Educational Articles

Home » Pet Health » Educational Articles » Educational Articles

• Kitten Behavior and Training: Play and Investigative Behaviors

  Play is important. All kittens need the opportunity to play with toys as well as social play. While learning about their environment, kittens can damage valuable objects, including furniture and curtains. Toys and treats can be hidden inside empty boxes and kiddie tunnels to satisfy a kitten’s need to explore. Supervise kittens carefully to prevent damage and to keep them safe.

• Lead Poisoning in Birds

  Lead is a common household hazard for birds. Due to their curious, explorative nature, house birds can be exposed to lead around the house. Lead causes heavy metal toxicity, affecting the blood, nervous system, and gastrointestinal system. Lead poisoning can be fatal if not treated.

• Leg Bands and Identification for Birds

  Leg bands are used as a form of identification for some pet birds. They are typically placed on the bird's foot when it is a baby. Leg bands may get caught in the cage , on toys or on fabric causing serious damage to the foot or leg.

• Leishmaniosis

  Leishmaniasis in Dogs

  Es una enfermedad causada por un parásito unicelular que afecta a los mamíferos en muchas partes del mundo y que está extendida por todos los países de la cuenca del Mediterráneo. Hay que tener en cuenta que la enfermedad también puede afectar a las personas, pero no existe una transmisión directa del perro al hombre o viceversa. Se transmite por la picadura de un pequeño mosquito (Phlebotomus spp).

• Leopard Geckos: Care and Feeding

  Leopard geckos make great pets for children and adults. They do not require elaborate habitats and they have a 10–15-year lifespan with good health care, a clean environment, and proper feeding.

• Lesiones Resortivas Orales en Gatos

  Tooth Resorption in Cats

  Una de las enfermedades más frecuentes en la práctica veterinaria en gatos son las lesiones de resorción oral felinas (LROF). Estas lesiones también se llaman cavidades, caries, lesiones del cuello cervical, resorciones de la raiz internas o externas, o erosiones de la línea cervical. Las LROF normalmente se encuentran en la parte exterior del diente, en el área donde el diente se une con la encía.

• Life Skills for Pets: Crate Training and Confinement for Kittens and Cats

  Crate training is most used with dogs, but it can be useful for kittens and cats too. Crate training is useful in many situations, such as providing a safe place when home alone or unsupervised. Cats that are calm in their crates experience less distress when they need to travel, visit the veterinary hospital, or stay at a boarding facility. Starting while your cat is young makes training easier, but even adult cats can be trained to relax in a crate. If your cat shows signs of distress (e.g., prolonged vocalization, trying to escape, salivation, rapid continuous movement) while using the training methods provided in this handout, consult your veterinarian.

• Life Skills for Pets: Crate Training and Confinement for Puppies and Dogs

  Crate training is useful in many situations, such as providing a safe place when home alone or unsupervised. Dogs that are calm in their crates experience less distress when they need to travel, visit the veterinary hospital, or stay at a boarding facility. Starting while your dog is young makes training easier, but even adult dogs can be trained to relax in a crate. If your dog shows signs of distress (e.g., prolonged vocalization, eliminating inside the crate, trying to escape, salivation) while using the training methods provided in this handout, consult your veterinarian.

• Lighting Requirements for Reptiles

  A wild reptile typically spends many hours a day basking in the sun and absorbing ultraviolet (UV) light, which is necessary for the manufacture of vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is manufactured in the skin and is required for the intestines to properly absorb calcium from food. Lack of UV light can predispose a pet reptile to nutritional metabolic bone disease (MBD). Regular exposure to natural direct sunlight outside is encouraged and recommended whenever possible.

• Living with a Deaf Cat

  Cats can have hearing loss due to increasing age or chronic ear infections, or they may be born with a defect. Deafness in cats can present some challenges, but overall they can have healthy, normal lives. It is possible to teach your cat household routines by using hand signals and body language. It is important to take their deafness into account when considering their safety, and they must remain indoors or in outdoor enclosures.