Category: Organization

This article was co-authored by David Levin. David Levin is the Owner of Citizen Hound, a professional dog walking business based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 9 years of professional dog walking and training experience, David’s business has been voted the “Best Dog Walker SF” by Beast of the Bay for 2019, 2018, and 2017. Citizen Hound has also been ranked #1 Dog Walker by the SF Examiner and A-List in 2017, 2016, 2015. Citizen Hound prides themselves on their customer service, care, skill, and reputation.

There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 14 testimonials and 86% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status.

This article has been viewed 822,599 times.

Disciplining your puppy can feel a little overwhelming at times, but by focusing on a few simple strategies, you can get the best results. First, remember that repetition is much more important than force. Training takes time, but if you are patient and consistent, your puppy will start to figure things out. Second, try to act quickly; make sure that consequences happen within just a few seconds of any bad behavior to reinforce the connection. [1] X Expert Source

David Levin
Dog Training Coach Expert Interview. 19 December 2019. Finally, remember to focus on good behavior at least as much as you do on bad behavior. Whenever your puppy does something right, make sure to give them a treat, pet them, or tell them they did a good job.

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Once you’ve mastered the basics of dog training—sit, down, come, stay—you can move on to the fun dog tricks. Teaching your dog to shake, roll over, spin, beg, or take a bow are mentally stimulating for the dog, a good way for you to bond, and reinforce the basic commands. Even a beginner can teach a puppy or adult dog to do fun tricks.

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Marina Li

Plus it’s a lot of fun to train a dog some cool dog tricks to show off for friends!

Give Kiss

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

PXHere / CC By 0

Training a dog to kiss is one of the easiest tricks to teach. While not everyone enjoys a big, wet doggie smooch, this dog trick usually goes over very well with kids. By putting a little treat on your cheek and adding the command, you’ll soon be able to get all the affection you want from your dog on demand!

Another benefit of teaching your dog to kiss on cue is that is can help you prevent unwanted licking.

Speak

Training a dog to speak is fun and it helps to solve a common behavior problem. Many dog trainers recommend using the ‘speak’ and ‘quiet’ commands to put an end to excessive barking. Putting these on command allows your dog to bark in certain situations, and also allows you to have control over when the barking should start and stop. It’s also a lot of fun to show off your dog’s conversational skills at family gatherings!

Back Up

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

Scott Barbour / Getty Images

Back up is a fun dog trick that can come in handy in a variety of situations. Once your dog knows how to back up on command, you can use it to keep it from rushing out the door, crowding you at the refrigerator, or just to entertain your friends.

Back up is fairly simple to teach a dog. All you need is some patience and a handful of treats. You can quickly train a dog to back up a few steps when you give the command.

Shake Paws

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Have your dog greet your friends by shaking hands (or paws, as the case may be). This is an easy dog trick that you can usually train a dog to do in a few short training sessions. Most dogs naturally like using their paws and will enjoy the positive attention they get when doing this trick.

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Training a dog to wave hello or goodbye is a fun and fairly simple dog trick. Start by training your dog to shake paws. You will use the same action your dog uses to shake to train it to lift its paw to wave. This is a great attention-getting trick that will be very cute to watch.

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

By holding a treat near your dog’s nose, you can easily lure it into a spin. If you want to add some difficulty to this dog trick, you can teach your dog to spin in a specific direction. You’ll amaze your friends when you show them how your dog can tell the difference between left and right.

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

What could be cuter than seeing your dog sitting on its hind legs with its paws up to beg for a treat? This dog trick can be a little more difficult to train a dog to do than some of the others, but with a little patience, your dog will be sitting up to beg in no time.

Roll Over

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Most people train a dog to roll over in several small parts and work up to getting the dog to roll over all the way. It may take some effort to train a dog to do this dog trick, but it is well worth it. It’s lots of fun, and it also serves as a building block for several other dog tricks, such as playing dead.

Play Dead

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Your friends are sure to be blown away when you hold your finger like a gun and say bang and your dog falls to the floor to play dead. Although it looks impressive, it’s not as hard as you might think to train a dog to play dead, especially if you have already trained it to roll over.

Take a Bow

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Taking a bow is a dog trick which involves having your dog put its chest to the ground while keeping its rear end up in the air. It may sound like a difficult dog trick to train a dog to do, but the truth is that bowing is a natural behavior for dogs.

If you watch two dogs playing together, you will frequently see them bow. Trainers refer to this behavior as a play bow, and it is a dog’s way of asking another dog to come and play. You can easily use your dog’s natural playfulness to train it to take a bow. And it’s a great way to end a demonstration of all the cool new dog tricks your dog has learned!

A well-trained puppy is the dream of every new pet parent, but there’s no need for it to be just a dream. Proper training and supportive encouragement are the best ways to help a dog understand good behavior from bad. Of course, there will be mistakes as your dog learns, but if you know how to discipline a dog and redirect him, you’ll have the best behaved pup on your street.

The good news is that dogs tend to be fast learners. If you can work with him on obedience training, disciplining a dog should be reasonably simple in the immediate moment and for the rest of his life! Before you begin, it’s important to learn the do’s and don’ts of how to discipline a dog. You want to make sure the punishment matches the action and you don’t do anything to harm the bond you’re currently building with your pet. Here are some tips to get you started on the right foot . or shall we say, paw.

The Don’ts of Disciplining a Dog

Don’t physically discipline your dog: You love your pets like family, so you’d never want to hurt your dog. It goes without saying that you should never lay a hand on your dog to discipline him, even if you’re extremely frustrated. There is a never a reason to hit, shake or intimidate your dog. If you’re ever feeling like the discipline is getting out of your control, it’s time to hire a professional trainer or ask for assistance from your friends or family members. Physical discipline also can make the problem worse. Dog’s struggle to connect the punishment with the action they committed, so they are likely not to change their negative behavior, but rather become fearful and less prone to listen.

Don’t yell or scream at your dog: Your dog understands the difference between your normal voice and shouting voice, just as you understand the difference between a bark and his play sounds. However, if all the disciplining you do just sounds like loud noise to your dog, he’ll eventually begin to tune you out. Or, even worse, yelling could agitate or excite your pup, which might encourage negative behaviors. Keep a calm voice and use clear, simple commands.

Don’t rub your dog’s nose in an accident: Sometimes it takes a puppy a little while to learn where it’s acceptable to relieve himself. Since dogs often mark their territory in many places outdoors, it can be hard for puppies to learn not to do the same thing in the house. The smell they leave is a way of communicating with other animals. Even if they understand that they aren’t supposed to go in the house, they may not understand the severity of their actions. Don’t punish your dog by rubbing his nose in his accident. This can create an anxiety issue or break the bond between pet and owner. Clean up the mess and redirect your dog outside.

“To prevent frequent urination in the same household spot, remove the scent of previous urine marks with a good enzymatic cleaner,” recommends Vetstreet.

Don’t allow play that isn’t okay: When a puppy is learning, he’s not always going to have the best behavior. There’s so many tempting things in your home, and it’s important for you to make it clear which items belong to him and which ones are off limits. One of the most common behavioral concerns for pet parents is chewing. If you want to keep your shoes safe from your dog, keep them out of sight or restrict your dog access to certain areas of your home. Don’t allow a behavior to continue because it’s cute or because you think he’ll grow out of it. Teach him how to play properly from the very beginning.

The Do’s of How to Discipline a Dog

Do reinforce good behaviors: In an ideal relationship with your dog, you don’t have to worry about discipline any longer and can simply praise him. There are many ways to positively reinforce good behaviors, and your dog will especially like getting healthy treats when he’s done something right. The more you encourage your dog, the harder he’ll work to make sure he follows the rules and keeps you happy.

Do catch your dog in the act: To successfully discipline a dog, address a behavior or action while or immediately after it happens. You can’t reprimand your dog for something he did in the past. He simply won’t understand why you’re disciplining him. You can, however, teach your dog if you catch him in the act of doing something wrong. This doesn’t mean you should booby trap your house, waiting for your dog to slip up. It simply means to be on the lookout and respond quickly and appropriately to his behavior.

Do consider your dog’s health: If your dog suddenly begins to urinate on your carpets and furniture after being successfully house-trained for quite some time, there’s a chance that his behavior is the result of a medical issue, such as a urinary tract infection. Since you’re not a mind reader, a trip to the veterinarian’s office is necessary. Dogs don’t like to soil their home areas, so consider this a potential sign of an internal problem.

Do redirect your furry friend: When you’re learning how to discipline your dog, one of the best routes to take is redirection. First, stop your dog in the act of whatever he’s doing, then give him a different, pet parent-approved option. For example, if you walk into a room and notice him chewing your shoes or hairbrush, swiftly tell him “No!” and take the item out of his mouth. Once your dog is calm, present him with an actual chew toy. When he’s munching on the toy, make sure to reinforce the positive behavior with lots of praise.

Disciplining a dog can be tough, but remember that you’re helping him learn to be the best version of himself. If you treat your pup like you would a child, you will start to see that you’re teaching him how to be a grown up. The time you spend training him properly will not only improve his behavior, but also the bond you share. Make sure to always be patient and invest time in your dog’s training so you’ll worry less about how to discipline a dog and spend more time enjoying his company instead.

This article was co-authored by David Levin. David Levin is the Owner of Citizen Hound, a professional dog walking business based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 9 years of professional dog walking and training experience, David’s business has been voted the “Best Dog Walker SF” by Beast of the Bay for 2019, 2018, and 2017. Citizen Hound has also been ranked #1 Dog Walker by the SF Examiner and A-List in 2017, 2016, 2015. Citizen Hound prides themselves on their customer service, care, skill, and reputation.

There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status.

This article has been viewed 190,322 times.

It’s always exciting bringing a new puppy home, but it takes patience, consistency, and lots of love to raise a well-trained puppy. Unfortunately, behavioral problems are one of the top reasons dogs end up in animal shelters. [1] X Research source Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 3(2), 93–106. Salman, et al. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. 2000 However, by using methods such as reward-based training and/or crate-training, you can help break the puppy of any initial behavioral problems. By properly training your puppy from the beginning, you will create a delightful member of the family and prevent problems.

Your dog wants to feel loved at all times, and it wants to feel free and wanted. But you would prefer it to know, that even though you are cool with it’s “doggy philosophy”, there are always a few boundaries. You want to discipline your dog and correct its behavior in the best possible way, but you want to achieve this without affecting the trust it has in you.

It is important to reprimand your dog for its bad behavior without abusing it – this counts as abuse since dogs can feel emotions too. Punishment is not an efficient method because it can make your dog fear and feel unwanted, and can turn it aggressive and insecure- bad news for the dog and everyone else.

The good news is that dogs are creatures of routine. So what you train it with is what it lives with.

Why do Dogs misbehave?

A sophisticated dog owner should be able to interact with the dog on the basis that most of its actions spur from its animal instincts, and are not intended to harm or disrespect no matter the circumstance surrounding the actions.

Dogs may misbehave for the following reasons;

● Adolescent dog behavior

Boredom :

Due to your busy schedule or whether or festivity that requires restraining and more time indoor for your dog, it can become bored and frustrated, and this can lead to many undesirable behaviors such as excessive barking, digging and destructive behavior. Boredom can also contribute to more serious problems, such as separation anxiety and obsessive behaviors.

Breed Characteristics :

Dog breeds have different behavior during circumstances. While some dogs are well reserved and open to house-train, others are not. It is important to understand which breed your dog belongs even before taking them. For instance, a terrier is meant to dig, retrievers want to carry stuff around. So, in the real sense, we are restraining them from their instincts and drives, rather than assisting them and helping them become better at what they were born for.

Anxiety :

Dogs are very sensitive to changes in their environment and routine. They become anxious and start to misbehave. The reaction to these changes can be as little as refusing to eat their food or extreme, such as persistent barking and chewing. When your dog’s experience this anxiety, they want a lot of your attention. You as the dog owner must understand that the bad behavior was the only response that you can help it handle better in the future. Aggressive behavior towards humans, dogs, and other animals excessive barking, restlessness, and destructive behavior are the most obvious symptoms of anxiety in a dog.

Adolescent Dog Behavior :

The adolescent period typically starts after five months of age and will be over when a dog reaches physical maturity, up to three years old. The fifth to eight months is usually the most challenging adolescent period, during this period the tendency to misbehave is higher. The changes in hormones, brain, and body affect your dog’s physical and psychological abilities, which is normal.

How to Discipline a Dog for Bad Behavior?

Understanding the right way to encourage good behavior in a dog – especially from its an early stage as a puppy – will help greatly, so it’s crucial to use the most efficient methods and training techniques. Use these puppy obedience training tips;

● The reward for good behavior

Encourage your dog to do what you want with reward. You reward good behavior from your dog with something the dog appreciates from you. And also deprive your dog of your attention, and special treatment for its misbehavior – you should do this only when it has positive effects on your dog’s behavior and not make matters worse.

Ways to Help Your Dog with Discipline:

Your aim is to discipline your dog, help it and make it understand what’s allowed and what’s not tolerated. Your aim is not to make it terrified or afraid of you. Abandoning the idea of punishing your dog, and shifting your attention to a more constructive disciplinary approach can be more effective and rewarding. It helps your dog learn through controlled circumstances, and quickly understand.

The following disciplinary approaches should be used instead of punishing it;

● Make a daily routine for your dog

● Give special treats

● Avoid excesses during the discipline

● Correct it at the time of misbehaving

Walk With Your Dog :

The reason for your dog’s misbehavior may be due to boredom, or the breed it belongs. Does your dog get enough physical and mental exercise? Depending on age, breed, and tolerance dogs may need to get one, two or more hours of daily exercise to help them stay fit mentally and physically. Rewarding your dog by walking it may be a great thing to do. Just make our research beforehand to ensure you are not taking the dog beyond what its breed can tolerate.

Voice Command :

Gaining authority over your dog helps you to make it understand what you would appreciate or disapprove of, and the earlier you set boundaries for your dog, the better. Saying No! Consistently and calmly at the appropriate times can help your dog realize that you are in control and they need to obey you to get what they want from you.

Give Special Treats :

Reward with your dogs with special treats when they listen to you and deprive your dog of it when they disregard your order. Repeat your actions every time your dog does this obey or disregard you. Soon, it will understand your point and act accordingly.

Avoid Excesses During The Discipline :

Rewarding your dog for its obedience or depriving them of your special attention and treats should do with caution. You do not want to over pamper your dog, or make it get a wrong picture about you not being caring. Remember what you want is a better bond and not separation.

Correct your dog at the time of misbehaving :

Discipline your dog at the appropriate times. You do not want it to be confused or even think your reward is for doing the wrong thing.

Conclusion :

Change is a hard process for humans, and dogs are no exception. You want to provide the best for your dog, but you must understand that to help it through the process of this change, you need consistency, patience, and commitment yourself. Train your dogs by using the reward. Your attention, affection, and special treatment are the reward and it is the key to discipline your dog’s bad behavior and not punishment.

It might surprise you to hear this, but living with a dog is not all fun and games. No matter how cute our four-legged friends are, sometimes it’s necessary to correct their behavior.

But, what is the right way to discipline your dog? Some people think that punishing a dog is the only way to get them to behave, while others propose a positive reinforcement method, where your pooch learns through a reward-based system.

Knowing how to encourage good behavior in a dog will save you a lot of trouble in the long run, so it’s crucial to learn about the most efficient methods and training techniques. Trust me, your furball will thank you for it.

With the use of a remote interactive pet camera, you can use the power of a verbal, “No!” even when you’re at the office.

Is Punishment an Efficient Dog Training Method?

Before we start analyzing the effectiveness of different training methods, we should understand what punishment, by definition, means. The term often implies a discipline method that is based on physical harm, like spanking or hitting your dog.

However, there are actually both positive and negative forms of punishment, and they belong to two different categories:

• Positive obedience training
• Aversive obedience training

Punishment as an aversive method includes discipline that causes pain to your dog. Not only are these practices cruel and harsh, they are also completely ineffective.

On the other hand, knowing how to punish a dog in a humane way is much more productive. Using positive reinforcements to train your dog, rather than resorting to force, is the best method to discipline your dog.

How to discipline my dog?

Get a personalised vet advice for FREE!

Punishment vs. Discipline

When done properly, punishment doesn’t have to be negative. Constructive punishment helps your dog learn through conditioning, and quickly understand what’s allowed and what’s not. Disciplinary methods that are considered to be positive and beneficial are:

• Time-outs
• Using your voice to put a stop to unwanted behavior, rather than hitting your dog
• Taking their toys away
• Avoiding giving your dog attention when they misbehave

All the tips mentioned above are both humane and highly efficient at the same time. Your dog won’t feel scared or wary of you, but they will understand that what they did won’t be tolerated.

Are There Effects Of Spanking?

Using hitting or spanking as a method of punishment can severely damage the relationship you have with your dog. If you start using force to discipline them, your dog can develop various behavioral issues. Some typical problems that hitting your dog will cause are:

• Insecurity and fearfulness
• Instinct to hide or run away from you
• Aggression

If you’re beating your dog, you’re not addressing the problem, you’re teaching them to see you as a source of pain. Whether the reason for punishment is excessive barking, peeing in the house or snatching food off your counter, punishment in the form of spanking is only going to make matters worse.

Your dog won’t be disciplined if they’re punished with force. In the majority of cases, physical punishment only makes dogs scared and confused. Why? Because you’re conditioning your dog to expect pain from you, without them being able to understand the reason for it.

How to Discipline a Puppy

Same as it is with humans, it’s easier for dogs to get the hang of things while they are young. However, this doesn’t mean that the process will be easier.

Puppies are full of energy and still at a stage of development when they need to learn everything from scratch. A puppy doesn’t understand it’s wrong to chew shoes, poop in the living room or bite your toes.

So, how do you raise a puppy to become a well-socialized, well-behaved dog?

Through treats and praise.

If you’re unsure how to punish a puppy, use the same positive reinforcement principles you would with adult dogs. It might seem that using rewards as a way to discipline a dog is counterproductive, but it’s actually a powerful training method.

By learning that certain types of behavior result in affection and prizes, they’ll quickly realize they need to continue that practice. Similarly, when something of value is withheld or taken away, it teaches them to avoid actions that lead to this.

Fortunately, dog owners have the ability to watch dogs, even remotely. If you have a pup that misbehaves when you are out of the room, you can discover when and how that behavior happened with the use of a remote pet camera, like Petcube.

Why Positive Reinforcements Work Better Than Punishment

Unlike hitting a dog, which is cruel and futile, disciplining a dog with a reward system is a tried and true method that has real benefits.

Constructive and positive training methods help your dog learn the proper behavior through conditioning, which is the best way to discipline a dog.

When a certain activity results in eating treats or getting belly rubs, you can be sure your dog will want to do it as often as possible. For example, if going potty outside means being praised and petted on the head while doing business on the bedroom floor means time out, the choice is easy for a dog. They love pleasing their owners, and when disciplined properly, they’ll know how to do exactly that.

What Are The Best Solutions For Disciplining A Dog

Now that we’ve determined that positive, reward-based discipline is the key, the trick is to learn how to use that method with your own dog.

Focus on activities and items your pooch loves. In most cases, it will be snuggle time, walks, or a tasty treat. To properly discipline your dog, you will need to let them know you’re in control of their favorite activities. Whenever they do something they are not supposed to, like bite or run away, punish them by withholding the rewards they’re used to.

However, even when you manage to establish positive and negative punishment through rewards, it can be hard to discipline your dog if you’re often away.

Pet cameras that double as treat dispensers, such as Petcube Bites 2, can help you reward your pet for their good behavior remotely, or interrupt unwanted behavior with verbal commands via the two-way audio feature. Even well-behaved dogs can suffer from separation anxiety, which leads them to engage in destructive behavior. Dog cameras that allow you to monitor their activities and assist positive reinforcement training can help you stay on top of the situation at all times.

In the end, the most important thing to remember is that punishing a dog doesn’t have to be negative. Dogs need structure in their lives, and when you establish discipline in your household, both you and your dog will be much happier for it.

Petcube products are designed to make pets and their pet parents happy. Petcube Bites 2 and Petcube Play 2 let you watch, hear, play, train and give treats to your pet remotely. Our sound and motion alerts will let you catch destructive or distressed behavior before it gets out of hand.

Puppies spend a lot of time playing, chewing, and chasing things. They tend to use their needle-like sharp teeth during their activities. Puppies may sometimes nibble, chew, or bite their owner’s hands while playing with them. When your puppy is just a few weeks old, this type of behavior is cute, but not so much when they are three or four months old and growing up.

What to do when your puppy growls and bites you?

If your puppy growls when playing, they are trying to tell you that they do not want to be in a certain situation or require your assistance. Stopping aggressive puppy biting is as simple as removing him from the situation and then dealing with the underlying emotion. Finding out what’s bothering your puppy is the best method to stop your puppy from biting.

It is ideal to deal with the root cause rather than punish them for growling and biting. Puppies also growl when they are playing. Do not yell at or snap at your puppy if it tries to bite you. You might want to consider spending some time training your puppy that biting is not acceptable.

Tips to Train your puppy not to bite aggressively

All puppies must learn to control their urge to bite. An aggressive puppy biting owner is not to be encouraged. They may put their mouths on you or someone else when they’re in pain or scared. If they’ve learned bite inhibition, on the other hand, they understand that they shouldn’t bite too forcefully that it hurts.

When puppies play, they instinctively nibble at each other. Their playmates will likely yelp loudly and warn the puppy if their bite is too hard.

1. When your puppy bites aggressively, ignore him

When puppies bite a littermate or playmate quite hard, they usually yelp loudly and quit playing right away. With this, they learn how much is too much and how hard is too severe. When training your puppy not to bite, you may also apply the same method.

Fold your arms and move away from your puppy for 5-10 seconds, ignoring him. It may be necessary to leave the room in some situations. After a nip or bite, use this strategy to train your puppy that the fun and playtime will be over when he bites you.

2. Encourage excellent behavior

It’s just as vital to discourage aggressive puppy biting behavior as it is to reward good behavior. Positive ways to reward your puppy for excellent behavior include praise treats, petting, and playtime. Treat your puppy, pet him, and lavish him with praise when he only kisses and does not bite too hard.

3. When the puppy has calmed down, resume playing

Show your puppy your devotion once again. If an aggressive puppy continues to bite, you should continue to ignore him more, stop all play, and leave the area if necessary. With this action, you are making it clear that you are not paying attention to him. This will help him understand that biting is not good and only if he doesn’t bite, you will give him attention. As a result, he will hesitate to bite you aggressively to gain your affection.

4. Get your puppy a chewing toy

It’s a good idea to have a chewing toy at hand. When the puppy shows the urge to bite, you can anticipate biting tendency and divert his attention to the toy. This will train the puppy on what is acceptable to bite or chew on. Offer a toy instead if they start chewing your fingers or toes while playing.

5. Avoid physical punishment

When you administer physical punishment to your puppy, you’re also showing aggressive behavior. You’re sending the message that aggression is a valid way of communication. If you don’t want your puppy to bite, you can’t make him stop by punishing him. Punishment can only lead to anxiety, fear, and aggression. Because the use of aggression fosters aggression, the punishment can turn a naughty puppy into a severely troubled pet.

6. Discipline your puppy for biting

When your pet is teething and attempting to nibble on your fingers., give the puppy the command “no bite” and then a chewing toy. This will teach your puppy that chewing on specific items is okay.

However, if your puppy’s aggressive biting continues, you must put a stop to it. Order your puppy to stop biting and withdraw your arm away immediately, whether it’s just a minor bite on your fingers or a seemingly harmless playful one.

7. When it comes to training your puppy, be consistent

As your puppy’s training progresses, gradually expose him to various potentially frightening situations while using the refocusing techniques.

Be patient, consistent, and positive at the end of each session. Each puppy is unique and learns at its own pace. If you devote yourself to training your puppy, you’ll be surprised at how quickly he learns to form positive bonds even in the most challenging situations. This, of course, makes them less likely to bite.

Conclusion

Puppies can be a handful, but with the right training, your new pal can develop good habits and a strong bond with you. With their ability to communicate silently and instinctively with you, you can use puppy-specific discipline training to teach your puppy the right behavior. This will help to reinforce positive behavior and avoid negative behavior even while keeping himself entertained and stress-free.

Most dog owners have experienced those frustrating moments when, despite all the training and practice, their dog simply doesn’t listen to them. As you and your puppy get to know each other, it’s important to remember that listening is a two-way-street: he’s learning what you expect just as you’re learning to tune into his signals. Don’t give up! We have some guidelines to help you and your pup communicate effectively.

Practice With Your Puppy

It’s possible that he hasn’t completely mastered a skill or command. Get back to basics and practice, practice, practice. If you’re teaching him to stay, for example, train in different environments such as the house, the yard, at the park. Be patient and consistent until you think he really gets it. Some commands, like “come,” can be life-saving if, for instance, he’s about to chase a squirrel onto a busy road. Reward him lavishly every time he gets it right.

Alternatives to Punishment

Punitive or harsh training will damage the bond you’re building with your puppy. Remember that you’re teaching him cues for the puppy behavior you want. Correct him gently and appropriately, when needed, and reward him for responding correctly with praise and/or treats.

Photo courtesy of Diane Donnelly, AKC Breeder of Merit

Know the Breed

Teaching a sight hound or terrier, for example, to sit-stay as a rabbit runs across the yard will take extra practice and patience. Learning about your dog’s breed will help make things easier.

Pay Attention to What Your Puppy Is Feeling

Strong emotions can get in the way of training and practice. For instance, if your dog is fearful of something in the environment, like loud noises or another dog, self-preservation instincts kick in, and he’s less capable of more complex thinking.

For a dog, listening has more to do with reading your body language and understanding physical cues than it does with verbal language. He’s hearing words and human speech all day long, and it may be hard to separate out the command from the rest of it. Think of how the parents and other adults sound in the “Peanuts” movies — like an indistinguishable yammering. That’s similar to what your dog hears. Dogs communicate with each other by reading posture and body language, and your dog is adept at reading yours, as well. So use very clear cues, not only a word, but also a specific tone of voice and a physical gesture.

As the epitome of naughty deeds, puppies have ways of driving their pet parents mad. You wake up to find the garbage on the floor and your socks and shoes shredded. You sit on the couch and your pal jumps on up with you, despite you telling him he’s not allowed. Disciplining your puppy is mostly about positivity and a little about distraction.

Video of the Day

Correct Him During the Act

The most effective way to stop your pup’s bad behavior is catching him red-handed. Sometimes that’s easy, as in the case of him sounding off with barks or jumping on people. But some bad behaviors aren’t so easy to catch until after the deed has long been done, such as trash-picking puppies and sheet shredders. Keep an eye on your puppy at all times. If you notice the house is silent and you don’t see the youngster, go looking for him. Puppies can quickly find themselves in lots of trouble when not supervised by their human parents. If you don’t catch your pup in the act, it’s impossible to discipline him. Disciplining involves modifying his response to a situation, which requires him to be in that situation at the time.

Distract and Avoid

Think of bad behaviors such as getting in the trash, eating wires, tearing up pillows and eating cat litter as opportunistic situations. These are behaviors that are difficult to modify because it’s nearly impossible to reward the opposite behavior. That might sound confusing, so think of it like this: you can ignore jumping and reward your puppy only when his four paws are on the ground. He eventually learns that not jumping nets him way more rewards than jumping. You cannot ignore him eating cat litter, and there’s no opposite behavior to reward him for. To put an end to such behaviors, distract him with a quick and sharp “ah” when you witness the behavior, and find a way to keep him from engaging in the behavior. That might mean putting a lid on your trash, hiding wires in PVC tubes and keeping him in his crate when you leave the house. Chewing destruction should not persist beyond his teething months — around 3 to 7 months of age — unless he’s bored or suffers from separation anxiety.

Ignore, Replace and Reward

Suppose your puppy latches onto your hand with his teeth. Replace your hand with a toy and give your pal lots of praise as he nibbles on it. If he goes for your hand again, jump up, ignore him for about 20 seconds and then offer him a toy. If he takes it, go back to playing with him. You want to ignore bad behaviors like those and reward good behaviors. Some behaviors don’t warrant all three actions of ignoring, replacing and rewarding, and some may call for a command. Consider couch jumping, for example. The moment your pup’s front feet touch the couch, stand up, say “off” and walk away from the couch. When he jumps off the couch, reward him with a treat.

Consistency

Stopping your puppy’s bad behaviors requires consistency on your part. You can’t one day train him to not jump on people and then the next allow him to leap on whomever he wants. You can’t correct his mouthing during his teething stage and then turn around and think it’s cute when friends or family are over. Your puppy is much like a child, except he grows up a whole lot faster.

What NOT to Do

Disciplining your pup should never consist of negative reinforcement. In some cases, negative reinforcement may work, but it will typically yield slower and less effective results. It can also cause your puppy to become fearful. Saying “ah” sharply to distract your pup is perfectly fine. Yelling at and smacking him is not.

Puppies are adorable and lovely to care for. However, they can also be quite naughty, biting and misbehaving at times. It is our responsibility as their caregiver to discipline them from a young age so they are well-behaved and have a balanced temperament as adults. With that being said, we mustn’t do this by scolding them.

In this AnimalWised article we’re going to explain the best way to discipline your puppy by using positive reinforcement and other methods that don’t include any type of violence. Keep reading to learn more!

1. Is it bad to scold a puppy?
2. The best way discipline a puppy
3. My puppy has behavioural problems

Is it bad to scold a puppy?

Dogs feel that we are part of their pack and want to live with us in peace. They actually want us to be happy and they don’t misbehave to make us angry. In fact, they don’t know what good or bad behaviour is until they learn it from us.

Therefore, it’s important to note that canine education does not try to punish the dog’s bad behaviour, but instead, to reward them when they behave well. This is called positive reinforcement and it is the best way to discipline and train a puppy or adult dog.

Before we scold a puppy, we must ask ourselves why they are behaving in such a way, because the truth is that they don’t want to make us angry on purpose. If your puppy does not answer your call, chews on the cushions, or relieves himself at home, it is because he has not yet learned all the new rules, commands or the routine of his new home.

Why do puppies behave “badly”?

Dogs, especially puppies, ask us for a lot of attention and will do everything possible to get it, even destroying the cushions to see if we react. If you detect negative behaviour, you must remedy it from the beginning. For example, if your dog jumps up to greet you, ignore this behaviour, turn around and turn your back on him. When he has calmed down you can pet him to reward the good behaviour. Next time, he’ll be more careful and try to stay calm so you greet him and pet him.

Usually, a puppy just wants your attention and tries to figure out they can do that. Therefore, simply teach them to catch your attention differently, in a well behaved way that won’t disturb anyone or cause any trouble.

The best way discipline a puppy

But how to scold a puppy properly? Do not completely ignore your puppy’s misbehaviours, but correct them appropriately so that he understands what he can and cannot do. Therefore, we want to offer you tips to find out how to correct a puppy.

The best way to discipline your puppy is through positive reinforcement. In other words, we are going to reward them when they behave the way we want them to. This is the most effective way of training a dog as they always want to do good and they fully understand that we are happy when we reward them with a treat or affection, making them repeat the awarded behaviour.

Therefore, instead of scolding them for their bad behaviour, simply reward them when they do a good behaviour. Give them a treat, tell them “good puppy” in a sweet and high pitched voice, or give them a cuddle. Another great method for this is clicker training. Not only is it helpful for overall training, for tricks and canine sport, but also to correct bad behaviour. Learn more in our article about clicker training for dogs.

So, how do you let your dog know that they’ve misbehaved? Should you simply ignore it and reward them when they do it correctly? Well, that’s one way to handle it. However, if necessary, you can “scold” them by saying their name or the word “no” firmly and in a low voice as soon as they’ve done an undesired behaviour.

Dogs are very sensitive and will perceive the change in our choice and facial expression and they will know something isn’t right. Therefore, a simple firm “no” is suffice to let your puppy know that they’ve misbehaved. Along with this you can reward the correct behaviour as that is how they best learn how to behave in different environments.

You should never scold them by yelling at them, threatening to hit them or any other type of violence. If you resort to this type of scolding, not only will you harm your relationship with your puppy as they will begin to associate you with something negative and will begin to avoid you or be scared of you, but you can also traumatize your dog, leading to them having a bad temperament or trust issues as adults.

My puppy has behavioural problems

Is your puppy biting or having other behaviour issues? If you’ve tried training them through positive reinforcement and even through the clicker method and you’re still struggling to get them to behave, you can resort to contacting a canine trainer or canine behaviour specialist. They will be able to analyse your puppy’s behaviour and show you how to properly train them. You should also bring them to the veterinarian for a check-up to rule out the cause being due to a medical condition.

Remember that training a puppy takes a lot of patience as they are very distracted and playful at this age, but with patience and the right methods it is definitely possible to train a dog to behave in different situations and even to do certain tricks when asked to do so.

When it comes to biting, we recommend you read our article about why your puppy is biting their leash and why your puppy is biting and growling. You can also learn more about training your puppy in our article about when to start training your puppy.

The dream of every new dog owner is a well-disciplined pup that can be trusted in any situation. However, in reality, the behavior of dogs can often be problematic – especially in their formative years – so it takes a fair amount of training and effort to effectively instill this discipline.

While this process may seem a little daunting at times, discipline is essential if you want a well-behaved pup. Fortunately, by focusing on a few simple strategies and avoiding a number of others, you should be able to see quick results.

This guide will take an in-depth look at some of the most important do’s and don’ts when it comes to effectively disciplining your puppy. We’ll also look to answer some of the frequently asked questions related to the topic.

The Do’s Of Discipling A Puppy

Use Motivation And Reward

Learning to understand exactly what motivates your puppy is an essential part of effective discipline. For example, they may respond positively to a range of different things, whether that’s lots of rubbing and petting, interactions with special toys, verbal encouragement, or a handful of tasty treats.

Pay close attention to what triggers the best response from your puppy, and when you notice them displaying good behavior, reward them appropriately. This will ensure that your pooch makes a positive association with good behavior.

Just keep in mind that it’s vitally important to be consistent with the positive reinforcement method. This is because dogs quickly learn which behaviors earn them the most approval and those which don’t.

Be Authoritative

Puppies learn to respect their owners and positively respond to discipline when they’re subject to clear authority. To assert this level of authority over your pooch, deliver commands such as “sit”, “stay”, and “quiet” in a stern tone of voice.

Many experts and owners believe it’s a good idea to make your dog follow commands outside of training sessions too. A common example of this is asking your dog to sit before giving them their dinner.

If your puppy doesn’t listen to your commands, be persistent and don’t back down. It’s imperative to show them that they have to obey your commands. Just make sure you continue to project and assert your authority in a calm manner, even if they don’t listen the first few times.

Consistency

As touched upon previously, consistency is key to effective discipline. So, whether you’re rewarding good behavior with a treat or punishing a negative action with the cold shoulder, it’s important to be consistent and offer the same reaction every time the behavior occurs.

Some owners find it useful to assign a specific action for each behavior. For example, some of the less serious issues such as barking could be given a verbal cue such as “quiet”, whereas more destructive behaviour such as chewing furniture could be met with a timeout.

It’s also important to take into account timing. If you hesitate and wait too long to take action, your puppy’s attention may move elsewhere and they could forget what they did wrong in the first place.

Use Professional Help

There’s nothing wrong with getting professional help if your best efforts haven’t proven successful. You don’t always have to figure it out yourself – sometimes using a professional dog trainer or attending training classes is the best option.

If you decide to use professional help but still want to discipline your puppy yourself, there are countless YouTube videos, books, and blogs out there to help you with any issues you may have.

The Don’ts Of Disciplining A Puppy

Shout Or Use Physical Force

There are times when trying to discipline your puppy can be incredibly frustrating – especially when they’re refusing to listen or take anything onboard. However, even in these challenging situations, it’s imperative to avoid using physical discipline or yelling at your pooch.

If you feel like their behavior is getting out of control, don’t ever resort to physical discipline or shouting, instead look to get help from a professional trainer or some assistance from friends and family.

Using physical force can make their behavioral problems twice as bad. What’s more, it can even lead to your dog becoming scared of you, subsequently increasing their anxiety, and sometimes even their aggression.

In terms of yelling or shouting at your dog, this is very rarely helpful. It’ll mainly sound like loud noise, so they’ll slowly begin to tune you out and fail to understand that they’ve done anything wrong.

Even worse, constant yelling could agitate and excite your puppy, making them more likely to engage in negative behaviors.

Ignore Bad Behavior

Needless to say, every puppy will exhibit some bad behaviors when they’re learning to play. Whether it’s nibbling on the edge of the sofa or scratching at the back door, it’s important to teach your pooch from an early age that there are certain behaviors in the house that aren’t allowed.

Therefore, it’s essential to make sure that you don’t allow these behaviors to slide simply because it’s cute or because you think that your puppy will soon grow out of them.

To effectively prevent these behaviors from escalating into anything more serious or problematic later down the line, teach your dog how to play correctly as early as you can in their life.

Give up

There’s no denying that training, socializing, and disciplining a puppy is a difficult and time-consuming task. Not only does it take a fair amount of practice, it also requires considerable levels of patience and consistency.

Furthermore, depending on the age of your dog, as well as its breed and natural behavior, it can often take as long as a few months to notice any significant changes in behavior.

With this in mind, you need to give your puppy plenty of time to learn the correct behaviors. They don’t speak the same language as us, so it naturally takes them time to pick up on what’s good and what’s bad.

As mentioned earlier, dogs thrive on consistency and routine, so provide them with all the tools they need to become fully-disciplined creatures.

Most importantly, don’t give up if there aren’t any immediate improvements. Every dog is different, so keep doing all the right things, and the results will soon follow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Is My Puppy Biting So Much?

There can be a number of reasons why your puppy may be biting a lot. One of the most common is that they’re curious and want to test out different things. They may also bite if they’re frustrated or scared of something.

If bites such as these are preceded by a growl, your dog most likely went ahead with the bite because the warning was ignored.

What Age Will My Puppy Calm Down?

While every dog breed is different, most dogs tend to calm down after six to nine months. By this time, they should have reached full maturity, with their excessive puppy energy a thing of the past.

When disciplining your puppy for accidents, keep in mind that you must be patient and kind. Dogs don’t understand why you are upset, so disciplining puppies for urinating really doesn’t work. Rewards and praise are the best ways to ensure getting the behavior you want in a puppy, along with consistency, so they learn what to expect.

Video of the Day

Rewards vs. punishments for puppies

Bringing home a new puppy and teaching it where to go potty can be challenging unless you are mentally prepared and able to devote time to the process.Puppies generally eat three times a day until they have grown into adult dogs, which eat twice daily. It is best to feed your puppy at the same time each day and limit treats so that it does not need to relieve itself at all different times during the day and night.

In general, rewards or punishments for a dog are only useful if they are given within a half of a second of a behavior taking place. In the case of a puppy urinating, that’s going to be very hard to do. If you wait until you have discovered the pee and your puppy is wagging his tail and greeting you, he’s going to think that’s why you’re punishing him. Positive reinforcement training is always the best method of dealing with behavior problems.

Positive reinforcement also works when housebreaking a puppy. The Humane Society says you’ll see the fastest results when you housebreak a puppy on a regular consistent schedule.Take your puppy outside frequently — at least every two hours — and reward your puppy every time they go potty outdoors.

At what age should a puppy stop having accidents?

Take your puppy outside right away after he wakes up, during and after playing, and after eating or drinking. Devote ample time for training your puppy on where to relieve itself and have the time and patience to wait outside while your dog figures out what to do. Always take your puppy (on a leash) to that spot and supervise your puppy at all times if this is possible.

You shouldn’t really expect a puppy to have any bladder or bowel control until they are at least 16 weeks old. Even then, you may come home after being on an afternoon outing and find an occasional accident even into young adulthood. Remember that some puppies learn housetraining faster than others, and the best way to deal with housetraining is consistency, patience and rewards.

Other puppy housetraining tips

If you work outside the home, consider taking off a week to train your puppy. This may shorten the training period and will definitely increase your bond with the puppy. It will also make you and your puppy less stressed as you concentrate on your training efforts and it learns more about its new home and environment.While your puppy is relieving themselves, use a specific word or phrase that you can eventually use before they go to remind them what to do.

Take them out for a longer walk or some playtime only after they have eliminated. If you are using puppy pads, then place them in the same spot each time you change them. As the puppy goes on the pad, praise the puppy. Consider crate-training your puppy, because it will generally not relieve itself on or around its bedding area. You cannot leave the puppy for hours inside a crate, but with increasing increments of time, your puppy will learn to hold its bladder for longer periods.

Do not punish the puppy if you find a mess on the floor but didn’t actually see your puppy in action. The puppy will not understand why you are angry. Do not rub its nose in pee or poop; it will not understand. If you catch the puppy in the act of going in an inappropriate place, say “No” and take it outside.

Praise your puppy when it does go potty in the correct place. Try to get outside in time so that the puppy learns that outdoors is where it should go. After the puppy relieves itself, praise it, reward it with a treat and bring it back inside so that it knows the only purpose of going outside that particular time was to go potty.

Dr. Bartley Harrison is a veterinarian with more than 15 years of professional veterinary experience treating dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, birds, and small mammals, with a specific focus on Emergency Medicine. Dr. Harrison is part of The Spruce Pets’ veterinary review board.

• Pin
• Share
• Email

The Spruce / Kristie Lee

The first thing on any new puppy owner’s mind is housebreaking. I recommend you switch the word ‘breaking’ for the word ‘training’. I will, however, sometimes use it in my writing because that is what people are accustomed to saying. Doesn’t ‘breaking’ lead you to think of doing something to your puppy to teach her? The word ‘training’ reminds you that this is a learning process for you and your puppy. There are five key concepts to teach:

1. Teach your puppy where you want it to go potty
2. Teach your puppy where you do not want it to go potty
3. Teach your puppy to ‘hold it’ when it does not have access to the potty area
4. Teach your puppy how to tell you when it needs to go potty
5. Teach your puppy a phrase or word to go potty when you need for it to​

House-training your puppy is similar to potty training your child. If you would not do something with a child then please do not do it with your puppy! This process is easy unless you do things that make it difficult. Punishment has no place in house-training and will make this process both more difficult and take longer.

For ease of communication, this article will assume you are outdoor training your puppy. For indoor training simply substitute ‘outside’ for ‘potty area’.

Equipment

Start by gathering the correct equipment. Think for a moment about your field of expertise. Does using the proper equipment make things easier?

• Good quality puppy food
• Buckle collar or harness
• 3-4 foot non-retractable lightweight leash
• 15-foot non-retractable cotton web long line
• A place to confine your dog—this is the largest area your puppy will keep clean and not chew up—typically a crate or exercise pen
• A place to walk your dog for outdoor training
• For indoor training either 2 dog litter boxes or 2 frames that hold potty pads and a good supply of potty pads
• Small, easy-to-swallow treats
• Carpet cleaner
• A good amount of patience
• A sense of humor

Think about these things before you start:

1. Feed your puppy on a schedule. What goes in comes out! The puppy that eats all day will need to go at unpredictable times. Feeding on a schedule allows you to predict when your puppy needs to eliminate.
2. The best place for your puppy to sleep is in a small wire crate next to your bed. It is a good idea to have a larger crate in the area of your house where you spend the most time. Consider using an indoor exercise pen if you need to leave your puppy for longer than four hours.
3. Choose a keying phrase that the entire family agrees with. I use ‘be quick’ with my dogs. You might also say ‘business’, ‘go potty’, ‘or ‘ water the grass’. The only rule is that you are comfortable saying the phrase in public!

The Five Concepts of Housetraining Your Puppy

Let’s review the 5 concepts of housetraining your puppy. It is important to teach all five concepts to your puppy! There is no specific order to teaching these:

The first is how to teach your puppy where to go potty. Decide where the potty area is and consistently take your puppy there. Remember to say the word “outside” as you go outside or “inside” as you go to the indoor potty area. Give your treat five seconds after your puppy has finished going.

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kristie Lee

The second concept teaching your puppy where not to go potty. Avoid frightening and/or punishing your puppy. Redirection without fear is the fastest way to results.

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kristie Lee

The third concept is how to teach your puppy to hold it. Use confinement to teach this when you cannot watch your puppy. Use your leash (safely) indoors when you can supervise its activity.

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kristie Lee

The fourth concept is to teach your puppy how to tell you it needs to go potty. I suggest teaching your puppy to ring a bell instead of barking, whining, or scratching the door.

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kristie Lee

The fifth concept is how to condition a keying phrase to get your puppy to feel the internal urge to go potty when you need for it to go.

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

The Spruce / Kristie Lee

You will find that all five concepts weave together to patiently teach your puppy what you expect from it. I do not believe that there is such a thing as a partially house-trained dog. Your puppy is either house-trained or it is not. You can use these five concepts to teach a puppy or teach an older dog, as long as the dog is of sound mind and body. It is, however, much faster and easier to teach these concepts in puppyhood!

How to Housebreak a Puppy Without a Crate

Housebreaking your puppy can frustrate you while he struggles to grasp the concept. Piddle spots will happen as he learns, which can only add to your aggravation. Handle these slips properly so you don’t cause him unnecessary stress and fear, likely resulting in regression in the training.

Accidents Happen

A puppy’s brain is only so big. Playing, eating and sleeping sometimes dominate your fur ball’s every other thought. Excitement over a new toy, or a taking an extra-long nap, can make your little guy forget he needs to go outside to do his business. Rome was not built in a day as the saying goes, and your puppy won’t be completely house-trained in that amount of time either. Recognize that accidents come with the territory of puppy parenthood; unless he seems sick, these little puddles are simply par for the course.

What Not to Do

As frustrating as it is to find a pee puddle or poo pile on your living room rug, control your emotions. Do not yell at your puppy or rub his nose in the mess; do not give him a swat on his bottom. Reacting with anger is not just wasted energy but is regressive in result. Displaying anger will not stop future accidents; it may cause more as your puppy becomes stressed and scared of you.

Try, Try Again

House-training your puppy comes down to A, B and C — Always Be Consistent. Take your pup outside every two hours, and immediately after waking, eating or playing. Keep regular mealtimes and train your puppy to a crate if you plan to be out for a few hours. Proper crate-training is an effective housebreaking effort. If you catch him in the act of going inside the house, surprise him by clapping or calling his name loudly. This will make him clench and stop going. Pick him up and offer gentle reassurance as you rush him outside to finish. Thoroughly clean any potty spots inside with cleaners designed to break down the smell. Otherwise, if he still smells the pee or poo, he’ll wander to that area again the next time he has to go.

Good Boy

Puppies love to please; once your little guy knows what’s expected of him, he’ll have no problems going where he’s supposed to. Encourage him to do his business as you wait outside with him. It may take a while at first, so be patient. When he finally goes, praise him to high heaven and offer a treat. This encouragement helps him remember that relieving himself outside is good, which will help future potty trips.

More Articles

Can You Take Water & Food From a Puppy at Night? →

Housebreak a Border Collie →

Make Your Hyper Chihuahua Puppy Fall Asleep →

• The Humane Society of the United States: Housetraining Puppies
• ASPCA: House Training Your Puppy
• Humane Education and Responsible Ownership: Tips on House Training Puppies: The Do’s and Don’ts
• Cesar’s Way: Housebreaking Your Puppy: Do’s and Don’ts

Jane Williams began her writing career in 2000 as the writer and editor of a nationwide marketing company. Her articles have appeared on various websites. Williams briefly attended college for a degree in administration before embarking on her writing career.

Home » Pets » Dogs » Puppies » Disciplining a Puppy – How to Change their Behavior

That adorable new puppy just chewed a not-so-adorable hole in your sofa. Maybe you’re down to just one pair of shoes that haven’t been destroyed by that furry little bundle of joy. Or perhaps you feel you’ve cleaned up enough puppy poop to last a lifetime. Whatever your training dilemma is, applying proper discipline is key to stopping the unwanted behavior.

Many experts offer many different, and conflicting ideas. It’s often difficult to decide which method of discipline is best. There are, however, a few general guidelines to keep in mind when disciplining your new best friend.

Some Methods Instill Fear in Puppies

Hitting or shaking your puppy is not a good idea. While it may stop the unwanted behavior, it will also teach your puppy to be afraid of people. In addition to causing your puppy to avoid you, it can teach your puppy to be aggressive towards humans in general

If you hit your puppy, then later reach out to pet him, all he will know is the fear of that hand coming towards him. Instead, choose a method of discipline that uses rewards for proper behavior and discourages unwanted behavior by startling the puppy with a loud noise, such as shaking a can full of pennies.

Caught in the Act

If you walk up on a mess made by your puppy, and your puppy is not in sight, then this is not the time to try and teach your puppy a lesson. Unless you can correct the unwanted behavior AS IT IS TAKING PLACE then your efforts will be in vain.

If you drag your puppy over to a mess he made earlier, and tell him NO, he will likely not understand what he did wrong.

Instead reserve discipline for when you catch him in the act. Keep some type of noisemaker handy. Pet stores and online pet supply sites sell special whistles that can be used for this purpose. Just as effective is the aforementioned can of pennies, a shrill whistle or simply a loud NO from the owner.

The noise should startle the puppy enough that he stops the behavior. Then, after he has been distracted, redirect the puppies attention to a more acceptable behavior.

Accentuate the Positive

Enforcing the behavior you want is just as important as discouraging behavior you don’t want. When drawing your puppy away from unacceptable behavior and pointing them toward acceptable behavior, reward your puppy when he acts appropriately. When you happen upon him mauling his chew toy instead of your favorite chair, reward him verbally and, perhaps, with a treat.

By reinforcing the behavior you want, you are providing one more reason for your dog to behave appropriately.

Prevention is the Best Medicine

It is more difficult for your puppy to misbehave if he is not left alone in tempting situations. Until your puppy has learned what is acceptable, supervision is key. Keep an eye on your puppy when he is roaming free through the house. Work on crate training, so that when you are away, your pet has a safe place to rest while he waits for your return. This not only provides limits for your pooch, it also protects your belongings!

Another reason that supervision is important was discussed earlier: For discipline to be effective, the puppy must be caught in the act of misbehaving.

What will work depends a lot on the personality of your puppy. Some methods that work well for one puppy will not work so well for another. Just keep trying different methods until you find one that works for you.

First, let me tell you what I am calling punishment. What I am calling punishment is something one would do when their dog is misbehaving that the dog does not like. It could be a loud noise, a shock or tightening a choke collar. You will know if the punishment worked because your dog would do the behavior less. Although some punishments are quite gentle (like saying “no”), I am not advocating using punishment to train your dog because of the negative risks of punishment. Punishments are risky because they can cause fear, and fear is a major cause of aggression and shyness.

If you do choose to punish your puppy or dog, you should seriously consider seeking the help of an experienced professional trainer who can coach you on your timing and method. However, I predict that the more you concentrate on preventing your dog’s misbehavior and rewarding good behavior, the less you will be need to use punishments.

Training Guide for Reactive & Aggressive Dogs E-Book

Using punishment correctly is not simple and mistakes can have serious consequences. I have outlined the some of the requirements for effective use of punishment:

• The punishment should follow the “crime” by less than 5 seconds so that your dog will not be confused about what behavior is being punished.
• The punishment should be just the right severity to reduce the misbehavior in 2-3 applications. If the punishment is too weak, it could make your dog less sensitive to punishments in the future, and if it is too harsh it could traumatize or physically harm your dog. If a punishment is too strong, his resulting fear could lead to a behavior problem.
• Your dog should not be able to tell that a person is punishing him. Otherwise he may learn to misbehave when no one is looking, or he may decide that people are unpleasant or scary to be around. The punishment should appear to come directly from the universe like gravity. A good example is a booby trap.
• Your dog should be taught a new behavior to replace the misbehavior. For example, teach him to “sit” instead of jumping up to get attention. If your dog has no alternate behavior for the one that was punished then he may get confused about what he is supposed to do in that situation. In his confusion, he may choose another misbehavior or become stressed and worried.
• Be aware that if punishment is used for aggressive behaviors it can be very dangerous. For example, if your dog growls at your daughter and you punish him by yelling at him, he may stop growling at your daughter when you are near and the problem may seem solved. However, your dog is likely even less comfortable around your daughter and the risk of a bite without a warning growl is higher.

Some examples of poorly applied punishments and possible consequences:

• “Rubbing your dog’s nose in it” – This technique is generally applied too long after a house training accident and so he will not associate the accident with the punishment. It could make your dog afraid of you, or he may learn that he needs to hide from you to poop.
• Yelling at a barking dog – This could increase barking if the cause of the barking is to get attention. It could cause him to fear the person who is yelling or it could convince him that what he was barking at was truly important since his person is “barking” too.
• Jerking the leash when the dog pulls – This is usually not a strong enough punishment to deter pulling for long. Leash jerks can also be damaging to your dog’s neck and spine.
• Kneeing a dog that jumps up – This may teach the dog that people are unpleasant or, if he enjoys being rough, he may learn to jump more aggressively.

Training your dog properly using punishments can be risky and difficult! Therefore, we recommend choosing a punishment that has the least likelihood of doing harm such as a hand clap or “time out”, preventing misbehavior while you are still training and most importantly, teaching your dog what you want him to do using rewards.

Happy Training! If you found this article helpful, please consider supporting our small business by becoming a customer or sharing our site with a friend.

When your dog won’t listen to your commands, it can be frustrating — and it can also be dangerous. After all, this kind of communication can help keep your dog out of trouble, preventing him from running out into a busy street or eating something he shouldn’t. It can also help keep you sane by helping you manage problem behaviors.

But it’s not always easy to get to the root of the problem. So where do you start if your dog doesn’t obey — either in specific situations or all of the time? Here are a few problems you may be encountering.

Remove Excess Energy

If you’ve ever tried to communicate with a hyper toddler, then you know how excited energy can be distracting. It’s no different with dogs. When your pup is raring to go, his only focus is on releasing all that pent-up energy inside, and he’s going to have a hard time listening to you.

So remember to practice first exercise, then discipline, and then affection. A daily walk that truly drains all of your dog’s energy will go a long way.

Be Consistent

If your dog is receiving different messages about his behavior, he won’t understand what you want from him. That’s also true if individual family members enforce different rules. Sit down as a family and discuss the rules, boundaries, and limitations you want to set for your dog. It can be helpful to write them down and display them somewhere prominent.

Master Your Energy

Dogs listen to their pack leaders, and you can only be that leader if you are displaying calm-assertive energy. If you’re frantic or uncertain as you give a command, your dog will tune you out. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t really aware of the energy we are giving off. Have a friend observe your behavior and give you feedback — or even film it so you can see for yourself.

Go Back to Basics

Does your dog truly know the command? It can take hundreds or even thousands of repetitions for some dogs to learn a new skill. Practice makes perfect. You may need to focus on training again to ensure your dog really has it down.

Stop Relying on Verbal Commands

Dogs don’t speak to one another; they use energy and body language to communicate. So it’s not surprising that they sometimes have trouble picking up on our verbal commands, particularly when they are bombarded by our constant yammering all day.

Even if they know a command, they may actually associate it more with a non-verbal cue you give at the same time — something you may not even realize you’re doing.

If your dog is listening to you, consider what may have changed about your physical presence. Are you holding a baby? Are you sitting down? Are you looking away? Small changes like these may be impacting your ability to fully communicate your message like you normally would.

Notice Your Dog’s Emotional State

Beyond pent-up energy, your dog may be distracted by a number of emotions. If you are trying to train her to come when a neighbor’s dog approaches, your pup may instead be so focused on claiming her territory that she’s tuned you out. Or she may be so frightened by the sound of thunder and lightning that there’s little mental space to hear your command to go to her crate. You have to deal with the underlying issue before you can get your dog to really listen to you.

If you continue to have problems, consider hiring a professional to help. Communication between you and your dog is important for both of you and worth the investment of your time and energy.

Only by learning how dogs communicate you will be able to fulfill your role as Pack Leader. In Cesar’s DVD “Essentials of Dog Behavior: The Language of Dogs,” he explains how the most unwanted canine behaviors can be corrected by understanding what your dog is communicating. Order yours now.

Does your dog ever not pay attention to you, or do you have a method of getting his attention that always works? Tell us about it in the comments!

• Home
• About Us
  • FAQ
• Success Stories
• One-on-One
• Contact Us
• Fast Track Course
• SHOP

HOW TO STOP YOUR PUPPY FROM TORMENTING YOUR OLDER DOG

What happens when you have an older dog and bring a new puppy into the picture? Sometimes, peace and harmony but more often it is chaos. Some older dogs find a new puppy to be very annoying, and puppies can often torment an older dog. Read on to find tips on How to Stop Your Puppy From Tormenting Your Older Dog.

It’s important to remember that your older dog was there first. He was just going along, minding his own business, enjoying the luxurious life when, BAM!! Enter someone new who is so cute he seems to get all the attention all the time. And on top of that, the puppy does not just stay to himself. No, he is curious and has to learn everything about his new older “playmate” firsthand. This is completely normal, but what about when the puppy gets out of hand and crosses the line into being aggressive with your older dog?

Of course, you shouldn’t allow the puppy to torment, anger, or injure your older dog. It’s cruel and it’s just not fair! Your older dog will not understand what’s going on, and after all, he deserves his last years to be his best. He also needs to know that you are protecting him right now if he can’t/won’t assert himself. Some older dogs have such a great personality, and you don’t want the puppy to change that. On the OTHER hand, most older dogs will finally assert themselves against a puppy if it goes too far and they have had enough. It’s their nature and maybe the puppy hasn’t pushed it past the limit yet, but when she does, she will get a mother-like “nip” from your order dog that will help take care of this.

Always make sure the puppy has plenty of exercise, toys, and playtime. Bored puppies will often act out in aggression, but tired puppies often will not. If there is any way to get your puppy out and around other dogs her age and speed BEFORE she unleashes all that energy on your older dog, that would help. Part of the problem is just a puppy being a puppy and he will outgrow it. There comes a point when it’s not so much fun to torment, annoy, harrass the older dog anymore.

The part you want to control is when it goes beyond “puppiness” and becomes harmful. For this, you can use a can with a few pennies in it taped shut. Shake the can when your puppy is aggressive to your older dog and say “No!” loudly. This works best when there is only the puppy involved but you really don’t want to punish the older dog so try to shake the can in the puppy’s ear. A different approach is to get a spray bottle with water in it. Spray the puppy (try not to spray the older dog) and say “NO!” loudly. The goal is to startle her. You have to be consistent and do it every time.

You will also want to act like you are leaving them together alone and then jump in at the first sign of aggression and spray her. Use your firm voice, not your sweet voice.

And lastly, continue giving your order dog LOTS of praise and attention throughout this stage, a few extra treats won’t hurt either 🙂 Most likely when he sees that you are there to protect him, he will begin to exert himself and feel the confidence to take up for himself more. And the hope is that soon the puppy will grow and mature out of this stage and these two will live a long happy life together.

So you got your first new puppy! Congratulations! But what now? Here are some tips to follow so that you and your new best friend can be besties for life.

When you get a new puppy, you should establish who the owner is right away. The puppy should know exactly who is the owner. Not only that, but you’ll want to bring it to the vet as soon as possible because they will check it for health conditions or any other issues that may be present or could be an issue in the future.

Make sure to housebreak your pup as soon as possible and don’t forget to make sure they have regular exercise. As for housebreaking, create a routine right way because you want the dog to know what time of the day to go potty and to eat are. The same goes for exercise, such as walks, playtime or time in the yard.

Make sure you keep a feeding schedule for your pup. Give your new fur baby food at the same time every single day and don’t just leave it out for grazing. After your puppy has finished eating, bring it outside and let it go to the bathroom.

Safety Tips

Make sure you keep materials that can harm your puppy away from it. Your cabinets should be secure and don’t leave stuff laying around. Remember, your puppy is going to test boundaries and learn where its boundaries are. Keep all harmful materials out of reach, just as you would if you had young kids.

Puppies tend to eat anything. They love to put anything in their mouths. Do things like tying up extension cords and teach them to not play around with them. If you think there is something your puppy would want to play with, then move it somewhere else.

Pets love to dig through the trash, so make sure trash containers are not in easy reach and place leftover food outside in the bin. Human food can make your puppy sick, so don’t leave leftover foods where your pet can get to it. Many people feed their doggies human food, but it is better to be safe than sorry, so just don’t do it.

Discipline Tips

Never, and we mean never hit a puppy or any other kind of animal because this is a horrible form of discipline. Your dog will only be afraid of you and tremble when you go near it if you do this. You want your puppy to grow into a dog that will love you unconditionally, so don’t hit it.

Learn how to use the word no when your puppy does something you don’t want it to do. Eventually they will learn what that word means and they will learn not to do those things. Like kids, remove anything that could harm your puppy, if it is in easy reach or can easily be found by them.

Learning And Growing

Allow your puppy to play and encourage it but don’t let them bite you. Puppies need to know right from the start that biting is not allowed nor is it acceptable behavior. If they feel the need to bite or chew, then buy them a few chew toys that they can play with.

Playtime is a great experience for both humans and their pets, so bring your dog/dogs out and let them run around the yard or the park. Just make sure you keep a close eye on them and know when they are starting to get tired. When you notice them tiring themselves out, then give them water and find them a place to rest. Invest in a good bed and eventually they will know it is their place and they will go to it whenever they want to relax and/or sleep. Good training is essential!

Set The Rules

It’s your home and you should and need to set rules. If it’s fine, then let your puppy go on the furniture but if not, then make sure you establish the rule of no dogs on the sofa. If you get a large dog breed and you allow them on the couch when they are a puppy, then this may be an issue when they are older because of how much room they can take up.

Smaller dogs don’t take up that much room, so it’s fine to let them onto the couch and other furniture. However, the choice is ultimately yours to make. Just consider the consequences before you establish rules for your puppy because when they learn things at a young age, it is hard to get them to stop doing those things when they reach the age of maturity.

If you let your puppy out into the yard, then keep an eye on them, especially if it’s hot out. Also, buy some dog shoes because they can come in handy on walks with your dog. They won’t burn their paws on hot surfaces. Another thing you want to do is bring around plastic bags when you are out with your dog because if they go to the bathroom, then you can pick it up.

Speaking of walking, it’s a good idea to keep your puppy on a leash . A harness is better though because it tends to be more comfortable for the puppy. It is up to you what you decide to use.

If you treat your dog right and take good care of it, it will remain loyal and loving to you and your family. They will love you unconditionally too. With that said, keep the above advice and tips in mind if you are thinking about getting a new puppy.

It’s an all-too-familiar scenario. Two humans try to blend their existing packs and wind up with their dogs fighting and creating chaos. It can happen with roommates moving in together, people trying to date, or even when bringing a new dog into an existing pack.

It doesn’t have to be this way and, short of having one or more dogs that are red zone cases (which will require a professional trainer’s help), you can take steps to prevent this problem before it happens or solve it if it does.

Before the dogs meet

One big mistake people make when introducing dogs from different packs or bringing in new dogs is by just tossing them together in one pack’s territory and hoping that they’ll get along. Maybe they will and maybe they won’t.

By bringing a new dog into another pack’s territory, you are running the risk of the existing pack becoming assertive or aggressive in order to defend what is theirs. Depending on the new dog’s energy, they may become completely submissive and fearful, or they may fight back.

Whether you’re bringing a new dog into the pack or moving in new humans with their existing pack, the procedure is the same, and you can find it in detail in the article A New Member of the Pack. The short version is that all of the dogs should meet in neutral territory and take a long walk together first, before coming into the home. Then, the humans enter first, followed by the dogs that live there, followed by the new dog.

In this way, you are allowing the dogs to first bond as a pack on the walk, then allowing the dogs currently living in the home to bring the new dogs in. Just shoving a new dog in through the door is an invasion; doing it this way turns it into an invitation from the existing dogs.

Too late — now what?

One dog fight does not make for a disaster, but your reaction to it can. Even among the seemingly closest of pack mates, sometimes something can happen that will get them going at each other. One of them doesn’t respect the other’s space and a correction turns into a conflict. Maybe a human member of the pack accidentally drops a high value food item on the floor and both dogs go for it. Maybe one of your dogs is experiencing physical pain and another dog nudged her the wrong way.

The first step with the first fight is to break it up quickly and calmly. Cesar explains the steps to breaking up a dog fight, where your instinct is the key. Focus on the dog with the higher level of intensity, use touch to redirect (this forces them to release if they’re biting), and then pull them up (not back). Never yell or shout excitedly when breaking up a dog fight — this will only elevate the aggression. You can use a loud grunt or shout, but always in a calm manner. You’re not breaking up the dogs with your voice; you’re defusing the aggression with your energy.

The second and most important step with a dog fight is how you handle it after. The right way: forget it happened, because your dogs will. The wrong way: start worrying about the next fight, because that is the quickest way to guarantee that it will happen.

Avoiding dog fights

Dogs in the same pack fight for one reason only: because they do not have a strong pack leader. This is why establishing rules, boundaries, and limitations for the entire pack is important. If all of your dogs are looking to you as a leader, they will not be looking at each other as competition.

It’s also very important to walk your dogs together, side-by-side. Not only does the exercise help to lower their energy, and hence the impulse to fight, but by moving your dogs forward together it focuses them on a common goal instead of each other.

Remember: the worst thing you can do if you have dogs that fight is to ignore the problem by isolating them from each other. Socialization is key for a well-balanced dog. What this actually does is create a separate territory for each dog, and fighting over territory is the only natural cause of battles between dog packs. Since the dogs will still be able to smell each other, that conflict will become an obsession. If they ever do wind up together in this situation, then they will fight.

The key to success is you

Even the most seemingly balanced dog pack may occasionally have a fight in it. The important thing to remember is that you are in charge and conflict like this is not the end of the world. Break the fight up quickly and calmly, redirect the dog’s attention, take them for a walk together, and don’t worry that it’s going to happen again.

They may or may not fight again, but if worry over it does not become your obsession, you will not be feeding them negative energy that will lead to another fight. Reward them when they are being calm and submissive, and correct them when they are not. Your dogs would prefer to not fight, and you as the pack leader can help them achieve this goal.

Have you had problems with fights in your pack? Let us know what worked for you in the comments below!

Although we’d all like to believe our furry friends can do no wrong, occasionally, their behavior is less than ideal. This has many dog owners wondering — what is the proper way to discipline a dog?

Whether it’s a new pup you’ve just welcomed home or a dog that’s been in the family for years, discipline should be treated as more than just consequences for undesirable actions — it’s a way to create trust and a bond between you and your pooch.

If you’re new to the training scene or need a refresher, here are five dos and don’ts for disciplining your dog.

Disciplining Your Dog: Dos

Do: Use Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement has long been a touted strategy for dog training. Used by guide dog trainers and police forces, this can be one of the best ways to communicate with your pup.

When your pup does something good, you can use verbal praise, toys, and treats to reward him. For example, if your dog is jumping on a house guest, and when you ask him to sit, he does, reward him with his favorite treat and a pat on the head. We recommend buying training treats that not only taste good to your pup, but also have health benefits.

For positive reinforcement to work, you also have to make sure you don’t reward bad behavior. For dogs, sometimes all they want is any kind of attention, even if you’re scolding them. If your pooch jumps on you to play, some experts say that it’s best to turn the other way and ignore them rather than speak to them at all.

Do: Be Consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to successfully training and disciplining your dog. Whether you use verbal cues and designated hand signals to interrupt bad behavior or withhold rewards and put your pup in timeout after the deed is done, make sure you do so every time that behavior occurs.

It can also be helpful to assign a specific signal or action for each behavior. More innocent behaviors, like barking at other dogs or people, might have verbal cues that get your dog to stop, while more unfortunate behaviors, like chewing or destroying furniture, might warrant a timeout. Keep in mind that timing is key, too. If you wait too long to take action, it could be too late for your pooch to remember what he even did wrong in the first place.

• Do: Use Professional Help
  You don’t have to figure it all out yourself. Attending training classes or hiring a professional dog trainer might be the best option if your dog just isn’t getting it. A quick Google search should point you in the direction of a local trainer, but if you prefer to do it yourself at home, there are hundreds of books, YouTube videos, and blogs out there to help you navigate training your dog.

Disciplining Your Dog: Don’ts

When learning how to discipline a dog, it’s important to remember that dogs don’t speak our language, so we have to give them the time they need to learn how to communicate with us. Dogs thrive on routine and consistency, so it’s up to us as dog owners to teach them the rules and continue to enforce them.

Puppies need love and proper training to grow into well-mannered dogs.

Fair warning; the internet is a mishmash of training nonsense, some of it guaranteed to create an out-of-control puppy that is a headache to live with.

Can I be honest about a subject that has frustrated me for years? People who get a new puppy are faced with a bewildering array of puppy training advice; unfortunately, a large part of it will completely sabotage their efforts to raise a dog who is a joy and not a headache to live with.

Sorry, but it’s true, get puppy raising wrong, and you’ll regret it for about 15 years.

Good luck if you are searching the internet for help training your new puppy, there is so much nonsense on the web about puppy training it boggles the mind. Videos and courses abound, no doubt produced by well-meaning souls who yes, love dogs but are clueless about what makes them tick.

For example, the current trend of 100 % positive reinforcement dog training? In theory, it sounds warm and fuzzy but as someone who has trained and handled puppies and dogs for over 30 years knows, can leave the new puppy owner afraid to discipline their puppy in any way and can result in an out of control puppy who thinks the position as leader of the pack is up for grabs. (Your puppy doesn’t really want to be Alpha in your family, but instinct will lead her there if you don’t take the top spot lovingly but firmly from day one).

You have to teach your puppy how to be polite and not bite.

(No wonder the shelters are overflowing with dogs that their frustrated owners gave up on in despair).

My goal as a dog breeder has always been to give my puppies a great start so that they grow up to be delightful family companions, but sadly, many puppies, for whatever reason, lack of any kind of basic training. If your new puppy arrives not having been introduced to puppy basics like crate training or house training, you, the novice puppy parent will soon be scrambling to help your puppy catch up on the learning that might have been missed as a baby. Even puppies that have the benefit of good early training can get off track almost immediately if you don’t continue working to show your puppy how to behave properly in her new human family.

Your job isn’t for the faint of heart: Helping your puppy gain the skills to grow into a polite and mannerly adult dog.

The truth? Dogs not only understand leadership, they crave it. They thrive on knowing that someone is in control and that they don’t have to be. It’s your job to be the leader of their human family so your puppy can relax and depend on the people to help her learn the rules that help her grow up to be a mannerly and fun to live with canine.

More truth? This never never never means being abusive or cruel to your puppy! But when did telling your puppy “No” or using mild discipline become cruel? Your baby puppy’s momma used the perfect balance of love and yes, occasional firm corrections to teach her puppy how to live peaceably in their little pack. Your puppy still needs a careful balance of praise and discipline to learn how to interact properly with the humans in her life, or she’ll never become the dog you dreamed of having.

This book was written to help confused puppy owners who are struggling to gain the skills to raise a mannerly and fun to live with family companion.

Spend some time perusing training videos on Youtube and you’ll come across an extremely popular dog trainer who is shown tearing cardboard into small pieces and flinging them at the puppy he is supposedly training. The owner sits with a frozen smile watching in dismay and the puppy? She’s pulling long strips of material off the wicker couch as the camera rolls, and the “trainer” laughs and rolls his eyes (I hope he’s a bit embarrassed at his dismal results!).

This video has over a million views , no wonder the shelters are overflowing with dogs that their owners finally gave up on in despair…

Another search on Youtube for “How To Stop Puppy Biting” (search that term for over 18 million results!) and you’ll find a popular slightly wacky young “celebrity” dog trainer who spends an enormous amount of time letting puppies chomp down on his hands and arms with footage of the bleeding bites and scratches. Some of his videos are fairly helpful but the exceptions are glaring. One episode shows him rolling on the floor with a half-grown chocolate Lab puppy. The puppy is biting very aggressively, lunging to snap at the trainer’s face, even mounting (rude!) while the trainer laughs and jokes with the cameraman “I’d so like to body-slam this dog, in the most loving way of course!”

The problem with this video is that allowing a puppy this large to bite and literally knock an adult over, is what happens when the trainer packs up filming for the day and the family’s 5-year-old tries to interact with this biting, out of control puppy? Enthusiastically using lunchmeat to distract the puppy from chewing him to pieces, he cheerfully tells the viewer that of course children should be protected from potential injury by the family pet, what a woefully inadequate result of an expensive training session. Sadly, examples like these are the norm for the dog training industry in 2019.

So What should you do when your puppy is using her razor-sharp teeth on your hands or is otherwise unruly and out of control? Most current puppy training guides will instruct you that you are forbidden to use any negative reinforcement at all but instead tell the puppy parent to:

”Leave the room until your puppy calms down.”

“Hold your hand still until your puppy lets go, then give her with a toy.” (Really. Both painful & ineffective, ouch! Doesn’t this somehow teach the puppy that she’s rewarded for biting since there’s no verbal direction included?)

“Redirect your puppy with a toy.” (While offering a toy makes sense, why not offer a toy after telling your little alligator “No bite!” Noooo!” Then hand your little “Baby Jaws” the toy with a “Good Baby Jaws! Goooood girl!”)

It’s not my goal to tell you to completely disregard every training method out there. Hopefully, almost all of them will occasionally have helpful tutorials or videos. My job is to help you learn to balance all that positive reinforcement with equal doses of common sense and loving leadership added to whichever training method you choose.

You’ll have better results and your puppy, a much greater chance of growing up to be the best dog you’ve ever had!

In this Article

In this Article

In this Article

• Why Do Puppies Growl?
• What to Do About Your Puppy Growling
• Training Your Puppy to Stop Growling
• Preventing Your Puppy From Growling

Puppies can bring joy and excitement to people’s lives. Your new puppy may be friendly and lovable, but not all puppies are okay with strange situations and people or animals they don’t know.

As you socialize your puppy, they may be confused by or distrustful of new people and objects. Puppies have different personalities. Their reactions can depend on the breed too.

Making sure that your puppy is trained and socialized are the two fundamentals of ensuring that they become a well-behaved dog. Your puppy may growl or bark as they get older and encounter new things. Often, growling is a sign that your puppy is afraid, not that they’re aggressive.

Why Do Puppies Growl?

Growling can seem aggressive, but it is simply one way that puppies and dogs communicate. They let you know if they’re uncomfortable, afraid, or upset about a certain situation. Growling is also a warning. It is your puppy’s way of saying that they might bite.

If your puppy is growling, they are telling you that they don’t want to be in a given situation and need your help. Removing your puppy from the situation and then dealing with the underlying emotional issue will keep your puppy from becoming a reactive dog.

What to Do About Your Puppy Growling

The best way to keep your dog from growling is to discover what’s bothering them. Treating the underlying issue is far better than punishing them for growling.

Here are three questions to help you determine what’s causing your dog to growl:

• Are there other dogs around?
• Does it happen around strangers?
• Is it related to objects?

Expose your puppy to all kinds of people and places. This is called socialization. It is a great way to prevent your puppy from growling at strangers, other dogs, and objects or sounds. If you have a nervous or unsure puppy, you need to let them lead the way as they explore new things. Don’t put too much stress on them.

Training Your Puppy to Stop Growling

Punishing your puppy for growling is not effective. Up to 80% of dogs who are punished by their owners will likely have behavioral problems and aggression. Reward your puppy for good behavior instead of punishing for bad. You and your puppy will be better off if you help them to value good behavior.

Continued

Here are some training tips to stop your puppy from growling:

• Distract them from their bad behavior.
• Yelp or call out if they’re growling at you and step away from the situation.
• Remove them from the situation if they show signs of aggression.
• Let your puppy calm down in another room or their crate when they’re overexcited.

Train family members and friends in how to best approach your puppy.

Don’t let children run up to them or allow strangers to stand over your puppy in a threatening manner. The person approaching should kneel to your puppy’s level and turn sideways, holding their arm out for the puppy to smell first. This is less stressful for your puppy. It also allows them to make the first move.

Training your puppy can be a slow process. It’s best to treat the underlying issue instead of only surface level problems. Positive reinforcement and addressing problems early will make for a well-behaved adult dog. The following training tips will help your dog to understand good behavior and prevent growling:

• Praise quiet, relaxed behavior.
• Give them plenty of exercise.
• Mentally stimulate your puppy with toys, tricks, and puzzles.
• Socialize them early.

If you aren’t able to train your puppy on your own, there are many resources for finding an animal behaviorist and trainer.

Preventing Your Puppy From Growling

To prevent your puppy from growling, you’ll need to be familiar with your puppy’s body language. This will get easier as your relationship grows. Puppies use growling to communicate. You’ll want to determine if they are “happy” growling or if they are “stress” growling.

Signs to look for include:

• Is your puppy’s body stiff?
• Are they staring with a hard expression?
• What’s the tone of the growl: loud and high-pitched or soft and low-pitched?
• Is your puppy’s tail wagging and are they in a playful bow?

Your puppy may be vocal and growl when they’re playing. They might be quiet and reserve their growling for times of stress and fear. You’ll get to know your puppy’s personality as they age, but you don’t want to push them into stressful situations.

If you’re in doubt about your puppy’s growl, it’s best to redirect their attention and remove them from the situation. This is particularly important if the growling happens around unknown dogs and young children.

Sources

American Kennel Club: “Why Does My Puppy Growl at Strangers?,” “Why Dogs Growl and How to Handle It.”

Best Friends Veterinary Center: “PUPPY PLAY OR AGGRESSION?”

Licking is a normal puppy behavior. Puppies always lick because it is a way to communicate, either with other dogs, a person, or with an object. Dogs will lick themselves and their owners, and they will also lick objects like shoes. You might see your puppy licking people’s feet during your walks in the park, and he might even lick his own feet. A dog might even lick the tip of his tail as a way to show nervousness or excitement. But if you find your puppy incessantly licking everything that he has ever touched, then it’s probably an issue that you should be concerned.

This is especially so if your puppy who is normally reasonably well-behaved, suddenly start spending far more time licking himself than normal. If this happens suddenly, consider it a behavioral issue rather than a simple accident.

There are mainly four types of licking behaviors.

1. Self licking – Your puppy freely licks himself. Licking is a way for him to relieve irritation and also as a way for him to bond with others, showing affection.
2. Mouthing- Your puppy uses his mouth to touch an item. This is a natural behavior. Dogs will extend their tongue to touch and play with the object they are playing with.
3. Licking your feet – This is a way that your puppy interacts with you. You will often find that your puppy is licking at one of the feet when he sees you back home from work. Your puppy is trying to let you know – “Look at me, I am here.”
4. Mouthing- You will often find that your puppy likes to put things in his mouth after searching for them using his nose. It is a common occurrence that a dog will first sniff at something, then chase it with his mouth.

Puppies are social creatures, and they thrive in crowd situations. They like to be around with people and other animals. Sometimes puppies that are left alone for long periods of time begin licking themselves in an attempt to entertain themselves.

Of course, a puppy that is licking himself could also have an illness. You will want to rule this out by visiting a vet to have a health examination carried out on your puppy.

Sometimes, a puppy will lick because he is in pain. For example, if your puppy has a painful irritation with a skin ailment, he may lick it or even chew on it to sooth the pain. Dog saliva has been shown to relieve the itchiness of skin ailments. In fact, many people believe that dog saliva on their skin is a way to treat skin ailments themselves.

If your puppy is just constantly licking a specific area of his body, then you may want to apply a topical antibacterial ointment. If the licking occurs in the absence of fleas, then adding an anti-itch spray may help. This is a temporary remedy to stop him from irritating the area.

Stress and anxiety could also lead to your puppy persistent self licking behavior. The best thing to do in this case is to eliminate anxiety completely and take him on a long walk. Play with your puppy and remove him from the situation that is making him nervous. Quite often, when a dog is anxious or nervous, they will self-mutilate. This may include licking themselves over and over again as well as scratching and pawing at their skin.

Learning what’s causing your puppy’s licking can be helpful in preventing it. For example, if your puppy spends much time outside, he may be exposed to certain plants, grasses, and insects. Those things can cause him to be itching and scratching. Cleaning him to get rid of these offending substances is the first step in stopping his constant licking.

Next is the possibility of allergies. If your puppy is allergic to something his body can’t process and doesn’t like, he’ll try to lick it off. Your dog’s skin, like yours, can be allergic to a number of things including pollen, dust as well as certain types of food. If that is the case, you can get rid of these “allergy-causing” products and allow him to heal.

If you have switch to a different dog food brand recently, that could be a potential cause for his allergic. Your puppy might be allergic to certain ingredients in the new food. Consider switching to a hypoallergenic or holistic dog food. These diets not only contain fewer ingredients, they also much healthier (as a result of lower calorie intake).

The best way to stop your puppy from licking is to incorporate steps that will teach him to stop on your command. A reward based training that teaches your puppy to learn exactly which behavior earned him a treat will work well.

Even though the topic of licking seems to be one that is quite obvious, many dog owners aren’t aware that they need to be constantly on the look out for ways that will help them understand why their puppies are behaving in a certain manner.

Don’t overlook the possibilities that your puppy is doing a lot of licking for one simple reason. He might be trying to treat himself of stress or a skin disorder. If your puppy is persistently licking itself, it could be a result of Atopic dermatitis. You might want to consider getting your puppy a sniff test. This will allow you to see if he is sensitive to a particular substance.

When faced with their dog suffering from separation anxiety, many people resort to adopting a new puppy to keep the other dog company in order to rectify the problem. Perhaps this was the reason why you adopted a puppy.

What many people don’t expect is for the adult dog to reject the new member of the family. This is fairly common, and in fact it is quite likely to happen if you don’t know how to correctly carry out the process.

If you’re in this situation, or if you’re considering getting a new puppy, make sure you read this AnimalWised article and finally work out why does my adult dog bite my puppy, together with tips to prevent this problem.

1. Introducing a new puppy to an adult dog
2. Bringing a new puppy home
3. Adapting to changes
4. My dog bites my new puppy: What should I do?

Introducing a new puppy to an adult dog

To begin with, you need to put yourself into the mindset of your dog: imagine coming home and finding your partner with a stranger, and they tell you “look how handsome and lovely they are! They’re going to live with us from now on”. Not only that: this stranger is going to sleep in their room, walk around the house, and eat their food. Who wouldn’t feel a bit put out?

The first serious error in this situation is the introduction, which was done incorrectly, and it could explain why your dog bites your new puppy. Instead, you should introduce a new companion to your dog little by little, in a neutral area such an off-leash dog park. You should have someone else to help you with this process. If your dog is properly socialized, it will treat the new puppy normally, without tension or jealousy.

Make this a calm and relaxing situation for both dogs: let them get to know each other, sniff each other and play with each other. The more positive the encounter, the better. If the situation is calm and positive, it’s a good idea for the four of you to go for a walk and use positive reinforcement for the two dogs to the same extent. If you see tensions arising between your dog and the puppy, get your dog’s attention and separate them for a short while.

If you get the chance, it’s best for the puppy to stay with another person for a day or two. By doing so you’ll be able to encourage the connection between the new puppy and the adult dog gradually.

You can also go to an animal shelter, where you will have the opportunity to introduce your adult dog to several puppies. This way, you?’l be able to find out which ones it gets along best with. Only when you’re sure that both dogs get alone can you have them in the same area. Don’t bring a new dog into your home if you’re not sure that it will live positively with the other one.

Bringing a new puppy home

Before the puppy arrives, make sure you get organised. The first thing is to respect your first dog’s area- not only its bed, but also its toys, bones and food bowl. A very common mistake is to pick up an adult dog’s toy so that the two of them can play together. Be careful, because your dog might get angry and react by biting the new puppy. The puppy should have its own space and its own personal belongings.

On moving day, first of all take the two dogs for a walk. When you return, allow your adult dog to enter the house first, off the lead. The puppy should enter last. Without letting it off the lead, slowly show it around your house while keeping an eye on your first dog. If your pet is calm once the puppy has visited all the rooms, let the puppy off the lead.

In the early days, it’s possible that your adult dog will growl at and warn your puppy by biting it without applying pressure, showing it what it should or shouldn’t do: this is its way of communicating. The puppy is learning to live with someone else. Even though it may scare you, it’s very good for the other dog to teach it how.

Adapting to changes

During the first two weeks, you should keep an eye on the dogs’ behavior and not leave them alone. Don’t change anything in your routine. The first dog shouldn’t think that its life has suddenly changed because of the newcomer. The one who needs to adapt to a new situation is the newcomer.

If there’s a child at home, you should explain that they can’t play with the new puppy all the time. On the contrary, this is the time when you should pay more attention to the older pet. Your dog has been fighting to win your affection all this time; it shouldn’t see the “new one” getting it without any effort.

Don’t forget to give your adult dog extra love during these days: remember that change is very stressful for dogs. It can be very useful to give it a special toy, such as a Kong.

My dog bites my new puppy: What should I do?

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, fights happen. However, don’t be blinded by the shock of seeing your dogs fighting: since you’ve had a dog for a while now, you will surely have seen it playing with other dogs.

Dogs like to test the water with each other. You’ll have seen them with their mouths wide open, as if they are going in for a bite. However, they rarely end up biting for real. Your adult dog will do this with your puppy. It’s only a warning, and there’s nothing to worry about.

If there is a real fight, you should go to an ethologist or dog trainer for advice on how to redirect the relationship between your adult dog and your new puppy. Just as you would take your child to a psychologist if they need it, you should take your adult dog to a specialist if it has a negative or even dangerous attitude.

Remember that getting a dog is a responsibility. You shouldn’t adopt one if you aren’t convinced that you will be able to help it with all the problems that may arise during its life, including, of course, veterinary costs.

If you want to read similar articles to Why does my Adult Dog Bite my Puppy?, we recommend you visit our Behavioral problems category.

Veterinarians use insulin to treat diabetes in cats, so if your cat has been diagnosed with this health problem, it is very important that you learn to give the cat an insulin injection correctly.

Procedure to Give Insulin to a Cat

Follow the instructions below, and if you have any further questions about insulin for diabetes cats, speak with your pet’s veterinarian.

• Feed your diabetes cat.
• Gently roll the insulin vial between your palms to warm and mix the product. Do not shake the insulin vial.
• Draw up the appropriate amount of insulin.
• Make sure there are no air bubbles in the syringe. If there are air bubbles, try pushing the insulin back into the bottle and drawing it up again.
• Double check that you have drawn up the correct insulin dose.
• Collect your diabetes cats.
• Pinch an area of skin behind one of your cat’s shoulder blades to create a skin tent.
• Position the needle with the bevel up, and insert it into the tent. You should direct the needle so that it is almost parallel to the skin tent.
• Make sure the needle is under the skin rather than in the skin or the muscle.
• Check to make sure the tip of the needle is not sticking out of the cat’s skin.
• Pull back on the plunger of the syringe. If you get air or blood in the syringe, withdraw the needle and restart.
• If there is no air or blood in the syringe, push the plunger to inject the insulin.
• Praise your cat, and give it a small treat.
• Dispose of the syringe according to your veterinarian’s directions.

Tips About Insulin for Cats with Diabetes

Things to keep in mind when you give a cat insulin shots include the following:

• Try to vary the location of the shots. Giving injections in the same place each time could result in local irritation and the development of injection-site granulomas.
• Never use syringes other than those provided by your veterinarian to be used with your cat’s insulin. Not all syringes are the same, and using the wrong syringe could result in a life-threatening insulin overdose.
• Even if you think you did not correctly administer an insulin dose, do not give any more insulin until your cat is scheduled to receive its next dose.
• If your cat with diabetes is not eating, do not give insulin to a cat without talking to your veterinarian. Doing so could cause a severe and potentially fatal reaction.
• Consider asking your veterinarian if he or she will watch you give an insulin injection to your cat with diabetes. This will ensure you are doing it correctly.

It can be worrisome whenever your cat is down with diabetes. However, it is not the end of the world as there are steps you can take . The administration of insulin to your cat with diabetes is a step that anyone can learn and carry out.

For those who may find this surprising, cats too can have diabetes. For pet owners who suddenly discover that their beloved cat has become diabetic, it is normal to be worried and anxious. This is true especially when you know you have to administer injections of insulin to your cat. The best thing about this is that it is quite easy and stress-free to administer insulin for cats.

In this piece, you will learn all that is to the handling and storage of insulin, steps to working out an excellent injection routine. The piece also outlines the steps on how to correctly give insulin injections to a cat.

Storage and Handling of Insulin

The best way to go about this is to adhere to the storage instructions printed on the product by the manufacturer. The insulin will always come with very informative details on the best way to go about keeping and handling it. Your first step should be taking the time to read and understand these details. In a case where you do not understand any aspect of the instructions, consult your veterinary doctor.

Storing the Insulin Until When Needed

Insulin is a type of protein and if you do not store it properly, it will be destroyed. In order to prevent the degradation, insulin has to be stored under specific temperature conditions. It is most ideal to store insulin inside a refrigerator. You will know if the insulin has been damaged when the color changes. The same goes if it has been kept in a hot environment. In any of these cases, you will need to get rid of it and get a new insulin bottle.

Mixing the Insulin

Once the insulin is confirmed to be intact, the next step is to carefully roll it between both hands. Do this a couple of times to ensure there is proper mixing. Do not shake the insulin under any circumstance. This is to prevent the formation of bubbles.

Fixing the Needle

Get a neat syringe needle and detach the needle guard. Then turn the insulin container upside down. The next step is to push the needle into the rubber stopper that is used to cover the mouth of the bottle.

Filling up the Syringe

The appropriate quantity of must be used here. Pull the plunger and fill the syringe with the appropriate quantity of insulin. Do not guess the amount and if you are not sure, then reach out to your veterinary doctor for the precise quantity. Once the right amount has been established, push the plunger in so the insulin is in the bottle. Then, get the insulin inside the syringe again for the second time. The essence of this is to stop the formation of air bubbles in the syringe. Bubbles will prevent proper measurement of the dosage. Once again, check the syringe itself so you are sure of the appropriate dosage. If you are not sure, do not guess but confirm again with your vet specialist.

Storage and Handling

With the right dosage confirmed, keep the insulin container in the refrigerator. Replace the safety cap on the syringe and then keep it in a safe place. Do not keep the syringe in areas where kids or pets can stumble upon it. A cupboard is a good location for storage. You do not need to get the syringe again until the next time an injection for the cat is needed.

Injection Routine

The injection can be done once or twice in 24 hours. It all depends on the recommendations from your vet specialist. But irrespective of the routine that is used, it is best advised that you give the insulin the same time on a daily basis. Administer the insulin injection shortly after the cat has eaten without any delay. This is to make sure that the glucose level in your cat’s blood does not plunge with devastating consequences.

Injecting the Cat

Let the cat eat first before you give the insulin. Do not administer the injection while the cat is still eating. Let the cat take its time to finish and enjoy the meal. Relax your cat by slightly massaging it before giving the injection.

In a case where the cat is restless during the injection, you can get someone’s help to assist in holding the cat or give the cat some time. Let the cat be on a flat surface, ensure it is calm then proceed to inject. Pick the syringe containing the insulin, remove the safety cap and hold using the dominant hand. Using your index finger and the thumb, pinch the skin of the cat on the back or abdomen so it assumes an upside-down U shape.

Let the needle enter at 45 degrees angle, be gentle, fix your thumb on the plunger as the needle goes in. Swiftly push the plunger in using the thumb and pull out the needle without delay. Then give a proper reward to your cat – a reassuring pet or even a snack will be good.

April 16th, 2019 by Cherished Companions Animal Clinic

If you recently learned your cat has diabetes, take heart…

A diabetic cat can have a fairly normal life, particularly if:

• Your cat regulates glucose well and
• You’re committed to your kitty’s care

And yes, your cat may be able to live a fairly normal life expectancy!

While there isn’t a complete cure for a diabetic cat, it IS possible for your cat to stop showing diabetic symptoms for a while with the right feeding and care.

Here are 4 diabetic cat tips to help you do your best with feeding, insulin shots and glucose checks.

Tip #1: Consider prescription foods that are formulated just for diabetic cats

Diabetic prescription foods tend to be the best foods for diabetic cats.

These foods are usually higher in protein than regular cat foods.

You can find diabetic cat foods from Royal Canin and Purina (to name a few brands).

Some people shy away from prescription cat foods because they cost more, and we certainly understand that concern.

If your goal is to help your kitty live as long as possible, though, your costs may actually work out to be less.

When you commit to one of these foods:

• Your cat’s glucose tends to be easier to regulate, so…
• You don’t have to recheck your cat’s blood glucose as much, so…
• You’re paying for fewer visits to the vet. Your veterinary expenses are lower, offsetting the prescription food costs.

Tip #2: Make sure your diabetic cat eats before receiving an insulin shot

Our veterinarians are often asked:

“How many times a day should I feed my diabetic cat? What’s a good feeding schedule?”

In most instances, it’s okay to leave food out and let your cat graze.

The important thing is to make sure your cat eats before you give an insulin shot.

You do not want to run the risk of dropping your cat’s glucose level too low.

This means your cat should eat twice a day before receiving insulin injections.

A lot of our cat families feed their cats several spoonfuls of canned food before an insulin shot. Then, they just leave the dry food down.

If your cat does not eat anything, DO NOT give the injection.

(Be sure to contact your veterinarian ASAP if your cat doesn’t eat for a day or so.)

Let’s say your cat has a healthy appetite…

Your cat could easily gobble up all the food in one sitting.

In these instances, go to two equal servings of food a day before the insulin injections.

Veterinarians, like ours, can help you calculate the exact amount to feed your cat, so your cat maintains an optimal weight.

Tip #3: Come up with a game plan for feeding your diabetic cat when you have another cat in your home

Ideally, you don’t want your non-diabetic cat eating your diabetic cat’s food. (Or vice versa!)

There are a range of strategies you can consider, such as:

• Placing food in strategic places around your home
• Feeding your cats in separate rooms
• High-tech solutions like special collars that trigger the lid to open on the right cat’s bowl (yep, that’s actually a thing!)

Because each situation with multiple cats is unique, it’s best to chat with your veterinarian for tips for your cat family.

If you live in the Castle Rock area, our veterinarians are happy to help.

Tip #4: Stick to a consistent insulin shot schedule (twice a day) and follow your veterinarian’s suggested schedule for glucose checks

To help your diabetic cat feel better, the first step is to start on a treatment plan. Your plan may include:

• Changing your cat’s diet
• Giving your cat more activity
• Providing insulin shots, or
• Some combination of the above

After one to two weeks of home care, you’ll bring your cat to veterinarians, like ours, to check whether your cat’s glucose is regulated.

This means your cat is getting the right amounts of insulin to move glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells for energy.

You don’t want the glucose to be too high or too low.

Typically, diabetic cats will come in 3 to 5 times (every couple of weeks) before their glucose levels are where they need to be.

It varies by cat and how diligent you are with home care.

Once your cat’s glucose is at a regulated level, your cat’s check-ups will start to spread out

For example, they may start to go to 3 months and then to 6 months.

If your cat’s glucose gets out of whack, you’ll go back to a visit every few weeks until it’s back on track.

As we mentioned above, a prescription diabetic cat food can make it easier to regulate your cat’s glucose than a regular cat food, which may reduce your vet visits.

Ultimately, though, it depends on your cat.

Some regulate quickly.

Others take some time.

For more insights on cat diabetes, check out:

If you want to make sure your diabetic cat is getting the right care and you live in the Castle Rock area, call us at 303-688-3757 or:

Cherished Companions Animal Clinic is a veterinary clinic in Castle Rock, Colorado. Specializing in the care of cats and dogs, our goal is to help you and your pet feel more comfortable, keeping your stress to a minimum.

This article is intended to provide general guidance on diabetic cat tips, including feeding schedules, insulin shots and glucose checks. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact your local veterinarian. (If you live in or around Castle Rock, we welcome your call.)

© 2019, Cherished Companions Animal Clinic, All Rights Reserved

This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 94% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status.

This article has been viewed 231,786 times.

Anyone who has taken their cat to the vet may have been given certain medications to administer at home. But the thought of injecting medication may make some cat owners squeamish. Some medications come in pill form, but other medications, such as insulin, must be administered via injection. [1] X Research source The technical term for this category of medicine is subcutaneous medication, meaning it is administered under (sub-) the skin (cutaneous). [2] X Research source Some subcutaneous medications are simply administered under the skin, while other types of subcutaneous medications must be administered into a muscle (called an intramuscular injection), and the required location of the injection will determine how you administer the medication. Knowing how to safely administer subcutaneous medicine to your cat can help reduce your stress levels and keep your cat happy and healthy.

How to euthanize a cat with over the counter drugs

Overview

Cats are almost one of the attachments, then beautiful animals. If it stays in your household such many lovely creatures for years, they get steep after order to give them a farewell. However, sometimes, after transmitting your life to an end, you might also be following your decision. The fantastic thing you do because of your delight is that you abandon a painless death when you no longer love the existence of your elderly or suffer from incurable distress which makes your lives hard to live. A group of animal owners should learn that How to euthanize a cat with over the counter drugs

To say goodbye to your cherished animal is one of the most stressful and difficult tasks. For this reason most individuals want to do it with privacy in the comfort of their homes. In addition, at his final few hours, the cat is more comfortable than in a clinic. Veterinary appointments and travel already may have made your pet nervous. By deciding to euthanize at home, you can minimize further stress.

Ways (How to euthanize a cat with over the counter drugs)

There are several ways to put your cat home liberate it from the sorrowful existence it lives. Not everyone can afford one final time to bring the cat to the doctor. You may have spent enough on therapy. The complete euthanasia process at the clinic may cost much more than simply a high dose of medicines.

If taken with sedatives, euthanizing the cat using sleeping medications is better. Sedatives assist the animal to relax and liberate itself from discomfort caused by these drugs. However, it is important to visit a veterinarian for a proposal as harmless as possible as to the optimum dosage and product.

Many over-the-counter medicines and treatments assist treat human health problems but are typically lethal to cats and are using to euthanize them. Here are some of the top ones that cat owners generally favor.

• Tylenol PM is an all-in-one painkiller that occurs in all homes. Cats are nevertheless particularly susceptible to these medications, and even in little dosages can be lethal for animals. Large dosages of this medicine may produce cats’ toxic consequences and kill them. However, these consequences can be uncomfortable, hence sedatives for euthanasia are indicated.
• Benadryl works for cat euthanasia as one of the most efficient over-the-counter medicines for human allergies. You can take a 15-fold larger dose than a conventional one to kill. In a few minutes after that, it dies quietly, a dosage of Benadryl is going to send your cat into a comma.
• Cats are sensitive to some medications, one of which being aspirin. They react to this medication because of their delayed synthesis and digestive incapacity. Overdose of aspirin is a painless means of putting cats to sleep. In a few hours, a couple of dosages of aspirin would slowly put them down.
• Although insulin is consider as a life-saving medicine for diabetic individuals, large amounts of insulin can decrease the blood glucose level of your cat. Without expert guidance, insulin may be simply bought from a pharmacy and given to a cat. Having opted to euthanize your kitty, you can administer a large amount of insulin and witness unconsciousness in approximately 10 minutes, which leads to painless, peaceful death some time thereafter.

You may read some other articles here

I am Melissa D. Thacker, a professional blogger and freelance writer who has been in this industry for the last four years. I write articles on pet care as well as other topics that are of interest to me such as fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.

I enjoy writing for others because it helps them get their message out there more effectively which means they can help more people!

by Taath · Published April 10, 2022 · Updated April 7, 2022

So we’re going to show you how to give insulin to a diabetic cat. It’s really easy. For anyone who’s worried once you’ve done it once or twice you will find it easy too. There’s really not much to worry about, not much can go wrong, so first find a spot. You typically feel the shoulder blades which are about here and here and you can feel the blades and the gap between the two. Lift up, I lift up a fold of skin, like a fold like so, like a little tent. Now once you do that if you get your middle finger and you push behind the fold you can see it’s dented in, this little dent that goes underneath your fingers. Now I’ve got the needle and syringe like this. There’s my dose. I’m holding it. I’ll hold it like an owner would which is like so, all right, but with a finger, maybe my little finger I’m going to feel that little pocket going under my fingers when I lift that tent up and I’m going to go parallel to the fold Parallel with the fold the needle won’t come out of the skin. It’s really easily if you go crosswise to put the needle through out the other side and squirt the injection on to the floor, which is no good for anybody. So you go under the fold parallel. Because you’re lifting it off the body wall you’re not going to hit anything nasty. If you go like this all you can do is go into that pocket you’ve created. The needle- you probably won’t feel it go through the skin. You’ll just know when it pushes up that you’re there. So here goes. Make my pocket. In it goes push until it stops. I must be under because I’ve stopped. I’m going to inject. That’s it. Let go, pull the pocket down and just feel for wetness. You know if you’ve missed- there’s a bit of a wet material there (if you miss). That’s perfect, and that’s gone in beautifully.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Categories

• Amazing Cats
• Caring For A Cat With Cat Diabetes
• Cat Breeds
• Cat Care
• Cat Diabetes
• Cat Diabetes And Blood Pressure
• Cat Diabetes And Diet
• Cat Diabetes And Euthanasia
• Cat Games
• Cat Language
• Cat Pregnancy
• Cat Training
• Costs Of Treating Cat Diabetes
• Cruelty
• Diabetes And Hairloss
• Drugs & Cat Diabetes
• Funny Cats
• General Cat Health
• Hyperthyroidism
• KIdney Disease
• Obesity In Cats
• Pancreatitis And Cat Diabetes
• Pancreatitis in Cats
• Reversing Cat Diabetes
• Symptoms Of Cat Diabetes
• Treating Cat Diabetes
• Uncategorized

Archives

Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, Fully Revised and Updated

Many veterinary treatments for cats were based on research conducted with dogs because it was wrongly assumed that cats were very similar. Recently, there have been giant strides in feline veterinary research. This classic reference is fully updated and revised to reflect these advances.

If you have a cat with diabetes then there are a few things that you need to know about giving your cat insulin. Giving your cat insulin injections is easy when you learn the three main steps of administering insulin: insulin storage and preparation, preparing the injection, and giving the injection. Once you have completed this article you will be ready to give your cat insulin with minimal discomfort to you and your cat.

Cat Insulin Storage and Preparation

• Although insulin can be stored at room temperature for up to 30 days, it maintains its potency best when stored in the refrigerator.
• Insulin should never be shaken, as shaking causes air bubbles, which can make insulin difficult to draw up accurately and may cause the insulin to form clumps.

Preparing the Injection

1. Remove the insulin from the refrigerator a few minutes before drawing up the injection to allow it to warm slightly. Cold insulin is more uncomfortable for your cat. 2. Mix the insulin by gently rolling the bottle between your palms. Clear insulin does not need to be mixed. 3. Cleanse the top of the insulin bottle with alcohol and remove the cap from the syringe. 4. Never substitute another type of syringe to give the insulin, as you will very likely obtain the wrong dose, which could be fatal to your cat. 5. Draw up an amount of air into the empty syringe equal to the required insulin dose. Inject the air into the bottle of insulin and invert. 6. Fill the syringe with the required insulin dose, lining up the markings on the syringe with the top of the plunger. If you get air bubbles larger than the size of a pin, push the insulin back into the bottle try again. Now you are ready to give your cat the injection.

Giving the Injection

1. Always give insulin after your cat has eaten to prevent low blood sugar. 2. Start the injection process by petting your cat. Use a calm and matter-of-fact demeanor. Making the injection process pleasant for your cat is vital to success. 3. Pull up the skin on the back of the neck between the shoulder blades, using the thumb and index finger of your non-dominant hand, forming a tent of skin. Slightly roll the skin over the top of your index finger to make the skin taught. This makes the needle easier to insert and the injection will be more comfortable for your cat. Make sure that you never inject into the same spot repeatedly. 4. Hold the syringe by the barrel between the thumb and middle finger of the dominant hand, keeping your index finger close to, but not on the plunger. 5. Keeping the syringe almost horizontal, quickly push the needle under the skin. Move the index finger to the end of the plunger and depress it quickly. 6. Remove the syringe and dispose of it in a puncture proof container. 7. Rub the injection area gently to help disperse the medicine. Finding wet fur means that some of the insulin spilled or the needle went completely through the skin. Do not give your cat more insulin as it is difficult to tell how much was spilled and your cat could develop low blood sugar from too much insulin. 8. Reward your cat by giving a treat or by petting.

Albon For Cats

Giving a cat a shot can hurt you more than the kitty when she freaks out and starts scratching and biting. That kind of anxiety isn’t good for your or your feline friend, but the medication is necessary to keep her healthy and happy. Help keep your pet calm and your hands scratch-free by restraining her gently with a fluffy bath towel, making her warm and cozy while you give her the meds.

Step 1

Lay a towel on the floor and spread it out fully. A small or medium-size bath towel is best; hand towels aren’t normally big enough.

Step 2

Place some of your kitty’s favorite cat food on one long edge of the towel, about 12 inches from one short end. Put it on a flat plate instead of in a bowl.

Step 3

Call your cat to eat or encourage her to come onto the towel by picking her up, if she’s not too aggressive, or by teasing her there with her favorite toy. Wait until she lies down on the towel to eat, or at least until she gets her body low.

Step 4

Place one hand on the back of her neck with firm pressure to hold her in place while you quickly wrap the short end of the towel around her body, starting with her neck. Tuck it snugly around her body without lifting her up.

Step 5

Pull the front edge of the towel forward, in front of the kitty’s face. Hold the towel in place while you wrap the rest of the towel around her body gently, keeping it snug without binding her.

Step 6

Tuck the front corner around the bottom of her neck to help hold her inside the towel. Once again, this should be snug without being tight enough to choke her. Her entire face should be exposed.

Step 7

Hold her body against yours under one arm, lying beside her on the floor, or have a friend hold her securely. Give her the injection as the vet showed you. Sometimes you should pinch up a bit of skin for a subcutaneous shot, which you can usually give in the back of the neck without releasing too much of the cat’s body from the towel. To give the shot in her hip, lift up just enough towel from her rear end to administer the shot in her muscle without letting her back feet get free.

Always check with your veterinarian before changing your pet’s diet, medication, or physical activity routines. This information is not a substitute for a vet’s opinion.

How to determine the correct syringe for your pet’s insulin

July 9, 2014
• / Eddie Khoriaty
• /Pet Pharmacy Blog by Eddie Khoriaty
• / 14 Comments

A syringe is a syringe, right? Actually, syringes come in different units of measure, different sizes, different needle length, different needle width, different, different, different! Giving insulin to a pet, especially if you’ve never done that before, is stressful enough without having to worry about giving the wrong dose. Unfortunately the body of an animal (or a human) is not so willing to forgive an insulin overdose. Hypoglycemia can and frequently does become life-threatening.

Let’s start with the volume that the syringe holds inside of it:
Syringes can hold 1/2 cc, 1 cc, or 3/10 of a cc (total volume of insulin).
These syringes have markings of UNITS on them also.

Insulin comes as 40 units and 100 units, meaning;
40 units per 1cc OR 100 units per 1cc
20 units per 1/2 cc OR 50 units per 1/2 cc
10 units per 1/4 cc OR 25 units per 1/4 cc

(Keep in mind that 1cc = 1 ml)

This number of UNITS that the insulin is marked for is essential for the syringe to draw up the correct quantity of insulin. Insulin U40 must be used in U40 syringes. U100 insulin needs to be used in U100 syringes.

You might be thinking, “Okay I picked the right syringe for my insulin, now I’m being asked about the CCs! How do I know that?” Before you buy any insulin it’s important to know how much insulin you need to give.

Let’s say you’re using U40 insulin and you need to give 10 units to your pet. Since U40 means 40 units per 1cc, then 10 units would mean 1/4 cc as shown above. Since you’re only giving 1/4 cc, then anything above 1/4 cc syringes would be fine. Since most people don’t like to draw insulin up to the very top of the plunger, getting a 1/2 cc syringe would work fine.

Now since you made sure that the insulin has the same designated Units (U40) as the syringes, all you have to do is draw up to the 10 units mark on the syringe to get the correct dose.

Another example: let’s say you have the U100 insulin and U100 syringes and you need to give 50 units to your pet. Since U100 means 100 units per 1 cc, then 50 units would require 1/2 cc of volume. Sure, it’s possible to get away with using the 1/2 cc syringes but again since most people don’t like the plunger to go too high (feels like it might fall out) then using the 1cc syringe would be fine.

Now since you made sure that the insulin has the same designated Units (U100) as the syringes, all you have to do is draw up to the 50 units mark on the syringe to get the correct dose.

There are other markings on the syringe, and those have nothing to do with dose; that’s why I left those for last. Needles are marked with a gauge designation which tells you how thin the needle is– the higher the number, the thinner the needle is. For most insulin, using the highest gauge (thinnest needle) possible would provide the most comfort to your pet.

As an example to clearly visualize thickness, imagine 15 gauge would quite thick like a nail to hang a small photograph and 29 gauge (commonly used for insulin) would be so thin that it’s almost not felt at all by the pet. Just for discussion’s sake, a 22 gauge syringe is commonly used for thicker and more viscous liquids such as Adequan (for joints) or Percorten-V (for Addison’s).

As always, if for whatever reason you feel uncomfortable or need assistance with figuring the insulin dose please, please, call your veterinarian or your 1800PetMeds Pharmacist. Getting the correct dose of insulin into your pet is extremely important.

By Aly Semigran

If your cat has been diagnosed with diabetes, there are several treatment options available to help your feline live a long, healthy life. But is there a way for cat parents to avoid regular insulin shots and rely on natural remedies alone? Not exactly, says Dr. Tara Koble, DVM of The Cat Doctor Veterinary Hospital, in Boise, Ida.

“Some diabetic cats can be managed on a low-carb food alone, without insulin,” says Koble. ”This is the only ‘natural’ treatment that sometimes works by itself. Many cats need a combination of a low-carb food and insulin.”

Most veterinarians agree that natural supplements that tout diabetes remedies don’t work as effective treatment options. Insulin shots may be a necessary means to managing a diabetic cat’s health.

“There is no ‘natural’ replacement for insulin. However, insulin itself is a naturally occurring hormone, and in cats who need it, we are just technically replacing what is lacking,” says Koble. “Other natural supplements that are marketed for diabetes just help support the overall health of the cat but they don’t treat the disease directly.”

On the other hand, there is a natural approach to preventing diabetes in cats that is highly effective. Koble recommends pet parents pay close attention to diet and exercise. “The two best things any cat parent can help do to protect from diabetes would be to feed the highest quality canned, low-carb or raw diet that is possible,” she says. “The second critical thing to help prevent diabetes is to get your cat moving. Exercise is protective against diabetes, and indoor only cats are usually lacking severely in activity.”

What Causes Diabetes In Cats

Not dissimilar to type 2 diabetes in people, most cases of diabetes in cats occur when a cat’s blood sugar rises because its body is no longer responding to insulin in a normal manner. The pancreas can initially respond by producing more insulin, but the cells that make insulin eventually “wear out.”

While diabetes is more likely to happen in obese, middle-aged, indoor cats, it can affect any feline at any age and weight.

If your cat has been diagnosed with diabetes, there are several factors that could have led to the development of the disease. Koble explains that some of the causes include, “genetic predisposition, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, diet (high-carbohydrate, dry kibble), and the deposition of amyloid in the islets of the pancreas.”

Koble notes that diabetes in cats is not just caused by one of these issues—it is usually a combination of multiple problems.

How To Tell If Your Cat Has Diabetes

While there are a few things to look out for, Dr. Erika Raines, DVM, CVA, CVSMT, of the Holistic Pet Vet Clinic in Tigard, Ore., says more frequent drinking and urination is the biggest sign of diabetes in cats. She notes that cats may also develop diabetic neuropathy, “where they start to lose nerve function in their back legs and have weak hind legs as a result.” Raines says that the most common sign of neuropathy is a cat who walks flat on his back legs with his hocks on the ground.

A change in eating and drinking routines may also signal the onset of diabetes in cats. “Without insulin, [a cat’s] body can’t use glucose. So in the beginning you notice your cat is really hungry and is still losing weight,” says Koble. “The body also tries to dilute the high sugar by increasing the thirst, so cats that are diabetic will drink and urinate much more than a healthy cat.”

If you notice any of these signs, take your cat to the veterinarian immediately. If untreated, diabetes in cats can lead to severe issues, including weakness in the legs (diabetic neuropathy), diabetic ketoacidosis, infections, cataracts, nausea, kidney failure, severe dehydration, seizures, coma, and even death, explains Koble.

Insulin Treatments: A Common Option

While lifestyle and dietary changes may assist a cat in managing diabetes, Koble notes that many cats will need to receive insulin shots “before going into remission.”

Insulin, as Koble explains, is a hormone that is made in the pancreas that regulates blood sugar (glucose) levels. The more insulin secreted, the lower the blood sugar will drop. The less insulin that is secreted, the higher the blood sugar will remain. When there is not enough insulin, blood sugar remains high, resulting in diabetes.

For cats that do require insulin, most cats need a dose every 12 hours. Koble adds, “All insulin is safe when used properly.”

Any cat with diabetes will have to maintain visits with their vets based on their diagnosis. “Some [vets] require frequent office visits for blood sugar measurements and some prefer to empower clients to do monitoring at home,” Koble explains. “If a cat is well regulated and doing well, there may be up to six months on average between recommended visits.”

Natural Options to Help Manage Diabetes in Cats

While insulin may be necessary to ensure effectiveness in managing diabetes in cats, pet parents can also take a natural approach to diet and lifestyle changes following a diabetes diagnosis.

Raines recommends a low-carb diet without the addition of grains, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and green peas. “If you are feeding raw or home cooking your cat’s diet, definitely make sure that it is balanced appropriately,” she says, “This can be done by purchasing a supplement designed to balance a home prepared diet, or by purchasing commercially prepared complete raw diets.”

In addition to natural dietary changes, Raines says diabetic cats may also benefit from a cranberry-based urinary supplement since “diabetic cats can be at a higher risk for bladder infections.”

When searching for a natural urinary supplement, look for companies that perform independent testing and for products that have the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) label. It’s best to work directly with your veterinarian to ensure safe and proper supplementation for your diabetic cat.

Most importantly, never change your cat’s insulin dose or diet without first talking to your veterinarian. Oftentimes, a cat’s insulin needs will change when they start eating a different food. A mismatch between diet and insulin can result in serious and even fatal complications.

IN THIS ARTICLE

• Why Does My Cat Need Injectable Medication?
• Getting Started
• Basic Equipment
• Proper Restraint
• Giving a Subcutaneous Injection
• Giving an Intramuscular Injection

Join the Conversation

Like this article? Have a point of view to share? Let us know!

How to Care for Cats

• Cats Main
• Cat Breeds
• Why Does My Cat.

• Most Popular
• Most Liked

Today on Vetstreet

Another Reason to Banish Parasites

Bartonella is a type bacteria that can be transmitted to cats, dogs and humans from exposure to infected fleas and…

The Best Fruits and Veggies for Dogs

Want to give your pup yummy, low-calorie treats? We’ve got the skinny on which foods are OK to feed him.

Food Puzzles Are Worth the Effort

Not sure about food puzzles? Our veterinarian reveals why the payoff for your pet is well worth any extra work.

5 Ways to Care for Your Pet’s Teeth

With these simple dental care tips, you can help keep your canine’s adorable smile shiny and healthy for life.

You’ll Love This Curly-Coated Kitty

The friendly and inquisitive LaPerm has an easy-care coat that comes in a variety of colors and patterns.

Watch the Latest Vetstreet Videos

Check out our collection of more than 250 videos about pet training, animal behavior, dog and cat breeds and more.

Take Our Breed Finder Quiz

Wonder which dog or cat best fits your lifestyle? Our new tool will narrow down more than 300 breeds for you.

• Pin
• Share
• Email

If your cat is diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, it means that his pancreas is not producing enough insulin to regulate the amount of sugar in his bloodstream. In most cases of feline diabetes, insulin is the treatment of choice. Though giving injections to a cat can be a scary prospect for many cat owners, most owner’s find the injections are easier than they thought. But what about situations where injections are not possible? In these situations your veterinarian may discuss alternatives to insulin injections that we will discuss below. It is important to understand, all diabetic cats are diagnosed and managed under the guidance of a veterinarian no matter the treatment (even diet) and it is important to never diagnose or try to manage diabetes by yourself.

We discussed there may be other treatment options that are worth exploring in a situation where your cat’s personality is not conducive to receiving daily or twice daily injections of insulin or where you are physically incapable of giving the insulin injections. One such option is oral hypoglycemic medications like Glipizide and Acarbose are one such option. These medications act to help lower blood glucose levels. However, hypoglycemic medications rarely work in controlling diabetes in cats.

Strictly Controlled Diet As Possible Alternative

A strictly-controlled diet can be useful in controlling blood glucose levels in cats with diabetes. Feeding your cat special food by itself may or may not be completely effective, and it is most likely to work for cats who do not have severe diabetes.

The most commonly recommended food for a cat with diabetes is a diet containing high levels of protein and low levels of carbohydrates.   If you are feeding your cat commercial food, canned cat foods are preferred (as opposed to kibble or dry food).

A high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet can be combined with one of the oral hypoglycemic medications to further help regulate your cat’s blood glucose levels. It is possible that this may be more effective than using diet or medication alone.

Other Considerations in the Treatment of Diabetic Cats

Another important consideration in treating a cat with diabetes, especially if the disease is caught early, is that remission is possible if the regulation of blood glucose levels can be controlled effectively.   For that reason, aggressive treatment started early is considered to be the best course.

In many cases, insulin injections provide better glycemic control (control of blood sugar levels) than other medications. Insulin injections, particularly combined with a proper diet of high-protein, low-carbohydrate foods, are effective in converting many cats to a state of remission. This means that insulin injections may be necessary only for a short period of time and then your cat may not need them anymore.

In practice, many cats respond better to insulin injections than they do to the oral hypoglycemic agents or feeding your cat a diet of special food. For this reason, even though alternative treatments may be available if the situation warrants them, insulin is likely to remain the treatment of choice.

Taking care of a pet may involve a great deal of hard work. This applies even more to cats and dogs with recurring health issues or medical conditions, such as diabetes. They have to watch what their animal pal eats. They have to regularly subject the poor critter to treatments that they might not exactly welcome. On top of all that, they have to maintain and adhere to a rigorous schedule.

Watching over a diabetic pet can also be pretty unforgiving. One mistake can have a negative effect on their well-being. One mistake made several times, under the belief that it is not a mistake, can put them in extreme peril.

Yes, it is hard work, but pet owners must put in that hard work no matter what. They must do everything they can to ensure that their companions can live their best lives and love to their fullest abilities. If you have a diabetic pet, you need to learn exactly what to do and not do. Here are five common mistakes to avoid when giving insulin to your pet.

1. Using the Wrong Type of Insulin

Treating a diabetic pet might seem obvious: just use insulin! That is generally correct, but those with a layman’s knowledge of diabetes do not have the complete picture. There are a few types of insulin out there, and which one your pet needs is definitely something you should discuss with your veterinarian.

We can at least tell you here that we can at least describe these types of insulin. Protamine Zinc Insulin (PZI) is a long-acting one, meaning it is suitable for animals that can quickly metabolize the hormone. Cats usually get prescribed PZI — specifically, they require 1-2 units of insulin (U) every twelve hours.

Certain dogs will also need it, but canines, in general, are more likely to require short-acting insulin such as Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH). Every twelve hours, you must inject 0.25-0.5 U for every kilogram they weigh.

2. Treatment/Dosage Errors

Most people have at least some experience in receiving shots but no experience in giving them. As a result, even people who think they know what they are doing may be susceptible to making mistakes.

As you can see from this frankly terrifying account in EE Times, knowing how to read a syringe is not always intuitive. If your veterinarian advises that you use 18ml, as in this story, measure how much there is while holding the needle side down. The amount you give has to be just right: too much or too little may result in hypoglycemia.

Additionally, as we mentioned in our blog post about syringes and needle types, insulin syringes come in two sizes: U40 and U100. Make sure that the one you choose is most suitable for measuring the number of units your cat or dog needs.

3. Monitoring Mistakes

If something goes really wrong with their treatment, your pet might show symptoms of hypoglycemia. If they fall into seizures, experience convulsions, or show similarly dramatic signs that something is wrong, you should definitely visit the vet. Thankfully, there are less dramatic symptoms that, if you spot them, can show you that you need to double-check your approach. These include disorientation, severe lack of energy, and walking weirdly. Between injections, pay close attention to how your pets move and behave.

To minimize the chance of making these mistakes, you may want to maintain a strict schedule, both with what times you feed them and what times you inject them. As you keep up a regular routine, you will pick up on everything that you need to do for both preparation and the injection itself. It really does cut down on room for error.

Lastly, mistakes will happen sometimes, especially at the beginning. The key is to identify a mistake, stay calm, correct yourself the next time, and make that a habit. For example, do not panic if you inject too little, or if some of the insulin gets on their fur instead of inside them. You can just apply the regular portion on the next try. In the meantime, keep a close eye on your pet.

4. Problems with Diets

One of the most common pieces of laymen’s knowledge about diabetes is that people who have it need to watch what they consume. The same goes for animals with the condition, except that you have to watch it for them.

Your veterinarian will be able to tell you the exact details of how you should feed your companion. We can, however, advise you to avoid handing out treats on a whim because of how they can affect the critter’s blood levels. Instead, schedule treats for a few hours after the injection, when the insulin should be working.

As for breakfast and dinner, both dogs and cats need a lot of protein and moderate amounts of fat in their diet. Dogs can have some carbs, provided that they are low glycemic, while cats should have as few as possible. On that note, cut out dry food completely from your kitten’s diet.

5. Uncomfortable Injections

Administering injections to animals can be quite tricky — they appreciate and enjoy needles even less than humans. If they are not comfortable as you inject them, they might not only bite you but also make the next attempt more difficult. Please practice common sense with your needles, such as rotating the sites of injection.

One common way to calm them down is to give them food or treats, then inject them as they are eating. Also important to keep your buddy calm is to make sure that you are calm as well. Animals can sense when their owners are nervous. Once you are in, do not rush the injection — but do not slow it down either. Either path could lead to pain. Finding the right speed may take some time, but if you stick to a routine as we advised earlier, you will find it quickly.

Your pet might behave better if they expect a reward at the end. Give them a (low to no carb) treat immediately after the injection, even if they are already eating as you administer it. While you are at it, reassure them that everything is okay and praise them for being so good. As stressful as this process might be for you, it may be even more stressful for your pet — and they trust you anyway.

Get Insulin Syringes for Your Pet Today

Giving insulin to your pet can be tough at times, especially as you start out. Thankfully, animals are resilient, especially with the right encouragement. In the beginning, just follow your veterinarian’s instructions and ask questions when you are not sure about something. Once you develop and stick to a routine, it will get easier for you and your pal.

If your pet is diabetic, we at California Veterinary Supply can help. Our online store offers insulin syringes designed to make it easy for you to do the job right. Check out our selection today and start making life better for your furry friend.

ericy5150

TCS Member

Thread starter

My cat Tigger was just diagnosed w diabetes.I have deducted over the last few days that he stopped eating the Nutro dry food I leave out for all 6 of my babies and has been exclusively eating from the small piles of Whiskas Temptations treats I would leave here and there when I left for work. I made the huge error of letting all my cats eat temptations treats and they are addicted. Plus Tigger is addicted to Fancy Feast cheap food. I need to give him insulin but he wont eat good stuff. Do I just cut off the treats at once because they are looking at me like what did we do wrong and its breaking my heart. How do I get Tigger to eat for insulin. He as NEVER eaten a full can of food or a “full” meal. he licked the gravy only and then ate treats throughout the day

I’m so scared. he HAS to get this insulin. My second time going to give the injection it went through the scruff and poked me in the thumb. had to discard needle and do again. I’m so bad at this. :'(

Sonatine

TCS Member

Hang in there! Did your vet give you any coaching on how to do the injections? I admittedly only have experience with dogs in this regard, so if another member wants to chime in, maybe listen to them (though a quick google search suggests that this method still works on cats). I always gave the shots by gently pinching the scruff and pulling it up until a triangular(ish) “pocket” formed. I’d usually inject the needle facing the head, but occasionally reversed it. Keep fingers clear, of course; insulin is one of those things you really don’t want to shoot yourself with if you’re not a diabetic. Then I’d gently rub the skin afterwards, to make sure the insulin didn’t just form a pocket at the injection site. If you’ve already been told/shown all of this, then I apologize! Just trying to help.

Food is trickier, and it seems like they never want to eat when they really need to. I’m not sure that free feeding dry treats is going to work for this. If he’s been grazing on those all day, he’s not gonna want a big meal before his shot; they’re also super carby, which isn’t great for a diabetic cat. I’d cut the treats, honestly. They’ll beg, plead, and then forget. The only exception I’d make is if you think his blood sugar is too low; in that case, a few carby treats can raise it in a pinch, but that’s not the only way to treat hypoglycemia, so do whatever your vet has said is best in those cases.

If you want to offer treats, try some Pure Bites (they’re pretty much just freeze dried chicken: healthy and also very appealing to cats). Don’t free feed these; use them as rewards (in Tigger’s case, using them as a reward after his insulin could make the whole process a lot less unpleasant).

What sorts of food are you trying to give him for his meal? Having a set mealtime and not free feeding treats will help, but you still have to feed him something he likes that is also good for him. Fancy Feast isn’t the worst thing; if you can get him to eat a good serving of that right before his insulin, that’s a great start. Ideally, a food that is high in protein while also as low in carbs as possible would be best, but for now focus on getting him to eat before his shot.

Those freeze-dried chicken treats I mentioned before can help here: crumble them on his food; or use something else that he likes to eat that isn’t too carby. Some members have mentioned that their cats like bonito flakes in other threads. Do whatever you can to make that meal special to ensure he won’t refuse it. Don’t be afraid to try new things! Maybe a different texture (mashing the food/adding water, for example) would work. Offer him a few different wet foods and see if there’s one he really likes, once he’s not full from Temptations. Separating him from the other cats for his food might also help; you probably don’t want them underfoot when you’re trying to give him a shot anyway.

Sorry for the super long post, but hopefully some of this helps, or other, more experienced members can chime in.

July 1, 2018

Cats are wonderful independently-minded animals, hence the term ‘like herding cats’. This phrase could just as easily be ‘like getting a cat to swallow a pill’. Cats’ keen senses and natural wariness of new foods can make getting them to take oral medication tricky.

When it is time to give your cat a tablet it is important to always read the accompanying instructions to ensure your pet gets the full benefit, for example, some must be given whole, i.e. not split, crushed, or chewed. Some other medications may advise to give with or without food. Here we outline some methods you can use to ensure your cat takes their tablets:

1. Some feline medications have been formulated by hopeful manufacturers with meat flavourings or derivatives to encourage your cat to eat them voluntarily. Offering your cat these tablets as a treat is certainly the easiest and best method, if it works.

2. If your cat will not eat their tablet on its own, or you tried and they spat half of it out again, then you can try hiding the tablet, or its remainder, in some food. A moist, strong-tasting favourite food is best. Ensure your cat is hungry, then using only a small quantity of food watch to ensure the tablet is swallowed with the food.

3. Some cats can use their tongue with surgical precision to remove the tablet from the food, if so, then you can try popping the tablet directly into their mouth. This method should always be approached in a calm and confident manner. Ideally, two people are required, one to hold the cat and the other to hold the cat’s head and the tablet.

The person holding the cat should have them on a table facing away from them, but with their hindlimbs tucked into their body. They should hold the top of the forelimbs gently but securely, if you know your cat is likely to wriggle, or scratch, then wrapping their body and legs in a large towel can help.

The other person should approach the cat from the side, place their hand on the top of the cat’s head and position their thumb and middle finger behind each top canine. With this firm but gentle grip, the head can be tilted back to a 45-degree angle where the jaw will naturally open. The other hand holding the tablet in the tips of the thumb and index finger should open the jaw and drop the tablet to the back of the throat. If the tablet is placed too close to the front of the mouth your cat can use their tongue to spit it out.

Holding the head back for a moment, with a closed jaw, and tickling under their chin may help encourage them to swallow. Another technique is to gently blow on their nose when the tablet is at the back of the throat, this will cause most cats to lick their lips and swallow.

4. The above technique can also be achieved using a pill popper. A pill popper is designed to reach the back of your cat’s mouth without your fingers having to go into the mouth. They are also useful when the tablet has already gotten wet, as the tablet can sometimes stick to your fingers.

If you are unsure or nervous about trying the above techniques, iCatCare have some wonderful videos of how to give a cat a pill on YouTube. Click here to view.

Alternatively, you can ask your local veterinary practice to give you a demonstration next time you are there.

Written by Lindsay Rose MA VetMB CertAVP CertVBM MRCVS.

Albon For Cats

Feline diabetes, like its human counterpart, can stem from genetics, pancreatic trouble, a reaction to medication or overeating. Unless they are born with a proclivity to diabetes, most cats contract the disease as a result of overeating. When diet isn’t enough to reverse diabetes, an insulin pen is one potential solution.

Insulin Pens

Insulin pens contain pre-measured doses of medicine to help control diabetes. Pens can be either disposable — with pre-set dosages — or accept disposable, pre-measured cartridges. Typically they look like elegant writing pens or fine-point markers, with a pocket clip that makes carrying them more convenient and discrete than carrying syringes and glass vials of insulin.

Advantages of Pens

Many people are uncomfortable using syringes to inject insulin into their cats. Some have trouble handling syringes or using the plunger, especially if the cat becomes agitated. Some are afraid to break the glass tube or are too timid to use the long needle. Insulin pens have shorter needles and no glass. Most are ergonomic and do not require pushing a plunger. Also, dosages are more easily measured, and the chance of spilling a larger vial of medicine is effectively eliminated.

Prepare for Injection

Set out the supplies you will need, including treats for being a well-behaved kitty. A recently fed cat also responds to insulin better. Above all, be relaxed and gentle when giving a shot, and make sure you and your cat are on the same level. Seat her in your lap or get down on the floor with her. Remember to always consult your veterinarian before using an insulin pen on your cat.

Prepare the Pen

Insulin, which you store in the refrigerator, should be room temperature by injection time. Once the needle is attached and the insulin is mixed, fill the cartridge and prime the pen by holding it with the needle pointing straight up. Tap the pen to get the air bubbles to rise to the top, then shoot a quick couple of drops into the air to ensure that all the bubbles are expelled from the cartridge. Then dial the proper dosage for the injection.

Administer the Injection

Clean your hands and pinch a tent of skin around the injection site to help desensitize the skin. Turn the bevel of the needle up to make the shot less painful. Penetrate the fatty layer below the tent, making sure to not reach any muscle. Release the tent and press the injection button. The shot should be complete in a few seconds. Pull the needle straight up without twisting. Rub your finger over the injection site to prevent bleeding and be sure to praise your cat for being brave. And remember to give her one of those treats.

Always check with your veterinarian before changing your pet’s diet, medication, or physical activity routines. This information is not a substitute for a vet’s opinion.

Is your cat peeing around the house or unusually losing weight? Learn about the signs and causes of feline diabetes.

Everything we create is factually accurate and biased toward science → meet our team of experts

Updated November 15, 2021

The essentials

• Diabetes in cats is rare —0.25% to 1% of cats will receive a diabetes diagnosis during their lifetime.
• There are three types of diabetes in cats — In all forms, a cat’s body can’t get the nutrients they need.
• Diabetes could be life-threatening — Watch for early signs like weight loss and increased thirst.
• Ongoing care is important— A good prognosis for a diabetic cat requires management at home and frequent trips to the vet.

What is feline diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus in cats is also known as feline diabetes. Diabetes is an illness in which the body cannot produce insulin. Insulin is a necessary hormone that allows a cat’s body to release glucose from the blood. With the help of insulin, sugar transfers to cells and organs so the body can absorb it for energy.

These cats are more likely to develop it

Any cat can get diabetes, regardless of its age, body type, or medical history. However, it’s more common in:

• Middle-aged cats
• Older cats
• Neutered male cats

Common symptoms of diabetes in cats

Whether or not you suspect your cat is suffering from an illness, it’s always important to pick up on their daily habits. That way, you’ll notice any changes to their behavior and signs that they could be suffering from diabetes. You can significantly improve your cat’s prognosis by noticing some of the early signs of diabetes:

• Excessive thirst and urination. Diabetes causes high levels of glucose in the blood which makes sugar spill into the urine. This makes a cat need to pee more often, causing dehydration and extreme thirst. Some cats will also urinate outside of the litter box.
• Weight loss despite a good appetite. This is one of the most common and first noticed signs of feline diabetes. Weight loss happens because diabetes starves a cat of energy.
• Unhealthy coat and skin. Because diabetes causes dehydration, a cat’s skin may become dry.
• Frequent UTIs . If your cat is frequently visiting the vet for urinary tract infections, this is a common sign seen in diabetic cats.

👉 Is your cat’s litter sticking to its paws? This is a strange symptom your cat may display if they have diabetes because of the excess amounts of urine that they produce.

Late signs of disease

If your cat has been suffering from diabetes for some time, they may show advanced stages of the disease:

• Inability to jump and loss of interest. If your cat is unable to move around the house like they used to, this may be a sign that diabetes could be taking a toll on their energy levels.
• Change in gait. Diabetes can cause increased weakness and lack of energy, so you may notice changes in the way your cat moves. They may begin to walk flat on their hind legs, show signs of neuropathy, or start to develop permanent paralysis.
• Lack of appetite, vomiting, or lethargy. Over time, diabetes can begin to cause nausea in cats, prompting an upset stomach and occasional vomiting.

What causes feline diabetes?

Sometimes diabetes in cats is an unavoidable condition, but there are some proven causes of the illness:

• Obesity
• Inactivity
• Chronic pancreatitis, kidney disease, or hypothyroidism
• Pregnancy
• Cats on steroid medication

👉 Obesity is the most common cause of diabetes. This is because obesity makes a cat’s body less sensitive to insulin.

There are three types of diabetes in cats

In all types, a cat’s cells can’t access the nutrients they need.

• Type I (insulin-dependent) . Insulin production is low and blood glucose concentrations are high.
• Type II (non-insulin-dependent) . The cells of the body don’t respond to insulin production, causing glucose to be high. The body still makes insulin but it doesn’t respond appropriately to the hormone. Insulin resistance causes this type of diabetes.
• Type III (insulin-resistant) . Due to insulin resistance secondary to increased levels of hormones (gestational or hormone-induced).

👉 Type II diabetes is the most common form seen in cats.

Be a smarter pet parent

Sign up for the best pet advice you can get

What is hypoglycemia?

Hypoglycemia is a life-threatening condition in which the blood sugar levels drop dangerously low. The liver and muscles store excess glucose in the form of glycogen when needed, enzymes release it back into the blood. Many cells of the body can use protein or fat as energy sources if blood sugar levels drop, however, the brain relies on glucose alone. If glucose levels drop, the brain can no longer function properly and neurologic dysfunction occurs. Severe cases can lead to brain damage or death.

The pancreatic beta cells produce the hormone insulin which helps to move glucose from food into the cells (for energy).

Causes

Excess insulin

• Exogenous insulin administration: The most common cause of hypoglycemia in cats is insulin overdose. This is especially common in cats who have recently been diagnosed with diabetes and insulin levels are still being adjusted. It is also possible for an insulin overdose to occur as your cat’s insulin requirements may change over time, particularly if his or her diabetes comes under control due to dietary changes (known as diabetic remission).
• Functional insulin-secreting pancreatic tumour: The pancreatic beta cells produce the hormone insulin which helps to move glucose from food into the cells (for energy). Pancreatic tumours (insulinomas) secrete excess amounts of insulin regardless of glucose levels.
• Other types of cancer: Hepatic (liver), mammary, pulmonary, lymphoma, oral melanoma.
• Increased endogenous insulin secretion: Certain medications and toxins such as xylitol and sulfonylureas can stimulate the production of excess insulin.

Decreased glucose production

• Missed meals, especially in the diabetic cat.
• Vomiting: Once a cat eats a meal, insulin is secreted to help move glucose into the cells, if the cat vomits up his meal shortly afterwards, the increased levels of insulin with no food to digest can result in hypoglycemia.
• Certain medications such as beta-blockers.
• Hepatic disease, portosystemic shunt, hepatic lipidosis , hepatic neoplasia, and toxicity can all cause hypoglycemia due to dysfunctional glycogen storage.
• Glycogen storage diseases are rare disorders characterised by defects in glycogen branching enzymes which are necessary for the synthesis of stored glycogen in the liver and muscles. This means that stored glycogen is unable to be synthesized, leading to accumulation within the liver and muscles. Norwegian Forest cats are most commonly affected by glycogen storage diseases.
• Addison’s disease : A condition where the adrenal glands don’t produce enough of the hormone cortisol. This hormone helps to balance the effects of insulin by inhibiting its production in order to prevent it from being stored so that it can be immediately used.

Excess glucose consumption

• Sepsis (bacterial infection of the blood): Can lead to excess cellular consumption of glucose due to an increase in metabolism and increased cellular activity as well as a decreased intake of food and decreased liver function.

Symptoms

Most of the symptoms of hypoglycemia (often shortened to hypo, which means low) relate to neurologic disorders due to a lack of fuel to the brain. Clinical signs and severity can vary depending on how quickly and how low blood glucose drops. Liver disease would bring down blood sugar levels slower than an insulin injection overdose for example.

Mild hypoglycemia

• Increased or decreased appetite
• Nausea
• Nervousness
• Heart palpitations
• Rapid breathing (tachypnea)
• Dilated pupils
• Drowsiness
• Lethargy

Moderate hypoglycemia

• Disorientation
• Weakness
• Head tilting
• Shakiness/tremors
• Poor coordination

Severe hypoglycemia

• Paralysis
• Seizures
• Coma
• Death

Many of the symptoms listed can be due to other medical conditions. If you have a diabetic cat, it is extremely important to check his blood glucose levels and urine daily.

Diagnosis

The veterinarian will perform a physical examination of your cat and obtain a medical history from you including any medications your cat is on (including insulin), dosages, diet and accompanying symptoms. If your cat is not a diabetic, it will be important to find out the underlying cause of hypoglycemia.

Diagnostic workup:

• Baseline tests: Complete blood count, biochemical profile, and urinalysis to evaluate blood glucose levels, liver and kidney function as well as to check for signs of infection or cancer such as elevated white blood cells.
• ACTH stimulation test: This test measures the ability of the adrenal glands to respond to adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) which is made in the pituitary gland, travelling through the bloodstream to the adrenal glands where it stimulates the secretion of other hormones such as hydrocortisone from the cortex. The ACTH stimulation test measures levels of cortisol in the blood before and after an injection of synthetic ACTH.
• Imaging studies: Radiograph or ultrasound of the pancreas to look for tumours.

Treatment

If the cat is still conscious and can swallow, administer a sugar solution such as corn syrup, maple syrup or honey onto the tongue. If the cat is not able to swallow, rub this solution onto the gums or under the tongue. Never force fluids or food into the mouth as this can cause choking or asphyxiation.

If your cat is having seizures or is unconscious, they need to see a veterinarian immediately, along the way administer sugar as outlined above.

It is important to follow up with your veterinarian, even if your cat appears to be fine. It may be necessary to re-adjust insulin levels in the diabetic cat.

Non-diabetic cats will require additional tests to determine and treat the cause. Once at the veterinary surgery, your cat’s blood glucose level will be immediately checked and if necessary he will be given intravenous dextrose.

Glucocorticoids such as prednisone to help stabilise blood sugar levels.

Do not administer insulin to a cat after hypoglycemia until a veterinarian has given the okay.

Prevention

Prevention is always better than cure. Hypoglycemia can escalate very quickly and the aim is to avoid drops in blood sugar.

• Ensure your cat eats frequently, he should be fed several small meals at the same time every day.
• Monitor your cat’s blood glucose levels and urine daily.
• Have one member of the house responsible for the administration of insulin to avoid accidental double dosing (or missing a dose).

Oops!
Almost everyone makes a mistake on an injection. Some or all of the insulin may not get injected properly. If this happens, there are several things you may notice.

• The pet’s fur is wet with insulin

• You may be able to smell a distinct odor from the insulin. Humulin NPH has a unique odor, and you can smell it if it is on your pet’s fur.

• Your fingers are wet with insulin

Ask your vet what to do if you think you made a mistake on an injection. Usually, it is not safe to try to guess how much insulin was injected, and most owners do not try to give a replacement shot. They wait until the next shot and give the usual dose. Missing one shot is not the end of the world. The pet’s blood glucose may be high for a few hours, but that is much safer than guessing at a second injection and giving too much insulin.

Miscellaneous injection tips

• Site rotation. It is important to give each injection in a little different spot on the body. Most owners are advised to stay on the same general area of the body, like the scruff or on the side behind the shoulder. This is because different sites of the body may absorb insulin faster than others. But don’t inject in the exact same spot every time. Moving the injection site a little bit helps prevent skin irritation and scar formation. Ask your vet to show you places on your pet that are good to give injections. Each pet is different and a good area for one pet may be a very sensitive area for another pet.

• After the injection you may notice that a tiny bit of the insulin has “leaked” back out from under the skin. Human diabetics and owners of diabetic pets have reported this. This is normal (but uncommon), and should not be a problem. Ask your vet about this if you are concerned that your pet is not getting the full dose.

• If you are not sure that you are giving the injection correctly, or if your pet seems to be in a lot of discomfort during the injection, be sure to ask your vet for advice.

A little Light Heartedness
Read “Shoot Me Tender” Bobbi’s humorous song about giving a comfortable injection. It might be what you need on one of those days when your pet is telling you “ouch”.

Syringe Reuse Poll

I just don’t get it. Here I’ve got the proverbial crazy cat lady seated before me. I mean, she’s long ago confessed to keeping ten cats in her tiny apartment. And don’t get me wrong — I adore her for it. Problem is, she currently says she’ll not be treating her just-diagnosed diabetic cat with insulin because (a) she has too many others to worry about, and (b) she doesn’t want to “put her through it.”

Now, in case you’ve not heard my spiel on this before, lean into your seats and grab hold of your desk now: Who exactly are we putting through what? Because if I was nine-out-of-ten cats, I’d be loving life as a diabetic cat. That is, as long as my owner cared enough to coddle me through the process.

And since a full fifty percent recover fully enough not to require insulin within four short months post-diagnosis, I’d say not wanting to “put her through it” would rank high among the crappiest reasons to let any animal die an uncomfortable death in the face of an eminently treatable disease.

But then, as most of us who labor long enough in veterinary medicine know, a large percentage of don’t-want-to-put-her-through-it cases are really just an excuse for economic euthanasia. Or more depressingly, don’t-want-to-put-her-through-it is the code for death offered by the I-just-can’t-deal-with-this-right-now mentality I encounter so often among my emotionally overwhelmed client base. This latter group means well. But they just. can’t. deal.

And somehow, diabetic cats rank really, really high among the cases that fall into this emotionally trying category. Somehow, it seems people want to draw the line at diabetes. But then, that’s probably only because diabetes in cats almost inevitably means insulin. Injectable insulin. Twice a day insulin.

There’s no doubt about it: Managing a diabetic cat is not easy. And make no mistake, I’d rather have clients tell me how it is up front so that we can euthanize a sick cat before he has a chance to suffer rather than have them take him home to die a drawn-out death of neglect. But that doesn’t mean that veterinarians shouldn’t try to evangelize on the merits of diabetic cat management.

Frustrating though it inevitably is to hear a client wax poetic on the many ways in which s/he will decidedly NOT engage in the insulin-giving, prescription diet-feeding, careful-watching type of diabetes management modern veterinary medicine recommends, knowing that I succeed in changing hearts and minds on this issue in more than fifty percent of my stubborn cases is more than enough to keep me going.

Sure, their mystifying excuses never fail to get me down. But if I can just hang in there long enough to get them to agree to move onto the next step — stone soup-style — I find that most pet owners will follow me, step after perilous step, as we move into the not-so-stressful-as-I-thought-it-would-be territory of diabetic cat management.

My profession is about healing animals — mostly. But in a large percentage of cases I’m really just Tom Sawyering others into doing the healing for me. And nowhere is this more obvious in my version of veterinary medicine than when it comes to treating the diabetic cat. Sure, I can tell them exactly what to do, but unless I can persuade pet owners into believing that both they and their cats will be happier in the end … it’s all over.

Luckily, the truth about insulin is this: Most cats mind it far less than getting a pill or liquid medication foisted upon them twice a day. What’s more, most cases of feline diabetes are incredibly rewarding adventures in what it takes to really love animals. Now, if only I could convince ALL my clients…

Table of Contents

Cats are one of the most loving and beautiful pets. When these cute animals live as a part of your family for years, it becomes hard to bid them goodbye. However, at times, you may have to decide to bring its life to an end. If your aged cat no longer enjoys its life or is suffering from an incurable disease that makes its life difficult, the best thing you can do for your pet is to give it a painless death.

A lot of pet owners decide to euthanize their pets at home with over-the-counter drugs. In this post, we try to understand how you can accomplish this and what you should know before euthanizing your cat at home.

How To Euthanize A Cat With Over The Counter Drugs?

There are several ways to put down your cat at home, to free it from the painful, uninteresting life it is living. Not everyone can afford to take the cat to the clinic one last time. They may have spent enough on treatments. The entire process of euthanasia in the clinic can cost a lot more than just giving them a high dose of over-the-counter drugs.

Most people believe that using drugs at home to euthanize the cat is more convenient. Euthanizing your pet at home makes it more comfortable for you and your pet. Sleeping pills are one of the best drugs you can use to give your feline a peaceful death. A commonly used drug is Pentobarbital Sodium, a powerful anesthetic medicine approved by the government and the agencies for euthanasia.

This medicine can either be given orally or through an injection. Euthanizing the cat with sleeping pills is more effective if used with sedatives. Sedatives help the pet relax and stay free of pain these sleeping pills can cause. However, it is advisable that you consult a vet for a suggestion on the best dose and product to be as harmless as possible.

Best Cat Euthanasia Drugs & Medications – UPDATED 2022

There are several over-the-counter drugs and medications that help treat health problems in humans but are often fatal for cats and used to euthanize them. Here are some of the best ones often preferred by cat owners.

Tylenol PM

Tylenol PM is a common over-the-counter painkiller found in every home. However, cats are extremely sensitive to these drugs and they can be fatal for pets even in small doses.

Large doses of this medication can cause poisonous effects in cats and put them to death. However, these effects can be painful so it is recommended to use this drug with sedatives for euthanasia.

Benadryl

One of the most effective over-the-counter drugs for allergies in humans, Benadryl works for cat euthanasia.

You can consider giving it a 15 times higher dose than a regular one to kill it. Such a dose of Benadryl will put your cat to comma in a few minutes after which it dies peacefully.

Aspirin

Cats are known to be highly sensitive to certain drugs, aspirin being one of them. It is due to their slow synthesis and digestive inability that they respond adversely to this drug.

Overdosing the cats with aspirin is a painless way to put them to sleep for a lifetime. A few doses of aspirin would put them down peacefully in a matter of hours.

Insulin

Though insulin is considered to be a life-saving medication for diabetic patients, a high amount of this drug can put your cat down by dropping its blood glucose levels. Insulin can be easily obtained from a pharmacy and given to the cat without any professional help.

If you have decided to euthanize your feline, you can inject a big dose of insulin and see it going to coma in about ten minutes after which it experiences a painless, peaceful death in some time.

Cat Euthanasia At Home – What You Should Know?

Saying goodbye to your beloved pet is one of the most heartbreaking and challenging things to do. This is why most people want to do it in the comfort of their home with privacy. Moreover, the cat is likely to be more comfortable in the home in its last hours than in a clinic. Your pet may already have been stressed from vet visits and rides. You can avoid adding more stress by choosing to euthanize it at home.

Pet owners who don’t have easy access to vets and clinics also decide to euthanize their four-legged friends at home. A home-based process also gives more time to the pet and the owner to be together before they part forever. While the decision of euthanizing at home makes things comfortable and convenient, there are some considerations associated.

One may wonder about the costs, pains and techniques that best suit cat euthanasia at home. It is important that you understand the process completely and be prepared in every way. Pet owners should be informed of various options available to put the cat down. They should also know the implications associated with each of the options. Consulting a vet who explains the ideal procedures helps you understand what you can expect.

How To Euthanize A Cat With Xanax?

Xanax is an effective prescription drug that works as an antidepressant by affecting the neural levels in humans. It is not something you can buy over the counter because it has serious side effects. Sedation is one of the most common adverse effects associated with Xanax. This is why pet owners may consider using a high dose of this drug for cat euthanasia.

Xanax can be used with other over-the-counter drugs for a peaceful death of your pet at home. However, it is important to consult your vet about the appropriate dosage and implications to make sure your cat does not end up in pain and health effects.

Sometimes, the drug can show opposite reactions than expected. So, you can consider putting your cat down with drugs like Xanax but be cautious about the use of such medications to make sure you and your pet don’t fall into any trouble.

Information for pet owners on administering insulin therapy for the treatment of diabetes in cats.

How is insulin administered to cats with diabetes mellitus?

In cases of standard diabetes where the patient is otherwise relatively healthy, cats will generally be started on insulin injections immediately once the diagnosis is made. Because they break down insulin relatively quickly, almost all cats will require injections twice a day (morning and evening, roughly 12 hours apart, at the same times each day). The injections are usually administered under the skin of the back using either a syringe and very fine needle or a purpose-designed insulin pen. A crib sheet on insulin administration is also available within the fact sheet section of the Davies Veterinary Specialists website.

Insulin is typically started at a low dose, which will often need to be gradually increased based on response. The low dose is used because overdosing of insulin is much more dangerous than underdosing, but the consequence is that it can take some weeks to reach the optimal dosage by incremental increase. Insulin doses should not be changed too regularly (3-5 days is required for a new dose to show its full effect) and doses should never be altered without discussion with a vet.

How will my cat respond to regular insulin injections?

Typically, cats tolerate the injections very well and do not find them to be uncomfortable. This is due to the tiny width of the insulin needles and the fact that they have a large amount of loose skin which is not painful to inject under (unlike in humans). This comfort can be maintained in the long term by varying the site of injection across different areas of the back. This prevents one area of skin from being consistently pierced, which eventually would lead to the development of inflammation. Anywhere that you can find loose skin is an acceptable place to inject.

What happens if my cat misses an injection?

In view of the fact that an overdose is significantly more dangerous than an underdose, there are some important principles where insulin management is concerned.

1. If there is any uncertainty about whether the dose has been given or whether the full amount of insulin was correctly injected, DO NOT repeat the injection. A single missed dose is far preferable to the risk of a double dose.
2. If a dose is missed, wait until the next time the insulin is due and administer the normal amount. Do not be tempted to give a dose (full or part) in the meantime as this will lead to more instability.
3. If your cat becomes unwell, is vomiting or is refusing to eat, DO NOT give insulin. The amount of insulin required is related to how much food is eaten, and so if no food is eaten for more than a 12-hour period (when normally it would have been expected to have been eaten) and is refused when offered, do not give the insulin and contact your vet for advice. They may recommend either skipping the dose, giving a part-dose or that your cat should be examined at the practice.

An overdose of insulin can lead to low blood glucose (also referred to as hypoglycaemia or ‘a hypo’). Often this leads to no clinical signs and does not cause a significant problem, however, if blood sugar drops too low it can result in weakness, lethargy, poor responsiveness to people or the environment and strange behaviours, and can progress to collapse, coma and death if untreated. Should any of these signs occur, a sugary substance such as honey or golden syrup should be rubbed on the cat’s gums to rapidly increase blood sugar and your vet should be contacted immediately.

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. We hope you never have a pet who develops the disease, but feel everyone should be aware of the signs of diabetes and available treatments, and how to properly manage diabetes in pets.

What is Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus, or diabetes, is a condition that occurs when the body cannot maintain appropriate blood glucose levels or utilize glucose as a cellular energy source. Glucose is the main source of energy for the body’s cells. The levels of glucose in the blood are primarily controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is made by the pancreas.

As food passes through the intestines during digestion, sugars are one of the nutrients absorbed from the food. These sugars are transported into the cells lining the intestines and are converted into simple sugars, including glucose. Simple sugars are then absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to the body’s tissues and cells. Insulin is required for the transfer of glucose from the bloodstream to the cells. If there is not enough insulin, or the body is unable to use insulin, glucose accumulates in high levels in the blood – a condition called hyperglycemia. When the blood glucose reaches a certain level, glucose overflows into the urine (glycosuria) and draws large volumes of water with it. This is why diabetic pets drink more water and urinate more frequently, and in larger amounts, than healthy pets.

In diabetics, regardless of the source or amount of sugar in the blood, there is not enough glucose transported into the body’s cells. As a result, there is not enough energy for the cells to function normally, and the tissues become “starved”. This state of metabolic “starvation” causes the body to breakdown fat and muscle tissue, which is then converted by the liver to ketones. Ketones do not rely on insulin the way glucose does to be used as an energy source. Unfortunately, using ketones as a primary energy source is not without consequence. This breakdown of body tissues results in the weight loss seen in diabetic patients.

What pets are at risk?
Diabetes in dogs and cats can occur at any age. Diabetes occurs in unspayed female dogs twice as often as male dogs. Certain breeds of dog may be predisposed to diabetes, this includes Poodles, Bichons Frises, Pugs, Dachshunds, Miniature Schnauzers, Pulis, Samoyeds, Keeshonds, Australian Terriers, Fox Terriers, Cairn Terriers, and Beagles. Obesity is a significant risk factor for development of diabetes in any breed.

What are the signs of diabetes in pets?
Noticing the early signs of diabetes is crucial. If you notice any of the following signs, your pet should be examined by a veterinarian. The earlier the diagnosis, the better chance your pet will have a longer and healthier life.

• Excessive water drinking and increased urination
• Weight loss, even though there may be an increased appetite
• Decreased or increased appetite
• Cloudy eyes (especially in dogs)
• Chronic or recurring infections (including skin infections and urinary infections)

How is diabetes diagnosed and treated?
Diabetes may be suspected based on the signs a pet is showing, but the diagnosis is confirmed by your veterinarian by finding consistent hyperglycemia and glycosuria. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, your veterinarian will prescribe an initial dose and type of insulin for your pet. Insulin cannot be given orally – it must be given by injection under the skin. It is not a one-size-fits-all treatment, your veterinarian will periodically need to adjust your pet’s treatment regimen based on the results of monitoring.

How Do You Give a Subcutaneous Injection?

1. Make Sure Your Pet is Calm
2. Gather Supplies — including a helper to restrain if needed
3. Load the syringe with the appropriate dose of insulin- you will read the lines on the side of the syringe and fill to the prescribed number of units.
   • Store insulin in the fridge.
   • Roll the insulin bottle, do not shake it, prior to loading the syringe
4. Find an area of loose skin- this is normally in the middle of the back between the shoulder blades
5. Gently pinch the skin between your thumb and forefinger. Pull the loose skin gently upward and look for a small indentation of skin between your fingers.
6. Pick up the syringe with your other hand and insert the sterile needle directly into the indentation. Keep the needle parallel to the surface of the skin on the back. If you angle the needle too much, you may enter a muscle, go through the skin to the opposite side, or stick your own finger.
7. Once the needle has been inserted, pull back on the plunger only. If you see blood, remove the needle and try a different location. If there is no blood, push the plunger forward to empty the syringe.
8. When the syringe is empty, remove the needle, backing out along the same path that was used to enter the skin.
9. Release the pet after giving him/her a big hug for being a good patient!
10. Be sure to dispose of used needles and syringes properly.

**** Insulin must not be given to an animal that has not eaten. Contact your veterinarian if your pet will not eat but needs a dose of insulin.****

Caring for diabetic pets
Dogs and cats with diabetes usually require lifelong treatment with prescription diets, daily exercise and daily insulin injections. The key to managing diabetic pets is to keep your pet’s blood sugar near normal levels and avoid too-high or too-low levels that can be life-threatening.

It is very important to maintain the proper insulin and feeding schedules recommended for your pet. It is also very important your pet maintains a normal appetite while on insulin therapy. If your pet is not eating and a dose of insulin is given, hypoglycemia may occur. Hypoglycemia is the term used for low blood sugar and may become a medical emergency. Pets diagnosed with diabetes will require hospital visits for serial blood draws, glucose curves, used to monitor progress and help determine if your pet is on the correct dose of insulin.

If you suspect your pet may be showing signs of diabetes, contact your Longwood veterinarian immediately. Diabetes is not a death sentence. While control is time consuming and does not come without emotional or financial considerations, your pet can continue to lead a happy and healthy life.

Rhett Marshall BVSc, MANCVSc, PhD
The Cat Clinic
189 Creek Road,
Mt Gravatt, 4122

Basic information

Glargine (Lantus) is readily available from most pharmacies with a script, is not licensed for use in cats.

Glargine must not be diluted or mixed with anything because the prolonged action is dependent on its pH.

Insulin glargine should be kept refrigerated to prolong its life.

Insulin glargine has a shelf-life of 4 weeks once opened and kept at room temperature. We have found that opened vials stored in the refrigerator can be used for up to 6 months.

Discard vial immediately if there is any discoloration. Bacterial contamination and precipitation associated with pH change can cause cloudiness.

If using an insulin pen, the manufacturer recommends that the pen and cartridge be kept at room temperature and not refrigerated. This is to reduce the changes in volume of insulin dispensed associated with changes in temperature.

When performing a blood glucose curve, samples probably only need to be taken every 4hrs over 12 hr in many cats (ie. 0h [before morning insulin], 4h, 8h and 12h after morning insulin).

Dose changes should be made based on pre-insulin glucose concentration, nadir (lowest) glucose concentration, daily water drunk, and urine glucose concentration.

Better glycaemic control is achieved with twice daily dosing rather than once daily.

Some cats that have been treated with other insulin will go into remission, usually within 1-4 months after instituting glargine. Remission in cats that have been treated for more than 2 years is extremely rare.

More accurate dosing may be achieved using 0.3ml U-100 insulin syringes.

Remission is likely to occur if the nadir glucose is in the normal range and pre-insulin blood glucose is less than 12 mmol/l. However, for some cats to achieve remission, the dose needs to be very gradually reduced, tapering off to ½ U SID before being withdrawn. Too rapid withdrawal often requires restabilising at a higher dose for some weeks.

Indications for using glargine

All newly diagnosed diabetic cats (to increase chance of remission)

Poorly controlled or unstable diabetic cats (glargine’s long duration of action is likely to benefit these cats)

When SID dosing is desired or demanded (It is important to note that better glycaemic control and higher remission rates will be obtained with BID dosing. SID dosing only provides similar control and remission rates to lente BID)

Ketoacidosis – combined with regular insulin IM or IV

When corticosteroid administration is required in cats in remission. Similarly in cats at high risk of developing clinical signs of diabetes with corticosteroid administration.

Starting a cat on glargine insulin

If BG > 20mmol/L begin glargine at an initial dose of 0.5U/kg ideal body weight q12hrs (BID)

If BG 14mmol/L for cats treated for more than 2 to 3 weeks, and hence well controlled cats should almost always be 0 or 1+ for urine glucose. A value 2+ or greater likely indicates that an increase in dose is required.

Dose changes should be made based on pre-insulin glucose concentration, nadir (lowest) glucose concentration, daily water drunk, and urine glucose concentration.

Adjusting glargine insulin dose

Once a cat has been stabilised on glargine insulin (i.e. after a week of therapy), the dose may need to be increased or decreased.

1. Indications for increasing the dose of glargine insulin
2. If pre-insulin glucose conc. is > 12mmol/L, then increase dose by 0.25-1.0U/injection

1. If nadir glucose conc. is > 10mmol/L then increase dose by 0.5-1.0U/injection
2. For well controlled cats after several weeks of therapy, an immediate “pre-insulin” glucose measurement > 12 mmol/L suggests that the dose should be increased.
3. Indications for maintaining the same dose of glargine insulin
4. If pre-insulin glucose conc. >10 – 12mmol/L, then insulin can be re-administered at 1U BID and then gradually reduced as indicated. If blood glucose is 14mmol/L for cats treated for more than 2 to 3 weeks, and hence well controlled cats should almost always be 0 or 1+ for urine glucose. A value 2+ or greater likely indicates that an increase in dose is required. This should be confirmed with blood glucose evaluation.

Fructosamine or Glycated Haemoglobin

Urine and blood glucose and water intake (i.e., clinical signs) are usually the easiest way to monitor therapy with glargine insulin. Since many cats go into remission after a few weeks, long-term measures of glycaemic control, such as fructosamine or glycated Hb, are of less value in monitoring patients.

General observations from preliminary use of glargine insulin

Starting doses may be high. Some cats initially require a dose of 5 or 6 U/cat BID to establish glycaemic control. This dose can usually be reduced as insulin sensitivity returns. Cats on these high doses need to be carefully monitored for hypoglycaemia.

Some cats require only small doses of insulin (

What Does Cat Diabetes Cost To Manage?

When it comes to the cost of cat diabetes, there’s a lot for you to know. For starters, National Pet Diabetes Month arrives each year in November, and represented by the color blue, it brings up a valuable subject we all need to know more about, including what diabetes can cost, and how it might affect your vet bills in the future.

Here’s a breakdown on what diabetes in cats looks like and the overall cost of treating cat diabetes. (Always remember that you should consult with your vet whenever you think your pet is vulnerable to this illness.)

Diabetes is a chronic illness found in many animals such as humans, dogs, and cats. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that affects a cat’s ability to process food correctly. A healthy cat can process and break down their food into smaller components, like glucose. Glucose is then absorbed into their cells with the help of insulin.

However, a cat with diabetes is unable to make insulin or cannot utilize their insulin correctly. This leaves a cat with diabetes unable to use the glucose from food, which leaves them with a lack of fuel to run on.

A diabetic cat’s inability to process glucose also puts them at risk of having too much glucose in their bloodstream. This can potentially lead to damage to organs, such as the eyes, nerves, heart, kidneys, and blood vessels. Cats with diabetes are prone to weakness of the hind legs after high blood glucose levels have damaged this area’s nerves.

When your precious cat is diagnosed with diabetes, it can be heartbreaking. Side effects like increased thirst, urination, and hunger levels can also be uncomfortable for your kitty.

Chronic conditions, like diabetes, require ongoing treatment from a veterinary professional to manage, which can be costly. When you get a Spot cat insurance policy before the onset of diabetes (so it’s not considered a pre-existing condition), we can help you with the associated bills so that you can make your cat as comfortable as possible.

Costs associated with cat diabetes:

• Regular insulin injections
• Cataract treatment
• Diabetes management cat food
• Pet Spaying

What Is The Cost Of Cat Insulin?

Insulin injections are the standard in treating and managing diabetes in cats. Many cats with diabetes will require $50 to $60 of insulin every 40 days. A cat with mild diabetes may need less insulin and average closer to $20 to $30 every 40 days.

While many pet parents use syringes to inject insulin into their cat, injection pens are becoming more popular. The cost of insulin Injection pens will be about $150 for the pen initially, and the refillable needles required cost around $50 per 100 count box. Typically, cats need two insulin injections per day.

The Cost Of Cataracts In Diabetic Cats

When glucose builds up dangerously high in the bloodstream, a cat may suffer from organ damage, particularly to the eyes. Cataracts typically make the affected eye or eyes white and cloudy in appearance. When a cataract forms, the eye’s lens becomes opaque, which causes full or partial blindness in the affected eye.

Cataract surgery is the usual treatment recommendation and can cost around $3500 to have performed on your kitty.

Diabetes Management Cat Food

Feline diabetes, or diabetes mellitus , is the second most common endocrine disease and is found most often in middle-aged to senior cats. Diabetes is more common in male cats and most diabetic cats are also obese or overweight. Keep in mind that a cat only needs to be three pounds heavier than their ideal weight to be obese!

Due to this, weight management is critical in preventing and managing feline diabetes. Many veterinarians will prescribe a special diet to help diabetic cats lose weight and keep their glucose levels lowered. In some cases, weight loss may even resolve diabetes in cats.

If your veterinarian prescribes a special diabetes management dry food, you can expect to pay around $25 for a four-pound bag or $40 for 24 cans of wet food. SPOT Accident & Illness Plans can help you cover these costs.

Lifestyle Changes for Treating Cats with Diabetes

Excess weight is a major contributing factor to diabetes, making weight management one of the most helpful things you can do for your cat, whether they have diabetes or not.

Check with your veterinarian to ensure you are not overfeeding your cat and to see what your cat’s ideal weight is. A prescription for diabetes management cat food may help them to stay at a healthier weight and prevent glucose spikes in their blood.

Your veterinarian may also take blood tests, urine tests, and measure glucose curves after insulin injection to monitor your diabetic kitty. She may also advise pet guardians to purchase home testing diabetic supplies, like glucose test strips from PetTest .

For female cats, it’s crucial that they are spayed to help manage their diabetes better. The female reproductive cycle can lead to large fluctuations in blood sugar levels, which is just one of the reasons pet spaying is important and a healthy choice for your cat.

Pet Insurance For Diabetes

Regular veterinary care is the best thing you can do for your beloved kitty. A veterinary professional can diagnose, treat, and give you personalized care recommendations for your diabetic cat.

With the proper treatment, your cat can live a happy and comfortable life despite their diagnosis. At Spot, we’re here to help you pay the ongoing monthly and annual costs of cats associated with chronic conditions, like diabetes.

It’s important to make sure your pet is safely secured in a cat carrier when you’re traveling.

There are many different types of carriers on the market and they all serve the same purpose. Soft zipper carriers are a good option for shorter distances, or trips where you can monitor your cat.

Fabric carriers feature lightweight designs, making them easier to carry. Most will also have convertible straps, which allow you to use the carrier like a shoulder bag.

Hard plastic carriers and crates are a great option for longer distances, especially when the trip involves boarding an airplane. These carriers keep your cat protected during lengthy travels as they’re designed to be heavy-duty and durable. They also tend to be roomier to accommodate food, water bowls, and toys.

It’s always best to transport your cat with a carrier. It can make the entire travel experience easier and it’ll prevent the cat from escaping or getting injured.

What Are Some Signs that My Cat is Stressed During Travel?

Stressed or nervous cats will demonstrate noticeable behavioral changes. Cats will often exhibit rapid breathing and panting if they’re uncomfortable. Other signs of cat distress include breathing with their mouth open and panting similar to a dog, increased vocalization, dilated pupils, pacing, vomiting , and urinating.

These common clinical signs should be watched for whenever you’re transporting a cat. If you notice any of the listed stress signals, it might be worth speaking with a virtual vet about a mild sedative or other products to calm your cat. This will make the trip easier and more comfortable for both you and your cat.

What Can I do to Help with My Cat’s Stress During Travel?

There are many different cat options available to help ease the stresses of travel. In many cases, a sedative is used prior to travel to help calm and ease the anxiety most cats feel whenever they’re outside of familiar surroundings.

Most sedatives are administered orally. There are some common over-the-counter options a virtual veterinarian could advise you on. However, if these aren’t strong enough, a veterinarian may prescribe other prescription sedative options.

Prescription Sedatives

Prescription sedatives tend to have a stronger effect, which is why they’re usually only recommended under certain circumstances for healthy cats.

It’s recommended that cat parents try a practice dose of sedatives on their cat before their trip. This will allow the cat parent to monitor how the cat reacts to the sedative in a safe and controlled environment.

In most cases, the cat parent should administer the sedative at least 1.5-to-two hours before embarking on the trip. A Hello Ralphie veterinarian can also help you understand the pros and cons of various sedative options in your cat.

If you’re planning to travel for several hours, it’s worth noting that some sedatives last longer than others. Therefore, it may be a better option to use a longer-lasting prescription sedative than one of the shorter-acting medications.

It’s also important to discuss possible side effects of different sedatives.

Supplement Options

There are some supplements on the market that have calming effects on cats. Certain sprays are available that mimic feline pheromones, which can help relax nervous and anxious felines. These sprays can be applied to the inside of carriers and blankets to help calm your kitty during travel.

How do I Give My Cat a Sedative?

In most cases, travel-friendly sedatives are given orally. These medications are generally administered 1.5-to-two hours prior to travel and given with food.

There are alternative methods you can try if your cat is a picky eater. Pill pockets, hollow treats that have a spot to put a pill in their center, are handy. They disguise the pill in a tasty treat and help entice your cat to eat the medication.

Alternatively, you can try tucking the pill into a bit of canned food, cream cheese, or a small piece of tuna. If your cat still refuses to take the medication, it may be worth looking into a pill gun. This is a simple tool that help you administer a pill into a cat’s mouth.

There are also different formulations for sedatives available for cats who are difficult to medicate. Ask your Hello Ralphie veterinarian about liquid and tablet medications to see what options are appropriate. Some cats that are a little harder to medicate may do better with a liquid instead of a tablet or capsule.

Final Words

Always do your research before you travel with your cat.

Make sure you study which requirements are necessary for your cat if you’re leaving the country.

Some countries require cat owners to have special paper work signed by a veterinarian before they travel, as well as proof of deworming, vaccinations, and external parasite prevention. It’s also handy to make sure you have enough sedative medication for the trip home.

If you’re planning a trip in the near future, a Hello Ralphie veterinarian can give you advice and tips about safe travel and discuss a personalized travel plan. Always ask your virtual veterinarian about safety, efficacy, and proper dosing prior to giving any oral medication.

If your cat was just diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM), fear not, you’re in good company. Unfortunately, DM is a growing problem in cats, likely due to the growing rate of obesity.

So what exactly is diabetes? Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine problem where your cat’s pancreas fails to produce enough of the hormone, insulin. With DM, the body doesn’t make enough insulin, which is the hormone that helps push sugar (“glucose”) into the body’s cells. Without the insulin, the body’s cells are starving for sugar; unfortunately, this then stimulates the body to produce more and more sugar (in an attempt to feed the cells). That’s why your cat’s blood sugar is so high (what we call a “hyperglycemia”). Without insulin, the sugar can’t get into the cells; hence, why you need to give it through a tiny syringe twice a day.

The good news about DM in cats? Unlike diabetes in dogs, DM can be transient in cats. What does this mean to you? If your cat was just diagnosed with DM, don’t panic – with aggressive follow-up, short-term insulin injections, weight loss and a change in diet, it may not mean life-long disease in your cat!

It’s important to recognize the clinical signs of diabetes mellitus in cats, because the sooner you recognize it, the sooner we can treat it and the better the long-term prognosis for your cat. Signs of DM in cats include:

• Larger clumps of urine in the litter box (e.g., excessive urination)
• Seeing your cat at the water bowl more (e.g., excessive drinking)
• Dilute urine (e.g., less foul smelling urine in the litter box)
• Obesity
• Muscle wasting over the back
• Acting hungrier
• Lethargy
• Walking “lower” in the hind limbs (e.g., hocks) due to diabetes neuropathy (nerve problems)

Types of diabetes mellitus
In veterinary medicine, there are two types of diabetes mellitus seen: Type I DM and Type II DM. Cats develop the latter type called Type II diabetes.

• Type I DM (which is seen more commonly in dogs) is when the body fails to produce insulin. Type I DM requires life-long insulin therapy.
• Type II DM (which is seen more commonly in cats) occurs when the body produces small amounts of insulin, but insufficient amounts. Type II DM is often related to obesity, which causes the body to be insulin-resistant. With aggressive treatment for Type II DM, diabetes can be transient and may only require a diet change and short-term insulin therapy (months). Hence, one of the reasons why veterinarians are always fighting against pet obesity!

Treatment of diabetes mellitus
While the diagnosis of DM isn’t a death sentence, it can be a costly disease as it requires treatment. The good news is that if you are a dedicated cat owner, you can help make the diabetes go away quickly – within 1-2 years, if not sooner! That’s because in cats, DM is often transient and with appropriate therapy (including insulin injections, diet changes and veterinary care), your cat can be successfully treated – and even cured. That said, keep in mind that DM can be fatal if not treated, and that the hormone supplement (insulin) and follow-up care can be expensive.

Treatment for diabetes will depend on how early the DM was diagnosed – with DM, the sooner you recognize the signs, the sooner you seek veterinary attention and the sooner we get your cat on insulin, the less long-term damage to your cat’s pancreas there will be! Keep in mind that you’ll have to visit your veterinarian more frequently with your cat, as part of DM monitoring and treatment includes frequent blood tests (e.g., blood glucose curves).

In cats, initial treatment of DM may include dietary changes, oral medications,* weight loss and insulin therapy. Keep in mind that some cat guardians initially just try dietary changes, but recent studies have shown that the sooner you start insulin therapy, the healthier for your cat’s pancreas will be.

Treatment specifics
Diet changes are often recommended for the treatment of DM. In cats, dietary changes include a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet (similar to Purina DM™ or canned kitten food). Concurrent weight loss is a must also!

Oral medications (e.g., glipizide) work by causing a lower blood sugar – they are called hypoglycemic agents; however, they only work in cats, not dogs. While these medications are “easier” to give, they aren’t as effective, so when in doubt, consider jumping right into insulin injections instead. Talk to your veterinarian about this.

Insulin injections may sound intimidating; however, many cat parents get used to them quickly and feel very comfortable with the process. (Once your veterinarian shows you how to do so, it’s easy, as the needle size is miniscule!). Insulin has to be given twice a day, approximately every 12 hours (don’t worry – it doesn’t have to be exactly 12 hours!) under the skin. Unfortunately, oral insulin doesn’t work, otherwise we’d dose it that way instead!

With appropriate care and treatment, cats with DM can live a long, healthy life, although they will require frequent trips to the veterinarian to regulate the blood sugar. Having a diabetic cat is also a big commitment, as it requires dedicated pet parents who can give twice-a-day injections of insulin (especially when you go on vacation).

When in doubt, if you notice any of these signs in your cat, get to a veterinarian right away for some blood work and a urine sample. That’s because with diabetes, the sooner you diagnose it, the better for your cat and the better the chances of success in treatment.

If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian — they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.

References:

• Greco D. Diabetes mellitus without complication – Cats. In Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult: Canine & Feline. Eds. Tilley LP, Smith FWK. 2007, 4th ed. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa. pp. 374-375.
• Webb C. Diabetes mellitus without complication – Dogs. In Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult: Canine & Feline. Eds. Tilley LP, Smith FWK. 2007, 4th ed. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa. pp. 376-377.

TIFFANY RAIFORD

Homecoming week is typically when schools decide to have fun and introduce a different theme for every day; sometimes this is called spirit week. Schools allow students and teachers to dress up each day of the week in accordance with a pre-selected theme, such as pajama day, school spirit day and even wacky tacky day. The goal is to get everyone to participate in the spirit of the school by assembling the most inventive ensembles possible. Wacky tacky day is one of the days that encourages you to don the most outrageous outfit of the week.

Wear as many colors as possible. The key is to be as wacky and tacky as possible and few things you can do are as crazy as wearing every piece of clothing in a different color.

Put on two different shoes. Maybe you’ve accidentally gone to school in the past wearing one black shoe and one navy shoe without noticing, but today you want to purposely wear different shoes. Choose shoes that are obviously different, such as one flip flop and one tennis shoe.

Pile on the accessories. Wear five necklaces, beads, bracelets, rings, earrings, a tiara, a hat, three belts and crazy socks. Try socks with individual toes, knee high socks or two completely different socks.

Go crazy and put your bathing suit on over your shirt or wear a fanny pack. Paint your nose white with sunscreen.

Wear scarves around your neck, in your hair and put a necktie on over your T-shirt. Don’t brush your hair. Or brush it and spike it all in different directions or wear it in multiple ponytails.

Mix patterns. Wear stripes with plaids and throw polka dots in anywhere you can. The best part about wacky tacky day is the worse your outfit looks, the better. You can wear virtually anything, so long as it is appropriate and abides by all school rules and regulations.

About the Author

Tiffany Raiford has several years of experience writing freelance. Her writing focuses primarily on articles relating to parenting, pregnancy and travel. Raiford is a graduate of Saint Petersburg College in Florida.

Free Patterns for Dog Coats, Shirts, Costumes, and More

• Share
• PINTEREST
• Email

These free dog clothes patterns will show you how to make coats, bandanas, pajamas, shirts, dresses, and costumes so your pooch will be the best-dressed dog on the block.

Each of the patterns has directions and photos, and some even have pattern pieces. There are patterns that are no-sew and some that require a lot of sewing. Take into account your skill set and time when you choose a pattern and the process will go much more smoothly.

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes and you’ll get the best fit for the clothes if you measure your dog for clothing by the chest, neck, and back. You can then make alterations to the patterns so they’ll fit your dog better.

Getting the fabric to make the clothes for your dog doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money. You can upcycle clothes from your own family’s closets, scour garage sales and thrift stores, or look for sales at your local fabric store.

Free Coat Patterns for Dogs

Even dogs with long hair get chilly when the weather gets frigid. These free dog clothes patterns will help you make a coat or jacket to keep your furry friend warm.

• Canine Carhartt Coat: This free dog coat pattern uses an old Carhartt coat and with a few modifications can fit even a larger dog. This pattern should work for any old jacket or coat you have laying around.
• Recycled Jacket Dog Coat: Use an old windbreaker, fleece, or quilted jacket to make your dog a custom coat.
• Pleated Wool Coat for Dogs: Make a pea-coat inspired dog coat with this free pattern.
• Cozy Custom Dog Coat: Sew this dog coat in less than an hour using a free pattern that can be adjusted for any sized pooch.
• Water Resistant Dog Coats: Use fleece and laminated linen to make these adorable water-resistant dog coats. A free download of the pattern pieces are included.

Dog Bandanna Patterns

Dogs and dog owners alike can’t seem to get enough of bandannas. Here are some dog bandana patterns that include ones that are tie-on, over the collar, and reversible.

• No Sew Flannel Dog Bandana: All you need is some flannel (other types of fabric would work as well) and some hem tape to make this no-sew tie-on bandana.
• How to Sew an Easy Pet Bandana: Grab some fabric and your sewing machine and make an over-the-collar bandana in no time. Includes a free bandana template.
• Reversible Dog Bandana Pattern: Use a sewing machine to make a reversible dog bandana that allows two different looks. This one is sewn and then attached with Velcro.
• DIY Doggie Dress Shirt Collar: One step up from a bandana is this dress collar pattern. It’s a quick and easy project that only takes a shirt collar and some scissors.

Dog Pajama Patterns

This group of free dog clothes patterns will make your dog some pajamas. It can be tough to get the right fit for dog pajamas, but these tutorials will help with sizing.

• Dog Pajama Pattern: This tutorial shows how to measure your dog so you can make pajamas that will be the perfect fit.
• Free Dog Pajama Pattern: Use an old t-shirt to make a pair of pajamas for your dog. Included are pattern pieces and instructions for making them larger or smaller.

Dog Dress Patterns

Does your dog have a special occasion coming up? These patterns are all about getting fancy with free dress patterns.

• Pooches Summer Cami Top and Skirt: Get her all ready for summer events with this cami top and skirt dress. Included are free pattern pieces.
• Bella Frill Dress: Here’s a free dress pattern for smaller dogs in sizes small, medium, and large. It snaps on the front and has layers of ruffles on the back.
• Homemade Dog Dress for Beginners: A great tutorial on how to make a simple dog dress. Includes instructions for measuring your dog and changing the size of the pattern pieces.

Dog Shirt Patterns

Every small dog needs a shirt to stay warm in the winter. These free dog shirt patterns have everything you need to make one.

• No Sew Five-Minute Dog Sweater: Upcycle a sweatshirt from your closet or the thrift store to make this no-sew dog shirt. With some scissors and strategic cutting, you’ll just need 5 minutes to get it done.
• Onesie Dog Shirt: Cut up a baby onesie and resew it to make a cuddly shirt for your little dog.
• Dog Dress Shirt Pattern: Here’s a free dog shirt pattern that uses 5 pattern pieces to make a formal shirt for your dog.
• Dinosaur Dog Hoodies: Make your dog into a dinosaur with this free dinosaur dog hoodie tutorial.

Dog Costume Patterns

Time to get your dog ready for Halloween with these free costume patterns. There’s a great mix of sew and no-sew patterns here for both small and large dogs.

• No Sew Small Dog Costumes: This is a free packet you can download that contains several small dog costume patterns like Mad Hatter, Superman, wizard, and a few others.
• Dog Witch Costume: Make a witch dress and hat for Halloween this year with this free pattern from Mimi & Tara.
• Ladybug Halloween Costume: This is a great costume that’s easy to sew and can be altered and used for small and large dogs.
• Dog Taco: Make this adorable costume for your dog with some felt, cardboard, and embroidery floss.
• Rocket Dog Costume: Upcycle some of your trash and recyclables to make this fun costume for your pooch.
• Cupcake Halloween Costume: Start with a paper mache box and some felt and you’re on your way to creating this fun cupcake Halloween costume.

The private investigations industry will reach $7 billion in 2019. Many private investigators are hired by companies who need to look into threats, HR background checks, and potential business partners.
Read on to learn the best tips for hiring a private investigator.

Request an In-Person Meeting

Never hire a private investigator without meeting him or her in person. An in-person meeting will help you decide if this PI is the professional you can trust to be discreet and competent.
Unfortunately, many private investigators run a solo practice based on their experience as an ex-cop or other skill. However, when you have a highly sensitive investigation, you need the support and professionalism provided at a higher level.
Meeting in person will help you make a better first impression assessment of the investigator’s professionalism and manner.
You might need your private detective to testify in criminal or civil court. You want to make sure your PI is a reputable representative of your case/
If the PI cuts you off, doesn’t answer your questions, or is vague, it’s probably not a good match. Remember, you are the client, and the private detective should be trying to win you as a client.
You need to find a person that you trust. After all, you will have to share sensitive information with him or her.
Trust your gut feeling on this one. If something about the private investigator seems off, thank them for their time and keep looking for a better fit.

Ask to See Their Private Investigator License

Before you hire a private investigator, you must do your due diligence and ensure you choose a reliable and professional PI.
First, ask to see his or her PI license. Check their license is valid in your state.

Check for Insurance

One of the private investigator requirements is having insurance. Make sure you ask your PI before you hire him or her to show you proof of insurance.
This protects you from being liable if anything happens to the private investigator during the investigation.

Ask About Qualifications and Experience

You want to make sure that the private detective you hire is qualified to do the job and do it well.
If the person has a website, review it to see if it lists his or her qualifications. Many private investigators are former police officers. But that’s not a good enough reason to hire someone.
Years of police work won’t help you if you have a legal issue. In those cases, you need a civil and criminal case investigator.
Make sure to ask your PI how many years of experience he or she has. You want to make sure your PI is qualified to investigate and possibly testify in the type of case you are hiring for.
Ask how many cases similar to yours he or she has worked on in the past year.
It’s best to choose a PI that specializes in the type of investigations you need. Not every private investigator excels at every type of case. So choose one whose strengths are the type of investigation you need.
You also want to know if your case will be handled by just one PI of if there will be other private investigators on the case.

They Should Engage With Professional Organizations

A private investigator might not necessarily be part of any professional organizations. But if they are passionate and reputable, it is more likely.
This is a good way to weed out fly-by-the-night companies who may scam you. Shady investigators won’t care about the newest legislature and continuing education.
Some professional organizations that a private investigator might belong to include the National Association of Legal Investigators, the National Association of Investigative Specialists, and the National Council of Investigation and Security Services.
Membership in these types of organizations will help you to see a company’s standing in the investigation community.

Get Testimonials & References

Before you hire a private investigator, you’ll need to do a little investigation of your own.
Go online and look up the company or private detective. It is important to run a query on the investigator as well as on the agency.
Of course, investigative work is discreet. So if you don’t see much, that’s not necessarily a bad sign. Ask your PI to give you a list of three previous clients that you can contact as references.
Be sure to ask about the private investigator’s professionalism, work ethic, and the results.

Ask to See a Work Sample

The end product, whether it’s a written report, a photo, or a video, is the evidence that you may need in court.
This evidence must be of good quality. In many court cases, concrete proof can give you enough leverage to get a settlement without needing to go to court.
A good investigator will likely show you examples of their work. If not, make sure to ask so you can get a good idea of what you can expect.
For example, you’ll want photographs with time and date stamps marked. The report should be typed up and legible without any missing information.
You’ll be able to learn a lot about the private investigator based on how thorough and detailed his or her reports are.

Avoid Cheap Pricing

When hiring a private investigator, don’t just shop around for the lowest price. Premium rates usually mean that the agency has a solid reputation that warrants the price.
Budget private investigators either are struggling to get business or know that they can’t get excellent results.
You don’t want to risk getting sub-standard service when your business is involved. Hire a professional investigator that has the experience and skillset to get results.

Important Investigations Require Quality Investigators

There you have it! An in-depth guide for how to hire a private investigator for your business.
Remember, in this field, experience, and professionalism span a considerable range. At OPS Security Group, we offer the very best in discreet, experienced private investigation services.
Contact us for more info.

Secrets from America’s Top Investigator to Living Safer, Smarter, and Saner

The second book by Thomas G. Martin. Now available.

Life is full of obstacles, and in today’s complicated, hyper-connected world we are all seeking to gain insight and knowledge that will allow us to take charge of our own safety and well-being. As a highly-decorated former DEA agent and leading private investigator, Thomas G. Martin has seen every kind of trouble there is. In Seeing Life Through Private Eyes he provides a wealth of experience, insider information and valuable advice to readers of every background navigating life’s inevitable challenges.

Domestic difficulties and divorce, adoption and runaways, background checks and corporate espionage, home protection and traveling wisely; whatever your issue, Seeing Life Through Private Eyes offers the secrets to living smarter, safer and more securely. And just as a good investigator should, it guarantees readers the most valuable feeling of all: peace of mind.

For the prospective PI of the future, let me bottom-line what I see as the pros and cons of becoming a PI.

Do you think you would make a good private investigator?

Do you think having women’s intuition or a man’s gut feel will help you in the world of investigations? Do other people tell you that you would make a great private eye? Do you think you are really good at being sneaky?

All of these things may be of some value at times, but in and of themselves, they are certainly no reason to pursue an investigative career.

Almost every day, someone calls my offices and asks our duty agent How do I become a PI? or How do I get a PI license? I’ve actually written a couple posts about this:

Let alone the fact you can Google this information, the point is, the practical “how to” steps to take are out there and available to anyone. (I’ll even talk a little more about getting licensed later in this post.)

I think what some of these callers want to glean is something more personal… perhaps what they want to know is What is it like to be a PI? This entire blog attempts to be fairly realistic about that, so you can go through and read the past six years of posts at your leisure. There are currently over 300 posts.

If you simply want some of the bigger, more romantic cases, I’ve even made videos about those. But as I’ve written before, know that much of PI work is sheer drudgery, involving hours upon hours of surveillance, interviews and computer work.

Beyond all these things, I think I have some further perspective: I’m approaching my 49th investigative anniversary of being an investigator (12 years as a federal agent 37 as a and private investigator). So, for the prospective PI of the future, let me bottom-line what I see as…

The pros and cons of becoming a PI

1. There are over 100,000 private investigators currently in the United States.
2. Almost every retired law enforcement personnel gives some thought to getting their PI license.
3. Many current law enforcement agents and officers are thinking about quitting their current jobs and seeking a career as a PI.
4. No PI agency will put you on their payroll for three years (for most States) so you can glean enough experience to sit for your license.
5. Without a PI license, you will not succeed.
6. If you don’t know how to contact the Bureau in your State that licenses PI’s to obtain an informational packet, then forget this line of work.
7. There are no PI schools or course that you can take that will enable you to sit for your PI license.
8. Do not call the top agencies and advised them you will work for free or whether there are internships available as these are not options.
9. If you have no business acumen, then seek another path.
10. If you have no “street-smarts” or intrinsically don’t know what that means, then you are not a good fit for the industry.

1. The work is fantastically different every day.
2. When you awake in the morning, you never know where you might be at nightfall.
3. There is plenty of room for new PI’s if they can crack the requirements of licensing.
4. There is a tremendous void and need for females in our industry.
5. You can become full-service or specialize in one of the four main genres in our world of corporations, attorneys, insurance companies or the public.
6. There is no limit to your salary and you can easily earn more than lawyers, doctors and accountants.
7. You will work with the top-echelon individuals throughout corporate America, the insurance industry and the legal community.
8. Once established, you can choose you own hours and cases you want to work.
9. The work can be very rewarding and gratifying.
10. The body and canvas of what you do and where you work are only limited by your personal skills and marketing techniques.

Practical matters: Getting licensed

Let me use my home State of California as an example for one to be licensed. You first would call the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services in Sacramento and request an information packet on obtaining your PI license. That packet would basically advise that you must have 6,000 documented investigative hours (2,000 a year, 50 weeks times a 40 hour work week, for three years). If you have a degree, the requirements could be lowered to 4,000 hours.

So yes, there is the problem unless you are coming out of the law enforcement community. How do I get my hours if no one will hire me as a trainee? Your best bet is to probably consider starting with a law enforcement agency. In some States, you can work for one attorney only without being licensed to build up your hours. Most attorneys have no need for a full-time investigator. It has been my experience, that the few attorneys who will even consider this option will do so only at minimum wage.

As I approach the end of the fourth quarter of my career, I strongly encourage all of you considering a PI career to do so with all your spirit be it physically, mentally, academically, spiritually or professionally. There are many con men out there trying to get your money for schooling and the “PI Certificate.” That is why I try to be completely transparent and candid here. Although the path to a PI license is arduous and time-consuming, if you know the rules the rewards far out distance the obstacles.

Finally, my second book, Seeing Life Through Private Eyes is now available in hardcover or Kindle. It will also be out in paperback on September 15, 2018. If you want more insights on this line of work, start from the beginning: Chapter 1, The Life of a PI.

One of the reviewers of the book stated, “This book is an invaluable and fascinating comprehensive real-life guide to the life and work of a private investigator. It should be required reading for the 100,000+ private investigators in the country today and all those considering a career in this field.”

This story was originally posted on August 28, 2018.

They say that everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes working as a private investigator. As a PI, you’ll be responsible for some of the most important investigative jobs that there are, including fraud detection, personal background checks, missing persons location and recovery of stolen property.

When looking into how to become a private investigator in Texas, you must be aware that Texas considers private investigators to be a form of private security, and holds very strict licensure requirements for anyone seeking entry into this profession. Following the professional requirements that have been outlined by the Texas Department of Public Safety will allow you to earn your license and seek employment in private investigation.

Find schools and get information on the program that’s
right for you.
(It’s fast and free!)

FIND PROGRAMS

Texas Private Investigator License Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Age: A Texas private investigator should be 18 years of age or older.
• Provisional Requirements: You must be legally allowed to work in the United States to earn a license.
• Criminal Background Check: Background checks are required for anyone wishing to work as a private investigator in Texas.
• Discharge from Military: If you have been dishonorably discharged from the military, you cannot work as a Texas private investigator.
• Financial History: Your finances are not a determining factor when becoming a licensed private investigator in this state.
• Mental Health Check/Mental Disease or Defect: Having been declared incompetent by a court of law due to mental disease will prevent you from receiving a private investigator license.
• Insurance Needed: No insurance is necessary to become licensed in this state.
• Automatic Disqualifications: If you have been convicted of a Class B misdemeanor in the previous five years, are currently charged with a Class A or Class B misdemeanor, are charged with a felony or are required to register as a sex offender, you cannot receive a license.

Education and Experience

• Degree and/or Accepted Experience: Texas requires that you either have three years of full-time private investigator experience or a four-year degree in criminal justice in a related field. Additionally, you must be sponsored by a licensed investigator, which means you must be employed in a private investigation agency.
• Written Exams: Texas does not require a written exam to be licensed as a private investigator.

Texas Private Investigator Training

You are required to complete 40 hours of Level III or Level IV training from a school approved by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Training courses cover multiple areas related to private investigation work, including first aid, crowd control, observing, weapons, disaster response, traffic direction and ethics. After you have completed and submit proof of training, you will be able to submit your license application.

Forms Needed for a Private Detective License in Texas

• Fees Required: A $33 application fee and a $25 application fee must be paid directly to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
• Registration Needed: You will apply on the online system provided by the Department of Safety. Create an account and then follow the provided instructions. You will need to mail two fingerprint sets or an electronic fingerprint receipt directly to the Department. If your application is approved and your criminal history is clean, you will receive your license.
• Maintenance Required for PI License: You will also renew your license online through the Texas Online Private Security (TOPS) system. Renewal takes place every two years.

Texas Private Investigator Salary

Texas has one of the largest private investigator workforces in the country. Data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 3,320 PIs were working in Texas in May of 2015. If you choose to work as a private investigator in Texas, your salary will average $49,460 per year.

So you’ve decided you need a private investigator – but how should you go about choosing and hiring the right one? Well, whether you’re a private party, attorney, law firm or corporation, your process will largely remain the same. Below, we’ve detailed an easy, five step process to hire a private investigator!

Step One: Determine What Service You Need

While most private investigators offer a similar array of services, different PIs and investigation firms may label their services differently, or may approach your case differently (digital surveillance, field surveillance, etc). After determining if you need an investigation regarding workers’ compensation fraud, personal injury fraud, a cheating spouse, or any other case type, you can begin researching what private investigators near you are qualified to provide these services.

Step Two: Research Your Local Private Investigators

After identifying local investigators that can perform the investigation you need, identify whether or not your state requires a private investigation license – if so, verify your chosen investigator is licensed. Further research into their reputation by reading Google reviews, testimonials, and reading their website to gauge how professional they present themselves will all help you to make an informed decision about which investigators you should consider.

Step Three: Contact Your Selected Investigators For Quotes

Once you’ve narrowed down your list of reputable local PIs capable of taking on your case, it’s time to reach out for a quote. The private investigator in question should press you for additional details, as no PI can definitively provide a quote for a case they haven’t heard the overview of yet! Whether you reach out by phone or email, make sure the investigator is personable and easy to communicate with. If they’re short or difficult, your case will suffer. Especially for attorneys, a private investigator who’s personable and easy to communicate with is essential to cultivating a mutually beneficial professional relationship!

Step Four: Speak With Your Selected Investigators Regarding Your Case – In Depth!

Now that you’ve identified which investigator (or investigators) are best suited to your case, it’s time to dive deeper into the specifics. Now, it’s paramount that you offer all relevant information – the more information you can provide, the more accurate a PI can be in offering a quote and potential turnaround time for your case. After hearing each investigator’s intended approach, you’ll be able to determine which one is most committed to achieving realistic results. Be wary of investigators who overpromise or dramatically undercut the price of their peers!

Step Five: Make Your Payment, and Be Patient

Now that you’ve chosen your ideal private investigator, it’s time to let them do the work. A good investigator will provide you with updates – however, it’s important to understand the nature of surveillance. A good private investigator will take their time to ensure a successful case resolution. For example, a rushed process serve could result in a failure that drives the subject deep into hiding for months on end. Communicate, but trust in the abilities of your chosen private investigator.

What To Avoid

While most private investigators are honest and hardworking, in major cities, the private investigation competition can be cutthroat. Up-and-coming investigators with no experience often overpromise and under-deliver, while charging well below the industry average to snatch up as much business as possible. These investigators are often responsible for the wavering reputation private investigators face. When possible, avoid any unproven investigators, and always verify their legitimacy. As is the case with any industry – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Learn More About Private Investigators or Find A Private Investigator Near You at Find Your Investigator!

To find a reputable private investigator near you, view our definitive listing of verified private investigators across the United States! Run by a team of experienced Private Investigators, Find Your Investigator aims to provide prospective clients and private investigators alike with a resource for all things PI-related. Contact us for more information, or list with us today!

There are more than 40,000 private investigators working in the United States, and many of them specialize in different investigation types. This means that you have many options and that you should do a bit of homework before hiring an investigator. When hiring a private investigator, you want to find one who is experienced in the investigation type you need and who has all necessary licenses, credentials and qualifications. Below, you’ll find a to-do list of items to help you find and hire the right investigator for you.

Hiring An Investigator

An investigator will work with you to determine which type of investigation is appropriate for your situation as well as what information you will need in order to move forward.

Find An Investigator

1. Find a qualified private investigator. Instead of taking your chances with finding a private investigator through phonebooks or other random resources, search PInow.com’s online trusted network of local, pre-screened private investigators. Every investigator listed on PInow.com has been pre-screened and vetted to verify their qualifications.
2. Make sure your PI is experienced in your investigation type. If you are looking for someone to conduct an arson or computer forensics investigation, the investigator you hire should be educated and experienced in those disciplines.
3. Make sure your PI is licensed if necessary. Licensing laws vary by state, so be sure to check your local laws before proceeding. In states that do require a PI license, you should make sure that your potential investigator has one. This information is public, so you can verify anything they say by calling a local government office. It is extremely important that your PI is licensed because it is just as illegal to to hire an unlicensed PI as it is to pose as one without the proper legal documents.
4. Verify that the investigator has insurance. Although you may think your particular investigation has no inherent risks, it is always good to check and make sure that your potential private investigator is insured. Insurance of up to $1 million is not uncommon and shows that they are a legitimate business and in this for the long run. Also, if something does go wrong during the investigation (property damage is the most common), you may be held responsible since you are technically the employer. This information is also public and can be verified. If you’re searching on PInow.com, investigators listed on the site can display to you that they have insurance.
5. Ask your own questions. Before selecting your private investigator, it is okay to ask them about their past investigating experience, and whether or not they have done anything similar to your case before. If they haven’t, it is perfectly okay to find another one who has more experience with your type of case.
6. Sign a contract. If you feel comfortable with your choice, ask to sign a contract detailing exactly what you are hiring them to do. This is normal for private investigators, and will give you a chance to explain exactly what you are looking to have done, and a time frame to get the work completed.

Once you have signed a contract, your PI will take it from there and start working on your case. You will start getting the information you need shortly!

Search Articles

The Lawgical Promise guarantees our members are pre-screened to verify their qualifications.

Sometimes, people who are considering hiring a private detective don’t do so simply because they aren’t sure how to hire an investigator. That inaction could be a costly mistake. After all, there is probably a good reason they were considering retaining an investigator in the first place.

Maybe they wanted a PI to investigate instances of suspected fraud or to conduct computer forensic work. In other cases, the need for a private investigator is deeply personal — such as a situation where a married person needs proof that a spouse is cheating, or a parent or other interested party needs to gather information for a child custody matter.

Don’t let an unknown process scare you. If you are wondering how to hire a private investigator, read on for best practices; questions to ask a private investigator; and actionable suggestions to help you choose a PI firm that can work hard to help you uncover the answers you seek.

Looking to Hire a Private Investigator? Read This First

If you need to hire a private investigator to look into a personal or business-related matter, doing some legwork yourself can be helpful. We’ve compiled these tips for how to hire a private detective to get you started:

Ask for recommendations. If any friends or family members used a private investigator, ask them about their experience. Were they pleased with the services the PI provided? Word-of-mouth can be a great way to learn about potential PI firms, so you can add them to your list of candidates or remove them.

Investigate the investigator. As you begin your search for a PI firm, spend some time evaluating potential investigators before you meet them. You can learn a lot online that can help you understand with whom you would be dealing if you hired the firm. At this stage, look for the following:

• What are the investigator’s qualifications?
• Is the firm or are its investigators licensed by the state?
• What experience does the firm have conducting the type of investigation with which you need help?
• What is the firm’s reputation in the community?
• Is the staff professional?
• Do you understand the firm’s fee structure?

Request an initial meeting. When you’ve narrowed your list of potential firms, schedule a consultation to discuss your investigation needs. Don’t be afraid to ask questions in your initial meeting with a potential investigator to learn more. The best private investigator/client relationships are those that have open lines of communication, in both directions. Here are some suggested questions to ask:

• How does the investigator work with its clients?
• Will the investigator provide testimony in court, if necessary?
• What types of services and communication can you expect?
• What will you be asked to pay if you retain the PI?

If You’re Ready to Hire a Private Investigator, Choose Arkus, Inc.

Arkus, Inc. has been serving people in the Chicago area and around the world with private investigations since 1975. We offer a wide range of services to individuals and businesses of all sizes, helping people and companies get the answers they need in a timely, confidential and always professional manner.

We hope you found this post about how to hire a PI helpful. If you still have questions or want to learn more about the services Arkus, Inc. provides, contact us today.

So you’ve noticed a sign that your spouse is cheating on you. In fact, you’ve noticed more than a single sign. At least, you think you have. To tell the truth, you’re noticing them all the time!

This last statement–you’re noticing signs of cheating all the time–may actually say less about your lover than it does about you. Read the following three signs, then consider if you might be taking your caution a little bit too seriously, or whether it’s high time you hired a private investigator.

Is it your paranoia kicking in?

1. Every call your spouse gets, seems like it must be a call from their illicit lover. Or even every other call…yes, this may mean you’re paranoid!

Realistically, your partner can’t be getting calls from a lover all the time. Unless you keep your partner in a cave, he or she is going to get phone calls from time to time.

And if something is going on at work or with your partner’s family that he or she needs to be involved in after-hours, just take it for what it is and relax.

It’s only when this kind of thing extends over time to happen on a regular basis, or at all hours, that you might want to consider that maybe it’s more than just your paranoia.

2. You start to worry if they are gone even ten minutes longer than you expected. Ten minutes isn’t long enough to have an illicit tryst. Even half an hour usually isn’t, when you consider how much sneaking around is involved!

So your partner takes a little extra time to buy groceries, pick up some movies, or get home from work. Give them a break. These things happen.

They DON’T happen every Wednesday for an hour at a time, however. If your partner is consistently very late–especially on a regular schedule–then it may be time to start investigating a little.

3. You drive by their work every day to make sure they’re there. This can be a legitimate way to check up on your significant other if you think they might be having an affair. But if it’s something you do once a day–or more–over an extended period of time, it’s very likely you’ve let your paranoia run away with you. Especially if they are always where they are supposed to be!

May 15, 2022 Actio

When certain things happen that seem suspicious and mistrustful, we often have to investigate facts and evidence to find an answer. Private investigators are one field of professionals that will offer help and support to you on this. Investigation services typically include investigating legal cases related to business, for example, fraud investigation (some executives even hire them as personal corporate advisor), or for finding answers to important personal matters. Therefore, before you decide to hire an investigator, you must carefully consider and select to be sure that you can get the result that you want—and it’s going to be worth every penny spent.

7 things you should know before hiring a private investigator

1.You need a establish a detailed and thoroughly written contract with the investigator

Normally, when you hire an investigator, there needs to be a (very) clear agreement on the scope of work which is signed off by both parties. This agreement can entail what kind of work to be done, how it will be done, and to what extent and under which conditions must they investigate. This mutual agreement is set out to prevent any cases where investigators would go over their scope, and potentially cause damages or harms to other third parties down the line.

2. Ability to respect privacy and confidentiality is super important

In most investigation cases, the hirer’s information and identity are to be kept strictly private and confidential. Hence, it is also very important to consider the investigator’s ability to be discreet and to thoroughly respect your confidentiality. It should be written in the agreement about who is to be responsible when cases of information leak arise.

3. Consider their expertise and proficiency in investigating

In hiring an investigator, you need to be confident and positive about their expertise and skills to carry out the assignments successfully and deliver satisfactory results. You can look at their past investigation record and thoroughly evaluate their credibility and professionalism based on the impressions they give.

4. The speed of investigation is key

Speaking from the hirer’s perspective, you hire someone to do the job because you want to get faster and better results—in investigation, the faster the better. You should mention to your potential investigator about the expectation of time and date you would need your answers by, and be very clear about it. For example, communicate clearly to them that you expect a report biweekly, monthly, or anything you deem appropriate.

5. The service must be reasonably charged

Even if you understand it and are willing to pay extra spontaneous costs during the job, or even if the investigator has already established clear rates with you, all prices must be reasonable. Make sure what you pay is worth the results from the service.

6. Their personality and physical characteristics also matter

Not all candidates will fit as a good investigator for your job, sometimes their looks and character matter as well. More often than not, you will have to look for an investigator with physical agility and seems trustworthy and professional enough. These are all depending on who can work well with you in terms of their personality, age and gender.

7. They have reliable communication channels to communicate with you

Finally, you need to make sure that there are reliable communication channels between you and your investigator. This will be useful when you need to hear regular updates, or whenever you have any questions or concerns—for your own peace of mind. Having clear communication channels and routine can prevent a situation where your investigator disappears or becomes unresponsive. You don’t want to feel worried and anxious after having paid a good amount of service fees.

In summary, these are a simple, seven-item list you should know whether you plan to use this service for your SME or other businesses, or even for individual purposes. The careful consideration and selection will ensure you get true answers to your matter, making it worth the fees spent.

Hiring a private investigator is not a common, everyday occurrence for most people. Before rushing to retain an agency, make sure to do your research. With thousands upon thousands of investigators across the country, you don’t want to make a decision you will later regret. You want to make sure you ask the right questions when hiring a private investigator for an investigation. The checklist below will help steer you in the right direction. After all, the last thing anyone wants to do is waste money on an agency that is unfit to solve your case. If you are considering hiring a local private investigator, be sure to get the answers to the questions on our NAI Private Investigator Checklist.

How to Hire a Private Investigator – The Checklist

How much does a private investigator cost?

Before hiring any private investigator, you need to determine your budget and find out the cost of your private investigation. Most reputable private investigation agencies will have you pay and sign a statement of services in advance. You want to determine how you will be charged and if it is a flat rate or a breakdown based upon work done hourly/services provided. Depending on the company you decide to hire, you will either be charged prior to any work being done, or billed throughout the investigation. If you opt for the latter, it typically becomes pricier, each step in the process can become an additional charge. If you decide to work with an agency who offers a package/flat rate, you are never charged or surprised at the end of the investigation with additional fees. The price of an investigation will depend entirely upon the location, type of work being conducted, the amount of experience, training, and resources the agency has, and the number of investigators needed to work in the field, as well as other logistics involved in the investigation process. At NAI, we offer a free consultation to anyone, either via email, in person, or over the telephone. Most of our clients prefer over the telephone, as it is typically the fastest, most discreet, and efficient way to launch an investigation. Our agency is retained in advanced, which means we first conduct a case intake with our clients, are paid, and then have an invoice signed. Because all of our services are based upon a flat rate, our clients are never surprised at the end of the investigation with an additional bill, asking for more money after we solve the case. Additionally, our prices vary case by case, as we tailor each investigation for our clients’ individual needs. With that said, you can call our agency anytime for specific fees based upon the type of case you are looking to conduct.

Are They Licensed And Bonded, Which Most States Require?

Although every state has different requirements, most investigators must be licensed, bonded, and insured. By obtaining one’s license, the investigator has spent rigorous time in the field, has no criminal record, and knows the laws to practice investigations. Numerous states require prior field work and even sometimes law enforcement experience to ensure the individual conducting the investigation is qualified. Additionally, you want an investigation agency that is bonded and insured. Although it seems like something trivial, if there are any liabilities or if anyone is hurt while conducting your investigation, you do not want to be the one paying for it. This is a great way to pick apart the amateurs from the professionals. Investigators who are serious have coverage, make sure to take the extra steps to be practicing ethically, and go above and beyond to prove their professionalism.

Will They Provide References Upon Request?

Private investigators who have been in business have a list of references you can call to obtain a reference. If an investigation agency has no references to show you or states that because of confidentiality practices they are unable to provide them, you should beware that they might not be an established agency, and might not have the experience to properly conduct your investigation. Experienced agencies have a list of clients you can contact.

Will They Give You A Contract Stipulating Services They Provide?

One of the most important things you will receive from an investigator is your contract. You want everything itemized, detailed, and explained to you, so you know exactly what services you are obtaining and paying for. Without a detailed contract, an investigator can rip you off, say you did not pay for specific things, or continue to charge you after your work is done. Everything should be in writing and all work should be agreed upon before starting your investigation.

Do They Have Experience And Training For Your Investigation?

A great investigator sets themselves apart from the amateurs by being an expert at what they do, focusing on the task at hand, and having plan in motion. They are apt at surveillance, interviewing, interrogating, and have research skills – as research is an investigator’s best friend. Detectives are known for taking detailed notes, and having a high degree of observation and reaction skills. The ability to adapt, improvise, and always have multiple plans in action are a must. The professional you choose should also be knowledgeable in the laws of their operating jurisdiction and be prepared to testify in court.

Do They Have Former Law Enforcement Backgrounds?

When hiring an investigator, make sure they have former law enforcement or an extensive P.I. background. Of course, all investigators should also be street smart.

Do They Answer All Your Questions With Specific Answers?

If you are asking questions and not receiving detailed answers, the investigation firm might be either too busy to handle your case or not qualified. Any investigator who takes on your case should be detailed, concise, and listen to all of your concerns before they are hired. They should communicate well and offer to communicate frequently with you during the investigation, providing updates as your case is being conducted. Additionally, the investigator should provide video and a detailed report with evidence that is suitable for court.

Are They A Full Staffed Agency Or A One-Man Operation?

One of the most important things to consider when hiring a private investigator is determining if they are a full staffed agency or one individual operating out of their home. Although this may sound trivial, this is a huge red flag, as it shows how serious the individual takes their business and how equipped they are to handle certain investigations. If the investigator does not have an office for you to go to, they might not have as much invested in the company or be able to have the qualifications you need to solve your case. You do not want only one individual doing surveillance on your case, as it is easier to get “made” and caught doing field surveillance. It is always a plus when you hire a firm if they are members of professional trade organizations, consumer protection programs (such as the Better Business Bureau), and are available to speak to you throughout your case.

Do They Have State-Of-The-Art Investigative Equipment?

As technology advances, so do investigations. The agency you decide to hire should have all state-of-the-art investigative equipment to conduct your case. This includes spyware, gadgets, GPS devices, surveillance devices, cameras, polygraphs, debugging devices, and much more.

If you’ve been looking to hire a private investigator in Massachusetts , don’t stress out about it. It’s actually much easier than you think. With the help of Security-Guard.com, finding the best service providers for a private investigator in Massachusetts is quick, painless, and affordable. You’ll need someone who is highly-vetted and able to get the job done, no matter what the scope of that job entails. At Security-Guard.com, we pride ourselves in providing efficient solutions to complex problems, and Massachusetts private investigator services are one of the best and most popular services that we offer. Here’s more on how to get started.

Before hiring a private investigator in Massachusetts , you’ll need to assess the depth and scope of the issue or issues you want to be investigated. For some people, this can be a bit of a painful or delicate process, but it needs to be done well in order to produce the best results. Ask yourself what your motivations are, what you intend as an outcome, and how much help you think you will need to reach your goal.

If your gut tells you that something in your work or professional life is amiss due to the actions or inactions of others, it warrants further investigation. If you are looking at renting your property and need more info on your tenants before making a commitment, it warrants further investigation. If you suspect your spouse is cheating on you, or is behaving in a way that puts your family at risk, it warrants further investigation. If you suspect fraudulent activity going on at your expense, it warrants further investigation. Regardless of the reasons (and there are many), if you need help getting to the bottom of a problem there’s no better solution than hiring the services of a private investigator in Massachusetts.

How to find the right private investigator in Massachusetts

Once you’ve decided that hiring a private investigator in Massachusetts is the best strategy to tackle your problem, it’s time to find a service that can help. With Security-Guard.com, you have the resources right at your fingertips. Simply go to the private investigation services section of the site, put in your location, your name, contact info, and what specific issue you’re looking to solve. Shortly after submitting this form , a representative will reach out to you to assess your needs and begin working on finding you a service provider and quoting you a price. You can also call directly at 888-444-9628 . Security-Guard.com covers the following services in regards to private investigations:

Surveillance, fraud Investigation, runaway teens, background checks, professional vetting, Infidelity, missing persons, and more!

Get competitive market pricing when you hire a private investigator in Massachusetts

Due to the high volume of quality service providers in the state, you’ll find it easier than ever to hire a private investigator in Massachusetts that fits your budget and needs. Security-Guard.com only works with the best in the business, and this high standard brings not only value but professionalism as well. Massachusetts is a great market for security services, and no matter where you live in the state, there are service providers ready to answer the call to get the job done. Don’t wait until it’s too late, or hesitate due to not knowing what a quality PI can do for you.

Call directly at 888-444-9628 and let an associate walk you through step-by-step on how to find the best private investigator in Massachusetts that can help you.

Hiring a private investigator to catch a cheating spouse – 4 tips

So you think your spouse is cheating and you’re considering hiring a private investigator. Hiring a private investigator to catch a cheating spouse is something people do on a daily basis. But many people have never considered hiring a private investigator to catch a cheating spouse and so they don’t know the right questions to ask, or what the process is all about.

Before hiring a private investigator to catch a cheating spouse you should first of all make sure that you are sure that your spouse is cheating. Maybe you two have just grown apart? Maybe you should consider some counselling to solve some communication issues you may be having?

Regardless of whether or not you’re thinking of hiring a private investigator to catch a cheating spouse there are some guidelines you should consider first.

1. Never confront your cheating spouse – if you confront them, they’ll lie. If you don’t have all your facts in place they will lie in order to make you think you are crazy for accusing them in the first place. A cheater will sense very quickly how much you know. If you confront them before hiring a private investigator to catch a cheating spouse, you may make the entire case harder for the private investigator. The cheater will change how they’re cheating and be on the lookout for you, or the private investigator trying to catch them.
2. Keep a personal journal – you should keep a dated journal of all the times that your spouse is absent or you have suspicions of them cheating. Keep this journal safe and hidden from your spouse. You could keep the journal at your friend’s house or in a safe deposit box. When you keep a journal you might be able to see patterns of behavior that would help when hiring a private investigator to catch a cheating spouse. Also, when you make small notes like this, you don’t have to remember everything because you will have it written down. Living with a cheating spouse can be very stressful and you’re likely to forget some things that might be very important.
3. Find someone to confide in – having a family member or close friend to confide in a great way to maintain your sanity when going through a cheating spouse situation. Having someone you can talk to and let your emotions flow freely is a great thing to have as it will help you keep your emotions under control when you are around your cheating spouse.
4. Check out your private investigator fully – make sure they’re licensed and accredited by your state’s governing body. This is usually the Secretary of State or the State Police Board. Make sure they have references and that these references are real, not fake. Make sure they have a client list you can call to verify whether the private investigator is professional, ethical and results-oriented. Make sure you establish a contract with the private investigator so you know exactly what you will be charged.

Having someone cheat on you is a terrible thing to have happen and hopefully the list above will help you when you consider hiring a private investigator to catch a cheating spouse.

If you are looking for an affordable licensed private investigator, with 20 years of experience assisting individuals, attorneys and corporations feel free to contact us here . You can also view a portion of our extensive client list here , and see what actual clients say about us here .

Learn How to Get a Private Investigator Licensing in any State

This article provides an explanation of how to get a private investigator license in any state in the United States of America. The article includes a general overview of the private investigation profession, a state-by-state listing of licensing authorities, state contact information, and website links. In addition, it includes helpful advice on the application process, how to join an association, where to find training, and much more.

What is a Licensed Private Investigator?

A licensed private investigator is sometimes referred to as a P.I., detective, gumshoe, sleuth, and sometimes even a spy. In general, the terms refer to a person who uncovers facts and information, finds missing persons, and gathers evidence, usually at the request of a citizen or a company for which they are employed.

Often, detectives work for attorneys and lawyers in both civil and criminal court cases. In addition, many professional investigators work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious or fraudulent insurance claims.

Most states require P.I.’s to be licensed and some may be permitted to carry firearms (guns) depending on local and state laws. Sometimes, detectives have prior military experience, and many work as police officers or law enforcement officials. Due to the nature of their work, PI’s keep detailed notes and records during each case and often testify in court regarding their observations on behalf of their clients.

In many cases, detectives work irregular hours, especially when conducting surveillance (e.g., sitting outside a subject’s house during early morning hours hoping to get a photograph or video of their activity).

The Private Investigator’s Licensing Handbook: How to Get a Private Investigator License in any State

Conveniently, all of the information in this section is available in my handy eBook, “The Private Investigator’s Licensing Handbook. The eBook, which is available at Amazon.com for just $3.69 (paperback is available for $14.95), explains how to get an investigator license in any state. In addition, it includes an overview of the profession, general information on training and education, and advice for starting your business.

Also, the book includes a state-by-state listing of private investigation industry associations. Plus, it has a helpful section on how to get your business up and running.

Job Functions

In many cases, spouses hire professional investigators to obtain proof of adultery or other illegal conduct to establish grounds for a divorce. In fact, collecting evidence of adultery or other bad behavior by cheating spouses and partners is one of the most common and profitable services offered.

Also, PI’s provide process serving, which is the delivery of subpoenas and other legal documents to people involved in a legal case. Many detective agencies specialize in a particular field of expertise. For example, some agencies deal only in skip tracing related to finding missing persons or tracking down debtors.

While others may specialize in technical surveillance countermeasures, which involve locating and dealing with unwanted forms of electronic surveillance (for example, an electronically bugged boardroom for industrial espionage purposes).

Increasingly, detectives prefer to be known as “professional investigators”. In part, this is a response to the sometimes negative image of the P.I. profession and an effort to establish the industry to be a proper and respectable trade.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes an article in the Occupational Outlook Handbook for Private Detectives and Investigators. Accordingly, the annual article describes the nature of the work, working conditions, qualifications, employment, training and advancement, earnings, job outlook, and related occupations. If you want to become a professional detective, this is a great place to begin.

Services, Training, and Reference Material

Learn more about the profession:

• View a list of potential services provided
• Training courses for increasing your knowledge and skills
• List of Private Investigation Training books
• View Salary and Wage information
• List of Jobs and Careers

How to Get a Private Investigator License in any State

Following is a state-by-state listing of contact information for obtaining a license and links to verify licensing credentials. Some states don’t require a license specifically for private investigations. However, they may require business credentials, permits, or have other legal requirements such as training or professional certifications. In addition, states may require individuals to pass an exam or complete a series of educational courses. So, if you conduct business in more than one state, you should consider getting licensed in each state.

Hire a Professional Private Investigator, Security Expert, Process Server, or Bodyguard anywhere in the world.

Hire an Investigation Professional Anywhere in the World

Welcome to the eInvestigator.com Private Investigator Directory. If you got here by doing a “private investigator near me” search on Google, you’ve come to the right place. Our directory has hundreds of listings for professional private investigators, process servers, bodyguards, background investigation companies, fire investigators, pet detectives and more.

To get started, just select an investigation category and region from the search form above and click search. Or, scroll down and select a region from the list. If you need help, see List of Tips for hiring a Private Investigator and Cost to Hire a Detective.

Recent Listings

eInvestigator.com welcomes the following new investigation professionals to our worldwide directory:

How Our Directory Works

Hire a Professional Near You

Search Listings in Your Local Area, State or Around the World

Discover and connect with a professional private investigator, fire investigator, process server, or bodyguard in your area. Hire them to conduct a background investigation, search for a missing person, perform surveillance, or dig up information.

Review Listings for Professionals in Your Area

Review listings for investigation professionals in your area, find one that meets your particular investigative needs. Review the products and services they offer, areas served, affiliations, etc. We recommend contacting more than one company to have a basis for comparison.

Contact a Professional and Discuss Your Case

Choose the investigation professional(s) that most closely meets your needs. Contact them directly to discuss the details of your case, agree on fees and other expenses, then get started. Once your case is closed, remember to leave a rating and feedback on the listing page.

Hire a Private Investigator in the United States – Browse by Region

Now that you understand how to hire a private investigator, use this list of states to start your search for a professional in your local area. Browse the listings and make a short list of experts to contact.

choose your plan

How to Hire a Private Investigator Outside the United States

Following is a list of private investigators and investigation agencies and firms that are available for hire outside of the United States. Before hiring an individual or company check with the appropriate licensing agency within the country to verify licensing credentials.

Hire a Private Investigator in Asia

• Asia
• China
• India
• Indonesia
• Israel
• Malaysia
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Russia
• Singapore
• South Korea
• United Ara Emirates
• Vietnam

“I used the eInvestigator.com private investigation directory to hire a private investigator near me in my local area. I suspected that my spouse was cheating and I wanted to get some pictures of him and his girl. I searched the directory, found an investigator, and gave them a call. The next day, they went to work and got the proof I needed.”

Ann C., Columbus, Ohio

Hire a Private Investigator in Europe

• Belgium
• Cyprus
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Romania
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom

South America

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Chile
• Colombia
• South America (other areas)

Other Areas

Why Hire a Private Investigator?

There are a number of reasons to hire a qualified investigator to assist you with your investigation needs. Whether you need to run a background check, conduct surveillance on a cheating spouse, track down a missing person, or just dig up facts and information, a private detective can save you the time, money and hassle of trying to do it yourself.

Professional gumshoes have a wide variety of skills and experience that are conducive to uncovering hidden information and getting answers to difficult questions.

Many private investigators are retired military, former police officers or law enforcement officials, or have experience with other law enforcement or intelligence agencies. Given the wide variety of potential services that could be offered, many P.I.’s often specialize in a few specific areas, such as following a cheating partner, investigating insurance fraud, acting as a process server, or searching for hidden assets.

Larger agencies employ numerous investigative specialists and are capable of providing a wider variety of services. To view a list of private eyes in each state, select the appropriate state below:

> Create a personal profile with a photo, bio, and links to your social media profiles
> Create and manage your own listing
> Manage your own login credentials
> Unlimited space to describe your products and services, areas of expertise, affiliations and licensing details
> Easily add your contact information, telephone numbers, links to your website, etc.
> Create a gallery of images to promote your business, work, and employees
> Accept reviews and ratings from clients to build your online reputation

Help Keep our Directory up to Date

Existing licensed private investigators: We need your help policing our directory. Our directory includes thousands of investigators from locations around the world. We do our best to keep our directory up to date by regularly checking links, modifying listings based on owner requests, and removing unlicensed or fraudulent listings.

There are a lot of people out there who want to know how to hire a private investigator, and our directory can help. But it has to contain accurate information. If you are aware of an investigation agency or individual investigator who is not licensed, please let us know.

eInvestigator.com makes no warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the information, does not endorse any companies, products, or services described here, and takes no liability for your use of this information.

Please view our Terms of Service for more detailed information.

We have written extensively about the benefits of hiring a private investigator, but there are some inherent risks you may have never thought about.

1 Getting Caught

If you are trying to conduct a discreet investigation, such as doing surveillance, there is always a chance that the investigator will get caught red-handed. Similarly, if you are making discreet inquiries, word can always get back to the person you are investigating. Even with the most diligent of planning, it can happen to the best of investigators.

2 Unclear Outcome

When you hire an accountant to do your taxes, you expect your taxes to be completed once he is done. But you may spend hundreds or even thousands on a private investigator and you will still be in the same place as you started—with a lack of clarity.

3 No Value

You don’t give a bartender $7 and hope she brings you a drink back. But you may have to pay a $1,000 retainer to an investigator and get nothing of value in return.

4 Liable for Illegal Actions

There are dozens of examples out there of investigators providing illegal information to their clients, which ultimately got them burned. A few years back, a Massachusetts woman who hired a Virginia private investigator to find hidden assets had her case thrown out because the “evidence” that the private investigator provided on some offshore bank accounts “did not exist and was ‘created’ to turn a profit.”

5 Lack of Expertise

Lots of investigators like to be all things to all people, touting their expertise in everything from executive protection to bomb-sniffing dogs to cyber investigations and computer forensics to lie detection and interviewing skills. It’s impossible to be great at everything.

6 Lack of Evidence

You may need evidence that your ex is hiding money or that your legal opponent was conspiring with your competition or that certain testimony was false. But sometimes, you have to deal with bad facts, like your ex isn’t hiding money, the competition was conspiring against you, and the testimony was truthful. Unlike the movies, these things don’t always have a happy ending.

7 Not Dependable

Investigators are not known as the most reliable group. I know because I have worked with lots of them who aren’t.

8 Trust in Methods

There is an inherent trust that you put in an investigator about their methods of conducting an investigation. After all, you can’t be breathing down their neck.

9 Secret Sources

Secret sources sound intriguing, but they introduce reliability problems into an investigation. If the secret source can’t be independently vetted or verified, it’s impossible to determine if the information was obtained illegally, through shady methods, or if it’s just a figment of someone’s imagination.

10 Faulty Strategy

Part of hiring a good private investigator is coming up with a strategy that aligns with your goals. Having a faulty strategy can doom the case from the start.

11 Confidentiality

If a person is hiring a private investigator directly (not through an attorney), your emails, text messages, reports, surveillance tapes, and memos are not privileged. Hiring a private investigator through an attorney establishes protections via attorney–client privilege and attorney work product.

12 No Support from Attorney

I’ve seen some clients over the years take matters into their own hands and hire a private investigator without support from an attorney. If your attorney is not on board, it’s very likely that you are wasting your time.

13 Hiring the Wrong Private Investigator

Having the right tool is imperative to successful completion of the task at hand. Too many problem-solving efforts go awry because you are using the wrong tool for the job. Don’t use the wrong tool.

14 Pay for What You Get

Like most professional services, you pay for what you get. So if you are looking for the low-cost option, you are probably going to get a low-cost result.

15 Lack of Scope

When I ask clients who are considering doing a background investigation, “What are you looking to find?” and they answer, “Everything!” I know we may have a problem on our hands, in part because finding out “everything” may cost about $150,000. Having a defined scope of work at the outset of an investigation is key to keeping things on track and avoiding surprises down the road.

16 Unlicensed

Are you hiring an investigator who is licensed in your state? Or someone just advertising that they are an investigator? (Check your local states.) Why should you care? Well, you may end up hiring this guy, who was not only running an unlicensed private investigation service but also operating a prostitution ring on the side.

17 No Guarantees

When you hire a contractor to fix your roof, you expect it to not leak anymore. But if you hire an investigator, the end result is not guaranteed and you may be back in the same place you were when you started.

18 Specialty Bias

Every investigator has a bias to recommend work that they are good at. So a private investigator who specializes in surveillance may naturally be biased to recommending surveillance, while the task may be best suited for a forensic accountant or an open-source intelligence specialist.

19 Telling You What You Want to Hear

I’ve spoken to dozens of potential clients over the years whom I have literally talked out of hiring a private investigator because whatever they were asking us to do was a waste of time and resources. Not every private investigator you talk to is going to talk themselves out of work, though; just be cautious before proceeding. Some will feed you what you want to hear, knowing full well that it’s not going to have a happy ending.

20 Negative Publicity

Uber hired private investigators a few years back as part of a “dirt-digging investigation.” Frankly, many big firms do the same every day. The investigation firm Uber hired ended up using some pretty shady tactics. It’s not clear if Uber actually knew what the firm was doing, but nevertheless, the damage had already been done. Hewlett-Packard never recovered from the fallout after they famously hired an investigator who used questionable methods (obtaining telephone records) to spy on its own directors.

Corporate representatives, individuals, and even attorneys hire private investigators for several reasons. Some of these may include uncovering insurance fraud, relationship infidelity, or hidden assets that may be crucial to a case. Make no mistake about it, though. Hiring a PI does not fall within the realm of “normal.”

While most people can appreciate the circumstances under which the services of a private investigator may be required, not many consider what it would feel like to be the target of such an investigation.

What if someone has hired a PI to look into your private affairs? What can you do about it? Can you sue someone for hiring a private investigator? The answers to these questions aren’t as straightforward as you might expect. Here’s what you need to know.

What Does a Private Investigator Do

To understand your legal rights against a PI, you first need to understand what exactly it is they do. You need to differentiate between what you imagine a private investigator does versus what they actually do.

PIs are often retained by their clients to tail crime suspects or individuals believed to have been involved in unethical activities. However, it’s important to mention right off the bat that a private investigator cannot break the law while investigating their case.

For instance, the law does not permit them to break into private property to obtain evidence of wrongdoing – contrary to what you may have seen in action movies. Any evidence they obtain unlawfully is inadmissible in a court of law. If they are found to have broken the law to recover the evidence in question, they may face legal repercussions for engaging in such conduct.

More often than not, a PI is hired to do case-related work for legal or professional clients. Their work would involve searching, researching, and carrying out surveillance on a target within the legal confines of the law.

A private investigator may be granted special access through their client to allow them to gather evidence of wrongdoing without breaking the law to do it. PIs possess the appropriate tools, resources, and expertise to assess and analyze the information they collect on a target and pick up on any inconsistencies that may raise red flags.

Is It Legal to Hire a Private Investigator

This is one of the most frequently asked questions we get. Many people are often unsure about who can retain the services of private investigation companies, whether they need some kind of a broker or referral to connect them to a PI, and whether they are legally allowed to do so.

To answer this question – private investigator services are open to everyone. Anyone can hire a PI to help bring the truth to light. Keep in mind, though, that a private investigator has no legal authority over any other citizen. They cannot arrest, detain, prosecute, or fine anyone. They are, however, trained and licensed to carry out private detective work.

There is an important caveat worth mentioning. You cannot hire a private investigator to look into individuals, companies, or any other entities out of simple curiosity or formulated conspiracy theories. This is especially important when retaining a PI to carry out comprehensive background checks or asset searches.

Do Private Investigators Have Limits

To reiterate, a PI has to ensure that their fact-finding activities remain confined to the legal limits of the law. They, therefore, have to ensure that they lawfully obtain information. This means that they cannot:

• Hack into emails or social media accounts to garner information on a target
• Hack into phones or computers to obtain information
• Hack into private databases to collect confidential information
• Tap phones, unless they are working alongside a law enforcement agency that has been granted the right to do so

HOWEVER, a PI can search for the information they need using a wide range of techniques, including accessing public records, copying files that are already in the public realm, and even obtaining private financial information that’s accessible to the public. It ultimately depends on the circumstances of the case or the entity under investigation.

Additionally, while a private investigator may not be able to hack into the target’s email or social media accounts, they are at liberty to initiate communication with them in the course of their investigations. The PI may then use this information to build their case.

Risks of Hiring a Private Investigator

The legal pitfalls of hiring a PI revolve around infringing certain privacy and criminal laws. As a result, the investigation may not go as planned and could potentially expose both the client and the PI to legal consequences.

There’s also the risk of not being able to use the evidence obtained. If a PI’s services are retained to obtain the evidence required for litigation, there’s always the chance that it may not be admissible in court.

Additionally, there’s always the chance that the private investigator and, by extension, the client may end up getting caught while doing surveillance on a target.

Even when making a discreet inquiry, word may get back to the individual that they are being investigated. This could land everyone involved in a sticky legal situation.

Can You Sue Someone for Hiring a Private Investigator

If someone hired a private investigator to target and carry out surveillance on you, you cannot sue them on that basis alone. Provided that they have not infringed on your privacy rights, meaning the surveillance activities conducted were limited to the public domain, you may have a hard time proving that you suffered injuries at the hands of the detective and the person who hired them to look into you.

Nonetheless, if you were harmed in the course of their investigation – negligently or otherwise – you can seek legal recourse against both the PI and the person who hired them.

Additionally, if you can prove that the information they garnered on you was obtained illegally, you can sue them and hold them criminally liable as well. Keep in mind that if the PI is working with law enforcement, pursuing legal action against them may be out of reach.

Get Legal Help

If you suspect that a private investigator broke the law while investigating you, get in touch with an experienced attorney to explore the legal options available to you. That way, they can help you determine if there’s enough evidence of wrongdoing to pursue the case in court.

Do you have any legal questions for us? Chat online with a Laws101 attorney right now.

Done something wrong and fear that your actions might be followed up with the services of a professional Private Investigator? Perhaps you overheard something you weren’t supposed to or you did something that wasn’t exactly “fair play.” Either way, there are literally millions of reasons as to why a Private Investigator may have been assigned to tail you, so it’s important to know what to look out for if that’s the case.

With over thirty years’ experience as one of Australia’s top private investigation firms, we’ve seen a lot and we’ve done a lot, so now we’re going to share the 15 most obvious signs that you’re being followed or put under surveillance by investigators:

Your smartphone, be it an iPhone or an Android, will sometimes light up or vibrate even when it’s not being used, or no messages, calls or notifications are coming through – this is an indication of a bug placed by a PI.

Private Investigators will always use one of two vehicles, so if you see either a grey Ford Galaxy or a black Holden Commodore parked or driving anywhere near you, be weary.

All private investigators carry at least two cameras; one as their primary to take the best shots and one as their back-up in case the other fails. These cameras can come in all different shapes and sizes, but if you ever notice someone with a camera with a huge lens on it, and a smaller one by their side, the jig is up.

Most private investigators wear disguises when on the job. They can be as complex as Hollywood-quality, fake moustaches and prosthetics, or as simple as baseball caps. It is often their dress sense that gives this away however; seen someone wearing a suit and a baseball cap? How about a doctor’s uniform with a handle-bar moustache and the ol’ Ray Ban Aviators? Watch out for oddly dressed people.

When investigators come to take photos, through their training they are made to breathe during their shots the same way… or at least, in a “similar” way to that of Snipers pulling the trigger on their rifles; so if you happen to walk past a “photographer” who is breathing heavily or breathing the word’s, “Yeah,” or “Just like that,” or even, “Gimme one more,” they’re a PI.

This one goes without saying… if you see a camera pointed at you by someone standing next to something, and that person isn’t from; Vietnam, China, Japan, North or South Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar or Thailand, then it’s most likely you’re being snapped by a PI

Most top private investigators will try to grab your attention with a distraction so that you don’t see them while they’re taking pictures of you. As such, they will often go about doing things like putting money on the floor so that when you bend down to get it they’ve got you.

If ever you use the Facebook or Skype Apps on your phones and your calls are randomly disconnected, your messages aren’t sent or received, or you lose call quality, this is a sure-fire sign of another bug placed on your device by a professional Private Investigator.

When you’re in a busy place such as a bar, club or even a big restaurant; if you see someone making eye contact with you, then touching the person immediately to their left (your right), and then whispering something to them, what’s actually going on is there’s a microphone received in the left-hand person’s ear, information from which is being sent to the grey Ford Galaxy or black Holden Commodore parked outside.

Ever opened your fridge in the morning, expecting there to be a little milk or orange juice left over, only to find that it’s gone? This is the work of a Private Eye. They want you to leave your house and go to the shops so that it’s easier for them to take photos of you.

When you next walk down the street and come across either a man or woman, pay attention to whether they’re wearing sunglasses, followed by gently lowering their heads as they walk by you, in a gesture similar to that of a head bob. Don’t be fooled by pleasantries – those people aren’t saying hello; the “head bob” activates a shutter release in the glasses, which are actually a covert camera, so they actually just took your picture.

Contrary to popular belief, Private Investigator’s no longer use magnifying glasses to find their suspects, so a word of advice, don’t look out for them. Instead, if you see anyone walking around aimlessly with their phone held in both hands in front of them, they’re likely trying to find a tracker they placed on your kit.

Private Investigator’s are notoriously “old school,” being relatively incapable of conforming to technological advances and today’s social norms. As such, if you ever see someone holding a newspaper, reading a magazine or looking at brochures or leaflets, they are most likely private investigators trying to blend in.

Another myth buster: despite being relatively behind in fashion and technological trends, Private Eyes have cottoned on to the fact that their long grey trench coats and Deerstalkers (the classic PI hat) were a bit of a giveaway, but instead, if no disguises are in place, the typical uniform consists of a Hawaiian or Bowling shirt, usually in bright colours, shorts of contrasting colours and sneakers. These pieces of clothing allow their skin to breath and provide freedom of movement. Bowling shirts are also irritant and chafe resistant, making long stints in cars or cramped spaces all the more bearable. So with that, if you see someone wearing these clothes, they are most likely a private investigator.

Whenever you walk or drive anywhere, you’ll notice that looking over your right shoulder sometimes reveals nothing out of the ordinary. However, try looking over your left instead. All private investigators are specifically trained to follow people from the left-hand side as 92% or individuals tend to look behind them over their right shoulders. If you see a someone, whether in a car or on foot, when you look over your left shoulder, they are almost definitely going to be a private detective

We’re glad you took a moment to keep yourselves mildly amused this afternoon; while our work is incredibly serious to us, it’s also important that we sometimes reflect on the simpler things in life, like a spot of humour.

For those of you who really have done something wrong and are a little afraid of the fact that you might be followed or put under surveillance; unfortunately, a reputable firm would never share true insights into how our work is carried out and, even less fortunately for you, if Precise Investigation is assigned to follow up on what you’ve done, there is genuinely very little that will ever give us away. You’re on your own.

If you’d like to explore your options in having a private investigator, or team thereof, working with you then please have a look at the following links:

Precise Investigation has quick and easy access to almost every city in Australia, with operatives based in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Perth, Adelaide and even the more remote areas of the country. So, if you’re ever in need and you’d like a professional touch, please get in touch with us.

You should consider retaining a private investigator when you get frustrated with law enforcement and don’t want to consider other legal methods. Our Private investigators have the experience and resources at their disposal to obtain the important information needed for your case.

It is important for you as the client to follow a few guidelines when hiring a private investigator. Here are some tips and qualities that a private investigator should have before you consider hiring them.

1. Investigator should be able to answer and return your calls promptly and establish a great communication with you through the whole case from the initial call or visit.
2. Investigator should be able to meet you in person so you both get a better understanding of one another and your needs as a client. This builds trust and allows you to get a better picture of who your hiring.
3. Do not choose a investigator only because they are cheap to work with. Remember you get what you pay for. private investigation is a skill and like any other profession paying the cheapest might haunt you later either with more charges or poor quality of work.
4. Read reviews from the investigators past cases. Read the good and bad reviews if any because this information can help you dramatically with deciding who to retain and what you can expect for results.
5. Make sure the investigator you hire is organized and listens to the needs of your particular situation so he/she can provide the best evidence and information.

So please feel free to give us a call and come in to meet us and get a free consultation.

The private investigations industry will reach $7 billion in 2019. Many private investigators are hired by companies who need to look into threats, HR background checks, and potential business partners.
Read on to learn the best tips for hiring a private investigator.

Request an In-Person Meeting

Never hire a private investigator without meeting him or her in person. An in-person meeting will help you decide if this PI is the professional you can trust to be discreet and competent.
Unfortunately, many private investigators run a solo practice based on their experience as an ex-cop or other skill. However, when you have a highly sensitive investigation, you need the support and professionalism provided at a higher level.
Meeting in person will help you make a better first impression assessment of the investigator’s professionalism and manner.
You might need your private detective to testify in criminal or civil court. You want to make sure your PI is a reputable representative of your case/
If the PI cuts you off, doesn’t answer your questions, or is vague, it’s probably not a good match. Remember, you are the client, and the private detective should be trying to win you as a client.
You need to find a person that you trust. After all, you will have to share sensitive information with him or her.
Trust your gut feeling on this one. If something about the private investigator seems off, thank them for their time and keep looking for a better fit.

Ask to See Their Private Investigator License

Before you hire a private investigator, you must do your due diligence and ensure you choose a reliable and professional PI.
First, ask to see his or her PI license. Check their license is valid in your state.

Check for Insurance

One of the private investigator requirements is having insurance. Make sure you ask your PI before you hire him or her to show you proof of insurance.
This protects you from being liable if anything happens to the private investigator during the investigation.

Ask About Qualifications and Experience

You want to make sure that the private detective you hire is qualified to do the job and do it well.
If the person has a website, review it to see if it lists his or her qualifications. Many private investigators are former police officers. But that’s not a good enough reason to hire someone.
Years of police work won’t help you if you have a legal issue. In those cases, you need a civil and criminal case investigator.
Make sure to ask your PI how many years of experience he or she has. You want to make sure your PI is qualified to investigate and possibly testify in the type of case you are hiring for.
Ask how many cases similar to yours he or she has worked on in the past year.
It’s best to choose a PI that specializes in the type of investigations you need. Not every private investigator excels at every type of case. So choose one whose strengths are the type of investigation you need.
You also want to know if your case will be handled by just one PI of if there will be other private investigators on the case.

They Should Engage With Professional Organizations

A private investigator might not necessarily be part of any professional organizations. But if they are passionate and reputable, it is more likely.
This is a good way to weed out fly-by-the-night companies who may scam you. Shady investigators won’t care about the newest legislature and continuing education.
Some professional organizations that a private investigator might belong to include the National Association of Legal Investigators, the National Association of Investigative Specialists, and the National Council of Investigation and Security Services.
Membership in these types of organizations will help you to see a company’s standing in the investigation community.

Get Testimonials & References

Before you hire a private investigator, you’ll need to do a little investigation of your own.
Go online and look up the company or private detective. It is important to run a query on the investigator as well as on the agency.
Of course, investigative work is discreet. So if you don’t see much, that’s not necessarily a bad sign. Ask your PI to give you a list of three previous clients that you can contact as references.
Be sure to ask about the private investigator’s professionalism, work ethic, and the results.

Ask to See a Work Sample

The end product, whether it’s a written report, a photo, or a video, is the evidence that you may need in court.
This evidence must be of good quality. In many court cases, concrete proof can give you enough leverage to get a settlement without needing to go to court.
A good investigator will likely show you examples of their work. If not, make sure to ask so you can get a good idea of what you can expect.
For example, you’ll want photographs with time and date stamps marked. The report should be typed up and legible without any missing information.
You’ll be able to learn a lot about the private investigator based on how thorough and detailed his or her reports are.

Avoid Cheap Pricing

When hiring a private investigator, don’t just shop around for the lowest price. Premium rates usually mean that the agency has a solid reputation that warrants the price.
Budget private investigators either are struggling to get business or know that they can’t get excellent results.
You don’t want to risk getting sub-standard service when your business is involved. Hire a professional investigator that has the experience and skillset to get results.

Important Investigations Require Quality Investigators

There you have it! An in-depth guide for how to hire a private investigator for your business.
Remember, in this field, experience, and professionalism span a considerable range. At OPS Security Group, we offer the very best in discreet, experienced private investigation services.
Contact us for more info.

Average Price
$50 per hour

How much will I pay for the services of a Private Investigator?

Need a private investigator to uncover the truth but unsure how much it’ll set you back? Read on to find out just how much a private investigator will charge for their services.

What is a Private Investigator?

A private investigator is a professional hired to research, gather, and analyze information for a particular case. The information gathered will be used for court cases and private clients.

Private investigators offer a range of services, including:

Surveillance and counter-surveillance

Taking pictures and gathering evidence

Interviewing witnesses and carrying out research

Conducting background checks and running credit reports

Performing due diligence and debt recovery

How much does a Private Investigation service cost on average?

The average cost of a private investigation service in the US is given below, although this could vary depending on a number of factors, including the professional’s experience and the complexity of the case.

Average cost of a Private Investigator

What determines the cost of a Private Investigation Service?

The cost of private investigation depends on a few factors including:

Investigator’s level of expertise

The kind of service needed

Investigator’s level of expertise

It should come as no surprise that hiring the services of a highly experienced private investigator will always cost more than hiring the services of a rookie in the field. Also, private investigators who have a background in law enforcement tend to charge higher than those who do not have this advantage.

The kind of service needed

The amount that you pay will also depend on the nature of the service that’s required. For example, complex cases, such as acquiring evidence to use against someone in court, will cost far more than hiring a private investigator to help you reestablish contact with a lost friend.

Additional expenses

Your private investigator may charge for additional expenses, like travel costs if a large amount of traveling is involved.

Location

Like most services, private investigator fees are likely to be greater in large cities such as New York, where the cost of living is higher. So remember to bear this in mind if you live in a larger city compared to a rural area.

Is hiring a Private Investigator worth the cost?

Whatever the situation, if you’re struggling to obtain the information you need then a private investigator can be an incredibly valuable resource. By discretely gathering crucial information and evidence, they can help you to solve a range of sensitive or complex problems.

While it comes at a price, the service of a private investigator is worth its weight in gold when it comes to getting to the bottom of whatever it is that you need to uncover.

Find a Private Investigator that you can rely on with Bark.

Chances are, if you are looking to hire a private investigator in Michigan, you have a specific problem that you need help with. Of course, you need the investigator to be competent and to keep the matter completely confidential, and like most people, your first place to go to find help is the internet.

ASG Investigations is one of the leading firms in the Midwest, with multiple offices here in Michigan to assist you. Call us today at 888-677-9700. The call is strictly confidential and the consultation is free!

The real problem with using the internet to hire a private investigator is the way the search results will come back. As with most if not all professional services, when you type in “hire a private investigator” in Google, you get back the closest private investigators to your location, which isn’t necessarily the best choice to get the results you are seeking. Finding the closest provider works great for many services, but not when hiring a private investigator. With services like take-out food, haircuts, eyeglasses or need a plumber, most providers offer the same basic thing at the same price. In essence, you are not necessarily better off looking for the absolute best source. Unfortunately, when it’s time to hire a Michigan private investigator, you will find that what the closest PIs can provide may not only underwhelm you, they may be a complete waste of money! Aside from that, if you work with the local private investigator, then you run into much greater odds of seeing them out in public, usually at the wrong time, and potentially creating an awkward or embarrassing situation that you might prefer to avoid.

ASG is one of the largest, most preferred Michigan private investigative agencies. We don’t dabble in investigations; we work cases just like yours every day and have staff near you!

Most private investigators in Michigan are small, part time businesses. They will take any case and promise the world, but far too often, the client doesn’t know what to ask before they hire a private investigator, and they end up unhappy with the results and the money they wasted. Unfortunately, this is the norm when hiring a private investigator in Michigan. This means for the majority of us, an internet search for “hire a private investigator” will bring up agencies like this. Many of these Michigan PIs are home based businesses hiding behind a PO Box. They usually have few, if any, employees and often just take a case and turn around and subcontract it out to someone else to do the work. Their retainer is non-refundable, and you really have no way to judge if they can do a good job for you or not.

If you hire a private investigator in Michigan, complete confidentiality is not just a promise, it is mandated by law!

When you have made the decision to hire a private investigator in Michigan, you should do your best to verify that they are a legitimate, licensed private investigative agency. When doing this, don’t rely on just their website or Google reviews. These things certainly help, but you might want to pull up their office on Google Maps and see if they have an office, if it looks like a legitimate business that a large staff can work at, or if it’s an old converted house turned into a shared office. Every real PI in Michigan has to be licensed by the State. In Michigan, a private investigator is actually referred to as a Professional Investigator. You should also look and see if they have posted any videos about their services. Does it look like they have a large team of intelligent investigators or does it look more like a cheap ad? More importantly, when hiring a private investigator, you should call them. Does anyone answer your call? Are you speaking with the owner directly or staff? If the owner answers the telephone, you can rest assured that this is a small agency like those we mentioned above. Another crucial point to understand when you hire a private investigator is that they should be able to explain everything they are going to do for you, how they are going to do it, what proof you will get that shows what they actually did and what the risks are that the assignment wont achieve the outcome that you expected. No investigation is guaranteed to be a total success and there is always risk, but a good PI should be able to explain that risk and help you to decide if it is worth the investment before they take your money.

When hiring a private investigator in Michigan, it is customary to pay a retainer up front for the services. Most time, a private investigators retainer will be for the full amount estimated for the investigative services you need. Depending on the type of case you have, the PI might charge a flat fee or charge you on an hourly basis. As noted above, the amount of the retainer and the reason for it should be explained to you and easily understandable. If you are hire a PI to conduct surveillance, it is a good idea to commit to two or three days initially and assess how the case is evolving before you pay a large retainer at the outset.

As with many professional services, when you hire an investigator in Michigan, it has become more and more common to hire them after a telephone consultation rather than coming into the PIs office for a formal face-to-face meeting. With the advent of video conferencing, electronic document exchange and email, a client can quickly and easily hire a private investigator in less time and with less hassle. When the need to hire a private investigator is personal, and sometimes involves a sensitive situation, clients have reported that not having to go thru a face to face meeting is actually less emotional and more productive, as well as avoiding paying for meeting time.

Common Questions

Before I hire a private investigator, how do I know that they have not worked for the person or company I am investigating?

How much should hiring a private investigator cost?

How do I begin to hire a private investigator?

Should I hire a private investigator near me?

Recent Blog Posts

3 Steps to Finding a Lost Friend or Family Member – Struggles, Sadness, and Hopefully Joy

Often in the media we see joyful reunions of family and friends that were once thought to be lost to each other. Whether it be … Read more

Potential Surge in Workplace Violence on the Horizon?

In March of 2020, thousands of employees were sent home from the office and forced to work from home due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. They … Read more

5 Reasons You Might Need To Invest In A Financial Background Check Or Asset Search

Never heard of a “Financial Background Check”? Then you have been missing out on some critical information affecting a number of different types of financial … Read more

3 Signs You Should Initiate a Michigan Infidelity Investigation

Infidelity is hard on the heart, mind, and soul. When you suspect that the person you love is cheating on you, you may want confirmation … Read more

If you’re dating someone you met online, how can you be sure that person is really who they say they are?

Meeting people online was something that did not exist when I was single. Back then it was the old idea of dating a friend of a friend, or maybe you might meet somebody at work. But whatever it was, you had some idea of their back story. It was the complete opposite of just randomly meeting somebody.

New way to put concerns to rest…or confirm your suspicions

But when you meet somebody online today, the problem is often there are signs that maybe that person is not who you thought they were. So what do you do? People routinely hire private detectives and spend big money to either confirm their suspicions or allay their concerns.

Now there is a website called Trustify.info that’s almost like a referral service to detectives who will check somebody out for you. Trustify.info can handle some of the following scenarios, among others:

• “I’d like to know if the person I’m dating has disturbing skeletons in their closet.”
• “I’d like to know if my partner is cheating on me.”
• “I’d like to know if someone in my life is hiding something.”
• “I’d like to know if my new nanny or babysitter is going to keep my kids safe.”

You get the idea. You go to the site and pay $67 an hour for somebody to check out if that person is who they say they are. That’s actually a pretty cheap fee and it only requires a 1-hour minimum.

Now, I should say that I saw a Washington Post article and they talked to a detective who says you get what you pay for, and that $67 is too cheap for a competent investigator. But the reality is private detectives are very expensive, easily twice or three times as much as Trustify charges. So think of Trustify as something for a very linear purpose at a very cheap price.

Isn’t it funny that people meet through electronic means and then use electronic means to see if their potential dates are on the up and up?! It sure makes going out with a friend of a friend seem a little safer!

Nothing stings like the betrayal of a spouse or significant other. Most experts agree that if your spouse cheats on you, the best way to confirm it is to hire a private investigator. However, before you hire an investigator, doing some snooping on your own is also an option. If you see signs that your spouse is cheating, read on.

Not only does this ensure that you do need an investigator, it can also help cut down on the man hours (and the cost) if you do since you can give the PI more information to work with.

Here are some tricks you can use to confirm or clear up suspicions of cheating:

Don’t Break the Law

Do note that in most states individual privacy is protected – even from concerned family members. Seek legal advice before taking any action that may violate your spouse’s privacy. If you break the law and your marriage ends badly, your spouse can take you to court for your illegal actions.

This means that some of the tips that you’ll find on the internet are either in the gray area or downright illegal for you to do. These include: bugging their car, installing key loggers on their personal computer, hacking their phone, social media account, email accounts, etc. Yes, you’ll get the proof of the affair but you’ll be exposing yourself to litigation.

Check their Phone

Cell phones are some of the most personal devices we own. It’s therefore no surprise that it’s used by cheaters in the conduct of the affair. And most cheaters learn to secure their phones early on.

Some red flags to be aware of:

• They changed the PIN that they’ve previously shared with you.
• They start sleeping with their phone under their pillow.
• They go to another room to take certain phone calls.

Most phones display callers or text notification on their screen even when the phone is locked. Take note of any phone numbers or email addresses you don’t recognize and run a search for it later.

And, yes, there are apps that let you track your wife’s (or husband’s) phone without her knowing. But they carry risks with them.

Check their Browser History

If you have legal access to the computer that they use – it’s a computer for family use or if you have been given access to it – you can check your spouse’s browser history. It can tell you the sites and pages they go to. Visiting dating sites and social media pages that they’ve been keeping secret is a cause for concern.

If they erase their browser history after use, you can check again at a later date. If they make a habit of clearing the browser history, it’s a good bet that they’re hiding something.

Keep a Journal

Monitor your spouse’s activity in your journal. These can include trips, unexplained ATM or credit card activity. Take note of trips that took longer than normal, like trips to the corner store that now takes a couple of hours. Most cheaters will use cash to finance the affair as it leaves less records – a spike in cash withdrawals should be noted.

This will let you keep track of details and can help identify if your spouse is cheating. Also, as cheaters will often twist the truth or confound the issue, keeping detailed records is necessary when you confront them.

Be Prepared for What You’ll Find

While you may think that they’re cheating, it’s also a possibility that they have an addiction, family problem, or other issue that they’re trying to keep secret. Try to keep calm and don’t immediately fly into accusations without definite proof.

If someone is cheating, there is a good chance that they will be on their guard and will try to hide their tracks. Unfortunately, as much as there are pages devoted to giving tips on how to catch cheaters, there are more pages on how to cheat successfully.

If you find that you are unable to definitely prove or disprove your spouse’s cheating, it may be time to consult a private investigator. They have the skills and experience to prove or disprove your suspicions. As a bonus, they can provide evidence that can be used in court if it gets to that point.

What Do Private Investigators Do?

A private investigator (PI) investigates things that you can’t. Many of them work for attorneys, for insurance agencies, or for individuals looking for information. The old cliche is the PI trailing the husband or wife to see if they’re having an affair. Private investigators should be professionals, licensed with adequate oversight, and with appropriate experience for the job they contract to do.

What Qualifications should a PI have?

Any private investigator you consider should be licensed, and if they carry a firearm they should be licensed for that as well. Often, private investigators are retired police officers, military police officers, or other officers of the law. They should be prepared to keep detailed notes, and have experience testifying in court as to their observations. A good PI should have a clean criminal record, and he or she should be prepared to work any hours necessary to settle your case.

There is not necessarily an educational requirement to being a PI; in theory, anyone able to pass the licensing test and experience requirements can get a private investigator’s license in any given state. Many PIs do specialize in a specific area, such as following spouses, doing extensive background checks, or tracking down missing persons.

What Questions Should I Ask?

Because it’s easy to claim specialization in any area (most states do not license PI specializations), you should always ensure that your licensed PI is going to give you what you have been promised. And because they work by the hour, you should be certain they’ll get the job done as quickly as possible. Here is a suggested list of questions to ask:

1. What experience do you have with cases like mine?
2. How long have you been a PI? How did you become a PI?
3. Are you licensed in all the states you’ll be working in?
4. What credentials did you need to have to get your license?
5. Are you insured and bonded?
6. Are you the investigator I’ll be working with? If not, what are the credentials of the investigator who’ll be working on my case?
7. How do you guarantee my confidentiality?
8. How much will this case probably cost me? You should expect to pay a fee up front that may or may not be refundable if the case takes less time than anticipated. Expenses should be specified as billable or not. Hourly rates vary from private investigator to private investigator, but they usually fall around $50 – $85 per hour. Count on a retainer of about four to ten hours of surveillance or other work.

What Should I Tell MY Private Investigator?

In short, everything. The more facts your private investigator has on your case, the easier it will be for him or her to determine the truth in your case. Who, what, when, where, why, and how are crucial; even things you think may be unimportant should be mentioned. If your investigator doesn’t ask questions trying to get all this information from you, perhaps you should think twice about hiring him. Your investigator should also give you ways that he or she intends to go about resolving your case and discuss the pros and cons of each method, so you’ll know exactly what to expect.

A good investigator should also ask if you’re represented by counsel in this case, and if your attorney is aware you’re considering hiring a PI. If you have an attorney, your PI’s report should go to him and not to you to maintain what’s called “work product privilege.” And your attorney and your PI should be aware of one another at the very least.

What Else Should I Know?

Ask who, specifically, will be handling your case. The person you’re talking to is not always the lead investigator, or you may have a case they consider routine and that will be handed over to a junior member of the investigational firm. That isn’t necessarily bad; but you need to know who you’ll be working with and what their background is.

Be certain you set a deadline, and let the investigator know how and how often you want them to communicate with you.

Get an idea of costs up front, not after the fact. The investigator, if he or she has handled similar cases before, should be able to give you a good idea of how much it’s going to cost you. Get your budget in writing, and instruct the investigator that they are not to exceed it without getting permission from you in writing first. Never pay an invoice until you have a written report describing the work performed, especially where billable expenses are concerned. Along with the contract, get a copy of the investigator’s state license, their insurance, and proof that they are bonded. Their E&O insurance should have a limit you’re comfortable with.

Don’t be impressed by gadgets; generally, good old fashioned patience and knowing what to look for are more valuable than any number of surveillance vans. And don’t let an agency sell you on two investigators when you think one will probably be able to do the job.

You’re not hiring Columbo; your PI should look well-groomed and professional. The appearance of your investigator probably reflects the kind of attitude he or she takes toward work, and sloppy is not what you’re after.

Only hire an investigator who, after your interview process, you feel comfortable with. Your instincts are usually correct, and if you feel the slightest bit uneasy about an investigator, you should trust that feeling and go with someone else.

When people find out what I do for a living they inevitably ask me right away, “So what famous people have you worked for?” I can’t tell you that. They also ask me, “How do I know if a private investigator is good or not?” I can answer that!

I hear horror stories from my clients about experiences they’ve had with other private investigators. There are a lot of great PI’s to hire; there are also way too many hacks and schemers. Hopefully these tips will help you weed out the bad ones from the good ones.

HERE’S WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING A PI:

Ask for their PI License number, AND go online and check to make sure it’s valid here. BSIS (Bureau of Security and Investigative Services) is who licenses private investigators in the state of California. There are, however, five states that do not require PI’s to be licensed at the state level: Alaska, Idaho, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Sometimes they say “over 30 years of being licensed!” but in actuality, they just took the combined number of years from all the guys in their office. Let’s say Tom has 8 years of experience, Ed has only 2 years on the job, and Sarah has 4 years. These three people who work in the same office combine their years of experience to say, “we have 14 years of experience!” But that’s not really true, now is it? Here’s a little hint: the smaller the number, the longer they’ve been licensed. For example, my license number is 15832. You will find most other investigators license numbers in California start in the 2000’s. So why do some of the major investigators here in LA (that will be in your top search results on Google) say that they have 30 years of experience when their license number starts in the 2000s? That license number beginning with “20***…” would make it impossible to have been in business that long.

Beware of companies that only do surveillance and who cannot do a complete investigation. We often hear clients tell us how they called around to other investigators for services and the only service they offer is surveillance. There is more to a case than simply surveillance; this is only one aspect of what could be transpiring in a situation.

Beware of the guys that do it for cheap. They are cheap because they are not busy or not very good. You get what you pay for in this business. You wouldn’t want to get plastic surgery by the cheapest guy in the area; nor would you want to hire the cheapest investigator, or go with the one who is a few bucks less. Go with the one that has a professional website, active social media, and good overall online reviews (you will always have a few clients you can’t make happy no matter what is done).

…which leads me to the next point. Beware of investigators with large amounts of reviews. Yes, of course you want to choose a company with reviews, but when they have hundreds of reviews, be aware… Think of it like this: most people who hire a private investigator want to find things like “dirty little secrets”, “dark family issues”, unfaithful partners, and fraudulent behavior. These are not things people are going to want to do a public review about. There are cases that are less sensitive so the clients are happy and willing to post about their experience. But it’s a bit difficult for a slighted wife to write a review about how great her experience was in finding out her husband was hooking up with her best friend. See what I mean?… Again, just be aware…

Look at the company’s online presence. This includes their website, social media, public interaction, and video/photos. Make sure they have a professional looking website. Fly-by-nights are less likely to have built out, well done website–there are exceptions to this rule. No, websites are not indicatory, but it is a part of the bigger picture. Also look at their social media pages and see if they are putting out good content, keeping social media current. If they love what they will do, they will be involved in online communities, up to date on industry news and goings ons, and they will be interacting and engagement their public online. We have reviews on multiple platforms that include BBB , Yelp , Facebook , and Google+ . Choose a company that works hard to build it’s reputation and maintain good standing with its customers.

· Check with the BBB. It’s always a great idea. Make sure they are registered and don’t have marks against them. Here’s where you can find ours, so you know what a good one should look like: Kay and Associates Investigations

· See what other professionals have to say about them. Do they have any reviews or recommendations from lawyers? Bloggers (people who have written about their experience with them)? Also, does the investigation company put out blogs and create videos? This shows they are engaged with their clients and the public.

Bottom line: You’re going to spend a good bit of money on a private investigator. Make it worth it.

An infected piercing can be serious if it’s not treated quickly. Get immediate medical help if you think your piercing is infected.

What’s normal for a new piercing

For the first few weeks a new piercing might:

• be tender, itchy, and the surrounding area may look slightly red on white skin, or a little darker than usual on dark skin
• produce a pale fluid that forms a crust

If you’ve had an ear or nose cartilage piercing, small lumps can sometimes form around the piercing.

The lumps, called granulomas, are trapped fluid. You can treat them by soaking a pad in warm water then holding the pad against them once a day.

Check if you have an infected piercing

Your piercing might be infected if:

• the area around it is swollen, painful, hot, very red or dark (depending on your skin colour)
• there’s blood or pus coming out of it – pus can be white, green or yellow
• you feel hot or shivery or generally unwell

Urgent advice: Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if:

• you think your piercing might be infected

Leave your jewellery in (unless a doctor tells you to take it out).

Treatment for infected piercings

You may need antibiotics if your piercing is infected. This can be a cream, ointment, or tablets.

How to prevent infections in new piercings

choose a qualified, experienced and licensed piercer

clean your piercing twice a day

use warm, salty water to soften any crusting

gently turn the jewellery while cleaning the piercing

use a clean paper towel to dry the piercing

gargle with salty water or an alcohol-free mouthwash if you have a mouth piercing

do not do your own piercings (you’re much more likely to get an infection)

do not use cotton wool to clean the piercing (use a cotton bud or pad)

do not pick at any crusting

do not twist or turn jewellery when the piercing is dry

do not use a towel to dry the piercing

do not have sex until a genital piercing has healed

do not have oral sex until a mouth piercing has healed

do not go swimming for the first 24 hours after a piercing

Things to ask your piercer

If you’re thinking about getting a piercing, ask the piercer:

• to explain what they’re going to do
• whether there are any risks
• how to care for your piercing
• how long it will take to heal

Page last reviewed: 16 April 2020
Next review due: 16 April 2023

When you get a new piercing, you should be excited, right? Well, yes, if all goes well. But what if it turns into a horrifying infection? Who would expect that a piercing could get infected?

Believe it or not but people who get their ears pierced never thought about the possibility of an infection, but professional piercers do, which is why after the session is done, your piercer will give you a list of aftercare instructions to avoid getting your ears infected .

What Causes Your Piercing to Get Infected?

Keep in mind that a piercing is an open wound. Even if it’s tiny, once it gets exposed to bacteria, it can wreak havoc and cause a great deal of stress and inconvenience on your part, not to mention you won’t be able to enjoy your new piercing.

A newly pierced earlobe takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks to heal. If the piercing was done in your ear cartilage, the healing time would take much longer. Moreover, cartilage piercings are found to be more prone to infection.

Touching the site with unclean hands can also introduce the infection to your piercing. If the earrings you chose are too tight, an infection is likely to take place. Another possible cause is when your piercer uses unsterile instruments.

The best way to deal with an infection is to treat it as soon as it happens. Leaving it alone will not solve the problem. It will only make it worse.

What Are The Signs of an Infected Piercing?

It’s essential to quickly identify if your piercing is infected so it can get treated right away before the infection spreads to other parts of your body. Some of the symptoms of an infected piercing include the following:

• Redness
• Pain or tenderness that doesn’t go away
• Swelling
• Pus oozing out of the piercing
• Itching and burning

How Do You Treat an Infected Piercing?

Treating It At Home

Can you treat an infected ear piercing at home? You absolutely can. However, you should only treat it at home if the infection is minor. But, if you had a cartilage piercing, don’t attempt to treat yourself. Instead, call your medical doctor right away. Cartilage piercings are more difficult to treat, and they usually require antibiotics. In cases of severe infections, patients were recommended to be hospitalized.

Steps In Treating Minor Ear Piercing Infection

Step 1: If you touch or clean your piercing, make sure you wash your hands.

Step 2: Clean your piercing with a saline rinse thrice a day. If you can’t find a good product online, you can create your own by combining ¼ teaspoon of salt and mixing it with 8 ounces of distilled water.

Step 3: Don’t attempt to use antibiotic ointments, hydrogen peroxide, and even alcohol, as this will only irritate your skin and worsen the infection.

Step 4: Never attempt to remove your jewelry. The hole could close up and trap the bacteria.

Step 5: When cleaning your piercing, make sure you clean both sides of your ears and then pat it dry with a clean paper towel.

When the infection has cleared up, don’t stop cleaning the piercing. Continue to do it but taper it down to twice a day up to 8 weeks. Routine care is also essential to keep infection at bay.

When to Call a Doctor

How do you know when to call a doctor? The first thing you should check is the symptoms. If you experience any of the following symptoms, then it signifies you should contact a doctor:

• Fever
• Your jewelry doesn’t move
• The clasp becomes implanted into your skin
• The infection worsens even after home treatment
• Redness and inflammation spread beyond the site

Can You Prevent An Ear Infection?

Are all piercings bound to end up getting infected? The answer is no. Look at the causes of infection. As you can see, they’re all preventable. Here are some to help prevent infection.

1. Find an experienced professional piercer.
2. Check to see if the jewelry is new. It should come in a package.
3. Don’t make a habit of touching your piercing.
4. Clean your ears twice a day using saline solution.

Are You Looking for a Safe Product to Clean Piercing Sites?

Finding the perfect product can be challenging, but you don’t have to dig deep. We’ve got a solution for you. If you’re looking for an effective and safe product to clean your piercing, Dr. Piercing Aftercare can help.

At Dr. Piercing Aftercare, we’ve developed convenient medicated swabs that you can use to clean your piercings and keep infection away. We are proud of our products. They are made and tested in a cGMP compliant and FDA-registered facility in America.

We use advanced technology on our swabs for easy application. Each pack contains thirty-six medicated swabs that are proven and tested to promote your body’s natural healing process while preventing infection. Contact us today, or check out our website if you want to learn more about our products.

In this Article

• Ear Piercings
• Causes of Infections
• Symptoms
• Care and Treatment

While getting your ears pierced is pretty safe, there’s still a chance that your piercings could become infected. An ear piercing is a fresh wound that needs to be treated as such. This means keeping it clean and letting it heal. If your piercing does become infected, you can most likely treat it from home.

Ear Piercings

When you first decide to get your ears pierced, make sure that you choose an experienced piercer that uses clean and sterile equipment. You should choose gold earrings, as this metal is less likely to cause an infection in newly-pierced ears. The earrings should also be post earrings, or small earrings that sit in your earlobe. By choosing a good piercer and earrings, you lessen your chances of getting an infected piercing.

Fresh ear piercings take anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks to heal. During this time, you should take the proper steps to care for your piercings to avoid infections. This means cleaning the piercings twice a day with rubbing alcohol or an antibiotic cream. You shouldn’t take out your earrings during this time. Only touch your ears with clean hands.

In addition to keeping your ears clean with alcohol, you should also wash your ears at least once a day with soap and water. This also helps ward off infections before they start.

Causes of Infections

Even with proper care, about 20% of earlobe piercings become infected and 30% of cartilage piercings become infected. Most commonly, an infected ear piercing is caused by bacteria entering the wound, which can happen in several ways.

Non-sterile equipment. Pierced ears can easily get infected if the equipment or environment isn’t sterile.‌

Handling with unclean hands. If you clean your ears without washing your hands first, you run the risk of exposing your piercings to bacteria.

Not cleaning the piercing enough. Ear piercing infections are also common if you don’t wash them often enough.

Not allowing the piercing to heal. Infections are more likely if you try to take out the earrings before the piercing has healed.

Symptoms

It’s normal to notice some itching and tenderness when it comes to new ear piercings. During the first weeks, your piercing might look slightly red or produce a crusty discharge as it heals.

If you have a high ear piercing or cartilage piercing, you may also notice a small bump that forms around the piercing. This is called a granuloma and is also fairly normal. These bumps form when fluid gets stuck inside, but can be treated at home by applying a warm compress once a day.

Symptoms of an infected ear piercing typically include:

• Redness or swelling at the piercing site or redness that continues to expand past the piercing
• Crusty discharge
• Heat felt in the area around the piercing
• Thick pus that can be yellow or green
• Pain or itching
• Fever or feeling unwell
• The earring getting stuck in your ear

Care and Treatment

Most ear piercing infections aren’t serious and can be cared for at home. To care for your piercing at home, follow these steps:‌

1. Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water. Once your hands are clean, mix one cup of water with half of a teaspoon of salt.
2. Use a cotton ball or pad to apply the saltwater solution directly to the piercing site. Once clean, pat it dry with a clean cotton ball or gauze.
3. After the piercing site is dry, you should apply an antibacterial ointment or cream. Be sure to read the instructions on the tube or bottle before using it.В
4. Repeat these steps at least three times each day or until the signs of infection go away.
5. Gently twist the earrings a few times a day so that your skin doesn’t get stuck on the jewelry.

In most cases, minor ear piercing infections go away within 2 weeks with proper home care.

When to call a doctor. In some cases, home care might not be enough. If your earring or the backing is stuck inside your earlobe, you should seek care from a doctor. You might also want to see a doctor if the redness and swelling continue to spread, or if the upper part of your ear is red.

Without proper treatment, ear piercing infections can spread to the rest of your body. This is called a systemic infection. The infection can also get worse or form an abscess. An abscess is an area of the skin that is swollen and filled with pus.

Show Sources

‌AAD: “How to Care for Pierced Ears.”

‌Childrens MD MOM DOCS: “You’re piercing what? Medical complications of cartilage and ear piercing.”

‌Cleveland Clinic: “Infected Ear Piercing.”

‌Johns Hopkins Medicine: “Pierced Ears.”

‌Mayo Clinic: “How to treat a piercing site infection.”

‌NHS: “Infected piercings.”

‌Seattle Children’s: “Ear Piercing Symptoms.”

Piercing of the cartilage wall between two nostrils or septum piercing has gained immense popularity amongst the younger generation. While the piercing itself is a one-minute thing, healing may take up to a year, during which extra care should be taken as the risk of getting an infection is high. The most important thing is to take care and avoid getting it infected.

What Causes an Infected Septum Piercing?

Like all the other infections, bacteria and other pathogens are the main culprits here too. They gain access to bloodstream and infect the septum due to the following conditions:

• Proper hygiene is not maintained during piercing, like unsterilized needles
• Poor aftercare
• Poor personal hygiene, like touching the spot with dirty hands
• Jewelry with inappropriate size and wrong material (e.g. Some people are often allergic to nickel)

What Are the Symptoms of an Infected Septum Piercing?

How would you know that the septum has been infected? Well let’s take a look at some of the common symptoms:

• In case of recent piercings, redness around the jewelry that doesn’t subside even after 2-3 weeks
• Yellow or green pus like discharge from the pierced area
• Soreness and tenderness in the pierced septum
• Bleeding from an old or recent piercing (extreme cases)
• Bump or lump on the piercing site
• Pain and swelling in the septum (only normal and usual in first 2 weeks)
• Formation of crusts

How to Treat an Infected Septum Piercing?

Managing a septum piercing infection could be tricky, majorly due to its location. You can follow the suggestions below to get a fast recovery.

1. Soak in Salt Water

This is a very common way of treating an infected septum piercing. Mix a teaspoon of sea salt with warm water and apply it on the infected site with a cotton bud or Q-tip brings relief. Do this for 5-6 minutes for 2-3 times a day. Also, make sure that you remove crusts or any hardened debris as they promote growth of bacteria.

2. Apply Piercing Solution

A piercing solution is often provided by the piercers, which is very effective in treating septum piercings infection. H2Ocean solution and H2O sea salt spray are also effective in treating infected septum and other body piercing. Home remedies like chamomile tea bags and -2 drops of essential lavender oil also work wonders and you can give them a shot.

3. Take Medications

An infection that gets severe day by day definitely needs to see a doctor for correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Oral antibiotics and ointments are often prescribed when the infection becomes severe and starts spreading. Self-medication shouldn’t be done at any cost because a wrong medicine may affect the healing process and affect the piercing drainage and cause abscess.

4. Other Methods

Once an infected septum piercing is diagnosed, treatment becomes essential. But equally important is taking care of the infected septum and protecting it from further infections.

• Avoid picking crusts or scabs on the site with fingers, as this can worsen bleeding and infection;
• Avoid playing with the nose ring. Only turn it about 4 times after cleaning;
• Quit smoking and drinking alcohol as they retard the healing process;
• Do not use alcohol or alcohol containing substance to clean the infected septum.
• Don’t remove jewelry in case of infection as this will encourage painful abscess formation, eventually requiring a surgical procedure to drain it.

Negligence will not only be a cause of infection but can lead to a consequence as serious as nose deformation. Make sure you follow all the instructions and guidelines given at the time of piercing.

How to Prevent Infected Septum Piercing from Happening

Whether it’s personal hygiene maintenance or simply by being cautious, preventive measures can make a great deal of difference when it comes to keeping septum infections at bay.

• Make sure your hands are clean before you touch the affected area;
• Don’t touch or pick on your piercing;
• Always use a fragrance-free face wash and wash your face thoroughly;
• Always get the septum pierced by a professional and make sure they use sterilized equipment;
• Make sure the jewelry you use is appropriate and won’t cause any reactions, allergies or scarring;
• Avoid swimming till the piercing is healed as pool water is a source of bacteria;
• Tea tree oil and chamomile tea can soothe the area and reduce pain but tea tree oil should be diluted before use to avoid burning;
• As far as anti-bacterial solutions are concerned, avoid using peroxides and bottled solutions as they kill bacteria but also kill healthy cells that are essential for healing.

Watch the video to know how to care and clean the septum piercing:

More Articles

1. How to Cure An Infected Finger
2. Aftercare Instructions for Navel Piercing
3. How to Treat an infected ear piercing
4. Tips for Reducing Ear Piercing Pain
5. How to Prevent Infection in Pierced Ears

• How to Tell if Your Belly-Button Piercing Infected
• How to Prevent Future Piercing Infections
• Signs of Infection

Belly button piercing infections are not common if you follow the instructions from your piercer and have your piercing done by a professional who is a member of the Association of Professional Piercers. Still, localized piercing infections can happen, and it’s important to treat it promptly to prevent it from spreading or getting worse.

How to Tell if Your Belly-Button Piercing Infected

After getting a piercing, it’s common for there to be redness, irritation and light-colored discharge at the site. But if those symptoms continue for more than a week and worsen, you could have an infection. Some warning signs that your piercing is infected:

• persistent pain, swelling, redness and warmth at the piercing site – thick, dark-colored discharge – fever, chills, nausea – red streaks that radiate out from the infection site

However, some people may experience an allergic reaction to the metal of the piercing. Certain metals, such as nickel, copper and low-grade gold (gold mixed with metal alloys), can spark an allergic reaction. Here are some warning signs you’re experiencing an allergic reaction:

• intermittent tenderness at the piercing site – redness, itchy rash around the piercing – blisters

If you do experience these symptoms, contact your piercer and ask if they can swap out your piercing. Make sure your piercing is made out of 14- or 18-karat gold, surgical steel, sterling silver, platinum or labeled “hypoallergenic.”

If your piercing is infected, here are some easy steps to treat the infection at home.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but the first thing you should NOT do is take the piercing out. Taking the jewelry out can cause the hole to close up and trap the infection inside, which can create an abscess below your skin. Keeping the piercing in keeps the hole in and allows pus to drain out.

Searching for How To Get Rid Of Smiley Piercing Infection?

Want to know more about How To Get Rid Of Smiley Piercing Infection? You are in the right place. Expand your knowledge of piercing. Gather all the necessary information, choose the style, design and wizards. Read the reviews. Decide on your desires and start transforming your appearance. Do not deny yourself the joy of a new piercing! Here you can find everything about How To Get Rid Of Smiley Piercing Infection.

How to Get Rid of an Infected Piercing: 7 Steps (with .

https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-an-Infected-Piercing

Jun 16, 2011 · Steps 1. Look at your piercing. Is it red, extremely swollen, or thick yellow or green pus oozing from it? If so, it’s. 2. If it has any of the symptoms above, you should never take a piercing out as it can lead to further complications. 3. You need to flush out any of the pus or bacteria …72%(154)

Piercing Infection: How to Get Rid – Piercee.com

https://piercee.com/piercing-infection-how-to-get-rid/

How to Heal Infected Nose or Ear Piercing 1. Piercing solution by Urban ReLeaf – Top Choice. This is one of the most effective solutions which contains both sea. 2. Antibacterial soap by Provon – Best for Severe Infections. Alternative aftercare solution that contains active. 3. Sea salt. It is .

Smiley Piercing – Infection, Pain, Risks, Caution And Jewelry

https://www.authorityhealthmag.com/smiley-piercing/

Feb 25, 2020 · Use sea salt water to rinse the mouth; dilute ¼ teaspoon non-iodized sea salt in 8 ounces distilled water to prepare a saline solution. With good aftercare steps adopted, you can get the smiley piercing perfectly healed within 4 to 6 weeks time. The pain and swelling begin to subside after 2 to 5 days of the piercing.

Smiley Piercing – Pictures, Pain, Aftercare, Infection and .

https://www.primehealthchannel.com/smiley-piercing-pictures-pain-aftercare-infection-and-healing-time.html

Apr 14, 2011 · Smiley Piercing Aftercare Rinse Mouth with Salt Water. Smiley Piercing care generally involves saline mouthwash. Salt water mouthwash is very. Brush Lightly. Once you have got your lip pierced, it is necessary to brush your teeth very carefully. Take care that. Avoid Spicy Foods. It …

How To Treat An Infected Ear Piercing – Simple Home Remedy .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ToAmKKe_kU

Jul 30, 2020 · Why Your Heels Get Cracked – Here is How To Heal Dry Cracked Heels At Home Quickly https://youtu.be/26-SbUDqCYY How To Treat An Infected Ear Piercing – Simpl. Author: SmartAge

How to Treat an Infected Ear Piercing – Healthline

https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/how-to-treat-an-infected-ear-piercing

Mar 07, 2019 · Follow these steps to take care of a minor piercing infection: Wash your hands before touching or cleaning your piercing. Clean around the piercing with a saltwater rinse three times a day. Use sterile saline (you can find some online) or. Don’t use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or antibiotic .

Industrial Piercing Infection: Symptoms, Treatment .

https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/infected-industrial-piercing

May 22, 2018 · Soak a cloth or sturdy paper towel with saline. Don’t use cotton balls, tissues, or thin towels — these can get caught in the jewelry and irritate your piercing. Gently wipe around each side of …

Piercings: How to prevent complications – Mayo Clinic

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/piercings/art-20047317

Jul 18, 2020 · Tongue swelling after a new piercing can interfere with chewing and swallowing — and sometimes breathing. Skin infections. This might cause redness, pain, swelling or a pus-like discharge after a piercing. Other skin problems. Piercing can lead to scars and raised areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue (keloids). Bloodborne diseases.

Why I Have Infected Septum Piercing and How to Treat It .

https://www.newhealthadvisor.org/Infected-Septum-Piercing.html

Dec 09, 2020 · This is a very common way of treating an infected septum piercing. Mix a teaspoon of sea salt with warm water and apply it on the infected site with a cotton bud or Q-tip brings relief. Do this for 5-6 minutes for 2-3 times a day. Also, make sure that you remove crusts or any hardened debris as they promote growth of bacteria.

Have you found How To Get Rid Of Smiley Piercing Infection information?

We hope you find the information you are interested in. On our site you can find many other information about piercing. In addition, we have a catalog of piercing artists, as well as a description of piercing styles. Explore the various pages of our site and you will learn a lot of interesting things about piercing.

Yvelette Stines, MS, MEd, is an author, writer, and communications specialist specializing in health and wellness.

Leah Ansell, MD, is board-certified in cosmetic and medical dermatology. She is an assistant professor at Columbia University and works in private practice in New York City.

Ear piercings are quite common among children and adults. Most new piercings take a few weeks to heal. If the piercing is in the earlobe, it heals quickly. A cartilage piercing takes longer to heal because there is less blood flow in this area.

With a new ear piercing, irritation is normal. If the area is not cleaned properly and bacteria get into the wound, it can become infected. If the infection is mild, over-the-counter medication will do. If the infection is more severe, a healthcare professional can help treat the infection.

Learn more about issues that can arise from ear piercings and how to prevent and treat them.

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

Mehmet Hilmi Barcin / Getty Images

Earlobe Infection

The earlobe is a fleshy area with a lot of blood flow. When the ear is pierced, it takes about six weeks to fully heal.

It is important to care for the newly pierced ear as instructed by the ear-piercing professional. Slight irritation is normal. Infection can happen and will clear up if it is mild. If the area does become infected, call a healthcare professional. Symptoms of infection include:

• Extreme redness
• Bleeding
• Yellow discharge
• The earring being stuck in the ear

Cartilage Infection

Ear piercing in the cartilage area is a popular option. Auricular cartilage is located at the top of the ear, and it does not have blood vessels or nerve cells. Due to this fact, the piercing takes a longer time to heal. In addition, infection can cause more complex issues beyond fever, bleeding, and swelling.

With infection of the cartilage, perichondritis—an infection of the skin tissue that surrounds the cartilage—is possible. If it is left untreated, a systemic infection could develop and affect the whole body.

An infection in the cartilage from ear piercing can become serious. Call a healthcare professional immediately if there are any signs of infection in this area.

Allergic Reaction

There are times that an ear piercing shows the signs of infection but it’s an allergic reaction. This is common with a number of people. Nickel earrings can cause a possible allergic reaction.

When it comes to ear piercing, the symptoms are typically a dry, scaly red rash and extreme itchiness.

If this happens, a healthcare provider can prescribe medication to help with the allergic reaction.

Can an Old Ear Piercing Still Get Infected?

An old ear piercing can get infected. It is important to keep the area clean. The following situations can lead to an infection of an old piercing:

• Touching earrings with dirty hands
• Putting the posts of earrings in at the wrong angle
• Not cleaning posts and earrings daily
• Wearing heavy earrings that could cause a scratch or tear in the ear channel
• If the post or back of an earring has nickel, this can cause an allergic reaction.

Causes and Risk Factors

It is important to be extra careful when handling a new piercing. If bacteria get into a new
piercing, it can cause infection. Other causes include:

• Removing the earrings before the piercing heals
• Touching the ears with dirty hands
• Putting your head in a pool, river, lake, or hot tub before the piercing is healed
• Forgetting to clean the new piercings twice daily as recommended by a professional
• Getting the ears pierced with equipment that is not sterilized or in a place that is not properly cleaned or set up for ear piercing

Treatment

If the ear is infected from an earlobe piercing, clean around the area and take your time cleaning and rotating the earring. If the infection doesn’t heal or is getting worse, call a healthcare professional. If there is an infected cartilage piercing, contact your healthcare provider so they can determine the severity of the infection and treat it.

There are a few treatment options that will help the healing process of an infected ear piercing:

• If the infection is severe, oral antibiotics could be prescribed.
• Rinse the infected area with sterile saline.
• Use an antibiotic ointment on the area that is affected.
• Put a warm compress on the infected cartilage or earlobe.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

If you experience any of the following symptoms, contact your healthcare provider:

• Pain and swelling in the cartilage or earlobe
• Discharge or yellow pus from the area of the piercing
• Fever or chills
• The area of the piercing is red and swollen
• The earring or clasp is embedded in the ear or stuck in the earlobe
• Swelling and redness has spread beyond the area of the earring

Prevention

Infection as a result of ear piercing is not a great experience. Prevention is important. The following tips may help avoid an ear piercing infection:

• Wash your hands before touching a newly pierced ear, earlobe, or cartilage.
• Rinse the piercing with cleanser or mild soap twice daily.
• Rotate the earrings after applying a lubrication ointment to the piercing.
• Don’t remove the earrings until the piercings fully heal.
• Put an antibiotic ointment or rubbing alcohol on the pierced area twice daily.

A Word From Verywell

Ear piercings are very common. It is important to follow the instructions during the healing process and continue to use best practices to prevent infection or other issues. If you have any questions or concerns, contact your healthcare provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

To treat an infected ear piercing:

• Rinse the infected area with sterile saline.
• Use an antibiotic ointment on the area affected.
• Put a warm compress on the infected cartilage or earlobe.

Your ear should be treated for about five days to clear up the infection.

Pain and swelling in the cartilage or earlobe and/or oozy yellow pus from the piercing are signs that there is an infection. You may also experience fever or chills.

It takes about six weeks for the hole to heal and close up around the opening. Keep your new earring in this entire time (even at night). Clean the area twice a day with alcohol and watch it for swelling or redness that could indicate an infection.

Searching for How To Get Rid Of Infected Piercing Quickly?

Want to know more about How To Get Rid Of Infected Piercing Quickly? You are in the right place. Expand your knowledge of piercing. Gather all the necessary information, choose the style, design and wizards. Read the reviews. Decide on your desires and start transforming your appearance. Do not deny yourself the joy of a new piercing! Here you can find everything about How To Get Rid Of Infected Piercing Quickly.

Is PlanNet Marketing A Scam? MLM Related To InteleTravel .

https://youronlinerevenue.com/is-plannet-marketing-a-scam/

2020-12-4 · Summary: Established in Georgia back in 2015, Donald Bradley founded PlanNet Marketing as a network marketing company that’s going to provide attractive, affordable travel packages to its customers. Its MLM structure pushes its members to recruit for bonuses. When they generate sales, they earn commissions.User rating: 6/10

Is PlanNet Marketing a Scam? It’s Another Travel MLM …

https://smartaffiliatesuccess.com/is-plannet-marketing-a-scam/

PlanNet Marketing is a MLM or multi-level marketing company that operates within the travel and booking niche. They are currently based out in Georgia, USA. Is PlanNet Marketing a Scam – Landing Page The founders of PlanNet Marketing are Don Bradley and Andy Cauthen, both of whom have extensive experience in the MLM industry and as entrepreneurs.

Is PlanNet Marketing A Scam? (Profitable Travel MLM?)

https://outranklab.com/is-plannet-marketing-a-scam

PlanNet Marketing is an MLM with head offices in San Diego, CA, that focuses on selling flight and cruise tickets, hotel reservations, and plenty more travel services to its customers. The company has partnered with the like of InteleTravel to help manage the MLM side of their business to provide its member base with money-making opportunities with future clients.

PlanNet Marketing Review – Low Quality MLM Straight …

https://jobquittersunite.com/plannet-marketing-review-low-quality-mlm-straight-ahead/

Founded in 2015, PlanNet Marketing is owned and operated by two men named Donald Bradley and Andy Cauthen. Might I add that Andy was involved in an online pyramid scheme in the past. PlanNet Marketing is an MLM in the travel industry. This one reminds me of another travel MLM I recently reviewed called Surge365.

PlanNet Marketing Review: Plannetmarketing.com a Travel .

https://scamwarning.org/plannet-marketing-review-plannetmarketing-com-a-travel-niche-mlm/

PlanNet Marketing is a multi-level marketing company that works in the Travel niche. They deal in selling the travel tickets in the form of hotel booking, flight tickets, and cruise reservations. Moreover, they offer the people an opportunity to make money by becoming the PlanNet Marketing agent.

Is PlanNet Marketing a Scam? Another Travel MLM Reviewed

https://theaffiliatedoctor.com/is-plannet-marketing-a-scam-another-travel-mlm-reviewed/

Enter PlanNet Marketing, an MLM company that is affiliated with another company called InteleTravel. PlanNet Marketing’s travel reps promote and sell InteleTravel products and memberships. In return, they will get a commission for each successful sale.

Is PlanNet Marketing A Scam? Let’s Delve Deeper Into This .

https://bestlifetimeincome.com/is-plannet-marketing-a-scam/

2020-11-26 · Quick Summary: PlanNet Marketing is a multi-level marketing (MLM) Company that offers this so-called “InteleTravel home-based Independent Travel Agency” (ITA) business to those who would join into their affiliate program and they refer to them as a PlanNet Marketing Rep. They then sell this ITA business and earn commissions. It may seem a legit MLM opportunity.

PlanNet Marketing Review – What Reps Wish They Knew …

https://www.barenakedscam.com/plannet-marketing-review

2020-12-3 · PlanNet Marketing is a travel service provider company that operates in a Multi-level Marketing (MLM) business model through InteleTravel. The company was founded by Donald “Don” Bradley in 2015, with Andy Cauthen as the current CEO.User rating: 2/5

PlanNet Marketing Review-PlanNet Marketing Exposed!

https://aceandrich.com/plannet-marketing-review-plannet-marketing-exposed/

2015-11-16 · PlanNet Marketing Inc. is a travel network marketing company that is founded by Don Bradley. The company has partnered up with a travel agency by the name of InteleTravel. InteleTravel is an at home travel agency that is recognized by all the big travel suppliers including all the best resorts, cruise lines, car rental agencies and tour operators.

Plannet Marketing is an MLM scam. Pyramid scheme : antiMLM

https://www.reddit.com/r/antiMLM/comments/arjam8/plannet_marketing_is_an_mlm_scam_pyramid_scheme/

2011-9-22 · Plannet Marketing is an MLM scam. Pyramid scheme. Help/Advice. Recently had a friend try so so so hard to get me involved in this mlm called Plan net marketing. Basically you have to pay to become an “agent” monthly payments. And then you try to sell travel packages to people.

Have you found How To Get Rid Of Infected Piercing Quickly information?

We hope you find the information you are interested in. On our site you can find many other information about piercing. In addition, we have a catalog of piercing artists, as well as a description of piercing styles. Explore the various pages of our site and you will learn a lot of interesting things about piercing.

Sweet, you got a new nose piercing! What’s not so sweet is that you now have an additional and unwanted accessory — a little bump of skin that’s forming around the piercing site as it’s healing.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

What’s happening, and what can you do about it? Is your piercing predestined for removal? The bump could be the result of a few different skin reactions, so the first order of business is to get to the root of your issue.

We talk to someone who nose — err, knows — best, dermatologist Alok Vij, MD. He walks you through everything you need to know about dealing with the dreaded nose-piercing bump.

What is the bump around your nose piercing?

A piercing is essentially a wound to your skin, even if it’s an intentional one, so some unwelcome side effects are to be expected — at first.

It’s normal to experience redness, swelling and even a little bit of pain after getting your nose pierced. These symptoms should start fading within a few days. But if you notice that a bump has formed around your piercing, whether inside or outside of your nostril, a few things could be happening.

1. An allergic reaction

Hate to break it to you, but you very well might be allergic to that cool piece of jewelry you picked out for your new piercing. If you have a metal allergy (the most common ones are nickel and cobalt allergies), your body could be trying to fight off your new nose ring or stud as though it’s a foreign body.

“Allergic reactions are most common in people who have a history of atopic dermatitis (or eczema) and who have previously been sensitized to common metals that drive allergic contact dermatitis,” Dr. Vij explains.

An allergic reaction can cause itchiness, redness, swelling and maybe even some blistering, which could result in bumpiness — but if you have just one bump on its own, you’re probably looking at another issue.

What to do: If you think you’ve got an allergy, swap out your jewelry for a hypoallergenic version, like surgical stainless steel, sterling silver or 14-karat gold. (And if you’re reading this before you’ve been pierced, just choose one of those metals to begin with!)

2. An infection

That little bump could be a pustule, which looks like a little pimple or blister — and just like with a pimple or blister, you shouldn’t try to pop it. Pustules are a sign of an infection, and they can be filled with blood and even pus. Ouch!

“An infection will be swollen, painful, look red and feel warm to the touch,” Dr. Vij says. “It’ll be tender when you press on it.”

What to do: Over-the-counter antibiotic ointments aren’t likely to help, since the infection is deeper than the skin’s surface. “Start with warm compresses, which will increase the blood flow to the area and allow your body’s immune system to track into that space,” Dr. Vij advises. “You should also clean gently with soap and water.”

Your body can typically fight off the infection on its own, and the pustule should disappear. See a doctor immediately, though, if you start feeling sick and have shaking, chills and fever. Your nose is part of an area known as the “danger triangle,” which means infections that start there can, in rare cases, impact the rest of your body and even your brain.

3. A granuloma

Sometimes, an injury to the skin results in a pyogenic granuloma, a little bump that contains extra blood vessels that form to try to protect you. “Your body sees a foreign invader and tries to create a wall to block it off,” Dr. Vij says.

These soft bumps are usually pinkish, reddish or even blackish-brown, and they ooze or bleed easily.

What to do: Granulomas usually go away on their own. “Watch it carefully for a few days or even a week, and it’s probably OK as long as it stays relatively small,” Dr. Vij says. “If it becomes more symptomatic, go see a dermatologist, who can do cultures to make sure there’s not an infection.”

4. A keloid

Keloids are raised scars that extend beyond the initial injury — and if you’ve gotten a keloid in the past, you’re more prone to them in the future. They’re especially common among people who have Black, Caribbean, South Asian and Middle Eastern heritage.

The good news, Dr. Vij says, is that keloids on nose piercings are relatively uncommon. They’re more likely to appear on ear piercings, especially high up on the cartilage.

What to do: “Keloids can be extraordinarily difficult to treat,” Dr. Vij says. “If they’re left on their own and continue to grow, they can become disfiguring, and the treatments can become quite aggressive in order to be effective.”

Keloids don’t go away on their own, either. If you’re developing a keloid around your piercing, remove the jewelry right away and talk to a dermatologist about next steps. They may be able to reduce the keloid with corticosteroid injections.

How to prevent nose piercing bumps

There’s no surefire way to keep a bump from developing at the site of your nose piercing, but there’s one important thing you can do to minimize your chance of infection: Keep it clean.

For starters, make sure any piercings are done by a trusted and trained professional who knows what they’re doing, uses proper equipment and keeps everything spick and span. Then, once you’ve been pierced:

• Wash your hands: Before touching the site, make sure your hands are clean.
• Clean the piercing: Twice a day, use saline solution to keep the area sanitary.
• Clean your jewelry, too: Use soap and water to wash the area carefully and with a very light touch.
• Don’t pick: Keep your hands away from bumps, crust, pus and other gunk.
• Keep your jewelry in place: Until it’s fully healed, don’t swap out that nose jewelry, as removing or changing it can get in the way of the healing process.
• Be patient: It can take up to six months for a piercing to fully heal.

While nose piercings are commonplace, getting one comes with the risk of infection, especially when the piercing is new and still healing.

It’s important that you treat an infected nose piercing as soon as you notice it. Otherwise, it could worsen, spread, and end up costing you unnecessary time, money, and trips to the doctor’s.

Here’s how to know if your nose piercing is infected, and if so, how to treat it.

Is my nose piercing infected?

If your nose is newly pierced, it’s normal to experience some swelling, tenderness, and redness, says Jeannette Graf, MD, board-certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

However, symptoms beyond this should be closely monitored for infection. Graf says signs of an infected nose piercing are similar to other infected piercings and can include:

• More pain than usual
• Throbbing
• Abnormal odor
• Pus oozing from piercing site (white pus is normally a sign of a very mild infection, while green or yellow pus indicates a more serious infection)

Even just one of these symptoms may be an indication of an infection, says R. Peter Manes, MD, FACS, a rhinologist at Yale Medicine.

If you’re experiencing a fever or severe pain, it’s advised that you see a doctor ASAP.

How to treat an infected nose piercing

If your infection isn’t causing you serious, persistent, or worsening pain you can first try treating it at home with the following remedies:

• Warm compresses: Using a warm compress on the infected area can help reduce swelling. Be sure to use a clean cloth, soak it in warm water, and apply gently to the area.
• Sea salt solutions: Saline solutions are a natural antiseptic, Graf says. You can make your own by mixing about 1/8th of a teaspoon of salt in one cup of warm water.

If the infection doesn’t respond to home remedies, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics, and if the infection leads to an abscess — a swollen collection of infected pus —, your doctor will likely need to drain it.

If you don’t treat a serious piercing infection, Manes says it’s possible for the infection to spread to nearby areas of the face and, in rare cases, result in a life-threatening condition called sepsis.

How to care for your nose piercing to avoid infection

It’s important to diligently take care of your new nose piercing to avoid infection — especially when the piercing is new and fresh.

Piercers typically provide clients with specific aftercare instructions. You can also follow these tips from Graf to avoid infection:

1. Only go to reputable piercing shops that use sterile techniques and hypoallergenic jewelry.
2. Using soap or saline solution, clean the piercing first thing in the morning and before you go to bed with clean hands.
3. Avoid applying skin care products — such as sunscreen, creams, and serums — around the piercing until it is fully healed as these products can irritate the piercing.
4. Avoid touching or playing with the piercing, since your hands carry bacteria and can result in an infection.
5. Avoid swimming in natural bodies of water and swimming pools until your piercing is healed, since water can harbor bacteria.

It’s most important to follow the above steps while the piercing is still fresh and not yet fully healed. After that, you can become more lax with it.

“When your nose piercing has completely healed after several months, you can stop cleaning it as frequently and even start using mild, unscented soap occasionally to clean,” says Graf.

Insider’s takeaway

It can take around four to six months for a new nose piercing to completely heal, Graf says. This will depend on the individual and how diligently the aftercare routine is followed.

Any piercing, including nose piercings, has the potential to get infected, which in minor cases can cause discomfort and in severe cases can cause fevers, abscesses, and spread to other areas.

This is why it’s so important to take good care of your new piercing as soon as you leave the studio.

If you suspect an infection, and it doesn’t look too serious, try cleaning the site with a saline solution and reduce inflammation with a warm compress.

However, if the infection isn’t clearing up or worsening after a week of home treatment, Manes says you should make an appointment with your doctor to get it checked out.

So, you got your nose pierced and now you have a bump next to it to deal with. We know how frustrating it could get. There are many ways you can get rid of it. Before we get into it, what the heck is that bump?

What Is That Bump?

Anytime a wound (like a piercing) is created on the skin, there is a chance of it getting infected. Considering nose piercing–be it nostril or septum–is done on a cartilage and not a fleshy area like the earlobe, it takes longer to heal. That’s the reason why you get bumps near nose piercing but very rarely near ear piercing. There are two possibilities: this bump could either be a pustule or a keloid, also referred to as granuloma. Whatever be the nature of the bump, DO NOT TRY TO DRAIN IT YOURSELF!

Pustule: It is a localized piercing pimple which appears as one or in a recurrent cycle. It is pus-filled and may be tender or itchy. 1

Keloid/Granuloma: Any injury on the skin can result in an abnormal growth of skin tissues in that area that resemble a bump and is often harmless. These bumps are called keloids and are very common after nose piercing. 2

Though the exact cause of the bump is unknown, poor piercing techniques and/or poor hygiene after piercing can cause it. If you change your jewelry immediately or finger the piercing continuously, it could result in an infection or a bump.

How To Get Rid Of The Bump Near Nose Piercing?

Once a bump or a keloid is detected at the site of the nose piercing, you can take it to a dermatologist for an expert opinion. You may be tempted to remove the nose pin as soon as you notice something amiss near the piercing. Unless it is an allergic reaction (in which case you need to remove it immediately) or your dermatologist has recommended it, do not do it. Let the bump heal with the jewelry on. Depending on whether it is an infection, an allergic reaction or a keloid, there is a variety of treatments available. For small bumps like the one near nose piercing, cryotherapy is found to be useful. 3 Surgically removing a keloid, too is an option. 4

But before thinking of surgically removing the bump, wouldn’t it be better to give certain home remedies a shot?

Home Remedies To Treat The Bump

Though no research has been done on the subject, anecdotal evidence shows an impressive success rate with home remedies. Here are some:

Sea Salt Soak Works Like Magic

After you get your piercing done, perhaps the first advice you would get from anyone who has had experience with piercing is to soak the pierced area in sea salt. It is found to be extremely effective in avoiding infections and also to get rid of the bump. But how’s it done? Here are two ways of doing it. Mix some sea salt with water. Soak a ball of cotton in it and place the cotton on the bump. Alternatively, you can also try a mildly uncomfortable way of dunking your nose in the saline solution as long as you can. 5 Some experts do not agree with this as it involves wetting and fingering the piercing site which can be counterproductive. It is important to dry the area with a clean towel after the sea salt soak.

Some Chamomile Tea After That

Following the sea salt soak with chamomile tea is also found to be beneficial in removing the nose bump.

How About Tea Tree Oil?

There is an overwhelming response on the internet for this remedy. Tea tree oil has antimicrobial properties and applying it continuously on the affected area is found to take care of the bump. Here’s a hitch, though. Go for the diluted TTO because the undiluted one is strong and is found to cause irritation on the skin. 6

The Popular Aspirin Remedy

Here’s another remedy you can try at home. Crush an aspirin tablet, mix it with water to make a paste. Place the paste on the bump and let it sit for 30 minutes. Wash it with an antibacterial soap after that. Repeat it till the bump disappears.

Lemon, Honey Can Help, Too

There are positive responses to remedies like lemon juice and also honey in treating the bump near nose piercing. You can apply one of these on the piercing and see if it works.

Though these remedies are found to be successful, there is no guarantee that they would work for you. If it doesn’t, you might want to consult a dermatologist on the way forward.

How To Avoid A Bump From Forming

Well, it is always fun to get a piercing done. But it’s better to avoid a bump from forming than fretting about it afterward. Clean your nose thoroughly before the piercing is done. Postpone your piercing if you are suffering from any respiratory illness or sinusitis. Once the area is prepped for piercing, do not touch the area. It’s important to go to a qualified piercer to avoid infection or complication later. Keep the area dry and clean after the piercing is done. During the healing, the pierced area will be tender and so, you need to be careful while sneezing and also avoid any friction on the area. 7

A nose piercing can be a cute accessory, but it’s not so cute when a bump pops up on the skin next to your piercing.

You might be able to treat the bump at home, but other times it could be the sign of a dangerous infection that needs medical aid.

Here are five causes for that bump and what to do in each case.

1. Allergic reaction

“Allergic reactions cause inflammation and swelling, which can create a bump,” says Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, and clinical instructor at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Your body views the piercing as an invader and may react by causing itching, swelling, and blistering at the site.

An allergic reaction to a piercing is often caused by an allergy to the metal in the jewelry. You can be allergic to any metal, but the most common metal allergies are nickel and cobalt.

Nose piercing allergy bumps are generally small but may be surrounded by a rash of red, scaly skin.They can be incredibly itchy and tend to be more irritated than painful.

How to treat it: “Hypoallergenic piercings should be used, such as surgical steel or titanium,” King advises. Switching to a less irritating metal can allow your skin to calm down and get rid of the nose bump. The reaction can take two to four weeks to fully fade.

2. Granuloma

A granuloma is a reddish bump that appears when your immune system forms extra blood vessels around a foreign object like a piercing. Granulomas are usually less than a centimeter wide and they tend to show up on or right next to the piercing site.

The granuloma acts as a barrier to protect your body, says King.

Granulomas on nose piercings are often red or brownish-black, feel tender to the touch, and may bleed easily.

How to treat it: If you have a granuloma, it’s best to leave the piercing alone and let your body heal on its own.

Don’t switch out your nose jewelry and don’t move it any more than is needed for cleaning, King says, as this can interrupt the healing process and cause irritation. Granulomas can take a few months to fade on their own, or you can see a dermatologist to discuss treatment options.

If you need to rotate the jewelry for cleaning, make sure the area is wet first so it moves with less friction.

3. Infection

If you don’t clean a new nose piercing regularly, bacteria can get into the open wound and cause an infection. Most often, you’ll have redness and swelling around the infected area and your nose may feel extra tender.

You may develop a small red bump around the piercing, particularly if there is any trapped pus under the skin.

How to treat it: Some infections may be dangerous if you don’t get medical treatment. “If there are signs of infection such as pain, throbbing or pus, the area should be evaluated by a doctor,” King says. To avoid infection, make sure to clean your piercing twice daily with a saline solution.

4. Keloid

A keloid forms when your body produces too much scar tissue during the healing process, King says. They look like firm, raised scars and can be flesh-colored, reddish, or darker than your skin tone. Keloids generally don’t hurt but can become irritated if they rub up against your clothes.

You’re more likely to develop a keloid if you have a genetic predisposition or you have a darker skin tone.

How to treat it: If your nose bump is from a keloid, then you should remove the piercing right away. This may help slow your body’s exaggerated healing reaction.

Keloids usually don’t go away on their own, so you’ll have to see your doctor to treat it. A dermatologist can freeze the growth, inject steroids, or use laser therapy to help it heal. Depending on which treatment you use, it can take a few months for keloids to be fully treated. Even after treatment, the skin may not go back to it’s normal appearance, but the keloid should be reduced.

If you’re prone to keloids, you may have to give up your nose piercing and know that future piercings may also cause keloids, so it’s probably best to avoid them.

5. Tissue Damage

“Damaged tissue can become inflamed and swollen, creating a bump,” King says.

This type of bump is generally reddish, puffy, and very painful. The size of the bump will depend on how much tissue was damaged.

The skin on your nose is sensitive and can be easily damaged if you are too rough on a new piercing. This can happen from changing the jewelry too soon or even wiping your nose forcefully.

How to treat it: If the tissue damage was minor, such as from a minor blow to your nose, you likely won’t need to see a doctor and the bump should improve with time. If there is significant bleeding or intense pain, see your doctor to determine what type of treatment you need.

How to care for your nose piercing

You should clean your piercing at least twice per day with a solution of water mixed with antibacterial soap or salt. You should keep this up for at least two months, or until the piercing no longer feels sensitive to the touch. In some cases, nose piercings can take up to six months to heal.

Insider’s takeaway

Nose piercing bumps are an unpleasant side effect, but you can often get rid of them on your own or with help from your doctor. Cleaning the piercing, using hypoallergenic metals, and not touching the area can all help to get rid of nose bumps.

See your doctor if you have any concerning symptoms like excessive bleeding and swelling. And to prevent future bumps it always helps to, “have piercings done by a reliable and experienced professional,” King says.

Karen L. Hudson is a tattoo artist and contributing writer for Byrdie. She has been an amateur artist as a hobby since grade school, and served a 12 month tattoo apprenticeship in a tattoo studio.

• FACEBOOK
• PINTEREST
• EMAILSHARE

If you feel a bump on a piercing, there’s no need to panic. Piercing bumps, while annoying, can show up in the healing process even with meticulous care and are common fare for the professionals.

What Is a Piercing Bump?

A piercing bump is “unstable scar tissue,” or an irritation bump that commonly occurs in more dense tissue like the cartilage on your ear or nose. It might be one of three things: a hypertrophic scar that has formed inside of the piercing, an abscess of infectious fluid trapped under or behind the piercing, or a cyst caused by an obstruction of dead skin cells or hair.

Meet the Expert

• J. Colby Smith is a piercer at 108 Studios.
• Josh Harris is a piercer at 108 Studios and The Oak and Poppy.
• Johnny Pearce is a free-hand piercer at Nine Moons Piercing.

“It’s important to understand before you get a piercing that it takes a level of patience and dedication to earn your piercing wings,” says Smith. Still, you need to make sure you’re properly treating your bump. To do that, it’s important to first identify the type of bump you’re dealing with, where it is located on your body, and how it got there in the first place. After that, simple remedies, time, and patience will help you cure any unsightly swelling.

And while most piercing bumps are usually temporary and cosmetic, they are likely to clear up with extra TLC and time, says Harris. As a general rule, most growths (cysts, abscesses, keloids, tumors, etc.) are categorized as special issues that require assistance from a medical professional. “It’s important for your piercer to know where to draw the line between minor problems that can be resolved naturally at the studio and when to redirect you to a medical professional,” states Pearce.

Keep reading to find out more about piercing bumps, from their causes to how to treat them, according to the experts.

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

Identify and Remove the Irritant

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

There is a variety of scenarios that lead to the formation of a bump. The secret is taking a moment to think about your day-to-day routine. We want to narrow down what actions are causing the irritation. Try and identify the moments in which you regularly interfere with your piercing.

The most common causes are bumping, snagging, or sleeping on new piercings (two to six months old). Other factors include poorly fitted jewelry, the shape of jewelry, airplane travel (a dramatic change in elevation and cabin pressure), poor jewelry quality, touching the piercing with dirty hands, and changes in humidity, which can all aggravate new piercings. Plus, headphones, skincare/beauty products, and too many puppy dog kisses can also cause an issue, Pearce says. Remove the irritant, and the rest will follow.

Check Your Jewelry

” data-caption=”” data-expand=”300″ data-tracking-container=”true” />

After you’ve identified a problem area, the next step is to check if the jewelry is a proper fit and allows enough room for swelling, says Smith. Also, make sure your jewelry is up to par. Are your studs, hoops, or CBRs (captive bead rings) made of surgical stainless steel, surgical titanium, niobium, or Tygon (a surgical plastic)?

If you’re not sure, visit your local trusted professional piercing studio. They will help you select a quality item in the perfect gauge for healing your piercing. Someone there may change it out for you, too, so there’s no reason to do it yourself. Once it’s in, leave it there until your bump is completely healed. Rotate it occasionally if possible but only after healing.

Give It Time

When you get a piercing, part of your body’s job is to help heal the wounds, which tends to work best when left to its own devices. This is why the experts don’t always recommend using any outside products on your piercing. Instead of applying potentially harmful products to the piercing site, reach for a sterile saline spray, as it safely removes debris, discharge, and buildup without causing trauma to the piercing. (FYI: Keep in mind that sterile saline spray is not at all the same thing as adding sea salt to water at home). Arm & Hammer’s saline spray is a simple way to fend off any bump-forming debris from your piercing. Just be careful using this around eye and mouth piercings.

Once your piercing is completely healed, feel free to change your jewelry from anywhere between three to six months, says Harris. Still, make sure to select high-quality jewelry purchased only from a professional shop and let someone there put it in. “We start longer to allow room for swelling. Once the swelling has reduced and your body has accepted the jewelry, we can carefully switch to something shorter,” he explains. Another cause of piercing bumps could come from changing jewelry too soon. “The longer you wait for the piercing to heal up the better your chances are of not getting the bump,” adds Harris.

Eyebrow piercings take about 6 to 8 weeks to heal and are usually very easy to care for. After an eyebrow piercing, some people experience temporary swelling, bruising or bleeding that is not considered an infection. When eyebrow piercings become infected, they swell and become red and warm. They’ll often develop a puss-filled bump at the hole. In order to save your eyebrow piercing, it’s important that you treat the infection as soon as possible. Here are a few tips to help you treat an infected eyebrow piercing.

Wash your hands. Lather up with an antibacterial soap before touching your infected eyebrow piercing. Only touch it as necessary and try to minimize hitting or bumping it with your hand, hair brush or other objects.

Create a saline solution. Measure a quarter tbsp. of sea salt. Pour one 8 oz. glass of warm water. Add the sea salt to the water to create the solution. Stir.

Pour the stirred solution into the shot glass.

Soak the infected eyebrow piercing in the warm saline solution. Use the shot glass to hold the mixture around the infected area. Do this for 3 minutes.

Apply a warm compress to the infected area that has been soaked in the remaining salt solution. Leave it on until it cools then warm it up again. Repeat this process for up to 30 minutes.

Don’t use makeup on the infected area, and make sure your hair is always pulled away from the piercing. Never touch your infected eyebrow piercing with dirty hands.

Keep a bottle of the solution in the shower to clean any remaining shampoo or soap residue off your eyebrow piercing.

Warning

As with any infected piercing, the more you mess with it the worse it becomes. If the infection gets worse, call your doctor.

Other Explanations Bumps at the piercing site can sometimes be a sign of another condition or health problem. If the piercing is not done professionally and incorrectly, it is infected, torn or regularly irritated, a scar may form at the site of the wound healing. While you can take steps to reduce the appearance of these scars, such as by undergoing chemical peels or fillers, these types of scars are likely to last forever. These types of scars are also usually unsightly and can take on bizarre shapes that make them stand out.

These scars are the result of excessive collagen production and are usually caused by exercise, which may include excessive distortion and rotation of perforations or accidental repeated collisions. Keloids are visible scars that can form during the healing process after a perforation. Keloid scars are formed by excess scar tissue and will form around the perforation even if the jewelry is still in place. Common scars are scars that are usually left after the nostril is removed and the hole re-grows.

If you want to remove the piercing in your nose and allow it to heal again, you may end up with a small flat scar at the site of the piercing. Therefore, when you remove the piercing, it will leave scars, especially if it has completely healed. The easiest way to prevent piercing scars is to take care of the piercing from the moment you receive it, until the wound heals, or until you remove the jewelry and the scar is gone.

You can also prevent scars by keeping your piercings and jewelry clean. You can try to prevent nose piercing scars by gently cleaning the healing area with saline, and do not move the jewelry when absolutely necessary. In a healthy environment, your body usually does not leave scar tissue around your nostrils.

If you are prone to hypertrophic or keloid scars, the scar may form as a bump around your nose piercing hole. Any trauma to the skin can leave a scar, and the piercing itself is a form of injury. Ingestion of the piercing can remove the protective layer of healing and allow bacteria or dirt to enter.

While the piercing is closing, if the scars bother you, you can use topical treatments to minimize these potential scars. To begin with, it may be helpful to use silicone and / or jojoba oil to minimize the appearance of atrophic scars.

Use a small amount of the gel 2-3 times a day until the scar is gone. For more tips on how to get rid of abdominal piercing scars, such as treatment options for more serious scars, read on. Read on to find out about the types of piercing scars that can form and if you can do something to heal each one.

Hypertrophic scarring, also known as hyper granulation tissue, is the excess skin tissue that forms around the piercing during the healing process. Often, atrophic scars occur on a piercing that has moved, has been rejected, or a piercing that has closed after the jewelry has been removed. When pierced by professionals such as Pierced. co, the risk of scarring can be significantly reduced, but whenever there is physical injury to the skin, there is always the possibility of scarring and scar tissue forming as it heals.

Not all scars are the same; some will require medical attention to remove, while others will disappear on their own over time. It is important to know which scar you are experiencing so that you can get proper care if possible.

While piercings and keloid scars may look the same at first, there are ways to tell the difference. How to tell the difference Share on Pinterest Illustration by Diego Sabogala Keloids and piercings may look the same at first. Treating Irregularities Piercing bumps is part of the body’s natural response to injury and usually does not require treatment.

However, people can take steps to keep the area clean, prevent infection, and allow the perforation to heal. You cannot get rid of keloid scars on your own, and even if you remove the jewelry, it will not disappear like other piercings, but there are many treatments available to healthcare professionals.

Granulomas are irregularities that can occur on the skin with inflammation. Hypergranulation / hypertrophic scar tissue is an overgrowth of tissue that can form around a piercing (often mistaken for a keloid), most commonly around the nostrils and cartilage piercings (coils, tragus, towers, concha, etc.). Conversely, hypertrophic scars are fortunately not permanent and usually disappear as the piercing heals.

They start with raised scars, which can be pink, red, purple, or brown, and usually darken over time. They look like raised skin around the perforation, usually only on one side of the perforation, and usually not too protruding. They are unique in that they can not only cover the wound itself but also spread beyond the initial healing area, thereby covering a larger area of ​​skin.

When positioned correctly, some scars will disappear in the corners and cracks of your skin, such as a nose piercing scar or a navel piercing scar, making them difficult to see. Eyebrow piercings can also be placed close to the hairline to minimize the appearance of scars. However, scars from other piercings, such as belly button rings, will be difficult to hide, no matter how neatly placed. One of the best ways to minimize scarring is to place your piercing well.

Bump scars can also increase the likelihood of a piercing becoming infected, especially if it snags on something and breaks. Piercing guns can contribute to scarring, especially in cartilage, so always choose a piercing that uses a needle rather than a piercing gun. APP piercing specialists are trained in the right jewelry selection, and inappropriate jewelry can lead to hypertrophic scarring.

If you are still wearing jewelry in your piercing, make a small incision in the tape so you can thread it around the jewelry. Wait for the piercing to heal and then gently rub the scar once a day to smooth it out. While it can take some time and effort to minimize facial piercing scars, whatever the cause of your scar, you don’t have to live with them forever if you don’t want to. Eventually, you pierce the skin, and if damaged, scarring may form on the skin.

Scar cream contains chemicals that can irritate the healed skin and cause further scars. Chemicals in products such as facial cleansers, bubble baths, denatured alcohol, and other common cosmetics can irritate the healing skin and cause scars. However, moving the jewelry can damage the surrounding skin and cause scars.

Although atrophic scars are initially caused by the overproduction of collagen, collagen may be helpful in removing facial piercing scars because less collagen is now produced where the scar lives. Like Mederma, research has shown that its key ingredients, oleic acid and linoleic acid, can help improve the appearance of scars once they have formed.

What are those little lumps that appear on some people’s piercings? Is it keloid scarring? Is it granuloma? Is it infected? One thing is for sure, it is definitely a piercing bump. So what exactly are piercing bumps and how do I get rid of them?

Let’s start on definitions of these different lumps and bumps

Keloid scars:

Keloids are scars that come from the overgrowth of scar tissue. They are characterised by firm, fibrous lumps that vary in colour. Keloid scars tend to be larger than the original wound itself. They may take weeks or months to develop fully. On your piercing consent form, we will ask you if you are prone to keloid scarring, an estimated 10% of people experience keloid scarring and you can be more prone to developing keloids based on a number of genetic factors.

Many say that they have developed a keloid on their piercing, however it is unlikely that you have developed a keloid scar if you have never had any experience with developing a keloid on any other wound. You cannot get rid of a keloid on your own and it won’t go away like other piercing bumps, even if you remove the jewellery, however there are different treatments that can be performed by medical professionals.

Granuloma:

Granulomas are bumps that can occur on the skin when there is inflammation. This is a collection of white blood cells present from an immune system response to trauma.

They form when a person’s immune system overreacts to what it believes is foreign but is unable to remove (e.g. piercing jewellery). These often occur in the ear cartilage and can be prone to infection if not treated properly. Piercing bumps can occur from a number of reasons including allergies, genetics, poor aftercare, irritation, trauma from knocking or bumping, or just bad luck. With treatment, they may disappear completely.

Your piercing bump or lump is likely to be a granuloma!

How to Manage your Piercing Bump

1. You may need to change your jewellery. Nickel allergies and other metal allergies are particularly common. If you suspect that you may be allergic to nickel, pop into salon and enquire about purchasing Titanium or Bioplast as they are nickel free.
2. Make sure you’re not knocking, bumping, sleeping on, touching (with your hands or cotton buds), or catching your jewellery or piercing on clothes, towels or loofahs. Knocking a piercing can remove the protective healing scab and allow bacteria or dirt to enter.
3. Ensure you’re following the correct aftercare, including using our Sterilear two step piercing spray system to keep the area clean and free from any bacteria.
4. Do not use Dettol, Betadine, hydrogen peroxide, disinfectants, soaps, tea tree oil and alcohol to clean your piercing. These products can dry out, irritate and burn the pierced area. Avoid using personal care products on or around the piercing including makeup, body lotion and perfumes.
5. Try out Bump Discs, these tiny medical-grade silicone discs keep your piercing in shape helping to avoid infection by applying pressure to the area which helps to gradually drain the area of fluid. They consistently help in reducing the discomfort associated with piercing bumps.

If you aren’t seeing improvement, visit or call your local Essential Beauty salon to chat with a Piercer, they will assess your piercing and provide guidance on how to care for your piercing.

Overview

What is an infected ear piercing?

An ear piercing is a hole through your earlobe or the cartilage in your middle or upper ear. An infected ear piercing may be red, swollen, sore, warm, itchy or tender. Sometimes the piercing oozes blood or white, yellow or greenish pus.

A new piercing is an open wound that can take several weeks to fully heal. During that time, any bacteria (germs) that enter the wound can lead to infection.

How common are infected ear piercings?

Millions of people get their ears (and other body parts) pierced, and most of them have no serious complications. Mild irritation and infections are common, however, for new piercings. In most cases, infections aren’t serious and clear up quickly.

The earlobes are fleshy and fatty, with strong blood flow. They heal quickly, reducing the risk of an earlobe infection. The upper ear is cartilage, a thick, stiff tissue with less blood flow.

Piercings in the upper ear are more likely to become infected, and infections in the upper ear are sometimes serious.

Symptoms and Causes

What causes infected ear piercings?

If bacteria gets into a new piercing, it can lead to infection. You may expose your new piercing to harmful bacteria by:

• Getting your ears pierced in an unhygienic environment or with unsterilized equipment.
• Touching your ears with dirty hands.
• Removing your earrings before the piercing heals.
• Neglecting to clean your new piercings daily.
• Swimming or submerging your head in a pool, hot tub, lake or river before your piercings fully heal.

What are the symptoms of infected ear piercings?

Some pain and redness are part of the normal healing process for pierced ears. It can be easy to confuse those with signs of infection. Symptoms that may indicate an infection include:

• Discharge coming out of the piercing.
• Fever.
• Redness, warmth or swelling around the piercing.
• Tenderness in the pierced earlobe or cartilage.

What are the complications of infected ear piercings?

Leaving an infected piercing untreated can result in a more severe infection or an abscess (a swollen area filled with pus). Upper ear piercings are more likely to get infected. Left untreated, these infections can spread into your body (called a systemic infection).

In some cases, an infection can cause your piercing to close up.

Diagnosis and Tests

How are infected ear piercings diagnosed?

If you see signs of an infected cartilage piercing, you should contact your healthcare provider. Your provider can assess the severity of the infection.

If you suspect an infection in an earlobe piercing, take special care with hygiene. If the infection worsens, contact your healthcare provider.

Management and Treatment

How are infected ear piercings treated?

Your healthcare provider may recommend a variety of treatments to help an infected ear piercing heal. These may include:

• Applying a warm compress to the infected earlobe or cartilage.
• Rinsing the infected earlobe with sterile saline.
• Using antibiotic ointment on the affected area.
• Taking oral antibiotics for more severe infections.

Prevention

How can I prevent a pierced ear infection?

Taking good care of your piercings is key to preventing infection. You should:

• Leave your earrings in day and night until the piercings fully heal.
• Wash your hands before touching your earlobes or cartilage.
• Wash the piercing twice daily with a mild soap or cleanser.
• Apply rubbing alcohol and/or antibiotic ointment to the area twice daily.
• Gently rotate the earrings daily after applying antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly to lubricate the piercing.

Outlook / Prognosis

What is the prognosis (outlook) for people with infected pierced ears?

With good care, most infections clear up within a few days. If your infected ear piercing is not improving, you should see your healthcare provider.

Living With

When should I call the doctor?

You should call your healthcare provider if you experience:

• Chills or fever.
• Earring or earring clasp that won’t move or is embedded in your ear.
• Swelling and pain in your earlobe or cartilage.
• Yellow pus or discharge from the piercing.

What questions should I ask my doctor?

You may want to ask your healthcare provider:

• How will I know when the infection has cleared?
• When is it safe to remove my earrings?
• Do I need to clean my earrings?
• Can my ears get infected even after the piercing heals?

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Getting your ears pierced is most often a safe, simple procedure. Be sure to go to an experienced piercer who practices proper hygiene procedures. Keep your new piercings clean, and don’t remove the earrings until the piercing has healed completely. Be patient — by preventing an infection now, you can enjoy your healthy piercing for years to come.

Reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional.

References

• American Academy of Dermatology. Caring for Pierced Ears. (https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/tattoos/caring-for-pierced-ears) Accessed 4/2/2021.
• American Family Physician. Complications of Body Piercing. (https://www.aafp.org/afp/2005/1115/p2029.html) Accessed 4/2/2021.
• Family Doctor (from the American Academy of Family Physicians). Body Piercing. (https://familydoctor.org/body-piercing/) Accessed 4/2/2021.
• Healthy Children (From the American Academy of Pediatrics). Avoiding Infection After Ear Piercing. (https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/ear-nose-throat/Pages/Avoiding-Infection-After-Ear-Piercing.aspx) Accessed 4/2/2021.
• National Health Service (UK). Infected Piercings. (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/infected-piercings/) Accessed 4/2/2021.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

Posted by Ann V. On 2016 Jun 20th

You landed here looking for some home remedies to treat cartilage piercing bumps or infection? Well, you are at right place. Explore some easy and efficient solutions to treat your cartilage piercing.

So, you got a cartilage piercing done. It looks amazing, but only if you take proper care. Yes, at times it is found that these piercing get those “bumps”. It can be defined as a small and raised scar, which appears around the exit holes of the piercing.

There can be various reasons why you have to deal with them. In some cases, they are caused by loose or incorrect jewelry, in other rough handling or infested piercing gun can be a reason. In the last post, causes and symptoms were explained in detail. And as promised, this time it is about dealing with the bumps and infections at home.

• Tea Tree Oil: With a cotton ball dabbed in a bit of tea tree oil, clean around the piercing hole. Repeat it around 4 times a week. Remember, for few skin types tea tree oil acts strongly. In this case, you can mix the oil with water.

• Saline Solution: It is highly recommended healing solution. You can use it for both, piercing bump and infection. All you need to do is add 1/8 teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt rocks to one cup of water. Now dip the healing tissue in water for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse your piercing with this for 2 – 3 times a day. Alternatively, you can also apply a sodden tissue on your piercing.

• Chamomile Tea Bags: For the sea salt treatment given above, there is something you can do more to make it even more effective. Just placing a chamomile teabag in the solution container, and bring it to boil. Now place it on your piercing. It can be done after applying the sea salt for wonderful results.

• Lemon Juice: Do you know it work amazingly well for your cartilage piercing bumps? The reason being it helps fighting bacterial infections. It is simple, you need to squeeze a few drops of lemon in a bowl and add some water to it. Now with the help of a cotton ball, apply the mixture on the affected area and repeat a couple of times.

• Aspirin: The reason why it is here in the list is that aspirin helps open up your blood vessels. Thus, it triggers healing. So, you can crush a tablet and add it to water in a bowl. Make a paste out of it and then apply it with a cotton ball.

• Water Cleaning: In the worst case, when you don’t have any of the above mentioned things at home, there are still chances of relief. You can use warm water to reduce the pain. Dab a flannel cloth in warm water, with it clean the affected area. Keeping the pierced area clean will accelerate healing.

Although these bumps aren’t dangerous, yet they can turn unpleasant and itchy. Hence, if you want to get rid of cartilage piercing bump and infection, you must try these to make them disappear. While these treatment options usually work great, in any case, the infection gets severe you need medical attention

Tragus is the small ovoid cartilaginous flap just outside the canal of the ear. It has become a common spot to pierce and pin up jewelry and such a piercing is known as tragus piercing.

Traditionally, ear lobe piercing has remained a popular choice for people but due to the dynamic nature of the fashion industry, people are opting to try something different to distinguish themselves form others, leading to the advent of tragus piercing. For tragus piercing or any piercing, infection is a common occurrence. So you need the necessary information to spot an infection early and get it well treated.

How to Know If You Have Infected Tragus Piercing

Tragus piercing infection presents with some common signs and symptoms:

• The affected area swells up, feels warm and aches for about 48 hours after a new piercing.
• The area around the piercing tends to be red in color.
• Bleeding may occur for a considerable amount of time.
• Localized heat is felt when touching the site of the piercing.
• Formation of abscess, pustules or boils around the piercing.
• Pus-like yellow-green discharge is observed in many people, with foul smell in extreme cases.

Infected Tragus Piercing Causes

Although small in size, Tragus is exposed which makes it vulnerable to infection. Common causes of tragus piercing infection are as follows:

1. Unsterilized Tools and Environment

This is a common cause of tragus piercing infection. This means you have your piercing done by a piercer who is not careful, not qualified, or not aware of the importance of sterilization such as disinfecting the piercing tools. Usually this kind of infection occurs 2-3 days after the piercing. Unhygienic conditions at the place where you get the piercing can be a precipitating factor for infection.

2. Poor Piercing Aftercare

Failing to take proper aftercare of the piercing usually results in infection. It is important to carefully follow the aftercare instructions given to you by the professional piercer, which usually requires you to wash it with a saline solution.

3. Jewelry of Inappropriate Size and Material

Size of the jewelry is an important consideration when getting a tragus piercing because too big or heavy jewelry can pull on the tragus, if too tight it can abrupt the healing process leading to infection.

It is also necessary to make sure you’re not allergic to the material of the jewelry. Nickel is known to cause allergic reactions in people. It is recommended to opt for stainless steel, gold, silver or platinum jewelry as they’re commonly hypo-allergic.

4. Other Causes for Infected Tragus Piercing

• Constant cleaning of the pierced area may irritate it and cause inflammation.
• Mechanical or chemical injury to the pierced area.
• Physical trauma to the pierced site while cleaning the area.

How to Deal With Infected Tragus Piercing

From the signs and symptoms discussed we can evaluate that a tragus piercing infection is a common troublesome complication that needs proper attention. Here are some treatment and home remedies to ease the pain.

1. Apply Rubbing Alcohol

Using a piece of cotton to apply rubbing alcohol twice or thrice a day helps clean the infected area. Hydrogen peroxide shouldn’t be used as it causes dryness over the pierced area and should be contraindicated if the area hasn’t healed completely.

2. Use Saline Solution

In case the infection occurs as the piercing is healing, it is advised to dip a cotton bud into a saline solution and clean the infected area with it, making sure that all the debris and pus is removed in the process. You can make you own saline solution by combining one teaspoon of sea salt and eight ounces of water.

3. Try Chamomile Tea Bag

It is a good home remedy to dip chamomile teabag in warm water and dabbing the infected area with the bag. It not only cleans the area, but also quickens the healing process. The water used to dip the teabag can further be used for cleansing.

4. Apply Hot Compress

Soak a clean piece of cloth in warm water, wring it and apply it to the infected area twice a day. This aids in maintaining a good blood circulation to the tragus and accelerating the healing process.

5. Treat with Antibiotics

If all the remedies mentioned above fail, you should seek help from the piercer or the doctor. After thorough examination, you may be recommended oral or topical antibiotics, painkillers and ointments that can help curb the infection. This is highly probably in the case of cellulitis. Make sure you seek medical attention before using any antibiotic on your own accord.

Pus from a piercing, especially a new piercing, is not uncommon, and it is usually a sign of infection. Individuals with new piercings should avoid touching the areas as much as possible, since this can introduce bacteria into the area. The affected piercing should not be removed right away, since this can cause an abscess. Instead, the area should be washed with a weak solution of sea salt and water. If the piercing does not get better within a few days, medical attention is usually recommended.

New piercings are the most susceptible to infection, which often causes redness, swelling, and pus drainage. This typically occurs when tiny micro-organism are introduced into the piercing hole. When this occurs, the body’s immune system surrounds the micro-organisms with white blood cells and attempt to expel them from the body. The result of this is pus, which can be white, yellow, or green.

One of the most common ways that bacteria gets into a new piercing is when a person touches it. Experts typically recommend not touching a new piercing, unless absolutely necessary, such as when cleaning it. When one does touch a new piercing, however, she should wash her hands well.

When there is pus from a piercing, most experts also do not recommend removing the jewelry. This can cause the outside holes of the piercing to close. An abscess may then form on the inside of the piercing hole. Internal scar tissue could also form.

Pus coming from a piercing can usually be effectively treated with a weak solution of salt and water. Sea salt is usually recommended for this. Regular table salt is not recommended, since it often contains iodine, which can cause further irritation.

Roughly 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of sea salt should be mixed into a glass of hot or warm water. The mixture can them be stirred to help completely dissolve the salt. Once the salt is completely dissolved, it can then be used to rinse pus from a piercing.

The salt water solution can usually be rubbed onto most types of piercings with a sterile cotton swab. Individuals with tongue piercings, however, may be able to swish the solution around in their mouth. An infected piercing should be rinsed with a salt water solution two to three times each day.

Pus from a piercing, along with other signs of infection, should generally begin to dissipate within four days. Although all signs of infection may not be completely gone, the area should be better. If there is no improvement, a visit to a medical professional is usually necessary. More aggressive antibiotics may be needed to clear up a major infection.

Seeing a bump in your cartilage can be a bummer if you recently got a new piercing bump. These piercing bumps are called healing bumps, and they are normal. Usually, they clean up on their own, but in some cases, you have to heal your cartilage through some treatments. So if you want to know how to get rid of a piercing bump at home, keep reading.

The piercing bump is a type of swelling that appears on the ear or nose cartilage. When you pierce your nose or ear, you feel redness and swelling at that place after a few weeks. Although the bumps often heal independently, they can get infected and cause pain when ignored.

Bumps may be of three types, including pustule (a pus-filled pimple-like bump), keloid (an injury that develops at the piercing place), and granuloma (a bump caused by tissue growth). These bumps may develop due to allergies, poor technique, genetics, poor personal hygiene, and improper aftercare.

If you have an injury bump on your piercing place, it is better to visit the doctor for the proper diagnosis. Otherwise, you can try these home remedies to reduce redness and pain.

Table of Contents

Sea Salt Remedy

It would help if you rinsed your piercing through sea salt because it has inflammatory properties that may reduce pain, swelling, and discharge from this area. To use this,

1. Mix a tablespoon of sea salt in warm water and wash your bumps.
2. Leave it on for a few minutes and rinse it off, then wipe the surface dry.
3. Repeat the process twice a day.

Chamomile Tea Bag Remedy

Chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties that reduce rashes, skin irritations, sores, and skin inflammations, plus calm the piercing skin. To use this,

1. Dip a chamomile tea bag in warm water.
2. Then use the tea bag as a warm compress over the infected area.
3. Next, apply it for 5-10 minutes and repeat the process several times.

Tea Tree Oil Remedy

Tea tree oil is known for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic properties that eliminate bacteria and lower swelling, redness, and pain. To use it,

1. Mix 2-3 drops of tea tree into a tablespoon of any carrier oil such as coconut, almond, jojoba, or olive oil.
2. Apply it to the pierced area with a Q tip.
3. Next, leave it on and repeat the process twice a day.

Aspirin Remedy

Aspirin is one of the oldest medicines that manage pain and inflammation. It reduces swelling, pain, redness, and irritation and promotes better wound healing. To use this,

1. Make a paste of aspirin by adding water to it.
2. Apply it to the affected site every night before sleeping.
3. Repeat the process twice a day until the swelling reduces.

Prevention tips to Avoid Piercing Bumps

There are some tips for avoiding infections when piercing.

• Always choose a professional salon because a skilled piercer decreases the chances of developing infections and bumps.
• It would be best to wash your hands before touching the injured area because a dirty hand can create germs and bacteria on your wound.
• Always use hypoallergenic metal because cheap jewelry may activate an allergic reaction.
• Never replace the nosepiece before complete healing because it may trigger an allergic reaction.

When to See a Doctor?

You should consult a doctor if,

• The pain and swelling don’t decrease after two weeks.
• You feel fever, dizziness, vomiting, and sickness.
• The affected site gives out a bad odor.
• The bumps develop pus.

Conclusion

Nose piercing bumps are usually cleaned up independently, but improper aftercare and some techniques may injure the effective site. It leads to infection, swelling, pain, and distress. It would be best to clean your wound every day by following the above methods at home. But, if your swelling and distress keep going after two weeks, consult your doctor as soon as you can.

1. How to Clean a Belly Button Ring
2. Homemade Recipe to Disinfect a Piercing
3. How to Clean Smiley Piercings
4. Complications of Nipple Piercing
5. How to Clean Your New (Conch) Ear Piercing

If you are interested in getting a cheek piercing it is important you find a reputable piercer who follows all hygiene protocol. The healing process takes from 8 to 12 weeks depending on the person. During this time, it is important to stay away from things that can trigger infection and also to make sure your piercings are clean. Regardless of what type of piercing you receive it is imperative you clean it on a daily basis to reduce the risk of infection.

Rinse your mouth for a minute with a non-alcohol mouthwash after meals during the initial healing period. Also make sure to rinse your mouth for 15 seconds with a mild sea salt mixture (1/4 sea salt with 1 cup warm water) after you drink, eat or put anything in your mouth except clean water.

Clean the outside of your piercings twice daily, everyday for the entire initial healing period. It is best to clean the piercings in the morning and at night. Wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap before handling your piercings.

Rinse the piercing area with warm water or saline solution. Saturate a cotton swab and clean the areas where you see drainage or any type of crusting. Your piercing may crust and appear to leak fluid due to dead skin cells, blood plasma and dead lymph cells. This is a sign that your piercing is healing. The fluid should never be pus colored or green, if it is, then your piercing may be infected. Never pick your piercing site with your nails.

Dilute your antibacterial soap with some distilled or bottled water to create a soapy mix and clean the piercing. Once the swelling of your piercing site goes down, you will be able to rotate the piercing to clean it even more thoroughly. Do not use the antibacterial soap to clean the area more than twice a day. This can cause dryness to the skin and irritate your piercings, making them more prone to infection.

Allow the solution to sit for a minute and then rinse the area thoroughly under running water and rotate the jewelry back and forth to completely rinse any soapy residue. Pat the area dry with a clean paper towel. Cloth towels can harbor bacteria.

• Medical Author: Dr. Sruthi M., MBBS
• Medical Reviewer: Shaziya Allarakha, MD

Keloids on nose piercing sites or any part of the body can be difficult to get rid of and some may even return after the treatment. Treatment, however, does help reduce the size, irritation, and tenderness, and softens the nose piercing bump.

Treating keloids is not an easy task, so doctors usually follow combination treatments for better results, with options such as:

• Corticosteroid injections
  • Corticosteroids may be injected directly into keloids, which helps shrink and soften the nose piercing bump. A few shots of corticosteroids are required to get the results.
  • According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 50 to 80 percent of keloids shrink after these injections, but there may be a recurrence after a few years.
• Retinoid creams
  • Studies suggest that the use of retinoid creams on nose piercing bumps may reduce the size and itchiness of the keloids.
• Cryotherapy
  • Cryotherapy works better on small keloids, which involves using very low temperatures to get rid of nose piercing bumps.
  • By this method, the size and hardness of the keloid are reduced. It may take a few sessions of cryotherapy to get the desired results.
• Laser treatment
  • Laser treatment can reduce the size, redness, and discoloration of the keloid, which is usually done along with other treatments.
• Ligature
  • A surgical thread is tied at the base of the nose piercing bump tightly so that it may cut the keloid, which eventually falls off.
  • This is done for large keloids and keloids with a stalk.
• Surgical removal
  • Surgery creates a new wound where a new keloid may develop. Therefore, keloids reappear after surgical removal. To prevent reoccurrence, additional treatments could be used, such as radiation treatments.
• Pressure earring or dressing
  • This treatment is done after the surgical removal of a keloid to prevent reoccurrence.
  • The surgical area is put under pressure to decrease the blood flow in that area, which prevents the development of a new keloid.
  • Almost 90 to 100 percent of patients may benefit from this treatment.

Piercing bump vs. keloid

Besides keloids, other skin changes can occur at piercing sites. Fortunately, many of these changes are not always a cause for concern. These harmless bumps typically go away over time, whereas keloid scars continue to get bigger.

Nose piercing bumps can be caused by various factors, such as an allergic reaction to certain studs and jewelry. In such cases, switching your jewelry to titanium (a hypoallergenic jewelry metal) may be necessary.

If you have a history of keloids, tell your piercer before getting any type of jewelry piercing. Your piercer may be able to recommend special soap or offer a saline solution to clean your piercing. Your piercer may also recommend the use of tea tree oil for proper aftercare to reduce blisters and inflammation.

What is a keloid?

A keloid is a scar developed on the skin following a skin injury. It is a result of excessive scar tissue formation that continues even after the wound has healed, and appears as a raised area on the skin, which may appear purple initially and darken later.

Once the skin gets injured, the healing process starts right away. Skin injuries can include:

• Cuts
• Abrasions
• Tattoos
• Nose piercing
• Ear piercing

Usually, the process of healing stops at a point where there is no opening or damage to the skin and underlying tissues. However, there may be aggressive or over-healing in some people, which leaves a bumpy scar on the skin called a keloid.

A keloid generally does not subside on its own, and it should be removed by a dermatologist.

QUESTION

What are the signs and symptoms of keloids?

Keloids can develop on any part of the body but most frequently develop on the following:

• Neck
• Ears
• Shoulders
• Back
• Chest

The size of a keloid scar may range from 1 to 12 inches.

A keloid scar may have a few characteristic features, which include:

• Growth: A keloid scar may take three months to a year or even longer appear after any skin damage. They may keep growing for months and years thereafter.
• Appearance: A keloid scar is a flat raised bumpy surface, some keloids feel soft and squishy or hard and rubbery compared to normal skin. Though it appears as a pinkish purple raised skin, it turns darker gradually than the normal complexion of the skin.
• Itchy and irritated: A keloid scar tends to be itchy, painful, and tender while it is growing, and these may subside once it develops completely. When the scar is under friction from rubbing of clothes it may get irritated.
• Mobility: Keloids are rigid and usually fixed to the region. However, certain keloids on the neck, ear, or abdomen may have a stalk and show some movement with slight touches.

What are the causes and risk factors of keloid formation?

A keloid is developed after any type of skin injury, including:

• Body piercings (nose and ear piercings)
• Tattoos
• Cuts
• Puncture wounds
• Insect bites
• Injection sites
• Surgical scars
• Chickenpox
• Severe acne
• Burns
• Tightly braided hair

There are certain rare cases where they develop without any possible skin injury, which are called spontaneous keloids.

The risk factors of keloids development include:

• Genetic predisposition: History of keloids runs in the family.
• Ethnicity: African, Asian, or Hispanic descent.
• Age: Young people aged 10 to 30 years old. However, mostly, it is observed in people aged in their 20s.
• Pregnant women
• People with dark skin

It is recommended that people who are at risk of developing keloids should avoid piercings and tattoos.

Nose piercing bump looks unsightly -it can turn red, swollen and fill up with pus when it is infected. So, how to get rid of this problem?

In this article we will help you with the best and effective remedies to treat your infected nose piercing bump and make you look gorgeous with the nose jewellery.

Before that we will see what nose piercing bump is.

What is Nose Piercing Bump?

A bump may appear at the site of piercing at early stages. Bump may occur where the skin cells are dead and become red and fills with pus which causes immense pain .

It also leads to infection, when it is untreated for many days. The two common reasons for causing a bump around a nose piercing are trauma and bacterial infections.

Some nose piercing develops bumps like keloids and granulomas require doctors treatment.

Nose piercing Bump Without Infection

If there is no sign of infec