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Sunday, September 2, 2007

Did You Know?

• German Shepherds were among the first dogs trained for police work- beginning around 1900 in Ghent, Belgium.

• Dog’s body cells contain the most pairs of chromosomes (heredity- carrying structures) of any mammal- 39 pairs.

• There is an old Chinese belief that if a person owns a good and faithful dog that the dog will sacrifice itself to Death when Death demands a member of its’ immediate family.

• The most decorated U.S. dog during World War II was a German Shepherd/Husky/ Collie mix named Chips. He also served as a guard dog in North America and later earned a Silver Star for capturing a machine gun nest during the invasion of Sicily.

• Dogs have been used to determine whether twins are identical or fraternal because identicals have the same scent, but fraternals do not, no matter how much they may look alike.

• The Latin word for faithful is “Fido?” Could this possibly have any connection with the fact that so many dogs are named this?

• If an old or sick dog does not shake itself after getting up that this is a sign of bad overall health? Each dog shakes itself to get every muscle and tendon back into perfect place after waking up.

• A dog can survey an area between 200 to 270 degrees, depending on the shape of its skull and the positioning of its eyes, compared to the average of 100 degrees for a human being.

• Due to the popularity of lap dogs in ancient Rome, Julius Caesar once mused if Roman women had ceased to have children in lieu of their new four-legged companions.

A Little Bit About The Pomeranian


This is dog is occasionally referred to as the Miniature Spitz dog or European Spitz. In its native land of Germany it is the smallest member of the German Spitz group. The Pomeranian is also sometimes called the German Spitz in Germany.

In Germany the Pomeranian was bred to its present size in Pomeranian during the nineteenth century. Its ancestors were of the Spitz type and larger. Among the Pomeranian’s ancestors are the Samoyed, Norwegian Elkhound, Chow Chow and other northern European breeds. It is possible that the Pomeranian was reduced in size from the large white sled dog that originated in Iceland and Lapland. Exact time of origin is unknown. Queen Victoria of England took a great liking to the Pomeranian and helped to increase its popularity in her palace in 1888.

Other Spitz types were used as herding dogs and sled pullers. The Pomeranian, however, has always been a lapdog. It came to America in the late nineteenth century and was shown in the miscellaneous class in 1892 by the AKC. American Kennel Club recognized the Pomeranian officially in 1900. Since that time he has become quite popular as a pampered little pet.

Personality

The Pomeranian is sometimes a little too courageous for its own good. He serves well as an alarm dog, but its barking sometimes becomes a habit that needs to be discouraged. The Pomeranian has one primary purpose and that is to please its owners. It sometimes shies away from children that play too rough. The Pomeranian may not be a good choice for a household with children or as a child’s pet. They socialize easily with cats and other small family pets.

The Pomeranian is definitely one of those big dogs in a little package. They usually won’t back down from a much larger dog. This aggressiveness can be self-destructive as obviously a bigger dog could make mince meat of a tiny Pomeranian.

The Pomeranian is eager to learn and is devoted to its family. He is affectionate and has a very loving nature toward its own family. He is delightful and is always ready for a quick game with those he loves.

The Pomeranian responds to command if they are consistently given and he is rewarded with edible treats or kind words. The Pomeranian has a tendency to become somewhat of a “spoiled brat.” When his bad habits surface he may simply ignore commands to “act better.” He is rarely seen in agility trials; however, the Pomeranian does well in obedience trials.

Appearance

A Pomeranian stands about 7 to 8 inches tall and weighs from 3 to 7 pounds. The tiny Pomeranian has a short body, straight legs and well-balanced overall appearance. He has erect ears and a fox like expression that gives this little dog an alert expression. Pigmentation of the nose, lips and eyelids are always dark, usually black.

The Pomeranian’s coat is double and profuse. Acceptable colors are red, orange, cream and sable, black, brown and blue.

Grooming the Pomeranian

The coat of a Pomeranian is made up of an undercoat and an outer coat. The undercoat is soft and fluffy. The outer coat is fairly long, straight and harsh and covers the entire body.

There is an abundance of coat around the neck and the fore part of the shoulders and chest that forms a frill that extends over the shoulder. The forequarters are well feathered and the thighs and hind legs are well feathered to the hocks.

The Pomeranian requires regular attention to keep it clean and attractive. Thorough brushing once a week is required to keep the coat in good condition.

You will need a slicker/pin brush, medium-tooth metal comb, scissors and cotton buds.

Brush against the lie of the coat to give the Pomeranian its round pompom appearance. Brush first with the slicker/pin brush working from the top of the head, layering the hair as you go and be sure you reach the skin level. Then work through the coat with the comb to remove any tangles left behind from the brushing.

You might consider using a dry bath on your Pomeranian’s coat when in full coat. When the Pomeranian is in full coat, use a suitable pH-alkaline-balanced shampoo and rinse well.

A Little Bit About The Chihuahua


The Chihuahua is know by no other name and has been popular north and south of the Rio Grande for many years. It is the oldest purebred canine native to the North American continent.

The Chihuahua’s origin is filled with tales and extends back to the Toltec civilization of Mexico in the ninth century. Discovery of the earliest Chihuahuas were in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Ancestors of the Chihuahua could include a small hairless Chinese dog, which could account for the size reduction of the original Chihuahua. The ancient people in Mexico first developed a prairie dog or gopher, which was mute, longhaired and larger than the present-day Chihuahua.

Tales are many about the uses of this tiny dog in Toltec and later Aztec religious rites. Nearly all Chihuahua fanciers accept one fact: This is that the modern Chihuahua that was discovered in Chihuahua, Mexico, in the mid-1800s stands apart from all other canines. This tiny breed prefers its own kind to all other dogs. The Chihuahua can be sociable with other dogs, but most definitely still is more content when surrounded by other Chihuahuas. Because of this fact it probably is not a good idea to own other pets if you desire to own a Chihuahua. Your household will be better of with multiple Chihuahuas if that is your chosen breed.

The Chihuahua has no claims of ties to royalty and any hunting abilities or heritage. The Chihuahua is known primarily as a wonderful little social able human companion and that is the main purpose of the Chihuahua today and in time past. The Chihuahua is quite content to have no work assigned to it. He fits nicely even in the smallest spaces and is content to spend his days lying in the sun or being pampered by its humans. The Chihuahua makes a perfect pocket pal and can travel with you just about anywhere almost invisible to strangers. The Chihuahua is not a big eater; therefore, food expense for the Chihuahua is quite minimal. He actually requires no kind of special care beyond a warm place to sleep and his treasured humans.

Chihuahua is usually most comfortable with senior adults and other adult families. They do not fit well into homes with preschoolers, toddlers or young adolescents. Preschoolers may try to grab at the Chihuahua, toddlers are likely to step on it or fall over it and young adolescents in their busy rush of a day may injure it.

Personality

The Chihuahua will usually claim ownership of one family member with whom it bonds tightly. He is brave, loyal, affectionate and intelligent that can be highly sensitive and stubborn. He does not do well walking on a leash and being taken for long walks. It is just easier to pick up the Chihuahua and carry him on your walk rather than have him in a collar and on a leash. They are mostly house companions and adornments. Some are able to learn tricks and may even enjoy performing for guests.

Appearance

The Chihuahua has no height standard but usually stands about 5 inches tall and weighs no more than 6 pounds. Its skull is described as an apple dome shape, with or without a spot spot. Its muzzle is short and pointed. The Chihuahua is shown in smooth- and longhaired varieties. The smooth variety’s coat should be soft, glossy and close. The longhaired variety coat has a soft texture withor without waves or curls, its ears are edged with fringes, and its tail, feet, legs and neck are well feathered. Colors are any color or combination of colrs, solid, marked, or splashed.

Grooming

You will need a cushioned bristle brush and a medium-toothed comb for both the smooth coat and long haired varieties. The long haired Chihuahua is easy to maintain with weekly brushing. The short haired coat also benefits from weekly brushings. You can use a chamois cloth to bring the coat up to a shine in the short haired Chihuhua.

Is It A Whale, A Shark Or A Dolphin?

A bit of imagination, music, movies, novels and live entertainment can all have the same topic: marine creatures. In fact, when you hear some relaxation music themed around whale songs, that you read a novel titled Moby Dick, which is a legendary white sperm whale or even some facts about the blue whale, being the largest mammal on Earth, it is easy to think of whales.

The confusion comes when the term whale is part of a sea creature’s name. You see, when people talk about sharks, their mind is subdued by both the theme song and the horrific scenes that are part of the movie Jaws. The last thing that you would think of when observing or even swimming along the side of a whale shark, that such a large and peaceful animal may belong to the same family tree as the great white shark instead of the blue whale.

Another confusing sea creature is the killer whale. After all, doesn’t its name imply that it a whale while in fact it belongs to the dolphins’ family tree? Where is the resemblance with Flipper, the bottlenose dolphin? Isn’t it a marine mammal? Isn’t it big enough to be part of the whale family alongside the sperm whale?

Did you know that in fact, several sites, which are supposedly educational or well versed on these subjects, are still confused with the nature of each one of these sea creatures? Well, here are some facts that will help you differentiate each one of these animals.

First of all, while some people think that size matters and that in it would be good enough to categorize all these animals under the same family tree, the whales, there are some differences that should be noted. After all, not all trees or bushes have the same size. Not everything that looks like a carrot or a banana is the same type of food. A vegetable that could look like a carrot could in fact be a parsnip and something that looks like a banana could in reality be a plantain. Either way, they may have some similarities without being the same.

Besides the facts that the whale shark eats plankton and could easily compete in size with a few types of whales, the similarities stop there. Here are the facts about this animal that is in fact part of the family tree that covers about 350 types of sharks. You see, the first thing that you should know is that the whale shark is a fish. Unlike whales and dolphins, it is not a marine mammal so it does not need to go to the surface every 30 minutes to inhale some oxygen and release some carbon dioxide through its blowhole to survive. In fact, it doesn’t even have a blowhole. The oxygen intake is done through gills during the process of filtering the water.

Another fact is that it does not have a skeleton made of bones like whales and dolphins do, its own is cartilaginous. Also, the whale shark is viviparous, which means that it gives birth to live pups but does not produce milk or feed, or raise them the same way as marine mammals do. Starting at birth, like all types of sharks, the whale shark pups are on their own.

While some people think that killer whales should be in the same category as the sperm whale, which is part of the toothed whales called odontoceti, which they also belong to, there are some differences that apply in this case. You see, the killer whale is the single specie carrying the Orcinus gene.

Also, the physiology of this specie has its differences such as the shape of the dorsal fin. The killer whale as a large triangular dorsal fin, which is totally different is the sperm whale. You see, the dorsal fin of the sperm whale is located about two-thirds of the back, is short and certainly not as noticeable as the killer whale’s dorsal fin.

Another characteristic that differs in sperm whales and killer whales are their teeth. You see, both their teeth differ in size despite their similar hook shape but it doesn’t stop there. If you take a good look at pictures of their teeth on the Internet or in a book, you will notice that a sperm whale only has a row of teeth on its bottom jaw, while killer whale has a row of teeth on both upper and lower jaws.

As you can see, the whale shark, the blue whale, the sperm whale and killer whale’s only thing that make people believe they are all members of the whales’ family is the term “whale” being part of their name.

Box Turtle Care

Congratulations, you have a new box turtle. But how do you take care of your precious new friend? Taking care of a box turtle can take some work, but there are simple steps to ensure that your box turtle is happy in his new home.

First you must decide housing for the turtle. Will you keep it indoors or outdoors? If you decide to keep the turtle outside, make sure that the area is similar to the turtle’s natural habitat. There should be plenty of sun since box turtles are reptiles, but also shade in case the turtle becomes overheated under the constant heat of the sun. Provide water for your turtle so that it is deep enough for swimming. The home should have weed-like plants and insects for consumption. An outdoor setting is probably the home a turtle would choose. However, an indoor home properly made will keep your box turtle just as happy and safe.

If you build your turtle a home indoors, use a container like those made by Rubbermaid. The best option is to have a large, dark container that the turtle cannot see through. A turtle can become perplexed and frightened looking out of a clear container. One of my box turtles constantly tried to climb through the wall of his clear container, so I had to move him. The container should be large and filled a few inches deep with a substrate such as “Bed-a-Beast.” Then provide a hiding place for the turtle such as a hollow log. You should make a pool for the turtle since that is where a turtle usually poops. I used the plastic lid of a container for food. Make sure that the pool is not too deep. Every day, keep the entire tank moist by spraying the surfaces of the home.

Inside the home of the turtle, keep the temperature fairly warm in the lighted area- about 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Use UV-B light to keep the turtle healthy and active all day. Another option is to take your turtle outside to soak in the sun for about an hour a day. The natural sunlight is tremendously healthy for your turtle, although he may not enjoy it at first. Just remember, you know what’s best for your turtle. Keep an area away from the light so that the turtle can rest there when he’s had enough light. This is why it is important to have a container that is large enough for two distinct areas.

The food a turtle eats is obviously very important to its health. A person must watch his or her own diet. It is your responsibility, however, to feed your turtle healthy foods. A turtle will eat almost anything, from fruits and vegetables to insects and worms. Another factor you should consider is providing edible materials with high calcium levels such as boiled eggshells or a cuttlebone that you can buy at any pet store. One final hint to feeding your turtle- have fun with it. Be creative in feeding your turtle from day to day because you do not want to create an addiction to one food by feeding it the same thing each day. Keep the turtle’s diet balanced with half plant and half meat.

I have a few final hints below on how to take care of your new box turtle.

1. If your turtle does not eat, try soaking the food in water first. Or, if you are constantly there watching your turtle, he may never come eat the food. Unfortunately, you can easily frighten turtles, so leave your turtle alone to eat peacefully.

2. Change the water in an indoors home every day to keep it clean since that is the most likely place a turtle will defecate. When coaxing a turtle to do this, use warm water to help him.

3. If a turtle burrows deep into the substrate and does not come up for a few days, don’t worry. This is completely natural since turtles enjoy being in tight spaces. However, make sure that your turtle gets enough food.

4. Feed your turtle on a rock because this will help him scratch away extra-long toenails.

Just follow the easy tips above, and you will be an expert caretaker for your new turtle. Do not neglect your turtle since it is helpless without you. Be responsible and enjoy your friendship.

Train Your Cat To Be Groomed

Grooming for a cat should be done on a daily basis for proper care of your cat. In addition, with the proper care, your cat will stay healthy.

Brushing, combing, clipping nails, and cleaning ears, are grooming that needs to be done. By doing basic grooming on a regular basis will help in prevention with scratching furniture, and hairball management.

Hairball management can be managed using different products that can help with the hairball for the cat. Do not confuse this to substitute for this part of the grooming. Learn more about these products at your favorite pet store or internet site.

When training your cat for grooming, one of the first things you will want done, is to have the cat to be able to relax in your lap. By petting your cat gently on the head and then you will want to pet him down the back and continue till you see that your cat is comfortable with you petting him in the areas that you will be grooming. Next, you will want to press gently on the paw pads to look at the nails, you will want to work on checking the ears. When you have achieved all these things, this is the time to introduce the brush by letting him check the brush out. Carefully start to brush him until you see your cat being comfortable with the brush. Remember a cat’s skin is sensitive and you will want to take real gentle precaution when grooming.

Training your cat to be comb will be the same step you have taken to be able to brush your cat. Be gentle, cats hair is easily matted, snarled, and skin sensitive. If you using precaution with doing the combing and you cause pain to your cat, they may not let you do this. Brushing a cat’s hair is very important, also with long hair cats combing needs to be done. With combing it helps get out the lose hair, and will make a nice looking fur for the cat.

Clipping nails, if you have never clipped your cat’s nails, please talk to a veterinarian, a local groomers, search articles about it, read books, and be very careful when you are cutting them. One thing to practice is having some one with you to help with this, so if the cat tries to move you have reinforcements. When cutting a cat’s nail, toward the paw is a pink area that you do not want to clip. This will be very painful for the cat and a visit to the vet quickly. Make sure when doing this that the cat is very comfortable with you touching its paws. Talk to him when cutting the nails to reassure it is fine and soon will be done. If your cat seems annoyed with cutting their nails, stop, and try later. If you are unable to do this, cat groomers trained to cut nails can do this for you and most time very inexpensive, a lot less then a vet bill.

Cleaning your cat’s ears is another basic grooming process, as in the first part of the article, makes sure the cat is comfortable with the touching of their ears. Once you know that you are able to touch your cat’s ears, now is the time to clean.

Use soft tip q-tips for this part, gently at first rub the q-tip around the out side of the ear working your way to the inside to be able to clean the ear. If at any time the cat resist, stop redirect the cat and then continue until you can successfully clean the ears.

Grooming your cat is also caring for your pet; just feeding your cat is caring. Grooming is also a great way to interact with your pet, for healthy relationships.

Search out more information on training your pet, tools to help with the training and caring for your pet. Check out books, pet stores, search on the internet there are great articles, ideas, and suggestions on training your pet. One way of training may not work but some one else may have different approach. Not all cats train the same, just as we do not teach the same.

Colorful Black Labradors

Out of all of the different types and colors of Labradors, the black Labrador is one of the most popular. Black Labradors are usually solid black in color. They are sleek and graceful looking animals. They are a large breed of dog and must be taken seriously because they can harm small children or frail individuals because they have so much enthusiasm for life and they want to play with everyone. However, black Labradors are very smart and they learn quickly. They can be trained quite easily not to jump up on people or cause other problems because of their energy levels and large size. Some people might be frightened by large dogs such as the black Labrador, but spending time with these dogs will show most people that there is nothing to fear except that you might be licked with much enthusiasm.

Pay Attention To Energy Levels

There are many different breeds of dogs in this world today, and they can differ not just in their looks but in their temperament and their energy level as well. This is important to be aware of when looking into getting a large dog such as the black Labrador. High energy dogs are often very enjoyable to the person or the family that likes a lot of outdoor activity, but this type of dog might not be as good of a choice for the person that works all day or lives in an apartment. This does not mean that the black Labrador would not make a good pet, but it is not healthy for the dog to be closed up in an apartment all day and could result in destructive behavior simply because the dog would be bored.

Big Dogs Need Big Spaces

For those that are interested in owning a black Labrador, space must be considered. Those who live in apartments either do not own dogs or only own small dogs because large dogs with a lot of energy are often unhappy in an apartment all day. However, for the family that has space for a large dog, a black Labrador would be a good choice because they make good guard dogs yet are gentle and affectionate with people that they know including small children.

How To Get Rid Of Raccoons

Many of you know that raccoons are known to adapt very easily to a changing environment that is why many people have problems with the damages caused by these creatures. Raccoons have inherited a bad habit: they vandalize garbage cans, fish ponds and also your very own kitchen pantry due to the fact that many houses ( especially in United States ) have a pet door which for a raccoons is like an invitation.

Besides this, raccoons invade attics, chimneys, porches and other similar locations, not to mention that the cities and suburbs offer these creatures a developed underground roadway system for those intelligent animals who use these storm sewers. These raccoons not only invade your privacy but also they cause damage, for example, they can get into crops or just by simply occupying your chimney they make annoying little sounds that eventually will drive you crazy.

The first thing you should do is to find out if you are truly having problems with raccoons because many people have the tendency to affirm that raccoons are the one’s to blame for the damages but in reality, the one’s who should be blamed for causing these problems are dogs, cats or other “friendly” animals.

If you don’t have the possibility to observe these animals directly the best thing you could do is to identify their tracks. In order to do this you should use the following : flour, nontoxic powders and also cornstarch, these will help you to check out footprints on hard surfaces. A useful tip : raccoons which use chimneys or attics usually begin to make noise when it is getting darker and they stop doing this in the morning, when the sun makes its appearance. The sounds that raccoons make when they are moving can help you detect them more easily. Also, if you hear purring noises then you should know that young cubs are present. Usually, you will hear these noises when their mother comes back to the den.

A wise thing you could do if you have problems with raccoons is simply wait; in other words, many of the problems made by raccoons ( for example: occupation of a building ) resolve themselves within a few weeks or if you are lucky, in a few days. If cubs are also causing you problems then you should know that they won’t leave your attic until they are nine weeks of age because until then, they can’t take care of themselves so they won’t venture in an unknown environment where they will be helpless.

When it comes down to chimneys and attics if yours is uncapped then raccoons will probably use it for denning but also for giving birth and raising cubs. If you assume that after a while they will leave, the best thing you should is that you might try using some harassment techniques so that you could “hurry” their departure. Also, you might as well leave the attic lights on or place a radio tuned to a talk-show and leave it a high volume.

Once you are certain that you got rid of all the raccoons, the first thing you should do is install an approved chimney cap so that in the future, raccoons won’t be able to invade your privacy. A very important note is that you shouldn’t use fire or smoke to make the animals come out of the chimneys because by doing so, you will most likely kill the youngsters as they aren’t able to evade on their own.

When it comes down to yards and gardens, in order to discourage garbage vandalizing you should place cans at the curb when the day of garbage pick-up has arrived. Another thing you could do is that you should secure the lids using bungee cords or weights. Don’t forget that raccoons are often attracted by birdseed and suet and they usually cause a lot of damage to garden fruits and also vegetable gardens , especially corn and grapes. Garden vandalizing will often occur when the foods are ready to be picked so you should be more attentive during those periods.

All in all, raccoons can cause a lot of problems so some safety precautions should be taken in order to avoid these problems which can become very annoying if ignored for a longer period of time.

Summary: Getting rid of raccoons can become a very frustrating thing to do if you don’t take the best decisions. Patience and clever thinking are a “must” when confronting with such a delicate situation.

Caring for the Orphaned Foal

There's nothing worse than looking forward to the arrival of a well-bred foal, only to lose the mare during the birthing process. While raising a foal orphaned at birth can be extremely challenging, there are ways to up the odds of the foal surviving to become a productive member of equine society.

The Importance of Colostrum

The first task at hand should be ensuring that the foal gets a sufficient amount of colostrum. Colostrum, which is the mare's first milk, is loaded with disease-and infection-fighting antibodies. Because mares don't pass antibodies to their foals during pregnancy, adequate colostrum consumption is necessary for the newborn to be protected against disease.

About 12 hours after birth gastrointestinal absorption of colostrum begins to decrease, and absorption is only minimal after 24 hours. Colostrum can be bottle fed the orphaned foal, or given via stomach tube by a vet. Ideally, two or three liters of colostrum should be divided into three or four doses, which should be given at hourly intervals.

Where do you get colostrum? First of all, if a mare is at risk of dying, colostrum should be harvested. In addtion, breeders should always collect a little extra from foaling mares to have on hand in emergencies, providing the mare has enough colostrum. In most cases, about 200 to 500 ml of colostrum can be milked from a mare without compromising the antibodies she passes on to her foal. The colostrum can then be frozen and used when necessary.

Nutrition

Once enough colostrum has been consumed by the foal, the next order of business is to establish a good nutrition plan. Breeders have two basic options when feeding the orphaned foal. They can (1) use a nurse mare or goat; or (2) bottle feed the foal by hand.

Because it significantly reduces the amount of labor nurse mares are always the first choice. However, nurse mares are hard to find, and even when they are found sometimes refuse to nurse the foal. A milk-producing goat can also be used with some modifications.

In most cases, a manual feeding plan is developed. These can be quite labor-intensive! In the beginning, the foal is usually fed mare's milk, goat's milk, or a powdered substitute. Many breeders also used tried-and-true homemade mare's milk substitutes. Within a few weeks foals should be able to begin eating solid foods such as grain, grass, or hay.

So, how much does a foal eat? Well, you might be surprised to learn that a suckling foal can consume as much as 25 percent of its body weight per day of a milk replacer without stomach distress. These means that a 100-pound foal can consume 25 pounds—or 50 cups—of milk per day. Wow! To this end, it's always a good idea to teach your foal to drink from a bucket. It will cut down on the amount of time you need to spend manually feeding! It's also worth mentioning that smaller, more frequent meals are healthier for the foal than larger, less frequent meals.

General Health

It's important to keep a close eye on the newborn's general health, especially if mare was sick before delivery. A sick mare can sometimes result in an undernourished foal. Check to see that your foal stands, walks, and exhibits the sucking reflex within two or three hours of birth. Watch foals that appear healthy carefully to make sure they don't deteriorate within the first 24 hours, which is not uncommon.

* * * * *

While many believe an orphaned foal's growth and health will be compromised, this is not always the case. With proper colostrum intake, as well as a good feeding and care regimen, your foal should suffer no long-term effects.

Common Parasites in the Horse

Protecting your horse against parasites is part of good barn management. Whether you are the owner of single horse or make your living as a boarding stable, you should have a good parasite prevention plan in place. Deworming your horses at regular intervals will keep parasites at bay and will ensure your horse's maximum health and safety.

What are some of the more common nasties just itching to sponge off your equine friends? Check out these parasite profiles.

* Large Strongyles (Strongylus vulgaris and Strongylus edentatus). Otherwise known as bloodworms, large strongyles are an internal parasite known to be the most destructive and deadly of them all. Why are they so destructive? Well, as immature larvae migrate through the blood vessels, they destroy arterial walls, block or rupture blood vessels, impair circulation, and damage organ and tissues. Not exactly the most polite of guests, are they? Seriously, large strongyles are no joke! The havoc they wreak can result in colic, anemia, diarrhea, fever, lethargy, depression, and loss of appetite. How to prevent large strongyles from getting the best of your horse? Use a dewormer that treats both adult worms and the more destructive arterial larvae. Ask your veterinarian for a recommendation, as many dewormers treat only the less dangerous adult worms.

* Small strongyles. Small stronglyles live and migrate within the intestinal tract. While they don't travel any further than this, they too can pack quite a punch. Small strongyles, if left undetected, can cause inflammation of the intestines, anorexia, weight loss, diarrhea, and colic. A good dewormer is your best defense.

* Ascarids (Parascaris equorum). Ascarids are also known by their more common name of roundworm. While ascarids are very dangerous parasites, they most often affect very young horse such as sucklings, weanlings, and yearlings. Ascarids in the migrating larval stages can damage a horse's lung and liver tissue. Some of the signs include lethargy, coughing, fever, pneumonia, and other infections and issues affecting the respiratory tract. Ascarids who reach the adult stage hang out in the small intestine, where they can cause problems like colic, ruptured gut, blockage, and death. They are dangerous nasties indeed, but can be easily prevented with a parasite protection program.

* Bots (Gastrophilus). How's this for weird? Bots are considered an internal parasite, and yet they live on the outside of a horse's body. Say what? Well, here's how it works. In its larval stage, the botfly lives in the horse's stomach and mouth. As it reaches maturity the bot leaves the internal environment and hangs out on the outside of the horse, where it creates more larvae to be ingested by the horse. At the very least, bots cause inflammation and sores in the mouth. They can also cause more serious problems like stomach irritation and ulceration and perforation of the stomach wall. In extreme cases, bots can block stomach outflow into the small intestine, causing colic and possibly death. Effectively ridding your horse's of bots requires a two-pronged approach. First, you'll need to treat the outside of your horses by removing bots with a special comb. Then you'll have to follow up by administering a dewormer.

* Pinworms. (Oxyuris equi). If your horse seems uncomfortable around the tail region—say there's a lot of itching and scratching going on—suspect pinworms. Pinworms live and mate in the horse's rectum, and cause such unpleasant issues as tail rubbing. Again, the right dewormer is all it takes to rid your horse of pinworms.

* Intestinal threadworms (Stronyloides westeri) Threadworms usually affect young horses. If your foal has diarrhea, lack of appetite, is losing weight or is not growing what you think is the right amount of hair, consider threadworms as a possible culprit. Since many dewormers don't effective treat threadworms, talk to your vet about a good course of action.

* Summer sores (Habronema and Draschia) If a fly deposits larvae in the open skin or a wound on the horse's body, the result is often summer sores. The larvae can cause conjunctivitis, nodules in the stomach wall, and gastritis.

Remember, there's no room at the inn for parasites! With good barn management, you can ensure that your horses remain parasite free.

Canine Parvovirus - A Serious Cantagious Disease in Dogs

Canine parvovirus, sometimes known simply as 'parvo,' is a serious contagious disease caused by a virus. This illness is spread when dogs come into contact with the feces of infected animals. Dog parks, highway rest stops and popular walking trails in cities are areas where dog feces are often found, and where an unvaccinated dog may pick up the virus. Humans may also unknowingly bring the virus home on the bottom of their shoes or on their car tires, so dogs who never go outside the yard can still be infected with this disease. The virus can live in the soil or other contaminated surfaces for as long as six months.

Most animal shelters and kennels make every effort to avoid the spread of contagious diseases by cleaning the kennels with bleach, but any time that large numbers of animals are kept in close quarters, there is a possibility of infection, so keeping up on your dog's vaccinations is always a good idea.

Although puppies are more commonly affected by this illness than adult dogs, both my brother and I once owned adult dogs who became seriously ill from canine parvovirus. Both animals had been vaccinated while in our care, but they were acquired after the dogs had reached adulthood, so they may not have received proper vaccination as puppies. Both dogs recovered, but only after several weeks of intensive in-hospital care.

Since this virus attacks the lining of the dog or puppy's digestive system, the symptoms of the disease are diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, lack of appetite, and bloody, foul-smelling stools. In addition to severe abdominal discomfort, bloody diarrhea and vomiting, the dog may also have a high fever, and congestive heart failure is possible. Severe symptoms may follow several days of gradually decreasing appetite. Illness usually becomes apparent from three to 12 days after the dog was exposed to the virus.

Obviously, this is a very serious disease, and immediate medical care is required to reduce the risk of death. The veterinarian will make sure to keep the dog from becoming dangerously dehydrated, which can keep the dog or puppy alive long enough for its own immune system to fight the disease. Antibiotics are not effective against this virus, but they are usually given to an infected animal to help prevent the occurrence of secondary bacterial infections, which can cause shock or septicemia. Secondary infections can occur without antibiotics because parvovirus suppresses the dog's ability to make white blood cells. A blood test showing a low white blood cell count is one of the ways a veterinarian can make a diagnosis of canine parvovirus.

Because the illness causes severe dehydration, the dog will also be put on intravenous fluids, and the animal will probably need to stay under the doctor's care a week or more. Because the gastrointestinal tract has been affected, the veterinarian may withhold food and water from the dog until the virus has come under control.

Unfortunately, some dogs and puppies who survive a bout of parvovirus can be affected by symptoms six months or more after the original symptoms, particularly if the virus has infected the heart.

To prevent infection, puppies must be vaccinated under the proper schedule, and they should not be taken outside the yard or introduced to any other dogs until at least two weeks after the last puppy shots are administered. Some veterinarians and dog breeders suggest that you avoid dog parks entirely, even after your puppy has been vaccinated, because of the possibility of picking up this or other contagious canine illnesses. If you adopt an older dog from the local shelter, you should take him to your veterinarian for a checkup and ask that he be vaccinated, unless the shelter administered routine vaccinations while the dog was in their care.

Fido's Fortress: Puppy Proofing Your Home

It’s safe to say, my dog has me well trained. My “best friend” since she was six weeks old, my precious pup is now a fourteen year old peke-a-poo, missing teeth, missing vision, and missing manners. She growls at me whenever she wants MY dinner, she awakes me at three a.m. so I can give her a drink from my glass and free her from having to walk the ten steps to her water bowl, and she bites me whenever I accidentally touch her as she sleeps in our bed (90 percent of the bed, she has decided, belongs to her ten pound frame). Yes, it’s fair to say, when it comes to my dog, I am nothing if not obedient.

I’d like to say it hasn’t always been like this; I’d like to claim that I once had the upper hand and behaved like, well, the superior species. But, the truth is, I never did. Even before I brought her home, I found myself running around and getting things ready for her arrival. I bought her everything she needed, stopping just short of getting her a diamond studded collar from Tiffany’s, and I puppy proofed my house; I puppy proofed my house like a maniac: there was no way my dog was going to get hurt in my, oh I’m sorry, her, home.

This brings me to the topic of puppy proofing. As essential as it is, it’s not that hard to overlook; new dog owners might find themselves forgetting to make a safe environment as they become so wrapped up simply in loving their puppy. Still, puppy proofing your house helps you assure that you will have a puppy to love. So, before you bring home your new bundle of joy, try to engage in the following:

Secure your cords: Like moths to flames, puppies have been known to flock towards electrical cords, placing them in their mouths, and chewing away. Not only does this ruin your cord, but it can give your puppy quite a shock. To avoid this, keep cords out of the area where your puppy will be. If it’s impossible to keep cords out completely – if your puppy is in the TV room, it might be hard to not have a cord for your plasma television – place them out of your puppy’s reach: hang them from something high, tape them to the wall, or purchase a wire cover.

Guard your Balcony: All puppies have some Christopher Columbus in them: they like to explore. While this is often harmless, when a puppy starts to explore high areas, such as a deck or upstairs balcony, they run the risk of falling. Since you probably won’t be able to keep an eye on your puppy twenty four hours a day, buying a balcony guard is your best bet. A balcony guard allows your puppy to explore higher areas all while assuring that he or she won’t suddenly be thrown off course.

Latch Your Cabinets: If there’s one thing puppies know how to do, it’s get into things they shouldn’t. Cabinets, particularly ones that house kitchen or bathroom trash, are prime goals for puppy pursuing. If successful in their venture, puppies can find things in cabinets that could harm them: household cleaners, chicken bones, mouse traps, bleach. Simply putting latches on your cabinets can assure your puppy won’t be able to open the door on this danger.

Hang Your Plants: I remember my dog, as a puppy, had an affinity for getting into plants. Sometimes she would dig them up, sometimes she would pee on them, and sometimes – mistaking them for a salad bar – she would eat them. This, turns out, wasn't a good idea: some plants are edible, but others can be poisonous. Your veterinarian can provide you with a list of plants that are harmful to pets, including Aloe Vera, tomato plants, rhododendron, English Ivy, and mistletoe. Instead of leaving these, or any plants, on ground level, hang them from the ceiling. Chances are your puppy won’t figure out how to use a ladder.

Puppy proofing your home can take time and money. But, it’s worth it all in the end. It helps us keep our best friend safe, which speaks to those of us who know that there is no such thing as “just a dog.”