What usually comes into some people's minds when talking about Shih Tzu care is the caring and grooming of that long beautiful coat. As part of the caring regimen, dog owners must always remember to clean other parts of the body such as their ears. Keeping it clean prevents your dog from ear mites and allergies.

Before cleaning your dog's ears, get the necessary cleaning implements such as cotton balls, cotton swab, damp wash cloth or ear cleaning solution. Your veterinarian or local pet supply store can provide this ear wash or ear cleaning solution. Some use mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide as substitute for ear cleaning solution.
The best way to clean the ears is to start from the outer area first. removing the dirt in this area can be done with the use of cotton ball dampened with cleaning solution. Then proceed to the inner ear by filling the ear canal with cleaning solution. Massaging the ear for about 20 seconds is enough to help loosen the dirt and ear wax. Using dry cotton balls, carefully wipe off the dirt and excess fluid.

A Shih Tzu will less likely contract the following diseases if proper cleaning of the ear is regularly done:

Otitis Media

Otits Media or infection of the middle ear occurs when the infection of the external ear canal spreads into the middle ear. Dog owners should be careful of foreign bodies, debris and ulceration and even when cleaning to prevent rupturing the eardrum, allowing bacteria to reach the middle ear. Middle ear infection exhibits odor, discharge, ear scratching, head shaking and head tilt.

Otitis Externa

An inflammation of the ear canal is called Otitis Externa or outer ear infection. The inflammation travels from the outside opening of the ear moving inward to the eardrum. Causes of Otitis Externa are bacteria, fungi, ear mites, accumulation of wax, thick or matted hair in the canal, debris, impaired drainage of the ear and infections from other parts of the body.

Hematoma of the Ear Flap

This condition occurs when the blood is accumulated between the cartilage and skin of the ear flap. This ear problem is due to too much head shaking or scratching at the ears.

Ear Mite Infestation

Ear mites infest animals like dogs and cats. These small white creatures are highly contagious, infecting the whole litter even if only one dog is infested initially. Your dog will exhibit head shaking and ear scratching when infested with ear mites.

Shih Tzu care is not only limited to making your dog look beautiful. Keeping him clean matters the most.

Yeah, I am here and was about going to tell you how most commercial dog foods are not all that dog friendly. Yet, I decided not to insult your intelligence and give you some lame pitch like those other people.

All I need to ask is, are you simply looking for some good wholesome dog food recipes that are made from home ingredients?
I will tell you, however, about how my Dachshund was 15 lbs overweight even though she received 1/2 cup of commercial brand diet dog food and baking it fresh and having the ingredients in my control took 10 lbs off her in thirty days. And that is feeding her that same 1/2 cup of food per day and her next Vet appointment he "told me good job she looks good and healthy".

It's quite well known that how many of our friends are overweight and these recipes are a way you can get him or her fit and trim.

I can also tell you the same story in reverse with one of my Coonhounds who never seemed to keep up to weight, homemade food empowered me to grasp the good quality of ingredients to not only put on weight but also put it on him the right way, just like humans dogs can get heart disease from having to much fat.

So I encourage you, from dog lover to another, to spend a little of your time and make better use of that dog food budget on getting these dog food recipes today.

Are you capable of saving an orphaned kitten's life?

It is a sad fact that many newborn kittens face life without their mother, either through abandonment or by being orphaned. So what should you do if you find yourself needing to be a surrogate mother to a small and fragile orphaned kitten?

Surprisingly, it is fairly straightforward to care for your orphaned or abandoned kitten successfully. The most burdensome aspect of the whole process is the amount of time you will need to invest in the care of this newborn bundle of fur. Also, you will need to equip yourself with seven essential pieces of kit that will be required to help you with your task. First, you will need to find a suitably sized cardboard box, then:
A hot water bottle.

Suitable nesting material.

An eye dropper.

2ml hypodermic syringe fitted with 5cm plastic tubing.

Baby bottle sterilizing solution.

An old towel.

These items will enable you to provide your orphaned kitten with the basics of life - warmth and nourishment.

A kitten's mother keeps her offspring warm with her own body heat but you will need to place your kitten's box near a radiator to keep it warm. Newborn kittens can become chilled very quickly and they need a temperature of 30-35 degrees centigrade in their first week of life, with 25 degrees thereafter.

As an alternative, a hot water bottle placed under one corner of their box will provide the warmth needed and your kitten will have the choice of moving to a cooler area of its home if it chooses.

It is important to make sure that your kitten cannot climb out of its box. Once away from its home, your kitten will become chilled very quickly. However, the box must be roomy enough to allow your kitten to move and play easily, whilst still providing security and a comfortable temperature. Using an old towel to partially cover the open top of the box is a good way to meet all these needs.

One job of a mother cat is making sure that her kittens are kept clean and that their bedding doesn't remain soiled. As you now have that responsibility, you will need to provide clean bedding regularly. Old newspaper is good for this as it can easily be removed and disposed of when dirty.

Once you have made sure that your kitten's warmth and security have been adequately provided for you will need to address the problem of feeding.

You will need to learn the technique of feeding your kitten with an eye dropper or, for larger kittens, a plastic tube attached to a syringe. Patience and persistence will be the order of the day! You will be able to get suitable kitten formula milk from your vet, together with any equipment you are short of and good pet stores generally have a range of equipment suitable for nursing small kittens. Always remember to sterilize bottles and equipment after each use, just like you would with a baby.

Place your kitten on an old towel on a firm surface - you lap will do if you feel that is sufficiently secure. Gently steady your kitten's head as you carefully squeeze a drop of milk into its mouth. With luck and patience, your orphaned kitten's suckling reflex will kick in and they will start to feed. Ensure that the teat is always full of milk and that you keep up a gentle pressure in response to your kitten's sucking.

Follow your vet's advice on the amount of formula to feed your kitten and always remain alert to the general health of your small orphan. If you are at all worried or concerned about any aspect of your kitten's health don't hesitate to call in the professionals and consult your vet without delay.

The sense of parental pride you will feel as you see your orphaned kitten grow and develop will be amazing. Your intervention, care and dedication, given with love, to this tiny and helpless creature has secured a happy and healthy future for a kitten that would otherwise have perished at birth.

So, yes! You certainly can save your orphaned kitten's life. But to succeed in this endeavour you will need to learn a great deal about how to give the essential care needed to replace a missing mother cat. It will be necessary to have all the information and guidence to hand and it will be your responsibility to acquire it and put it into practice. Your trouble will be well rewarded in the joy and pleasure of sharing your home with your healthy, loving kitten!

Holistic pet foods, Natural pet foods and organic pets foods all refer to the same kind of food. Organic pet foods are free from the toxins pesticides can cause in plants and vegetables. The whole grains, fruits and vegetables used in organic pet foods are all grown natural without the use of chemicals. This makes organic pet foods a healthy choice when it comes to choosing your pet's diet.

Organic pet foods try to replicate the types of food your pet would have in the wild. This means for dogs and cats, organic pet foods contain fresh meat and not commercially processed meat. Therefore, the meats in organic pet foods are all low in fat and calories. You can control your pet's weight problems when you feed it organic pet food. Pet nutrition and wellness is the basis for organic pet food and when you switch to organic pet food you will have a happy, healthier pet. If your pet has allergies or a sensitive digestion system, a diet of organic pet foods will help alleviate these problems.

Organic pet foods are easier for animals to digest. They are able to use all of the ingredients in organic pet foods and therefore produce less waste through bowel movements. There are more nutrients in the ingredients used to prepare organic pet foods because they are made with foods that you would eat yourself. You will notice that your pet eats less food when you feed it organic pet foods. This is not because the animal doesn't like organic pet foods, but instead it needs less organic pet food to feel full.

The essential vitamins and nutrients contained in organic pet foods increase the ability of the animal's body to heal itself when it feels ill. Thus organic pet food will reduce the number of visits you make to the vet and help to lengthen the life of the animal. You will have your pet around a lot longer once you start feeding it organic pet food.

It doesn't matter how old your pet is because you can start feeding it organic pet foods at any stage. Pets are treasured members of the family and as such you want the best for them with organic pet foods. It is important to vary your pet's diet, which is why there is a variety of different organic pet foods available so that you can bring variety to each meal.

You can create your own holistic dog food if you have the time to create recipes. Holistic dog food contains a combination of high-grade meats, ground bones and whole grains. There are many manufacturers who now create these holistic dog foods, so it is possible to buy them instead of having to create your own. The meats used in holistic dog food are considered table meat, which means it is meat that you would eat yourself. You will not find any meat by-products in holistic dog food, as you will in most commercial dog food.

You can get holistic dog food in both dry and moist varieties so you can satisfy your dog's individual taste. You will not find any artificial colorings or flavorings in holistic dog food. Neither will you have to worry about any harmful toxins such as pesticides when you buy holistic dog food. This is because the plants used in holistic dog food are all organically grown and not pesticides are used on them.

Since your dog is a treasured member of your family, so why not feed him the same quality food you eat yourself by using holistic dog food. You will not notice any significant difference in the price of the holistic dog food as compared with commercial brand names. You can also save yourself time when shopping by buying the holistic dog food you need at online pet stores. If you are not sure about this method of getting quality holistic dog food, check out the online pet stores and read about the guarantees that they offer for their supplies of holistic dog food. All of them will ship your order of holistic dog food directly to your door and many of them offer free shipping.

Your dog will realize many advantages when you make the switch from commercially manufactured dog food to holistic dog food. You will see that the dog has fewer allergies, more energy and less digestive problems when on a diet of holistic dog food. You will benefit from this change to holistic dog food in the reduced vet bills, as your dog won't sick as often.

When you start feeding holistic dog food to your dog, you may have to wean him from the food he has been used to eating. There is also the likelihood that he will take right to the holistic food and you won't have any difficulty getting him to eat it.