The Poor Kitty….

A cat owner knows something is irritating their cat when runny eyes or nose and their fur coat lacks luster. But, the poor kitty can’t come right out and say, “Help…My allergies are making me feel poorly.” A sensitive cat owner is acutely vigilant of differences in kitty’s health in order to prolong a cat’s life. It’s one thing to say cats have nine lives. It’s another to wear eight of them down with allergies. There are several things a cat owner can do:

1. Note changes in appetite

2. Check for signs of irritation in eyes or nose

3. If irritation is evident, make an appointment to the “V-E-T” before your pet catches on. (Cat’s are notoriously anti-Vetrinarian.)

Feline Allergies

If allergies are the suspected culprit, it will be necessary for the vetrinarian to determine through allergic reaction testing what the cause of the allergy may be, depending upon how serious the allergic reactions are. Feline lungs are as sensitive as a human’s, just much smaller. Consequently, it doesn’t take much more than an offending scent or vapor to create havoc with a cat’s lungs. If the pet has not had this allergic reaction before, take inventory of anything new or changed in the environment that may cause the problem. Good feline health is dependent upon the vigilence of the pet owner. So, it’s important to insure that the household environment has fairly ambient air and that food and water dishes are properly maintained before each meal.

Pet Surveillance

Another aspect of dealing with cat allergies is to take inventory of possible household areas your pet prefers for naps and periods of relaxation. Many types of fabrics may cause cat allergies. Don’t forget the litterbox. This is especially important. It should be cleaned regularly. After all, an owner would do no less for their own bathroom. One other possible area of allergic reaction might be focused on the type of litter used. If a feline was not raised around a lot of natural allergens in the environment, it becomes more difficult to adapt. This is also true in reverse order where a cat has been raised in a rural area and its new owner is an urbanite who uses a synthetic type of litter. Kitties can also do their part in “Going Green” if their owners insure that the litter is manufactured from safe, healthy materials. Take a complete surveillance of the feline homestead when dealing with cat allergies.

Cats know how to take care of themselves, but once you decide to keep the creature as a pet, you ought to be familiar with the know-how of how to look after your domestic cat. If you get the cat at its infancy, the domestic cat grows up in a familiar environment and gets used to b e controlled by other pet, and this results in fewer inter-pet rivalry. Luckily for you, kitties often sold to keepers, are already litter trained.

This means the only thing you have to do now is instruct it where to go when nature calls. You might be trailed wherever you go, as kitties follow their owners all the time, and you might find the pet climbing up the kitchen counter. With food lying on the kitchen worktop, this could be a serious habit, and to deter the domestic cat from doing this, keep some water handy which you need to squirt on its face.

To keep its claws sharp and cut, the cat needs a scratching post, which you need to keep. In case they start scratch some place else, once again sprinkle water on the face. Over and above providing them with the necessary scratching post, you ought to keep them nails well trimmed, as this would prevent them from scratch the furniture or hurting someone in the house.

Pressing down their claws on the floor can do this, so that the claws are extended which makes trimming easy. Claw inspection must be done as a matter of routine so that they are also used to the process as they grow up. Usually kittens do not shed hair as much as the older domestic cats, but you as the keeper, must comb them regularly, so that it falls under a routine, be it long or short hair.

Never give your cat rubbish food to eat since to ensure their health, you must get great quality food easily found at pet stores. In case you are uninformed about the brand name of the food which is highest in vitamins and minerals, seek help from your veterinary surgeon in terms of recommendations. Make sure that your cat has plenty of clean water to drink, which should be held in a bowl, so that they never grow dehydrated.

Visit your vet for the regular inoculation program for the kitten, and though as kitties they get a few do not forget that as older cats, they also need one shot annually. Be sure to keep a record of the injections so this can be shown to the vet. If you keep a big cat, let them get adjusted to the new environment on their own

You also need to properly guide and train an older domestic cat, so that it displays trained behavior. This is why you need to keep the squirt bottle close by as this is the best way to tell them it is bad without physically hurting them. Domestic cats must be kept indoors as according to research, this assists them with longer lifespan, as automobiles never get to hit them and they are safe from viral infection from other stray animals.

This is the reason why stray cats, which live outdoors live only for about a couple of years. It won’t take much to know how to take care of your cat just carry out some research so you will be better able to care for your familiar and so both of you will relish each other’s company for a long time.

Due to the developments in Veterinary medicine, more complex surgical procedures are done on pets. Aside from that, there is also increased use of transfusion therapy to treat different kinds of diseases making the demand increase for blood bank programs. There were no animal blood banks before, so Veterinarians had to use their own pets, their staff’s pets, or even their clients’ pets as blood donors.

Just as human blood banks depend on human blood donors, animal blood banks must depend solely on animal blood donors. Blood is species specific – dogs can receive only dog blood and cats can only receive cat blood. In addition, dogs have blood types just as humans have blood types. Dogs have eleven different blood groups and the most important one is the A1/A2 system. Dogs that have A negative blood types are considered universal donors.

Dogs rarely have isoantibodies against other blood types, so in most cases, it is practically safe to give a dog a blood transfusion without blood typing the donor and recipient or crossmatching prior to the transfusion. Despite this, it is still recommended that all recipients be crossmatched prior to receiving a blood transfusion (especially dogs which have received a previous blood transfusion).

There are two types of cross-matching tests: the major and minor cross matching. For major cross-matches, red cells from the donor are mixed with serum from the recipient. Then it is observed to see if there is a reaction; the recipient may attack donor cells and not accept them. If you have a major cross-match incompatibility you shouldn’t do a transfusion, unless you’re really desperate. In a minor cross-match test, the recipient’s red cells are compared with the donor’s serum. In minor incompatibilities, parts of the donor’s blood can be given to the recipient but not the blood in its entirety.

Potential dog donors should be healthy, have no history of metabolic or heart disease or seizures, has a lean body weight of greater than 50 kg, 1-7 years old, should not be on any medication, except for heartworm and parasite preventatives. They should also have a good temperament, have been neutered and nulliparous, and have jugular veins that can be visualized and palpated easily and are current on vaccines. Because of the amenable disposition and high PCV of Greyhounds, they have been promoted as ideal blood donors.

After the canine’s blood type is determined and is acceptable, donors are tested to make sure their blood values are high enough and no infectious disease is present before blood is drawn as with human blood donors. CBC, biochemical profile, U/A, fecal exam, von Willebrand’s factor, is done as well as testing for Dirofilaria immiti, Ehrlichia canis, Babesia canis, B. gibsoni, Brucella canis (in intact or previously bred dogs), and Bartonella.

No preparation such as fasting is needed before going to the donation center. Canine donors are not sedated and the procedure takes only less than 30 minutes. Upon arrival, the dog is welcomed in and lifted onto a table. Shaving is done to a small patch of hair on the neck to expose the skin right over the jugular vein where the blood is taken. Then, the area is cleansed with alcohol and a needle is inserted into the vein. Upon insertion, blood goes into the needle, through a tube. Then it goes into the collection bag. Pressure is then applied to stop any bleeding after the procedure is done. Mild bruising may be present at the site where blood is collected.

Fluid and nutrients are then replaced by giving water and food after blood is drawn. The body compensates by producing new red blood cells immediately after the donation. In the next 24 hours after donating, strenuous activities should be avoided. Two months must elapse before the dog can donate blood again. By that time, the blood volume and red blood cell count will be back to normal.

Dogs are compensated as soon as they have made their donation. In addition to hugs and belly rubs, they’re rewarded with gifts and treats that vary from program to program. After the first donation, a dog often gets a tag, which identifies him or her as a blood donor. Edible rewards might include dog biscuits and bottled water, a jar of baby food, or a can of dog food. Some donors may even get brand new toys. At some blood banks, dogs go home wearing cool donor bandanas. In a number of programs, they also receive a large bag of dog food with each donation. This is obviously a great benefit for their owners as well.

The blood donations will then be separated into the different blood components – red blood cells, platelets and plasma to be used for both emergency and pre-planned transfusions. The red blood cells are given to recipients suffering from anemia that may be due to trauma or a treatable disease. When the animal is not producing the right amount or is losing too much protein, plasma helps increase blood volume. Platelet-rich plasma is for those recipients with decreased or dysfunctional platelets.

Today, there are several animal blood banks in the world. They supply blood products to the different Veterinary hospitals. It is good that many pet owners responded with enthusiastically to the growing need for blood donations. The blood donated by the animals is brought in to the bank at the Veterinary hospital and to the bank’s bloodmobile, which visits Veterinary clinics and kennel clubs.

Some animal blood banks depend solely on the generosity of pet owners who enroll their dogs in canine blood donor programs and take them to their scheduled appointments. Animal blood banks hold drives to encourage animal blood donations, just like what the Red Cross and other health organizations do.

Do you have a friendly, healthy dog that fits the average weight and age requirements to be a donor volunteer? Would you like your dog save the lives of other dogs? Check the location of regional blood banks for dogs and cats or the list of Veterinary Hospitals and University Veterinary Medical Centers that manage their own blood donor/blood bank programs. You can also contact the one nearest you or ask your Veterinarian if there’s an animal blood donor program with a donation site in your area.

A lot of people would never consider owning a pig but many people do own them as pets and love them because they are very cute and charming. Pigs are charming creatures who do make great pets and are not the dirty animals people think they are. Pigs may take a lot of work to care for but a pig can make an interesting and much adored addition to the home. They are very fun and love to play but need lots of care and attention.

There are always positive and negatives to own a pet. The same is true for pigs. Raising a pig has many positive qualities. Pigs are affectionate, curious, playful, and easily trained. Many pig owners consider their pet an essential part of their family and involve them in all their activities just like a dog or a cat. Yet there are some downsides that potential owners need to be aware of.

Pigs are very intelligent animals and are quite trainable just like a dog. However, this intellect can make them a bit of a handful to care for. They are playful and curious but also headstrong and sensitive. Without sufficient stimulation, they will get easily bored, lethargic and very often destructive too.

Pigs love to eat. If they are not feed a big and healthy diet, they will look for food. This usually means that they will look for food and destroy something. Pigs are natural rooters and like to dig and make a mess. If they smell food, they will go after it even if it is in the cabinet or fridge. They will bite and use their snots to get into the food. Make sure you keep food away from them and high up above so it is out of their reach. Most importantly, make sure you feed them well.

Additionally, you need to train your pigs well and make sure they understand that you are in power. They need to be taught respect and trained. They can be trained like any other animal and it just takes work and positive reinforcement. Set rules and regulations and make sure you are consistent in what you do. Use the tone of your voice to train them and you will find them respond quickly and behave well. Training them is like a training a dog.

Be sure to give your pig regular access to the outdoors and provide them with a lot of things to do as they are very social animals. For potential owners with appropriate expectations, a pig will make for a rewarding, entertaining and a much loved pet. Pigs are best for people who have a lot of outdoor space for pigs to roam around in. Pigs are not good city pets. You need a lot of space and if you have the space, you should consider buying a pig.

If you have a dog, it’s likely that he knows a lot more about you than you know about him. He has been closely monitoring your daily habits.

Don’t think so? Well, then how does he know that the simple act of grabbing your car keys and wallet means that you are going to be “going for a ride”..

Dogs readily discover if you are sad, mad, cranky or in a good mood and ready to play. They also seem to know when it’s family mealtime and the time and place when it’s time to turn in for the night.

So how much have you managed to learn about your dog? Probably not ten percent as much as he has taught himself about you. However, learning about him is fairly easy once you put your mind to it.

Your dog’s bark serves quite a few different purposes. One bark is used to repel others while another bark is used to attract. Can you detect the difference between his “go away” bark and his “Hey, I’m over here – where the heck are you?” bark? All but the most disinterested dog watchers will notice that dogs barking can range from a muted “woof” of thanks to the high-pitched “yelp” of alarm, to the loud series of angry barks that indicate he’s ready for a fight.

I think it was Sir John Lubbock, 19th century British behaviorist, who noted that a dogs bark is an effort to copy the human voice. Wild dogs, he pointed out, do not bark. Neither do their cousins the wolves, nor does any member of the canine family that has not heard humans speak or the barking of domestic dogs.

There is a world of difference between a bark and a growl. When a dog barks he raises his head leaving the vulnerable throat area exposed. It is definitely not a battle cry. However, when he growls he lowers his head, protecting his throat, indicating that he’s ready for an impending fight.

So… when you’re walking up the path to a house and the family dog comes racing out barking loudly, you are most likely in no danger. However, if he advances toward you growling, with his head lowered and his tail rigid, then look out – there’s trouble ahead.

If you stand absolutely still with your hands on your chest not one barking dog in ten will actually bite. However, if you make threatening gestures, or if you turn and run, your chances of one or more bites are extremely high. A strange dogs growl should never be disregarded by anyone who values his skin.

Frequently individuals decide to raise chickens while there are others who prefer livestock but if you want to help the soil or restore its nutrients, then what you should do is build a worm farm yourself instead of buying one. The nice thing about making a worm farm is that the price isn’t that much. The only things you’ll really need are 3 or 4 stackable bins or crates made of plastic, wood or some other light and water resistant compound, some worms, and some insect screen for the bottom portion ripped up newspaper, garden soil or potting mix, water and good scraps.

Once you’ve collected these materials it is time to build the new worm farm by first putting some holes on the lid as well as on the bottom. The number of holes in the lid will depend on the size of the box or bin but keep in mind that the holes must be evenly spaced to allow oxygen to come through, as well as any excess water as well as to let any worm waste drain along with the water. The strip of insect screen should then be placed at the bottom so the worms do not fall out.

Now that you’ve finished on the exterior of the worm farm, you now prepare the interior by filling some of the container with shredded newspaper. It is best to put three quarters of it in the tube and dampen it with water before you put in the garden soil or potting mix in the grit this is done to be sure that the worms will eat the scraps you throw in. Once everything is ready, it’s time to show the worms to their new abode. Some people might put in 1000 of these little creatures and as long as they’re happy they will reproduce and you will most likely lose count of their exact number.

But what do we do the other stuff? The last thing we need to do is to place the extras containers over the first one.

If you have any idea what worms like to eat, some examples are coffee grounds or tea bags, smashed egg shells, fruit peelings, hair, stale cookies and cakes, fine wood shavings, plate scraps, moist cardboard, vacuum cleaner debris and vegetable scraps. In short, worms love to eat dirt and leftovers but don’t put too much since you might over feed them. the best way to determine what is enough would be to only give them a little bit at first and then observe how long it takes for them to finish eating that batch before you put in more food. Since the area is large it’ll also help to lay their food in different locations each time.

Watch your worms constantly so that you’re sure that the shredded newspaper does not dry out and in the event the paper needs changed do make sure to replace it.

As with all things in nature, poop will appear at the bottom of the box however this particular waste product is also called vermicast and vermicast helps plants grow. The only way to get to itwithout having the worms get out so it is best to open the container and just set it under the sunlight for a while. worms hate sunlight so they will naturally look for cover and you won’t have a hard time to pick up the poop and shut the lid.

Your worm farm is a helpful tool growing flowers, fruits or even vegetables and all you need is a little willpower to get the support from these small beasts.

Before you dismiss your dog as dumb, think about the last time he pawed your leg under the table and gave you those big sad eyes. He was letting you know what he wanted, and this is far from dumb!

One of the reasons why the thousands upon thousands of years of love between people and dogs has lasted so long is because we communicate in a way that they understand. When a dog comes to you with his frisbee and drops it at your feet, you know without being told that he thinks it’s time to play fetch.

These are just two ways that your dog can tell you what he wants and what he is thinking and this shows that indeed, he can learn!

Just like humans do, dogs relate to each other and to us through body language and posture, but the way that we process it and the way that we do is very different.

Just to start off with, they see in low light much better than we do, their eyes respond to color differently, and they can rotate their ears very quickly, letting them figure out where sounds are coming from. Don’t forget that famous nose, either!

These differences will equal difference in the way that their minds work. Their ability to understand cause and effect relationships is quite different from ours.

When it comes to classic consideration, where the subject figures out the connection between cause and effect, we can beat it pretty easily if it was just a coincidence. On the other hand, dogs create a very persistent relation between cause and effect.

Operant conditioning, where positive and negative reinforcement is used, is something that dogs and humans respond very differently to.

For example, consider my Golden Retrievers. Whenever we go to play fetch, we go out the back door. Whenever I am just going to let them out for half an hour without joining them, I send them out the side door. Because of this, they know that the back door is for games of fetch and that this is where they should go when I have the ball.

With every command that I give them, I always use a very specific tone and hand gesture. This helps them learn a lot of desirable behaviors, which means that they can sit, stay, lie down, come, roll over, let go of something, fetch and release, even eliminate at my say so.

However, on the other hand, I still cannot prevent them from eating something off of the floor because they cannot connect the bellyache a few hours later with the food that they ate before. This is just something that takes too much time.

What you need learn from this is that your pet dog, whether he is a Husky, a Retriever, a Shepherd, a Chihuahua, or a Beagle, is still a dog. He can learn all sorts of things as long as you are patient, but don’t ever expect him to understand things the way that you do.

For instance, look at dogs that can dance on command on the show circuit, or search and rescue dogs that can locate small children and pull them from swollen rivers and bad avalanches. Service dogs can do everything from opening a door to pulling a wheelchair to guiding a blind person.

Remember, though, that they are not people, and that even when they try to act like us and communicate like us, they are still going to do things like eat little dead critters they find in the yard and turn around three times before they sleep!

I fed the fish once a day, using a different food each day, including marine flake, spirulina flake, frozen brine shrimp, and as a treat, some live adult brine shrimp once a week.

Maintenance on this tank included cleaning the front glass of algae once a week, cleaning the skimmer cup once a week, doing a 10% water change every two weeks, rinsing the sponge and changing the activated carbon in the canister filter once a month.

All together, I spent a little over $400 for this set-up. If I had to buy the tank, it would have added about another $75. If you were to buy everything “new”, you could very easily top $1000 for this same set-up. I have found it pays to check the classified ads and local bulletin boards for used tanks and accessories. If you have the patience, you can obtain everything you need at a very reasonable price.

When livestock are moved from the wild reef to the aquarium it is obvious something is likely to give, and if, as said, care is not taken it will be the livestock. The wild reefs are situated in the seas and oceans with an enormous number of gallons of seawater. The seas and oceans can be measured in cubic miles of seawater. Then look at an aquarium. Even a large one by hobby standards pales into insignificance. Next time a visit is made to the seashore, mentally place the aquarium in the sea. It really is insignificant in size.

For lighting, I built a canopy to house two 36 inch Corallife 50/50 tubes with reflectors. Plans were to expand the lighting at a later time, since lighting is one of the most expensive accessories for a reef tank, and I was trying to keep costs to a minimum.

The canister filter, which had three separate containers for filter media, was loaded with a sponge, activated carbon, and bio-balls for biological filtration. The wet-dry trickle filter was loaded with bio-balls and a sponge filter. I hooked up the canister filter and wet-dry trickle filter to the tank and the protein skimmer to the sump of the trickle filter. Then I mixed the saltwater up and filled the tank. Now I was ready to turn the pumps on and hope there would be no leaks. Of course, there was a small leak where the tubing meets the return from the canister filter. A little tweaking on the connection and the slow leak stopped. I later found a rubber ring used on the Marineland Magnum filters worked well on these connections and could be purchased in a 6-pack at That Fish Place. This set-up was allowed to run for about a week.

Livestock also have natural processes as has all life. All of these processes continue in an aquarium and have to be dealt with. Failure to supply the means to deal with these processes equals a deteriorating environment and disease and/or death for the livestock.

Obtain an aquarium and fill it with seawater. Heat the seawater to the correct temperature and put some rocks in, maybe some sand as well as it looks better. Now place fish in and feed them normally. All is well for a while, until the fish become lethargic and start swimming erratically. This continues getting worse for a time and, before very long, the fish are dead. What happened? The fish were poisoned by their own wastes. Mother Nature will have started to take action but didn’t have time to save the fish.

While you may believe this is a easy thing to do – feed your horse – you’d be surprised at the amount of horse owners that don’t know about the fundamental principles. There is no real rule of thumb for feeding, as all horse’s nutrition requires will vary depending on age, size and level of activity. Grass is the most fundamental part of a horse diet. Being one of the most essential factors to keep its digestive system to function optimally, grass ordinarily means natural pasture and cut hay.

The quantum of food a big horse requires is close to 2 to two point five% of their body weight, so when a horse weighs a thousand pound, it would require 20 to 25 pounds of feed per day. Horses require feed, which is high in nutrition value and not high-fiber, food which tampers with its digestive system. In a perfect world, your horse should consume a minimum of 1 percent of his body size in hay/grass grass daily.

If your horse doesn’t do much work, they will do nicely on strictly forage, with no grain thrown in. On the other hand, horses which are active, or at the growing or breeding stage, need extra secondary feeds over and above the forage like grains or concentrate supplements. Thus, for optimizing growth and development of the animal, foraging should make up for at least half or more of the body weight, as part of his daily diet.

Before you can feed a stable “meal” to your horse, you have to know the nutrient content and quality of your pasture. This information would help you to judge the amount of nutrients he would require. One of the best and most affordable sources of summer feed is pasture, which if it is good quality, can satisfy all the nutrition requirements of the horse. How do you figure out how much pasture is required to food a horse? Here is a rough guideline to help you: (using a size of 1,000 – 1,200 pounds). Roughly the requisites are as follows: a mare and foal would need 1.75 to 2 acres; yearlings would require 1.5 to 2 acres and weanlings 0.5 to 1 acre.

During winter the food could be cut hay, but mind the quality. The hay which you food should be cut uniformly and have green leaf-like appearance and there should not be any dust, moulds, weeds or stubble accompanying the hay.

Alfalfa hay is great for horses in a developing phase as it is protein enriched by there could be abnormal calcium content in relation to phosphorus. Too much calcium is not good for developing horses so if you’re not sure about hay quality, have it analyzed.

Picture the scene there is nothing like relaxing in your garden watching your fish and taking in the sound of the flowing water. So may be it is time to bless your garden with a fantastic feature such as a pond.

Ponds are not only a great hobby but they create a tranquill environment in your garden. A pond will attract other wild life to your garden.

You don’t have to have fish in your pond, some prefer a wild life pond. If you are anything like me then you will want a pond stocked with fish. There is endless interest and enjoyment in the choice of fish you decide on. A lot of people go for just one breed of fish like the beautiful Koi, which some say are hard to keep but they aren’t really.

Lets look at a few types of fish, there are the Goldfish. From the common goldfish to a huge different variety of fancy ones, such as the Comets, Oranda’s and the Black Moors to name just a few. But they are all worth considering for your pond stock.

The Tench, these are great fish. They are normally greenish in colour but breeding has formed them into a golden colour and these are fairly obviously named the Golden Tench, they a beautiful with their blue grey fins and their dark red eyes.

There is the active Golden Orfe, one that I like a lot. A very fast swimmer and lively to boot, this fish is capable of jumping out of the water. So if you want a bit of action in your pond then this could be the fish for you.

How big will you make your pond, where in your garden are you going to put your pond and will you incorporate a waterfall. These are all things you need to think about before you take the plunge. This is why you are going to need to gather as much information as possible through some good solid research to put together a pond plan to address these different decisions that you will be faced with.

There is lots to think about so don’t just run out into the garden and start digging. Do some proper research and you will benefit from a great pond that you will enjoy for years to come.