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Pet Country Shot Clinics Pet Country Shot Clinics Low cost Vaccine Clinics are held at Pet Country, our North Medford store , on the first Saturday of every month, with exceptions noted for *Holidays, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon on a first come first served basis. Please call ahead to verify time and date.
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Summer Pet Care Probably the most important thing you can do for your pet is provide lots of fresh, clean, cool water. In the summer months, dehydration can happen at an alarming rate. Water is your pets only way to fight it. It is especially important to remember to water your pet when you are away from home. Water can be offered in a spill proof dish, ideal for use in a car, truck or recreation vehicle. Never leave your pet, even for a moment, in a vehicle with it's windows rolled up. The temperature inside a car can quickly rise to dangerous levels, causing heat stroke and even death to your pet. If your pet travels with you in a car or truck, it is wise to purchase a window vent. This product fits over a window which is rolled partially up. It provides your car bound pet with much needed fresh air. Even with such a vent, water is still a necessity. Try adding ice to keep water cool longer. If you take your pet on boat trips, dog life-jackets are a smart idea to invest in. Pet Country carries different sizes to fit your pet. This will provide your pet with a safe and fun swimming expedition. If your pet stays home in an outdoor kennel, be sure that a portion of his enclosure is shaded from the sun. This is especially important in the afternoon when the suns rays are the most intense and with the temperatures soaring in the 90's and 100's. A fun way to beat the heat for a kennel bound pet is a "kiddy pool". Not only does it offer them a way to cool themselves, but it provides a bit of entertainment as well. Summer is a fun time for pets and their families and with a little common sense can be safe as well. Visit your local independent pet retailer for other ideas on how to keep your pet safe and happy this summer.
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Keeping Your Pet Warm in Winter Make sure the wind can't drive the rain into their cozy home, because wet bedding can lead to upper respiratory infections and hypothermia. The pet house that you choose should be weather - tight, but still have some sort of ventilation. Remember that wet and matted hair will trap dirt and debris and can lead to infections of the skin, so be careful to keep your pet well groomed. If your pet lives in your garage or shop, make sure they have a soft insulating layer between them and the cement slab. Older pets will benefit from egg crate foam beds and pet safe heating pads or heat lamps, which help keep their old joints from stiffening up in winter. Be especially aware of the needs of your short or fine haired pets. Many breeds were developed in warmer climates and simply lack the ability to "coat - up" for our winters. These pets are indoor pets and can't be left outdoors without protection. Even the pets that only spend nights inside won't necessarily have a full enough winter coat to deal with sudden drops of temperature, especially if there is precipitation and wind. Provide your pet with a dog door into your garage or mudroom. When you are out walking in cold weather there are coats, slickers, and even full body suits for your pooch to help keep them dry and warm. Even an old sweatshirt can make a nice winter coat for your pet. Visit us at the Grange Co-op for all of your pet's winter needs.
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Tips for the Overweight Pet Table scraps and inactivity are the two major contributors to obesity. Many of the long-bodied, low-slung dogs such as dachshunds, bassets and others can become painfully crippled when added weight practically breaks their backs by degree. Heavy dogs of large breeds and especially those prone to hip dysphasia will endure considerable pain and discomfort. Puppies and kittens do need a lot of nutrition to grow up, but they shouldn't be overfed. Many pet food manufacturers offer Large breed puppy foods (Nutro, Iams, Science Diet), especially designed to regulate the growth of your puppy with his bone development. Many people - "push" puppies to grow fast, thinking that bigger is healthier. Unfortunately accelerated growth can cause the painful condition of epiphisitis, an inflammation of the bone growth plates. Later in life this condition can manifest itself as arthritis or hip dysphasia. In the last month of your puppy's or kitten's first year, begin mixing adult formula kibble into their food. If you feed a good quality fixed formula food like Nutro, Iams, Science Diet, Innova, California Natural, or Diamond you can be sure that your pet is getting a well balanced, consistent source of nutrition. Avoid feeding moist or canned foods, as these tend to be very high in fat and also pack in the gums - requiring expensive dental care. | |||||||||||||||||
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Instead of offering high calorie treats, try giving baby carrots - you'll be surprised! Try cow ears instead of pig ears (which are greasy), hoof chews, and compressed rawhide. These chew toys keep dogs busy, clean their teeth, and make them feel like they are getting a treat without adding calories. Dogs that have been fed "free-Choice" usually self regulate, and only visit the Kibble bowl when they are hungry. Dogs fed only at specific mealtimes will sometimes scarf all their food down whether they are hungry or not because they don't know when it will be available again. Be careful with a dog that is used to a once or twice - a - day feeding, they may eat everything put in front of them if you try to switch to a free choice feeding arrangement. If you decide to switch make his breakfast bigger and dinner smaller for several days, gradually increasing breakfast until he starts to leave kibble. Eventually you can just add kibble when the bowl gets low. As dogs and cats mature their caloric needs decrease even more. By five to seven years of age most dogs and cats are ready to go onto a senior formula food. Pets that are already very heavy may need to go on to a Light or weight management formula. These still offer a balance of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients but usually have lower fat and protein levels. Pouring carrots, celery, spinach, cauliflower, and broccoli blanched in chicken broth over light kibble can help the dog feel fuller with out adding many calories. Keep pets active by making them work for their treats or by substituting toys for edible treats. There are toys designed to help people who don't throw well called Chuck - it - you don't even have to bend over (much), or even touch the ball! Try visiting a dog park, even if you don't walk well, your dog will get lots of exercise playing with other dogs, and you might make some new friends, too!
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Rawhide Treats and Chews Generally the compressed rawhides are safer than the knot-tied or twisted stick varieties. Look for rawhides that appear to be large sheet pressed tightly together in a flat bone shape, or the kinds that have been chipped and then compressed. The danger comes when dogs soften up long strips of rawhide and then swallow them whole, which can lead to a blockage of the intestines. Using chews that come from tendons like beef straps, or pizzle sticks (also called bully sticks) offer the same benefits as rawhide but are less likely to be swallowed as whole pieces. Hoofs, ears, and pig snouts also encourage chewing without being easily consumed in long strips. If you would rather avoid rawhide altogether there are several dental bones made out of digestible materials like cheese casing and rice gluten. Even if the dog gets little pieces off and swallows them, they can be broken down in the digestive system and safely passed. Grange Co-op carries Pedigree Dentabones, Greenies, Booda Velvets, and Nylabone's Healthy Edibles. These chews come in a variety of flavors, and are tightly compressed to offer the same benefits of rawhides without the risks.
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Rabbits Buying a bunny is fun, because they are such popular pets Grange Co-op's Pet Country has many to choose from. Make sure the one you select is at least 6 weeks old, is active, and is interested in eating and drinking. Rabbits don't need much to stay healthy and happy. Essential items include: a spacious cage, that is kept clean and dry and away from drafts; a good water bottle filled with fresh water and a liquid vitamin supplement; food formulated especially for rabbits supplemented with fruits and veggies like apples, lettuce and of course - carrots! Your rabbit will also need: a salt spool, bedding material made from pine or other wood fibers, and some chew toys to keep those ever growing teeth trimmed. Grange Co-op's Pet Country has all of these items and more, all you need to do is supply lots of love and you'll have a happy, healthy pet for years to come.
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Playful Ferrets Most pet stores will sell kits (baby ferrets) at seven weeks or older and they are usually already de-scented, neutered and vaccinated. If not, you will want to locate a veterinarian to perform these surgeries for your pet ferret. It is also very important to have your ferret vaccinated for rabies and distemper. Housing your ferret will require a cage at least 24" x 24" - the bigger the better as these are such active animals. You will also need a nest box for naps, a water bottle and a litter pan. Yes they can be litter trained! Your ferret will need a high quality ferret food as it's staple diet but would also enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables as a treat. Ferrets are carnivores, so make sure their food provides a high level of protein. Fresh water and a few drops of linatone, a coat conditioner, are all that's left to make your furry friend healthy and happy. Ferrets are very inquisitive, intelligent, spunky little creatures. They are masters at amusing themselves and each other with simple playthings. Pet Country carries a variety of toys to keep ferrets happy. For more detailed information, contact Grange Co-op's Pet Country and talk to one of our experienced sales staff.
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Setting Up an Aquarium Begin by rinsing the tank and then your gravel. Most aquarium experts recommend one pound of gravel per gallon of water, so a 10 gallon tank, takes 10 pounds of gravel. Next, fill your tank with luke warm tap water, place the heater in the tank but don't plug it in for 20 minutes. Attach your thermometer, place your filter and get it running then add water conditioner to eliminate harmful chlorine and clhoromines. Let the tank run for 48 hours with the heater set between 76° and 80° F. Now you're ready for fish - but just two or three to start with. After about two weeks your tank will have cycled, building the environment fish need to thrive. Bring a sample of water to your pet store - they will test it and let you know if you're ready for more fish. Remember to monitor the condition, temperature and filtration of your water, don't overcrowd your tank, and don't overfeed your fish - their stomachs are the same size as their eyes.
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Pond Fish There are many ornamental fish suitable for a pond but the two most popular varieties are goldfish and Koi. If you are stocking your pond, make sure you select your fish from a quality supplier like Grange Co-op Pet Country. Fish from a local supplier will usually suffer less relocation stress due to the fact that the water is more likely to have come from the same source as your home, and your fish will be in transit for just a short period of time. If you are starting a new pond, allow the water to sit for 24 to 48 hours to let the chlorine evaporate. Use a chlorine, chloramines and heavy metal neutralizer for all new water additions (even well water may have heavy metals), look for a water conditioner for your fish that will help prevent transplant shock and that will stimulate them to produce a healthy slime coat. Make sure that you have plenty of aeration for your pond in the form of a pump with a filter, a fountain, waterfall or decorative spitter and live plants. It is an especially good idea to have an external filter system in place since goldfish and koi are very "dirty fish" - that is they produce large amounts of ammonia and spend a lot of time rooting in the muck at the bottom of the pond. True Koi can be very expensive, so most people will use some feeder Comets (small goldfish) as "sacrificial fish" until they get their water balance correct. It is not uncommon for the first batch of fish to die while the water ages and the pH values fluctuate. You can usually get five to ten feeder Comets for what you will spend on one small Koi. Some people never graduate beyond Comets. Since they are pretty and can grow quite large. Be careful not to overstock your pond. A general rule for a well filtered and aerated pond is one inch of fish per gallon of water. Remember that your fish will grow. Even a little one inch Comet can grow to six inches in just a few seasons, and many Koi will mature at eighteen to twenty four inches. | |||||||||||||||||
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Introduce your fish into your pond slowly by first floating the carry-home plastic bag in the pond for an hour or so, to allow the two water temperatures to equalize, then gently release your fish. Try not to introduce your new fish on either very hot or very cold days. Ideally you should wait until after the extreme weather fluctuations of early spring, and before the fall's irregular weather begins. Like aquarium fish, pond fish depend on their owners to provide a balanced diet to keep them healthy. Both Goldfish and Koi are omnivorous so animal as well as vegetable food must be included in their diet. A good pet store like Grange Co-op Pet Country will have a selection of quality flake, freeze dried and frozen foods for your pond fish. You will find many of the foods are formulated for different water temperatures and growth stages. Feed a Spring/Summer formula when the water temperatures are the warmest, and a fall formula when things cool down. Don't feed your fish at all when water temperatures drop below 35œ to 40œ F, since they will be dormant for the winter. Even though they may be swimming around they can't digest well when the water temperatures are too low and feeding them can kill them. You can tame your fish by always feeding them at the same spot; they may eventually learn to eat from your hand - a good way to check them for loss of condition or disease. Take care not to overfeed them though, uneaten food will decay and cause water quality problems.
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The Importance of Water Testing There are four basic test kits that most hobbyists will need. Test kits for pH, which measure the amount of available hydrogen in the water, are split into "low range" and "high range." The second test kit is for testing Ammonia. They measure the total ammonia nitrogen, which varies in toxicity based on the relative pH and water temperature. The third test kit is nitrite, which measures the byproduct of the first stage of ammonia nitrification, which is nitrite. Nitrite is always found in new aquaria as the biological filtration cycle goes through the initiation process. Nitrite is toxic to fish as high levels will prevent oxygen absorption by red blood cells. The last water test kit available is for Nitrate. Nitrate remains in the aquarium until absorbed by plant life as food or when physically removed via water changing. These kits can often be purchased in combination. Aquarium water should be tested as least once per week, and just before and after a water change. It is also wise to do a second test the day after a water change to make sure that the new water is completely incorporated in the aquarium. Hobbyists should test their water whenever they see anything abnormal occurring, such as unusual fish behavior, split or damaged fins, lesions or unexplained deaths. Always test water which is being added to an aquarium. Municipal water supplies frequently undergo rapid changes in hardness, pH, and chemical content. At Grange Co-op Pet Country, free water testing is offered along with the supplies to do your own testing at home.
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