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Blog ID: 1468 Posted by LucyPal on Friday Oct 31, 2008 10:20 AM EST
Halloween Tale: Why Bats Have No Friends
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It's Halloween today, so I thought I'd bring back a tradition of holiday stories. Below is the appropriate, but not scary tale about Bats and why they have no friends. If you wish to continue reading it, please make sure to click on the link to head over to the website where this story is kept.
Based on a Native American Indian Legend - retold by Agor
Many years ago there was a great war between the birds and the animals. No-one knows why. It just happened. The creatures with wings flew to the battle site and made their camp. Those who had legs, walked there.
Bat joined the birds. "Hey, I've got wings. So I must be a bird. And there are more of us, so we should win!"
The first battle was long and hard, but gradually slashing claws and tearing teeth began to win over beaks and wings. Bat could see that the birds were losing so he hid behind a bush. When the battle was over the animals walked back towards their camp.
"Man, did we kick those birds' butts or what?" said Buffalo, spitting out a few feathers.
"Yeah! We kicked their butts" cried Bat in his high pitched voice
The animals stopped. "What are you doing with us?" shouted Beaver, slapping the ground hard with his big, flat tail. "You've got wings. You're with the other side." "Yeah, that's right" growled Bear. "And I'm going to eat you!"
"Guys! Guys! Get Real!" said Bat, pointing into his mouth. "When have you ever seen a bird with teeth? Of course I'm one of you!"
"I suppose so," grumbled Bear.
The next day there was to be another battle and Bat walked to the site with the animals. "Let's rip their beaks off!" he yelled.
This time the birds flew as an army with the sun behind them, its bright light blinding the animals. Tearing talons and flapping wings tore into furry bodies. The birds were winning. Again Bat hid behind a bush. When it was all over and the birds started to fly back to their camp, Bat silently joined them.
"That was a good victory today", said Eagle. "Yeah! We kicked their butts" shouted Bat. "Hold on" said Crow. "You were with the other side."
"Guys! Guys! Get Real" said Bat. "When have you ever seen an animal with wings like mine? Of course I'm one of you." He flapped his wings vigorously.
To read the rest of this story be sure to click on this link to continue reading the story: http://www.planetozkids.com/oban/whybat.htm
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Blog ID: 1466 Posted by LucyPal on Thursday Oct 30, 2008 11:32 AM EST
Seven Killer Whales Missing from Puget Sound
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In Puget Sound off the Coast of Seattle scientists have noticed that a couple of killer whales are missing. Seven in fact are no longer with their pod. Researchers say that this is the biggest decline in population among the whales in just about a decade. Unfortunately, it looks like those seven whales have died.
Researchers are currently working on a kind of killer whale population census, during which they noticed the missing whales. The census is almost complete, expected to be done in December, but it doesn’t look good for the whales. The current number of live ‘southern resident’ whales stands at just about 83 killer whales. A small population indeed.
Some of this group’s most important members are missing, including an almost century old leader of one of the three pods that have taken up residence in the southern waters of Puget Sound. The researchers have also noticed that two young females who recently bore calves are missing and that a few young calves are also gone. This is a major concern for the future breeding population of the small group.
Researchers feel that the loss of the seven whales could be related to low numbers of Chinook Salmon this year. The salmon are a primary source of food for the whales.
The whales have been traveling greater distances than usual recently which researchers believe means that the whales have been having hard time finding food and are going farther than usual in finding it.
Researchers say that there’s a slim chance some of the whales could reappear elsewhere, increasing the population count at the end of 2008.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081025/ap_on_re_us/killer_whales;_ylt=AlmMgfZf4gsAvJSgKNDNt6t4hMgF
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Blog ID: 1464 Posted by LucyPal on Wednesday Oct 29, 2008 12:35 AM EST
Proposition 2 in California Riles Animal Lovers on Both Sides
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The closer we get to our political elections the more controversy seems to pop up these days. In
The opponents, including Julie Buckner, a spokeswoman for the Californians for Safe Food Group states, that the proposition would literally wipe out all
Any who,
There was also a lot of money passed around in the campaigns involving Prop 2. The Humane Society contributed about $4 million to the campaign for Prop 2, while the Californians for Safe Food Group raised more than 6.7 million dollars to campaign against the proposition. Donations for the Safe Food Group came in mostly from agricultural operations around the nation like egg companies in the states of
Buckner, the Safe Food Spokeswoman stated on the other hand that, ‘This is an organization raising money from upper-middle-class white women writing $100 checks.’
Ouch! Although, she did also say that this was a ‘well-intended initiative for animals’. According to Safe Food the initiative would not only wipe out egg producing companies, it would also raise the price of eggs terribly for consumers, just when our economy is in a terrible position.
In basic terms Proposition 2 would require that animals be provided with room to turn around, lie down, stand up and fully extend their limbs even in cages. Most bird cages on chicken farms are a standard 8 inches square. The opponents of the Proposition 2 state that these small cages actually protect the chickens from their own waste and aggression from other birds.
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Blog ID: 1465 Posted by LucyPal on Tuesday Oct 28, 2008 10:51 PM EST
T-Rex the Dinosaur Had a Strong Sense of Smell
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While this animal may be entirely extinct, I thought I would write about some of the recent theories for the King of the Lizards, T-Rex. Scientists at the University of Calgary and the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada studied T-Rex compared to other dinosaurs.
They’ve studied the size of the olfactory bulbs of these dinosaurs like; small raptors and even the bird dinosaur Archaeopteryx to decide that T-Rex hunted based on smell. The olfactory bulbs are a part of the brain that regulates the sense of smell in many carnivores, not just dinos.
In the process of studying these dinosaurs the researchers performed CT scans on the skulls of meat eating dinosaurs and got out the old measuring tape as well to record the sizes of different skulls.
One of the researchers, a Francois Therrion of the Royal Tyrrell Museum stated in a phone interview with Reuters, ‘"T. rex had a very good sense of smell…Probably that's how they located prey and patrolled a large territory.’
So, while the movie, Jurassic Park, may have given you the idea that standing still wouldn’t let T-Rex in on your location, it didn’t help you out in the sense of smell department.
These researchers point out that T. Rex’s stellar sense of smell indicates to them at least that the King of the Dinosaurs was probably a very active hunter.
Therrion goes on to state that, ‘It has been suggested that the very good sense of smell of T. rex indicated that it was a scavenger because it would have used its sense of smell to locate putrefying carcasses on the landscape... But when we look at modern animals, we see that's not the case. Scavengers don't necessarily have a better sense of smell. You have some like the turkey vultures that have a good sense of smell. But you have other scavengers like the Old World vultures that actually have a typical sense of smell because they use sight instead of smell to locate prey.’
So folks, you’d better skip that trip back in time to see the dinosaurs because T. Rex might just be able to sniff you out.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081029/sc_nm/us_dinosaurs_smell;_ylt=Aom7cV8VxGS0C6TxTcPd0DN7hMgF
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Blog ID: 1462 Posted by LucyPal on Monday Oct 27, 2008 8:44 PM EST
Veterinarians at Virginia Zoo Say that Rufus the Rhino has Died
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Veterinarians at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk said that their second oldest Rhino has died. The first oldest being, Alfred, who is 40 years old. The Rhino named Rufus died today, this Monday. Although, White Rhinos typically only live between 25 and 40 years, ad Rufus was a good 36 years old, the cause of his death is still not listed.
According to the zoo, Rufus only appeared to suffer from arthritis. A veterinarian was called into examine Rufus’ body.
Volunteers, staff and the board of directors at the Virginia Zoo are mourning the loss of their beloved member of the zoo.
The veterinarian decided that Rufus’ death was caused by injuries sustained when Rufus and another Rhino must have charged each other sometime during the night while in their night house. It also seems that proper animal husbandry policy and rules weren’t followed that night by staff members. So, someone’s probably going to be in trouble with the zoo.
The zoo is currently holding an internal investigation into Rufus’ death and they intend on taking ‘corrective action’ at the conclusion of the internal investigation.
Rufus had been a member of the Virginia Zoo since 1974, making him the longest resident of the zoo. They still have one other White Rhinoceros named Alfred who is currently on exhibit.
Since Rhinos are a threatened species, particularly the White Rhino, every death is a great loss to the zoo systems which no longer take animals from the wild to maintain the facilities populations.
Here are a few quick Rhino Facts for you to gnaw on:
• Average life span between 25 to 45 years.
• Rhinos have poor vision, but a keen sense of smell.
• Rhinos are the second largest land mammal.
• Rhinos are solitary in nature.
• Rufus was about 36 years old
Source: http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=9245455
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Blog ID: 1463 Posted by LucyPal on Sunday Oct 26, 2008 9:45 PM EST
Five Health Tips to Reduce Pet Costs
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In this era of questionable economics we’re all trying to cut back on the costs that come with day to day living. However, what are we to do when we encounter those unexpetected costs from health emergencies, especially in pets. So, how do we make sure these unexpected events don’t happen.
Here are a few tips to make sure your pets stay healthy so you don’t have to worry about those unexpected expenses. They are courtesy of the Carolina Coast Online:
1. Good nutrition is the key to good health. Instead of skimping on your pet food budget, select high quality foods with high levels of meat proteins and whole grains. Healthy pets with strong immune systems, healthy coats and strong teeth are less susceptible to disease.
2. Feeding your pet a variety of foods can minimize the development of food allergies. By providing pets with different proteins and forms, like kibble, canned and raw frozen, the Rotation Diet from Nature's Variety offers the full spectrum of nutrients cats and dogs need to avoid food-related health problems.
3. Keep your pet clean and parasite-free. Paying extra attention to grooming during the summer months can help avoid skin disease, parasite-related diseases from ticks and fleas, and hot spots.
4. Make sure your pet visits the veterinarian for regular checkups. It's also important to talk to your veterinarian about the importance of proper nutrition and holistic healthcare options for your special pet.
5. If your pet shows signs of illness, be sure to visit your veterinarian right away. Early detection can reduce the overall cost of treatment.
These quick tips can go far to make sure your pets stay happy, and healthy and that you don’t have to deal with those unexpected health costs. Good prevention is the best measure to reduce costs.
Source: http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2008/10/27/ara/pets/7683.txt
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Blog ID: 1458 Posted by LucyPal on Saturday Oct 25, 2008 3:35 PM EST
Tips to Keep Pets Safe During Halloween
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Some pets are scaredy cats when it comes to the noise and strange going ons that occur around Halloween. We all know that Halloween can sometimes get rowdy with all the tricker treaters and parties. No one blames their pets for getting scared, but perhaps there are a few things we can all do to help them get through the holidays safely.
1. Make sure you give your pets a safe and quiet place to go to, when they do get scared. It helps them a lot just to have a quiet space of their own away from Halloween decor, scary sounds and people.
2. Before the festivities start, take your pet out for his walk. Make it extra long and fun, so they will feel more confident and reassured in you later on. This also gets the necessity of walkies out of the way before tricker treaters come round.
3. Make sure your pets are wearing their id tags the day of the party and during trick or treat. You'll be opening the front door a lot during the evening so id tags help a lot in case your pet slips out during the evening.
4. Securely place and pin down your decorations. Pets, especially cats are notorious for being overly curious and knocking down pumpkins with lit candles or large freestanding Halloween sculptures.
5. Keep the candy away from pets. Some pets love eating any human food they can get their hands on. You'll want to get the candy up and way from inquiring muzzles.
6. Be kind about keeping pets in costume for too long. Costumes can make pets feel uncomfortable and they may even injure themselves running around in costume or trying to pull it off.
Keeping a few tips in mind for your pets during Halloween can insure a great time for both of you.
Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2008308145_pettiphalloween25.html
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Blog ID: 1457 Posted by LucyPal on Friday Oct 24, 2008 2:37 PM EST
Bark and Boo Event in San Antonio
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As the fall weather gets colder now is one of the best times of year to prepare your pet for the winter. In the cold weather your pet won’t feel very good about getting a bath or having to go out to a veterinarian for those vaccinations. Neither will you!
So, make sure you get those necessaries out of the way before the winter set in. The Animal Defense League in Texas is holding a great little ‘Bark and Boo’ event on Saturday the 25th for just the purpose of getting pets ready for winter. Anyone who lives in the area of 11300 Nacogdoches Road in San Antonio can head over to the Bark and Boo event for some great deals on pet treatments.
You dog or cat can receive rabies shot for just $10 or they can get a booster shot for $15.
In addition, the event offers, Bordatella shots for $15, FeIV or feline influenza shots for $20, an HW test for $25, Fecal Tests for $20, and get a Microchip Implant for just $25.
In addition, pet owners can get their pet’s nails trimmed for just $5. So if Fido or Mimi is just too difficult to deal with when you want to trim their nails, then you’ll have to bring them on over to the Bark and Boo event. I believe they are also offering pet bathing for a small fee too, so you can get your cat or dog completely taken care of before winter sets in.
The organizers of the Bark and Boo event are also holding a pet costume contest for cats and dogs at 10:30am with first, second and third place prizes.
Even if you don’t live in the area to go to this event, many cities around the nation hold similar events or have special low cost vaccination and tests for your pets. Be sure to call around and see if you can’t get your pet taken care of for the winter.
Source: http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=e62d2d76-ab8a-4042-b541-d860622e924c
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Blog ID: 1456 Posted by LucyPal on Thursday Oct 23, 2008 2:32 AM EST
Maine Dog Breeders Upset with Animal Welfare Division
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Maine dog breeders are peeved! These breeders along with many dog owners are upset at the way the State’s Animal Welfare Division is being handled by the Director Norma Worley. Many are describing Worley as being too aggressive and not working with dog rescue groups and private shelters.
More recently Worley has introduced a proposal to raise the cost of everything from pet licenses to boarding kennel licenses for dog owners and dog breeders. Many breeders feel they are being unfairly targeted by Worley’s decisions and proposed taxes.
One concerned citizen, Amy Davis of Gouldsboro emailed the Bangor Daily News stating, ‘We dog breeders and owners have simply had it…Why is there no plan to tax cats, horses, goats, cattle, alpacas? Our dog taxes are paying for these seizures too. Why is the brunt of this bill being forced upon the law-abiding few when more than 60 percent of Maine dog owners do not license their dogs?’
Others are upset with the way Worley is handling the Animal Welfare Division. In the past 12 months in just the state of Maine has seized more than 500 animals and somehow managed to overrun it’s budget by more than half a million dollars. Obviously some of this must have been necessary in the best interests of animal seized and money spent but it’s hard to see how all of that overspending can be justified. Why that’s more than $1000 per animal that’s been seized in just budget overrun alone.
To help cover this massive budget blow up Worley intends to raise the cost of things like licenses, in some cases almost doubling them. The cost of pet licenses for fertile dogs would go from $11 to $20, the cost of license for spayed or neutered dogs would go from $6 to $10 and the cost of a boarding kennel license would rise from $75 to $150.
Source: http://www.bangornews.com/detail/91130.html
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Blog ID: 1455 Posted by LucyPal on Wednesday Oct 22, 2008 12:12 PM EST
IFAW Finds that Illegal Animal Trade Growing Online
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A recent report released by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) followed the large numbers of exotic animals and animal products that were being sold online. This report revealed that sellers and buyers of many kinds of illegal animals and products are being surprisingly blatant in online transactions. It’s also revealed a glimpse into the true extent of the world of online animal trading.
While the internet is a useful tool for many animal breeders and potential pet owners to find their next loved pet, it is also being used by less scrupulous people to deal in illegal animal trading.
The IFAW found that more than 7,000 wildlife product listings were posted on 183 websites in 11 countries! The sale of Ivory being an area most focused on by the IFAW, who found that it comprised about 73 percent of all internet listings being tracked by IFAW investigators.
The wildlife black market trades in about $20 billion per year of wildlife and animal products. Plus, it contributes to the deaths of animals and park rangers around the world.
Ebay was unfortunately one of the websites being used to sell animal products like; elephant ivory and hides, turtle shells, and skins from leopards, cheetahs, ocelots, lizards and crocodiles. It turns out that two thirds of all endangered species products tracked on eBay had US sellers. Recently eBay banned the sale of all Ivory products, except for ‘antique’ ivory from before 1900 that is part of a larger piece like a piano or table.
The IFAW hopes that eBay’s ban on ivory will help authorities identify and stop illegal animal trading.
The IFAW report is entitled, ‘Killing with Keystrokes: An Investigation of the Illegal Wildlife Trade on the World Wide Web’. In case you should want to look it up sometime.
Source: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=ebay-vows-ivory-crack-down
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Blog ID: 1451 Posted by LucyPal on Tuesday Oct 21, 2008 10:51 AM EST
Man Injures Puppy While Trying to Steal It
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I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read this report of criminal behaviour and animal cruelty. A man injured a puppy in trying to steal it from a pet store! Now, I know there are people who don’t deserve pets.
The crime occurred last Saturday afternoon as crimes of this nature normally do, with the man walking into the Pampered Pets store in Laurel, Delaware under the pretense of looking at some animals. Later on, the pet store owner noticed that a Pomeranian Puppy was missing from its pen.
He spotted a man walking from the store with the dog in hand. A dog that was valued at $700. Not wanting to lose the puppy to a pet thief the store owner caught up with the man. This is when things turned bad. In an attempt to get away from the owner the man attacked him, while swinging the poor puppy by its legs.
The man was later identified as 45 year old Haywood Relysee of Maryland. Haywood eventually gets the puppy back to the owner and attempted to flee the area. Luckily, the state troopers had been notified of the theft and got there in time to apprehend the man. It was at this point that the pet owner noticed the puppy’s leg was broken.
Authorities have charged Haywood with second degree robbery and cruelty to an animal. Troopers stated that he was drunk when all of this occurred.
Of course, it’s good that they got the puppy away from this guy even though the poor little thing ended up with a broken leg.
Source: http://cbs3.com/pets/puppy.pet.store.2.844280.html
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Blog ID: 1450 Posted by LucyPal on Monday Oct 20, 2008 10:47 PM EST
Dispose of Dog Waste in Toilet?
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While it may seem a little unusual to some, it is true that there are cities around the country that prohibits the disposal of ay kind of bodily waste in the trash. For those of us who use baggies to pick up after our pets and feel pretty good about tossing them into the garbage instead of leaving it for someone else to deal with have a little problem to worry about.
So what do we do with all that uh…well you know? Chris Underwood, Director of the Solid Waster Management Branch for the City of Vancouver, Canada states that, ‘The right place for poo is down the toilet!’
You read it right folks, we should flush it. For many of us this can seem quite unpleasant, but think how good it is for the environment. You can keep that stuff out of the landfills and keep it from offending the senses of your local sanitation worker!
Underwood goes on to state that, ‘When you collect dog waste from the yard, put it down the toilet. The sewage system is designed to handle poo and that's where it should go.’
Okay, maybe…but for those of us who are still a little leery of flushing the cat’s litter down the toilet there’s other options.
Biodegradable dog bags! These are plastic bags that are designed to break down completely in a matter of months. So, even if it ends up in a landfill, it can still safely break down and be recycled by Mother Nature. Some companies are also making biodegradable cat little from corn, wheat and pine that’s also safe for the landfills.
Keep it in mind, all waste is a problem!
Source: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=3aa29a5e-95f1-4636-92ee-148073f1b24f
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Blog ID: 1447 Posted by LucyPal on Sunday Oct 19, 2008 11:41 PM EST
Pets can get into your medications!
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Pet owners should be aware that many household poisonings in your pets are the result of them eating our prescription and over the counter drugs. According to the American society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, the most common cause of household poisonings in cats and dogs is the result of being human drugs.
The ASPCA animal poison control center handled 89,000 cases of pet poisonings in 2007. These calls concerned animals eating or being exposed to prescription medications and other the counter medications.
The ASPCA highly recommends that pet owners remain aware of where they store all medications. Just in case a beloved pet decides that your meds are their latest snack or toy. Keep medicines in the bathroom cabinet or cupboards that have strong locking doors. If you keep medicines in your purses or bags it’s also a good idea to keep these up off the floor and away from interested puppies.
Below are a list of medications you should be concerned about in particular:
• Anti-inflammatory medicines-this cause stomach and int4estinal ulcers and kidney damage in cats.
• Antidepressants-can trigger vomiting, lethargy, and a condition called serotonin syndrome.
• Acetaminophen-can damage red blood cells and interfere with oxygen flow.
• Pseudoephedrine-acts as a stimulant in cats and dogs causing elevated heart rates and seizures.
An ASPCA veterinarian also recommends that pet owners learn the names, dosages, and quantity of all prescription drugs they have should an accident occur. The more information you have regarding the drug the better you’ll be able to help your pets in case they accidentally ingest some medication. It’s especially important to have a good idea of how much medication a pet may have taken.
In case an animal accidentally eats some of your medications; you should call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center’s 24 hours hotline at 1-888-426-4435.
Source: http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-news/2008/10/18/human-drugs-are-primary-cause-of-pet-poisonings.aspx
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Blog ID: 1449 Posted by LucyPal on Saturday Oct 18, 2008 10:41 PM EST
Pets At Risk By Modern Technology
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The high tech world of humans doesn’t seem to be all that friendly towards pets these days. Apparently, pets are hurting themselves and even dying left and right from our favourite kinds of electronic media. A recent article in The Guardian, a UK newspaper, reported that a recent survey by the Pet Insurance Company called, Petplan found these results.
What did they find? After surveying up to 3,000 pet owners across Britain the company realized that new technology is causing widespread pet mayhem. Everyone run for the hills and start living without modern conveniences right now! Just kidding. However, this survey does indicate that pet owners should be aware of possible issues their pets may have in dealing with the newest kinds of technology.
On the top of the list as most dangerous kind of technology for pets; iPods. They are most likely a risk for cats. Why? I can only speculate since the article didn’t quite explain. Perhaps the cats decided iPods were tasty and started chewing on them getting a nasty shock.
Other strange statistics to show up from this survey were; the risk to rabbits from Sony PlayStations and dangers to guinea pigs from DVD Players and remote controls. Dogs even got a spot in the survey results for that annoying habit of jumping up at TVs when other dogs or even doorbells sound on it. They can hurt themselves by running and jumping at the screens.
This new information could increase the rates on pet insurance plans for those who own specific kinds of technology like iPods and DVD players and also have certain kinds of pets. In general though, you should simply remember to keep gadgets off the floor and out of sight.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/oct/19/pets-gadgets-ipod-playstation-family
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Blog ID: 1445 Posted by LucyPal on Friday Oct 17, 2008 9:19 PM EST
Male Voles Prove Absence from Loved Ones Causes Depression
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A recent study into the monogamous habits of voles may reveal some insight into human relationships, especially why absence makes the heart grow fonder. If there is anything that you can count on, it’s that love grows stronger with some time apart, at least for prairie voles it does.
Scientists studying the tiny mammals found that after four days away from their mates, male voles actually experiences changes in their brain chemistry and really behaved as if they were depressed.
Yes, male voles missed their mates so much that they became lethargic and unresponsive. To test their behavior scientists first placed these male voles in water. Instead of swimming they passively floated in the water. Next they held the poor little guys up by their tails and instead of struggling they just hung there.
A neuroscientist at Emory University in Atlanta named, Larry J. Young stated that, ‘Whenever you form a pair bond, it changes your neurochemistry… If you lose that partner, it has a dramatic impact on the brain… [The animals displayed "depressive behaviors]…They become more passive, more likely to give up."
Sadly, as part of the study, the scientists killed the voles and looked inside their brains. They found that the depressed male voles had elevated levels of corticotrophin-releasing factor or CRF which is a chemical known to have a role in depression.
The scientists also separated 10 male voles from their siblings to see if they could get the same responses. However, they didn’t display any depressive behaviors so it seems that this lethargy truly is related to being separated from one’s mates.
CRF is also found in people and there are pharmaceutical companies that are developing drugs which acts on CRF for depression and anxiety related disorders.
Some scientists cautioned against anthropomorphizing these animals, or assuming they have human emotions, stating that there could be more than one way to interpret the male’s behaviors.
Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2008/10/scientists-have.html
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Blog ID: 1444 Posted by LucyPal on Thursday Oct 16, 2008 10:03 PM EST
October is Pet Wellness Month Says Veterinarians
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I bet you didn’t know it, but October is National Pet Wellness Month. Yep, animal groups and veterinarians everywhere are using this month to remind pet owners that part of keeping your pets healthy is preventative medicine. Doctors always recommend regular check ups, even when you don’t have any problems. It’s preventative medicine and can be cheaper over all than waiting until you are sick to go to the doctor.
Preventative medicine involves getting your vaccinations, having the doctor monitor your weight, diet and other aspects of your life for any sudden or bizarre changes. If the doctor notices anything wrong during a regular check up you can usually get treatment much sooner and even at a lower cost because the condition may not be as developed than if you had waited until you noticed problems.
This same practice is a part of a comprehensive wellness program offered by your local vet. First of all, your pet is a beloved member of the family, but they are inclined to hide symptoms of an illness. This is instinctive and help prevents predators from noticing they are weak. So, vets are trained to look for signs of illness that you may not even notice.
In addition, regular check ups with your vet can involve tests like fecal exams, blood tests, x-rays and even blood pressure testing and glaucoma screening. As a pet gets on in years, vets will perform even more tests to look out for age related illnesses.
Some of the diseases that are most commonly noticed during these wellness check ups are; heart disease, periodontal disease, arthritis, kidney disease, cataracts and skin and ear conditions. So, it’s very beneficial to maintain regular pet wellness check ups with your veterinarian.
Don’t forget to get your pets vaccinated every three years too!
Source: http://www.gulflive.com/living/mississippipress/index.ssf?/base/news/122406570677880.xml&coll=5
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Blog ID: 1442 Posted by LucyPal on Wednesday Oct 15, 2008 11:32 PM EST
100 Horses Die from Botulism in Florida
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In Marion County, Florida up to 100 horses have died at a Marion Country Horse Facility since September 27th. This amazing number of deaths in such a short period of time has sparked a lot of fear and confusion over the possible spread of disease.
While state officials moved quickly to identify what could be the problem with the animals, it was not quite soon enough to quell the fears of local animal owners.
State officials eventually decided that the illness is probably botulism from spores that attached to hay while it’s being cut in the fields.
All of the horses who died were at a facility called, EquiTransfer, which is a horse breeder with up to 400 mares. Jose Davila, owner of the facility state that his staff had to euthanize dozens of horses when they all started to fall ill after eating the hay. The horse’s symptoms were seizures and collapsing.
A veterinarian with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stated, ‘We do not believe that it will affect any other horses…We do not believe that it will affect any other horses…The provider of this haylage, they produce only for that farm and EquiTransfer bought all of it.’
So, luckily there are no other samples of this hay out there that could make other horses sick.
The botulism most likely came from Clostridium botulinum which produces the dangerous spores. These spores then produce a deadly toxin that can cause botulism in horses. State veterinarians said that seizure, muscle twitches and an inability to stand were the first symptoms of the condition. Luckily, botulism is not contagious through casual contact. Just make sure you don’t eat anything with botulism!
Officials stated that it appeared the situation had stabilized, although a few other horses at EquiTransfer might also have botulism. The other horses who survived at the facility are being treated with antibiotics and antitoxins.
Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-deadhorses1108oct11,0,5776643.story
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Blog ID: 1443 Posted by LucyPal on Tuesday Oct 14, 2008 11:37 PM EST
More Cities Require Dog and Cat Breeders to Get Permits
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More and more cities these days are requiring all kinds of permits for your cats and dogs. Even cat and dog breeders have to pay out more dough than usual if they want to sell their litters. Well, it seems that breeder permits are becoming a permanent addition to the regular expenses for animal breeders.
The city of San Antonio has recently joined the growing number of cities that require breeder permits for those who want to sell the puppies or kittens their animals give birth too. However, San Antonio has taken it a step further in requiring these permits even for people who will just want to give away the offspring of their animals. This means that if you haven’t spayed your beloved pet and she gets preggers, you’ll still have to get that permit even to give the babies to friends and family members.
Seems a little excessive I know, however, this permit is an attempt to curb the large numbers of animals that are ending up in shelters every year. The Humane Society estimates that between 6 and 8 million animals end up in shelters every year. Of those animals roughly half will end up being euthanized. So, if cities can help prevent the excess number of animals being born, they can also keep them from ending up in the shelters where they are needlessly euthanized.
The fee for a license in San Antonio is $50 and it gives pet owners the right to sell or give away the offspring of their pets and the same goes for dog and cat breeders. You’ll also need to list the license number of your permit in any ‘for sale’ or ‘free’ ads you place for the animals. If you plan on keeping the offspring of your animals then you don’t need this permit at all.
Source: http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081015/LIFESTYLE/810150313
Emotion while posting: disgusted
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Blog ID: 1436 Posted by LucyPal on Monday Oct 13, 2008 12:11 PM EST
Animal Charity to Open Up Pet Food Pantry
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We all know how important food pantries are for people, but animals are often overlooked in the need to prevent starvation. Well, no longer, is this going to happen. Some animal lovers in Sandwich, Massachusetts are planning a pet food pantry for pet owners who are having trouble getting the food needed to feed their pets.
In the past few months I have written about some examples of how the war economy has affected the animals. Many home owners are being foreclosed on and end up leaving behind their pets or dropping them off at shelters. While others are simply abandoning their animals and businesses to starve.
These animal lovers, Carol Eklund and Terry Hingst have both created a non profit corporation and with the intention of opening up the Cape Cod area’s first animal pet food pantry. The pantry has yet to open up, with the two partners still looking around at possible locations.
However, they stated, ‘We're seeing a need with the economy the way it is… We are definitely seeing additional surrenders at our shelters due to foreclosures.’
The two women have the recently completed their paperwork to register the corporation. They are taking donations of pet food and money for the pantry at two separate locations, the Agway in Sandwich and The Grateful Dog in Hyannis.
Their non-profit, called For the Love of a Pet also plans on selling donated pet items like crates in a small boutique for extra money.
In return for giving out pet food from their pantry, the partners are planning on asking some pet owners to volunteer at the shelter when they get a chance. A kind of symbiotic relationship if they can get it started.
Eklund and Hingst both met while selling real estate and discovered that they shared a love of dogs. Eklund has two Maltese, named Mindy and Melody. Hingst has two Border Collies named Max and Sheba and two cats named Buddy and Baby.
Source: http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081013/NEWS/810130308
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Blog ID: 1432 Posted by LucyPal on Sunday Oct 12, 2008 1:06 PM EST
Horse Stabeler and Transporter facing Animal Cruelty Charges
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A breeder in Mount Olive, Texas is now facing 77 counts of animals cruelty after police authorities found her business allegedly abandoned, littered with dead animals and sub-standard living conditions.
The breeder, Ms. Forrest K. ‘Kaye’ Meadows, 56 years old, was arraigned on Wednesday morning fr the charges and will have to show up in court for her trial on November 19th.
All of this coming from a visit to her property where she ran Texas Connection Transport, a company that took care of horses, transported horses and provided other services for horse owners. Their slogan was, ‘Horses are our business…our only business!’
In January Wayne County Animal Control removed 20 horses from the care of Ms. Meadows, but they weren’t the only animals that were in danger, there were also a number of cats and dogs that lived in poor conditions. When authorities showed up at the site the business was not in operation in early 2008. Nor was Ms. Meadows on the property at the time Animal Control visited. Although the business was no longer in operation it was at one time known for transporting horses to various locations throughout the states.
Director of the Animal Control, Justin Scally stated that, They (the horses) were malnourished…There were a couple of deceased horses, there was a deceased cat, the cats were living in bad conditions inside the house, feces all over the floor, litter boxes completely overflowing.’
A former client of Meadows, one horse breeder named Dennis Zielke from Sonoma, California stated that he knows first hand how bad conditions were at the Texas Connection Transport. He got a call from them on January 31 to say that there was trouble with his horse. When he got there he was shocked.
Zielke stated, ‘She had been neglected of food for months…This is not something, like, 'Hey, you missed a meal or two…I actually gave her away…So I lost close to $22,000, in vet bills, lost breeding and everything else. In short, Texas Connection almost killed her, and effectively did -- that filly has absolutely no value to me as a breeding filly anymore."
His horse stayed at the stable with Texas Connection for only a little over four and a half months.
Source: http://www.newsargus.com/news/archives/2008/10/12/woman_faces_77_counts_of_animal_cruelty/
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Blog ID: 1430 Posted by LucyPal on Saturday Oct 11, 2008 12:34 PM EST
Animals have Personalities Too
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It seems that animals have personalities too. There is a new field of research opening up in animal studies that studies animal personality. This field used to be looked upon lightly since most scientists believed that referring to animals having personalities was anthropomorphic, or that people were applying human characteristics to animals.
One scientist recently showed how very simple animal personalities work in nature, leading the way to perhaps further evidence that animals have more complicated personalities.
Franz Weissing of the University of Groningen of the Netherlands studies animal personalities and he has found that animals in group can have both rigid and flexible personalities. Plus, having a healthy mix of both in each group is actually beneficial. So, it's not always a good idea to have an entire group of open minded animals or close minded animals.
Weissing also works at the Santa Fe Institute and he ran some experiments on ducks, along with his colleagues. They went to a duck pond twice a day and placed bread along the right side of the pond. Eventually the ducks learned to associate the right side of the pond with more food and would hang out there while foraging.
One day, they switched up the experiment and placed the bread along the left side of the pond. Many of the ducks continued going to the right side of the pond to forage even though there was less food. They just associated that side of the pond with more food. However, a few of the ducks had been checking out the other side of the pond all along, just in case. When they noticed the bread in a different place they swam over and pigged out.
The ducks that had been checking out other areas of the pond all along were more open minded. They were the flexible animals in the group and open mindedness is a definite personality trait. While the other ducks that remained on one side of the pond were more rigid. You could say that they were patient or just stubborn, but they stayed on the right side of the pond just in case future food showed up because of their past experience with the bread.
This sort of trait is good for both groups. The flexible animals got to pig out on new sources of food first, while the rigid ducks were able to eat what little bread remained on their side of the pond with less competition. This also seems to indicate, to me at least, that personalities are result of natural selection.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20081010/sc_livescience/animalshavepersonalitiestoo;_ylt=AspzXWlqPs6eul.dJHeL2Ah4hMgF
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Blog ID: 1427 Posted by LucyPal on Friday Oct 10, 2008 12:35 PM EST
Shedd Aquarium Teaches Old Dogs New Tricks
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The Shedd Aquarium has done something wonderful and amazing. They rescued six dogs from local shelters and taught them tricks for a popular show. The Shedd Aquarium is in Chicago, Illinois. As you would normally think, their animal shows typically involve marine mammals like Dolphins and Sea Lions. However, recent renovations at their Oceanarium Pavilion closed down the shows and sent their animals to other facilities.