Pet Bucket Blog

Many people know about Guide Dogs or Seeing Eye Dogs but not many people realise that there are some very special pups being trained to help the physically disabled, the elderly and even those who suffer from autism. That's a huge job for these gorgeous labs but they are definitely up for the challenge. The things they achieve and the freedom and independence they give their owners is priceless.  Have you heard of Assistance Dogs before?

We all think our fur kids are the most precious, talented cutest things on Earth but some pets have that extra spark, that... shall we call it X-Factor! Didga the tabby is one of these star quality cats. He is known in the Malibu area as the top cat at all skateboard parks because he knows how to shred!  Does your pet have any hidden talents?

Much like when a baby starts teething, a puppy's teething period can not only be painful and itchy but they also don't know how to solve the problem. This may make them just as irritable and cranky as a teething baby. Your pup will start teething between 12 and 14 weeks where the milk teeth will start fall out and new adult teeth will begin to grow. By five months, a puppy should have all their adult teeth. You might not notice the change unless you see the missing teeth. The easiest way to tell if your pup is teething will be if he or she has gone from chewing on a few toys to chewing on everything and anything. Staircase banisters, window sills, house plants, leashes, table and chair legs, shoes and socks, all are fair game to a teething puppy. You may also notice an increase in drool so get your mops ready. To help your pup during this time you can freeze chicken wings, teething toys or even give them ice cubes to chew on. The cooling effect will sooth their sore gums and also cater to their 'must chew' policy during this time. Remember to be patient, they aren't chewing your stuff to get on your nerves, they are simply doing it to scratch their itchy gums. Make sure your pup has plenty of toys and chewables so that not everything in your home is destroyed. There are some natural remedies to help too. Herbs such as chamomile and lavender can have soothing properties can help calm your pup during tough teething times. You can make a tea using these, let it cool and then pour some over your pets kibble. Freezing the tea into ice cubes can double the effect as the cooling ice will numb the gums. Aloe Vera water that you or I drink is a great way to help your pup's food recover from the irritation of teething. Pour a bit into his or her water bowl, however if they aren't a fan of the taste you may try and conceal it with puppy food. You can get aloe vera water from most supermarkets. If the these tips don't help or you notice infection or bleeding take your pooch to the vet for medical attention.

So you're considering changing your cat from an outdoor cat to an indoor one but haven't got a clue how to start the process. Fear not because your cat can happily live indoors. Here are a few tips and tricks to get you started. 1. Increase indoor time If your cat comes home to eat or for cuddles, slowly increase the amount of time he or she is there. You can opt to close the doors and have some play time so they can associate being home as a positive experience rather than something they can't wait to get away from. Do this in short increments and then increase the time slowly. 2. Precautions Make sure you are up to date with flea treatments so that your cat isn't bringing any unwanted friends home with him or her. You may opt for using a flea collar in the weeks leading up to bringing them indoors for good. You should also take them to the vet for a general check-up to make sure they are healthy inside and out. 3. Provide indoor points of interest If you have previously kept your home free of any toys or activities for your kitty then it may be time to change that. Introduce some scratching posts, jungle gyms and some interactive toys so that when they come inside they have new things to explore and play with, thus increasing their interest in spending time indoors. You may also opt for allowing them in rooms they previously have never been in. Cats are curious so if there's something new to check out, they absolutely will. 4. Fresh air and sunshine Your cat is used to being out in the great outdoors so you they should have plenty of access to fresh air and a sunny place to nap in your home. You may choose to get them an outdoor netted playpen so that they can get the best of both worlds. 5. Save your furniture Make sure your cat has plenty of places to scratch so that your furniture isn't torn to shreds. Place the scratching posts near lounges, chairs, and any place you've noticed he or she likes to dig into.  Feature Image Credit

Have you ever spent your hard earned money on your cat's brand-new toy only to find him or her kicking it to a corner and playing with the box it came in? If you're a cat owner, that question really doesn't need to be answered-of course you have!   But fear not- there is method to your kitty's madness! Science explains why exactly it is that cats love small boxes whether they be shoe boxes, cardboard boxes, plastic toy boxes or even small spaces in your favorite closet. It is part of a cat's instinctual behaviour to look for confined spaces just like they would in the wild. These small dark spaces allow them to hide from predators or stalk their prey. This instinctual behaviour is not exclusive to domestic pets, wild cats like lions, tigers, leopards and cheetahs love boxes too. We just rarely see them out in the wild playing in giant cardboard boxes.           "Cats like boxes because they are cryptic animals; they like to hide," Stephen Zawistowski, science adviser for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told to Business Insider. "And a box gives them a place of safety and security." Boxes are also the perfect place to cosy up and take a nice and comfortable nap without anyone sneaking up on them and disrupting their sleep. They are also darker and cooler so they may take refuge in them on hot days. However you may notice that on cold days they also curl up in boxes, the reason for this is because the boxes not only provide them with a safe and secure place to rest and recharge but they are also little insulators to keep them warm on colder days. The reason why they choose boxes WAY too small for their bodies also known as the 'if I fits, I sits' theory is based around a cats curiousity. In their minds, a box is a box, so they just see it a bit of a challenge to see if they can fit into the box. Surprisingly they often do!

With Valentine's Day just passing us by, I'm sure the team at Petbucket weren't alone in buying our pets a Valentine's Day gift. However, if you thought the romantic dates were left to the humans, you were wrong. These adorable hamsters show us how it's done.           

Cue the 'awww'. How adorable and relatable is this video? Most parents would have experienced the sharing of toys and food between babies and their pets. The love our pets have for our children is unbreakable, from when they're tiny babies, our dogs will serve as protectors and our cats will always make sure they're happy and healthy. So here's to our pets, for being our furry parent aids.

It's easy to find differences between each other but at the end of the day aren't we just a bunch of cells functioning, in need of love and friendship?  This unlikely pair managed to find a lifelong friendship despite being predator and prey, so shouldn't we too be able to put aside our differences and find common ground and just enjoy each other's company?  We should definitely be taking a lesson out of this pair's book.

Yoga is a wonderful way to release tension and centre yourself. However, it appears our pets feel there are better ways to wash away any stress and tension and that involves them letting you get into your yoga pose and them finding a way to tickle you, kiss you or just use you as a comfy resting spot. After all the giggles and kisses, you decide, do you feel any better? Less stressed about the world? We think they're onto something. Perhaps that's where the name downward dog came from...

Out of all things to eat, why the kitty litter? Why?!  The act of dogs eating faeces from cat litter is known as coprophagia. It’s not known exactly why it occurs, but coprophagia is a normal behavior in many species, including dogs and especially in puppies. Luckily most dogs grow out of this habit. Coprophagia is also normal in nursing mothers. Puppies are not able to eliminate on their own until they’re about three weeks old, so a mother dog will lick her very young puppies to activate the defecation reflex. Ingestion of the puppies’ faeces also keeps the nest clean. Faeces left in the nest would cause poor hygiene and attract predators. However there are some dogs that continue to eat faeces from a cat's litter box as adults. Some of these dogs are highly motivated and the behavior seems to become compulsive. Some dogs even follow others around, waiting until they defecate so that they can eat the feces right away. Despite much hypothesizing about nutritional deficiencies, there is no apparent reason for this strange behavior. Some suggest that dogs are more likely to develop this behavior if they live in an impoverished environment. In fact, dogs left for long periods in an area with droppings will often play with the feces by tossing them in the air. This behaviour can contribute to the development of coprophagia. Resolving coprophagia can be challenging. Attempts to discourage any type of contact with faeces are bound to fail because sniffing feces is such a fundamental investigative behavior in dogs. If the behavior has developed into a compulsive disorder, in addition to avoiding access to the litter box or discouraging ingestion, it’s important to provide environmental changes, such as new toys and games to play like fetch and tug as well as adequate physical exercise. If you find that these tips don't help, talk to your vet for a medical approach. They may suggest a behavioural specialist to work with you and your pets.  Feature Image Credit