How Therapy Dogs from an NYC Program Motivate Students to Practice Their Reading Skills
Reading is a fun escape, but for most kids, learning the skill can be challenging. The difficulty often roots from pressure, limited exposure to reading materials, struggles with speech sounds, and lack of confidence. Rather than face the challenge, they prefer to play outdoors or watch television. That’s why it takes a whole lot of patience to teach a kid how to read. Schools and education-based programs have established strategies for years to help with this. Kids need to realize the value of reading skills at an early age. It’s...
The Grow-Old-Together Type of Friendship Between a Woman and Her Loving Tortoise
A person will meet a lot of people that will play a significant role in their lives. Some are for temporary purposes, while others will permanently stay. The latter are your different versions of soulmates. That someone could be a romantic partner, a parent, a relative, a best friend, and most fascinatingly, an animal. People and animals magically meet each other and form a heartfelt connection. They could meet at adoption events, rescue missions, rehabilitation centers, or when the animal suddenly appears near their house. That first...
Should You Separate Your Puppy and Older Dog?
Bringing a new puppy home is exciting for you, but can be stressful for an older dog. Be thoughtful about your dogs’ interactions. In the past, the general advice was to introduce new puppies to older dogs in the home right away. Now we know that isn’t always the best approach. How to introduce a puppy to an older dog: Follow these 5 steps Step 1: Create space Giving puppies and older dogs their own space before introducing them encourages positive interactions in the future. There’s no reason to rush greetings and...
The Importance of Environmental Enrichment for Cats and Dogs
Submission Guidelines Thank you for your interest in writing for Animal Wellness. As the #1 natural health magazine for pets in North America, we take pride in providing our readers with the information they need to make wise health care choices for their animal companions. Our publication embraces the entire holistic spectrum, from physical health issues to the emotional and spiritual well being of our animals. We welcome unsolicited articles and story outlines as long as they focus on holistic healing, whether physical, emotional or...
Urinary Tract Disease and Your Cat
One of the most common health problems to afflict cats is lower urinary tract disease. Understanding the various causes and symptoms are key to ensuring prompt treatment. Our feline companions are prone to lower urinary tract problems. There are a number of reasons for this, some of which can be addressed by making a few lifestyle changes. It’s important to have an understanding of why and how urinary tract problems manifest, and what the signs and symptoms are. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be obstructive or non-obstructive. In...
Lion’s Mane mushroom offers healing properties to both people and dogs
A popular mushroom in North America, Lion’s Mane features a range of medicinal benefits for both people and their dogs — from calming anxiety to supporting the gut. As we learned How Your Dog Can Benefit from Medicinal Mushrooms, many mushroom species are rich in healing properties. Exploring the medicinal benefits they can offer our dogs gives us another powerful tool for treating certain ailments and maintaining wellness. In this article, we’ll focus on Lion’s Mane, and how it can be used to help dogs with anxiety. A...
Disc Dog Sport
The popular canine sport of disc dog requires a human and canine to work as a team. The dog relies on the human for accurate throws of a flying disc and the human relies on the dog’s athleticism to catch each throw. Maryland dog trainer Gabby Scott competes in disc dog events. However, the initial reasons as to why she started training for the event was just happenstance. “I arrived early for a dog-training class I was attending with my Aussie-mix eight years ago,” says Gabby. “The instructor was practicing tricks with...
The Battle for Survival Commenced as This Bird Steals Food Away from Its Friend
Birds are given the ability to conquer freedom with their wings. Life seems so easy for them, but they still have to fight for survival. Hunting food and finding a home safe from lurking predators is their everyday life. But as the world advances, a bird’s strategy also changes. Since they can go anywhere, there are birds accustomed to city life. Instead of searching for food in the wild, they hunt food from the streets. In some instances, humans would provide the free-roaming birds with food such as bird feed or bread. Other people...
Cat Gets Locked in an Empty Business for More Than a Week
The following story was a finalist in the Pawsitively Picture Perfect photo contest. The top three finishers received $500 in cash, as well as $2,000 in cash and supplies for their favorite shelter. To read more stories, click here! Zeus was found behind a business in the shopping center where I work. He somehow had gotten himself locked in an empty business that was being renovated. We think he was in there between 10 and 11 days, no food or water at all. Then when workers went back in, they found him and just threw him out behind the...
Nine Health Benefits of Having a Cat
June is National Adopt a Cat Month. The month was so chosen because it coincides with the height of kitten season, when shelters need even more help than usual. When you adopt a cat, you help save a life, but did you know in return, that rescue cat can do some things to prolong your life? Here are just a few of the health benefits of bringing home that sweet shelter cat who reached their paw out to you. Long-Term Pet Ownership is Good for Brain Health PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK / AFRICA STUDIO Sometimes your cat may drive you a little crazy, but...
