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You see a cute, tiger-striped kitten with white paws and green eyes, just begging for your attention. Or maybe it's a handsome, tail-wagging Labrador mix who couldn't be more friendly.

If you're like most of us, falling in love with a pet is easy. And no wonder! Sharing your home with a four-legged friend can be one of life's greatest joys. Dogs, cats, and other pets give us unconditional loyalty and acceptance, provide constant companionship, and even help relieve stress after a hard day's work.

Adopting a pet, though, is a big decision. Dogs and cats are living beings who require lots of time, money, and commitment - over 15 years' worth in many cases. Pet ownership can be rewarding, but only if you think through your decision before you adopt a companion.

Things to Consider

The fact that you're thinking about adopting a pet from an animal Shelter, rescue league or humane society means you're a responsible and caring person. But before you make that final decision to bring a furry friend into your life, take a moment to think about these questions:

Why do you want a pet?

It's amazing how many people fail to ask themselves this simple question before they get a pet. Adopting a pet just because the kids have been asking for a puppy usually ends up being a big mistake. Don't forget that pets may be with you even after your children leave home.

Do you have time for a pet?

Dogs, cats, and other animal companions cannot be ignored just because you're tired or busy. They require food, water, exercise, care, and companionship every day of every year. Many animals have been given up because their owners didn't realize how much time it took to properly care for them.

Can you afford a pet?

The monetary costs of pet ownership can be quite high. Licenses, training classes, veterinary care, grooming, toys, food, kitty litter, and other expenses add up quickly.

Are you prepared to deal with special problems that only a pet can cause?

Fleas, scratched-up furniture and accidents from animals who aren't yet housetrained are just a few of the inconveniences that you will face.

Can you have a pet where you live?

Many rental communities don't allow pets, others have restrictions. Make the necessary inquiries before you bring a pet home.

Is it a good time for you to adopt a pet?

If you're a student, in the military, or travel frequently as part of your work, waiting until you settle down may be a wise choice.

Are your living arrangements suitable for the animal you have in mind?

Adopting an energetic dog or a breed that is unsuitable to share your small apartment (a Border collie), for example, is not a good idea. Choose an animal who will be comfortable in your surroundings.

Who will care for your pet if you go on vacation?

You'll need either reliable friends and neighbors, or money to pay for a boarding kennel or pet-sitting service.

Will you be a responsible pet owner?

Having your pet spayed or neutered, obeying community leash and licensing laws, and keeping identification tags on your pets are all part of being a responsible pet owner. Of course, giving your pet love, companionship, exercise, a healthy diet, and regular veterinary care are other essentials.

Finally, are you prepared to keep and care for the pet for his or her entire lifetime?

When you adopt a pet, you are making a commitment to care for the animal for his or her lifetime.

Get an Animal for Life

Sure, it's a long list of questions. But a quick stroll through the animal shelter will help you understand why answering them before you adopt a pet is so important.

Please, think before you adopt. Sharing your life with a companion animal can bring incredible rewards, but only if you're willing to make the necessary commitments of time, money, responsibility, and love—for the life of the pet.

Much of the information for this article was contributed by the Humane Society of the US.

Normal ears of dogs and cats have a relatively smooth inner lining with a minimal amount of wax buildup. Any one of several problems can cause the ear canal to become filled with odoriferous debris. Your pet will probably tell you its ears are uncomfortable by excessive scratching and head shaking. Early treatment of ear problems is important to prevent complications such as damage to the inner ear, long-term infections, and hearing loss.

Ear mites (Otodectes) are a common cause of ear irritation and frequent ear scratching in cats. Ears infected with mites are often filled with dark brown, flaky debris. The mites can sometimes be seen when the debris is examined under a microscope.

Allergies are a common cause of ear irritation in dogs. Allergies can be caused by pollens, molds, plants, fleas, and a variety of other substances. In addition to scratching their ears, dogs with allergies often lick their feet and rub their face.

Trauma to the ear from foreign objects, such as plant seeds or burrs, or from aggressive cleaning with cotton-tipped applicators can also cause pain and inflammation to a pet's ears.

Any of these conditions, if left untreated, can lead to additional and more complicated problems, such as yeast or bacterial infections. These organisms grow best in warm, humid ears that have little air flow. Thus, breeds that have very long or very narrow ear canals, dogs with heavy drooping ears (e.g., cockers), animals that enjoy swimming, and those that live in hot, humid environments will be predisposed to ear infections.

Yeast (Malassezia pachydermatitis), in small amounts, is a normal inhabitant of the ear canal. Inflammation of the ear, from any of the above conditions, allows the yeast to grow in excessive numbers. Yeast-infected ears have a smelly waxy buildup.

Bacterial infections can result in smelly pus-like drainage from the ear and can be extremely painful.

Your veterinarian can examine your pet's ear canals; test a sample of the discharge for bacteria, yeast, or mites and choose the most effective course of treatment. Along with choosing the most effective medication, the treatment must be administered correctly. Your veterinarian can show you the proper way to clean and medicate your pet's ears.

To prevent ear problems, keep your pet's ears clean and dry. It is more important to check your pet's ears regularly for dirt and discharge than it is to clean them. Look in your pet's ears once a week or whenever you are petting him or her. If the ears need cleaning, use only products and methods recommended by your veterinarian. Never clean the ears with a cotton-tipped applicator any deeper than you can see. Pushing the applicator too far down can cause serious internal damage. Finally, if your pet's ears require frequent cleaning, see your veterinarian and treat the cause before complications develop.

For more information on proper ear care, please call our hospital.

Most people think that when a dog licks their face, the dog is giving kisses. In fact, dogs do not kiss. Although face licking can reasonably be interpreted as a compliment, it is not kissing as we understand it. Many dogs will lick whatever they can get their tongues on; hands, feet, faces, elbows and ears. In order to have a better understanding of the differences between what we consider kissing and our dogs consider licking, we need to know why dogs lick.

Types of Licking

Licking is seen first in the mother-infant situation when a bitch grooms her pups after birth. This helps clean the pups and also stimulates their breathing. This continues into puppyhood; the mother's licking not only cleans the pups but encourages them to eliminate. Human mothers bathe their infants and change diapers because they care, but no one would confuse the act of bathing or changing diapers with kissing. Because dogs can manipulate things better with their mouths than with their paws, it makes sense for them to use their tongues when it comes to cleaning. As a veterinary behaviorist so eloquently put it, a tongue is a dog's toilet paper.

Pups eventually groom themselves and also engage in a certain amount of grooming other dogs. Called allogrooming, this is a care-giving behavior that enhances bonding between individuals. It's very satisfying for dogs to have a buddy help out with those hard-to-reach places, and reciprocation increases the likelihood of future interactions. Allogrooming appears to be a gesture of goodwill and appeasement. It could be classified, along with rolling over and urination, as a sign of submission. Humans and other primates also groom and massage each other by way of pleasurable exchange. The significance of this behavior is similar, denoting friendly intentions and serving as a mechanism for reducing stress.

Pups lick their mother's face around the time they are making the transition from milk to solid food. This face licking is part of a greeting ritual in the wild when a bitch returns from hunting with a belly full of food. The purpose of face licking in this context is to get mom to regurgitate partly-digested stomach contents for the pups' dining pleasure. This type of face licking still occurs in domestic dogs, sometimes with the same result.

Another form of licking that dogs display is licking their own lips. Initially, this behavior may have evolved for the purpose of cleaning their lips after eating, but it now serves as an indicator of stress. It is similar to lip-biting in humans. Lip licking decreases as pups gain in confidence and feel more comfortable with their surroundings, but it doesn't disappear entirely, even in adult dogs. You might see a dog nervously licking his lips as he ponders his fate in a veterinary office.

Many animal scientists characterize face licking as submissive behavior. This is because face licking, like lip licking, is exhibited by dogs in situations of stress or conflict. Face licking is likely to occur when a subordinate dog has summoned up enough courage to approach a more dominant one. This brings up a possible parallel between face licking by dogs and kissing in non-human primates. Apparently, kissing is a common greeting behavior expressed when a subordinate chimpanzee greets a more dominant one. The dominant chimp may, in return, also kiss the subordinate during such meetings, though kissing by the more dominant chimp is only about half as likely. Could it be that when your dog greets you at the door with wagging tail and licks your face as you kneel to say "Hi" that he is actually acknowledging you as his leader?

Prevention of Unwanted Licking Behavior

Although some face licking is tolerable, "no lick" is a useful command to master. It should be incorporated into the training of all dogs that lick their owners excessively, preferably from an early age. No punishment should be employed during training; in fact, punishment is totally inappropriate and will teach the dog nothing except how to avoid the punishment. It is far better to reward the behavior that you want to promote. This can be achieved using a voice cue, "no lick", patient, motionless waiting on the part of the owner, and a valued reward (a treat, perhaps), delivered instantaneously, for stopping licking. If the licking continues, a veterinary behaviorist can be contacted to help provide additional recommendations.

While many of us enjoy our dog's "kisses", it is important to remember that what humans define as a voluntary act of affection may not be a dog's intention. Licking, in general, is harmless and can be considered normal dog-to-owner behavior. If the licking becomes obsessive, training your dog to only lick on command is a reasonable way to curb the unwanted behavior. Once a dog has been taught when licking is appropriate and how much is tolerated, receiving "kisses" from your dog is more appreciated. Understanding the behavior behind your dog's actions can only help you strengthen the bond between both of you.

There is almost nothing more comforting than when a cat jumps on our lap and begins to purr. Ever since the Egyptians started worshiping the cat, philosophers, scientists and cat lovers worldwide have wondered why cats purr. When we hear and feel this purring, we assume that everything is just fine with the cat. But why do cats purr? And what produces this sound?

Purring is a mystery. No one can definitively say which mechanism in a cat creates the purr. Some feline experts believe purring is due to a vibrations caused by blood passing through a large vein in the cat's chest. Yet others who have studied purring think it's due to the vibration of the vocal cords when the animal inhales and exhales.

It appears as though purring is not just limited to domestic cats. Some wild cats, such as pumas and mountain lions, are able to purr. In general, most large cats that cannot roar are able to purr. The calls of the leopard vary and include a series of harsh coughs, throaty growls, and deep, purring sounds.

It turns out that cats have special wiring traveling from the brain to the muscles in the vocal cords. Nerve signals that pass through this wiring system cause vibrations of the vocal cords. While the nerves cause the vocal cords to vibrate, the air forced through them by the diaphragm causes the musical hum. Since breathing has both inspiratory and expiratory phases, cats can purr continuously. The problem with this theory, however, is that cats continue to purr even when the nerves to the area of the vocal cords have been injured or damaged.

It is commonly believed that cats purr when content. However, cats also purr when they are severely injured, frightened or giving birth. According to some veterinarians, the original function of the purr was to enable a kitten to communicate with his mother that things are going well. A kitten is able to purr by the second day of life, and although he can't meow and nurse at the same time, he can purr and nurse.

As the cat matures, the meaning of the purr changes. Some cats purr to indicate contentment or pleasure, but badly frightened cats and severely ill cats also purr. It is not uncommon for cats to purr when they are close to death. This final purring may indicate a state of anxiety or possibly euphoria. These states have also been elucidated in terminally ill people.

Since the purr has lasted through hundreds of generations of cats, there must be a survival mechanism behind its continued existence. Researchers believe that self-healing is the survival mechanism behind the purr. There is extensive documentation that suggests that low frequencies, at low intensity, are therapeutic. These frequencies can aid bone growth, fracture healing, pain relief, tendon and muscle strength and repair, joint mobility, the reduction of swelling, and the relief of dyspnea, or breathlessness.

Animal behaviorists believe that when cats purr under stressful circumstances, they are reassuring or comforting themselves, much as humans may sing to themselves or hum when they are nervous. Frightened cats may purr to communicate submissiveness or non-aggressive intentions. A feral cat may purr to signal that he is not planning to attack and other cats need not feel threatened. Older cats may purr when they play or approach other cats, signaling that they are friendly and want to come closer.

Owning a bird can be an extremely rewarding experience. There are keys to a successful relationship that, if followed properly, allow for a mutually beneficial companionship that can last for decades. Birds have particular needs that must be met in order for them to remain happy and healthy. An extremely important need is housing. Here are some guidelines to follow when thinking about how to house your bird properly.

While caging your bird in the house may at first seem cruel, consider the surroundings. Pet birds may be allowed to remain on perches while you are home to supervise their activity, but they should be confined to cages while you are away to avoid accidental injury and other potential mishaps. Trouble is very often the result of unsupervised birds. Not only can your bird be terribly destructive to your belongings (furniture, decorations, etc.), but all homes contain objects that can be both directly and indirectly harmful to birds. Mirrors, windows, walls, house plants, electrical cords and items containing harmful chemicals are all general hazards. Birds resting on perches are usually happy to stick around; however, if frightened by a loud noise or sudden movement, these unexpected flights can cause your bird to crash into a wall, door, window or mirror because of its confusion.

Helpful Bird Care Information

• The major source of poisoning of pet birds is lead. Found in random places (curtain weights and/or pulls, leaded and stained glass, fishing sinkers, ammunition, costume jewelry), many caged birds seem to have an affinity for this soft metal and love to chew on it. Unfortunately, even a small amount can lead to poisoning, if ingested. Lead poisoning can be successfully treated if diagnosed early enough.


• Caged birds allowed unrestricted freedom in the home may eat house plants or chew on electrical cords, resulting in illness and injury. Some unsupervised pet birds chew on or swallow macrame, carpet, and other similar fabrics, resulting in crop and intestinal impaction.


• Free-flying birds are vulnerable to injury from ceiling fans and hot stoves, as well as attacks by pet dogs, cats and ferrets sharing the same household. It is wise not to underestimate the aggressiveness of our four-legged friends and to restrict contact between them and pet birds as much as possible.


• Birds allowed unrestricted freedom and flight within the home may escape through open doors and windows. Most bird owners have the mistaken notion that their bird would never fly away and leave them. Unfortunately, birds that have escaped the owner's home become disoriented easily when outdoors. This confusion makes return or capture of the escaped bird very unlikely.


• The location of the cage and/or perch in the home is important. Some birds thrive in areas of heavy traffic where they receive lots of attention and are part of the action. Others seem to prefer more privacy and solitude. A pet bird should never be kept in the kitchen. In addition to the obvious gas fumes and occasional smoke from cooking food, there is another, much more dangerous, threat to birds in the kitchen. Super-heated Teflon, and related brand-name non-stick pan coatings, emits fumes that are deadly to all birds. This "accident" happens most often when someone inadvertently leaves a pan coated with a non-stick surface on a lighted gas or electric range burner. The pan becomes hot and the non-stick coating overheats, emitting toxic fumes. Birds that inhale these fumes die quickly.


• Free-flying birds tend to assume a more dominant posture in their relationship with people, and often become intolerably aggressive.


• Contrary to popular opinion, drafts are not harmful to healthy pet birds. A draft is really nothing more than a slight movement of air, usually accompanied by a mild temperature drop. A bird's feathers provide insulation against temperature extremes far in excess of what a draft represents. Drafts are usually inconsequential to pet birds. The notable exception to this is the cool and sometimes cold air produced by air conditioners. Most caged birds cannot tolerate the rapid temperature extremes produced by thermostatically controlled air conditioners. For this reason, cages and perches should not be positioned directly beside or beneath air conditioning, heating or ventilation outflows. Sick birds should always be removed from drafty circumstances to prevent heat loss.


• Covering the bird's cage at night is open to question. Because of the tremendous insulating capacity of feathers, covering a bird's cage at night may not be necessary to protect the bird from cool drafts at night, when the thermostat is usually turned down. The one exception to this would be chilly nights in colder climates. A benefit of covering your bird's cage at night is that it provides a regular period of privacy not usually allowed during the day. Further, it tends to keep the bird quiet in the early morning when it would otherwise become active and vocal. If you now cover your bird's cage at night, continue to do so. If you have not done so in the past and find that your pet bird panics or acts agitated with a cover over its cage, there is no need to continue doing so.


• The most obvious consideration when selecting a cage is the size of the bird. A factor that often gets overlooked when looking at cages is that these cages will be occupied not only by the bird but also food bowls, perches, toys and whatever else the owner chooses. These objects, while absolutely necessary, dramatically cut down the amount of open space in the cage. Another important determinant is the bird's activity level. You will notice some discrepancies between birds and the size of the cage required. Round cages should not be used. They do not give your pet a point of reference and can lead to psychological problems.

Warm weather means fun in the sun, but it also means that we might see growing populations of fleas. Although pets can get fleas at any time of year, spring and summer are often the worst times as these hungry little parasites make life miserable for your pet…and for you! Learn how to control the flea population and keep these pests off of your dogs and cats with a little help from your veterinarian.

1. Fleas transmit tapeworms in both dogs and cats.
   True
   False

   A: True. Fleas do cause tapeworms in both dogs and cats.

2. The female cat flea will consume ____ times her own body weight in blood daily.
   5
   10
   15
   20

   A: Actually, the female cat flea will consume 15 times her own body weight in blood daily.

3. The female cat flea lays about ___ eggs per day on your pet at her peak production.
   10
   25
   50
   100

   A: The female cat flea lays a lot of eggs, but not that many. Actually, she lays about 50 eggs per day on your pet at her peak production.

4. Adult fleas live and breed well over ___ days on the pet if not disturbed.
   10
   25
   50
   100

   A: It’s hard to believe, but adult fleas live and breed well over 100 days on the pet if not disturbed.

5. Once fleas begin feeding on your pet and begin to lay eggs, they become dependent for a constant source of blood.
   True
   False

   A: Actually, it’s true. Once fleas begin feeding on your pet and begin to lay eggs, they do become dependent for a constant source of blood.

6. Female fleas begin to lay eggs ___________ after their first blood meal.
   12 to 24 hours
   24 to 36 hours
   36 to 48 hours
   48 to 72 hours

   A: Female fleas begin to lay eggs 36 to 48 hours after their first blood meal.

7. The flea is a tropical insect and won’t tolerate freezing temperatures for long periods of time.
   True
   False

   A: The flea is a tropical insect and won't tolerate freezing temperatures for long periods of time.

8. During the _______ months, fleas are most likely surviving as adults on untreated dogs and cats.
   Spring
   Summer
   Fall
   Winter

   A: It's during the winter months that fleas are most likely to survive as adults on untreated dogs and cats.

9. One female cat flea can lay ______ eggs in her lifetime.
   500
   1000
   1500
   2000

   A: One female cat flea can lay 2000 eggs in her lifetime.