When we see a dog, our brain produces positive emotions and we don’t think twice before declaring our undying love, but how do we show our dogs this? Find out how to show your dog you love them with Luna. ‘It’s the month of love, Luna, the time of year when we shower our favourite people with cards and gifts so that they know how much they mean to us.’ That’s odd, thought rescue dog, Luna, safe in the knowledge that her humans know exactly how much they mean to her and she has never bought them a card or a gift since the day they brought her home. That’s not to say that Luna, hadn’t received gifts and even an edible card on one particularly memorable Valentine’s Day, but that’s not how she knows she is loved, far from it. The feeling of love is all in her head. Literally! If you believe that the chemistry between you and your dog is real, then science agrees with you. It’s all in your head, too. Our ‘happy hormones’ are created in our brain. The well-documented trio consist of dopamine, which is released when there’s an initial attraction, as a result our serotonin levels increase and then oxytocin is produced. When we see a dog, our brain delivers a rush of positive emotions and we don’t think twice before declaring our undying love to the cute furball. It’s chemical; love really is all in our head. One of the ways that we can get a rush of oxytocin is to make eye contact with someone we care about. The brilliant thing about making eye contact with our canine family members is that they get a rush of oxytocin too. Please don’t race home and stare into the eyes of your dog, that probably won’t make either of you feel great, but do think about the interactions that you have with your dog and the ways you can use eye contact in your everyday communication. For me, calling my dogs’ name means that I’d like them to look at me, I just want their attention. I don’t use names for recall, but that’s a blog for another day! Once I have my dogs’ attention, I can ask them to do any of the other things I’ve taught them and the burst of oxytocin delivers immediate positive emotions, for both of us. But, is the oxy-love chemical enough? Calling our dog’s name and looking at each other isn’t enough to build the relationship we want, is it?

Hypothermia in dogs can occur during the winter months and is usually due to prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. Read our guide to find out about the possible symptoms and what you should do if you suspect your dog has hypothermia. Hypothermia in dogs can be fatal as it may cause problems with the heart and blood flow, breathing and the immune system and in more extreme cases, dogs may develop impaired consciousness that could result in a coma. We’ve created this useful guide to tell you everything you need to know about hypothermia in dogs – keep reading to find out more. What is dog hypothermia? Hypothermia in dogs is a medical condition that results in an abnormally low body temperature. The cases can range from mild, to severe and it could lead to many serious complications as normal body temperature can no longer be sustained. What is considered a low dog temperature? A dog’s normal temperature ranges between 38.3 and 39.2 degrees Celsius, whereas a human’s recommended body temperature is between 36.5 and 37.5 degrees Celsius. It’s important to bear in mind that this means your dog needs to keep their body temperature higher than humans do. Types of dog hypothermia There are three types of hypothermia in dogs: mild, moderate and severe. Mild hypothermia is when their temperature falls between 32 and 35 degrees Celsius and moderate is a temperature between 28 and 32 degrees. Anything below 28 degrees is categorised as severe. If your dog has a severe case, veterinary attention should be sought straight away as the complications could be fatal.

Hyperthyroidism in cats is a common disease which mainly affects middle-aged and elderly felines. Read our guide to find out everything you need to know about the condition. Hyperthyroidism in cats is a common disease that affects middle-aged and senior cats. Hyperthyroidism refers to excessive levels of thyroid hormone being produced by the thyroid glands located in the neck. This can have significant health implications, because thyroid hormone is involved in the normal regulation of metabolic processes in the body. Therefore, the condition can affect multiple body systems. If you are concerned that your cat might have hyperthyroidism, we’ve created this guide to tell you all you need to know about the condition, from the symptoms to watch out for to the life expectancy for hyperthyroidism in cats. What causes hyperthyroidism in cats? Most cases of hyperthyroidism are caused by a benign tumour of the thyroid gland leading to excessive thyroid hormone production. However, the tumour can be malignant and spread within the body in a small proportion of cases. You may hear the terms T3 and T4 used – with T3 referring to triiodothyronine which is the active form of the hormone and T4 referring to thyroxine which is the precursor for this. Blood levels of both of these forms of the thyroid hormone can be tested as part of the diagnostic process.

Ear mites are a common cause of feline ear problems. These tiny parasites can be extremely itchy and lead to long-term damage if left untreated. Find out what they are and how to treat them successfully. Is your feline scratching their ears more than usual? One of the most common causes for a cat’s ear discomfort are microscopic parasites known as ear mites. Read on to find out how ear mites in cats affect your pet’s health and what to do to get rid of them. What are cat ear mites? The most common type of ear mite in cats is Otodectes cynotis. These are barely-visible to the naked eye but may be seen as very small white dots. Diagnosis usually requires looking for the mites under a microscope. They get inside your cat’s ear canal, where they feed on the ear wax and skin debris. These mites can cause significant inflammation and swelling in the ear canal and are very itchy. Cats of all ages and breeds can be affected, with outdoor felines being the most susceptible to an ear mite infection.

Good digestion is one of the keys to excellent health. By digesting and absorbing the goodness from food, your cat can take in all the nutrients needed to stay in top condition.

Dog begging is a pleading gaze, big doe eyes, or a cute little whine. If your dog behaves like this every time you sit down to have a meal, you know your dog is begging for food or a delicious treat! Dogs are brilliant at devising new and interesting ways to get exactly what they want from their owners at mealtimes: more food. However, this can be difficult for you as an owner, especially if it happens every time you want to eat. Fortunately, dog begging can be prevented using a few simple steps. Causes of dog begging If your dog or puppy looks uncharacteristically unhappy or hungry when they beg then you won’t be alone. Dogs perfect this method of asking because it is so effective. Playing on your caring nature, they use their best acting skills in the hope of being treated to scraps from the plate. This clever technique means that your dog can often get more food without exerting much effort. The first thing to realise is that your dog’s begging is a learned behaviour from when they are a puppy, which can be trained out of them. Your begging dog has probably realised at some point that certain behaviours yield certain rewards. Whether it’s pawing, whining or barking, if you reward your puppy begging with what they expect, they will only continue to behave in this way. Puppies don’t just beg for food, you may also witness your pet begging for affection, playtime or walks. You probably didn’t realise that you were teaching your puppy that begging was effective, but by giving in to their demands, you may have inadvertently promoted their behaviour, which will carry on with them through to adulthood.

It's not pleasant if you have a cat that always seems to bite you. Learn more about the reasons why cats bite and the best ways to stop it with our guide and tips. It’s not uncommon for cats to bite. There are many reasons why a cat might suddenly start biting, seemingly unprovoked. It’s important to understand that cat biting isn’t always done out of aggression. Cats are natural-born predators, and as such seemingly aggressive actions such as biting, pouncing and clawing make up a large part of their play. Allowing and encouraging this natural instinct is important for felines, but there is a fine line between engaging in stimulating play and allowing aggressive behaviour. Learn more about the reasons behind why cats bite in order to help to stop any unnecessary biting. Why do cats bite? There are many reasons why cats bite and it’s important to understand what your cat is trying to communicate by biting. They may be trying to send a message or want you to stop doing something. Figuring out why cats bite can be confusing as many owners complain that cats will bite unprovoked, and out of nowhere. One moment they can be enjoying a stroke, the next moment, the teeth are out! Most often, when cats bite they are trying to tell you that they aren’t enjoying the contact that they are currently receiving. For felines, there is a very fine line between enjoyable handling and irritating petting, so while an owner may think a bite has come from nowhere, for a cat the action is entirely justified. Sudden cat biting when petting One of the most common complaints from cat owners is the sudden change in attitude that can occur during petting: one second a cat may be loving the attention, the next they’re snapping at your fingers! It’s hard to tell when a cat has had enough of stroking, but learning to read your cat’s body language will help you to know when a bite might be coming. Your cat is sending a message in this situation: they’ve had enough. You decrease the likelihood that they will bite again by respecting this, and letting your cat do their own thing, rather than insisting on further affection. Cat biting when playing Cats often bite during play because they are expressing their natural hunting instinct.

It’s only natural for your puppy to nip, mouth and jump up, but when left unchecked these can turn into serious problems that could have been avoided. It can sometimes come as a shock to find out that your adorable new puppy does some things you would rather they didn’t – like nip, jump up and chew things. This isn’t them being naughty, bad or aggressive in any way. In fact, these are all totally natural behaviours for a puppy. For example, your puppy is chewing as part of their exploratory games; they have to chew in order to learn. It’s up to teach them what is available for chewing and what isn’t. So far, your puppy has only had their littermates and their mum to play and interact with so you and your family need to take on the role of teachers and playmates. This helps with the bonding process between you and your puppy and it’s important that you use the opportunity to encourage good habits from the start. Without this, your puppy will continue all the behaviours that they have grown up thinking are acceptable, and even desirable, into adulthood. They’ll just be bigger, stronger and have adult teeth which mean your dog could accidentally cause an injury or frighten someone with their boisterous behaviour. So when your pup comes home with you, start to teach the behaviours you’d like to see straight away. Remember though, they are not being ‘naughty’; they are just behaving the natural way that they have learned in their early weeks of life. To teach your puppy to behave appropriately needs gentle, positive reinforcement. This means that you encourage your puppy to do the things you want them to do and reward them when they do so, usually with a tasty, healthy puppy treat, so it becomes their new default behaviour. Always reward the behaviours you’d like your puppy to repeat and if your puppy displays behaviours you’d rather not see, use our dog training guides to teach them an alternative. Never punish your puppy verbally or physically. You will just make them fearful of you, it will damage your relationship, and it will not have the effect you desire. Puppy biting Puppies in a litter play together and this play will involve lots of rough and tumble and play-biting. This is how puppies learn to interact with each other and also how to limit their biting. If they bite too hard or the play gets too rough, the other puppies or their mother will stop playing with them, and so in this way, they are learning a valuable lesson about appropriate interactions with others. Puppy teeth are sharp and their jaws are weak. This means that while bites hurt, they don’t cause injury and this helps them to learn bite-inhibition from their littermates and their mum. As a result, however the occasional painful nip might happen while you and your puppy are playing. When your puppy comes home with you and is living in a human family, they need to be taught that games with humans don’t include teeth! You don't want puppy biting to be a continued behaviour into adulthood but you do want to teach them appropriate ways for you to play and have fun together: • Don’t play rough games with your puppy or push them around with your hands, this is just encouraging them to use their teeth to grab at you. • All interactions with your hands should be gentle and soothing; stroking, ear rubs, back-scratching etc. Your puppy should learn that your hands are good things and not tug toys or dog chews. • For gentle games of tug, use toys and not your hands. Your puppy needs to chew (and when they are teething, this is ever more important) but you should be encouraging them that toys are for chewing, hands aren’t. • Give your puppy safe toys to chew on, stuffed Puppy Kongs are great and you can even make your own toys using treats inside old cardboard toilet rolls that will let them bite and chew safely. Even with your best intentions, your puppy will occasionally nip you. First of all, don’t over-react. Yes, it may have hurt but if you tell your puppy off, get annoyed or shout at them, you will make them scared of you, lead them to mistrust your hands, and it will break down the relationship you have. Instead, you have several options and the option(s) you choose will depend on your puppy’s character, breed/breed mix and a bit of trial and error: • If it was a one-off accident, ignore it and carry on playing. Everyone makes mistakes. • If it wasn’t a one-off or if it happens again immediately stop playing and turn away from your puppy for 10 seconds so they know that if they use their teeth, the fun stops. This way they learn that if they want to play with you, they can’t use teeth. • When you return to play, introduce a toy into the game that your puppy can bite instead. • If the play biting continues, remove yourself totally from the game for a minute so your puppy knows that if they bite, you really will stop the game and also take away your presence. • Don’t go for any longer than a minute, and then when you come back to your puppy, carry on as before. Dogs don’t hold grudges and neither should you. • Sometimes play-biting happens because the puppy is frustrated, has too much energy or conversely isn’t getting enough sleep. Make sure they are getting enough positive interactions, problem-solving brain games, lots of chances to succeed and lots of opportunities for good quality undisturbed sleep. • Make sure everyone in the household does the same thing. The puppy will just get confused if one person lets them bite and the others don’t. • Supervise all interactions between your puppy and children to ensure that play doesn’t get too boisterous and to prevent play-biting mistakes. • Puppies will teethe the same way as babies from around 12 weeks old up to about six months of age. Gradually their baby teeth will fall out to be replaced by their adult teeth. At this time they may have some discomfort from sore gums and teeth and may need to chew more than usual. Make sure you have safe toys that they can gnaw on, both to distract them from chewing furniture or hands, and to help relieve them from any discomfort they may be feeling. There are even some puppy teething toys you can buy that can be put in the fridge to help cool sore gums. With some consistency and reward-based training, your puppy will soon learn that games with people need to be gentle and tooth-free.

If you have a cat that won't stop scratching your furniture, you're probably wondering how to make them stop it, which is why we've put together this handy guide to help you prevent your cat from shredding your sofa! Keep reading to find out more. There’s nothing worse than getting a new sofa and coming home to find that your cat or kitten has ripped it into ribbons, or finding deep scratches in your freshly painted door frames. Cats’ scratching furniture can be a real problem, especially if you’re house-proud! Sometimes it may seem that your cat’s out to cause trouble, but it’s important to know that these scratching behaviours are deeply ingrained instincts and they have numerous benefits to both their health and well-being. Keep reading to find out how to stop cats from scratching furniture and to discover why they always seem to target your favourite spots. Why do cats scratch furniture? While it may seem that your cat just likes to destroy things, they actually scratch for a number of reasons. Firstly, scratching provides a full body workout for your cat and stretches out their muscles and tendons from their claws all the way down their back. Cats scratching furniture also helps to maintain their claws and keep them sharp by shedding their claw sheaths which keeps them in tip-top condition. Additionally, cats’ paws contain scent glands and when they scratch objects, they release a visible and chemical scent marker that identifies their territory in the home. They’re most likely to target prominent and frequently used areas such as sofas or your favourite armchair. This is because scratching these areas will make them feel more secure and relieve stress by putting their scent on things, making it feel more like their home. Sometimes cats may do it because they’re bored which is especially common with house cats who aren’t getting enough mental stimulation. So now you know what causes them to do it, how can you actually stop cats from scratching furniture?

It can be extremely distressing to see your cat get into a fight, whether that is with their playmates at home or with other cats outside of the house. But there are ways to stop cats fighting, both in the short-term and in the long-term. In this article, we’ll explore why cats fight, how to stop cats from fighting and what long-term solutions you can look towards if it keeps happening. Why do cats fight? Territory: Cats are territorial animals and they will often fight to defend what they believe is their territory. This is most common with cat fights that happen outside the house, where your cat believes another cat has encroached on their land. Alternately, a feral cat could believe your cat should not be here. But such fighting is also common among cats who live together. Cats mark their territories with scent, and your house is no exception. If you have more than one cat living at home, they will often fight about this issue. Aggression: Some cats can be aggressive by nature. Male cats are especially aggressive and these cats keep fighting. Sometimes, they also dominate female cats. Your cat may need to act out their aggression by picking fights with their brothers and sisters or by causing a fight with a strange cat. Rough play: Sometimes cats can be playing and it can get rough. Cats are rough when they play – this may look like aggression and fighting, but it is not. Still, such play could escalate into a fight or cause harm to both or one of the cats. In such cases, it is best to separate your cats if you can do so safely. Cats are not pack animals, and they don’t generally enjoy living in groups, small or large. There are ways to make space sharing less stressful including: provide separate feeding areas for each cat, provide numerous water stations, and create lots of quiet, private hiding areas for ‘me time’. Using cat-appeasing pheromone products (either sprays to use on furniture around the home or plug into diffusers) can help to reduce feelings of stress and therefore reduce aggressive behaviour. These techniques will help with the introduction of a new cat or to reduce any signs of aggression in household that already has multiple cats. What do you do if your cats are fighting? Watching your cats fighting can be heart-breaking; here are two animals that you adore and they are hurting each other! While your first instinct might be to jump in and separate them, do be careful. Cats can be aggressive when they are worked up like this, and you may get a lot of scratches for your efforts. We suggest trying to gently separate them, as long as you are sure you are not in harm’s way. Distract them: Cats can get very engrossed in fighting, but you can try and distract them. Find something you know they love, like a toy, and make a noise with it. This might get their attention and stop the fight. The most important thing to remember when stepping in to halt the fighting is: don’t get hurt and don’t make your cat(s) more stressed/scared with the techniques used. So don’t be aggressive towards your cat, and don’t use heavy-handed techniques. What do you do if another cat is fighting yours? Sometimes, when your cat is wandering outside, they could be attacked by another cat. These attacks can be systematic: owners have stories of a single cat that keeps fighting their cat every time they go outside. This is especially worrying if your cat is mild-mannered and gentle, and is unlikely to fight back. The injuries from these fights can require several trips to the vet and can be worrying. The best solution for how to stop cats from fighting in this situation is to keep your cat indoors. Letting them out after dark can be especially dangerous. If you cannot keep your cat indoors, you can try and find out if the other cat belongs to someone and if that cat can be controlled. Alternately, when you hear your cat is in distress, go outside to help. Most strange cats will run at the sight of a human, so you may not have to do much to stop the fight except turn up. Long-term solutions If your cat keeps fighting, whether with other cats in your house or with strange cats from the neighbourhood, you may need a more permanent solution. A cat that always gets into fights may be suffering from excess aggression or they may simply have poor socialisation skills. Here are some leads on how to help your cat in the long-term. Vets: Cats often fight because they have excess aggression. This aggression can be a symptom of an illness that you are not aware of. Take them to the vet and get them checked out. Your vet will be able to advise you on how to proceed. Animal behaviourists: If your cat is not ill but still has a large amount of unresolved aggression, you can take them to an animal behaviourist. These cat specialists are good at resolving issues for cats who keep fighting, and they can train your cat to manage their aggression better. Socialisation: One of the main reasons that cats fight is poor socialisation. These cats simply do not know how to share or get along with other cats. You may need to re-socialise these cats so that they know how to act around others. You can take them to cat training school to try and improve their behaviour. Alternately, there are books and You Tube tutorials on how to help your cat get along better with other cats. Watching your cats fight can be distressing, but it can be solved. Simply follow the guidelines in this article to try and separate your cats when the fight occurs. Moreover, try one of the long-term leads above if it seems like they may need a more permanent solution. Remember, these fights can be solved and do not have to be an enduring problem.