INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Injury resulting in bleeding is one possible cause of anemia in cats. If your cat has been injured, then take your cat to your veterinarian or to a veterinary emergency clinic right away. If your cat is bleeding, then apply a pressure bandage or apply pressure with a clean cotton tea towel to the area to stop the bleeding. Anemia may also be caused by blood loss from the digestive tract. Signs of blood loss from the gut include blood-stained vomit or feces, or very dark colored feces. If you are in doubt, then collect a sample to show the vet. If the cat is on medications, especially NSAID medications (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, Tylenol, Asprin, etc.), then stop the medication and inform your vet. NSAIDs are associated with gut ulceration. For a bleeding tumor, the vet needs to run diagnostic imaging such as an ultrasound, CT or MRI scan, or radiography in order to identify the tumor and decide on the best treatment option. A heavy infestation with fleas or lice can cause anemia because these parasites suck blood. To treat the anemia, you will need to kill the parasites. Doing so will remove the cause of the blood loss and allow your cat to regenerate the missing red blood cells. There are many effective flea control medications available. Be sure to use something that is approved for use on cats and that has been proven to be effective such as fipronil (Frontline, Effipro) or selamectin (Stronghold UK, Revolution US). Blood-borne parasites such as Babesia or Haemobartonella may damage red blood cells and cause anemia as well. It is critical to seek veterinary help for these conditions because they require specific medications such a primaquine or quinine and clindamycin for Babesia, and tetracycline antibiotics for Haemobartonella. One common cause of anemia in cats is kidney disease. This is because the kidney produces a hormone called erythropoietin which stimulates the bone marrow to produce new red blood cells. Kidney failure causes the active renal tissue to be replaced with scar tissue and this results in fewer available cells to produce erythropoietin. Autoimmune disease is when the body turns against its own tissues and the immune system attacks them as if they were foreign invaders. This can also cause anemia in cats. If your veterinarian identifies autoimmune disease as the cause of your cat's problems, then your cat will need immunosuppressive drugs, such as corticosteroids. These drugs switch off the immune response, stop the attack, and allow the body to regenerate red blood cells.

SUMMARY: Seek immediate veterinary care if your cat has been injured. Tell your veterinarian about any signs of blood loss from the gut. Check your cat for fleas. Get your cat checked for other parasites. Consider whether kidney disease may be to blame. Determine if your cat may have autoimmune disease.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Make sure that all members of your household use the same words to train your puppy. If you are using different words from other members of your household, then your puppy may get confused and take longer to learn. For example, to train your dog to sit. Have everyone use the word "sit." Don't vary this command at all. In other words, don't say "sit down" or "stay" to get your puppy to sit. Only use the cue word "sit" or your puppy may become confused. Make sure that you observe the rules that you have put in place at all times. Do not apply the rules half of the time or bend them on certain occasions. For example, if you do not want the puppy to get up on your furniture, then enforce this rule at all times. If you make him stay off the furniture during the week, but then allow him on the sofa over the weekend, he will end up getting up on the sofa more and more. Training works best when good behavior is rewarded. You can reward your puppy with a tasty treat, by playing a game with his favorite toy, or by making a fuss over him and praising him. Find out what makes your puppy the happiest and use this to reward him when he does something well. Reward your puppy right away. It is important to give your puppy his reward right after he does what you ask him to do. Over time, you should phase out the treats so that your puppy doesn't get a treat each time he performs the behavior. Doing so teaches him to work harder because he can't take it for granted that he gets a treat every time. Otherwise, he may become lazy. Begin to reduce frequency of treats once your puppy is performing the desired behavior four times out of five. Clickers are an effective way to reinforce your puppy's good behavior and let him know that a treat is coming. It is important to reward your puppy's good behavior right after he has performed it, but it is not always possible to do so. Using a clicker in your training sessions helps you to reinforce good behavior even when you do not have a treat on hand. Start by teaching your puppy to associate the sound of the clicker with getting a reward. Yelling at your puppy or using physical punishment are not effective ways to get him to change his behavior. Your puppy will not understand what he is being punished for and this may lead to more bad behavior. For example, if your puppy makes a puddle on the floor, don't tell him off. If you do, he will just think that you are angry at him for going potty, rather than realize he has defecated in the wrong spot. Instead of yelling at your puppy if you catch him in the act of defecating in the house, clap your hands to get his attention and make him stop. Then, take him out to his potty spot and wait for him to finish. Puppies can't concentrate for long, so keep the sessions short. You should limit your puppy's training sessions to 5 - 10 minutes. Aim for 2-3 training sessions per day to reinforce the behaviors that you want your puppy to learn. Make sure that you use regular activities as opportunities to train your puppy as well. For example, you could ask your puppy to sit before you put his food down, or praise him when he toilets in the right spot outside. Make sure that your puppy associates his name only with good things. Doing so will make him more likely to respond to you at all times. If your puppy links his name to bad things (such as being told off) this may make him reluctant to come when called. Having a name you use only when he's bad will help you to avoid teaching your puppy negative associations with his 'good' dog name. Use your dog's actual name when he is being good, but then designate another nickname for when he is being bad. For example, if your dog's name is Charlie, call him Charlie whenever he is being good. If he is being bad, call him Chuckie.

SUMMARY:
Decide on training cue words and stick with them. Apply the rules at all times. Find your puppy's motivation. Use a clicker. Understand that punishment is not an effective training method. Keep training sessions short but regular. Choose a 'good' dog name and a 'bad' dog name: