Pets

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) offers information on dog, cat, horse, and small-pet care that is compiled and written by professionals. Essentials such as training, behavior, and nutrition are broken down into subheadings arranged neatly so that the site is easy to navigate.

The BBC provides this section on animal history and necessary pet care for all sorts of animal types. Choose “Articles” for pet care advice both general and specific. For a discussion of an animal’s history and lifespan, plus information about how it would have lived in the wild, click on “Fact Files” and then select an animal from the options in the drop-down menu. Animals discussed include hamsters, cats, dogs, goldfish, gerbils, ferrets, guinea pigs, horses, mice, parrots, rabbits, and more.

PetEducation.com is a great resource for general health and caregiving information on all types of pets. Be sure to revisit this site after you’ve brought your pet home.

Pet Library is a magazine-style Web site with an array of articles on dog health and behavior, and even a few on cats, too. A broad span of subjects encompasses issues such as dealing with high-energy dogs, house-training, and poop-eating pooches.

Pet Dental sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, the pet food manufacturer, is devoted to raising awareness among owners of the importance of keeping pets’ teeth clean. The site recommends asking your vet for a dental exam if you suspect a problem and offers tips for a home dental care regimen.

The Pet Food List came into being as a result of the pet food recall that began in March 2007. The list puts recalled foods in red for ready identification and is also a useful source of information about the ingredients in many types of nonrecalled products.

Whole-Dog-Journal.com has an article on how to choose from the wide range of dog foods available. For those determined to provide the perfect meal for their canines, this is the place to go.

Doctors Foster and Smith offer advice to cat owners looking for the perfect meal for their felines.

The Dog Owner’s Guide is the online version of the same publication, published by Canis Major. Here the guide presents an annotated essay on the raw food diet for dogs, a controversial diet that has grown in popularity recently. The most commonly mentioned is the BARF diet, known variously as “biologically appropriate raw food” or “bones and raw food.” The thought behind raw diets is simple: dogs and cats do better on what they ate for millennia before the pet food companies appeared. However, many vets are skeptical about the benefits of these diets.

Aquatic Community offers some suggestions for finding the right food for your tropical fish, an introduction to the feeding habits of fish, and tips for encouraging your fish to eat.

The American Animal Hospital Association offers tips on how to negotiate that sometimes-difficult getting-to-know-you stage. A pet will need time to adjust to a new environment and form a routine. In addition, before your animal companion crosses the threshold, you should think about pet-proofing your home. This site helps you prepare for the change.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals fills you in on substances that any normal house may contain that could be dangerous for the pet you bring home, including everyday foods that, while harmless to humans, can be toxic to certain animals.

Best Friends Animal Society has a PDF article covering the important points of those exciting early days with dogs. You’ll need a few supplies before your pooch arrives, and this site can help you start planning.

Best Friends Animal Society also hosts a comprehensive collection of articles on behavior, training, health, and getting to know your dog.

The International Association of Canine Professionals has a searchable database of trainers and other dog care professionals, such as groomers and dog walkers. Only members are listed, however, so bear in mind that the results provided are far from comprehensive.

Urbanhound has sites dedicated to dogs in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, but the information supplied on these pages is of interest to dog owners the world over. This enlightening, witty online magazine covers as much ground as a racing whippet. The database allows you to search for vets, day-care centers, walkers, and other services according to location. You can also find information on health and behavioral issues and local dog laws.

Best Friends Animal Society provides a compendium of articles on behavioral and health issues for the feline companion.

The Feline Advisory Bureau (Fab) addresses common cat issues, such as nervousness, aggression, overdependence, scratching, and spraying and soiling indoors. If you have a baby at home or are expecting one, make sure to review the “cats and babies” section.

Karawynn Long was determined to toilet train her cat, Misha, and wean him off the litter box. After much research and a lot of patience, she succeeded, and she generously shares the secrets to her success on this Web site.

BirdChannel.com offers this link on bird training and behavioral issues. While there are lots of helpful tips and suggestions here, don’t miss out on the rest of the site. You’ll get tips on bird health, feeding, housing, and more.

Parrot Parrot provides this helpful article called “Why Did My Bird Bite Me?” Here you’ll get sound advice on why birds can sometimes act out. This site is also full of helpful bird tips—learn about bird health, alerts and toxins, basic care, breeding, and wing trimming, and get a guide to various species.

Petfish.net is a forum for fish enthusiasts. If your aquatic companion has been acting up, post on the forum and see if other experienced fish owners can help you. There are also articles and reviews that can expand your understanding of the life in your aquarium.

SPAY/USA works to reduce the number of dogs and cats euthanized each year by advocating spay/neuter services. This site can help you locate a low-cost clinic in your area.

The American Animal Hospital Association is the only agency that accredits animal hospitals and veterinary clinics throughout the United States and Canada. It provides a searchable database of facilities and a pet-care library covering important health-care issues.

Pets 911 has a database of veterinary and emergency clinics, searchable by location. There’s also information about adoption, animal shelters, and what to do if you’ve lost or found an animal.

The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine has published a variety of short articles for animal owners. This column on pet insurance is fairly basic, but it does include a list of insurers.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) offers an insurance plan that is the recommended choice of many vets. Better yet, the premiums help the ASPCA to continue its work to improve the welfare of America’s animals.

Veterinary Pet Insurance is a popular company that provides competitive services and, like many up-to-date providers, also offers a plan that covers wellness support to help with checkups and routine procedures such as flea and worm prevention.

HomeAgain manufactures one of the most commonly used pet microchips. If you’re worried about your pet getting lost, explore this site to learn about your options for help with pet recovery.

National Geographic looks into the ways that dogs return the care and love we lavish on them and how that ability to raise the human quality of life qualifies some to work as “therapy dogs.” The therapeutic powers of canines are such that medical professionals now solicit for amiable animals that can bring a little sunshine into the lives of people in hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, and mental health centers.