What should I look for when buying a toy for my pet bird?. The different types of bird toys on the market is quite large, so how do I know what toy to buy my bird or what toy is safe? Some bird toys out there can be dangerous for your pet bird, therefore an important bird care issue is its toys.

The first thing that should be taken into consideration when buying your pet bird a toy is the size of the toy and the size of the bird. As a general rule of thumb the toy should be able to fit in your hand. The reason for this is that some birds can be very strong and accidentally break the toy into tiny pieces which then can be easily ingested by your pet. These days there are alot of bird toys that are made from thick plastic which is the perfect material for your bird toy to be made out of as it is difficult to break making it perfect for strong-beaked birds.

On the flip side of this is that if you have a small bird it can be frightened by a toy that is to big. So if you are having diffivulty figuring out what toy is good for your pet bird it is always best to look at the label or ask your pet store for information.

Scratch Scratch. Bite Bite. Gnaw Gnaw. Lick Lick.

How many of you watch your beloved dog chronically scratch, bite, gnaw and lick all day? It’s heart breaking. How many take our beloved to the vet for cortisone shots, tablet, antibiotics or all of the above, only to find it is a temporary fix and the problem is getting worse?

Deep down we know the use of cortisone and antibiotics is not a great idea for our pets, but most feel there isn’t any other option. Luckily there are many other options and they don’t require expensive allergy tests or allergies shots.

Firstly we need to understand the allergy. Allergies can be air borne or food related. What many don’t realize is it can also be what your pets sleep, play or walk on. I have seen every type of allergy come through my clinic. Finding out which is the problem is the trick. What happens when you do find the offending allergen and your dog keeps itching? Is there another allergy? Have we discovered the correct allergen? Was an allergen the problem in the first place? Is stress involved?

Exercise is a very important thing for dogs and should be incorporated as much as possible in a family's life. With many of us leading such busy lives these days it is getting harder and harder to find the time.  Our family has adopted a routine which has been working well for us for the past few months. What we do is aim to go for a 30 minute walk before we cook dinner together. We try to aim to be home and out the doorfor a walk at 5.30pm so that we are back home by 6pm. Obviously this means that we do not regularly eat a roast for dinner but it is a small sacrifice to make in order to have some family bonding time with our child and two staffies as well as getting our daily exercise. We all love the lesiurely time together and it makes the dogs very happy.