The Six Most Common Pet Medical Problems

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As pet business professionals we are the temporary custodians of our clients pets and we do our best to give them the best care we can. One of the ways we can show we care is to keep an eye on their health and wellness and be on the watch for the most common pet medical problems.  Being aware of the symptoms of these pet diseases can help to diagnose problems early and ensure that the pets have the best chance for treatment and a fast recovery!

Veterinary Pet Insurance reports that the following six diseases are the most common claims filed:

1) Skin allergies

Unlike humans who react to allergies with nasal symptoms dogs typically react with skin problems. Some of the symptoms are itchy red skin, poor coat texture and length, itching and chewing (especially the feet), constant licking, and hot spots.

2) Ear infections

Symptoms of ear infections include scratching at the ears, holding head to one side, or down, and shaking of the head.  Ears may also look bloody, waxy, or swollen.

3) Stomach upsets

Symptoms of intestinal problems include a grumbling stomach, vomitting, and diarrhea. Upset stomach is more prevalent in puppies because they eat and chew everything in sight!

4) Urinary Tract Infection

Symptons of lower urinary tract disease include bloody urine, straining to urinate, urination in unusual places, and excessive licking of the urinary opening.

5) Benign Tumors

Tumors are easily detected by performing an all over body check each time you care for a pet. Lumps and bumps under the skin are often benign tumors caused by deposits of fatty tissue, cysts, or infected hair follicles.

6) Pyoderma

Pyoderma is a bacterial infection of the skin that is common to dogs and uncommon in cats.  Symptom is a skin rash that may appear as small bumps, pus filled pimples, or blood filled blisters. The disease may be caused by parasites, allergies, or homonal disorders.

Keep an out out for these symptoms in your own and your clients pets. Consult a veteranarian if you feel a pet may be suffering from any of these ailments. If you have any other tips that can help protect the health of our pets please leave you comments and share your knowledge with others…

How to Market Your Pet Business with Homemade Dog Treat Recipes

Filed Under Pet Business Tips, Pet Health, Pet Products | 5 Comments



Dog TreatsThis past weekend I sent out customer appreciation gifts to all customers who have used my pet sitting service at least twice in the past 2 years. (If you have been reading my blog for a few weeks you should be catching on that I do most of these types of tasks on the weekend!).

I sent out a postcard with a short note expressing how much we appreciate their support of our business with a Ziploc bag filled with gourmet cat and/or dog treats for their pets. I used store bought Mother Hubbard’s oven baked dog biscuits and Whiskas crunchy cat treats as I was pressed for time. These types of small gifts remind customers of your service and let them know that you are thinking of them. I also wrote on the card that we look forward to visiting their pets the next time that they travel.

This week I was contemplating how much more effective this would have been if I had sent out unique treats that I had made myself at home – it would have just given it a more personal touch.

I searched the internet and found a great e-book package that contains 340 dog and puppy recipes for meals, frozen treats, cakes, biscuits and cookies. To get a copy of the book for your business click here.

The customer appreciation gift is just one way in which you can use recipes for tasty pet treats to market your business. I had some other ideas for using them to add pizzazz to other marketing efforts:

1) Bake goodies to give away at expos or booths at pet events. Label with you business information and contact details.

2) Put together a book of recipes for customers and leave out at your office location for them to pick up. Make sure you put your logo and business info in the book to keep your name in front of them and to advertise if they give the book away or lend it out to friends.

3) Add recipes to your customer newsletters

4) Bake a birthday cake for your doggie customer’s special day

5) Hold a puppy party to bring customers together to celebrate a major event or business anniversary celebration. Have cakes and cookies for the dogs to enjoy.

6) Add baked cookies and treats to the products that you sell to customers and let them place orders with you for their pets.

You can pick up an electronic copy of the recipe book with 340 tasty treats ideas right here.

I’m sure that you can come up with even more ideas – please share them with everyone by leaving a comment with this post.

Announcing a New Weekly Blog Carnival - Working with Pets

Filed Under Pet Blog Carnival, Pet Business Tips, Pet Health, Pet Products | Leave a Comment



I am proud to present the first edition of the Working with Pets Carnival. I’m looking for articles on pet career and business tips, innovative pet products, pet training, and pet health care.

To submit an article, email a link to daniellechonody@gmail.com  or use the submission form at Blog Carnival. You can find the carnival filed under pets.

Submissions for this edition are due by Midnight Saturday 28th July.  Subsequent submissions are due by midnight each Saturday.  Chosen articles will be published on this blog on Sundays.

What are you waiting for?!  Share your pet knowledge with us..

Pet Insurance - Are your pets covered?

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A couple of years ago my family had to make an agonizing decision to put our 3 year old Labrador to sleep. She had been in veterinary and hospital care for over 7 days after suddenly becoming ill after her pancreas starting to release too many enzymes into her system causing swelling of the liver. We had already run up sizable vet and hospital bills and could not afford any further ongoing care with less than promising prognosis for her recovery. It was a horrible situation to balance more huge veterinary fees that we couldn’t afford against trying to save her or put her to sleep.

At the time I was not aware of veterinary pet insurance. Had we have purchased this type of coverage for her we would not have had the worry of the bills and would have had more options to consider further treatment.  Now I carry VPI pet insurance coverage on our two cats and new puppy. The insurance covers us for regular check up visits, preventative medications, vaccinations, and emergency operations and care.

A recent survey revealed that only 1% of American households with pets currently have any form of health insurance for their pets. Often pet owners are not aware how costly veterinary care can be until their pet is stricken with a sudden illness or suffers an injury.

Like human medical insurance, pet insurance companies charge monthly premiums and have deductables.  Several levels of coverage are available and the monthly cost will be dependent on the type of coverage, and current age and health of your pets.

Recent advancements in veterinary care mean that many treatments previously only available for humans are now commonly being performed on pets including kidney transplants and cancer treatments.  These treatments let our pets enjoy a longer and healthier life but they are expensive and may be beyond the reach of most of our budgets. Carrying pet insurance can open up these options to pet owners.

I recommend Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) to any pet owner to protect the health of their pet and give them peace of mind that their pet will receive the best care in an emergency. VPI covers cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, ferrets, and reptiles.  They offer free quotes at their website. To visit and get more information click here.

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