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It is often difficult to keep your pet from chewing or licking himself. Often, after surgery, your cat or dog does not give up until all the stitches are pulled out. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, your pet decides to chew at himself. Once the chewing or itching begins, it's very difficult to break the cycle. The more he licks or chews, the more he itches. The more he itches, the more he chews. Eventually, the area becomes inflamed and irritated.

Typical Elizabethan Collar

Dog with Elizabethan Collar

One method for keeping your pet from chewing himself is by using an Elizabethan collar. Most commercial Elizabethan collars are made from hard plastic, and when attached around the animal's head, gives the appearance of a lampshade. Most E-collars are opaque; however, clear ones have recently become available. Pets appear to accept the clear collars more readily as they are able to see and get around much better.

Most veterinary hospitals and major pet supply stores carry Elizabethan collars. Or, if you really feel ambitious, you can make one at home. A homemade E-collar can be made from a cardboard box or a sheet of poster board.

Cat Wearing an Elizabethan Collar

Before using your E-collar, make sure that your veterinarian knows what you are doing. He or she may have suggestions, or may feel that an Elizabethan collar is not appropriate for your pet. For certain animals, this type of treatment may be contraindicated!

Bird Wearing Elizabethan Collar
The wound on the left wing is due to feather plucking, a common problem.

If you decide to go with an E-collar, it should be worn religiously until the problem is resolved. If it appears as though the collar is not helping, or if the E-collar is actually making the situation worse, remove the collar and call your veterinarian.

Cat Wearing an E-Collar
An Elizabethan collar is used to prevent the cat from pulling out his I.V. Catheter.

Dog Wearing an E-Collar

Cat Recovering from Extensive Bite Wound Abscess
An Elizabethan collar is necessary to keep the cat from licking the wound.

Your pet will need some time adjusting to the E-collar. At first, he or she will bump into objects and will probably be somewhat disorientated. You should try to encourage your pet and provide a treat each time you reapply the collar. The E-collar should be worn religiously; however, you may need to remove it during feeding time. Don't forget to reapply it and make sure it is worn at night and when you are not at home. Even with a rough beginning, most pets accept the collar and can adjust to it remarkably well.

Lost pets that have microchips are more likely to be reunited with their owners. This is according to a recent study published by a leading veterinary journal.

Animal shelters in twenty three states participated in this study. It was revealed that shelter officials were able to find the owners of microchipped pets 4 out of 5 times.

“This is the first time there has been good data about the success of shelters finding the owners of pets with microchips,” says Dr. Linda Lord, lead author of the study and professor Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

According to shelter statistics, lost microchipped cats were twenty times more likely to be returned to owners than non-microchipped cats. Microchipped dogs were 2.5 times more likely to be returned to their owners than non-microchipped dogs.

The major reason why pet owners could not be located was due to incorrect or disconnected phone numbers in the registration database. “The chip is only as good as the information that the owner provides. The pet owner needs to make sure that their information is always up-to-date.” Lord says.

Owners’ not returning calls or answering letters, unregistered microchips and microchips registered to a database that differed from the manufacturer were other reasons owners were not found, according to the study.

The results of this study clearly indicate the advantage of microchipping your pet. However, even though microchipping is essential, nothing replaces the need for a collar and tag with your pet’s name and your phone number, Lord says.

The term tortoiseshell cat refers to a coloration pattern caused by a specific genetic trait. It is not a specific breed of cat.

The coats of tortoiseshell cats are a mixture of colors. Tortoiseshell coats combine black, white, red or ginger, and occasionally silver or ginger tabby patterns. The size of the patches can vary from a fine speckled pattern to large areas of color. Cats with a basic white color and red and black patches are known as tortoiseshell-and-white or more commonly, calico cats.

The tortoiseshell coloration is a sex-linked trait. Sex-linked genes are those carried on the mammalian X chromosome, but not the Y chromosome. In cats, the gene controlling the red color is carried on an X chromosome. The gene controlling black and other 'non-red' colors is also carried on an X chromosome. So, a tortoiseshell is formed when you combine two X chromosomes, one containing the red colors and the other containing the non-red colors.

Because two X chromosomes are necessary for this particular pattern of coloration, over 99 percent of tortoiseshell cats are females. In order for a male to be a tortoiseshell, he would need to have two X chromosomes. This condition is called Klinefelter's syndrome, and these males are almost always sterile.

You can't live properly with a dog unless it's trained. It's that simple, and it really doesn't matter whether your canine is a four-pound Toy or a 104-pound Working breed. An untrained dog is an invitation to disaster. A dog that won't come when you call is always in danger.

A Well Behaved Dog Requires Obedience Training

You can't blame the dog either. If you don't train your dog, you are at fault. No one else. In fact, if you're not prepared to properly train your dog, you probably shouldn't get one in the first place.

Now for the good news: dogs are easily trained. That's probably the reason why dogs have long been America's favorite pet. Despite the fact that they train relatively easily, however, you still have to do the job. One way to make training simple is to get a breed that readily adapts to your life-style and that corresponds to what you want in a canine companion. Serious breeders can help you with this. They should tell you about their breed's inherent trainability—advice you should heed before making your final decision.

Rest assured that training does not strip a dog of natural instincts or "joie de vivre." After all, these are the things that attract people to dogs in the first place. We want you to celebrate the canine spirit, not abuse it.

What training does, however, is structure the dog's responses, giving you a good companion. Training gives you an animal you can trust, rely on, even flaunt. In fact, it establishes a channel of communication between you and your dog that significantly enhances your mutual respect and friendship.

Training a Dog Enhanced Your Relationship

Every civilized dog should know at least five basic commands: heel, sit, down, stay and come. These commands form the core of the exercises required for a Companion Dog degree in an American Kennel Club Novice Obedience competition. Even if you don't take your dog beyond these beginning lessons, they are absolutely essential in making every dog a true companion.

Incidentally, you train your dog to understand its name in much the same way you train it to do anything—by simple, repetitive action. As far as the name goes, make sure everyone in the household is using the same name. And, you can teach an older dog a new name, if you must.

Geckos are small lizards. While all geckos are lizards, not all lizards are geckos. They do; however, make excellent pets and comprise about one half of all the reptiles in the world. On the average, they live between 20-25 years and grow up to 8-10 inches in length. Their size depends on their breed and they come in a variety of shapes and colors. While geckos are not quite as social as a dog or a cat, it can be quite rewarding to own one. Due to their long lifespan, owning a gecko is a significant commitment and should not be taken without understanding the responsibilities involved. Caring for a gecko can be quite easy if the proper steps are taken.

Housing a gecko is simple. A reptile cage or at least a 10-gallon tank is fine for one gecko; twenty gallons is better for up to three geckos. Line the cage or aquarium with newspaper, sand, bark chips (not cedar), indoor/outdoor carpeting, or special sand-like material that is available through a pet supplier. Whatever you decide to use needs to be absorbent, easily cleaned, and digestible if swallowed. Hiding and climbing spaces should be provided as well. These can be rocks, pieces of wood, small boxes, etc. The cage must have a tight-fitting closure to prevent escape and smooth surfaces to prevent irritation to the skin. Many people like to have their gecko roam free in the home due their appetite for insects. Unfortunately, a gecko running around free often dies of hypothermia, hides, escapes or falls prey to dog and cat attacks.

Geckos do not need special lighting. You may want to install a light bulb so your gecko stands out; however, heat is much more important to your gecko's health than lighting. The tank should have a range of temperatures to allow your gecko to move around and select the most comfortable spot. Anywhere between 80-95 degrees should be warm enough for any breed. Heat can be provided with an overhead heat lamp, a heated rock or pad, or both. Light should really only be provided during the daytime with lights out at night. The humidity of the cage needs to be 50-70 percent with adequate ventilation to prevent bacterial growth.

The best diet is live crickets and/or mealworms which can both be purchased at a pet supply store. It is important to provide additional vitamins and minerals (calcium and vitamin D) with a dusting of a pre-measured mix applied to the live cricket. This provides essential nutrition. Geckos also need a water supply. They like to lick water from leaves, so it can be beneficial to create a drip system that provides a constant source of water.

It is not recommended to keep more than one lizard in the tank. Having two or more together (especially males) often causes competition for dominance and food. This creates stress that can make one or both of them sick. Handling a gecko can also cause stress. While most have been raised in captivity and are used to being held, reptiles do not particularly enjoy human contact. When you do handle your gecko, never hold it by the tail as it can easily break off.

Like other reptiles, geckos can excrete Salmonella bacteria, making proper hygiene essential. Disinfect and clean cages regularly, but do not do so in food preparation areas (kitchens) or bathing areas. Wash your hands/equipment between pets, after handling, and before eating or handling food.

The end of our pets' lives can be a traumatic event for many people. The bond that we share with our pets means we aren't just losing an animal; we are losing a family member. Pet burials, memorial services and even complete funerals are becoming commonplace across the nation. There are even many pet-loss support lines. Many pet owners are now finding that these "after-life" options help them to gain closure. Watch this video to learn more.

Barney and President Bush

The Ford's dog, Liberty, and her puppies

U.S. Presidents and their families have typically liked animals.

The following list of presidential pets is not complete; however, without doubt, many a presidential cat or cow passed through without much public notice.