Last Tuesday,an astounding affair occurred on Hayling Island. There was a 8 metre long whale beached on one of the mudflats just to the north of Hayling in Langstone Harbour, Hampshire.
Unfortunately, the Northern Bottlenose had experienced severe dehydration, which meant it was suffering from kidney failure, when it became confined on Saturday night.
There was a huge rescue arrangement, where humans attempted valiently to save the Northern Bottlenose’s life. There was a time when the team thought that the kind thing to do would be to put the formidable animal to sleep with a lethal injection. But, the whale then drifted out to sea yet again. Unluckily, it came back towards the harbor again and was beached for a 2nd and final time.
The medical officers decided that the only compassionate thing to do would be to issue the lethal injection, which they did on Friday morning. They used Immobilon, which was a very prompt and fatal strength of anaesthetic.
If the mammal weren’t put to sleep, the experts believe that it would have taken about two further days for the beast to die, during which it would have remained sick and distressed.
It seemed bizarre that the 6 metric ton mammal, which is ordinarily found about 3000 miles away, finished up here on Hayling Island, but it is another wonderful story that this south coast little island, called Hayling brings to its history.
There were around a dozen firefighters, police, coastguard personnel as well as members of the Hayling Island harvour lifeboat staff involved in the attempt.
Poke n’ Peanuts
Just as much as we love to open packages, your ferret too can share in the fun! Take a box you received in the mail that’s filled with “packing peanuts”. Be sure to remove any other packing or shipped materials. Toss in your fuzzy! It’s like your ferrets very own ball pit. One caveat however, this is to be a HIGHLY SUPERVISED activity. If your ferret bores from the swishing, falling, and jumping through their new play land, they may begin to chew on the peanuts. While a great game, these peanuts if ingested could cause a blockage in your ferret, so be sure to play this game with your ferret.
Dusting Mamas Floor
Take your willing fuzzy to a hardwood or vinyl floor setting. Lay them on their back while holding onto their body (hand between front and rear paws on belly). Give em a twirl or paddle them between your two outstretched hands. It’s an activity most ferrets will enjoy, but be sure that it’s right for yours. While this game can be tons of fun, if your ferret doesn’t care for it, try another game.
Pickn’ Up Laundry
Place a pair or two of pants, sweats, or even a hooded sweatshirt on the floor in your ferret room. Be sure openings are large enough throughout, so you don’t trap your ferret. Sit back and watch them explore!
Tunnel Racin
Best with more than one ferret, but equally fun if you have only one. Purchase a few feet of clear dryer venting tube from your local hardware store. Place them side by side, with or without curves (design is up to you). Place your fuzzies in and watch them fly through the new toy. May work best if you place a treat at the end of the tunnel as a reward for your guys.
Bag Lady Blues
Yet another use for the multitude of plastic bags we collect throughout the year. Be sure to remove the handles first for safety. Take a bag and taunt your furry guys with it to peak their interest, then allow it float gently to the ground. Watch as your fuzzies go into play mode. While this should provide ample entertainment for your ferrets, be sure to supervise this activity at all times.
Mamas Fantastic Voyage
Using a bath towel ( a throw rug or large pillow case will do), hold one end while allowing the other to drag behind you. Pretty soon you’ll have a furry caravan behind you. The more swishing or swooshing, the better!
Tub Fun
Using your bathtub, make sure its clean and dry, place your fuzzies inside. Many ferrets adore the smooth texture of a tub on their bellies. Add a couple of plastic bags or ping-pong balls and you’ve got yourself a real Bandit rodeo!
Ancient Treasures
Take any square container or even kitty litter box which is not in use. Fill it half-way with some potting soil. Add a ferret or two, or three and watch the digging frenzy commence. Hide favorite toys in the mix to add to the adventure.
Matthew Humphries - http://www.ferret.com
Besides the excitement of getting a puppy, one of the most challenging parts of dog ownership is teaching the dog to be obedient and establishing yourself as the dominant one in the dog-owner relationship. One of the basic obedience training points relevant in this regard is teaching your dog to sit on command.
As with every other dog training procedure, it is important to note that dogs are not humans and thus do not share your language or pattern of communication. It is important to bear this in mind, so that you will appreciate the essence of patience. For any reasonable results with dog training, it is important to be patient and repetitive with the training. Repetitions enable your dog to establish connections between your verbal commands and the action required of it. You should also learn to praise your dog every time he gets it right. Finally, the training sessions should not be boring to either of you. It is a good idea to keep the lessons short to start with and increase the time as you continue.
There are several training techniques to teach your dog to sit on command. Most dog trainers believe that you can start training your dog to sit at around three months old.
The first technique is simple and very good for young puppies. When you see your puppy about to sit, say the command ’sit’ firmly and when your dog sits, praise him for getting it right. In no time, your puppy learns to associate the verbal command with the act of sitting and you can then get your puppy to sit just by saying it.
The above technique might not be that effective for older puppies. With older puppies, you can practice this second technique. With your dog in front of you, hold a tasty treat and pass it across the dog’s nose and continue over his head a few centimeters high. In the process of trying to follow the motion of your hand, your dog assumes a sitting position. As soon as your dog plants his behind on the ground, say the word ’sit’ firmly. If he sits down, reward him for it. Later you will not need the treat to make your dog sit on command.
Getting your dog to remain sitting shouldn’t be as difficult. The idea is that when you command your dog to sit, he should remain sitting until you tell him to leave the sitting position. All you have to do is make your dig sit until you say a ‘release’ word that signifies that he is free to go. When in the sitting position, call your dog’s name and add the ‘release’ word/statement. Your dog should come to you. With time, the dog understands that the word means he can stop sitting. During the training sessions, if your dog gets up before the release word, show him your disapproval and make him sit again. This way, the dog understands that he is supposed to sit until you say the release word.
These are just a few of the several techniques that can help with your dog training. Again, remember that you may not get instant results, but repetition, patience and rewarding your dog every time he gets it right, will work in the end.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Dog Training.
Vetcharity in Dharamsala and Bodhgaya, northern India are using
the ABC program designed by WSPA and WHO to improve the health
and control the population of dogs. ABC stands for animal birth
control program which is a catch and spay program, coupled with
a rabies vacination program.
Previous to using the ABC method, catch and kill programs had
been widespread in India. These programs were not effectively
controling the street dog population even though they being
killed in huge quantities. It was found that the dog populations
from neighbouring areas moved into to the fill the population
gap and breeding increased. Another outcome of the catch and
kill strategy is that it does nothing to encourage dog owner
to neuter there own pets and help aid in population control.
In many respect the ABC approach has positive effects for the
long term of the animal and human population, with human rabies
infection decreasing in the areas where ABC is practised.
Vetcharity.org will open a cliinic in Bodagaya during late 2004,
which will include veterinary emergency services, an animal
shelter and running a vacination and neutering program for the
local dog population. The clinic will be staffed by volunteer
vets and vet nurses.
A large animal project is being started to improve the health
and welfare of working animals including horses, buffalo, donkeys
and cows. These animals are used as transport for people and
goods and are often suffering malnutrition and work in extreme
heat up to 50 degrees and some without adequate water. Improving
the condition of these animals will benefit the human community
who earn a living from working with these animals. A mobile
clinic will bring veterinary medicine to the site of working
animals and provide veterinary care and education for the owners
of the animals, it will also be shared by the dog spaying program.
About the Author
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Canine distemper is a disease that primarily affects the lungs,
intestinal tract, and nervous system of dogs. Among the
virus-induced diseases in dogs, the mortality rate of distemper
is second only to that of rabies. The virus is highly contagious
and is passed directly from dog to dog by close contact. The
virus is easily killed by detergents and heat. The virus dies
within minutes in a warm environment but can persist for weeks
at near-freezing temperatures.
Young, unvaccinated dogs 3 to 6 months of age are most often
infected with distemper. Nasal discharges containing virus are
aerosolized by sneezing, thereby spreading the virus. The virus
establishes itself in the nasal passages of a susceptible dog,
multiplies, and spreads through the body. Dogs develop a fever a
week after infection but this fever may not be noticed.
Two weeks after infection, the virus produces severe damage to
the cells of the nasal passages, eyes, lungs, and intestinal
tract. These damaged tissues commonly become secondarily
infected with bacteria. This combined infection with virus and
bacteria produces loss of appetite, fever, snotty nose, thick
discharge from the eyes, pneumonia, and diarrhea. The virus
infects the pads of the feet, producing a hard, scaly thickening
referred to as “hard pad” disease. The virus also damages the
immune system, thereby interfering with the body’s ability to
fight off the infection.
If the bacterial component of the infection can be controlled
with antibiotics, the dogs will appear normal for 2 to 3 weeks
until signs of brain and spinal cord disease occur. Half of the
dogs with distemper develop neurologic disease. The canine
distemper virus is attracted to and grows well in nervous
tissue. The damage done to the brain and spinal cord results in
epileptic seizures and localized seizures of the head often
called “chewing gum fits.” Damage to the spinal cord can produce
weakness and paralysis. Nerve damage may also produce
involuntary twitching of the legs. Most dogs with neurologic
disease die or are euthanized.
Making a definite diagnosis of distemper can be difficult if the
dog does not develop the typical snotty nose-pneumonia syndrome.
After the initial 14 days of the infection, the virus is
difficult to identify in swabs of infected tissues. Increasing
antibody titers against distemper in dogs that have not been
vaccinated strengthen the suspicion of distemper. It is
especially difficult to diagnose distemper in dogs with nervous
system signs that have not had the other typical signs of
distemper.
Currently, no drugs are available to treat the distemper virus,
so treatment with antibiotics is aimed at controlling the
secondary bacterial infection. The antibiotic treatment relieves
many of the signs of disease but does not prevent the virus from
entering and damaging the brain and spinal cord. Nursing care;
good-quality, palatable food; and a stress-free environment are
helpful in improving appetite and general well-being. Because
the treatment options are limited, prevention by vaccination is
the prime strategy.
Vaccines against distemper should be started when puppies are
weaned. If the mother has been vaccinated or recovered from an
exposure to distemper, she will pass protection (antibodies)
against distemper to her puppies in her milk. These maternal
antibodies protect the pups for a few weeks after birth. The
amount of antibodies passed from the mother to her pups depends
mainly on the level of the mother’s antibodies. The antibodies
not only protect the pups from distemper but also interfere with
the pups’ response to vaccination. As long as the pups have
maternal antibodies, they cannot be successfully vaccinated.
By 6 weeks of age, half of the litters of pups no longer have
enough antibodies to interfere with vaccination. As the pups
grow, the antibodies obtained from the darn are gradually broken
down, and by 13 weeks of age more than 95 per cent of the pups
are susceptible to distemper and can be protected by
vaccination. It is not economically feasible to measure
antibodies in the pups, so a vaccine schedule has been developed
to protect pups optimally against distemper.
Vaccines should be started soon after weaning, at 6 to 7 weeks
of age, and given every 2 to 3 weeks until the puppies are 14
weeks of age. The pups should be kept away from other dogs until
the vaccination schedule is complete. This scheme of vaccination
has proved effective in preventing this lethal disease.
The above is general veterinary information. Do not begin
any course of treatment without consulting your regular
veterinarian. All animals should be examined at least once every
12 months.
The Great Dane, also
known as the Deutsche Dogge, is a huge dog whose power is one of
the most important features it possesses. It has straight legs
and a long neck. Its head is in a special form that has a narrow
shape, which makes this intelligent animal dramatically
striking. With its dark and round eyes, it has the capability to
control its environment even in the darkest moments of the
night. The great dane’s ears can be seen in two entirely
different states, naturally long and floppy, or cropped.
Cropping, although unnecessary, can be performed by a
veterinarian in the first six months of your puppy’s life.
A Great dane may have a coat in very different colours, namely,
black, blue, fawn and brindle, which are rarely found in the
ancestors of the dog family. In addition, blue danes can have
lighter eyes which contribute to the dog’s speciality. Its
height and weight can change according to the type and age of
the dog. For instance, a full grown male dog is 30-34 inches in
height where an adult female is at most 32 inches tall. There
are also taller dogs but they can be considered as the members
of the minority.
Having discussed the physical aspects of great dane, we can now
turn our attention to psychological features. First, the great
dane is kind and playful, especially towards children. This dog
has been known to be a great protector. Perhaps this is why so
many people use great danes as watchdogs. Not only is the dane
alert, but it’s size frightens potential intruders and anyone
wishing to do harm.
Your great dane does not require any ‘out of the ordinary’
special maintenance. But you should pay close attention to your
dane’s diet. A proper routine diet is essential to your pets
overall physical and mental health. Why is this dog’s diet so
important? The great dane is prone to heart disease, tail
problems, and bloat. It’s short life, which averages
approximately eight years, can be cut short by any of these
medical problems-which are often related to poor dietary habits.
Regular veterinarian check-ups are recommended, to decrease the
chances of any serious illness.
The great dane is generally a happy dog. It can be content
snuggling, playing, walking, or receiving mental stimulation.
This is a very intelligent breed of dog that thrives on
challenges and rewards. If you start training your great dane as
a puppy, you not only have a well-trained pet; you’ll have an
obedient and loving companion for years to come.
Deworming your puppy is a critical part of his puppy care. 98% of all puppies are born with worms that they contracted before they were born from their mother.
There are many different species of worms which can affect your puppy’s growth and development. These worms are intestinal parasites, and contrary to popular belief, you probably won’t see them in the puppy’s stool unless they have a severe infestation.
The most common type of worm found in puppies are roundworms. Roundworms, as you might expect, are round, and a common description is spaghetti-like. These ascarids are very common in nature and can survive outside a host in a cyst stage for a long time. Grassy areas are common places to find any number of parasitic cysts.
Tapeworms are among the most difficult to get rid of. They are a flat, segmented worm.
The head of the tapeworm burrows into the intestine wall and segments break off and are expelled with the feces. You may see wriggling rice-like segments in the stool or dry sawdust-like flakes stuck in the coat around the puppy’s anus. Each segment contains thousands of eggs and ingestion will cause a recurrent infestation.
Fleas are the vector for the tapeworm. They carry the tapeworm from one host to the next. When an animal bites a flea, the tapeworm finds it’s way to the digestive tract where it sets up camp. Tapeworms can be very difficult to get rid of. Dislodging the head can require multiple de-worming attempts. If you do not kill the worm at the source, it can and will regenerate from the head.
There are actually very few medications that work against tapeworms. Many of which can be very hard on the puppy. Whichever medication you choose, you should be sure to consult your veterinarian before you use it. Drontal is the best general de-wormer on the market today. It is a wide spectrum de-wormer and does get tapes, most do not. If your puppy definitely has tapes, it is a good idea to follow up with a species specific dewormer. That is, one that just gets tapes.
When de-worming your puppy, you need to repeat it at least twice, three times is better still. The procedure needs to be done at two week intervals. To follow the life-cycle of the parasite. Most eggs will hatch in that two weeks. The first medication kills anything that is its adult stage, the follow up treatments kill anything that has hatched in the mean time. You can see why it may be advisable to repeat it a third time, just in case any residual eggs had yet to hatch or, any remaining adults laid new eggs.
It is a good idea to follow the final worming with a microscopic fecal exam done at your vet’s office a couple weeks after the final de-worming. Just to make sure no eggs are present. Your vet will need a very fresh fecal sample. Usually no more than an hour old.
Intestinal parasites can cause many problems for the puppy. They can become malnourished, despite how much they eat. If they are always sharing their nutrition with their unwelcome companions they won’t grow well. They will be more susceptible to disease despite vaccines. They may have chronic diarrhea and vomiting and never reach their standard body weight or muscle mass.
Some species of intestinal parasites are transmissible to humans. Mainly children who have a less developed immune system and are more likely to be in the vicinity of the worms or eggs. Round worms especially can infect young children. Children inadvertently put their hands in their mouth or roll around in the grass with the puppy. It is possible, though less likely to contract other species of worms as well.
What you feed your dog is really SO important for your dog’s ultimate health, susceptibility to illness, and longevity.
You know, if you really want your dog to be as healthy as s/he can be, you should stop feeding ANY of the widely available commercial dog foods.
I’m talking here about the types of dog food commonly found in supermarkets, and even about most of the supposedly superior brands sold in some supermarkets, pet food shops, and even by many vets.
The cheaper the brand, then generally the more full of garbage it is, but even many of the more expensive brands leave much to be desired.
What do you think is an ideal diet for your dog?
- plump chickens?
- choice cuts of juicy beef and lamb?
- maybe a few healthy fresh grains for variety?
- the odd fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit?
You’d be right.
But how many of the above ingredients do you think go into commercial pet food?
A lot? Only a little? If you said yes to either of these, you’d be dead wrong.
The average commercial dog food bears NO relation to the above list of choice ingredients, despite what pet food manufacturers display in some of their marketing, and despite what the list of ingredients on the pack or can might tend to indicate.
There is very, very little (if any) of the above ingredients in the average commercial dog food, and by the time it’s been overcooked at sustained high temperatures, and sprayed with preservative agents, the resultant “food” can be very harmful to your dog’s health and wellbeing indeed.
Suffice to say that if you’re feeding your dog ANY commercially available dog food, you’re exposing your dog to a source of chemically enhanced, overprocessed, garbage, the meat source for which includes diseased carcasses which have been left for up to 5 days before being processed.
Enough to turn you off for life? It was for me. As you know, I’ve always fed my dogs a diet of mainly raw meat and bones. But I like to give them a little treat in the mornings rather than just feed them once a day (which, by the way, IS all a dog NEEDS). I used to give them a handful of dry dog food each morning, sometimes the cheaper supermarket brands, and sometimes the “brand” names which cost 4 or 5 times as much. Now that I know better, I never give my dogs any of that garbage.
I should say that SOME of the expensive pet foods which are readily available ARE better than the cheaper brands. BUT, most are still far from an ideal diet for your dog, so query whether the extra money is money well spent.
If the product says it’s “with real chicken”, did you know that it only needs to contain 3% of chicken? Neither did I.
If the first item listed is meat or chicken, did you know that this doesn’t mean that’s the main ingredient? Neither did I.
Take a close look at the label. It’s likely to list a meat first, and then 2, 3, 4 or 5 types of grains. This is a very misleading tactic used by the commercial pet food manufacturers. Each of the grains individually may be slightly less in quantity than the meat. But added together? They’re probably nearly 2, 3, 4 or 5 times the quantity of the meat ingredient.
After having looked into this issue in a great deal of detail, I’m convinced that the most healthy diet for your dog is mainly fresh meat, with some fresh veges and a little grain thrown in. And this alone is NOT enough. You need to give your dog a vitamin supplement always, for optimal health.
And for the very best health, there ARE some reputable HEALTHY, wholesome, holistic dog food manufacturers, which really DO provide wonderfully healthy food for our dogs.
If you’re game to read the whole shocking report published by the U.S. Animal Protection Institute, about what’s really in commercial pet food, it’s posted at: www.HealthyHappyDogs.com/APIArticle
And for details of the best dog food manufacturers, see all the details here: http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com/DogFood
(c) 2005, Brigitte Smith, Healthy Happy Dogs
Brigitte Smith is a dog lover with a special interest in holistic dog health. Her site, Healthy Happy Dogs, has pages and pages of information on improving your dog’s health naturally. Brigitte is the author of several reports, articles, and the Healthy Happy Dogs newsletter.
For your special FREE report - “How to Improve Your Dog’s Health Within 30 Days - Maybe Even Lengthen Your Dog’s Life!”, Click Here for Your Free Dog Health Report! http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com
It is very important to decide whether to keep your horse with you or choosing a nearby stable that would accommodate your horse. It all depends upon the size of your property and the amount of money that you can spend. If you think that it is difficult for you to keep the horse on your land, you can find a suitable stable maintained by professionals to keep your horse. However, this would cost money, and your horse would be away from you.
If you decide to keep your horse on your property and are ready to invest on the facility for your horse, a few things should be kept in mind.
Your horse would require a huge amount of space to roam. Make sure you have large grounds for your horse.
Be prepared for a regular maintenance of the stable, once it is built. Unhealthy and dirty stables can lead to diseases in your horse. Make sure you have proper arrangements and equipment to clean the stable on a regular basis.
The food storages should be extremely clean. Remember it is very important to keep food clean to avoid diseases. Adequate supply of water should be arranged. Storage tanks should be installed to avoid lack of water.
The surrounds of the facility should be properly fenced to avoid other animals from entering the premises of your beloved horse. It would further protect your horse from going beyond the boundary and could save him from possible dangers. You should also have an indoor riding area to practice during winters. Make special arrangements for winter season. It is important to keep your horse warm in order to derive the best output in terms of performance.
The stable should be free from parasites. It should not contain sharp edges, which might hurt the horse. It should be well protected from rains and dust storms, or any other from of dangerous conditions for that matter. Cleaning should be done on a daily basis. Dust and moulds should be removed as soon as encountered in the stable. The stable should be cleaned from urine and faeces. These are sources of ammonia, which is not good for health. Install proper drainage systems in the facility.
Make sure that you install proper ventilation systems. Fresh air is an important thing to keep your horse healthy. The facility should be well ventilated.
Bedding should be warm and free from dust. Dust can be irritating for your horse and can cause diseases including diseases of the skin. The horse should enjoy the bedding rather than getting irritated. It should provide adequate cushion and support to the horse. A number of synthetic beddings are available in the market.
Darkness has a bad impact on the behavior!
The stable should be well equipped with lighting sources. Never keep the horse in darkness. This would have a great impact on the behavior of the horse. He might get aggressive and develop bad habits.
In a nutshell: keep the stable clean, well ventilated, fenced, drained and bright.
To learn more about “horse care” visit: http://www.horsecareinformation.com
The world as we know it is in balance. Animals breathe in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. Plant absorbs carbon dioxide and give off oxygen as part of there process of photosynthesis. Animals eat plants and animals wastes, feed plants. Water evaporated from the seas and come back to freshen the earth.
The absolute balance of an aquarium world is not usually possible for a beginner. Usually the fish give off more waste matter (both in gas and solids) than the plant life can absorb. And plants almost never provide sufficient food for fish life in an aquarium tank (the things that the aquarium keeper must provide to maintain plant life). But too much encourages the excess growth of algae, causing green water and green-coated tank walls.
Below are the 4 things you as an aquarium keeper must learn to balance:
Food:
It must be a balance of vegetable and animal matter. The reason is that insufficient food stunts the growth and lowers the resistance of fish to disease. On the flip side too much food can also harm the fish by polluting the aquarium.
Size of tank:
The tank must be larger enough to provide space according to the number and size of the fish. It mustalso have sufficient surface so that oxygen can be absorbed to satisfy them.
Temperature:
This poses no problem for us in this part of the world as the range of 24 degree centigrade to 30 obtainable here is most ideal for tropical fish.
Gravel:
One or two inches of sand gravel is all that is required to anchor plants. However be carefull because too much gravel accumulates waste matter that tends to pollute the aquarium.
Master balancing these 4 elements of your aquarium and your tank will look great and your fish will live a long happy life!
For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out aquariumfish.aquariumspot.com
