowly, keeping them separate from resident pets at first so that they can get to know you. Provide plenty of vertical spaces, toys, and positive interactions. Be patient and let your cat explore at their own pace—building trust and comfort takes time, but it’s the key to a happy, harmonious home.
If you are integrating with other pets, a baby gate can be useful in allowing them to see one other while maintaining their space. Use treats and praise generously to help form positive associations and try to stick to a predictable routine.
Match energy levels of new and resident cats.
Consider personalities and past social experiences.
Provide multiple litter boxes, food, and water stations.
Include vertical spaces like cat trees and shelves.
Introduce slowly, keeping new cat in separate room.
Use gates or doors for gradual visual meetings.
Reward positive interactions with treats and toys.
Keep routines consistent for both cats.
Move at the slower cat’s pace.
Be patient; harmony takes time.
Additional Resources
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Although many people have discovered the beneficial effects of caring for a furry friend, the fact remains that roughly 15 to 20% of the population is allergic to animals. Allergen is the medical term for the actual substance that causes an allergic reaction. Touching or inhaling allergens leads to reactions in allergic individuals. Symptoms can include red, itchy, watery eyes and nose; sneezing; coughing; scratchy or sore throat; itchy skin, and most serious of all, difficulty breathing.
The most common pet allergens are proteins found in their dander (scales of old skin that are constantly shed by an animal), saliva, urine and sebaceous cells. Any animal can trigger an allergic response…and fur length and type will not affect or prevent allergies. Certain pets can be less irritating than others to those who suffer from allergies, but that is strictly on an individual basis and cannot be predicted.
Keep in mind that most people are allergic to several things besides pets, such as dust mites, molds and pollens, all of which can be found in the home. Allergic symptoms result from the total cumulative allergen load.
Improving the Immediate Environment
Create an allergen-free room. A bedroom is often the best and most practical choice. By preventing your pet from entering this room, you can ensure at least eight hours of freedom from allergens every night.
Limit fabrics. Allergens collect in rugs, drapes and upholstery, so do your best to limit or eliminate them from your home. If you choose to keep some fabrics, steam-clean them regularly.
Vacuum frequently using a vacuum equipped with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate arresting) filter or a disposable electrostatic bag.
Install an air purifier fitted with a HEPA filter.
Use anti-allergen room sprays. These sprays deactivate allergens, rendering them harmless. Ask your allergist for a product recommendation.
Clean the litter box frequently. Use low-dust, perfume-free filler. Clumping litter is a good choice.
Dust regularly. Wiping down the walls will also cut down on allergens.
Invest in washable pet bedding and cages that can be cleaned often and easily.
Taking Care of YourselfWash your hands after handling your companion animal and before touching your face. The areas around your nose and eyes are particularly sensitive to allergens.
Designate a “pet outfit” from among your most easily washed clothes. Wear it when playing or cuddling with your companion, and you’ll leave other clothing uncontaminated.
Find a physician, preferably an allergy specialist, who will make sure that your pet is the cause of your allergies and will help alleviate your symptoms. Medications and immunotherapy (desensitizing shots) can often allow you and your companion animal to remain together happily ever after.
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Fleas are the most common external parasite to plague companion animals. They are wingless insects that feed on blood, can jump up to two feet high and are persistent in the environment.
Fleas can live for as few as 13 days or as long as 12 months—and during that time, can produce millions of offspring. Though there are many species of fleas, the one that most often affects both dogs and cats in North America is the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis.
Symptoms of Fleas on Dogs
Fleas are most commonly noticed on a dog’s abdomen, the base of the tail and the head. Common symptoms of fleas on dogs include:
Droppings or “flea dirt” in a dog’s coat (small dark "grains of sand")
Flea eggs (tiny, white grains)
Allergic dermatitis
Excessive scratching, licking or biting at skin
Hair loss
Scabs and hot spots
Pale gums
Tapeworms
Symptom of Fleas on Cats
If you see your cat scratching often and persistently, invest in a fine tooth comb and run it through her fur, paying special attention to the neck and the base of the tail. If you see small, fast-moving brown shapes about the size of a pinhead in her fur, your cat has fleas. Other symptoms:
Droppings of “flea dirt” in a cat’s fur (small dark "grains of sand")
Flea eggs (tiny, white grains)
Itchy, irritated skin
Persistent scratching
Chewing and licking
Hair loss
Tapeworms
Pale lips and gums
Causes of Fleas
Fleas are easily brought in from the outdoors.
Fleas thrive in warm, humid climates at temperatures of 65 to 80 degrees.
Adult fleas spend most of their lives on the animal, laying eggs in the fur.
These eggs drop out onto rugs, upholstery, bedding and furniture; the new adult fleas will, in turn, find their living host (either human or animal).
Flea Treatment
Consult your veterinarian if you suspect your pet has fleas. It is important that all of your pets are treated for fleas, including indoor and outdoor cats, and that the environment is treated as well. Once your veterinarian confirms the diagnosis, a treatment plan may include the following:
Topical or oral treatment or the use of shampoos, sprays and powders on the pet.
Thorough cleaning of your house, including rugs, bedding and upholstery. Severe cases may require using a spray or a fogger, which requires temporary evacuation of the home.
It is very important not to use products on your cat that are intended for dogs.
Lawn treatments may also be needed if your pet keeps getting re-infected every time it goes outside.
Flea Prevention
Use a flea comb on your pet and wash his bedding once a week.
Keep the outside of your house free of organic debris, such as rake clippings and leaves, and remember that fleas like to hide in dark, moist, shady areas.
There are many preventative flea control products available, both as prescription and over-the-counter formulas.
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Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of unlucky host animals, such as cats and dogs. Like mites and spiders, ticks are arachnids. Although their presence may not even be noticed by the host, ticks can transmit many diseases through their bite.
Tick species and disease transmission tend to vary based on where you live, so check with your vet about what is common in your area.
Tick Transmission
Most species of ticks require blood meals from a host to survive.
Ticks bury their head into a host’s skin when they bite and then gorge themselves on blood.
Ticks tend to be most active in late spring and summer and live in tall brush or grass, where they can attach to dogs and outdoor cats.
Ticks can be transferred from pets coming into the household from outdoors.
Ticks prefer to attach close to the head, neck, ears and feet, but can be found anywhere on your pet’s body.
Ticks are particularly prominent in warm climates and certain wooded areas of the Northeast.
How Do I know if My Pet Has Ticks?
Most ticks are visible to the naked eye. Ticks are often the size of a pinhead before they bite, and not noticed until they swell with blood.
While these parasites rarely cause obvious discomfort, it is a good idea to check your pet regularly if you live in an area where ticks are prevalent, especially if he spends a lot of time outside.
Run your hands carefully over your pet every time he comes inside, and especially check inside and around the ears, head and feet.
Complications Associated with Ticks
Blood loss
Anemia
Tick paralysis
Skin irritation or infection
Lyme Disease: a bacterial infection than can affect humans, dogs, cats and other mammals.
Its primary carrier is the deer tick, which can attach to a dog or human and transmit the bacteria that cause the disease.
Clinical signs of Lyme disease include depression, swelling of the lymph nodes, loss of appetite, fever, swollen, painful joints and kidney failure.
Lyme disease is most effectively treated with antibiotics.
With prompt, proper treatment, your pet’s condition should start to improve within 48 hours.
Tick Treatment and Removal
If you do find a tick on your pet, it is important to take care when removing it. Any contact with the tick’s blood can potentially transmit infection to your pet or even to you. Prompt removal is necessary, but it is important to stay calm and not rush. Follow these step-by-step tick removal instructions:
Step 1: Prepare
Put on latex or rubber gloves so you’ll never have direct contact with the tick or your pet’s bite area.
Because throwing a tick in the trash or flushing it down the toilet will not kill it, you should prepare a screw-top jar containing rubbing alcohol to put a tick in after removal. This also allows you to hold it for veterinary testing.
If possible, enlist a partner to help you distract and soothe your pet and hold her still during removal.
Step 2: Remove
Using a pair of tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the animal’s skin as possible.
Pull straight upwards with steady, even pressure and place the tick in your jar.
Do not twist or jerk the tick. This may leave the mouth-parts embedded in your pet, or cause the tick to regurgitate infective fluids.
Do not squeeze or crush the body of the tick, because its fluids may contain infective organisms.
Step 3: Disinfect and Monitor
Disinfect the bite area and wash your hands with soap and water, even though you were wearing gloves.
Sterilize your tweezers with alcohol or by carefully running them over a flame.
Monitor the bite area over the next few weeks for any signs of localized infection, such as redness or inflammation.
If infection occurs, please bring your pet—and your jarred tick—to your veterinarian for evaluation.
Tick Prevention
Many of the same products on the market that treat fleas also kill ticks and prevent against future infestation. Speak to your vet about the best product for your pet.
Ensure a tick-free lawn by mowing it regularly, removing tall weeds and making it inhospitable to rodents by keeping garbage covered and inaccessible.
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Do you avoid getting up close and personal with your pet’s breath? That bad breath is certainly unpleasant enough, but your pet could have a worse problem.
Dental care for your pets is very important. Oral hygiene is about more than ensuring your animals' teeth are clean. Tartar buildup on teeth and inflamed gums can actually undermine your pet’s good health.
Do animals develop dental disease?
Sure they do! Dental disease is actually seen more often in pets than it is in humans. Why? Because pets can’t brush or floss their teeth. So it’s no surprise that 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats show signs of dental disease by the age of four. In fact, dental disease is probably one of the most common health problems in dogs and cats.
In humans, the cavity is the most common form of dental disease, but in dogs and cats, it’s tartar buildup. Tartar causes irritation of the gums, loosening of the teeth, exposure of the tooth roots, infection, tooth abscesses, and, eventually, tooth loss. An untreated infection within the mouth may be picked up by the bloodstream and carried to other parts of the body. The result can be more serious health risks, such as kidney, liver and heart disease. Also, sore, painful and loose teeth can make your pet very uncomfortable and unwilling or unable to eat properly.
Won’t feeding my pet dry food prevent dental problems?
Most people believe that feeding their pets dry food is enough to ward off dental problems. Not so. Diet is probably much less important to prevent tartar buildup than most people think. Dry food is less sticky, of course, and does not adhere to the teeth as readily as canned food. But, eating dry food does not remove tartar from the teeth. Certain chewing toys or strips (especially those that contain enzymes) designed to clean the teeth may help tartar buildup somewhat, but only a professional cleaning by your veterinarian can remove tartar once it forms.
What contributes to dental disease in pets?
One of the main factors is your pet’s individual mouth chemistry. Some pets need yearly cleanings; others need cleanings only once every few years. Breed also plays a role in your pet’s dental health. Small dogs, especially those with short faces (Pekingeses, pugs, etc.) are particularly prone to dental problems, as are Persian cats.
How can I tell if my pet has dental disease?
Well, bad breath is one obvious clue. But you may also see yellow-brown teeth covered with a barnacle-like hard substance and red irritated gums that bleed easily. You may even see loose teeth that are very tender to the touch. However, the best way to determine if your pet needs a dental cleaning is to have your veterinarian do a dental health checkup.
What does dental care for your pets and a dental cleaning involve?
If your vet determines that your pet needs a dental cleaning, here’s what happens. First, your pet must be completely anesthetized. It is not possible to thoroughly clean the teeth if your pet is awake. Your pet’s teeth will be cleaned, scaled with an ultrasonic scaler, and polished. A thorough evaluation of the teeth will determine if any of them need to be pulled. The vet will examine the entire oral cavity to look for abnormalities such as tumors or deep infections of the gums or jawbone.
After the cleaning, your pet may need to take oral antibiotics and eat a softer diet for a few days, particularly if there was a lot of infection or if many teeth had to be extracted. When your pet goes home, you will be advised on the proper dental care program for your pet.
So, to keep your pet smiling, schedule regular veterinary dental exams.